A baking Longan

Brewbaker's @ Anchorvale

2010-05-12T19:27:00.010+08:00

No matter how busy we are, we have to celebrate Mother's day! Brewbaker's is a nice place for a family to have a meal (they have western as well as some oriental dishes) and also for friends to chill out.

Presenting...

Some garlic bread to whet your appetite

Salmon and chicken

Breaded fish fillet topped with Milanaise sauce

Traditional fish and chips

New York steak with asian butter

Brewbaker's Kitchen & Bar

59 Anchorvale Road

#01-06 Anchorvale Community Club

Tel: 6886 1811

Opening Hours:

Mon-Thu 11.30am - 10.30pm

(closed from 3pm to 6pm)

Fri - Sat or Eve of PH 11.30am till 2am

Sun 11.30am - 11pm

Map

Cookies and cream muffins and Tiramisu

2010-05-12T19:07:00.003+08:00

Hello to all, baking longan has been so busy with work, she has no time to blog. So here I am, assistant non-baking longan, to the rescue. I will be assisting her with her future posts.

While you guys were waiting (thank you all for the support), she made some cookies and cream muffins!

And my all time favourite, tiramisu cake!

Apple Crumble Pie~

2009-06-07T17:03:00.003+08:00

Namaste~ This is Longan rolling by, i finally managed to squeeze some time to do some baking.

Here it is, fresh from the oven this morning! Apple Crumble~~~

The APPLE CRUMBLE PIE recipe is from All recipe.com, a great website for great baking recipes! Enjoy!

Kim Gary Restaurant @ Vivocity (II)~

2009-04-10T18:13:00.005+08:00

We've all been busy recently and hardly have any time to have a meal together. i'm really glad my family was able to take some time off to have lunch at Kim Gary's on this good friday public holiday... hurrr~

We opted for the set meals that came together with a drink and soup. The set meals are usually available on all day on sat, sun and public holidays and after 5pm for mondays to fridays. My parents and bro ordered the hotplate specialities whereas i had the stone grilled rice.

~*Iced Yuan Yang*~

A combination of tea and coffee, HK style~ my all time favourite~

~*Borsch Soup, Cream Soup & Garlic bread*~

The garlic bread was inclusive for every hotplate set ordered.

~*Combo hot plate meal*~

A combination of fish fillet, chicken chop and pork chop cutlet, perfect for those who can't decide which set to have :p

~*Pork Chop Cutlet Hot Plate Set Menu*~

An all time favourite~ Check-out the huge & delicious serving of golden pork cutlets~

~*Steak hot plate set meal*~

Sizzling grilled US sirloin steak. A super large beef serving...

~*Stone Grilled Seafood Rice in Jap Style*~

Unagi, fried egg, crabmeat, octopus, fishball, mangetous pea, enoki mushroom, kimchi and rice served in a pipping hot stone bowl.

~*Feedbacks, anyone?*~

Kim Gary Restaurant

1 Harbourfront Walk
#02-128 VivoCity
Tel: 6376 8183

Operating Hours:
Daily: 10am - 10pm

n.y.d.c. Cafe & Restaurant~

2009-04-10T17:48:00.005+08:00

A quick dinner at n.y.d.c. (Heeren) before the movie....

With prompt and pleasant service and good company... well, what more can i ask for?

~*Oven-Baked Penne Pasta Mushroom Ham *~

Baked rice filled with tasty ham, juicy mushrooms in creamy sauce and sinful but yummie-licous cheese~

~*Spicy BB King Chicken Sandwich*~

Chunky chicken shreds with spicy tomato salsa, served with salad and crinkle cut golden fries. Yum! :p~

The Heeren Shops (Newly Opened)

#05-05/13 The Heeren Shops
260 Orchard Road
Singapore 238855

Tel: 6734 7351
Fax: 6734 7352

Daily 11.00am to 10.30pm

Bather's @ Sunset Way~

2009-03-08T02:00:00.004+08:00

Simply marvellous! Cosy setting, nice decor, pleasant service, good food, great company = super enjoyable and satisfying dining experience.

~*Complimentary Appetizer*~

Bacon with noodles served with garlic bread. The noodles were springy and infused with the flavours from the bacon. The aromatic garlic bread was nice and crusty on the outside, fluffy and soft on the inside, yummie :p~

~*Green Garden Salad*~

Fresh crispy greens with diced fresh fruits and tomatoes with balsamic vinegar. It's so refreshing and delicious, i was tempted to have a second serving. :p

~*Chicken Noodle Vegetable Soup*~

Clear chicken soup with cubes of chicken, vegetables and mushrooms.

~*Chicken Corden Bleu*~

Awww... isn't it pretty? It's as delicious as it look :p~

~*Steamed Red Garupa with Vegetables*~

Fresh red garupa fillet,it's so so good :p~

Bather's Cafe & Restaurant

41 Sunset Way

#01-02/03 Clementi Arcade

Singapore 597071
Tel: 6463 1767

Operating Hours:

Mon-Fri: 11.30am - 3pm, 6pm - 10pm

Sat: 6pm-10pm

Closed Sundays

Charcoal Gourmet Deli & Bar~

2009-02-14T23:05:00.007+08:00

A Valentine's day set special~

~*Complimentary Sparking Wine*~

~*Charcoal Appetizer Special for 2*~

Starting from top right hand corner (clockwise): Crab meat, tomato tofu, tuna tataki, blue corn chips, spicy watermelon salsa.

Refreshing, appetizing and innovative...

~*Mushroom Soup with Truffle Oil*~

Soup-erlicious~

~*Miso Basted Salmon with Wasabi Mashed Potatoes, Petite Legumes and Hotate Garnish*~

A playful fusion between western and jap.

~*Sliced Kalbi Beef Steak, Grilled King Oyster Mushroom with Potato Salad*~

~*Mango Pudding*~

Sour (mango cubes)- sweet (milk) mango pudding.
The food was good but the overall dining experience was dampened by their service standards...

Charcoal Gourmet Deli & Bar

100 High Street

#01-03 The Treasury

Singapore 179434

Tel: 63382798

Sakae Yu Sheng Set~

2009-02-07T10:41:00.002+08:00

My 5th Yu Sheng session this CNY and i'm loving it! This is one of the best i've had, fresh Yu Sheng delivered right to your doorstep.

~*Sakae Yu Sheng Set*~
Thinly sliced carrots and cucumber, lettuce shreds, salmon sashimi, preserved veggies & fruit shreds, plum sauce, spices, ground peanuts... etc (incl. of a packet of golden crackers).

*Hugz* J & M~ Happy belated b'day, J!

Xin Wang Hong Kong Cafe @ Heartland Mall~

2009-01-31T22:02:00.004+08:00

HK style dinner for 2 consecutive days~ I was at Kim Gary yesterday and Xin Wang tonight~

~*Glass Jelly Drink*~

A chilled refreshing chin chow drink, anyone?

~*Yin Yong*~

Can't decide between iced coffee or tea? How about a large cup of yin yong? :p~

~*Borsch Soup*~

A lighter version compared to Kim Gary's version of the Borsch soup. The soup is alittle diluted with lesser vegetables...

~*Spring Rolls*~

Tasty and crispy spring rolls. Delicious :) but greasy :(

~*Chicken Chop with Fries*~

Comfort food? A lovely plate of grilled chicken with generous amount of sauce served with golden crinkle cut fries, baked beans, fried egg and some veg.

~*Braised Cabbage with Mushrooms*~

A large plate of cabbage with shrooms, shrooms and more shrooms~

Heartland Mall

205 Heartland Mall

Hougang Street 21

#01-133/135

Singapore 530250

Tel: +65-6487 3481

Operating Hours:

Monday to Thursday – 11am to 2am

Sunday – 11am to 3am

Friday, Saturday and Eve of PH – 24hrs

Kim Gary Restaurant @ Vivocity~

2009-01-31T02:00:00.004+08:00

A wonderful class reunion dinner with I, Y, B, P, W, L and A at Kim Gary Restaurant. They specializes in HK cafe snacks and some of their in house favourites that include baked cheese rice, toast, noodles, korean-style stone grilled rice...etc... They also offer set combos which include a soup, drink and a main course.

~*Borsch Soup*~

Yummie-licious tomato based vegetable soup :p~

~*Stone Grilled Rice in Korean Style*~

Rice with fried egg, enoiki mushrooms, chicken, kimchi, sausages and ham in piping hot stone bowl.

~*Sauce*~

The sauce to go with the rice. It has a mixture of sweet, savoury with alittle sourish flavour and went pretty well with the rice.

~*Combo Hotplate Meal*~

Mega scrumptious meal consisting of grilled chicken, fish fillet, veggies and golden crinkle cut fries.

~*Yin Yong*~

Sweet iced coffee + tea combo. It's refreshingly good~

Kim Gary Restaurant

1 Harbourfront Walk

#02-128 VivoCity

Tel: 6376 8183

Operating Hours:

Daily: 10am - 10pm

Swensen's @ Suntec~

2009-01-28T15:27:00.003+08:00

How often do you get to walk around a shopping mall and see more shops close than open on a public holiday? ......... That'll be during the first 2 days of CNY! Well, it's quite an experience, being able to walk comfortably in a mall without having to bump onto strangers along the way. Like the shops, many of the eateries were also closed, hence, fewer dining options. Nevertheless, we managed to have dinner at Swensen's without having to wait in queue for too long.

~*Prawn & Fruit Salad*~

This salad was marked with the healthier choice label and was one of the Chef recommendations on the menu.
It's good serving of shrimps, canned peaches, longans, raisins, greens and served with creamy sweet and sour creamy yoghurt dressing.

~*Spaghetti Aglio Olio*~

The texture of the spaghetti was just nice, not over or under cook. However the mushrooms were not evenly cooked. Alittle more chilli to increase the spice would have been better.

~*Crispy Veggie Mix*~

Deep-fried veggies coated with nicely seasoned batter served with a creamy savoury-sweet sauce.

Swensen's @ Suntec City

3 Temasek Boulevard
#B1-060

Tel: 6339 5139

Opening Hours
11.30am-10pm (Weekday)
11.30am-11pm (Fri, Sat & Eve of PH)

Reunion Dinner 2009~

2009-01-25T20:25:00.006+08:00

Wishing everyone a...

Happy & Prosperous New Year!
Gong Xi Fa Cai!
Shen1 Ti3 Jian4 Kang1!
Wan4 Shi4 Ru2 Yi4!

Woah~ How time flies, in a few hours time, we'll be welcoming the year of the Ox!

It has always been a family tradition to have Yu Sheng and steamboat for reunion dinner on the eve of the lunar new year. Here's a look of what we had this evening.

~*Yu Sheng*~

Raw sliced salmon fish salad with abalone, sweet plum sauce, ground nuts, sesame seeds and an assortment of spices~

~*Cold Dish*~

Clockwise direction starting from the bottom left: Roast pork, seasoned scallop wings, jelly fish, century eggs with preserved ginger, bak kwa (bbq sliced pork) and prawn salad.

~*Sliced Abalone*~

~*Steamboat*~

The soup based was prepared a few hours in advance. It's really rich and filled with flavours from the prawns, scallops, wongbok, carrots, red dates...etc~

~*CNY Gift*~

Thanx P!

oops~ i didn't have time to d.i.y the CNY goodies this year, so no pics on pineapple tarts, or CNY cookies...

Shokudo Japanese Coffee House @ Parco Bugis~

2009-01-18T18:23:00.005+08:00

Several Shokudo outlets and branches have been emerging in town. Some of which specializes in pasta and pizza, dessert or a large scale food bazaar.

The outlet at Parco Bugis offers some of their best sellers e.g. omu rice, pasta, pizza, dessert and drinks.

~*Condiments*~

~*Lychee Freeze*~

Refreshing cool lychee freeze to kick start the meal...

~*Grilled Chicken Omu Rice with Japanese Curry*~

Nice presentation but alittle too greasy for my liking. The omelette egg was slightly runny and went very well with the curry.

