Dancing elephant

Ethan's first durian experience

2011-11-25T19:27:00.003+08:00

Mummmee, mummee, I like this smelly durian!!!

No more durian??

(2 seeds is quite enough for one small toddler at one sitting!)

Happy Birthday, Ethan

2011-10-27T20:35:00.002+08:00

Music credit: Baby Don't You Cry (The Pie Song) sung by Quincy Coleman

Le Saint Julien, The Fullerton Waterboat House

2011-10-21T09:31:00.004+08:00

Our first Restaurant Week meal for this October 2011 edition was at Le Saint Julien. With pleasant memories of our previous lunch at Boathouse, I was eagerly anticipating an even better meal at this stalwart of the french fine dining scene. Unfortunately, we found the experience rather underwhelming.

Our starter, the terrine of foie gras and chicken with medley of mushrooms and cress looked tempting and indeed the foie gras was excellent, silkily creamy and smooth, with hints of warm aromatic cognac. However I felt that the cold chicken was a tad insipid and flavourless. Was it our mistake in eating the two terrines separately? Were the duo supposed to complement each other in both taste and texture? But then, we weren't told whether these should be eaten together.

E's main of garlic and parsley crusted skate fish with bouillabaisse sauce was a little puzzling to our tastebuds accustomed to eating skate fish (aka stingray) smeared with generous lashings of sambal belacan. The beautifully crispy garlicky crust, while delicious on its own, did little to complement or disguise the naturally strong tasting skatefish.

Thankfully, my main of crispy rice with duck confit and truffle oil emulsion, with smoked duck breast sauce fared better. Beautifully cooked rosey pink duck breast slices, moist and tender. Although I must say that I had better duck in France.

Our dessert of Clafoutis (french traditional custard cake) with signature caramelized chocolate mousse was adequate but unexciting. And that perhaps sums up my issue with this particular lunch at Le Saint Julien. With an occasion out requiring me to conjure up alternative baby sitting arrangements and Ethan's lunch with what seems like 2 heads and 8 hands, I expect much more than the pedestrian, staid, and mundane. I want to taste sparks, excitement, joie de vivre and passion. Sadly, I didn't get any of that at Le Saint Julien.

Le Saint Julien
3 Fullerton Road #02-01
The Fullerton Waterboat House
www.julienbompard.com

Novus (guest post by W)

2011-10-15T19:28:00.005+08:00

Note: I ambitiously booked three restaurants for Restaurant Week, and this is the story of the second restaurant. Guest-written by my lovely friend W.

Emma emailed me earlier in the week asking whether I would like to take over one of her two lunch reservations this weekend, as baby E acted up when she and E went out for lunch on Monday, and she didn't think they should leave him at home two days in a row this weekend. Since Z and I were already booked for dinner tomorrow, I decided to take up her offer on Saturday. Just as well, since Z and I have never gone to Novus before..

Turned out to be quite a modern looking restaurant (a little strange, considering it's situated in the National Museum!), with the decor geared more towards its bar than restaurant, perhaps. The service was attentive, possibly coz the restaurant was completely empty when we arrived. For the $40 set menu, there were three options each for starter and main (including one veggie option each), and two for dessert. We were pleasantly surprised by the bread basket, which arrived with olive oil/vinaigrette, flavoured butter and some olives. This was followed by the amuse bouche, crab meat mousse flavoured with wasabi, served on a black sesame cracker. Nice touch!

For starters, Z had the cured salmon, topped with dollops of yuzu gel and oyster leaves - very zesty and refreshing. While I went for the foie gras anglaise, which was like a custard made from duck consommé and foie gras, embedded with strips of duck meat and a chunk of foie gras and some gingko nuts. Certainly a new take on a traditional favourite..

For the main, Z had the red snapper served on risoni, which was cooked to a nice softness. I was disappointed that there were bones in the fillet - not very becoming for a fine dining restaurant, surely! My choice of stuffed and rolled chicken was pretty nice, cooked sous vide to retain the moisture of the chicken breast, stuffed with wild mushroom and served with a medley of seasonal mushrooms..

We each chose a different dessert, with Z having the Valrhona Chocolate Test, literally 5 types of chocolate desserts in increasing concentrations of cocoa content. Interesting, though perhaps the first three (aerated mousse, souffle and sorbet) were better than the last two (custard and dehydrated chocolate). I had the Black Sesame & Mango Creme, both of which were very very flavour-full. I particularly liked the fact that there was strawberry ice-cream in the centre of the black 'snowball', even if the taste wasn't particularly strong.

Z and I both enjoyed our meal, and more importantly, felt that the restaurant had gone to great lengths to make the dining experience a lovely one. For each of the courses, the restaurant would provided a little card with some information on the dish or the ingredients used. At the end, on our way out, the service staff also handed us a little Chinese takeaway box with a cupcake each! Very nicely done, and a fitting end to a good meal!

Big Boy

2011-09-27T19:18:00.002+08:00

i am eleven months old today!

Mummmeee is very very busy so she says i can write this! Yippee!

ermm...

ahhhh...

ooops...

i forgot what she asked me to say....it's more fun playing with my car....bye bye!

NB: It's been a busy busy three weeks, E was away in the States for work so i had my hands full with Ethan and dealing with the household stuff, grocery shopping, cooking, laundry etc at the same time. Hopefully this blog will see more food related updates soon, now that E is back home and we can resume our weekly lunches.

Ten Months Old!

2011-08-27T16:05:00.000+08:00

I am a big boy now! I can crawl, I can stand, I can babble, I understand 40 to 50 words and simple instructions, and I can eat! Boy oh boy can I eat! Rice, cheese, strawberries, passionfruit, tomatoes, bell peppers, all disappear into my hippo mouth. But I refuse to clap or point or wave cos mummeee, i am not a performing seal. Tee hee hee!

Fruits, fruits and more fruits

2011-08-22T20:25:00.003+08:00

Surprisingly or perhaps unsurprisingly, Ethan loves (almost) all sorts of fruits, especially those which are sour. We've been trying him out all sorts of fruits including passionfruit and strawberries (cut into chunks) and they all just disappeared into his little tummy in no time at all (complete with loud and urgent caveman grunts when he thinks we're not feeding him fast enough). What he didn't like? Papaya and persimmon, we figured that it's because these are purely sweet tasting and therefore very boring to the little epicurean.

Pretending to be a hippo.

I may look innocent, but I just ate up all those passionfruit seeds. No mercy shown.

Be afraid, be very afraid.

Joo Joo, Joo Chiat Road

2011-08-16T12:37:00.000+08:00

Joo Joo, one of the new concept restaurants by the founders of Awfully Chocolate (the others being Everything with Fries and Mooshi Bakes), looked promising but turned out disappointing. We had mediocre kushiyaki (about SGD36 for a set for two persons) - there was hardly any grilled aroma, heavy on the salt, the grilling / dipping sauces seemed to have come out of bottles, and the chicken skin was served in the form of deep fried cracklings instead of the grilled crisps I had been eagerly anticipating. The garlic fried rice was also not aromatic at all, tasting instead like it had been mixed with soya sauce and cooked in a rice cooker.

Well, at the least it was a (super) filling lunch. And Ethan had a good time people watching, la-di-dah.

JooJoo

131 East Coast Road

Chiang Mai highlights

2011-08-13T11:38:00.000+08:00

Our trip to Chiang Mai went really well, although it was very tiring, as travelling with tiny kids always is. Ethan was tremendously well behaved on the flights and captivated by the planes on the runways, and especially enjoyed the Chiang Mai zoo and aquarium, although he was bored stiff by the sleepy sleepy pandas.

The tiger feeding the jaguar

Never too tired to crawl on the bed, even if the parents are knackered

Dusit D2 hotel, right on the steps of the Chiang Mai night bazaar was in a really ideal location for us, as it meant that we could take turns going out at night for a quick browse and even cheap massages after Ethan had fallen asleep (although as it turned out, I only managed to sneak out for a half hour massage and half hour quick stroll at the market on our third night in Chiang Mai). The hotel itself, although nicely kitted out in a modern style and with excellent service, was not what we typically would have chosen - since our preference runs to more unique boutique-style hotels rather than the rather characterless big chains - but well some adjustments are part and parcel of travelling with kids.

Food was good and cheap too, like the khao soi (a tangy curry-based noodle dish popular in Myanmar and Northern Thailand) that we had from Just Khao Soy. While there are undoubtedly cheaper and more authentic versions to be had on the street, this place scored for its cleanliness and quiet environment.

The Riverside restaurant, where we had dinner on another night, was excellent and very affordable. My favourite was the charcoal grilled Chiang Mai sausage (yeah, mystery meat, i know), very aromatic with spices and with a crispy crackling skin.

Chiang Mai was a good holiday and break from the everyday tedium and routine, even if it meant many hours of lost sleep (Ethan couldn't sleep at night, to the extent that I clocked less than 2 hours sleep on one night, carrying and rocking him to sleep every one or two hours). Thankfully (oh thank heavens!!) he has by now adjusted back to his usual sleeping schedule from 7 pm to 7 am, and falling asleep by himself without any carrying or petting (double thanks!!).

Back from Chiang Mai

2011-08-04T09:14:00.002+08:00

I played and played in Chiang Mai....

mummmee and daddeee bought me a lot of toys....

I'm exhausted now....

ZZZZZzzzzzzzzz.....

Off to Chiang Mai

2011-07-31T07:07:00.003+08:00

We're off to Chiang Mai for a short vacation today. Hope Ethan will be well behaved, especially on the plane and at bedtime.

The Love of My Life

2011-07-27T09:01:00.001+08:00

The past nine months have just flown by in the twinkling of an eye, in your daily smiles, chuckles, and milestones. Very very soon, all too soon, you will be one year old, then two, then three, then five, and then all grown up. Happy 9 months birthday, my precious boy!

Food note: new foods that Ethan has sampled this month: kiwi, nectarine, lychee, soya beancurd aka tau hway (he loves this), beetroot, bread, pasta, cod, salmon, scallops, fresh button mushrooms, raisins.

Sandaime Bunji, Millenia Walk

2011-07-23T20:43:00.000+08:00

This newish restaurant over at Millenia Walk specialises in gyutan (ox tongue) and oden (japanese fish cake). Despite the heavy presence of Japanese families, the food wasn't really anything to get excited about.

Gyutan-don set (SGD19.90) - the set also included one piece of oden, chawanmushi, sashimi and a whole bunch of other stuff. This was really filling but I concluded that I didn't like the taste nor the texture of gyutan - imagine standard beef flavour *100 in a quivery spongy form - and got a little queasy when eating it.

E's U-men set (SGD18.90) was equally filling and the noodles were much more to my taste, cooked in a light dashi broth. Even then, this was nothing to write home about. An interesting experience, but not one that we'll be in a hurry to repeat.

Sandaime Bunji
#01-14/15 Millenia Walk (facing Conrad Hotel)

Getting A Haircut

2011-07-19T12:31:00.001+08:00

happiness! my first professional haircut in a salon!

mummee always makes me look like a girl.

and daddeee doesn't know how to cut hair properly.

Auntie, why are you waving that black thing in my face? Can I eat it?

hmmm this has gone on long enough. i think i will get out of this car now...

mummee, i don't like this! wahhhhhh!

This is not so bad afterall!

(but mummmee says, she prefers my previous hairstyle.

I say, what do girls know? we boys must look manly. )

Saveur - french food in a coffeeshop

2011-07-17T20:12:00.000+08:00

It was a most unexpected and welcome surprise to discover French food of this quality and pricing in a rather dingy and run-down coffeeshop. Run by two earnest young chefs, Saveur's offerings were served in white chinaware, with proper cutlery (safico!) and plated beautifully. Most importantly, the food tasted good.

Angel hair pasta with konbu and dried ebi (SGD4). A delicate-tasting dish, the angel hair pasta had been sufficiently infused with the umami flavour of the konbu stock.

Chicken roulade stuffed with foie gras, served on basmati rice (SGD8.90). Frankly, there was hardly any foie gras in the roll and what little there was, was not rich or creamy enough for my taste. But I'm not complaining at this price! The chicken meat was tender and moist (due to the sous vide treatment) and the seasoning was done perfectly, although unfortunately the skin was not crispy. The rice was not too memorable, and in my personal opinion a dash of paprika would have done wonders to lift the entire dish.

