of mojitos and other madness

outro

2010-08-29T19:47:00.003+08:00

it has been a fantastic couple of years here on of mojitos and madness....but as a believer of letting go of the old in order for something new (and hopefully better) to take shape, i have decided to move out of mojitos and set up a brand new home at eat.gaze.love. i do hope you will continue to pop by over at my new addie as i do look forward to sharing with all my foodie adventures (and misadventures!).

thanks very much & see you soon at eat.gaze.love!

ps: special shout outs to blogger for hosting mojitos!

leap of faith!

2010-08-09T18:04:00.001+08:00

*deep breath* okay...this girl is officially making it known that mojitos' is undergoing a major revamp and i'm in the process of leaping into a bit of the unknown with a huge switch with this blog *gulp!* i been to-ing and fro-ing about how and when i should close this chapter and decided to just not think too much (those who know me will agree that i do that a lot!) and literally just jump into it and to swim with the flow!

to be really honest, i have a trillion ideas on how i would like the blog to be. with the blogosphere now jam packed with bloggers, it's getting hard to stand out and even harder to attract peeps like you to follow the madness. while i am proud that i've stuck with the blogging, i think it is timely for mojitos to grow and morph from its teeny caterpillar beginnings to something hopefully bigger and brighter!

so mojitos' is gonna be in hibernation for now and i promise to update everyone once the site is up and running. till then, do continue to use mojitos' archives as well as drop me a comment if there is anything you like to keep or something new you think i should include.

see y'all soon!

gotta grin!

2010-08-05T21:58:00.002+08:00

one thousand, two hundred and thirty three days since mojito's maiden post, this girl is quietly pleased that this blog is seeing ten thousand visitors and counting! okay... i know it might not mean terribly much to many, but to me...its somewhat of a mini achievement! i started out honestly not knowing what to expect and worrying many a time that my writing wasn't quite up to scratch, so i think crossing the ten thousand line is cause enough for me to open my favorite pint of ice cream, pick up my trusty spoon and dig in!

for those who have been following my journey, i would like to say a huge huge thank you for being brave enough to either subscribe or to just follow the link you see off twitter and facebook! i do admit it hasn't been exactly smooth sailing here behind the scenes...trust me, i've been around the writers block more than a couple of times! but i guess its knowing that someone, somewhere is reading my words (and hopefully getting hungry!), that spurs me on to want to write better and capture things more beautifully, as a way to somehow transport you to the seat right next to me so that you too could share in a bit of the madness....

so thanks much again and do come back soon...this girl's got something up her sleeve!

*grin*

one six b's finest

2010-08-02T21:44:00.002+08:00

this is gonna be a somewhat short and sweet post to mark the coming out of a week of hospitalization leave (thanks to surgery number three in my journey toward getting my first implant) and the somewhat anticipation of the mayhem of the coming week, as i close the chapter of working at my present job. one would think i would have more time to blog during the rest week...but the time simply flew past as i nursed a swollen cheek, a cold and an overflowing inbox. but i digress... this post is as the title suggests...a recap of yet another chillax dinner with great company, fun guests tucking in full on to some of one six b's fab & favorite dishes - starting off with pak law's kick ass caesar salad.

i know the pic doesn't quite show the dressed up salad in all of its rich mayo, crisp anchovies and crouton glory but i thought my photo attempt post photography class was pretty good, capturing the clean beginnings to an awesome salad course...pretty much in line with the mantra that good food so begins with fresh wholesome ingredients!

speaking of good...the mains that saturday evening was some pretty extraordinary cuts of wagyu beef. perfectly marbled and cooked till medium rare, these thinly sliced steaks, flavored in their own jus, literally melted in one's mouth, making knees all go wobbly! eaten as is or with a touch of horse radish, the beef was outstanding. pak law's really outdone himself this time so kudos to the chef for spoiling us rotten!

a special mention of the grilled sea bass pak law put together for the non-red meat eaters has to be made since my recent rave about the poisson repertoire he has since developed. this one should definitely be included as he managed to take a simple fish and transformed it into a classic and clean yet flavorful dish. smooth with just the right amount of tang, the sea bass was a hit with both non meat eaters and meat eaters alike!

to round off the fab dinner, we were treated to auntie ta's yummy watermelon granita. perfect if you ask me to help cleanse the palate and end the heavy dinner on a light sweet note. made with a generous portion of champagne and topped with sweet strawberries and freshly whipped cream, the granita was in one word heavenly!

most of these dishes have probably been posted up on mojitos before, but this girl would like to think that this time, my pictures have hopefully improved a bit to make the dishes look as delish as they really taste! this was one of those awesome dinners that one will remember looking back....definitely one of one six b's finest!

khmer cuisine

2010-07-27T07:50:00.003+08:00

cambodia has always been one of those places that's been on my places to go to list for quite a while. having heard quite a lot about it already from uncle d and aunty c, cousin marc, g's mom and aunty s, this girl thinks a trip to cambodia soon would be nice to not only catch the beauty of the ang kor wat but to experience first hand the khmer cuisine that draws inspiration from thailand, vietnam and not forgetting france!

as luck would have it, this girl discovered that her curiosity for the khmer cuisine will no longer need a plane ride as singapore's first full fledged cambodian restaurant has landed a ten minute walk from home. khmer delight opened a couple of months back and has appeared to have developed a bit of a following, based on the reviews available online, since it appeared in the sunday times . but that friday night that i was there, it was kind of quiet which i thought wasn't typical for a joint like khmer. the up side to it was that we had attentive service and recommendations of what to eat. we started off with a serving of mango salad and some deep fried prawns and calamari. being more used to the tangy and spicy thai version, the mango salad didn't quite whet my appetite. as for the prawns and calamari, well let's just say if not for my niece, we would have spent our calories on something else!

the khmer signature soup, curried fish paste and roasted chicken came highly recommended by the staff there and they turned out to be quite unique. the soup had a sweet sour tom yummish flavour that kinda mellowed down just when you expect the kick of the spice to come in. it did take some getting used to but after a couple of spoonfuls, the soup somehow manages to entice one to have more. the curried fish paste was quite lemak with the homemade fish paste stewed in generous curry gravy. this dish had quite strong spice flavors which went surprisingly well with the freshly fried prawn keropok. for veggies, we had the eggplant which was served pan fried and garnished with minced meat. it was decent, not overly oily but the trick here was to have a bit of the mince with every bite of the eggplant just to balance out the flavors. the roast fried chicken turned out to be a hit with the family. think suckling pig inspired chicken, served with a tangy slightly spicy salty dipping sauce. pak law enjoyed it as is while i preferred it accompanied with rice. either way, this dish turned out surprisingly good.

looking back as i punch out this post, i honestly am a tad disappointed as i expected the khmer cuisine to have a bit more of that french influence. but i guess there are again different varieties within the cuisine and i do give it to khmer delight for trying to bring a taste of home styled cambodian cuisine to singaporeans here.

khmer delight
922 east coast road
(65) 6449 1529
www.khmerdelight.com

the simple poisson

2010-07-19T12:25:00.002+08:00

the poisson or fish is one thing that i find very hard to cook right. it demands the simplest seasoning to bring out the sweetness of the flesh and precise timing, regardless if you deep fry or steam these swimmers, to get them cooked just right. maybe that's why pak law tends not to experiment that much with the simple poisson and stuck with the good old red meat suspects....but this girl is secretly glad that pak law has found inspiration from chef rick stein and begun to develop quite a perfect repoitre of fish mains, using the fab local variety no less!

i love fish...i mean aside from it being nature's brain food, the fish is really in a food class of its own as it not only possesses fantastic flavors and textures, every single fish can be cooked in a multitude of ways, giving fresh perspectives to its taste. we are all so familiar with the cods and snappers, tunas and salmons and while i do admit that they are yummy, i have to commend pak law for thinking somewhat out of the box and developing his poisson repertoire adopting the use of ocally available fish. aside from the lemon grass infused fish dish pak law put together some time back, his most recent fish dish attempt quite literally blew the one six b regulars away. just imagine nasi lemak style deep fried fish, with a crisp, tumeric tanged outer layer and sweet, tender and juicy white meat interior. pak law used the ikan pasir pasir, seasoned them fantastically with tumeric and other spices before deep frying them till golden and crisp. the end result was pure poisson perfection....judging from the pile of cleaned out fish spines on everyone's plate, i think pak law's got a winner with this ikan!

the ikan terrbok is the other fish that pak law cooks, and cooks really well. we don't get to eat it very much as these swimmers are hard to find and apparently seasonal. pak law usually scours three markets in search for enough of this fish to serve up at dinner and believe you me, it is really only served up upon request. with no seasoning other than the banana leaves the fish are wrapped up in, this fish has a fluffly yet creamy texture and amazing sweet and crisp flavor. dipped in some of my mom's awesome chilli and black sweet sauce, these fish is so good that pak law caters one for every one of us! the somewhat downside to the terrbok is that it has a gazillion bones...and i do mean a gazillion. so its eaten sans cutlery and with the fingers....which i believe really adds to the entire sensory experience! just imagine the smells from the banana leave, the creamy and sweet meat dipped in sweet and spicy sauce melting in the mouth. it does get messy...but it is so so worth it!

death by desserts - the seventh heavenly edition!