~*Waffle with Pistachio Ice cream*~

We waited quite some time for this to be served. The waffle & pistachio ice cream was just average.

Hmmm... when it comes to waffles and ice cream, Gelare's the place to be!

Shimbashi Soba~

2009-01-18T18:12:00.003+08:00

It's been quite some time since i last had soba. And the first place that comes to mind when i crave for fresh serving of soba would have to be Shimbashi!

~*Seiro Soba*~

Cold soba in dipping sauce with spring onions and alittle wasabi... *Slurppp* Yummie~

~*Salmon Sashimi*~

Some sliced fresh salmon to go along with the seiro soba...

Food Junction @ Bishan Junction 8

2009-01-18T18:06:00.003+08:00

A yummie bowl of kimchi soup filled with tau kwa, kimchi, glass noodles, chicken...etc

The Mushroom Pot~

2009-01-11T02:03:00.005+08:00

i love mushrooms~ This is my first visit to The Mushroom Pot and i thoroughly enjoyed the food~ There's an extensive variety of individual sets, ala-carte dishes and hotpot buffet menu selection.

~*Appetizer*~

The spicy sichuan vegetable was tasty, a nice balance between the salt, sugar and chilli.

~*Beef Individual Mini Hot Pot Set*~

A good serving of beef hot pot combo platter, mushroom salad, wild mushroom soup base, white rice and fresh fruit.

~*Mushroom Salad*~

The mushroom salad was nicely seasoned, light on the palatte, good mouth-feel and simply yummie-licious.

~*Mini Hot Pot*~

The wild mushroom soup was fragrant and refreshingly good.

~*Seafood Individual Mini Hot Pot Set*~

The seafood hot pot combo platter consists of wongbok, green veggies, squid, cuttlefish, tofu, glass noodles, sliced fish and prawns.

~*Iced Lemon Tea*~

Add $1.50 to enjoy a glass of Iced lemon tea or pepsi with every individual set orders.

Orchard Point Outlet:

OG Orchard Point, Level 4

160 Orchard Road

Singapore 238842

Tel: 6733 9910

11am - 10pm (Daily)

*click here for more outlet info

KOI Cafe~

2009-01-11T01:24:00.006+08:00

Bubble tea at its best! If you're a huge fan of the popular 50 Lan bubble tea chain in taiwan, you'd no longer have to fly all the way there to enjoy your favourite milk tea. KOI cafe which is under the same 50 Lan family is now open at toa payoh! The service staff are taiwanese and i adore the way they greet their customers with their trademark, "Huan1 Ying2 Guang1 Ling2" (welcome). There's a choice of big or small pearls and sweetness level e.g. 100%, 70%, 50%, 25% or no sugar!

~*Green Milk Tea with small pearls (medium size, 25% sweetness)*~

i like the richness of the milk, q (springy) texture of the pearls and the moderate sweetness of the milk tea :p~

KOI cafe

190A Toa Payoh Central

#01-562

Tel: 6256 1169

Dessert Story @ The Heeren~

2009-01-04T13:58:00.004+08:00

After The Heeren basement 1 revamped, The Vil'age is no longer around, instead the place has been transformed into a gourmet express bazaar with more dining options, including, Shokudo, Dessert Story, Cookbook Asia, Subway, Xin Wang Taiwan Cafe (coming soon), New York New York (coming soon) and McDonald's (coming soon).

Dessert Story serves a wide range oriental desserts (e.g. sesame/walnut paste, ah balling etc...), shaved ice desserts, and oriental breakfast/tea time snacks (e.g. congee, chee cheong fun, yam cake...etc).

~*Chee Cheon Fun with Prawns*~

This was very good! i'd give 2 thumbs up! The 'QQ' chee cheong fun filled with fresh cooked prawns, ganished with roasted sesame seeds, spring onions and fried shallots and drizzled with tasty and delicious sesame sauce.

~*Mango Pamelo with Sago*~

Thick mango puree served with plump pamelo pulps and sago.

A thick and sweet mango dessert for you?

~*Green Tea with Red Bean Shaved Ice*~

Being a huge fan of shaved/sliced ice desserts, i have to try this.

On a whole, the shaved ice and red beans were not too sweet except that the green tea flavour was too light and would have been better with more matcha.

The dessert was served in a styrofoam bowl instead of porcelain, i felt tha the overall aesthetics and bowl material might have affected the flavour of the dessert somehow.

i'd prefer the matcha shave ice desserts from Mei Heong Yuen or SLICE better... nevertheless, there are several other cold desserts to try...

Breakfast~

2009-01-04T13:37:00.004+08:00

A simple homemade western breakfast~

~*Turkey ham and scrambled eggs served with biscuits*~

The scambled eggs were tasty and tangy as they were seasoned with salt, chilli pepper, and white ground pepper before cooking.

The baked biscuits were slighty crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside and went well with honey or jam.

~*Baked Biscuits*~

i used the recipe from All recipe - E-Z Drop Biscuits. It's a simple recipe to follow and the biscuits were light and yummy.

New Year Dinner~

2009-01-01T20:44:00.003+08:00

Happy 2009!!!

A first taste of a simple homecook meal for the new year!

~*Broccoli & Ngoh Hiang*~

~*Spicy Sweet & Sour Pork Chops*~

Oops! Lots of onions!!! Looks more like sweet and sour onions with tomatoes instead :p Nevertheless, the pork chop chunks were tender and delicious!

~*Sharksfin Soup with Enoki Mushrooms & Tofu*~

keke... tasty soup from a can with a personal touch :p~

Thanx mum! :)

Almond Cookies~

2009-01-01T19:51:00.003+08:00

Alittle experiment with a walnut cookie recipe...

These almond cookies looks decent enough but the taste was not how i had expected them to be... they're not crunchy enough and were alittle moist...

Pandan Raisin Pancakes~

2008-12-28T12:03:00.005+08:00

Busy busy morning! This a little something i made for a year-end tea session later this afternoon. It's a slight variation to the previous raisin pancake recipe, i replaced the pandan extract with 1/2 teaspoon of pandan paste.

~*Pandan Raisin Pancakes*~

Soft, fluffy and delicious~

*i hope they'll like it :)

Han's Cafe @ Far East Plaza~

2008-12-28T01:56:00.005+08:00

i enjoy dining at Han's for their good selection of food at affordable prices...

~*Christmas Mixed Grill*~

A selection from the Han's x'mas set special...

The main course: Tender turkey breast meat, honey ham, sausages, broccoli and potato wedges.

Served with a drink (choice of coffee, tea, oj or ice lemon tea), a soup of the day, a slice of toasted garlic bread and a dessert.

~*Fish Congee*~

A large bowl of fish congee garnished with scallions, fried shallots and an egg (i omitted it).

~*Combination Salad*~

Some greens to go with our main course~

The pineapple ring and cherry adds a festive feel to the salad.

Han's Cafe
Far East Plaza

14 Scotts Road

#03-26

Tel: 67343727

Mon - Sat: 7am - 10pm

Sun & PH: 8am - 10pm

Xin Wang Hong Kong Cafe @ Cineleisure~

2008-12-28T00:49:00.003+08:00

A quick lunch before a post-x'mas ktv session with L, M & C~

~*Luncheon Meat & Egg Soup Noodles*~

HK-style instant noodles with eggs, luncheon meat, corn, tomato and scallion in milky soup.

~*Braised Cabbage with Mushrooms*~

Previously, i had the Chilled green vegetables served with japanese wasabi sauce.

So this time, i decided to try a different veggie dish... which is a super huge serving of wong bok (chinese cabbage) with button, straw and golden mushrooms.

The serving is large enough to feed 2-3 adults...

~*Iced HK Ying Yong *~

A favourite iced tea + coffee combo to complete the meal~

78 Da Pai Dang (KPT)~

2008-12-26T00:24:00.004+08:00

A x'mas dinner with my family at 78 Da Pai Dang zi char stall located at hougang KPT coffee shop.

~*Sauces*~

Chili padi in light soya sauce & chili belachan

The chili padi was pedas~ shiok!

~*Hotplate tofu*~

Spicy hotplate tofu wiht prawns, mushrooms, eggs and some veggies

~*Hotplate deer meat*~

My favourite dish of the night.

Tender and tasty deer meat with scallions and onions

~*Baby kailan with mushrooms*~

~*Thai-style red garoupa*~

The fish was over fried and dehydrated and the thai sauce was too sweet and not spicy enough.

*Lesson learnt... fresh fish are best enjoyed steamed and not deep fried...

X'mas Eve (random)~

2008-12-25T22:38:00.004+08:00

It's x'mas eve! Almost every corner in town was filled with people, people and more people~ We intended to go to Yuki Yaki at marina square for an early dinner but there was already a queue of at least 30 people waiting in line at 4.45pm! So early!!! In the end, we managed to find ourselves a table at The Waraku (marina square)...

~*Wakame Soba*~

The regular serving of wakame soba was presented in a large bowl that resembled a wash basin.

After dinner we went over to coffee club for some drinks before our movie, and this was what i had...

~*Strawberry Chocolate Blend*~
A rich chocolatie and super sweet dessert drink with chocolate bits and fresh strawberry bits.
It was way too sweet for me palette... :(

Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie (Crisco)*~

2008-12-21T18:35:00.003+08:00

Chocolate chip cookies using Crisco's shortening, it's another good chocolate chip cookie for keeps. Do check out the recipe on the Crisco's webby. Chewy or crunchy cookies, just simply adjust the baking time in the oven and... tah dah! You'll get chocolate chip cookies, just the way you like them~

~*Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie*~

Sushi Tei's Ice ball~

2008-12-20T21:44:00.003+08:00

A simple sweet treat to round up a scrumptious dinner~

~*Ice Ball*~

Mini bite size ice balls filled with the milky sweetness of the condensed milk.

We had the green tea, milk and strawberry flavours.

ROC Pizza~

2008-12-20T21:19:00.003+08:00

i like it this way! Yes! This is it! Ultra thin and super crispy crust with mozzarella cheese, ham and mushrooms. Yummie-licious! This is what i call pizza lite. Restaurant standard pizza at hawker centre prices! So good, it rocks~ :)

~*Ham & Mushroom*~

This 8" pizza makes a good beer snack for 2 or a fantastic pizza meal for 1 :p~

Just look at how thin it is!

ROC Pizza

505 Beach Road #01-109
Golden Mile Food Centre
Operating Hours:Tue-Sun: 12.30pm - 9pm (Closed on Mon)

Charcoal Fish Soup Steamboat~

2008-12-20T20:57:00.004+08:00

A family dinner at Hong Kong Charcoal Fishhead Steamboat Restaurant at upper bukit timah road before the big day~

~*Hei Zou*~

Fried Prawn beancurd rolls~

~*Fried Tofu with Broccoli & Mushrooms*~

~*Prawn Paste Chicken*~

~*Charcoal Fish Soup Steamboat*~

The soup was very tasty and rich in flavour :p~ YUM!

Whisk Cafe & Lounge~

2008-12-08T21:47:00.009+08:00

Shopping can really work up an appetite :p

This is my first visit to the Whisk cafe & lounge after reading about it on leafie's blog. We were greeted by the friendly service staff and ushered to our table. The cosy lighting, comfortable setting and good looking waiters allowed us to settle down pretty comfortably and were busy exploring the menu in no time.

~*The Menu*~

~*Mint & Lime Soda*~

A simple light, minty and zesty soda.

~*Dragonfruit & Mixed Berries Smoothie*~

No frills, it's just as the name describes, blended dragonfruit with berry fruits and ice.

The colour looks alittle scary and the drink lacks presentation maybe a small stalk of mint leaf would have been nice.

~*Izio's Aglio Olio*~

Spicy pasta tossed in garlic, herb, red chili slices and olive oil served with 6 juicy prawns.