The duck confit, at an unbelievable price of SGD8.90, was not bad - the meat was pretty moist and not over salted. But as with the chicken roulade, this suffered from a lack of crisping. Kudos to the pommes puree though, according to E, this was made from real potatoes and not that nasty reconstituted mash. However, I thought it was a little too heavy on the cream.

All in all, some rough edges, but a raw gem nonetheless. Make your way down before the hordes descend (in fact they already have! We went for an early lunch at 12 noon and only had to wait about 10 minuites).

Saveur
www.saveur.sg
Ali Baba Eating House, Stall no. 3
125 East Coast Road (Junction of Joo Chiat Road and East Coast Road)

Tiramisu

2011-07-14T13:50:00.001+08:00

Dusting off the recipe books that had not been used for months, I made this reliable tiramisu dessert for an evening poolside party hosted by S and D. Easy-peasy and a real treat. Even if it was a lot less boozy and coffee-laced than I would have liked (ran out of kahlua).

Whipping cream: 300ml
Icing sugar: 60g
Mascarpone cheese: 250g
Sponge ladyfinger biscuits: approximately 12
Strong expresso coffee: (approximately 1 cup)
Brandy / Tia Maria (I used kahlua)
Cocoa powder for dusting

Mix the mascarpone cheese and sugar together well. Whisk the cream until it forms soft peaks; be very careful not to overwhisk (which leads to curdling and separation). Add the whisked cream to mascarpone cheese/icing sugar mixture. Dip the ladyfingers into the coffee + alcohol mixture and arrange in a container, alternating with the cream/mascarpone cheese/icing sugar mixture. Chill in fridge. Dust with cocoa powder just before serving.

Puff Time

2011-07-11T20:35:00.001+08:00

This is fun! More puffs, mummeee!

Toast to fab cupcakes

2011-07-10T11:30:00.004+08:00

Toast is a hidden gem that I was just recently introduced to by my friend Lucy. Tucked away in a nook of Ngee Ann City, near the office tower lifts, this chic cafe under the Marmalade Group seemed to be a well-kept secret among the ladies who lunch. Despite not having a sweet tooth, I was bowled over by this cupcake (Limonata, SGD4.50). Just the right mix of tartness and sweetness, wonderfully crumbly and moist at the same time. Yums. Just thinking about it makes me want to drool. I was secretly kicking myself for only having eaten the sticky date pudding and not trying the cupcakes at Marmalade Pantry.

Not quite so delectable was the Masala Chicken Wrap (about SGD12, I forgot to take down the price). It wasn't bad or anything, just not special enough to take note of. I was also expecting something a little more spicy.

Toast made my day for making me feel like a lady of leisure nibbling on a (not-so-dainty) cupcake! Next time, I'm going back for the Red Velvet cupcake .... or the Strawberries and Cream....or the Nutella.... or all of these....

Toast

Ngee Ann City (Takashimaya), #02-11

Vegan Burg

2011-07-04T15:13:00.000+08:00

We decided to go healthy this week (and alas, fine dining options were out since the little boy was tagging along with us) and check out Vegan Burg. The concept of healthy vegetarian burgers piqued our interest since that seemed to be the ultimate oxymoron.

We had the Hawaiian Pineapple (pan-grilled pineapple slice, soya patty glazed with sweet plum sauce) and the Smokey BBQ (oven-baked patty of minced mushrooms, smokey BBQ sauce, lettuce, tomato and alfafa, organic rye bread): $10.85 for a set including seaweed fries and a drink. Reminding me more of sandwiches rather than burgers, these creations were decent but unspectacular, with the most memorable part being the sauces. Surprisingly for an outlet trumpeting the health benefits of its meals, the seaweed fries were crispy and not shy on the salt.

I liked the casual chillax ambience and decor, and that the burgers came in cute mess-tins (army boys will probably think this is a minus point). The little boy got his own mess-tin to eat his puffs off too :-) So is the food worth going back for? Probably not, I've had better "healthy food" elsewhere. So will we go back? Yes, for the ambience and the ease of touting a baby there.

VeganBurg

44 Jalan Eunos

www.veganburg.com

N.B. As I typed out this post, I suddenly got cravings for Onaka's wonderfully tasty and healthy dishes - their dumplings, thunder tea rice, salads, in fact just about everything, are simply delicious! Hmm, a visit back to my old workplace is in order.

Rose Veranda, Shangri-La Singapore (Pictorial)

2011-06-29T09:34:00.000+08:00

A leisurely and laid back high tea at the Rose Veranda. A rare indulgence and treat for the time-starved mummy, to pretend to be a tai tai when in reality one is a slave.

The Eight Month Old Baby Eats

2011-06-27T09:07:00.003+08:00

Ethan is 8 months old today, and an absolute delight and joy to be around.

He loves his solids (although he is still not keen on milk), and I try my best to vary each of his three daily meals from day to day, so that he gets as much nutrients as possible from a wide variety of foods, powerpacked into that little stomach of his. So far, Ethan has eaten quite a large variety of foods and fruits:
Apples, pears, peaches, apricots, prunes, blueberries, grapes, mango, papaya, cherries, bananas, avocadoes, sweet potato, yam, pumpkin, quinoa, wholegrain rice, oats, barley, wheat biscuits, peas, spinach and other green leafy vegetables, wolfberries, fish (mainly local species e.g. threadfin, pomfret, seabass), pork, beef, chicken, egg yolks, black beans.

I plan to introduce him to cheese, kiwis, lentils, beans, fresh scallops, and the coldwater fish varieties (cod, salmon, sardines) soon, as well as re-introduce carrots, tofu and yogurt, which he had tried earlier but didn't like very much. He's also very much into texture nowadays, and is able to gum and swallow small bits of food, which means that I don't have to finely mash or sieve his food anymore.

Happy 8 months birthday, my little gourmand! May you grow up to have a healthy love and respect for good, wholesome food.

Hippopotamus

2011-06-22T20:16:00.000+08:00

The hubby looked at me askance when I suggested going to Hippopotamus for lunch one weekend: "What, eat game meat?!?" Not quite! Hippopotamus, a chain restaurant from France, specialises in steaks, and in fact I had eaten there twice on my visits to Paris, with favourable impressions.

Our starter of beef carpaccio (part of a set at SGD19.50), drizzled with olive oil, served with a sprinkling of capers and basil leaves. A refreshing start to the meal, even if raw beef doesn't have any particular taste. Hippopotamus serves up more esoteric and hard to find (in Singapore) fare like bone marrow and beef tartare too, which I did not spot until we were midway through our mains. Definitely ordering the bone marrow (memories of a particularly pleasingly feral marrow abound) on our next visit!

The Hippo Classic Burger (the other part of the SGD19.50 set), was pretty decent too. A generous slab of minced beef patty, juicy and not overcooked, with minimal garnishings and sauces. I spread my choice of sauce (roquefort! I love smelly cheese!) on the patty and chomped down.

Our other main of beef skewer (SGD 21.50), with a spread of different cuts: sirloin, rump steak, skirt, and hangar steak. This was fairly good, although of course in a different league from Morton's. I liked the choice of sauces and side dishes (you get a choice of 3 sides for each main, including ratatouille and potato gratin), and we were pleasantly surprised that the green beans were actually french haricot verts.

A very value-for-money mid-range steak restaurant, and definitely trumps the experience at Aston's.

Hippopotamus Restaurant Grill
#01-204/205 Marina Square

Standing

2011-06-19T12:18:00.001+08:00

mummeee, I can stand!

Pamplemousse

2011-06-18T12:28:00.000+08:00

So we finally made it to Pamplemousse. Happily, I was not let down despite all the hyped up expectations that I had. First impressions were already favourable, with the striking stylish interior decor - Marie Antoinette gone gothic. I loved the big reproduction Renoir painting, as well as the feature wall with the names of different spices and herbs scribbled all over it.

The three course set lunch (SGD32) is available everyday, including weekends, and the restaurant's signature dishes are featured in the set - that's the way to make customers happy!

Salmon

Citrus marinated salmon Pamplemousse confit Saikyo miso aioli croutons

This was delectable! The salmon was moist and just the right side of salty, perfectly complemented by the saikyo miso aioli (what on earth is that? i recognise only two of the terms).

Pork Knuckle Roulade

Kataifi pastry Smoked Shiitake Spinach Grain Mustard Sauce

Duck Confit

Confit of duck leg Braised red cabbage Pommes sarladaise Lychee gastrique

Not the best that I've had, although passable - the skin certainly was not crispy enough and the meat was rather dry, but thumbs up for the excellent refreshing lychee-based sauce.

Uni Tagliolini

Crustacean cream sauce Pork Gratons Nori Chives

Extremely decadently rich and sinful, the cream sauce was redolent with the aroma of roasted prawns. I think this would have worked better as a starter, as it was wonderful in small doses, but got far too satiating midway though.

"Toast and Milo"

Brioche Dulce de leche Milo ice cream Caramelized bananas Nutella Soil

I think if I had not eaten at Iggy's and Blu prior to this, I would have been tickled by this breakfast-inspired dessert. As it was, this seemed like a tired trick by now. None of the individual elements in the dessert was outstanding enough to be memorable.

Creme Brulee

Osmanthus creme brulee Lychee sorbet

Although this was creamily rich and smooth and quivery, it was very sweet, far too sweet in fact for my tastebuds.

Altogether, a good lunch - not great because of the few misses here and there - but definitely a place that I wouldn't hesitate to recommend!

www.pamplemousse.com.sg

Tiger on the prowl

2011-06-13T20:35:00.002+08:00

Don't you think he moves like the big cat? Overdue posts on Pamplemousse and Hippopotamus coming up soon as I've been too ~~lazy~~ tired and busy recently!

Style Inspiration for the Weekend

2011-06-10T08:48:00.002+08:00

Some vicarious styling fun with Polyvore. My "outfit" for the weekend, perfect for brunch with the girls or tea and cakes.

Amy Heritage Nyonya Cuisine, Malacca

2011-06-07T09:20:00.003+08:00

When in Malacca, peranakan food is a must and the Majestic Hotel highly recommended Aunty Amy's place. This turned out to be the best meal of our trip! And possibly the best Peranakan food that I've had in Singapore or Malaysia to date.

All the cooking is done personally by Aunty Amy only upon ordering, so be prepared for a long wait if you don't call and pre-order. We were lucky - we were the first customers when the restaurant opened (thanks to the need to accomodate Ethan's early bedtime) so we only waited around 20 minutes or so, before the dishes started arriving on our table.

We had the usual dishes that we would always order when having Peranakan food - the he peow soup (fish maw soup), ayam buah keluak (chicken with a special type of nut which is very difficult to prepare), as well as this very special dish below - Sambal Jantung Pisang (heart of the banana flower fried with sambal chilli paste). Apparently very rarely seen in restaurants, it was our good fortune that it was available on the day that we chose to go to Amy's! This was delish - while the jantung pisang did not have that much taste of its own - I thought it had a slight nutty hint - it took on the flavour of the sambal chilli well. The other dishes were also addictively good, nothing like fine dining or with creative noveau cooking twists of course, just good old wholesome home style cooking. No MSG is used here, so no fear of dying of thirst and headaches after you've stepped out of the restaurant.

Amy Heritage Nyonya Cuisine
75, Jalan Melaka Rayu 24
Taman Melaka Rayu

Jonker Street Satay, Melaka

2011-05-31T12:33:00.002+08:00

Formerly on the old Jonker Street, hence the name, and now relocated to a spacious and rather clinical looking shophouse outlet, this was a slight let down. According to The Star Street Food guide - "Jonker Satay is relished as much for its wonderfully aromatic meat - with crisp, slightly burnt edges - as for its special satay sauce, a tangy, spicy-sweet concoction of crushed peanuts, aromatic roots, spices, shredded pineapple and belimbing."

Unfortunately, we didn't find the meat marinade that superb (tasted a little like curry), and the bits of pork fat lacked the requisite juicy crispness and slightly burnt aroma for satay nirvana. It was a pretty interesting and unique experience to have innards as part of the satay selection though.

In my books, Chuan Kee satay at Old Airport Road is a lot better than this.

Jonker St Satay / Sun May Hiong Satay House
50/50A Jalan Kota Laksamana 1/1
Tmn Kota Laksamana

Medan Ikan Bakar, Melaka

2011-05-31T12:02:00.003+08:00

It's no secret that I love seafood, and it always seems to taste better when grilled on the spot and eaten next to the sea. So I had high expectations of Medan Ikan Bakar, with memories of Lombok's Warung Menega still vivid in my mind.