2010-07-14T21:09:00.000+08:00

its funny how i will not typically classify myself as one with a sweet tooth but yet would definitely not say no to any offer for dessert! and i guess my somewhat newly acquired curiosity for the course that ends the meal, has been subtlely piqued by week after week of gorgeous creations homemade and hand delivered by aunty ta. there has of course been the odd occasion where aunty ta wasn't able to put something together given her busy schedule, but in such instances, she always makes it a point to bring a kick ass substitute...like the specially hand carried home leonidas fruit pastilles you see above!

i do have to admit that we have had these gorgeous candies before (many thanks to auntie ta!) but believe you me, one can never have enough of these little beauties. think pure fruit crystallized, condensed and encased into bite sized jelly bliss. truly to die for and definitely worth the tender loving care in hand carting these freshly made pastilles from the northern hemisphere!

on other weeks, auntie ta continues to wow us regulars by reinventing the simple classics and recreating some pretty renown recipes. i for one would not have thought of whipping up some banana cream, caramelize some pisang rajahs and assembling them on top of pierre herme's sweet tart dough...but thank goodness auntie ta did for her banana cream pie turned out fantastic. think light layers of banana flavored cream and freshly caramelized banana on top of melted chocolate, held together by pierre herme's classic sweet tart pastry. dark chocolate tart...be warned, for this girl thinks the banana cream pie is gonna be the next big thing (in my book at least!)!

the baklava might not be considered by many as a classic dessert..but according to wikipedia its history goes way back to 1871 and is one of the key sweets of central asia. i've had them in their native turkish country way back when but wasn't too impressed as they were typically too syrupy for my liking...but auntie ta's version was one that i could really get used to! the phyllo layers were light and fluffy and not overly drenched in honey...with generous sprinklings of freshly roasted pistachios and peanuts, these were almost like a sweetened pastry version of tanglin halt's peanut pancake!

being the seventh installment of death by desserts, i'd thought it would be nice to try to round the post up by quickly raving about the four more decadent sweets that auntie ta introduced to us over the past couple of months. in addition to leonida's oh so yummy fruit pastilles, auntie ta did open my eyes to the world of good quality chocolate (love those 70% dark squares!), crumbly fudge and helped me discover my favorite cheeses - the brie, camembert and manchego.

so there...big shout out to auntie ta for rocking the dessert scene. i'm already looking forward to this saturday's dinner at one six b!

relishing in some brunch!

2010-07-06T14:52:00.001+08:00

brunch. the meal defined as the combination of breakfast and lunch...and is most cases, quite a heavy meal to take the place of both breakfast and lunch. i love brunch, as it gives one the opportunity to truly indulge without having to worry too much about over eating (since you do have two meals worth of calories at your disposal!), and it does in its own magical way, give the weekend that special holiday feel to it. its been a while since i actually had brunch, especially with g now down under in jdk, so it was kind of a nice treat that the entire family headed over to relish for a quick brunch getaway.

relish has always been synonymous with good burgers so i was really curious to see if their weekend brunch menu would be equally good. it had a good range of brunch like dishes, with signature relish spins on them like their buttermilk pancake stacks which are made out of jackfruit, feta and maple syrup and their breakfast burger, consisting of homemade apple and pork sausage patty, cheese and omelette. they of course do still have some of their signature burgers as part of their brunch menu...and they will whip up other burgers not on the menu if the kitchen is stocked and not overly busy. it turns out though that if you are like me and don't equate brunch to burgers, relish does serve up some mean burger alternatives. the crispy cod cakes for one, were beautiful. think thai inspired fish cakes made with luxurious fresh cod paste and infused with classic fragrant thai spices. their spinach salad was a bowl full of fresh greens, garnished with crisp parmesan sheets, a poached egg and light soy ginger dressing. two fab choices for those who already decided to have dessert!

me being the traditionalist, indulged in a brunch classic - the eggs wild benedict. served with crispy cubes of potatoes, the eggs benedict were perfectly poached and topped with just the right amount of hollandaise sauce. the generous rocket definitely helped cut the richness of the dish and while this wasn't the best eggs benedict that i've had, it came pretty close. pak law wasn't too impressed with the breakfast burger although i felt that it was a pretty concept that relish pulled together trying to marry the signature burger style for breakfast. the service was warm and friendly and the kitchen made not one but two exceptions for us with the whipping up their classic ramlee for b and a serving of spaghetti cabonara from nephew e.

one of things i love most about dining with the family is that we always have room for dessert. we were quite stuffed but of course could not resist something sweet to round off the meal so between the seven of us, we shared two desserts. chef wilin's deconstructed strawberry cheesecake always gets my vote...just imagine the various ingredients needed to make the strawberry cheesecake, layered one on top of the other....extremely good and perfect to end any meal with to be honest! we've actually seen the horlicks & milo marble slab at b-cube previously but didn't get to try it so we took the opportunity to have go. turned out pretty good...more horlicky then miloey but the cake was moist and yummy with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

definitely a place to add to the list of brunch places in singapore!

relish

#02-01 cluny court
501 bukit timah road

(65) 67631547

of egg tarts & bubble tea!

2010-06-24T15:14:00.003+08:00

this post will conclude the series on my recent escape to hongkong i promise! those of you reading out there must be wondering when the one about the awesome tan tart and bubble tea is going to appear...and i apologise for the three-post long wait, but i guess i kept what i felt was the best experiences for the last!

tai cheong bakery's egg tarts have been known the world over to be the best in hongkong. i've never been a huge fan of this chinese custard dessert...i mean i don't mind it but i won't go into depression if i don't get my fix. but there is something magical about tai cheong's egg tarts....i don't remember having it the last time i was here, but i definitely now have an impeccable memory of how beautiful this egg tart tasted. i regret not being able to take a pic of the old establishment as pak law did a takeaway of the tarts for us. i actually ate it a day later, and despite sitting in the fridge for twenty four hours, the egg tart was still exquisite. think smooth custard, perfect balance of egg to custard encased in a yummy part flaky part doughy pastry shell. i could easily have eaten two of this beauties if not for the fact that dad didn't buy more than seven! but next time, i'll be sure to stand in line myself to not only capture some pics of the bakery but also to make sure that i have at least two egg tarts with my name on it!

tai cheong bakery

35 lydhurst terrace

central, hong kong

(852) 2544 3475

as for the bubble tea....let's just say the adventure here didn't exactly start on the right foot. my very first cup was from tai shi and it was slightly lack lustre and well comparable with the each a cup types we get at home. but given that my sis and i were thirsty and had half of the ladies market left to conquer, we settled for this joint in the first instance. it was a bit of a waste of calories but it served to quench our thirst so i didn't complain and made a mental note to look out for the gong cha outlet a friend raved to me about.

turned out that i didn't have to look that much further as one gong cha joint revealed itself at the end of the ladies market street (much to my excitement!) and we were tired and yes thirsty again after covering 4 blocks, that we indulged in another cup of tea..this time upsized. we didn't have the pearls though as we were quite full but the kamquat tea was really nice and refreshing.

i had tea again from gong cha post second adventure to mong kok and this time thoroughly enjoyed the passion fruit green tea. i was slightly disappointed that mom did not order the pearls for me but it was all good as i stood very patiently in line for kor kor's chocolate with pearl tea at the facepearl outlet one stall away from gong cha. it turned out that the face joint was more popular with the locals as i had to wait a good 30 minutes from the time of order to getting my drink.... that was alike a good twenty orders ahead of me! i had a taste and while it wasn't the usual tea variants, the chocolate ice blend with the pearls was quite yummy. kor kor thoroughly enjoyed it so that's make at least for one happy boy and aunty!

my final bubble tea experience was at east sunrise in causeway bay. i had the passionfruit green tea again, but this time with pearls and it was good. i personally can't tell the difference between the facepearl, east sunrise and gong cha teas, so to me, i think they were all pretty yummy. they all were refreshing and not too sweet, unlike those you get in singapore sometimes with tea overly flavored with artificial essence. the sago pearls were also cooked al dente so none of those mushy textures nor achy jaws from chewing on partially cooked pearls!

so there you go...five days, four lunches and dinners (and snacks!) in hongkong reported!

gong cha

shop 43e

dundas street

mong kok

facepearl

shop 43g

dundas street

mong kok

east sunrise

along jaffe road

down from the macau restaurant

all things locally hongkong!