~*Tandoori Chicken Wrap*~

Tasty and juicy tandoori chicken with yogurt wrap served with salad drizzled with balsamic vinegar.

Whisk Cafe & Lounge

423 Orchard Road

#03-15 Wisma Atria

Singapore 238877

Tel: +65 6836 5080

Waraku @ The Central IV~

2008-12-07T21:44:00.005+08:00

An early dinner at Waraku with my parents... We didn't manage to make a reservation, hence, to avoid the crowd, we were at The Central in the early evening and were fortunate enough to get a window seat overlooking the Singapore river~

~*Tonkatsu Wazen*~

Delicious & value for money!

~*Beef Kaminabe (Chige soup) Wazen*~

A'lil of everything: beef, spicy soup, tempura, salmon sashimi~

~*Hokkai Salad*~

Something fresh and light...

Iceberg lettuce, fresh salmon, ikura (salmon roe), squid, tuna (maguro) with japanese wasabi dressing :p~

Waraku @ The Central

6 Eu Tong Sen Street

#03-89/97/98 The Central

Singapore 059817

Tel: 6327-8860

Opening hours: 11:30am - 11pm (Last order 10:30pm)

Dark Chocolate with Mixed Fruits Brownie~

2008-12-07T14:46:00.010+08:00

An experimental recipe for the festive season. Alittle fusion between a fruitcake and a rich chocolate brownie...

~*Dark Chocolate with Candied Fruits Brownie*~

The brownie is extremely crumbly and moist. Each mouthful encompasses the richness of the chocolate noir, almond bits and sweetness of the mixed fruits.

Sinful but satisfying~

Recipe

Ingredients

150 g 65% Dark chocolate
110 g Butter flavoured crisco shortening
2 Tbs Water
110 g Sugar
3 Tbs Honey
3 Eggs
1 tsp Vanilla essence
130g Self rising flour
1/2 tsp Baking powder
1/4 tsp Bicarbonate soda
1/4 tsp Salt
3 Tbs Candied mixed fruit bits (Soaked in Cherry liquer for at least 2 hours, then drained)
15 Roasted almonds (Chopped into smaller bits)

Method

Preheat oven at 180 degree celsius.
Melt butter with dark chocolate in a double boiler (or microwave). Remove from heat and gradually mix the water, sugar and honey into the melted chocolate and butter. Leave it to cool slightly for 45 to 1 hour.
In a separate mixing bowl, sift in flour, baking powder, bicarbonate soda and salt.
Add in the beaten eggs and vanilla essence into the chocolate mixture and mix well.
Mix in the chopped roasted almonds and drained candied mixed fruit bits.
Pour batter into an 8 x 8 x 1 " square baking tray lined with baking paper.
Bake in a preheated oven at 170 degree celsius for 25 minutes.
Leave it to cool for 90 minutes before cutting. Enjoy!

suggestion: After the brownie has cooled, refrigerate for about 1 hour before cutting if you would prefer a less crumbly brownie.

Hot Tomato Express~

2008-12-07T00:57:00.007+08:00

We were at Plaza Singapura shopping center, walking around as we tried to decide on a place for dinner. We finally settled at Hot Tomato Express after being approached by a friendly service crew who kindly explained their on-going promotions while we were browing through their menu.

For every main course ordered, diners could enjoy a drink from their selection, a soup-of-the-day and a garlic bread at an additional $2.90++.

~*Lime Juice*~

Lime juice served with lemon slice.

Sourish and not too sweet, very refreshing and perks you up.

~*Soup of the day & Garlic Bread*~

Mushroom soup with delicious soft and fluffy herb garlic bread... Yummie!

This is how the bread looks like underneath...

~*Chicken & Mushroom in cream sauce*~

A tasty and good serving of angel's hair pasta with chicken and mushrooms in herb cream sauce. This cream sauce doesn't leave that "jalat" feeling which some cream based pasta does.

~*Grilled Chicken, Bacon, Cheddar Cheese & Avocado Sandwich*~
Chuncks of grilled chicken breast, bacon strips, melted cheddar cheese, tomato, avocado, cucumber, lettuce and mayonnaise sandwich served with potato chips.

~*Hot Tomato's Club Wrap-*~

A relatively healthy and yummie wrap consisting of chicken breast, bacon, cheddar cheese, fresh tomato, mixed salad leaves, alittle mayonnaise served with potato chips.

We had a pleasant experience with the service and food and would most probably return again to try their grilled salmon with mango salsa, oven-baked selection, sandwiches...etc

Hot Tomato Express

68 Orchard Road

#B2-40 Plaza Singapura
Singapore 238839

The Magic of Chong Qing Hot Pot~

2008-12-06T23:56:00.004+08:00

We had a wonderful hot pot experience at Suntec previously. Hence, we decided to roll over to the tanglin road Chong qing hot pot outlet to satisfy our steamboat craving.

~*Yuan Yang (Mildly spicy Mala & Chicken Soup)*~

At the beginning, when the soup was still plain and calm...

~*Appetizers*~

~*Our first selection*~

Seafood, meat, mushrooms, vegetables and bean products

~*Cooking in Process*~

~*Ice cream*~

The 2 available flavours were either mango or chocolate :p~

Once again, we were not disappointed, the good food, the friendly and prompt service standards were comparable to the Suntec outlet.

The Magic of Chong Qing Hot Pot

Tanglin Shopping Centre

19 Tanglin Road

#04-06/ 07

Singapore 247909

Tel: 6 7348 135, 6734 9789

Opening hours: 12pm-3pm, 6pm-11pm (Mon-Sun)

Mochi~

2008-12-06T11:51:00.004+08:00

~*Sesame seed coated mochi with mung bean filling*~

Homemade mochi, inspired by Precious moment's blog - Mango Ice-cream mochi recipe!

This were made by my mum, it was her first and successful attempt in making japanese mochi. The advantages of making your own mochi is the freedom to include more of your favourite filling, the ability to control the sweetness level and the thickness of the mochi layer :p~

Well, the process of mochi making may get alittle messy but after going through the process, the reward of a nice d.i.y dessert treat is worth the trouble~ :)

Shokudo V~

2008-12-05T12:11:00.006+08:00

Another eventful and enjoyable feast! :p

~We thought this was all we that we have ordered... ~

~*In the end, there was more!*~

And what did we have?

Appetizers (Seasoned scallop wings, wakame, baby octopus, kimchi), Sashimi delux, Rosti with sausage, Omu rice with grilled chicken, Mushroom & cheese omelette, Chicken bamboo rice, Salmon spaghetti, Hokkaido-curry potato thin pizza, Doumiao and assorted mushroom teppanyaki, Grilled squid, mushrooms, bacon wrapped asparagus, quail eggs and prawns, fried gyoza...etc :p~

Hurrr... it was indeed an enjoyable catch up session!

Thanx! M, G, I and B! :)

Outback Steakhouse @ Millenia Walk Part IV~

2008-12-04T08:54:00.006+08:00

A pretty awesome dinner at Outback with the gals~

~*Bushman 'Shrooms*~

Aussie-tizer No. 1.

These mushrooms were nicely seasoned, crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. Yum!

~*Bloomin' Onion*~

Aussie-tizer No. 2.

Check-out this super size onion!

Crispy on the outside and moist on the inside but they were a'lil salty...

~*Sizzling Chicken*~

Boneless chicken served over grilled onions and veggies on a hotplate. It was so good, S ate every bit of it (except for the sliced zucchini), leaving behind an empty hotplate.

~*BBQ Chicken Quarter*~

K had a smoked and roasted chicken served with cole slaw and garlic mashed potato.

~*Rockhampton Rib-eye*~

H's choice of a well seasoned and juicy rib-eye steak served with jacket potato and steamed veggies.

~*Outback Sirloin*~

An 11-ounce cut medium well-done sirloin served with grilled onions and garlic mashed potato that C had.

The steak was lightly seasoned and alittle less juicy than the rib-eye.

*An 8-ounce medium rare would have looked like this*

~*Queensland Chicken Salad*~

Hmmm...this was alittle different from the first time i had this... a smaller serving of toasted almonds :(

p.s. *Current promotion for credit card payments, 50% discount for an aussie-tizer with every 2 main course ordered.

OUTBACK STEAKHOUSE

9 raffles Boulevard
Time2 @ Millenia Walk
Singapore 039596
Tel: +65 68373242
Opens: 11.30 am to 10.30pm

Raisin Pancake~

2008-11-30T12:54:00.003+08:00

Fresh homemade raisin pancakes for breakfast~ No frills, fast and easy to prepare, cook and eat :p

~*Raisn Pancake*~

Light, fluffy and delicious, yum!

Recipe

Ingredients

100g Self rising flour
20g Sugar
1/4 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Baking powder
1/4 tsp Ground Cinnamon
1 Egg (beaten)
130 ml Freshmilk
1/2 tsp Pandan extract (any extract of your choice)
65g Raisins

Method

Add the dry ingredients into a bowl, stir to mix well.
Add in the fresh milk, pandan extract, beaten egg and raisins, stir to mix well.
Place a non-stick pan on medium heat. Drop spoonfuls of the batter into the pan, allow them to cook till light/golden brown before flipping over cook on the other side. Serve immediately.
They are good on its own or with some topping(s) such as maple syrup, honey, chocolate sauce, butter or cream cheese. Enjoy~

Chocolate Pear Pudding~

2008-11-28T14:35:00.004+08:00

i was watching Nigella Express on tv when Nigella Lawson whipped up this super easy to make and yummi-licious pudding~ It's so simple, i could even recall the ingredients and method after the show. Nevertheless, you could check out food network.com for her recipe.

~*Chocolate Pear Pudding*~

SLICE~

2008-11-27T22:36:00.008+08:00

Hurrr~ sweet SLICE of life! Just the place for exciting, cool and refreshing flavoured sliced ice desserts! They serve several interesting fruity, classic and special combos, besides that customers can also mix and match their favourite sliced ice, toppings and sprinkles.

~*Holy Matrimony*~

Matcha flavoured sliced ice served with giant red beans and grounded peanut.

Just one word to describe my sliced ice experience, 'SATISFYING'! I mean, what more can one ask for other than a chilled dessert on a hot and sunny day.

The thinly sliced matcha infused ice is so smooth, it melts almost instantly with each mouthful, accompanied with the crunchy ground peanuts and giant red beans... what a fantastic mouth-feel!

~*Hot Chick (almost!)*~

This is similar to hot chick just minus the caramel sauce. Milk flavoured sliced ice served with fresh bananas and topped with luscious chocolate sauce and grounded peanuts.

Milk + chocolate + bananas + peanuts, this is so much more enjoyable and healthier than the regular banana split :p

~*Mix * Match*~

Luscious milk "slice" with fresh mangoes & strawberries.

Fruity and refreshingly good on it's own~

~*First Date (minus the blueberry puree)*~

Fruity champagne grape "slice" with 2 servings of aloe vera pulp.

~*Crazy Love*~

Peanut "slice" with giant red beans topped with matcha powder.

A relatively nutritious dessert.

Sweet Slice of Life

#01-20 far east plaza

14 scotts road

singapore 228213

Operating hours: 12pm to 10pm

Telephone: +65 8238 8123

Email: slice@slice.sg

Facebook: sweet SLICE of life

Swensen's @ Compasspoint~

2008-11-24T12:51:00.004+08:00

When i was a kid, having a meal with my family at swensen's was considered a lavish treat... the crispy and fresh breaded fish, large golden fries and rich tartar sauce, and not forgetting to end off on a cheery note with a ice cream sundae dessert.

However the dinner at swensen's last evening apart from the prompt and friendly service, the food was a far cry from how it used to be before...

~*Grilled Chicken Salad*~

Fresh greens served with thinly sliced grilled chicken, almond nibs and creamy mayonnaise sauce.

~*Pesto Salmon*~

Pan-fried salmon served with mixed vegetables, mashed potato and diluted cream sauce.