Well it wasn't quite as good as Warung Menega - the grilled aroma wasn't as fragrant and the chilli dip not as delicious, neither was the food eaten on the beach with sand between the toes - more like a huge open-air seafood restaurant, but the seafood was all fresh and came out piping hot from the kitchen. Affordable too, we paid about 40 Malaysian Ringgit (SGD16) for the spread you see below, including a fried vegetable dish and drinks.

I liked that they provided these small packets of nasi lemak (coconut rice), in the Malay style.

Medan Ikan Bakar
KM 4-5, Jalan Padang Temu
Permatang Pasir, Melaka

The Majestic Hotel, Melaka

2011-05-29T09:19:00.000+08:00

The Majestic hotel is absolutely beautiful, a boutique jewel in the heart of Malacca. The hotel lobby is housed in an old building dating back to the 1920s, while the rooms are housed in a cunningly integrated new annex, all decorated in sumptuous Peranakan style - tiled floors, dark teakwood furniture, gently whirring wooden fans, intricate mosaic decorations, porcelain vases.

We simply loved the thoughtful little touches such as jars of old-time snacks of nuts and candies, the welcome drink of fragrant Chinese tea served in a wicker basket, and the nighttime snack of Peranakan kuehs served in the traditional lacquered wedding basket.

Service was absolutely beyond reproach - everyone from the duty manager, front desk receptionists, porter, maintenance workers - were exceedingly warm and friendly without veering into obsequiousness. A wonderful experience and the highlight of our little trip.

www.majesticmalacca.com

7 Months Old!

2011-05-27T20:34:00.003+08:00

Hello everybody. I am 7 months old today and I started to crawl a few days ago. But not very well because sometimes my hands and feet move at the wrong time and i fall over. Mummmee lets me do a lot of things now, like writing this because she is very tired. Mummmee is tired because we just came back from a trip to Melaka today. But she says that I was a good good boy! MMMMM!!! I love Mummmee!!! Love love love!!!

Salt Grill and Sky Bar

2011-05-24T21:23:00.000+08:00

Way up high in the sky, at Salt Grill and Sky Bar, the view is simply astounding.

Getting to the restaurant is an experience in itself. Head to Level 4, where there is a dedicated Salt concierge, who will show you to the lift lobby located within an art gallery. Dim lights, soft meditation-type music, projections of swirling clouds add to the feeling of exclusivity. One continues to float on clouds as you step out into the bright expanse of the high-ceilinged restaurant and savour the view that stretches out before you.

No surprises though when it came to the food, which has a casual Australian vibe.

Beetroot salad, with rocket, endives, mustard vinaigrette, roquefort cheese. Well composed and a good balance of flavours. I thought the pungency of the cheese might overwhelm the subtle flavours of beets but surprisingly it was a good match.

Roselle spiced barramundi fillet, cauliflower cream, chargrilled asparagus and lime. This dish was extremely ordinary and I could easily have cooked this in my own kitchen - couldn't taste the roselle spices, or detect any hint of lime.

Lunch ended with teeny tiny petit fours. While the food itself is only passable enough to merit a "can consider if in the vicinity", the view alone makes the journey worthwhile.

Salt Grill and Sky Bar

Level 55/56 Ion Orchard

http://saltgrill.com

Mini Kaiseki lunch at Matsu

2011-05-23T11:49:00.002+08:00

A delightful mini-kaiseki lunch at Matsu. We were the only table of patrons two Saturdays ago, and left it up to Chef Matsu to decide what to serve us for lunch.

First course - eel and abalone in dashi jelly, with seaweed salad. This dish brought out the essence and spirit of the sea wonderfully, with each bite oozing fresh briny goodness. The dashi jelly was a delight, with its quivery soft texture and refreshing umami flavour. My favourite course of the meal!

Second course: cream of beetroot soup. This was tinted such a beautiful pinky-red colour, but the taste of the beets was overwhelmed by the corn.

Third course: bouillabaisse. Here chef Matsu adopted a light touch to the French classic soup. Tasty and included a good variety of fresh seafood, although the giant clam was rather chewy and a tad difficult to eat.

Fourth course: Kurobuta pork with plum sauce. Plump and juicy, flavourful pork - perfectly married with sweet plum sauce with just the right tinge of tartness. Whatever was left of the sauce after we finished the pork (there wasn't much of it) went into mopping up the mashed potato.

Fifth course: Matsu curry rice, a clever twist to the traditional rice course in the usual multi-course kaiseki. With melt-in-the-mouth beef cubes and a tangy flavour to the curry, this was well executed comfort food, although I felt that it was incongrous with the refined fusion theme of the meal thus far. (I personally also prefer a more spicy and stronger tasting curry aka Indian style.)

Sixth course: Dessert platter - affagato (with mascarpone cheese ice cream) , grapefruit jelly with fruits, and cheesecake. The ice cream was delicious - creamy and lucious but not too sweet - nicely balanced with the shot of expresso. Also worthy of mention was the grapefruit jelly speckled with little pieces of rind, adding a delightful zing and crunch to the wobbly jelly. The cheesecake paled though in comparison to their next door neighbour's rendition.

For Matsu, it helps to keep an open mind on the type of fusion cuisine, and not to expect the sky especially at this price point (SGD58 for the 6 course lunch, with a 1-for-1 offer for DBS cardholders). Both my visits to Matsu have not disappointed, we will be back for more.

Feeding the most important epicurean in the world

2011-05-20T08:35:00.000+08:00

This month has been rather more exhausting than usual. Ethan likes his solids a little too much (in retrospect, I should have seen this coming!) and has been kicking up a huge fuss at milk time and cutting down on his milk intake drastically. This has been going on for the past three weeks and I'm tired out from the histronics and tantrums!

Why not let him be and eat all the solids he wants? Well, at this age, milk is still by far the most important and complete food source for babies - solids are meant for supplementation and experimentation. Also, when Ethan takes less milk he then suffers from constipation and gets all cranky and grumpy. No fun I assure you.

I have to crack my brains to get him to take more milk - including persuasion (delay his feed by half an hour), bluffing (cook or mix milk into his solids), stealth (feed him while he is asleep). PHEW!!

On the bright side, while it's a lot of work feeding the pampered prince, it can actually be exciting and fun too.

Fruit puree, served as part of breakfast and lunch: pear, apple, prune, cherry, peach, papaya....

I steam and puree the fruits, then dollop them into ice cube trays for easy portioning. At each meal, he gets two hearts of assorted fruits.

Homemade stock is used for cooking his porridge: beef, pork, chicken, and in this case, fish.

I put the stock, together with wholegrain rice, a portion of meat/fish, and a portion of vegetable (pumpkin, butternut squash, peas, or spinach) into the slow cooker, and it produces porridge 3 hours later.

A dollop of homemade ikan bilis (dried anchovy) powder goes into his porridge, to up his calcium intake since he is taking a lot less milk now.

At teatime, Ethan usually gets avocado puree, mixed with milk. Avocado is by far his favourite food - he can eat up to half an avocado at one sitting - and for that I am glad cos it's powerpacked with nutrition and healthy fats / protein, and cos I can mix in lots of milk into his puree!

Chikuwa Tei

2011-05-15T09:01:00.000+08:00

Chikuwa Tei strikes me as being very unpretentious and down-to-earth. The most famous item on its menu is the chirashi set, so this was a must order for me.

While not the most memorable bowl of chirashi that I've ever had (that honour goes to Aoki, followed by Inagiku), but certainly very decent for the price (SGD25) - thickly sliced, fresh assorted sashimi, sitting on top of well seasoned sushi rice. E's order of the grilled tai lunch set (SGD20) was amazingly value-for-money, comprising a tasty fillet of the fish, a heap of thick salmon sashimi slices, a tasty cup of chawanmushi that was chock-a-block with nameko mushrooms, and the obligatory rice/pickles/miso soup.

Indeed one could do a lot worse than Chikuwa Tei if you're thinking about where to go for a good, honest and wallet-friendly Japanese meal.

Chikuwa Tei
9 Mohamed Sultan Road

The Swimming Ethan

2011-05-08T21:11:00.003+08:00

Waterbaby

2011-05-07T20:01:00.000+08:00

Loving his regular weekend swims.

With the float, Ethan now kicks and moves through the water happily and independently.

Under the watchful and closeby presence of his mummy, of course.

Such a waterbaby, my little baby.

Ippudo Tao, UE Square

2011-05-05T12:18:00.001+08:00

We have had rather a lot of ramen recently (Nantsuttei, Shin-Sapporo, and Kusabi that I will not be blogging about, as it was only so-so). However when we saw the signboard for Ippudo Tao en route to our original planned destination of Chikuwa Tei, we couldn't resist the call of the noodles!!

The ramen was outstanding. I had the Tao Aka (SGD15, thin curly noodles in tonkotsu broth blended with Japanese fish stock and Ippudo spicy miso paste, topped with pork belly, spring onion and accented with fragrant garlic oil) while E went for the Tao Kuro (SGD15, flat chewy noodles in Shoyu Tonkotsu broth, topped with pork belly, flavoured black fungus, spring onion, special blended miso paste, and fragrant garlic oil).

Chewy, al-dente ramen? Check. Flavourful, rich, umami broth? Check. Melt-in-the mouth, fragrant chashu? Check (my gripe was that it was far too small). I didn't order the tamago, so couldn't say how good this was - hopefully better than my experience at the Mandarin Gallery outlet.

We also grabbed Ippudo's famous pork bun (SGD3) as an appetiser. This was good, with chewy and slightly gelatinous buns and meltingly soft pork. But oh! So tiny and pricey.

Ippudo Tao
207 River Valley Road, UE Square
www.ippudo.com.sg

And We are Six Months Old

2011-04-27T12:34:00.001+08:00

Becoming a mother has been the most intensely difficult and challenging thing that I've ever had to cope with in my life. If my previous posts have suggested that everything is sunshine and roses, it's definitely not.

Ethan turns six months old today, and I start one year of no-pay-leave tomorrow. Becoming a stay-at-home-mother (which I have been for the past six months although on a paid salary, lucky me) has entailed far more changes than I expected.

The boss is often irrational, irascible, temperamental and demanding. You are expected to work all the time, through the night, weekends, and public holidays. You get no salary, career progression, bonuses, praise from the boss, developmental courses, water-cooler huddles or lunch breaks. Even when you feel that you have done your best, the boss may still not be happy.

And yet, this has been the most rewarding and fulfilling experience ever. I get rewarded in the laughter, giggles, smiles, kisses and hugs from my most precious Ethan. Who could ask for more?

OChre

2011-04-25T12:30:00.001+08:00

I like OChre. It has a casually chic clean modern vibe, good service, not overly crowded, and serves up crowd-pleasing Italian favourites.

On Saturdays, OChre offers a special "eat-all-you-can" pasta and pizza promotion. We hungrily ~~pigged-out~~ carbo-loaded up on: seafood linguine in white wine sauce; tagliatelle with mussels and zucchini in tomato cream sauce; parma ham pizza; and salami pizza.

The pizzas were good - thin but with a good chewy bite (unlike that Skinny Pizza that I found so abominable) although we felt that the restaurant could have been more generous with the toppings. The pastas were passable but nothing special, and again, heavy on the carb portion. What I liked was the small serving sizes, allowing diners to sample a wider variety of offerings. All in, it was a very enjoyable Saturday lunch with E away from the Orchard Road crowds. I would be keen to return to try some of OChre's ala-carte and set menus!

www.ochreitalian.com.sg

Jewels Artisan Chocolate Part 2: Chocolates

2011-04-21T09:32:00.002+08:00

From top left corner, clockwise:
Cornelian: Caramel ganache coated with dark chocolate topped with caramel nibs
Red Ruby: Raspberry ganache paired with dark chocolate
Grand Espresso: Espresso and chocolate ganache
Peridot: Pistachio ganache layered with praline paste coated in dark chocolate
Praline Cafe: Finely ground caramelised almond and coffee beans enrobed in dark chocolate
Volcanic Salted Caramel: Caramel infused with Black Palm Island salt
Maracaibo Gianduja: Finely ground macadamia blended with milk chocolate
French nougat: Praline paste with nougat chips and feuilletine

We bought a box of 8 handcrafted lovelies (SGD3 each) to try. These were fairly good, with silkily rich ganache filling but not quite in the wow realm. I thought they were quite pricey too, perhaps reflecting the labour-intensiveness of the hand-crafting process and the quality ingredients (we saw blocks of varlhona baking chocolate). My favourites were the Red Ruby and Peridot.

www.jewels.com.sg

Turbanised Ethan!