2010-06-24T13:50:00.003+08:00

to be really honest, this girl was secretly dreaming of days of thick peanut toasts and beef brisket noodles before we arrived in hongkong...but with the larger group and kids in tow, we realized upon reaching the islands that some of the recommended places to eat were really holes in the wall, making it a tad difficult for us to maneuver ourselves into. but i was quite set on getting at least one thick toast into my tummy so the plan was to check those must eat local stuff on our trip down to causeway bay.

armed with a screenshot of recommended cha chaan teng places by hungrygowhere and another by cnngo.com, i decided to go with the macau restaurant as shortlisted by hungrygowhere just because i figured an asian based review might be a safer bet than that of an expat one off cnngo! the place had quite an old school diner feel to it and featured quite a variety of dishes ranging from the usual toasts, macaroni and instant noodle sets to several claypot creations. while this isn't your typical cha chaan teng, i was happy and we had a blast squeezing into a booth and haggling with the slightly impatient service staff. the macanese toasted bun with peanut butter and condensed milk hit the spot for me while the macanese toasted bun with corn beef had my sis grinning from ear to ear. the instant noodle set with pork chop was a bit of a let down but the pork chop was at least tender.

kor kor tucked into the macanese baked pork chop rice and between all of us we had the claypot chicken and claypot crab vermicelli. the claypot dishes turned out pretty flavorful as they were cooked with a lot of ginger and garlic so it was quite yummy...although pak law found it overall too salty. i could tell pak law wasn't too impressed but to me, its canteen style food so for the price, i think its decent enough.

being a macanese joint, we had to give the portuguese egg tarts a go and found them so-so. a little too rich and creamy for me but it did help conclude the lunch on a sweet note. i'm sure there are better cha chaan teng joints around, but i'm not complaining about the experience at macau restaurant...if anything else, it was a bit of hongkong (or macanese) fast food fun!

macau restaurant

481 jaffe road
shop c, g/f shining building

causeway bay

(852) 2572 3113

located right next door to the macau restaurant was a beef joint....i snapped the above shot post lunch without the knowledge that we would in fact return for dinner later day! pak law, as part of his afternoon recce, while the rest of us explored the beautiful boutiques and shops of causeway bay, decided that this joint appeared to serve some mean beef noodles so vetoed us from dining at the jardin house in central to having father's day dinner here. i apologise that i don't have the name of the place but it's right next to the macau restaurant so you can't miss it.

pak law's senses definitely did not fail and we had a fabulous (and probably the cheapest!) father's day dinner. the beef was extremely tasty and perfectly cooked...it didn't matter if it was the sirloin steak, beef slices or beef brisket...every single version was cooked to tender perfection. served in hot yummy stock, it was no wonder the place was kept full with locals streaming in and out throughout the time we were there...many eating alone for i can understand it is all about you and the beef noodles! we had a serving of the crispy fish skin, which apparently is a must have side dish to beef noodles (it was served also at the food republic food court), and it turned out to complement the beef dish quite well. i was afraid of the fishy smell and saltier then usual taste, but the skins were very well done. not overly fried, not at all salty nor oily, these were a refreshing change to the salmon skin variety i am used to. the servings here are huge so do be warned....i can imagine this place packed in winter for what better way to warm up but with a huge bowl of beef noodle soup!

beef joint (next to macau restaurant)

481 jaffe road
wither shop a or b, g/f shining building

causeway bay

finally - yum cha. my sis and i did suggest celebrating father's day at lung king heen' as that was the only michelin star rated chinese restaurant in the world. but pak law declined citing possible over rated reviews, and suggested just dining simply instead. again, i expected us to yum cha a bit more but it ended that we only had yum cha once when we explored the stanley market. little did we know that stanley has become truly touristy and that food here is likewise extremely tourist influenced and served at tourist prices! the dim sum at shu zai turned out so-so. ..and while it was quite refined, at seven bucks a bamboo tray, i'd say the dim sum in singapore is way better. the mental note has definitely be made to stick with the maxim-like yum cha joints in future!

shu zai

g1/f 80 stanley main street

stanley

(852) 2813 0123

next stop - disneyland & tung chung!

2010-06-24T11:10:00.008+08:00

in addition to the eating and shopping that is typical of any hong kong holiday, a trip to hong kong disneyland is really a must if you have never been, or like me haven't been in ages, and if you are travelling with kids. it is small in comparison to the other resorts in the usa but good enough at least to me, for bringing back fond childhood memories and of course, the excuse to be a kid all over again!

it continues to live up to its promise to be the happiest place on earth and no matter how young (or old!) you are, you will definitely find yourself smiling after zapping aliens at buzz lightyear's intergalatic party, spinning round and round in mad hatter's tea cups or blasting off in space mountain. the food is typical disney fare with a touch of asian influence. nothing much to shout about other than food coming shaped in mickey's silhouette! but it's all good...i mean what better time to let go of the brakes and indulge in any and every sugary craving you may have!

located one train stop down from disneyland is the citygate outlets. yes, you heard right, outlets. modeled i guess after the usa factory outlets, i was kinda excited to see what deals i could lay my hands on. with shops like kate spade, burberry, anteprima, maxmara and seven7, i thought hong kong could potentially be a nice quick fix for any outlet shopping craving. the place is considerably big making it a nice cool change from the buzz and busy-ness of disneyland, but i personally found the shopping so-so. got a few pieces - dress from quiksilver, watch from swatch and jersey from adidas, but still honestly this is no woodsbury common. maybe its just me and the type of stuff i look for but in any case, its still worth a visit, if not for the shopping then at least for some pretty good food.

we actually swung by tung chung where citygate is twice...once after disneyland for dinner and once just before we flew off for lunch. dinner was at the golden shanghai cuisine restaurant which turned out to be a real surprise as it served up some pretty fine quality shanghainese fare at really reasonable prices. we had the hard to find hunan ham with crispy bean curd and stewed pork belly with sweet bun, aka kong bah pau to kick start dinner and both were really good. the hunan ham dish was sweet yet salty, soft yet crispy, truly balancing all the tastes into one yummy appetizer, while the pork belly was just plain melt in your mouth. stewed in a slightly more vinegary sauce, i found it whetted the appetite a bit more and cut the richness of the belly such that one could really enjoy the tender and moist pork meat encased in layers of belly fat.

we of course had to have the xiao long bao and pan fried buns as these were typical shanghainese snacks...and there was definitely no disappointments here. the xlb's were smooth, earthy and packed a whole lot of wholesome stock. i found the pan fried buns a touch more enjoyable though due to the sweet bun exterior...but essentially the buns packed the same goodness as the xlb, highlighted in my view, by the sweetness of the bun and crisp underside. yum!

a side of fresh kailan stir fried in a ton of garlic, classic peking duck and a claypot full of chicken soup completed the meal at golden shanghai. the vegetables were simple but good, duck was old school with the more doughy pancake but still lovely and the chicken soup was well therapeutic for the tummy (and soul!). it was a good meal and while the service kinda was lacking, i'd definitely be back just for some hunan ham and pan fried shanghainese buns!

golden shanghai cuisine

citygate outlets

shop number 116

(852) 2625 9008

for a quick yet satisfying meal, enough to give tired shopping feet some rest and to refuel, i'd recommend getting a seat at the food republic food court. i suspect this is probably opened by the same folks behind the food republics here in singapore but the concept is a little different in that instead of showcasing all the good stalls of hongkong, the food court houses cuisines from around asia. probably to cater to the tourist crowds, but the food really is pretty decent. with singapore chicken rice featured nest to thai food and yum cha, one really would be spoiled for choice. i thoroughly enjoyed my beef brisket loh mein and the congee with humongously sized you char kway was pretty good too. i mean..we were in hongkong after all so i figured i'd better get my cfill of anton fare!

food republic

citygate outlets

shop number 261

(852) 2625 9008

www.citygateoutlets.com

@ tung chung mtg

rediscovering hong kong!