Is it just us or have they reduced the serving proportions of their main courses?

~*Breaded Chicken*~

Deep-fried breaded chicken served with fries and coleslaw.

~*Sirloin Steak*~

Sirloin steak served with mixed vegetables. My dad prefers his steak to be fully well done.

Chong Qing Hot Pot @ Suntec~

2008-11-09T19:30:00.005+08:00

The place was crowded on a friday evening. Thank goodness we made reservations earlier in the week, if not we would have to queue in line for our turn. ChongQing buffet hot pot has an extensive menu to select from, customers would just have to place their orders with the service staffs and the food would be served to the table shortly after.

~*Chicken Broth and Ma La Soup (Spicy Hot Pot)*~
This was before we started...

~*Compulsory Platter*~

Fuzhou fishballs, sausage, mock abalone, salmon slices and mussels.

There's only 1 serving of each item for each pax...

~*Our first order*~

~*Here we go*~

Our buffet started at 8pm and went on and on for 100 minutes, with platter after platter of meat, fish, wantons, ...etc... There was also another compulsory platter of xiao long bao, fried spring rolls and panfried minced meat wraps, sweet delicacies and cold or hot desserts.

The Chinese Feasts - Chong Qing Hot Pot @ Suntec

B1-061 Suntec City Mall

3 Temasek Boulevard

Singapore 038983
Tel: +65 6337 6921
Website: www.chinesefeasts.com.sg

Sushi Tei @ Ngee Ann City~

2008-11-09T19:00:00.005+08:00

After a revamp, the sushi tei outlet at Ngee Ann City now has a better layout, more comfortable seats, nicer menu and a slight increase in pricing too :x

~*Sashimi Salad with Sushi Tei Dressing*~

A healthy salad consisting of assorted sashimi, fresh lettuce and tangy dressing.

~*Softshell Crab Handroll*~

Just look at the size of the softshell crab!

~*Yasai Misoshiru*~

This is comfort food for me. Hot miso soup filled with glass noodle, mushroom, chinese cabbage and tofu... hurrr~

Ngee Ann City
391 Orchard Road
#02-13
Ngee Ann City
Singapore 238873
Telephone +65 6737 8878
Opening Hours
11.30am to 10.00pm daily
(last order 9.30pm)

Lunch Potluck~

2008-11-01T20:25:00.008+08:00

Hmmm.... the potluck was supposed to start at 1 plus, but it started close to 3pm instead. Why? 'Coz we were all waiting for Ms L. Our stomachs were growling, while waiting for L to arrive we had some of double boiled black chicken soup.

~*M's Double-Boiled Herbal Black Chicken Soup*~

Double boiled black chicken with wolfberries, dang quai, red dates... etc.

i had the soup as it is, without salt/light soya sauce.

A nourishing clear soup filled with the natural sweetness of the wolfberries and red dates.

~*Sakae's Soft Shell Crab*~
C didn't have time to prepare so suggested to order sakae's soft shell crab, assorted sushi, salmon sashimi and chawanmushi (picture not shown).

~*J's Potato Salad*~

Diced potato, zucchini and ham seasoned with mayonnaise, milk, salt and pepper. Yum!

~*Crepes*~

Keke... i brought my speciality, crepes special!

Here are some of the ingredients, shredded lettuce, cucumber, sliced button mushroom, diced tomato, tuna, bonito flakes and japanese mayonnaise dressing.

We had a mini crepes wrapping competition for the most beautiful wrap. And the winner goes to... hmmm... all 5 of us! :p

~*Hotdogs & Chicken Nuggets*~

L redeemed herself for being late with fried chicken nuggets and fancy fried and healthy sausages.

Hurrr~ it was a wonderful potluck session with the gals~

Special thanx to C, L, J & M! :)

Kimchi Soup @ Northpoint Shopping Centre~

2008-10-31T23:48:00.003+08:00

A delicious bowl of piping hot kimchi soup filled with lots of ingredients. The glass noodles are thick and springy, which gives mouthfeel than the thinner version that is commonly served in most foodcourts. The kimchi is nicely done, not too sweet or sourish, just nice. Hmmm... if only the anchovies were larger :x

The kimchi soup set ($4.90) is served with a bowl of rice, however, i chose for additional glass noodles to replace the rice.

Giant Pumpkin~

2008-10-29T18:54:00.003+08:00

With halloween just round the corner, i spotted this giant pumpkin at a cold storage supermarket, just look at how huge it is. i couldn't resist to take a picture of it, like how often do we see giant vegetables or fruits in our local supermarket right?

Gelare @ Suntec City Mall~

2008-10-29T00:06:00.004+08:00

Gelare outlets are usually exceptionally crowded on tuesdays because of their 1/2 price* waffles special, so in order to avoid the queue, we decided to roll over early to have dinner before our waffles :p~

~*Chef's Salad*~

i enjoyed the fresh greens with cheese, ham, grilled chicken, tomato and olive serve with thousand island sauce. The only thing lacking was a hard boil egg.

~*Black Pepper Chicken Spaghetti*~

This was quite good. The texture of the spaghetti was just right. And the black pepper chicken had a rich peppery flavour that was not too overwhelming.

~*Waffle with Passionfruit and Wild Strawberry Ice cream*~

Alittle indulgence... Freshly baked plain waffles drizzled with maple syrup with wild strawberry and passionfruit ice cream.

The passionfruit was pleasantly sourish and not too sweet, the wild strawberry was sweet and refreshing.
The texture and flavour of the ice cream was like as they have promised~

Gelare @ Suntec City Mall
3 Temasek Boulevard#02-084/086/088

Suntec City Mall

Singapore 038983
Tel/Fax: 6336 5615
Operations Hours: Mon to Sun: 9.30am - 10.00pm

*1/2 Price Waffles Terms and Conditions: • Only valid for plain waffles with syrup and cream • Dine In only • Not valid on public holidays • Not valid with any other vouchers, discounts or privileges

Lunch Take-away~

2008-10-28T23:23:00.008+08:00

Hmmm... what could one do on a saturday morning?

Make a trip downtown to and fro Isetan Scotts supermarket with an ice box just to enjoy good quality japanese sushi and sashimi lunch take-away feast in the comforts of the living room.

~*Salmon sashimi, maki, kani nigri, maguro, kimchi and pickled seaweed & cucumber*~

Apart from the kimchi and pickled seaweed & cucumber, the rest were all freshly prepared on that morning. Check out the generous amount of crab meat in the nigri!

All these at $45 is not exactly cheap but it is well worth the price (satisfaction guaranteed)!

Isetan Scotts basement 1

350 Orchard Road, Shaw House, Singapore 238868

Open daily 10am - 9.30pm

Cafe Cartel @ Marina Square~

2008-10-26T19:22:00.003+08:00

Cafe Cartel, a restaurant that specializes in western food, they're known for their free flow of bread and dishes such as the supreme platter, pork ribs and a variety of finger food.

~*Oriental Chicken Salad*~

A serving of seasoned chicken breast, onion ring, lettuce, tomato and shredded carrot.

i was expecting the oriental chicken to be savouring but it turned out SUPER sweet... didn't like it at all.

Cafe Cartel (marina square)

6 Raffles Boulevard
#01-208 Marina Square
Singapore 039594

Tel: 6338 9396

Operating hours:
Mon - Thurs: 11.30am to 11pm
Fri to Sun, eve and Public Holiday: 11.30am to 11.45pm

Mini Raisin Scone Cookies~

2008-10-23T19:12:00.004+08:00

i haven't been baking much this few days... here's a little update on my latest baking experiment :p

~*Mini Raisin Scone Cookies*~

Sweet little treats, crunchy at first then it simply melts in your mouth :p~

Keke... out of shape mini stars :p

Adapted from Florence's Do What I Like blog - Raisin Scone recipe.

Some modifications to the recipe:

Ingredients

100g Self-raising flour
A pinch of Salt
25g Sugar
25g Cold butter flavoured shortening (Crisco brand)
1 egg (lightly beaten and remove 2 tsp for glacing use)
3 tsp Fresh milk
2 tbsp Raisins
1/2 tsp Honey (for glacing)

Method

Sieve flour, salt and sugar into a large mixing bowl.
Rub in the shortening till bread crumb state. Add in the raisins and mix well.
Make a well in the mixture.
Add egg and fresh milk to make a soft dough.
Knead quickly and lightly until mixture is smooth.
Flatten dough to about 2cm thickness. Cut dough with cookie cutter (2cm in diameter).
Glace with a little beaten egg mixed with honey.
Bake on a lined tray at 200 degree celsius for 7 - 9 minutes or till cooked and golden brown.
Remove from the oven and allow them to cool slightly before serving. Or cool completely before storing in an airtight container. Enjoy!

PastaMania @ Kallang Leisure Park~

2008-10-19T22:22:00.003+08:00

A quick dinner with the girls before Sandy Lam's concert at Singapore indoor stadium...

The place was relatively packed with people (mainly hungry concert-goers i guess...) in the early evening. And over at PastaMania, there was already a queue at the order counter. Thank goodness the service crew were prompt in handling the orders and we didn't had to wait too long for our food.

~*Mixed Side Salad*~

No frills... simple iceberg lettuce, red pepper, tomato and carrot.

~*Combo A*~

1 Drink, soup-of-the-day and garlic bread.

~*Linguine White Wine Vongole*~

Hmmm... the pasta was average, could barely taste the white white wine...

~*Pasta Special Promo*~

Creamy spaghetti with crab meat.

PastaMania

Kallang Leisure Park
5 Stadium Walk
#01-05
Singapore 397693
Tel: 6348 6698

RedDot BrewHouse~

2008-10-19T13:00:00.008+08:00

A chill-out session at Red Dot BrewHouse...

The restaurant's open air and alfresco setting is filled with lush greenary that adds a touch of nature, as we dine and unwind. Oh! And as the name suggests, they brew their very own beers from their microbrewery too.

~*Drinks & Food Menu*~

~*Red Dot Salad*~
A serving of fresh greens, olives, sundried tomato, onions, fennel, parmesan cheese
and cherry vine tomatoes with balsamic vinaigrette.

~*Baby Lamb Rack*~

Australian lamb rack served with yoghurt mint sauce.

The grilled lamb was nicely browned on the outside, tender and juicy on the inside. Fantastic!

~*Tagliatelle Prosciuttu e Fungi*~

Cream based pasta with assorted mushrooms
and ham, topped with shaved parmesan cheese.

~*Pollo*~

A thin crust stone oven pizza topped with
BBQ chicken, mushroom, onions and bell pepper.

~*Prosciatto Cotto e Ananas*

A thin crust stone oven pizza topped with ham, pineapple and mushroom.

~*Monster Green Lager*~

This pilsner was brewed and lagered with spirulina, hence its unique green appearance.

~*RedDot Lime Wheat*~

A refreshing beeru infused with the zesty lime.

~*Weizen Tower*~

Chilled refreshingly fruity wheat beer.

~*Potato Cheese Ball & Calamari*~

Some finger food to accompany the beer~

RedDot BrewHouse @

Block 25A Dempsey Road

#01-01

Singapore 249679

For enquiries of bookings, 6475 0500

Ma Maison Restaurant @ The Central

2008-10-16T11:58:00.004+08:00

My second visit to Ma Maison in less than a week, but this time it was at The Central. The cosy decor and friendly service were pretty much comparable to the standards of the Bugis Branch, except for the slight difference in special promotions and fewer salad options @ The Central.

~*Tuna Salad*~

For starters, a simple fresh salad drizzled with tangy dressing.

~*Hamburger Steak with Egg*~

Juicy and rich hamburger steak served with special demi glace sauce, a wobbly sunny side up egg, grilled veggies and potato salad.

Hmmm... the only minor "boo-boo" was the dou miao stalk that was alittle dehydrated and looked kinda sad :x

Note: Ma Maison @ Bugis Junction serves grilled potatoes instead of potato salad.