2011-04-19T20:26:00.002+08:00

Ethan has been turbanised!

BWA HAAA HAAA HAAA!

Jewels Artisan Chocolate Part 1: Macaroons

2011-04-17T20:03:00.003+08:00

We popped by Jewels Artisan Chocolate after Saturday's lunch date at Ochre (more on that later) and picked up some chocolates and macaroons (SGD2 per piece). Upon finding out that owner Then Chui Foong had apprenticed with Pierre Herme, I had high hopes of delectable offerings.

From left to right: Raspberry, filled with raspberry conserve and rose almond cream; Brun, filled with hazelnut and almond praline paste; Black Island Palm Salt, filled with salted egg and almond cream.

However, I was a little disappointed - the texture of the raspberry and brun macaroons was not ideal, lacking the elusive crunch and bite and airy yet chewy texture of good macaroons. Furthermore, the rose flavour for Raspberry reminded me somewhat of shower gel, and the ratio of filling to macaroon shell in Brun was over-the-top. Black Island Palm Salt was a far better creation in terms of both macaroon shell texture and filling flavour, with a distinctive but not overly strong scent of salted egg. Very interesting local twist indeed!

Perhaps it would be a better bet to go for the chocolates here. A second post to come!

Jewels Artisan Chocolate
Orchard Central, #02-31/32
www.jewels.com.sg

Happiness

2011-04-14T20:27:00.001+08:00

No words can describe this feeling.

Handmade Ring Pillow

2011-04-11T12:16:00.001+08:00

A random post: I "made" this ring pillow for a good friend who's getting married this year.

Ring pillows are pretty expensive, costing anywhere from SGD30 to more than SGD50 but it's actually very easy, fun and cheap to assemble your own. I bought the small ready-made cushion from Daiso for all of the princely sum of SGD2, pinned a pretty ribbon and beautiful fabric flowers on (you can buy more expensive blooms or cheaper ones from Daiso), and ta-dah, ring pillow completed in all of 15 minutes! If you want something more elaborate, simply string or sew some swarovski pearls or crystals on to bling up the ring pillow.

Shin Sapporo Ramen

2011-04-09T09:19:00.002+08:00

It seems that ramen shops have mushroomed around the island these days, so much so that it's getting hard to distinguish one bowl of ramen from the other. We had passed by Shin Sapporo Ramen several times while hopping over from Millennia Walk to Suntec City, which piqued our curiosity enough to try it out.

I had the Shin-Sapporo Miso ramen (spicy) (SGD15) while E opted for the Hakata Tonkotsu Ramen (SGD15). Mine came with the Sapporo curly noodles while E's version had the thin Hakata noodles. I much preferred mine as they had more bite and texture though the bounciness of Miharu's version was still elusive. However opinions and tastes differ from person to person, and E felt that his hakata noodles were cooked well, retaining an al dente texture. The broth was flavourful, not too salty, although not as rich (a.k.a. oily and full of gelatin!!!) as I would have liked, probably toned down to suit local palates (this reminds me of W who hates oily ramen soups). The egg was perfectly cooked with a runny yolk and soft white.

All in, a pretty good bowl of ramen but which stopped short of being spectacular or memorable. Well, ramen shops are a dime a dozen nowadays, and with such similar offerings and keen competition in the scene, one wonders whether there would be some casualties soon or whether Singaporeans' love for ramen and all things Japanese can support so many shops.

Shin Sapporo Ramen

Suntec City Mall (near the Carrefour end)
www.shin-sappororamen.com

Boathouse

2011-04-05T09:14:00.001+08:00

Our other pick of Restaurant Week, Boathouse, turned out unexpectedly well.

The restaurant was decorated in a style befitting the heritage status of the building, as if stepping into somebody's beautiful and cosy home. Whitewashed walls, wooden panelling, giant vases of fresh blooms, stacks of books, old photos.

A steal of a 3 course set lunch at SGD25.

Starter of grilled mackerel, sardines marinated in mustard, sweet olive tapenade, and goat cheese pudding. The slightly ripe pungency of the goat cheese pudding complemented the fish well, both being strong in aroma and flavour.

E's main of Grilled Atlantic Seabass with aubergine caviar, roasted tomatoes, and burnt onion sauce. Moist and flavourful, though I thought the skin could have been more crispy. Personally, I preferred Table 66's sous-vide take on salmon.

My lamb shank (braised for 36 hours) with wild mushroom polenta (SGD8 supplement) was very good. Fall-off-the bone tender, with none of the musky lamb aroma that can be offensive to some, this was a very heart warming dish that had us devouring it to the last morsel.

Dessert of salted caramel tart with expresso ice cream was the only miss in this meal. The tart crust was far too hard and had to be hacked through with a knife; I would have much preferred a crumbly buttery crust with melt-in-mouth texture. However, the salted caramel was pleasant and the expresso ice cream helped to cut some of the sweetness.

One restaurant that I would make a return trip to, if only they opened on weekends! (I hear that they will be introducing a Sunday brunch soon, but unfortunately E is not a brunch person).

Boathouse

The Waterboat House, 3 Fullerton Road

www.boathouse.com.sg

Sitting Up (Sort of)

2011-04-02T09:26:00.001+08:00

mummee, mummmee, i can sit like this....

and like this....

and i can also sit like that....

and i can.....oOOOOOPS!!!

Kinki

2011-03-30T15:30:00.003+08:00

You know it's not a promising sign when even before you've taken your first bite, you start thinking fondly about another restaurant's rendition of the same dish. Sadly, this was the case with my chiraishi bowl at Kinki. A VERY AVERAGE spread of raw fish with nothing outstanding, although it was at least decently fresh. I couldn't help wishing that I was tucking into Aoki's bowl of heaven.

E's miso cod was also only passable (bearing in mind that this dish is not that difficult to prepare) and the portion was small. Both our sets (SGD40++) came with completely unremarkable sides: garden salad tossed with some sakura ebi, miso soup, pickles, and a green tea ice cream parfait. I was also unimpressed by the so-called "japanese with an urban attitude" decor with manga graffiti on the walls / raw cement floors.

Well, it was all my own fault for not doing research properly and jumping to book for Restaurant Week since my top picks were all gone by the time I remembered to log on to the booking site. Our other Restaurant Week meal at Boathouse though, turned out very well, so not a complete waste of time. More on that in a later post!

www.kinki.com.sg

70 Collyer Quay #02-02

Customs House

Smiths Authentic Fish and Chips

2011-03-29T15:49:00.002+08:00

Hankering for a taste of the quintessential Brit favourite, I was enthusiastic to check out this chippy that had opened at Tanjong Katong Road.

I loved the set-up, with the fryer right out in front and the fried fish pieces displayed in a glass panel, exactly like how I remembered it from my school days, when I used to hang out at the Kensington / Gloucester Road area. The fish and chips even came wrapped up nicely in paper parcels :-) Portions were huge too! E and I shared a 'haddock n chips' (SGD16) and mushy peas (SGD2) and were comfortably full. The fish was beautifully done and earned the thumbs up from both of us - a thin, crispy, light batter with moist and tender, piping hot flakes of white flesh beneath. The chips were great too, generously cut and slightly soft/limp, just the way I like it. With a generous douse of malt vinegar and salt on everything, I was a happy camper. What a wonderful whiff of nostalgia this visit brought to me.

N.B: Pl excuse the crappy photo. Ethan was "fussing" a little as it was mid-way through his noon nap and thus I had no time to "fuss" around with camera angles, lighting and such!

www.smithsfishandchips.com

Ethan is Five Months Old!

2011-03-27T11:52:00.003+08:00

My beautiful little boy is five months old today, and is extremely happy and healthy. I am so blessed and lucky to have him.

At five months old, Ethan has developed some wonderful habits:

Sleeping through the night for 12 hours, from 730 pm to 730 am. He started doing this 3 nights ago, after I decided not to wake him up at 4am to breastfeed. When he wakes up in the morning, he doesn't cry but just plays quietly with his hands / feet or benchpresses, while waiting for me to go into his room and get him up. Even when he does a poop and stains his romper, he still doesn't cry! What a good boy!
Settling himself to sleep, without any patting or pacifier. After I put him down on his cot and leave the room, he rolls / crawls around the cot and plays with his hands / feet for a little while, then falls asleep after about 10 minutes or so, with perhaps one to two minutes of soft whimpering.
Able to patiently self-entertain and self-play in his rocker chair, for up to 30 minutes at a time. He also waits for us to finish dinner (he likes to stare at us eating - it's like a great show for him), before I give him his last feed of the day.
He is still on complete milk feeding (5 feeds a day, 180 - 190 ml per feed, 65% breastmilk, 35% formula milk). I intend to try feeding him a little bit of diluted rice cereal next weekend, it's really exciting! Ethan's first taste of "real" food. Wonder if he will turn out to be a little gourmand.

Ethan: lookeee at me mummmeeee. i am a water baby. i love to swim!

Table 66, Revisit

2011-03-24T15:36:00.002+08:00

Another lovely lunch at Table 66,

alas empty save for us on a Saturday.

The duck leg confit (SGD 28), done sous vide, was marvellous, aptly demonstrating just how sous vide cooking can elevate certain dishes to new heights. Meltingly tender meat, not overly salty as some renditions of duck leg confit are wont to be (take note, Au Petit Salut) and a beautifully crackingly thin skin. Like crunching on crackers but way better.

Almost as good was the beef chateaubriand, also cooked sous vide and finished on the grill (SGD 38). The "almost" qualifier, since it was cooked to medium doneness (E's specification, while I always think that medium rare is the best way to savour steaks). Still, this was beautifully tender, all the beefy juices had been captured and retained within the meat by the long slow controlled temperature cooking. Hurrahs for whoever invented sous vide cooking!

Porky vermicelli from Paradise Inn

2011-03-20T15:25:00.005+08:00

I remembered Chubby Hubby's rave review about these pork noodles from ages ago. A Fabulously Fatty Fantasy?? I've gotta try this, I thought. With Ethan strapped to my chest on my trusty Ergo baby carrier, I made the short hike to the Paradise Inn outlet at my neighbourhood mall to check out this dish.

In yet another instance of over-inflated expectations, I felt a distinct sense of anti-climax. The slices of pork trotters were slithery and smooth and the noodles oily (perhaps a little too much), but this wasn't something that hit the comfort food spot for me. Perhaps my eating enjoyment was hampered by the efforts of trying not to drop lard-laden noodles onto Ethan's beautiful baby hair!

Passport

2011-03-17T09:13:00.002+08:00

We're in the process of making Ethan's passport

cos you never know when the mood to take off and go for a short vacation will hit

For a passport, you need a photo

and thus one fine day i propped him on the sofa and clicked away!

Here's a shot that we didn't use as he wasn't looking straight into the camera

Doesn't he have such an irresistibly cute expression on his face?

He looks a lot more grown up than a 4.5 month old baby!

And also excuse me for being the proud mother and showing off another cute photo!

Lawry's The Prime Rib

2011-03-14T20:15:00.000+08:00

It had been six long years since we had been to Lawry's, as we had been happily satiating our steak cravings at Morton's. But then a one-for-one dining offer appeared in our mailbox, the perfect excuse to revisit Lawry's, which had since moved from Paragon to Mandarin Gallery.
First up was the somewhat showy spinning bowl salad (romaine and iceberg lettuce, watercress, shredded beets, chopped eggs and croutons, tossed with Lawry's vintage dressing). Apparently there's a standard flourish that the waitresses need to perfect when pouring the dressing into the bowl which I didn't manage to photograph (although our smiling waitress obligingly struck a pose with the tossed salad).

The famous Silver Cart was wheeled to our table and our choice of "California Cut" Prime Rib (SGD62.90) carved tableside - I thought that this was a nice touch that brought a real old world feel to the entire lunch. According to Lawry's website, they serve USDA Prime Rib, aged up to 21 days and slow roasted on beds of rock salt.