2010-06-21T16:32:00.005+08:00

august nineteen ninety nine was the last time i was in hong kong so this trip really is about my rediscovery of the territory eleven years on. the holiday was put together quite last minute but trust me, since the moment go, the family has been charting the entire holiday purely based on the meals! i guess one does think 'eat & shop' at the mention of hong kong and this girl definitely did a whole lot of eating and quite a bit of shopping!

before i dive into the food itinerary of day one, i do have to rave about the singapore airlines triple seven flight that i was on. maybe its been a while since i flew (yes, am sorely deprived of a holiday!) and flew sia at that, so i was quite blown away by the neat details that sia has included on their triple seven fleet. i love this class because of the three seater rows and more rounded overhead compartments giving way to the illusion of a higher ceiling...but the new details of a larger tele screen, front stowing of the controls, cup holder, mirror on the table and my favorite - the in seat power, really makes sitting in economy class that much more comfortable.

being on the first flight out of singapore brought us into hong kong just after lunch. after checking into the discovery golf club, we hopped onto the ferry and were in the spanking ifc mall by two pm. with dinner already planned to be quite big, we decided to just nibble and headed to honeymoon dessert for some classic hong kong tea time temptations.

between the seven of us, we tucked into five different desserts. my nephew e being the creature of habit he is had the mango pudding which came as a nice thick slab, while my mom and i stuck with the classic mango pomelo and sago sweet soup. both the pudding and sago desserts were good, not too sweet and served with generous bits of mango. sis k could not resist the walnut cream which had a nice black glutinous rice touch, while aunty b and niece e had the papaya and snow fungus soup and sweet ball (tang yuan) respectively. the dry tang yuan was unique in that they were empty dumplings but smothered with a yummy mixture of peanut, sugar, sesame seeds and coconut..it was so addictive that we had to literally pull the plate away from niece e before she polished the entire plate off! i would recommend a stop by for a quick sugar fix (go with the sago and or the dry tang yuan!) and rest for tired shopping feet!

honeymoon dessert

shop 3013, level p3

ifc mall, central

(852) 2868 9799

www.honeymoon-dessert.com

dinner was at yung kee which i believe is on everyone's list of places to eat at when in hong kong. touted to serve up hong kong's best roast goose, we had pak law leading the recce and getting a reservation for us, while the rest of us spent the ninety minutes at the near by three storey h&m flagship store. with the shopping itch scratched, we were all ready to tuck into some renowned roasts.

dinner kicked off with a serving of century egg and suckling pig. not being a huge fan of century eggs eaten neat, i can't quite comment (and won't actually know how to) on how good it was but those around the table were quite wow-ed. apparently the century egg at yung kee also has quite a following, one of them being my uncle d who actually brings them back home from trips to hong kong. the suckling pig was in one word - outstanding. again, i cannot claim to be a suckling pig connoisseur but this one had a nice crisp layer and extremely tender layers of pork beneath. it was surprisingly lean and literally melted in one's mouth...the kids loved it and it was really the case of who had the fastest chopsticks as the pile was literally demolished in minutes!

the rest of dinner consisted of half a roast goose, spinach and egg done three ways, braised tofu with mushroom and a roasted pigeon. all the dishes were very refined and classic of cantonese cooking. the goose was not bad but in comparison to the suckling pig and roast pigeon, paled a little in comparison. it was a tad too oily and rich for my liking but i guess you can only say you've dined at yung kee if you had the goose so...the spinach and tofu were both very good with the use of extremely fresh ingredients, a whole lot of garlic (yum!) and touch of chinese wine. my favorite though was the roast pigeon...roasted till crispy on the outside but still maintaining the tenderness of the meat on the inside, dipped in an old school salt and pepper mix, the pigeon was by far the most memorable in my book. it was a good first dinner and it definitely fueled me and my sis to conquer the ladies market that night! *grin*

yung kee

32/40 wellington street
hong kong island
(852) 2522 1624

coffee & cake

2010-06-15T10:23:00.002+08:00

i really don't quite care what everyone says, but oriole cafe still serves up the meanest latte on this island. serving up quality 'honest' coffee, the baristas at oriole take no short cut in the brew process. all creations start with freshly roasted beans that are only ground on demand, tampered twice and then brewed with water at the right temperature for the perfect duration of time to yield the basic yet very awesome building block of any coffee creation - the espresso.

the latte is one coffee beverage that i think truly reveals how much pride a place takes with its coffee. it is a simple beverage with only a shot of espresso and steamed milk but many places tend to over do the milk proportion, not only drowning the coffee aromas but many a time over steaming the milk or putting in way too much froth, as opposed to creamy foam. a latte should really taste like a perfect balance of milk and coffee in one's mouth. creamy yet bold, smooth yet subtly stimulating all at the same time...and these sensations should carry through the entire cuppa. oriole's latte is what i would define as quite the perfect cuppa...a shot of good espresso, topped with beautifully steamed milk encasing the coffee in its very own envelope of luxurious milk crema!

accompanying my latte last sunday was oriole's grilled lemon cake topped with clotted cream and vanilla poached apricot. the plan originally was just to have the latte but sitting down i remembered my sister's rave on this dessert so i decided, what the heck....let's fully refuel for the fire fight gig! with a touch of tang, drizzle of sweetness, crunch of the pistachios, the crisp yet moist, sweet yet sour combination added up to an awesome tea time treat.

i sometimes wish that i worked closer to town...just so that i can have a good cuppa every morning but i guess i'm happy with planning my shopping trips around the region for now *grin*.

oriole cafe

96 somerset road level 1

#01-01/05 pan pacific serviced suites

(65) 6238 8348

www.oriole.com.sg

sunday *scape with the fire fight

2010-06-14T09:04:00.005+08:00

thirteen june, twenty-ten marks a closing of a chapter and opening of a new one for one of my favorite local band - the fire fight. having been playing together for the past five or so years and with one very fantastic album under their belt, they are calling a hiatus for now as they head their separate ways in pursuit of studies. the gig, aptly called 'so long for now' was the first close up performance for me with the fire fight and i was quite blown away.

held at the new *scape warehouse, the set was extremely intimate with the audience seated all the way up front, the guys in casual plaid shirts and vintage furniture framing the stage. for those who have not yet heard, the fire fight delivers a very unique brand of indie rock; influenced greatly from the 90’s emo-rock sound and brit rock with a touch of modern expression. they aren't your pop-py bounce around type nor hard edge rock type band either.....they are well, part rock, part alternative and i guess that's what pulls them apart from the rest of the crowd. their music is very strong and is arranged and written beautifully. having seen them live, i really have to say that these bunch are extremely talented and are all very very strong with their instruments. its a pity that they won't be around for a bit but i'm sure the music will definitely keep them together and we'll be hearing from them again really soon.

i know my post here will not give enough credit to the group so i'm just gonna let you guys watch and listen to them. it was a fantastic gig and had a really nice personal touch with friends like saiful from the great spy experiement, matt from the vacant affair and amanda ling jamming together, making the sunday afternoon feel like one fun jam session.

i present you, so long from now - the fire fight.

the fire fight (featuring angel lee) - people and spaces from lydia on Vimeo.

the fire fight (featuring angel lee and amanda ling) - portrait lover from lydia on Vimeo.

the fire fight (featuring saiful from gse) - the great decay from lydia on Vimeo.

more vids can be found of the vimeo site (click 'lydia' and i think you should get there!) so do enjoy the rest of the links.

to the fire fight: it's been a blast & looking forward to hearing from you guys soon!