This was the key to "check-in" to a good dinner at our table as well as the key to check-out at the billing counter~

Ma Maison Restaurant
The Central @ Clarke Quay
6 Eu Tong Sen Street
#03-96
Singapore 059817
Tel: 6327 8122

Paper-Lined Sponge Cake~

2008-10-13T15:18:00.006+08:00

Oops! Uneven shade of brown!

i guess the heat wasn't evenly distributed in the oven :x

These were inspired by Amanda from 'Held by Love, Baked from Scratch' blog. Her paper-lined sponge cake look so pretty. Hence, i adapted her modified version of the original recipe (from Hugbear's Baking Mum blog) and viola! i totally agree with her, the recipe is extremely simple and the best part of all, these traditional chinese sponge cake are super delicious, soft and fluffy.

~*Paper-Lined Sponge Cake*~

Yummie-licious! A simple eggy sponge cake... awww~ comfort food for this 'lil longan :p

Ma Maison @ Bugis Junction~

2008-10-12T19:10:00.008+08:00

A splendid double b'day celebration dinner at Ma Maison @ Bugis junction. We were awed by the cosy setting, there were just so many things to look at around the restaurant, old cricket bats, table lamps, toys...etc. The service staffs were really warm and friendly too.

~*Cha Soba Salad*~

This kind of reminds me of Yu sheng minus the raw fish...

Simply toss the ingredients together with the japanese mayonnaise...Tah dah! A refreshing starter to kick start the dinner~

~*Tonkatsu Set & Condiments*~

A satisfying and value for money deep fried pork fillet set, a must try for first timers.

It comes with a scoop of green tea ice cream served in a cute 'lil tea cup.

Check out the condiments that was served together with the tonkatsu set.

From left: Special sauce for the pork fillet, raw salt and japanese dressing for the cabbage salad.

~*Hamburger Steak with Cheese*~

Rich and juicy cheesy hamburger steak served with demi glace sauce and grilled potatoes and veggies.

~*Hamburger Steak with Egg*~

Lip smackingly good hamburger steak served with demi glace sauce, a sunny side up egg and grilled potatoes and veggies.

~*Tuna & Prawn Salad*~

A simple fresh green salad served with shrimps, tuna chunks and japanese salad dressing.

~*Brownie with Ice cream*~

Yummie!!!

The brownie was soft, slightly moist and not too crumbly... splendid!

The combination of smooth vanilla ice cream + brownie cake with walnuts :p~

hurrr~ simply divine~

Be sure to make reservations or be there just before dinner time, if not be prepared to wait in queue for a table.

Thankie, K, H, C, S & J! :)

Ma Maison Restaurant
Bugis Junction
200 Victoria Street
#02-51
Singapore 188021
Tel: 6338 4819

Brotzeit @ Vivocity~

2008-10-09T16:36:00.006+08:00

A mini get together with S & V at Brotzeit.

My apologies for the poorly taken grainy and dark pictures...

~*Roasted Mixed Vegetables*~

While waiting for S to arrive, V & i had something light to accompany the beer.

The seasoning was alittle too salty for our taste and i guess the veggies were boiled/steamed then tossed with olive oil and seasoning instead.

~*Halbe Bier*~

This german beer is an Oktoberfest special and will only be available till the barrel runs dry. Prost!

~*Wurstelplatte*~

A platter of assorted sausages served with braised white german cabbage (sauerkraut).

i like the sourish flavour of the sauerkraut best! The greasy and rich flavours of the sausages that were too sinful for me but comfort food for others :p

~*Wiener schnitzel*~

If you're thinking, "Woah! What a gigantic serving of breaded fish this is!" i'm sorry it's not. Breaded veal served with potato salad and cranberry sauce.

The veal was nice and tender, a perfect match with the potato salad.

~*Meeresfruchtesalat*~

This was my personal favourite of the night...

A large seafood salad consisting of mixed fresh greens served with smoked salmon, tuna, a prawn, olives, semi-dried tomatoes, grilled zucchini, oranges and sour cream dressing. i like the way the tuna was done, lightly browned on the outside and raw on the inside, yum!

Dragonfruit Cake~

2008-10-06T01:21:00.005+08:00

keke... i intended to bake a mango mousse cake but the mangoes were not ripe yet, hence this little creation with dragonfruits.

Trivia question: How can you tell the colour of edible portion(which is rich in vitamin C) of the dragonfruit just by its external appearance?

Answer: By looking at the shape and the number of "scales".
The white dragonfruit is slightly oval in shape and few scales whereas the red dragonfruit is rounder and has more "scales" (which are shorter than the white dragonfruit).

~*White Dragonfruit*~

~*Red Dragonfruit*~

~*Dragonfruit Cake*~

A three layer sponge cake sandwiched with red dragonfruit mousse and white dragonfruit cubes, topped with fresh sliced white dragonfruit and strawberries.

A refreshingly fruity light cake! A second serving, anyone?

Recipe

Ingredients

1 Basic sponge cake (click here for Aunt Yochana's recipe)
200 g Red dragonfruit
300 g White dragonfruit (sliced)
100 g White dragonfruit (diced into mini cubes)
200 g Whipping cream (Unsweetened)
2 Tbs Water
3 tsp Gelatine powder
5 medium size Strawberries (sliced)
100 g 65% Dark chocolate
30 ml Fresh milk
3 Tbs Honey

Method

Slice the sponge cake into 3 parts and leave aside.
Dissolve the gelatine powder in boiling water and leave aside to cool to room temperature.
Mash/blend the red dragonfruit with a fork/blender into puree form. Add in the honey, gelatine solution and stir to mix well.
Whisk and whipped up the whipping cream. Gently mix in the red dragonfruit puree mixture and white dragonfruit cubes. Divide the red dragonfruit mousse into 2 parts.
Place an 8 or 9 inch cake ring (depends on the diameter of your sponge cake) on a cake base. Lay the base layer of the sponge cake within the cake ring.
Pour and spread 1 part of the red dragonfruit mousse over it.
Place the next portion of the sponge cake slice over it and repeat step 6 again before sandwiching it with the top piece of the sponge cake.
Decorate the top layer of the sponge cake with the white dragonfruit and strawberry slices. Refrigerate for 2 hours.
Microwave to melt the dark chocolate in milk, leave it to cool slightly before refrigerating in the freezer for about 45 minutes to an hour.
After 2 hours, remove the cake ring and apply the dark chocolate ganache all over the circumference of the cake. Refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

RiverView Hotel~

2008-10-05T23:38:00.005+08:00

A rainy sunday afternoon..

Lunch at the River Garden Coffee House & Terrace which operates 24 hours and is located at level 1 of RiverView Hotel. We were greeted with a big smile and ushered into the cosy restaurant setting.

~*Bak Kut Teh*~

My parents and bro had ordered this set,

Pork meat soup served with fried you tiao, pickled vegetables, yam rice and dark soy sauce with sliced red chilli. The meat was boiled till very tender (the flesh was came off the bones without much effort), the soup was filled with the richness of the pork and herb spices.

~*Seafood Salad*~

i had a heavy breakfast in the morning, hence i opted for something light and chose this,

A bed of sliced red tomatoes topped with rocket salad, fresh spinach, mango cubes, cooked fish slices, prawns, cuttle fish and dressed with olive oil and red wine vinaigrette.

RiverView Hotel

382 Havelock Road, Singapore 169269

Tel : +65-6732 9922 Fax : +65-6732 1034

Email Address : reservation@riverview.com.sg

Food & Beverage / Banquet: +65-6349 4896 / 7 / 8

Chocolate Sponge Cake~

2008-09-30T12:14:00.004+08:00

Cakes, they come in many different forms, black forest cake, tiramisu, cheese cake, chiffon cake, marble cake, butter cake, fruit cake, mousse cake, banana cake, walnut cake, coffee cake, cupcake... etc... and the list goes on and on. There's always something for everyone.

Hmmm... i like my cake simple and plain, without whipped or butter cream, ganache or mousse, cream cheese or custard, fruits or gelatin. How about you? What is your favourite cake?

~*Chocolate Sponge Cake*~

This wonderful chocolate sponge cake recipe was adapted from a section of Aunty Yochana's Awfully Chocolate Banana Cake.

The cake is fluffy and soft. A nice balance between the sweetness and chocolate flavour.

i'd highly recommend this basic chocolate sponge cake recipe for adventurous people who intend to bake a variety of chocolate based birthday cakes ;)

Ichiban Boshi @ Suntec City Mall~

2008-09-30T00:49:00.005+08:00

It's post F1 fever but it's still alittle quiet over at suntec city... hmmm... Perfect, if you are looking for a quiet evening.

A peaceful and enjoyable dinner with good food and friendly and prompt service.

~*Yasai Salad*~

For starters, fresh lettuce, baby corn, japanese cucumber, tomato and asparagus served with special japanese dressing.

~*Maguro Sashimi*~

~*Salmon Sashimi*~

~*Kinoko Yanagawa*~

Assorted mushroom claypot soup with egg simmered in dashi stock. Another nice way to enjoy your mushrooms~ Yum!

~*Soft Shell Crab(left) & Lobster salad(right) Handrolls*~

Yummie-licious!

A second serving of soft shell crab handroll :p~

Bean Curd with Glutinous Rice Ball~

2008-09-27T10:42:00.005+08:00

Rojak! Popiah! Fish soup! Cabbage! Congee! Lao Po Bing! Tau Sar Piah! Kim chi! Mr Bean ice cream! Rolled oats! Red beans! These are some of my previous/recurrent food cravings.

Keke... can you guess what's my current food crave? ...Hah! Yupz! It's ah balling a.k.a glutinous rice ball... hee...

i happened to be at Bukit Merah on a cold and rainy morning and craved for a hot bowl of ah balling when i stumbled upon this Soya Bean Milk and Bean Curd stall at Bukit Merah Food Centre. What other better way then to have a hot bowl of dessert to keep myself warm. :p

~*Bean Curd with Glutinous Rice Ball*~

A generous serving of bean curd with 4 homemade ping pong size ah ballings (2 peanuts, 2 black sesame) in hot soya bean milk (i specially requested for no addition of sugar syrup to my dessert). The bean curd was smooth and rich. The glutinous rice layer was chewy (but slightly thicker than zhen jie's ah balling) and filled with smooth and sweet black sesame or ground peanut fillings.

For my standards, with the omission of the sugar syrup, the sweetness of the ah balling filling was enough to complement the hot soya bean milk and bean curd. Awww~ what a satisfying bowl of hot dessert :p~

Zhen Jie Desserts & Ah Balling @ Amoy Street Food Centre~

2008-09-22T16:29:00.007+08:00

This has got to be it! i've found it! The number 1 choice, my favourite Ah balling stall! Chewy boiled glutinous rice flour with a generous amount of filling, served in sweetened peanut soup. There are a total of 7 different flavours to choose from, red bean, lotus seed, yam, black sesame seed, green tea, peanut or durian :p~

~*Ah Balling in Peanut Soup*~

A serving of 4 or 6 glutinous rice balls in sweetened peanut soup at just $1.50 and $2 respectively.

The sweetness of the hot peanut soup was just nice. The peanuts were so smooth, soft and melts in the mouth.

The glutinous rice flour layer was not too thick, "Q"/chewy and smooth.

i had a combination of 2 peanut and 2 black sesame seed ah ballings. The black sesame seed paste was smooth and sweet. And the ground peanut filling was rich and yummie-licious :p~

Besides ah balling, the stall also sells a variety of hot and cold desserts. Hmmm... do you have a favourite Ah balling stall to recommend?

Harbour City Restaurant~

2008-09-21T18:40:00.005+08:00

Dim Sum lunch at PSA building, Harbour City Restaurant.

~*A spread of Dian3 Xin*~

Char siew pastries, crispy spring rolls and fried yam.

~*Siew Mai & Har Kow*~

A must have whenever it comes to ordering dian3 xin1!