Whatever it was, my medium-rare prime rib roast was fatty, juicy, flavourful and in a nutshell darn good, especially with the flavoured paprika salt and horseradish dip. The Yorkshire Pudding went down a treat too and E had nothing but praises for the mashed potato. Between Morton's and Lawry's, I would say that Morton's wins by a whisker but it actually depends on whether you like your meat roasted or grilled.

Lawry's The Prime Rib Singapore
333A Orchard Road #04-01/31 Mandarin Gallery
www.lawrys.com.sg

光猪's Maiden Swim

2011-03-06T11:31:00.000+08:00

Ethan: Mummmee says I look so cute in my swim diapers.

Tee hee hee. I am a lady killer.

Ethan: Oops. The water is cold. COLD. COLD. COLD.

Mummmee get me outta here!!!! WAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!

Bergs Gourmet Burgers

2011-03-04T09:33:00.001+08:00

Bergs' burgers taste more like my idea of a good burger compared to Burger Bench and Bar - soft toasted bun, thick meaty patties, fresh and crisp onions, tomatoes and lettuce. An exploratory trip to the outlet at Changi Business Park since it was so near our place proved rewarding.

We ordered the Miss Piggy (SGD 13 for Bergs size): prime beef pattie, streaky bacon, lettuce, tomato, red onion, aioli, bergs sauce and edam cheese. This packed a mighty oomph and was big enough for two to share. Fragrant smokey aroma from the bacon, great tasting sauce, only issue that I had was that the beef pattie was a tad overcooked and dry as a result. Maybe the cook had an off day, since other reviews of Bergs had mentioned that the patties remained moist and juicy. The chips were to my taste too i.e. brit style - large wedges, piping hot, not crispy but fluffy. Additional points for the self-service salt and pepper shakers and the vinegar bottle!

Bergs
www.bergsburgers.com

Shiraishi

2011-03-02T08:40:00.001+08:00

There's a recurrent Japanese theme going on when E and I celebrate my birthday (Ikukan, Wahiro, Goto in previous years). My choice this year was Shiraishi, located at the Ritz-Carlton Singapore, since so many customers had raved about it, and I was curious to know how it would stand up against my favourites of Shinji by Kanesaka and Tatsuya.

Unfortunately my Japanese dining experiences shall I fear, be henceforth classified as Before Shinji (BS) and After Shinji (AS). It was a good lunch but nowhere near the magical take that we had at Shinji - of course, to be fair the price points are also nowhere near that of Shinji's.

E had the Edomae Special (SGD40) with 8 pieces of sushi, clear soup, and dessert, since this is what Chef Shiraishi-san is famous for, while I went for the Hisago Bento (SGD 50) which had sashimi, mixed appetisers, grilled fish, tempura on rice, soup, and dessert. Pleasant surprise, my sashimi selection even had two pieces of otoro, which were adequately meltingly oily but expectedly paled in comparison to what we had at Shinji.

It looks like it's going to take a while to wean my tastebuds off their expensive tastes (or E's wallet is going to burn)! I am sure that we would have been very happy with Shiraishi had we gone a few months ago.

Shiraishi: #03-01 Ritz-Carlton Millenia Singapore

http://shiraishi.sg/

Update

2011-02-23T11:00:00.000+08:00

How time flies! Ethan will be turning 4 months old this coming Sunday. He is:

No longer a toothless tiger! The top of one front tooth has already broken through the gum.
Taking about 150 - 160 ml of milk every three hours, 6 times a day. His milk intake comprises mostly breastmilk, with a small 10 - 20% top-up of formula milk.
Takes his last feed of the day close to 7 pm, and goes to bed at 8pm. Generally, he wakes up once in the night, at about 4 am for a small feed (yes, going a 9 hour stretch between feeds), before resuming sleep till 730 am. Although he does wake up more than once sometimes, but thankfully this happens only occasionally!
Takes 4 naps in the day - 9 am, 11.30 am, 3pm, and 5.30 pm. He only manages to nap for half an hour at each time, except for the 11.30 am nap where I have with much effort over 6 weeks, managed to "train" him to sleep for 1.5 hours, but with me sitting beside him almost all the time to sooth him back to sleep quickly when he wakes up after his first sleep cycle of half hour. As you can imagine, this short napping pattern doesn't leave me very much time to do anything at all! I have to be super efficient and plan what things I have to do within those half hour blocks, including cooking, eating, light housework, bathing!

But, it's all worth it.

We have Hands and Feet

2011-02-16T11:28:00.002+08:00

Ethan: mummee mummee, what a yummy drumstick this is!

Ethan: oooooohh... where did these two things waving in the air come from... I wonder if I can eat them too!

Cocina de Pasion

2011-02-14T20:08:00.001+08:00

This week's lunch date with E was at Cocina de Pasion, a relatively new Spanish restaurant in Tanjong Katong Road since there had been fairly positive reviews about this place in magazines and Kaelyn's blog. Of course, we ordered the Seafood Paella (SGD 15.40++) and a grilled striploin steak set (SGD 12.60++) which included a soup, soft drink , and dessert.

Well, I am no expert on spanish food but I enjoyed the paella served up at this place, which was very flavourful and had some burnt crusty bits at the bottom of the pan too (my favourite!). My slight complaint was that the seafood could have been fresher, but at these rock-bottom prices, this was already very decent. We swopped the set dessert of bread pudding for churros in chocolate sauce, since E had never had churros before (WHAT??!!!)....these were tiny and taste-wise, couldn't compare to those that I've had off churros stands overseas.

Cocina de Pasion has a charmingly homely and down-to-earth vibe, the food is fairly good, and prices are very reasonable. However, given the low business volume (there was only one other table during lunch on Saturday), I am not too sure if this restaurant will stay viable for long. So, do support this place and give it a try if you are in the area.

NB: Sorry about the wonky photos - taken with a handphone camera.

Cocina de Pasion
287 Tanjong Katong Road

Burger Bench and Bar

2011-02-09T09:24:00.003+08:00

I went to Burger Bench and Bar (with the kitschy shortform of B3 and a not-so-subtle reference to owner Wilin Low's past legal experience) expecting to be wowed but left a little disappointed, a case of overhyped expectations perhaps? The premise sounded great: real meat, hand-shaped patties, home-made sauces, no preservatives.

We had the Sarawak Black Pepper Burger (SGD7.90) and the Chilli Crab Burger (SGD8.20) with add-ons of russet potato chips (SGD1.20). Both burgers were decent and did taste a lot more au naturel than the burgers churned out by the mega fast food chains but the oomph factor was just missing. The beef patty in the Sarawak Black Pepper burger was fairly juicy but it was overcooked and no longer pink in the middle, and the sauce lacked that spicy pepper kick and fragrance. Likewise for the Chilli Crab Burger, the sauce erred on the sweet side rather than being a bit more spicy.

However, serving sizes were tiny! E and I had to supplement our lunch by grabbing a cream puff from Beard Papa after that. I was also rather letdown that the soft serve ice-cream machine was not functioning that day and we didn't get a chance to try the purportedly amazing gourmet dark chocolate ice-cream (SGD3). Unlikely that we will get to taste this next time though, since we probably wouldn't come back unless in the vicinity.

Burger Bench and Bar
Cathay Cineleisure Orchard

Gong Xi Gong Xi

2011-02-03T09:11:00.002+08:00

Gong Xi Gong Xi! I wish everyone Health and Happiness in the New Year!

oh...this drumstick looks mighty delicious....

(sounds of slurping)

Private Affairs

2011-02-01T20:19:00.000+08:00

After the blogging fracas last year, I thought that I should steer clear of Private Affairs for a while until the media hooha had died down. It was not until I chanced upon a post by M that I was reminded of this restaurant for our weekly lunch "date", since it was just around the corner from my parents' place.

Situated at a very unlikely location for a fine-dining restaurant in Joo Chiat, the restaurant decor was no doubt intended to be opulent but unfortunately reminded me a little of a nightclub (think glittery chandelier lights, black and red furnishings, wine counter, liquor bottles on display). The set lunch was priced very reasonably, at SGD$28 / $38 for 3/4 courses.

My choice of starter was foie gras with granny smith compote and apple tea emulsion (+SGD$10 supplement). This was a generous lobe of liver, beautifully seared (although E felt that it could have been more crisped on the outside) and made a very satisfying starter, although the pairing with apple threw up no surprises.

E's starter of corn soup with truffle popcorn was, I felt, rather rich and too liberally salted. But the disclaimer is that I've never liked thick western style cream soups in the first place, and neither do I like corn!

My main course of pork belly with plum salt in pork jus was highly enjoyable - crispy crackling skin, lightly salty meat interspersed with slivers of fat. Yum's the word! The foam felt too gimmicky though and added nothing to the dish.

E's choice of Wagyu beef parmentier with brussel sprout puree, caramelised shallots and port jus (SGD$10 supplement) was also good in a comforting down-to-earth manner.

Our dessert of basil sorbet with marinated strawberries, rosemary icing and onion gel was somewhat of a mish-mash. While I liked the flavour of the basil sorbet (which unfortunately melted too fast), the onion gel did not go at all with the dish, and the rosemary icing likewise seemed a strange afterthought.

Despite the miss with the dessert, my overall impression of Private Affairs was nevertheless favourable. The food is more than decent and I appreciated the level of effort and meticulousness that the chef put into the cooking and plating, although veering at times towards gimmickry. Hopefully the restaurant has more business at other times, for there were only two tables during the Saturday lunch that we were there. Perhaps the Sunday brunch is a more popular option, for the menu did look extremely tempting (I am working on E to agree to having brunch!).

Private Affairs
45 Joo Chiat Place
www.privateaffairs.com.sg

Happy Three Months Ethan

2011-01-27T10:29:00.002+08:00

My wonderful little boy

who smiles and gurgles all day long

who refuses to nap and wants to play

who holds his head up high so proudly

is now three months old

Happy Three Months Birthday Ethan

You are the light and blessing of my life.

Saboten, Parco Marina Bay

2011-01-24T12:03:00.001+08:00

So after last week's not-so-good experience taking 45 min to drive to Parkway Parade and park there (no pun intended), it was back to Millenia Walk this week to continue the streak of eating at Japanese restaurants. A mighty craving for fried food led us to Saboten. Saboten is a famous chain restaurant specialising in fried breaded tonkatsu from Japan, and in fact we had eaten at the Kyoto branch a few years back during our memorable Japan trip.

As in the Japanese outlets, each set comes with refillable servings of shredded cabbage (with a choice of yuzu or sesame dressing), Japanese rice, and miso soup. I went for the Mentai Cheese with Loin set (SGD 23, above), while E ordered the Hiroshima Oyster with Loin Set (SGD 23, below). While waiting for our orders to be fried up, we occupied ourselves by grinding sesame seeds into powder, before heaping generous scoups of the special tonkatsu sauce and mixing up the entire concoction for dipping the tonkatsu into.

We were not disappointed. The batter was light and crispy, yet did not feel oily or greasy. Each piece of pork loin had a cut of fat encased within the golden brown batter...ooh.....delightfully sinful and fatty juiciness with each bite. E's huge and fat Hiroshima oysters were also a hit with us, but my mentai cheese rolls were nothing special. Both of us had second helpings of the shredded cabbage, this complemented the fried food very well and we consoled ourselves that this helped to soak up / negate some of the oil in our digestive tracts!

Definitely an affordable and convenient indulgence, we'll be back when the craving for tonkatsu hits us again.

Saboten
#P3-01,Parco Marina Bay, Millenia Walk

Hard Rock Hotel, Resorts World Sentosa

2011-01-21T12:12:00.004+08:00

Ethan: Mummmee mummmee, may we go for an overnight outing, pleeeese? I promise to be a good good boy.

Me: Alright, off we go to Sentosa! We're staying at Hard Rock Hotel cos Dadddee has to be there for a work function.

Ethan: is this where we will sleep tonight? yipppee!!

Ethan: wow, mummmee mummee, the toilet is so bright and sparkly, it hurts my eyes.

Me: when you are older, you can play in the swimming pool and take fun rides at Universal Studios. But no visits to the casino! Gambling is BAD.

Ethan: mummmee mummee i am sleepy.. ZZZZZzzzzzz....

Table 66

2011-01-10T09:20:00.000+08:00

It feels like it has been a seriously long time since I've sat down to a proper, multiple course western meal. Of course, it has only been two and a bit months since Ethan arrived, but so much has changed!