'work hard. live well.' - arbite

2010-06-11T15:58:00.006+08:00

inspired by the german slash danish word for work (arbeit/arbejde), a group of schoolmates decided to come together, take the very bold step and transform their passion for food into their work. and so saw the birth of the new kid on the block at serangoon gardens - arbite. to be honest, i have always wanted to embark on a similar adventure....yes, there has always been dreams of opening my very own cafe serving kick ass coffee, delish desserts and yummy ice cream, of course all in a nicely decked out modern yet homely corner...but the reality of the endeavor and acknowledgement of my very 'cannot make it' business mind, keeps me in my day job but yet oddly spurs me on to venture into other people's dreams and try to be a part of it by blogging about them here at mojitos. i was hence very glad that i got invited over to arbite by a good friend b, who is friends with the brains behind the joint, for some dinner and catch up time.

located on the second floor just above sushi tei, arbite has nice clean lines and a homely feel to it. with warm white light, pine furniture, quirky light fixtures and cool pictures (with equally cool perspective quotes!), the place was done up really nice. i particularly liked the scribblings on the photo of the screw above - 'trust me. i can bear the heaviest of loads. just look at my rippling lines and lean frame. not an ounce of fat, only pure brute strength!'. props definitely go out to the trio as according to b, they pretty much designed, built and put together the entire place on their own.

the food and drinks served up at arbite continue to reflect the mantra of the place...work hard. live well. with everything freshly made, from the soups to even the pasta, each dish had a special arbite touch. i had the beef burger which was pretty good. the pattie was freshly made and grilled just right...sandwiched between old school sesame seed buns and topped with melted cheese, a portobello mushroom, caramelized onions and tomato, i do have to say the burger is one of the better ones i've tasted. my current burger benchmark is that of b3 so it is pretty high, and arbite i would say ranks in the has potential category. more onions and a little less salt in the pattie would have maintained the sweet salty balance a touch better but overall, no wasted calories there! the other favorite around the table was the new zealand steak. flown freshly in and apparently specially for the occasion, only five steaks were available that night. i managed to have a quick taste of it and was quite impressed with the cut of the beef. while i don't claim to be any steak connoisseur, i do admit that i have been spoiled rotten by pak law's steak versions so again, the bar is set pretty high. in this case, arbite again ranks in the has potential category. they've got half the battle with a pretty good cut of the meat and the chef does seem to have the timing to medium rare down, so its all about fine tuning the marinate and drizzle. definitely worth enquiring if it isn't on the specials board and you are in the mood for some cow *grin*.

the dessert range at the moment is modest but i think arbite's right in focusing on just the few that they have gotten right. the fruit terrine (apologies for the not so pretty pic) was something quite different and was a definite refreshing change to the heavier and sweeter desserts that other places serve. with layers of orange, banana and raspberry, the terrine concluded the meal quite perfectly for me with just the right amount of sweetness and a huge dose of tanginess. the chocolate cake apparently is the other must try dessert. made by the wife of one of the owners, it definitely has developed its own cult following with several peeps around the table placing orders the moment the word dessert was mentioned!

all in all, a really nice place to kick back, relax and catch up with friends. over a good meal and cold beers (or ciders!) to quote the arbite crew....work hard. live well!

ps: thanks again to b for the invite and happie birthday!

arbite

66a serangoon garden way

http://arbite.com.sg

hot off & out of the pan!

2010-06-10T15:07:00.005+08:00

situated surrounding the main fountain feature of raffles city's basement, i am pretty sure many have passed by out of the pan and have probably either consciously or subconsciously peered up or down (depending on where you were headed!) from the escalators at the people eating. i've dined at out of the pan before...but that was a good two years or so back and instead of having the crepes which is the specialty of the place, i had waffles with ice cream instead. i remember i wasn't too impressed with the waffles so i kinda wasn't expecting too much from the crepe lunch we had last weekend.

i was quite pleasantly surprised after going through the menu to find out that out of the pan actually had quite a nice repertoire of both sweet and savory crepes. from the classic ham and cheese to the more exotic peking duck and chicken tikka masala variants, kudos i think are a must to the creators of the joint for being creative! served fresh and piping hot out of the pan (hence the name!), i do have to say that the crepes were pretty delish. i shared the chicken tikka masala with onion on whole wheat crepe with my sis and let's just say it was yummy enough for me to secretly regret sharing! the creation was such that it didn't quite taste like your normal crepe, instead more like a cross between a crepe and a murtabak...not too dry, not too oily, encasing nicely spiced chicken tikka masala. the peking duck crepe is the other favorite and recommended thing to try in the menu. being a huge peking duck fan (and i mean like can polish off 4 peking duck pancakes kind of huge!) , my niece e quietly enjoyed her crepe and while i didn't personally have a taste, she quietly enjoying the dish is testament enough of the yumminess of the creation! the last two crepes that we did order include the thai red beef curry and smoked ham and cheese. i didn't manage to get a pic of the ham and cheese crepe as my nephew e began working on it the moment it arrived, but it did look pretty good, filled with melted cheese (yum!) and mushrooms as well. b had the thai red beef curry on a sundried tomato crepe which he said was pretty good too. it's nice to have different crepe flavors to choose from and the fact that they make the crepe only upon ordering, guarantees one a fresh and hot meal.

good crepes are really hard to come by to be honest and while out of the pan doesn't serve what i would define as textbook type crepes, their creations are definitely still worth the calories.

out of the pan

b1-45 raffles city

(65) 6431 6103

behind the scenes at one six b!

2010-06-10T08:39:00.003+08:00

those who have had the chance to sample pak law's hokkien mee do know that he does whip up quite a mean version, and in my book, enough to rival some of the outlets here on the island! this girl literally grew up eating this...first cooked by my grandma now by pak law...and it has always been the only hokkien mee i eat. that's right, i don't eat this anywhere else but at home. i do have to mention that this dish is only cooked on occasion by pak law and it was recently served up at one six b on request from g, who was leaving for jdk. i know i have posted about this before, but this time, i'm taking a behind the scene perspectives on things and am proud to present you the makings of pak law's hokkien mee!

essential ingredients that form the body of the dish or better known as the 'ho leow' (or the good stuff!), preparation actually begins in the early morning with the cooking and cutting up of the ingredients. pak law then combines eggs, home fried pork lard, fresh sotong and peeled prawns, lean pork and fish cake with the classic yellow egg noodle.

the cooking seems simple, with just a couple of steps of combining the ingredients but i think pak law's got a system of his own for timing the addition of the ingredients, the duration of simmering, right down to the amount of stirring to do!

whatever it is though, i have to admit pak law's hokkien mee has been one of his most consistent dishes in his repertoire! coupled with mom's awesome rojak, pak law's hokkien mee has pretty much made a name for itself here at one six b!

thank you mom & dad! love you both!

is koi the new face of bubble tea?

2010-06-09T15:01:00.003+08:00

after hearing stories of special detours to the koi cafe and countless tweets from friends on how good the bubble tea is, this girl finally bused down to marine parade, niece and nephew in tow, for our sunday bus and bubble tea adventure!

this girl does admit that she does have a bit of a soft spot for bubble tea. for me, i think its the chewy pearls that give me the satisfaction…i mean, i’m the type that love chunks in my ice cream so pearls in my tea are well, pretty much a given! having said that though, i have had some lack lustre sugar water concoctions with either over or undercooked pearls so i was curious after not having a good machine shaken tea to have a go at koi’s drinks.

after a ten minute queue and half a dozen questions from the counter staff, i decided to stick with the familiar passionfruit green tea with pearl, less sugar, no up size. armed with my queue number of four zero five, the kids and i plonked ourselves down on the benches out front and watched as the koi factory churned out cup after cup of bubble tea and the order queue stay steadily long! right on cue, kor kor stood up and collected our order while mei mei decided on the color straws we were to have. then puncturing the plastic cup top, i drew first sip of the tea and crunched on my first pearl. my take? not bad…the tea was not too sweet with enough passion fruit flavor without tasting artificial. the pearls were smaller then the usual which was kinda nice, so it wasn’t too difficult sucking them up and enjoying the tea at the same time. at two-fifty or so a cup though, it is slightly more expensive but i guess one is paying a bit more for the better quality and ability to customize your drink so to speak.

apparently the milk tea with grass jelly is the one to have, so watch this space or my tweets for an update!

koi cafe

block 83 marine parade central

#01-562

(65) 64404869

lady marmalade!