There was a balanced proportion of meat, fat and prawn in the siew mai/shao1 mai4.

The har kows were alittle disappointing... although the medium sized prawns were wrapped in a thin layer of flour, they must have been sitting on the steamer for some time... the prawns were soft and slightly mushy...

~*Prawns Wrapped in Beancurd Skin*~

~*Chee Cheong Fun with Prawn Filling*~

The steamed rice flour alittle thick and of a slight gooey/gummy texture.

~*Pan-Fried Carrot Cake*~

An asian version of the carrot cake, pan-fried radish with rice flour (Luo2 Buo4 Gao1).

~*Fried Scallop Bacon Rolls*~

Deep-fried scallop wrapped with bacon and topped with salad dressing.

~*Crystal Vegetable Dumplings*~

Hmmm... when it comes to dimsum, where's your favourite hang-out? Any recommendations?

Lau Pa Sat~

2008-09-20T00:43:00.004+08:00

Dinner at the newly renovated Lau Pa Sat, with new marble tables and wooden stools, and an elevated centerstage directly above the drinks/desserts/fruits stalls ('Live' band plays every fri and sat nights from 7.30pm onwards).

It has been a really long time since i last ate at Lau Pa Sat, which is famous for their satay stalls, seafood and wide array of cuisines.

What did we order? The 4 of us shared a spread of spicy and relatively oily local delights (with 3 bowls of rice), and a popiah for me too! :p

~*Popiah*~

Gourmet popiah from "Bao Luo Wan Xiang". A large popiah filled with seasoned boiled turnip & carrots, beansprouts, sliced cucumber, eggs, ground peanuts and lettuce.

~*Satay*~

Mutton and chicken satays with ketupat (compressed rice cake), onions and cucumbers served with thick & rich, sweet & spicy peanut gravy.

~*Sambal Kang Kung*~

Alittle disappointing... it wasn't as spicy as i hoped it was :x

~*Lala*~

Z had a quarter of it and S pratically finished the rest of the plate. i had none of 'em, not a fan of shell food...

~*Sambal Stingray*~

Grilled stingray topped with sambal belachan and served with lime and cinchaluk sauce.

~*Fried Squid*~

Crispy squid, cucumber and pineapple fried with sweet and spicy sauce.

Ice Queen Ice Cream~

2008-09-19T23:46:00.004+08:00

My gelato craving was triggered after reading ieatishootipost's blog about Ice Queen Ice Cream. Thank goodness i was able to roll down to Golden mile food centre to sample the homemade gelato ice cream and satisfy my craving.

~*3 Scoops @ $3.50 only!*~

i had a combination of chrysthemum tea (which was fragrant and moderately sweet), strawberry (i could actually taste the flavour of fresh strawberries!) and mocha (i love the slightly chewy texture and bitter sweet mocha flavour). Overall, the gelato had a slightly chewy texture, they were moderately sweet and weren't too creamy. i was extremely satisfied with the serving, just nice and didn't feel the least "jelak" (sick of it). It's definitely worth the trip to travel all the way for the delightful homemade gelato ice cream.

~*Check out the range of flavours*~

Peanut, chocolate with hazelnut, orange sorbet, lychee sorbet, rum & raisins, mocha, durian, black sesame, chrysanthemum tea, earl grey tea...etc

Looking forward for more Ice Queen Ice Cream! :p~

Mini Sesame Star Bread~

2008-09-16T11:20:00.004+08:00

Little mini bread bites, once you start, it's kinda hard to stop...

~*Mini Sesame Star BRead*~

These mini savoury treats are bread-like soft on the inside and are best enjoyed during breakfast or during tea with a cup of hot milo or hot chocolate :p~

Recipe

Ingredients

120 g Cake flour
60 g Bread flour
20 g Corn flour
5 g Yeast
1/2 tsp Bicarbonate soda
1 tsp Coffee emulco
1/2 tsp Common salt
1 Tbs White sesame seed
2 Tbs Black sesame seed
1 tsp Chilli powder
1/2 tsp Ground black pepper
25 g Margarine (soften)
120 ml Warm water

Method

Sieve the bread flour, cake flour and corn flour into a mixing bowl. Add in the yeast, bicarbonate soda, salt, pepper, chilli powder, sesame seeds and stir to mix well.
Add in the coffee emulco, margarine and water. Mix well to form a dough and knead it for 5 minutes till dough becomes elastic and smooth.
Using a rolling pin roll and flatten the dough to about 3 mm in height. Using a cookie cutter, cut out the dough into desired shapes.
Place them onto a baking tray lined with grease proof paper and bake in a preheated oven at 190 degree celsius for 10 minutes.
Remove from the oven and allow them to cool for 1 to 2 minutes before serving. Best enjoyed when their warm.

Outback Steakhouse @ Millenia Walk Part III~

2008-09-15T23:39:00.007+08:00

A decent aussie dinner as well as friendly and prompt service at Outback Steakhouse.

~*Outback Steakhouse Bushman Bread*~

This complimentary honey wheat bushman bread is soft, fluffy, sweet and goes very well with the margarine spread.

~*Chicken On A Barbie*~

Grilled tender chicken breast with spices served with seasoned steamed vegetables and barbecue sauce.

~*Outback Sirloin Steak*~

Medium rare sirloin steak (225 g) served with 2 sides, grilled onions and chips.

Wedding Dinner @ Four Seasons Hotel~

2008-09-13T18:23:00.009+08:00

The nine course chinese dinner was held in a beautiful and cosy ballroom. All through the night, guests were treated to the passionate vocals of Bevlyn Khoo as she crooned to the tunes of famous love songs while they enjoyed their feast.

~*Heart-shape Chocolates*~

The words Passion/Joy were embossed on them, symbolizing the union of 2 passionate hearts and the celebration of a joyous occasion :) The one on the left is a white milk chocolate containing chocolate cream and the one on the right is a dark chocolate containing coffee cream.

~*Combination Platter*~

For starters, a combination of baby abalone, mini octopus, jellyfish, drunken chicken and roast duck (not shown).

~*Braised Superior Shark's Fin with Crabmeat*~

~*Roasted Suckling Pig served with Sliced Home-made Flour Buns and Black Hoi Sin Bean Sauce*~

This dish must have been inspired by the infamous Beijing Roast Duck.

~*Steamed Star Garoupa with Superior Soya Sauce*~

~*Wok-fried Diced Chicken and Scallops with Cashew Nuts in Taro Ring*~

The deep-fried yum ring was crispy on the outside, soft and smooth on the inside but not too oily :p~

~*Stir-fried Glass Prawns with Asparagus in "Jiang-Nan" Savoury Sauce*~

Just look at the size of the juicy large prawns!

~*Braised Black Mushroom and Sea Cucumber with Seasonal Vegetables in Conpoy Sauce*~

Juicy mushroom and wobbly sea cucumber with spinach in thicken constarch with dried scallop sauce.

~*Stir-fried Ee-Fu Noodles with Crabmeat and Straw Mushrooms*~

A variation from the usual dry Ee-fu noodles fried with dark soya sauce.

~*Sweetened Red Bean Cream with Lily Bud and Lotus Seeds*~

Thickened sweet red bean soup, anyone? Someone mistook the lily bud for onions! keke... they do have some similarities in texture and crunch :x

It was indeed a lovely night with great company, which consisted of my poly mates and their hubby/fiance.

Congratulations E & C! *Big Hugz* Have a blissful marriage, filled with eternal love and happiness!

Crystal Jade Kitchen @ Toa Payoh~

2008-09-07T17:01:00.006+08:00

Here are some of the dishes my family had during lunch at Crystal Jade Kitchen.

~*Braised Peanuts*~

Our stomachs were growling as we were going through the menu, we literally finished this appetiser in a matter of seconds.

~Xiao Long Bao*~

The soup in the pork dumplings were alittle blend and not as intense and fragrant as din tai fung's.

Oops! There should have been five Xiao long baos, the missing one was consumed by my mum before this picture was taken :x

~*Prawn Wanton Noodle (dry)*~

Fine and springy noodles served with fresh prawn dumplings and green vegetables.

~*Sliced Beef Noodle (dry)*~

The beef was tender and juicy.

~*Roast Duck*~

Tasty and fleshy roast duck meat served with sweet sauce. Highly recommended by my dad and bro :p~

Besides these, we also had meat congee, century egg with lean meat congee, siew mai and har kow.

Hurrr... what a satisfying meal it was :)

Tempura Enoki Mushrooms @ Shokudo (VI)~

2008-09-06T20:20:00.006+08:00

It looks like something from the ocean, a coral reef maybe? keke.. Nope, it's actually a generous serving of fresh enoki mushrooms coated with tempura flour, deep fried till golden brown.

It's crispy and crunchy with lots of mouth feel but alittle oily, a must try if you like deep fried snacks.

Baked Mini Red Bean Paste with Yolk Mooncake~

2008-09-02T12:44:00.006+08:00

Here's another version of my homemade mooncake from scratch. The advantage of making your own mooncake is the full control over the amount of sugar and oil used as well as the choice of filling. Well, the taste and flavour is about there, all i've to do is improve on the aesthetics. :p

~*Mini Red Bean Paste with Yolk Moonie~

Moderately sweetened red bean paste with low oil content, the texture may not be as smooth but it's definitely not lacking in flavour~ Hmmm... a healthier choice?

Recipe

Ingredients

Pastry:

100 g Plain flour (Sifted)
45 g Rice bran oil
65 g Golden syrup or Rice malt sugar (maltose)
1/2 tsp alkaline water
1 tsp Dark soya sauce

Fillings:

150 g Red bean paste (click here for recipe)
2 Salted egg yoks

Method

Fillings:

Add 1 tsp of pandan paste to the sweetened red bean paste.
Divide the salted eggs into 4 quarters each.

Pastry:

Place a small bowl in a large bowl of hot water. Mix the rice bran oil, maltose and alkaline water together in the small bowl, and stir till the mixture is well combined (A).
Add plain flour into a mixing bowl and pour in the warm syrup (A) and dark soya sauce. Mix to form a dough.
Divide dough and filling into smaller balls accordingly to the size of your moon cake mould.
Flatten out the dough, wrap the mung bean paste followed by the salt egg filling and mould it into ball. Coat it with some flour.
Press the ball into the mooncake mould and flatten it firmly with your. Bang the mould on a hard surface with equal force in all four directions to dislodge the mooncake.
Place mooncakes on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Bake at 180 degree celsius for 20-25 minutes.
Allow the mooncakes to cool before storing in an airtight container. Serve the mini mooncakes only after 2 days. Enjoy!

Coffee Club @ The Central~

2008-09-02T11:42:00.004+08:00

The cosy setting and good view overlooking the Singapore river accompanied with coffee club's prompt and friendly service, what more can i ask for?

~*Hot Chocolate*~

A simple comfort drink to soothe the stomach and nourish the mind~

~*Alfredo*~

Oven baked cream and cheese pasta with chunks of ham and mushroom.

Likes: The texture of the pasta and mozzarella cheese.

Dislikes: The cream was alittle too watery...

Chewy Yam Glutinous Rice Balls/Cubes~

2008-08-31T20:51:00.007+08:00

Homemade yam glutinous balls, so "Q" so chewy :p~ They can be enjoyed in both hot sweet soup or chilled shaved ice desserts~

Recipe

Ingredients

110 g Glutinous rice flour
1.5 Tbs Sugar
130 g Mashed yam
70 ml Water
A pot of water
A bowl of ice cold water

Method

Add the sugar and glutinous flour in a bowl and mix well. Add in the mashed yam and water and mix well and knead to form a dough. Cover and rest the dough for 20 minutes.

Knead the dough a few times, divide the dough into smaller pieces and shape them into little cubes/balls.

Add some water into a pot and heat over medium heat till it's simmering hot (be careful not to boil the water).