Table 66 - named after its address (on 66 Tras Street) - had been favourably reviewed by many food bloggers in the past year and thus it came to mind when we were searching for a nice lunch place after running some banking errands in the CBD area. Chef-owner Vincent Teng is formerly from Desire at Scarlet Hotel, which I had also long wanted to check out.

E and I opted for the 4 course UOB special set lunch menu (SGD68 for two). We started with a cream of broccoli soup which was palatable, but otherwise undistinguished - thus, no photo.

The starter of Hokkaido scallop tataki with pineapple salsa on the other hand, was excellent. Lightly seared large and sweet scallops, still moist and just barely cooked on the inside, perfectly complemented by the sweet pinepapple salsa with just the right tinge of sourness.

It got better though, my main of confit salmon was excellent. One seldom raves about salmon because it is such a yawn-inducing dish but this was truely an eye-opener. Meltingly moist and tender flesh, with cracklingly thin crispy skin, salted just right! I marvelled - how does the chef achieve this effect?

In comparison, E's main of grilled beef medallion with veal jus reduction in red wine butter was only just okay, though I think both of us are a bit spoilt from eating too many good steaks.

Finally, dessert of hazelnut mousse praline with chocolate feuilletine crust. I didn't care for this, as I felt that it tasted more like banana mousse instead but E said that he could taste the hazelnut flavour.

Table 66 feels very honest and down-to-earth - a small menu selection that is well curated and this carries through to the interior furnishings which are simple and clean. I wouldn't mind going back there if I'm around the area but for me at least, this wouldn't merit a special trip.

Ramen at Nantsuttei, Millenia Walk

2011-01-04T18:22:00.000+08:00

The last time round when we were having our ebi ramen at Keisuke, we saw the snaking long queues at Nantsuttei and I made a mental note to try it some time. After dropping Ethan off at my parents' place on Sunday, it only took 10 minutes to arrive at Millenia Walk and fortuitously, there was no queue at all this time round at Nantsuttei. Perhaps we were early? Or the initial excitement has since faded, Singaporeans are notoriously fickle.

I ordered the Chashu ramen (SGD16). The ramen was nothing very spectacular, since I prefer a more crunchy / bouncy texture. The broth had a very strong and pronounced pork flavour but the black garlic oil did not add much to the dish, and the chashu was not quite fatty enough (ah, memories of that fatty pork cheek at Santouka). However, the crushed raw garlic cloves were a surprisingly good addition to the broth. Beware of salt and MSG overload however, merely half an hour later I was panting with thirst.

I was not too impressed when E pointed out that the ramen servings were cooked by an automatic machine. The cooking baskets automatically rise from the hot water when a preset cooking time is up...

Nantsuttei
P3-06, #03-02 Millenia Walk
www.nantsu.com/sg

I have the Whole Bed to Myself

2011-01-03T10:15:00.000+08:00

Ethan started cooing and gurgling with delight upon finding that he had the entire king-sized bed to himself!

Seasons Greetings! A Pictorial

2010-12-28T11:31:00.002+08:00

Santa granted mommy her wish....partially :-)

Happy in his own little elephant chair

I am a 100% Singapore Babe!

Megumi Japanese Restaurant

2010-12-26T11:02:00.000+08:00

My friend L who used to live in the Siglap area, pointed out Megumi to me one evening when we were trekking to Udders for ice-cream, and said "it's very good". And so Megumi came to mind when E asked where I wanted to eat, since our jaunts are now confined (for the moment) to places within a 15 min drive of my parents' place, since I don't fancy spending the same amount of time travelling as I do eating.

We started off with this whole fish sashimi (SGD35) of what the waiter said was "gurukin" but I could have remembered wrongly. The sashimi was fresh and sweet, and complemented well by the slightly sourish dipping sauce. After we had finished with the fish, the bones were taken away and deep-fried with batter to make a crunchily good snack.

For my main, I chose the salmon ikura don, which was the special of the day (SGD18) since I was hankering for some briny salmon roe :-) This came with thickly-sliced portions of salmon which were decently fresh although the sushi rice could have been better seasoned. E went for one of their bento sets (SGD25) which was fairly good, we liked that the sushi came with good sized portions of fish overhanging the rice (and not the other way round).

Megumi is a homely place, filled with Siglap locals, serving up a wide range of offerings. While the quality is not quite comparable to top-notch Japanese restaurants like Tatsuya and Aoki, it's good enough for me to go back again.

Megumi Japanese Restaurant
77 Upper East Coast Road #01-03 (another branch at Sunset Way)

Drink Milk

2010-12-23T16:11:00.003+08:00

Ethan, time for you to return to drinking your milk properly and not wail halfway through...

Frolick!

2010-12-19T07:17:00.004+08:00

Just the day before Ethan was born, I decided to go gallivanting at Tampines One Mall, and chanced upon their weekday promotion for the month: one-for-one offers on desserts on Tuesdays (there are other offers on other days). And Frolick was one of the participating dessert shops! So I wasted no time in ordering two froyos to try, one for me, and one for Ethan.

Verdict? Taste is not quite as tangy as that of Yoguru's, and the frozen yogurt melted so fast that I had to wolf down both cups a lot more quickly than I would have liked. Other than the salacious naughty monikers (sizes come in "cups", slogans like "spankingly good" are plastered all over) , for me at least, this wouldn't merit a special trip.

Ethan's Smiling

2010-12-12T23:36:00.004+08:00

We think this is Ethan's first smile....it's kind of hard to figure out since he has an expectant / curious look on his face when he's not fretting or crying or drowsy. The little boy weighs close to 5 kg now, a 2 kg weight gain since he left the hospital 6 weeks ago. I feel such a sense of satisfaction to see him growing and developing!

Etna Italian Restaurant

2010-12-12T23:21:00.003+08:00

For our first date night in the 6 weeks since Ethan was born, we checked out Etna, a cosy little place in East Coast Road very near my parents' place where we had deposited Ethan for a couple of hours. Etna serves up Italian food with a focus on the Sicilian region and is very popular with the local residents.

The pizzas and pastas all looked good, especially the "white" pizzas which looked to be refreshingly different from the usual tomato-based pizzas, but as E had tried the pizzas and pastas before, we went for the Bistecca alla Fiorentina ($60 for two, 600 gm) instead. This hearty T-bone steak was juicy although not that flavourful, but one can't expect that much at such an affordable price. To be honest, I also have not been in the mood to savour food nowadays as my meals are now wolfed down in 5 minutes! Ah, the joys of motherhood. Now back to catch up on some sleep before the next feeding session!

One Month On

2010-11-30T17:07:00.003+08:00

What a month this has been. Completely exhausting, draining and tough, especially in the first three weeks, since I didn't have any confinement lady or maid, and was virtually caring for him single-handedly around the clock while recuperating from the nine months of pregnancy and the labour process! I am proud to say that I survived thus far and things are improving.

The first photo was taken just after Ethan's symbolic first month haircut. He sure looks very apprehensive since he had no idea what was happening to him!

Hello World!

2010-11-01T17:38:00.005+08:00

Baby Ethan decided to make his grand entrance into the world last Wednesday! We have been really busy since then just catching up with his feeding and diapering! More updates to come in due course if and when we manage to get him into a routine...

Shinji by Kanesaka

2010-10-19T20:45:00.003+08:00

I fear that words are not quite enough to do justice to the mini-epiphany I had at Shinji by Kanesaka.

It was sheer magic and poetry.

sushi counter carved from the trunk of a 220 year old Japanese cypress or hinoki tree

Shinji by Kanesaka, which opened in late July, is the first overseas outpost of master chef Shinji Kanesaka, who runs a two Michelin-star restaurant in Tokyo. The austere and spare dining room, with the sushi counter as the centrepiece, set the mood for the next two hours of epicurean bliss.

the master at work slicing otoro

At lunch, 3 sets ($75 for 9 pieces, $125 for 12 pieces, $180 for 15 pieces) and omakase ($250) are available. We opted for the $125 Tsuki lunch and placed ourselves in the capable hands of master chef Koichiro Oshino.

Sushi 1: Japanese Yellowtail

Sushi 2: Ika (squid), with a sprinkle of salt

Sushi 3: Chutoro (medium fatty tuna belly)

Sushi 4: Otoro (fatty tuna belly)

Sushi 5: Mackerel

Sushi 6: Tuna marinated in soya sauce

Sushi 7: Ikura (salmon roe)

Sushi 8: Aji (horse mackerel)

Sushi 9: Uni (sea urchin)

Sushi 10: Cooked ebi (prawn)

Sushi 11: Boiled Clam

Sushi 12: Grilled anago (sea eel)

Every single piece of sushi was an amazing work of art. Served at the perfect temperature (rice slightly warm, raw fish slightly chilled), moulded to the perfect balance of seafood and rice to bring out the full flavour of the seafood.

From the top-grade unctous buttery otoro and creamy briny-sweet uni, to the marinated maguro and the tender ika, every thing was just so delicious - stunningly fresh and sweet - that try as I could, I couldn't pinpoint my favourites.

Assorted maki and tamago (not shown)

Even the maki was superb, with a wonderfully fragrant toasted nori sheet. The only jarring note came from the miso soup, which was not as tasty or complex as I had been expecting.

Matcha mousse with Azuki beans

Beautifully rounded off with a matcha mousse which somehow managed to be light and yet with a deep rich green tea fragrance at the same time.

When can I go back?

Shinji by Kanesaka
Raffles Hotel #02-20
http://www.shinjibykanesaka.com/

Ippudo Ramen, Mandarin Gallery

2010-10-18T10:14:00.001+08:00

One must always seize opportunities and since I was in the vicinity of Mandarin Gallery to run some errands, my (achy and swollen) legs automatically propelled me towards Ippudo for dinner #1, never mind that (i) it was merely 4.30 pm in the afternoon and that (ii) I had an appointment for dinner #2 at 8 pm. Happily there was ZERO queue and the restaurant was almost empty - great! Settled down quickly and ordered the signature item of Shiromaru Motoaji: "the original tonkotsu" soup noodles with slices of simmered pork loin chashu, cabbage, kikurage, spring onion, served with Hakata-style ramen.

The broth was flavourful - milky and robust without being too salty - and the thin Hakata-style noodles were thankfully not overcooked, remaining al-dente and slightly hard / crunchy. There was only one slice of chashu but what was lacking in quantity was made up for in terms of quality for this fairly melted in the mouth and had just the right mix of fat and lean meat. Yummy!

However, the flavoured egg (tamago) was extremely disappointing - it was not flavourful, had an overcooked yolk that wasn't even the slightest bit runny, and sin of sins, was actually COLD.

Overall a good bowl of ramen but I wouldn't bother making a special trip for this or if there's a long queue. Still prefer the thicker bouncier Hokkaido-style noodles served at Miharu, and the broth at Santouka and Menya Shinchan pack more oomph too.

Customised Cupcakes

2010-10-16T10:42:00.004+08:00

Finally I had an excuse to order these cuppies from Cupcake Momma as farewell treats for my dear colleagues. I like that her cupcakes are moist, have a nice crumb, are not too sweet, and are sized just right to eat in one mouthful (or two).

These are customised Thank you and Goodbye cupcakes in chocolate and vanilla flavours, decorated in green and orange colours. Cupcakes are just such happy smiley sweet treats!

A Beautiful Gift

2010-10-15T10:49:00.002+08:00

From my so-wonderful colleagues, who asked Ying to make this stunning creation as a farewell gift for me. Take it from me, the real thing is much more absolutely gorgeous! Just look at those sparkly tourmaline teardrops in different glowing shades of pink, red, orange, brown, and green.... and the soft lustre of the Keishi pearls, formed into large flower petals.

Accompanied by quirky elegant mismatched earrings in the same floral and vine motif, which are simply gorgeous worn standalone.

I just love this special and thoughtful gift! Thanks again to my wonderful colleagues!

photos reproduced with kind permission from Ying (www.floralbox.blogspot.com)

Ng Ah Sio Bak Kut Teh

2010-10-13T21:16:00.001+08:00

I had not been to Ng Ah Sio for more than 5 years and I was surprised to see that they had undergone a face-lift and were sporting a more "corporatised" image (waitstaff sporting trendy uniforms, shiny new signboard, new tables and chairs akin to a mid-range restaurant), apparently because they are now run by the Jumbo Group. Pity, as I preferred the rather ramshackle laidback feel of the old place but that could be mere nostalgia speaking.