2010-06-09T08:31:00.006+08:00

the marmalade pantry is probably one of the first places to have managed to piece together the critical components and achieve an almost perfect cafe equation. the formula is simple, but getting the decor and vibe to equate, food and drink to equilibrate is really quite an art. having been in the cafe business since 1999, the marmalade group has definitely gotten good at what they do. starting off being known to serve up some kick ass cupcakes (they definitely had a huge role to play in educating singaporeans what good cupcakes are!), they've definitely increased their repertoire and set up shop in some really nice nooks on the island.

the third floor of singapore's iconic ion is where the latest pantry has nestled nicely into. with an indoor shop housing the kitchen and some tables, the nice part about this branch is that the seating sprawls out onto the atrium. you get full view of the happenings around, the shops, the people....very much like a sidewalk cafe in new york, just minus the al fresco bit! i poured over the menu, willing myself to have an appie or main instead of two desserts for dinner (yes, marmalade serves some mean sweet ones!).....everything sounded really good from the cappellini aglio olio to the three hundred day grain fed beef cheek guiness pie, and after managing to convince my sis to share my main, i decided on the steak sandwich. i was afraid that i might be huge but it turned out to be a really nice portion...good for one hungry individual or two peeps wanting to save room for dessert! think wasabi mayo, caramelized onions, rocket and a generous steak fillet done medium rare. this was extremely well done. it was tender and mighty juicy, with the onions adding some sweetness, the wasabi mayo just the right amount of creaminess and kick and rocket the needed bite. served with a side of colorful paper thin fried sweet potato and yam chips, marmalade pantry's spin on the classic steak sandwich definitely scores!

while marmalade pantry is known for their cupcakes, this girl would strongly suggest that you do a take away of the cupcakes and indulge in the heavenly caramelized pear and salted caramel bread pudding. this is by far the best bread pudding i've ever had, simply because marmalade has yet gain managed to reinvent the old school british pudding into a new age decadent dessert. imagine finger sized slices of brioche sandwiching chunky bits of caramelized pear wrapped in crisp filo pastry, topped with yummy vanilla bean ice cream and drizzle of salted caramel. pillowy soft bread encased in crispy pastry, warm yet cold, sweet yet salty.....all i can say is that this bread pudding is very very very good. served i think only at the ion pantry, the trip down and battle of the town crowd, i guarantee is definitely worth it!

finally, no trip to the pantry is of course complete without a taste of their signature cupcakes. with now eleven flavors under their belt, there is definitely something for everyone. the nutella (nutella on nutella!) and elvis (chocolate banana with pb frosting) get my vote as well as my niece e's vote, as she quite singlehandedly polished up the entire nutella cupcake! and i hear their granny apple one is pretty awesome too. the cherry crumble tart was a little bit of a let down as it was not quite a tart nor a crumble..but it did have earthy flavors and wasn't too sweet nor dry. there was a sea salt caramel cheesecake and cinnamon spiced apple cake that caught my eye but i guess that will have to wait till my next visit to see lady marmalade...and this time, i don't care what anyone says, i'm having dessert for dinner!

the marmalde pantry

unit 03-22

ion orchard

(65) 6734 2700

suju

2010-06-07T12:31:00.001+08:00

mention mandarin gallery and japanese food and most people would think ippudo....to be honest, this girl would too, as it has been on my list of must try places after the crowds die down. but there is actually another jap joint at the gallery and thanks to my sis and famliy who dined there during their launch, i was fortunate enough to inherit the dining vouchers, so i gamely ventured there for a girls lunch out with my mom and niece.

hidden behind timber panels, suju quietly stands it own a couple of doors down from the very busy ippudo. with an open sushi bar concept being the main focus of the place, this is definitely one of those places that i wouldn't mind dining at alone, just so that i can take the whole food prep experience in by the bar! but it was all good, we sat close enough to see the chefs at work and between entertaining e and sneaking glances at the bar, we managed to catch some of the prep for my mom's tempura course and my chirashi don.

priced at sixty-eight, the five course set lunch was really good value. it began with six kinds of appetizers ranging from the familiar tamago roll and edamame to quite delicate and refined rice cakes and squid. it reminded me a little of the kaiseiki course i enjoyed at goto, with special fresh ingredients flown in from japan and fantastic presentation.

next was the sashimi course which consisted of a nice selection of very fresh seasonal fish and awesome melt in your mouth hotate. the main tempura platter had freshly battered and fried vegetables and a huge prawn, which was devoured by e in record time! the tempura was quite well done with none of the usual overly battered and drowning of the veggie in oil. served piping hot and with a touch of sea salt, the tempura platter definitely had mom and e smiling. completing the course was an annin tofu dessert, which turned out to be a japanese spin on the almond pudding. it was a tad to strong for me but overall while the dessert was a bit of a let down, the rest of the courses definitely made up for things!

while mom and e worked though the tempura course, i tucked into a huge bowl of chirashi. it is only in times like these that i very easily polish off the entire bowl of rice...topped with five different types of fresh sashimi, hotate, ikura, tamago and seasoned wild mushrooms, at thirty six bucks, suju's chirashi is pretty good value for money. i was a wee bit disapointed that there was no uni as raved about by my sis but overall, the chirashi don definitely hit the spot for me.

final verdict? worth checking out if you are in the area and not in the mood for a twenty minute queue for ramen *grin*

suju

333a orchard road

#04-05/07 mandarin gallery

(65) 6737 7764

hawker rocker 117 - a hokkien girl in love with teochew muay!

2010-06-04T16:14:00.005+08:00

ever since i got my lumee, i have been pretty trigger happie and always on the look out for objects to take. one wednesday evening found us in quite an old school corner coffee shop at the junction of joo chiat road and dunman and i could not resist composing this shot as i think it pretty much sums up the meal that we enjoyed that evening. love the colors and the simplicity of the wooden chopsticks...reflecting the simple yet colorful dishes we had to accompany that oh-so-familiar bowl of teochew muay.

i've driven and walked past this joint countless times and probably last eaten here a good fifteen years ago! it kinda explains why this place never comes to mind when we wonder where to go for teochew muay. having been back though (thanks to makansutra!), teck's teochew porridge would definitely be my number one choice, unless of course its a tuesday for they close on alternate tuesdays.

they have got quite a lean and mean operation going, with dedicated cooks, waiting staff, porridge servers and a cashier. with newpaper and magazine articles framing the shop front, there is no doubt you'll be wondering which to look at first, the variety of food laid out in front of you or the accolades recommending what to eat! there really is something for everyone, from the simple steamed egg, braised pork to the more elaborate steamed pomfrets and even crab. we went with the old school dishes to accompany the bowl of slightly sticky porridge - homemade fish cake, baby squid, braised brinjals, heh-bee (prawn paste) and of course salted veggies. the cooking was very home-style but definitely did not lack flavor. the heh-bee dish was an eye opener for me as i've never had it this way. adds a nice kick to the plain porridge and worked really well with the savoury brinjal and tangy squid. the salted veggies though won it for me. it was probably the best that i've had so far....think sweet yet slightly salty and crunchy not mushy veggies. it was so good i'd be happy just to have a bowl of salted veggie to go with my porridge!

so there. reconnected with an old coffeeshop joint and happy that there is some kick ass teochew porridge in my neighborhood!

teck teochew porridge

300 joo chiat road

(65) 9237 2189

itadakimas!

2010-06-04T10:48:00.001+08:00

with an entire floor dedicated to japanese food at the newly opened parco millenia, naming it itadakimas truly is quite apt. g and i have been there twice already and this girl is proud to have checked out two of the seven outlets at the floor. there are actually two ramen joints at parco but nantsuttei packed quite a queue so being truly singaporean, we decided to see what the fuss was all about.

touted to serve up tonkotsu soup ramen derived from the kyushu area, their claim to fame is their special and unique ma-oil ingredient which is a blend of seven types of deep-fried garlic with sesame oil. i do have to admit that the additional oil layer floating in the bowl was slightly disturbing but when mixed together with the al dente noodles, tender char siu and additional dash of freshly grated garlic, this kyushu take on the classic pork bone soup turned out pretty satisfying. the gyoza though was a bit of a let down so i would recommend just sticking to the bowls of ramen (ramen eating lecture included in the menu too i must add!), and of course saying yes to the offer for fresh garlic topping!

nantsuttei singapore

p03-06 millenia walk

(65) 6337 7166

located two doors down from nantsuttei is the all familiar ma maison. i actually found out they were opening this third joint after seeing ads at their central outlet and was stoked to have one more venue to head too that hopefully wouldn't be quite as jam packed as their other two outlets!

the menu seemed a little different from that at bugis and central...the main stays of the hamburg steak, gratins and garlic escorgots were of course still there, but both g and i didn't remember scallop carparccios nor mentaiko pasta from before so ordering was quite a no-brainer. the carparccio was refreshing with fresh scallops topped with a slight tangy sesame infused dressing (i love jap dressings!) and my mentaiko pasta definitely hit the spot. the serving was huge with a generous portion of prawns and sotong all tossed in yummy mentaiko. the hamburg steak with brown sauce is always a winner, with almost every table that evening spotting a plate of this western inspired dish...so g too was happy.

ma maison continues to be one of my favorite places to go to whenever i am in the mood for something japanese yet not quite looking for the classic sashimi type meal. i really hope this parco outlet remains under the radar a little while longer as i personally am not a huge fan of queuing, plus they don't take reservations (i think!)...so some planning will be required i think the next time i head to ma maison but queue or not, the meal will definitely satisfy!

ma maison

p03-03 millenia walk

(65) 6338 9391

oyster craving?