Gently add the yam glutinous cubes/balls into the pot of hot water and allow it to cook. When they float to the surface, immediately remove and transfer them into the bowl of ice cold water (leave it for 2 minutes) before returning them to the pot of hot water. Remove and transfer them into a bowl of cold water to stop the cooking process (this allows the yam glutinous rice balls to be "q"/chewy).

Add them to hot sweet ginger soup or chilled desserts. Enjoy~

Do check out the Longan carrot blend with chewy yam glutinous rice ball dessert! :p~

Longan Carrot Blend With Chewy Yam Glutinous Rice Balls~

2008-08-31T20:13:00.010+08:00

An experimental dessert, Longan-style carrot smoothie with a personal touch :p~ 100% original, 100% unique!

~*Longan Carrot Smoothie With Chewy Yam Glutinous Balls*~

A sweet and refreshing carrot + fresh milk + longan syrup iceblend with longans and homemade chewy yam glutinous balls!

Recipe

Ingredients

50 g Carrots (diced)
50 ml Longan syrup
100 ml Fresh milk
4 ice cubes
Some canned longan fruits
Some Yam glutinous rice balls (Click here for recipe)

Method

Add the longan syrup, fresh milk, ice cubes and diced carrots into a blender or food processor and blend well.
Pour the blend into a bowl and add in the yam glutinous rice balls and longan fruits. Serve immediately (while it's chilled). Enjoy~

Red Bean Paste Recipe~

2008-08-31T19:17:00.005+08:00

This is my variation of the red bean paste recipe.

Ingredients

250 g Red beans
1 L Water
70 g Sugar
50 g Rice malt sugar (maltose)
2 Tbs Rice bran oil (other alternatives: corn oil or olive oil)
1 tsp Pandan essence

Method

1. Soak the red beans in 1litre of water, cover it and leave it overnight.

2. Boil the red beans in a pot and allow it to simmer for about an hour till the beans are soft and mashy.

3. Allow the red beans to cool slightly then mash them through a sieve.

4. Add the oil, mashed red beans , sugar and maltose into a non-stick pan and stir over medium heat till well incorporated (about 10 minutes). Remove from heat, add in the pandan essence and stir well to mix.

5. Leave it to cool to room temperature before using. Or store in an air-tight container and keep refrigerated for later use.

Mini Red Bean Bun~

2008-08-31T18:43:00.008+08:00

What do you get when you wrap a bread dough around a ball of red bean paste? The answer is... Red bean bun! (Yes, simple as that~ keke... no prize for the correct answer :p)

~*Red Bean Bun*~

A plain and simple sweet bun with pandan flavoured sweet red bean paste filling.

Recipe

Ingredients

Dough:

3/4 C Bread flour
1/4 C Cake flour
1 tps Instant yeast
1 1/2 Tbs Sugar
1/4 tsp Salt
1 Tbs Skimmed milk powder
1/4 C Water
1 Tbs Butter

Filling:

100 g Sweetened red bean paste (Click here for recipe)

Method

Add the bread flour, cake flour, yeast, sugar, salt and milk powder in a large bowl and mix well. Pour in the water, mix well to form a dough and knead for 7 minutes.
Add in the butter, knead the dough to incorporate and till it becomes smooth and elastic.
Rest the dough and allow it to proof for 45 minutes.
Divide the red bean paste into 4 portions and roll them into balls.
Divide the dough into four portions, wrap each dough around the red bean filling.
Place them on a baking tray lined with baking paper, cover and proof for another 30 minutes.
Bake the bread dough in a preheated oven at 190 degree celsius for 10 minutes. Enjoy!

Botak Jones @ Clementi~

2008-08-30T12:40:00.005+08:00

After reading lots of good reviews about botak jones from several food blogs, i was really anticipating to try their "damn good authentic american food at damn good price"!

~*Australian Ribeye Steak (200g)-Medium rare @ $15*~

Likes: The way the friendly waitress asked to check for the "doneness" of the steak and the tasty fries.

Dislikes: Unable to select from their variety of side dishes and had to settle for fries and coleslaw. The steak was average, juicy but lacked richness in flavour.

~*Steak Sauce & Coleslaw*~

~*House Salad @ $4*~

Generous serving of fresh iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, some carrot shreds and feta cheese. There's a choice of 2 types of dressing (of which i omitted).

Overall:

Delivery was prompt, the food arrived shortly after we placed our orders. However i wasn't very impress with the much hyped about steak. i may visit other outlet(s)and try their fish and chips in future (we saw several diners eating fish & chips rather than steak), i do have to admit, their fried pacific dory and golden chips looked pretty impressive.

Make a guess~

2008-08-29T00:35:00.008+08:00

What do you thing is hidden within this box? Make a guess~

Here's a clue: It's a sort of "cake".... and it's rich and creamy inside ...........................

................................................................................................................

..........................................................................................

Tah dah!

It's.............

Home's Favourite 100% Pure Black (Charcoal) Durian Mooncake!

i got them from the Mid Autumn Festival Promotion @ Takashimaya square basement 2. This event is currently ongoing till the 14th sept 2008. Do hop on down to taka to savour the wide variety of mooncake samplers before purchasing from your favourite counters! :p

Ajisen Ramen @ Takashimaya~

2008-08-29T00:28:00.004+08:00

~*Kimchi Octopus Ramen*~

Generous serving of ramen topped with chopped scallions, sweet & spicy chilli paste, kimchi, cabbage, half a boiled egg and boiled octopus.

i miss the kimuchi ramen at Noodle house ken...

Yogurt Raisin Cupcakes~

2008-08-27T19:37:00.003+08:00

A quick whisk and mix and off into the oven!

~*Yogurt Raisin Cupcakes*~

A soft and moist cupcake that is best enjoyed with a cup of tea or coffee :p~

Recipe

Ingredients

2 Cups Cake flour
1 tsp Baking powder
3 Tbs Butter (melted)
1 Cup Sugar
2 Eggs
1 tsp Vanilla extract
200 ml Plain non-fat yogurt
3/4 Cup Raisins

Method

Preheat oven at 180 degree celsius.
Sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl and mix well.
In a separate bowl, whisk the melted butter, sugar together till creamy, add in eggs (one at a time) till well incorporated followed by the vanilla extract and yogurt.
Add in the raisins and mix well with a spoon. Then fold in the flour mixture.
Pour batter into muffin tray lined with muffin paper cups till 90% full.
Bake at 180 degree celsius for 20 minutes.
Remove from oven and allow cupcakes to cool in the tray before serving. Enjoy!

Fruit Sundae Platter~

2008-08-26T22:44:00.004+08:00

J, H, C, G, I and moi met up at Chomp chomp for a little catch up/"discussion" session this evening. We had barbecue chicken wings (x2), 6 popiahs, sambal sting ray, sambal sotong, satay, cockles and giant sugar cane drink before a nice dessert to round up the makan session. Check this out! Doesn't it look colourful, vibrant, playful and inviting? :p~

~*Fruit Sundae Platter @ $9.80*~

Likes: The wide variety of fruits and the mango ice cream (that tasted like jackfruit/durian/mango).

Dislike: The condensed milk that was drizzled all over the fruits, making it excessively sweet and milky :(

p.s. J, if you reading this, don't forget the super spicy kick-ass chilli ya~ :p

Pandan Mung Bean Tau Sar Piah~

2008-08-26T13:47:00.004+08:00

Experiment of the day...

Pandan flavour and mashed mung beans simply complement one another!

~*Pandan Mung Bean Tau Sar Piah*~

How was it? Light and flaky pastry with sweet and salty pandan flavoured mung bean filling... YUM! Tea, anyone?

Recipe (Makes about 14 pieces)

Ingredients

Water dough:

65 g Bread flour (Non-sifted)
30 g Cake flour (Non-sifted)
15 g Icing/powdered sugar
30 g Cold margarine
45 ml Water

Oil dough:

75 g Bread flour (Non-sifted)
40 g Rice bran oil (or any other vegetable oil)

Filling: Adapted with some modifications from Precious Moments - Tau Sar Piah recipe.

90 g Oil
10 Shallots (thinly sliced)
80 g Sugar
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Grounded white pepper
200 g Mung beans (soaked for 2 hours, steamed and mashed)
1 tsp Pandan paste
Egg wash: 1 Egg yolk lightly beaten with 1 tsp water
1 Tbs Black sesame seeds

Method

Water dough:
Sieve all the flours and icing sugar into a mixing bowl and mix well before incorporating the cold margarine with a fork. Gradually add in the water (bit by bit) and mix till a dough is formed and knead the dought for 2 minutes.
Set aside and rest it for 20 minutes.
Divide dough into 1 4 pieces of 14 g each.
Oil dough:
Sieve the flour into a mixing bowl. Add in the oil and mix well till well incorporated.
Refrigerate for 20 minutes.
Divide dough into 14 pieces of 8 g each.
Filling:
Add sugar, salt and white pepper to the mashed beans.
Heat oil, fry the sliced shallots till brown and fragrant.
Pour in the bean mixture and add in the pandan paste, stir to mix well.
Fry till mixture become dry and able to form into a ball. Leave aside to cool.
Divide filling to 12 g ball size.
Wrapping:

On a lightly floured surface, roll out a water dough, wrap an oil dough with this water dough and form a ball.
Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough. Roll it up like a swiss-roll. Turn the dough 90 degrees and roll out the dough length wise again. Roll it up as swiss-roll.
Flatten the dough out and wrap it around the filling and form a ball shape.
Repeat the same procedure for the remaining water and oil doughs as well as the fillings.
Place pastry doughs on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Apply the egg wash and sprinkle some black sesame seeds onto each of them.
Bake at 180 degree celsius for 20 minutes.

Remove them from the oven and allow to cool for 5 to 10 minutes before serving or allow them to cool completely before storing in an airtight container. Enjoy!

Pandan Mung Bean With Salted Egg Mini Mooncake~

2008-08-26T13:25:00.008+08:00

This is the first time i baked mini mooncakes after my previous attempt on Mini Snow Skin Moonies. It may lack aesthetics but thankfully the taste was better than its appearance.

~*Pandan Mung Bean With Salted Egg Mini Mooncake*~

The print of the mooncake pastry "disappeared" during the baking process. (Any idea why?). The sweetness of the pandan mung bean filling was complimented by the salted egg yolk. i reduced the amount of oil in the mung bean paste, hence the drier texture of the mung bean filling instead of the usual paste-like consistency.

Recipe

Ingredients

Fillings:

150 g Mung bean paste (Sweetened)
2 Salted egg yoks
1 tsp Pandan paste

Pastry:

100 g Plain flour (Sifted)
45 g Rice bran oil
65 g Golden syrup or Rice malt sugar (maltose)
1/2 tsp alkaline water
Egg glace: 1 Egg yolk

Method

Fillings:

Add 1 tsp of pandan paste to the sweetened mung bean paste.
Divide the salted eggs into 4 quarters each.

Pastry:

Place a small bowl in a large bowl of hot water. Mix the rice bran oil, maltose and alkaline water together in the small bowl, and stir till the mixture is well combined (A).
Add plain flour into a mixing bowl and pour in the warm syrup (A). Mix to form a dough.
Divide dough and filling into smaller balls accordingly to the size of your moon cake mould.
Flatten out the dough, wrap the mung bean paste followed by the salt egg filling and mould it into ball. Coat it with some flour.
Press the ball into the mooncake mould and flatten it firmly with your.
Bang the mould on a hard surface with equal force in all four directions to dislodge the mooncake.
Place mooncakes on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Bake at 180 degree celsius for 10 minutes. Remove them from the oven and allow to cool for 8 to 10 minutes before applying the egg wash.
Bake at 180 degree celsius for another 15 minutes or till golden brown.
Allow the mooncakes to cool before storing in an airtight container. Serve the mini mooncakes only after 2 days. Enjoy!

Garden Salad @ Fish & Co~

2008-08-26T13:14:00.002+08:00

A simple garden salad at Fish & Co. @ Novena Square...