Overall, Ng Ah Sio's Bak Kut Teh wasn't too bad but it wasn't great either. The soup was more salty (probably from a much heavier application of soya sauce) and very peppery compared to Ya Hua's version, which I prefer for its light and yet sufficiently meaty taste. The pork ribs were also rather dry and tough. Will come back....if I'm in the vicinity and craving for BKT.

Ng Ah Sio Pork Ribs Soup Eating House, 208 Rangoon Road

Matsu, Gallery Hotel

2010-10-11T14:40:00.001+08:00

I had been wanting to try Shibaken's Japanese-French fusion cuisine for a few years but somehow the procrastinator in me kept on, well, procastinating. By the time I got around to making serious plans to dine at the restaurant, it had been renamed as Matsu, with a new head chef Motomatsu Takashin (who was formerly sous chef to Shibaken's original chef).

Since I was not too hungry, I decided on the 3-course Olive set lunch (SGD28) although the Bamboo (SGD 48) and Pine sets (SGD 58) looked terribly tempting for a future occasion.

Starter: California Salad

Avocado, cucumber, shredded crabsticks (surimi), and mixed salad greens tossed with a light mayonnaise sauce - this was light and refreshing, a precursor of the dominant taste theme for Matsu.

Main Course: Japanese Leafy Mountain Vegetable Pasta

Frankly, I wasn't expecting much since this seemed like such a simple and basic dish, and anyone with a mere modicum of skill can manage to cook al dente pasta properly. But with my first mouthful, I was pleasantly suprised by how very well executed this was, with clean, pure flavours that simply leapt from the plate. My guess is that the vegetables and the pasta were cooked in konbu / bonito stock because of the sheer umami-ness of the taste. According to Connie the manager, chef Motomatsu also added in a small touch of sesame oil.

Dessert: Custard Pudding with Ice Cream

Again, nothing to fault here. A wobbly smooth panna cotta pudding paired with cute little dollops of matcha ice cream, strawberries and blueberries.

All in, this was a delightful first meal at Matsu that left a good impression on me - something slightly unique and different but not too avant-garde or experimental - polished cooking that allows the natural flavours of the food to shine through. I've gotta persuade E to bring me there to check out their kaiseki offerings!

Matsu
#02-2A, The Gallery Hotel (http://matsu-gallery.blogspot.com/)

Lunch at Barracks Cafe: A Pictorial

2010-09-29T21:31:00.002+08:00

S was back in town last week so we caught up over lunch at Barracks Cafe (and also later over a superbly sinful crab beehoon / gong gong / frog legs / live fish dinner at Sin Huat). Barracks' new concept set lunch is now priced at SGD28 and comes with a much more restricted choice of mains / desserts, and doesn't include starters.

Mint berry mocktail

This made for a pretty picture and was very refreshing although it was quite a pain trying to dig out all the berry bits with a puny straw.

Mushroom risotto with veal stock

Lovely, warm and fragrant, especially the veal reduction spooned over the top. I'll take a savoury and salty dish over a sweet one every time.

Lemon Cake

Having patronised Barracks so many times, I shouldn't be surprised that the desserts are always bigger than the mains. A towering whopper of a lemon cake, with soft fluffy sponge layers encased by sweetish tart lemon custard. Good but so huge that I left half of it on my plate.

A Good Meal at Shang Palace, Shangri-La Hotel

2010-09-22T21:08:00.001+08:00

This meal at Shangri-La's Chinese restaurant Shang Palace to celebrate my mother's birthday definitely delivered. We ordered the SGD48 Peony Blossoms lunch set with 6 courses, which was very affordable and value-for-money especially after taking into account Shangri-La's current 39% special discount.

First course: Trio cold dish combination (from left to right: prawn with salted egg, drunken chicken, silken beancurd with century egg), served in delightfully small tasting portions. My favourite was the beancurd with century egg paste - so fragrant, and without any hint of that faintly-noxious ammonia tinge which can sometimes permeate century eggs.

Second course: Braised sharks fin with crab meat. Wow, this came with so many generous chunks of sharks fin and crab meat, that I was in some disbelief as they kept on appearing in every spoonful that I took! The only teensy complaint that I had was that the base stock could have been slightly more robust.

Third course: Wok-fried scallops and coral clam with chives and preserved vegetable. The wok-fried label was not used in vain - this dish had a wonderful "wok hei" aroma. My father liked this so much that he crunched up the lettuce (which had some leftover sauce on it) after devouring the scaloops and clam.

Fourth course: Pork Belly with Golden Pumpkin. This came piping hot in a little pot and the stewed pork belly was tender, but otherwise rather unremarkable. The interesting twist for this dish was that instead of the usual deep-fried round bread buns (or man tous), we were presented with a vase of "breadsticks" which turned out to be man tou. I suppose the shape was to make it easier for us to mop up the sauce without getting it on our fingers too.

Fifth course: Stewed seafood noodle with XO chilli sauce. A humble dish that tasted so good (so much so that my mum, who was stuffed at that point and had to be persuaded to eat at least one strand since it was her birthday and you're supposed to eat noodles on your birthday, ended up finishing the entire plate). She blamed it on the addictively moreish, salty-spicy XO sauce and the bouncy, fragrantly-eggy noodles.

Sixth course: Trio of Desserts (from left to right: white lotus and salted yolk mooncake, pomelo and mango sago, and mochi). Nothing particularly good or bad about this.

All in all, a good lunch made even better by the happy and celebratory mood of everyone. Worth another (or a few more) repeat visits, even without the discount!

Hokkaido Sushi, M Hotel

2010-09-19T20:38:00.002+08:00

Assorted sushi from my set

Rather sadly and disappointingly, this meal was a shadow of what I had expected it to be. Apparently, Hokkaido Sushi was voted best Japanese restaurant in Singapore just a couple of years back, and being opened by Chef Thomas of the now-defunct Kaisen (Raffles Hotel) and Tomo (at which I had good meals some years back), naturally I would have expected something better.

Char Siew Ramen from my set

Perhaps we ordered the wrong stuff, and we were in the hands of a junior cook (Chef Thomas is not around during the lunch sitting). I had the Sushi and Char Siew Ramen set (SGD25.80) while E had the Sushi Gozen set (SGD35.60). Leaving aside the matter of my rather overcooked ramen since this is not a ramen specialty restaurant afterall, the sushi was a letdown. While the fish was fresh (if the choices were not exciting - case in point - that cooked prawn with mayo!!), the sushi rice was underseasoned and so loosely packed that it fell to bits when I attempted to pick a piece up. What a far cry from Tatsuya's perfect sushi....

Part of E's Sushi Gozen Set

Oh well, the silver lining in this is that E said that this just means that we will have to compensate for this disappointment by having a blow-out meal at Shinji by Kanesaka soon!

Hokkaido Sushi, M Hotel, Level 9, www.hokkaidosushi.net

Update

2010-09-15T21:42:00.001+08:00

Yes yes, I know, I am guilty of not updating this for the longest time.

Excuse is that I have been too busy with baby preparations + sheer inertia. Time is zooming by scarily fast - I am already 34 weeks pregnant and only 3 weeks away from full term! But have yet to finish setting up the baby room or buy all the essentials (no cot, no bathtub, no carseat, no stroller).....completely out of character for an extreme J personality type. Guess this puts paid to my original plan of going on a last trip to Malacca before getting "grounded". Pity, I was really looking forward to staying at the Majestic Malacca.

The good news is that Baby E is growing well and weighed 1.8 kg at the 33 week mark, while I only have a minimal weight gain of 6 kg so far despite eating two breakfasts everyday. I count myself lucky that I am still fairly energetic and agile with no major aches or tiredness to date, and baby bump is very compact! Perhaps these are the benefits from regular exercise and being fit :)

Since my part-time cleaner started work this week, this should free up a little bit of time for me to blog. Posts on Hokkaido Sushi and Shang Palace coming up hopefully by the weekend (unless I get derailed by baby preps).

The Ship Restaurant and Bar, Shaw Centre

2010-08-26T21:17:00.001+08:00

I like restaurants that have been around for a long time. These old-school places simply ooze oodles of character and nostalgic charm. Food-wise, they must surely be doing something right if they have managed to survive for so many years?

The Ship Restaurant at Shaw Centre is one such place (the others in this category that I like are Shashlik, Tavern and Thien Kee Steamboat). E and I dropped by for a late lunch one Sunday afternoon - at 2 pm, the place was still packed with a good mix of regulars and young families. The restaurant is tucked away at a remote corner on the 4th floor of Shaw Centre and no surprises, decorated with a maritime theme (life vests and fishing nets hanging from the ceiling; maritime maps and charts on the wall; dark wood panelling and cushy red banquette seats). Somewhat tacky but also adorable in a very homely way.

This US Pork Loin set lunch was only SGD15.90 and came with two HUGE pieces of pork accompanied with prune sauce. I didn't have any complaints as it was fairly juicy (and I know how difficult it is for pork to remain juicy when it needs to be cooked through!) but a tad overseasoned and salty.

E attacked his New Zealand ribeye steak (SGD18.90) served with marsala sauce with gusto. This was juicy and flavourful - a real steal at this price. Even the side vegetables were old school: boiled carrots, radish and cauliflower.

We saw many tables of what looked like regular customers having the sliced fish beehoon, so that would be what we will try the next time we pop by. Oh, and the escargots too, which seem to be one of the signature items here as well.

The Ship Restaurant & Bar: 1 Scotts Road, #04-34, Shaw Centre

Ikea's Crayfish Platter

2010-08-22T18:54:00.004+08:00

And just for comparison, I asked E to accompany me to sample Ikea's very much cheaper Crayfish platter (SGD 7) before the month of August ended. This had half the number of crayfish as Fika's but I think I enjoyed myself just as much slurping up the salty juices!

Fika - Swedish Cafe and Bistro

2010-08-15T20:41:00.001+08:00

A languid Sunday afternoon out with girlfriends at Fika, a swedish cafe and bistro located at Arab Street. The decor was very appealing to me since I like the clean minimalist swedish style (and indeed most of the furniture seemed to have come out of Ikea).

For the month of August, Fika is offering this special crayfish platter (SGD 20.90), in line with the traditional crayfish parties held in the Nordic countries, and being the seafood lover that I am, that's what I had. Other than the obvious crayfish (duh!), there was also smoked salmon, hard boiled egg, hard bread, and salad.

The crayfish were unexpectedly quite a bit smaller than the local ones (maybe the size of a largish prawn?), and not particularly sweet or tasty. But it sure was fun sucking out all the saltish crayfish juice and licking one's fingers clean. Is it my own sadistic tendencies, but somehow food always tastes a lot better when you have to go through some difficulties and struggles to eat it :-))

I am not sure I would return again, since the food was only average and prices rather expensive, but this was nevertheless a good and unexpected outing different from the usual tried and tested places!

www.fikacafe.com

Baby Dreams

2010-08-11T21:38:00.002+08:00

If we could peek inside a baby's dreams, what would we see?

milk and candies

rocking horses and rattles

rainbows and sunshine

and all things nice

A friend sent me these wonderfully mystical and precious dreamscapes by Adele Enersen, whose hobby during her maternity leave is to create fantastical scenes around her sleeping baby Mila. I just love what she has done - what an amazing and inspired idea! Admire more pictures at: http://milasdaydreams.blogspot.com/

Ah Yat Tian Xia

2010-08-05T21:30:00.000+08:00

Mention Ah Yat, and abalone and seafood comes to mind. Ah Yat Tian Xia, located at Orchard Central, is positioned as a mass-market, cha chan teng-like (Hong Kong cafe style) alternative to their main restaurant. That's where we ended up for dinner last Saturday evening, treating ourselves to the DBS credit card 1-for-1 promotion on the 7-course set menu at SGD55++.

Chilled lobster salad with diced mixed fruit salad. Done in typical Chinese cold salad style a.k.a mayonnaise heaped over cold cooked seafood (usually prawns) and canned fruit cocktail cubes. This is not usually something that I help myself to at Chinese wedding dinners so I left half of it untouched :-)

Braised sharksfin soup with crab meat in mini claypot. Really a miniature claypot indeed, but the amount of sharksfin (small whole fins) was decent enough, and the broth was also suitably tasty.