2010-05-25T20:18:00.004+08:00

i've always been quite fascinated by those special foods that need to be eaten with particular cutlery. you've got everything from the escargots that need two fancy tools - one to hold the shell, another to pull the little bugger out....to the old school toothpicks that we use to entice that gong gong or cockle out and off of their shells. in the case of today's post, the fascination for me at least, was how easily the oyster dislodges (and cleanly too, i might add!) from its shell with the humble two-prong fork you see...but in all honesty, we headed for oysters more to tame the oyster itch that g's been harboring!

perle noire's been sitting literally an eight minute walk from my house for a good maybe 2 years or so and it never occurred to me to check the place out. we decided to finally give it shot because all the other oyster serving outlets are either in a hotel and required stuffing ourselves silly at a buffet or a little too far from the eastern side of town where we were at. we sat down and zeroed it on the oyster list. g without hesitation, ordered a dozen, while i explored the rest of the board sized menu. the listings weren't bad, with several interesting sounding mains, from australian air flown wagyu to lobster and even pastas. but both of us were there for the oysters so that ended up as one of our mains! they were pretty good...fresh and not at all briny nor sandy, with a touch of tabasco and squeeze of lemon, these morsels quite literally slithered down ones throat and in a flash, we were left with shells and tummies wanting more....so we had round two!

in addition to the oysters, we had a go at the roasted pumpkin and thyme soup and homemade garlic bread. the soup was decent....nothing quite like that at the soup spoon or cedele but still good. it had an interesting touch with a taste of tofu and went quite well with the piping hot garlic toasts.

with g happy with the oysters as his main, i decided to try the prosciutto wrapped cod served on a bed of mushrooms. fish has always been my way of testing how good a restaurant is, as fish is really really tough to get right. perle noire served a decent cut of cod, but it was a tad over done. wrapped with crisp prosciutto, the entire dish was a little heavy for me. not sure if i would head back for mains at perle noire...the oysters probably, especially on wednesday's which is declared oysters nite at perle noire. guess one needs to have such a place on hand and near to home as you really never know when that oyster craving will hit no? *grin* i'll leave you with my favorite pic of this post....evidence of the pile of oysters that we polished off!

perle noire
687 east coast road
(65) 6448 1732

three zero one zero

2010-05-24T20:59:00.011+08:00

a special place for an extremely special occasion. this post is deliberately gonna be kept short & sweet with just piccies and some clues...*grin*

with just five more months, time seems to fly by yet stand still all at the same time. guess this is how it is with extraordinary chapters in one's life. things have fallen into place, in god's time and i am excited!

the day will be great, the company awesome, the venue classic yet modern and the food & beverage, well, fantastic!

this girl can't wait!

kudos to www.raymondphang.com for the title piccie....and apologies for the
horrendous typos in the slides!

revision!

2010-05-16T18:34:00.002+08:00

keeping in tune with the recent hawker rocker roll that i am on, i thought it would be nice to do a quick revision post on some earlier modules of the series...in particular module 102 and 105. these are two of my fave places and actually, the only places that i head to for my peanut pancake and curry peng fixes *grin*!

armed with my lumix and a growling tummy, i literally jumped out of the car and into the queue at the tanglin halt market, as i knew time was ticking and judging by the queue already snaking in front of the peanut pancake stall, i had to get my spot in there before they ran out! i did stand in line for a bit but it was all good as just watching the aunty and uncle work behind the counter was a treat in itself. pity i didn't have my 14-42mm lens on, else i think i would have managed to capture the entire makings of this awesome pancake. in any case, i do hope the single shot does reflect the warm fluffy pancake, overflowing with freshly roasted peanuts. a touch of sugar and hint of butter between the pancake and the nuts is all there is...simple but truly, truly fantastic.

tanglin halt original peanut pancake
no. 9 tanglin halt market
commonwealth drive

kitchener road's lau di fang scissor cut curry peng is still by far the best that i've had. its been a good three years since i wrote, rather raved, about the place and i have yet to find a place that can rival lau di fang. i've had it several times more of course since 2007, but i decided to do the revision because this time, we actually did a take away from the place. i was really quite surprised that the meal was still good eaten at home and the simple dishes, from the chicken curry to the braised pork and beautiful secret four combination gravy to top it all off, still really hit the spot. this is truly the place to head to for some home cooked comfort food. and i guarantee satisfaction regardless of whether you dig in at the corner kopi tiam or take it and enjoy it in the comfort of your home.

enjoy!

lau di fang

229 jalan besar (at junction of kitchener road)
(65) 6292 3593

hawker rocker 116 - outram park ya hua rou gu cha

2010-05-16T00:33:00.003+08:00

it's dawned on me that mojito's hawker rocker series has kinda been put on hold for a while...honestly, it isn't really by choice, rather more of a reflection of my current routine - with a little bit more time at home (yes, i have been messing in the kitchen and promise a post to update on my adventures in a bit!) and when time and energy permits, the odd indulgence at a nice place to eat. the past couple of weeks though, have seen a little bit of a change in the routine. i guess its somewhat related to the going ons in my life and i like to think that the somewhat return and sudden surge in the hawker rocker series will reflect a little on my current perspectives and also to remind all once again, that its really the simpler things in life that are truly important. so here goes module one one six....

eating bah kut teh at outram park always brings back memories of when i was young. we used to come by quite often en route to keppel club but over time, with the discovery of other good bah kut teh places, we never really swung by as often...so it was kinda nice going back. the place has changed quite a bit with many more coffee shops opened all around the block. the outram park bah kut teh place still remains very much the cornerstone of the area, drawing a keen and quite diverse crowd from the surrounding area.

the food is still pretty good. the bah kut was tender and the soup was earthy. the pig trotter had a good lean and fatty meat proportion and was nicely braised. i'm not one for kidney but g singled handedly polished off the bowl so i guess there's enough testament of the al dente slivers in the classic broth. i give outram park bonus points for serving up mee sua and some kickass salted veggies and will definitely recommend you enjoying a bowl of classic bah kut teh if you are in the keppel region!

outram park ya hua rou gu cha

7 keppel road

#01-05/07 tanjong pagar complex

(65) 6222 9610

hawker rocker one one five - go chives!

2010-05-07T22:06:00.002+08:00

ask any soon kway or gu chai kway fan for recommendations of their favorite stalls and i'm sure poh cheu will be one of the places they would urge you to visit...ok i do admit that poh cheu is more known by the local folk for their ang ku kways, but this girl has to rave about their gu chai kways just because its hard to find places in singapore that serves them quite the way poh cheu does...fresh and homemade!

crystal smooth skin encasing freshly steamed chives or bamboo shoots pretty much sums up these classic hokkien/teochew snacks. served with a touch of sweet sauce and a dollop of homemade sambal, these dumplings are so good that you really cannot just have one! the constant queue and stack of takeaway packets carted off by happy buyers are really the true testament of how good and how established poh cheu is.

the wait is most definitely worth it so don't be discouraged by the lines...it does move fast and don't fret if you see the kways disappearing off the counters before your turn....they've got a whole old school operation going on with one aunty rolling out the dough, another uncle filling them up with peanut or red bean, another pushing one tray into the steamer and pulling another out. standing in line just watching them work is a treat in itself! so if you are ever in the region or craving a good homemade chive dumpling, poh cheu's definitely the place to head to, and remember to take your place in line and take the whole makings of your potential buy in!

poh cheu

block 127 #01-230

bukit merah lane 1

makan - one six b style!