~*Garden Salad*~

i had expected the garden salad to look vibrantly green and refreshing (lively)! But... this looks alittle dull :(

A serving of lettuce, baby cucumber slices, cherry tomatoes, crispy anchovies and dressed with balsamic vinegar and mayonnaise sauce. Hmmm... i could do without the mayo the next time around...

Xin Wang Hong Kong Cafe @ Heartland Mall~

2008-08-20T23:17:00.005+08:00

Craving for a HK style breakfast, late night snack, a simple meal or some sweet desserts? Xin Wang Hong Kong Cafe at the heartland mall is conveniently located near the kovan nel and opens till 2am.

~*Chilled Green Vegetables with Japanese Wasabi Sauce*~

This is a healthier alternative compared to stir-fried vegetables. Boiled greens served on ice and japanese wasabi sauce served separately.

~*Xin Wang Curry Chicken Ramen*~

A generous serving of ramen, fried potato and chicken covered with rich curry gravy. The ramen noodles were soggy and the chicken were alittle blend (not cooked long enough in the curry).

~*Century Egg*~

It tasted like any other century egg...

~*Iced Glass Jelly*~

i like the way it was served.

~*Glutinous Rice Balls with Ginger Soup*~

The glutinous rice balls were "Q" and filled with sweet and fragrant ground peanuts. A perfect combination with the hot and sweet ginger soup.

Mini Pandan Egg Tarts~

2008-08-20T13:32:00.005+08:00

Experiment number 2 for the day~ A variation of the mini egg tarts.

~*Mini Pandan Egg Tarts*~

A slightly buttery pastry base filled with pandan flavoured egg custard, creating an overall savoury and moderately sweet mouthfill.

Recipe

Ingredients

Pastry:

100 g Butter/Margarine
30 g Icing sugar (sifted)
110 g Plain flour (sifted)
1/2 Egg (lightly beaten)
1/4 tsp Vanilla essence

Filling:

1 1/2 Eggs (lightly beaten)
2 Tbs Malt sugar (or 50 g Sugar)
20 ml Boiling water
100ml Water
40ml Evaporated milk
1 tsp Pandan paste

Method

To prepare pastry:

Sift the plain flour, cake flour and icing sugar into a mixing bowl and mix well.
Cut the cold butter into little cubes and rub into the flour till they resemble bread crumbs (A).
Briefly beat the egg and vanilla essence together and pour it into (A), mix well till a non-sticky dough is formed.
Mould them into mini aluminium tart cups (~17 mini tarts) and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

To prepare filling:

Dissolve malt sugar in boiling water. Set aside to cool.
When the malt syrup has cool, add in beaten eggs, evaporated milk, pandan paste and mix well.

To prepare egg tarts:

Preheat oven at 180 degree celsius.
Remove the mini tart cups from the refrigerator and bake them at 180 degree celsius for 7 minutes.
Fill the mini tart cups with the egg mixture filling till 90% full.
Bake them at 180 degree celsius for 18 to 22 minutes or till cooked.
Remove from oven and allow them to cool on a wire rack before serving. Enjoy!

Chocolate Cornflake Cookies~

2008-08-20T12:37:00.005+08:00

A little variation to the previous cornflake cookie blog entry...

~*Chocolate Cornflake Cookies*~

Crunchy, mildly chocolaty and can be addictive :p~

Recipe

Ingredients

55 g Butter/Margarine (room temperature)
30 g Sugar
1/8 tsp Salt
1/2 Egg yolk
1 tsp Coffee emulco
75 g Plain flour (Sifted)
8 to 10 g Cocoa powder (unsweetened)
1/8 tsp Baking powder
1/4 tsp Bicarbonate soda
25 g Cornflakes

Method

Cream butter with sugar and salt till creamy. Add in the egg yolk and coffee emulco and cream till well combined.
Add flour, baking powder and bicarbonate soda and mix well.
Stir in the raisins and cornflakes. Mix well to form a soft dough.
Preheat oven at 170 degree celsius.
Form dough into desired shapes and arrange them on a baking tray lined with baking paper.
Bake at 170 degree celsius for 15 to 18 minutes. Allow cookies to cool for 15 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

Marble Cake~

2008-08-17T19:24:00.006+08:00

A second special for the 4 division meeting tea session, just fresh from the oven this morning. Do you know what this is? Make a guess! And the answer is...

~*Marble Cake*~

Butter cake with chocolate swirls~

(Thank goodness, most of them liked it... phew~)

Recipe (Adapted from All recipes - Marble Cake 1)

Ingredients

1/2 Cup Butter (room temperature)
3/4 Cup Sugar
1/2 tsp Salt
1 tsp Lemon essence/extract
2 medium Eggs
2 Cup Plain flour
3/4 tsp Baking powder
1/2 tsp Bicarbonate soda
2 Tbs Cocoa powder (unsweetened)

Method

Preheat oven at 170 degree celsius.
Cream the butter, sugar and salt with a hand mixer till creamy. Add in the eggs and lemon extract and whisk for another 2 minutes at medium speed.
Sift in the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate soda and mix well with a hand whisk.
Set aside 3/4 cup of the batter and pour the rest into a 9 inch baking tin lined with baking paper.
Sift in the cocoa powder into the batter and mix well with a spoon.
Drop spoonfuls of the cocoa batter into plain batter and swirl the batter with a knife to create the chocolate marble effect.
Bake at 170 degree celsius for 30 minutes.
Allow cake to cool before serving. Enjoy!

Cornflake Cookies~

2008-08-16T22:37:00.005+08:00

A preview of the cornflake cookies for tomorrow's 4 division meeting's tea session! :)

Adapted from Florence of Do What I Like - Cornflake Cookies recipe.

~*Cornflake Cookies*~

Perfect for tea break! Best enjoyed with a cup of hot tea or coffee :p~

Sakae Sushi @ Toa Payoh Entertainment Centre~

2008-08-16T18:26:00.007+08:00

A late dinner at Sakae...

~*Miso Soup*~

~*Salmon Sashimi*~

~*Kinoko Salad*~

Fresh salad topped with a variety of mushrooms. i liked it just as it is, without the sesame dressing.

~*Ika Teriyaki*~

The teriyaki sauce was tasty and not too salty or sweet.

~*Sakura Ebi Kakiage*~

There was just too much flour, i could barely taste the shrimps, :x

~*Cha Soba*~

Shokudo V~

2008-08-13T00:51:00.008+08:00

Food, food and more food!

A dinner feast at Shokudo with I, C and G~

~*Assorted Sashimi*~

Fresh slices of Maguro, Swordfish, Salmon, Octopus

~*Vongole Bonito Soup Spaghetti*~

~*Assorted Mixed Grill*~

Scallop stick, Quail egg roll with bacon stick, Prawn roll with bacon stick and Pork asparagus

~*Grilled Squid*~

A must try!

~*Unagi Omelette*~

~*Ebi & Bacon Wasabi Mayo Pizza*~

Thin, light, tasty and crispy pizza

~*Combo 2 Assorted Mushroom*~

Other dishes that were not featured, include the following;

Kimuchi

Cha-siew ramen

Gyu Enoki Maki

Grilled whole teriyaki squid

Salmon

The friendly staffs and prompt service made the mini get-together/makan session extra enjoyable and pleasant :) *burp* :x

Mini Snow Skin Mooncakes~

2008-08-12T12:40:00.005+08:00

Adapted from Amanda of Held by Love, Baked from scratch - Snow Skin Lotus Paste Mooncake recipe and Florence of Do What I Like - Chilled Mooncakes 1 recipe for Koh Fen/Pudding flour.

Keke... This is the first time i've made snow skin lotus mooncake from scratch... Hmmm... they're not too pretty but nonetheless it was a good effort...

~*Mini Snow Skin Lotus Paste Mooncakes*~

Han's @ Park Mall~

2008-08-12T12:03:00.003+08:00

Han's has been around since 1977, when it was first established as a simple bakery & confectionery shop, has since evolved into a well known cafe & pastry restaurant chain and a household name in the Singapore food industry with 19 outlets, serving a variety of western and asian cuisines and pastries at affordable prices.

A quick dinner at Han's located at basement 1 of Park mall...

~*Garden Combination Salad*~

A generous serving of fresh iceberg lettuce, mixed vegetables, tomato and cucumber slices, onion rings, coleslaw, boiled egg and a pineapple ring. The thousand island sauce dressing is served separately.

~*Olio Bacon*~

Spaghetti cooked in olive oil, seasoned with ground pepper and served with red & green pepper and fleshy bacon.

The dish was alittle too peppery for the tastebuds...

Orange Chiffon Cake~

2008-08-11T15:33:00.007+08:00

Adapted from Amanda from Held by Love, Baked from scratch - Orange Chiffon Cake recipe.

YUM! YUM! Soft and fluffy chiffon cake, anyone?

~*Orange Chiffon Cake*~

(Bottom-side up)

A slice of cake for you?

(Right-side up)

i transferred the cake to a larger baking tin after it cooled...

p.s. i used rice bran oil instead of cornoil and baked at 170 degrees for 40 minutes.

Bizarre Dinner-in~

2008-08-09T23:01:00.006+08:00

A classic example of an experimental fusion home cook dinner that was received with mixed response...

For starters:

~*Salad*~

Baby buttercups with hard boiled eggs, enoki mushrooms and raisins with special oriental dressing (not shown)

The mini maincourse:

~*Oven-baked Tioman Fish*~

Lightly seasoned with olive oil, chilli powder and white pepper, served with citrus peas & carrot puree (not shown)

Dessert:

~*Custard Pudding with Fresh Mango*~

Custard with oreo cupcake bits topped with fresh mango and chocolate chips

Kimchi Chige Soup @ Koufu~

2008-08-09T22:31:00.003+08:00

A quick dinner at Koufu at the Kallang Leisure Park... The entire shopping center was pretty quiet during off peak hours before the dinner crowd started streaming in around 7pm.

~*Kimchi Chige Soup*~

i enjoyed the clear and spicy soup with toufu, kimchi, enoki mushrooms. i added some chilli padi to give the extra spicy kick... Yum!

Charmy Snow Ice @ Kallang Leisure Park~

2008-08-09T21:42:00.006+08:00

Shaved ice dessert, anyone?

The one and only Charmy Snow Ice outlet here is located at Kallang Leisure Park offers a variety of sweetened finely shaved ice desserts (e.g. green tea, original, yogurt, peanut, strawberry... etc) with a good selection of toppings (e.g. nuts, red beans, fruits, chocolate rice... etc) to choose from. The snow ice melts instantaneously with each mouthful, creating a cool and refreshing atmosphere that seemingly lifts one spirit momentarily.

~*Green Tea Snow Ice with Red Beans @ $3*~

This is slightly sweeter than Mei Heong Yuen's version of the Green tea snow ice. The snow ice was extremely smooth but could do with more matcha to increase the green tea flavour. The red bean paste was smooth and thick but was alittle too sweet for my taste buds.

Charmy Snow Ice

Kallang Leisure Park, #B1-26

Cool Celery Soya Freeze~

2008-08-08T11:42:00.006+08:00

There's so much fun in making your own smoothie, there's a freedom to decide on the choice of ingredients and it can be enjoyed in the comforts of your own home. Hmmm... probably the only downside about it is the preparation of the ingredients and the washing up, which is nothing much really, compared to the satisfaction you get from a good drink.

~*Cool Celery Soya Freeze*~

What? Frozen celery & cucumber, chilled soya milk and semi-sweet chocolate chips.

How? Blend them together in a blender.

Veggie Milk Blend~

2008-08-07T12:51:00.007+08:00

A d.i.y milk & veggie blend. It's super simple to make, all i did was wash and chop up the vegetables, toss them into the blender, add some chilled milk and blend :p~

~*Veggie Milk Blend*~

Awww... So refreshing and nutritious! There are 4 different vegetables in this glass, can you guess what they are?

Ans: Celery, carrots, lettuce, cucumber and skim milk.