Pan-fried fish fillet with special home-made sauce. This got the thumbs-up from the entire table. A simple dish of fish coated in batter and lightly fried, the coating could have been more crispy but the fish was fresh and seasoned just-right, and went very well with the sweet and spicy sauce.

Poached fresh abalone in superior soya sauce. I was expecting something a bit bigger but I suppose one can't complain at this price. Two petit fresh abalone sitting pretty in their shells, braised till tender, this was not bad although the sweetness of the meat that one gets from the larger mollusks was missing. We took back the shells as decoration for the fish tank - the iridescent mother-of-pearl lining was just so pretty!

The last three dishes - braised lettuce, e-fu noodles, and red bean paste with sago - the usual de rigeur dishes for Chinese dinners, were very ordinary. Overall, we had a decent and filling dinner, and my parents-in-law were well pleased, though I think there is better value to be had elsewhere! (For instance, Jing.)

New Stuff for the Kitchen

2010-08-02T21:59:00.002+08:00

No sexy gadgets to show off here, but just the usual workhorses of a small home kitchen!

Since the cooking hobs and hood in our kitchen were already more than 10 years old, we decided to do a replacement. The new equipment got installed over the weekend and we were really pleased with how sleek it looks! Can't wait to try it out since the intensity of the flames would be larger than the old one, allowing us to do a really rousing stir-fry with good wok hei (that slightly charred aroma from rapid frying over very high heat)

my beloved le creuset cooking ware. boeuf bourguignon is on the dinner menu!

Also had to get a new oven since an internal fuse in our previous one blew for the second time, and we decided that it was not worth the while to get it repaired. We got the exact same model - SHARP 899R - for its three-in-one function: (i) microwave; (ii) convection oven - very important for roasting and baking cakes; and (iii) top and bottom grill - great for making pizzas.

It's good to get the kitchen up and running again!

Barracks Cafe, revisited

2010-08-01T21:35:00.001+08:00

A couple of months back (yes, am really late on my postings), I had an enjoyable solitary lunch at Barracks Cafe, since I was in the area to buy a massage voucher from Spa-Esprit for a friend.

Strangely, while Barracks Cafe still offers their extremely value-for-money set lunch deal at $30, it seemed that practically none of their customers went for this or seemed to know about it. Perhaps it is only offered to regular customers who ask?

I started with the Ahi-Taki Salad - a beautifully tasty combination of flavours and textures - perky arugula greens with seared ahi tuna chunks, port-wine soaked raisins (picked these out), pistachios, avocado, and tomatoes, all tossed with a squeeze of lemon. Totally refreshing and healthful to boot.

My main of Fish and Chips with Truffle Fries arrived piping hot and wafting deliciously tempting fragrances, although the cod did taste a little fishy (in any case, cod is not my favourite fish). I actually ordered this for the truffle fries but somehow they didn't taste as good as I remembered...the scent of the truffle oil was rather muted and the fries were a tad undersalted - perhaps pregnancy playing tricks on my tastebuds? Since I was already rather stuffed from eating up the entire Ahi-Taki salad, I ended up leaving half of this dish untouched!

But there's a separate compartment for desserts and the perennial favourite dessert at Barracks Cafe has got to be its strawberry shortcake. Just imagine soft layers of sponge interspersed with chunky and slightly tart strawberry jam, the entire concoction drowning in a pool of rich, luscious vanilla cream. Nuff said.

Nando's in Singapore

2010-07-29T22:11:00.005+08:00

I think I have fallen out of love... with Nandos, that is.

Any foodie, even those hiding under a rock, should have heard that Nando's finally opened its first Singapore outpost at Bugis Junction in May and there have been LOOONG, LOOONG queues. Since we were lurking around in the vicinity after my appointment with the obstetrician, we decided to have an early dinner.

Extra hot for me please.

It can't have been the sauces .... they were still tangy, spicy and packed with that awesome indefinable peri-peri vibe.

My quarter-chicken set (done hot cos I 'chickened' out, hah!) with a side of mediterranean rice was only "okay". Somehow the magic was gone and it wasn't half as addictively moreish as those I had eaten at the London and Australian outlets. Was it that the quality of the chicken used was different? The marination time not as long? The grilling skills not as well-honed? Perhaps a combination of all three factors. I like my grilled chicken to be crispy and slightly burnt on the outside but moist on the inside, and the peri-peri flavour to be infused throughout the meat but this version just fell slightly short on these fronts.

E's order of Espetada Rustica - 4 pieces of grilled chicken thigh stuffed with sundried tomatoes and skewered with red onion, with 2 sides (he opted for the grilled vegetables and peri-peri chips) was pretty decent but again nothing much to shout about, considering that it was fairly pricey at SGD23, double the price of my quarter-chicken set. Again, more char-grilled bits would have been nice and I couldn't quite taste the (small) sun-dried tomatoes either.

What I did not like: The service left much to be desired, with lots of clueless and inexperienced wait staff milling around but not paying very much attention to customers. And I was rather miffed that the place does not serve tap water.

Oh well, Nando's Singapore will do well anyway, since Singaporeans love queues and da latest thang. See the queue that had already formed, on a Tuesday evening, at 6.15 pm! (Note: I read in the newspaper that a second Nando's outlet has just opened at Tanglin Mall. Hopefully it's better, though I am not sure if I would want to try it....)

Discounts on Fun Activities

2010-07-26T21:41:00.005+08:00

Fancy taking up Muay Thai? Shimmying those hips while belly-dancing? Or doing a spot of rock-climbing?

A couple of months back, W introduced me to Beeconomic.com, a fun website that offers "deals" on cool things to do in Singapore. It works by the power of numbers, where retailers offer certain goods or services at a low price if a minimum number of customers sign on. Deals that I've seen so far range from the more ordinary like facials / massages / mani-pedis to the exciting like cable-ski and paintballing!

Discounts + fun activities = one cool webbie that I like lots.

Square Restaurant, Lombok

2010-07-22T21:18:00.000+08:00

We always try to go for at least one fancy dinner on holiday, and in laid-back Lombok, there was really only one possibility (Hobson's choice really!) - Square Restaurant, which was thankfully located only about 5 min drive from Qunci Villas. E was very excited upon finding out that the Executive Chef Wayan Budiana had been sous-chef at the famed Mozaic in Bali, which we enjoyed tremendously.

Square's dégustation set dinner was priced at a fantastic value of 250 000 Rupiah (38 SGD), so being the usual ~~cheapskates~~ value-conscious diners that we are, we ordered one set dinner plus one main course to share.

First Course: Foie Gras, Apple Chutney, Sweet-Sour Tamarind Sauce. A generous slab of foie gras, with a lovely crispy seared exterior and melting warm innard, wonderfully paired with a tangy sweetish-sourish tamarind sauce. This was absolutely delicious, with the tamarind flavour melding wonderfully with the salty foie gras. A perfect marriage of Western and Asian.

Second Course: Grilled King Prawn with Madras Curry Beurre Meuniere Sauce, Mushroom Risotto, Sautéed Bak Choy. Continuing the Western with Asian twist theme, this sounded strange and we were expecting clashing flavours with trepidation, but it turned out to be terrific! The curry flavour complemented the bak choy, prawns and risotto to a tee, and I thought how talented the chef must be, to even invent such a combination. My favourite dish of the night!

Third Course: Tengulun Sorbet with Black Grape, Orange and Strawberry Salad in Syrup. A refreshing palate-cleanser.

Fourth Course: Roasted Boneless US Duck, Cream Mustard Seed Sauce and Roasted Beet with Juniper Berry and Gin Infused Demi-Glace, with Mashed Potato. After the excitement and inventiveness of the first two courses, the main courses retreated into safe but competently executed territory. Duck is one of my favourite meats and this was pink without being too gamey. Enjoyable with the sauce! The mashed potatoes were rather chunky and could have done with a bit more "mashing", but perhaps the restaurant was aiming for a more "rustic" treatment?

Grilled Australian Beef Tenderloin, Cream Mustard Sauce, Organic Asparagus Au Gratin, "Rinjani Tengulun Berry" Reduction Infused Demi-Glace and Mashed Potato. This was my ala-carte main course order, at 150,000 Rupiah (23 SGD). Pretty good and flavourful beef - albeit not as tasty as Morton's but nevertheless, excellent value for the price.

Fifth Course: Square Fallen Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Ice-cream and Crème Anglaise. We swapped the original dessert in the set menu for this, seeing that it was much raved about by reviewers in the TripAdvisor forum. Was it a case of overly-high expectations? We failed to see what the big fuss was. Square's version was basically an adequate but unexciting rendition of the by-now-done-to-death molten chocolate lava cake.

Square also serves lighter Western and Indonesian and Chinese dishes - burgers, fried chicken, fried noodles and stuff like that. Word of warning though, that these are on quite a different level from the dinner, as we had lunch there and felt that they were unspectacular. I think Chef Wayan only oversees the more expensive dinner dishes and thus the execution and quality is a lot higher!

http://www.squarelombok.com/

Warung Menega, Lombok

2010-07-20T20:38:00.001+08:00

If we had gone to the Jimbaran Bay seafood stalls when we were in Bali, would we have enjoyed our trip then a lot more? The answer is probably a resounding yes, going by our experience at Warung Menega, which is apparently a "sister" stall to one of the more famous Jimbaran Bay stalls.

The seating comprises of a few rickety-looking wooden tables and chairs set up on the beach, barely 100 m away from the waves (indoor seating is also available but it's a tad smoky). For me somehow seafood tastes incredibly delectable when eating with the sand between your toes, listening to the waves lapping gently on the beach, and with the dim flicker of candlelight.

You start off by selecting your food, which is fun. There are a few tanks up in front where you can look at the seafood available (not live, but fresh given the fast turnover) and decide what looks the most appealing and yummy. Prices are very reasonable.

Your choice of seafood is then smeared with a special chilli mix, and flash-grilled over a searingly hot coconut husk fire. It must have been those coconut husks that gave the food its wonderfully aromatic smokey fragrance!

Our first meal there cost about SGD30 (half kg of clams, half kg of white snapper, and half kg of king prawns), with kangkong "pelaching" (basically, blanched kangkong vegetable with chilli belachan on top). My first few mouthfuls and I was swooning in delight - everything tasted really good and swimmingly fresh, though the fish was a tad overcooked and it might be a fussy business to pick out the fine bones but who's bothered? And the dips (chilli belachan; finely diced chilli padi with onions, garlic and lime; garlic paste; kechap manis) were simply astounding. Just eating that belachan with rice alone, I would be a happy camper.

Well one meal was not enough so we made a return trip two nights later, selecting half kg of clams, half kg of calamari, and half kg of berona fish, as well as the "standard" kangkong dish (this time, stir-fried). This second dinner cost only SGD15! We both loved the berona, do choose this if it is available, its flesh is much sweeter in taste than the snapper, and has a smooth texture.

What a lovely experience... this is the stuff that good memories are made up of.

Holiday in Lombok

2010-07-19T20:38:00.000+08:00

Our beach holiday in Lombok about two weeks ago was simply wonderful and blissful on so many levels:

1. Our hotel, Qunci Pool Villas (http://www.quncivillas.com/). What could be better than looking out at a gorgeous unblocked view of the setting sun casting its fiery rays on the ocean, falling asleep to the gentle crashing of waves, showering in a light rain in the outdoor bathroom?

the view of a floodlit ocean and swimming pool from the balcony of our room

qunci's beautiful infinity pool

the simple but chic room

bathroom with outdoor rain shower

2. Snorkelling in the turquoise-coloured, bathtub warm waters of the teeny tiny Gili Islands. Probably my last act of physical bravado at six months of pregnancy, but oh, it will be impossible to forget the beautiful neon-coloured marine fishes, stunning glowing coral scapes, and the serenely graceful sea turtles.

3. Great BBQ seafood. Warung Menega, modelled after Bali's Jimbaran Bay seafood bbqs, has charmingly rustic wooden tables and chairs set out on the beach. Eating barefoot with the sand between your toes and the flickering candlelight casting a dim glow over the food, who cares if the fish is a tad overcooked? Everything is swimmingly fresh, oh-so-affordable, and the chilli / sambal is to-die-for. More in the next post.

4. Quiet time 0ut. My life has been just so hectic recently both at work and at home (cleaning out and buying stuff for the baby), that this quiet time to think, reflect and talk to E was much needed. Afterall, this will likely be the last holiday that we take together as a couple, before our life is turned upside-down by Baby E.