2010-05-06T12:57:00.003+08:00

there's been quite a bit of feasting over the past couple of weeks....first with pak law returning from perth with an awesome cut of wagyu, followed by his two-day trip to the food and hospitality asia fair resulting in a special sitting of brunch at restaurant one six b and a recommendation of veal chops by pak law's butcher. yes, i do admit that life is pretty good and it is times with the family like these, sharing stories of the week, enjoying good food and great wine that i am reminded just how blessed i am...

as part of the plan to share the feastings (and of course the life is good mantra!) at one six b, i've been experimenting a little with slide shows and video montages, just to spice things up on the mojitos front a bit. had a go at animoto before already so i went somewhat old school and used slide this time around. turned out quite neat, with nice transitions, good selection of music and pretty fast processing time so here's the latest makan happenings at one six b, served up by slide.com. pic captions pop over if you mouse over the piccie yah?
enjoy!

death by desserts - take 6

2010-05-05T15:55:00.007+08:00

finally found the missing piccie for auntie ta's rendition of the pierre herme's dark chocolate tart. i do have to admit the pics in this post aren't fantastic but i do hope they do make your mouths salivate, tummy rumble and instill the craving for something sweet, for these truly decadent creations are all homemade and handcrafted by one six b's very own dessert chef auntie ta.

the key lime pie. i've honestly always had a thing for lime and lemon in dessert but never really got round to actually whipping something up. auntie ta's rendition was a perfect refreshing conclusion to our somewhat heavy sunday brunch (post akan datang!) and was made with very simple ingredients - graham cookies & butter for the crust, lemon curd and topped with freshly whipped cream. it definitely got me thinking lime or lemon ice cream so a lemon gelato might just be the next ice cream flavor to add to my repertoire!

the granita. auntie ta's made granitas before and i do have to admit that her granitas are all truly out of this world. from the simple raspberry and mango granitas she made for reunion dinnner this year, to this fantastic champagne beling-beling (above) and palm & watermelon granita (below), it clearly shows that auntie ta can make almost anything into a yummy, refreshing, give me more granita! i actually meant to get a picture of the beling-beling fruit just so that you get a sense of what it is, but essentially, this is one fruit that i would not fanthom making a dessert out of....we use it to make the classic nonya dish yes, but into a granita, this i must say is the first. it turned out delicious! maybe its the champagne that's in it but the slight tart flavor of the beling beling does come through fabulously!

the watermelon version is yet another simple yet delicious creation. not only does it have fantastic colors, the dessert had a whole host of flavors and textures, from the icy sweet granita to the slightly crunchy sea palm slices and dollop of fresh cream...i say bring the granitas on!

finally, to end take 6 of death by desserts, i humbly introduce to you my very own salted caramel ice cream. some of you do know that i've been messing about in the kitchen and whipping up quite a bit of ice cream. good news is i think i have discovered some winners in my creations and this is by far, based on the tasters response, the best one yet. *grin* i'm pleased and have since set up a sister blog over with tumblr, with snippets of all my frozen obsessions!

enjoy and i promise to be back soon with part seven!

burger bliss!

2010-04-29T11:44:00.008+08:00

the picture you see and the post you are about to read is not a mistake. yes, you guessed right, it is the classic mosaic walls and blackboard of the burger bench and bar...and no, this is not a mistake re-post of the b3 post written just 5 posts back...it is actually yet another rave about the awesome burgers served at b3 and marks yet another first in mojitos' history as being the first food establishment that this girl has been back religiously three weeks (yes, three weeks!) in a row!

visit two was inspired after watching an episode of anthony boudain's no reservations series which had him tucking into a kickass burger from a diner joint in new york....i planned to actually write up a quickie update on the two new burgers we had back then, but things kinda got put on hold with everything else that is going on in my life. i guess it turned out to be a blessing in disguise as we managed to convince my niece to shelve the idea of tucking into fries at everything with fries last saturday and head to uncle willin's new burger place instead...and this girl is know proud to be able to say that she has had a bite of every single burger off b-cube's menu (and all in the span of three weeks no less!) and the verdict is every single creation was delicious!

the beef burgers at b3, i think, are sure winners anytime. made from freshly ground beef, these hand made patties are cooked to pink perfection such that it really doesn't matter if you have it just classic-ly with lettuce, cheese and tomato, smothered with b3's homemade tomato relish, covered with homemade sarawak black pepper sauce or topped with oh-so heavenly caramelized onions or wild mushrooms, these babies will definitely satisfy any and every beef burger craving you have.

in addition to the classics, b3 serves up two japanese-inspired creations - the sesame wasbi fish burger (left) and the curry katsu chicken burger (right). to be honest, this girl is a little wary about fillet type patties as they tend to be a tad more oily....which is why although i was quite intrigued by the curry katsu burger when we first visited b3, i decided to be a little less adventurous and stick with the beef burgers instead. having tasted it now though, i realized that my worries were truly unfounded as the chicken cutlets were anything but oily. think crisp envelopes and tender and moist chicken meat topped with some pretty authentic japanese curry sauce. oiishi! if curry katsu is not your thing, have the seasme wasabi fish. again, think crisp shells encasing a fresh fish fillet and topped with yummy wasabi mayo with just the right amount of kick.

the grilled chicken breast with jalapeno and homemade tomato relish gets my vote if you are carving something less heavy. with tender and juicy meat augmented by the tangy relish, spicy jalapeno and sweet onions this burger definitely packs some wholesome goodness! and if you are still nibbly and or are in the mood for some wings, do definitely have an order of b3's chicken wings. deep fried only upon order, this morsels are coated with a really nice herb infused, slightly spicy bread crumbed shell, enveloping fresh juicy dark meat. served with their very own spin on the thai chilli sauce, these are perfect to begin or pause the meal on!

i've deliberately saved what i think is the most ingenious and delicious creation of b-cube to the end *grin*. the soft shell chilli crab burger. not being a huge fan of soft shell crab to begin, i was honestly a little skeptical and would ordinarily not consider ordering it. but one bite of this creation, i was blown away. the combination of texture and sweet, salty and spicy flavors was phenomenal. just imagine a thick chilli crab sauce covering freshly battered and fried sweet crab. sandwiched between a fresh sesame seed bun, bed of lettuce and slice of vine tomato, this is the burger everyone has to try at b3!

so what are you waiting for? head on down for some burger bliss! and don't forget to save space for the awesome gourmet dark chocolate soft serve....you will not regret it!

burger bench & bar (b3)

cathay cineleisure orchard

#01-02

www.wildrocket.com.sg

lumix-ed!

2010-04-25T22:15:00.001+08:00

this girl has officially dived into the photography deep end and got herself a dslr. okay, maybe some of you out there might not agree that the panasonic lumix gf1 is a classic dslr by definition, but to me, its everything i want in a camera rolled in to one!

the lumix won over the olympus contender purely for its faster between pic processing, better form factor and retro (and more professional!) look. quality between the two were similar so i went with the panasonic, much to my own surprise, as i always thought cameras from original camera makers would be better. i was also considering the canon powershot s90 and lumix lx3 but decided to go with a dslr as opposed to these high end point and shoots, just because i thought i'd see if i had what it takes to be a photographer. to be honest, dslrs kinda freaked me with the technicality of iso, shutter speeds, white balance and all...i do know what they mean but to be able to figure all of the settings before taking a picture isn't quite yet my cup of tea. but these micro four-third cameras give me the option of still not thinking as much and just pointing and shooting on a not so good day, and the flexibility to learn and eventually fiddle around with the settings on better days. big plus of course is that it does not have as much weight nor bulk of a standard dslr.

all i had to do was fit the lens, turn the gf1 on, point, shoot and i was instantly hooked. the pictures turned out outstanding and i was blown away by the quality of the pictures that a noob like me could produce! i do admit i have some learning to do but with every pic saved with the full details of the settings the intelligent lumix uses, i think it should be quite soon that i can officially proclaim that i am an advanced amateur photographer!

i took a total of about seventy shots (you can see just how hooked i am!) and thought i'd sign off from here with some of my favorite shots. enjoy!

simple teochew muay dinner from this evening....salted egg & steamed sotong

cold tofu with crispy pork floss & a very pregnant yellow fish!

evidence of what were sweet longans...

and other things through the lens of the lumix gf1!

this is where the ramen movement began!

2010-04-21T13:12:00.001+08:00

marutama ramen – circa 2007, singapore. i know it’s been three years since this established saitama and tokyo-based ramen shop set up its first south east asian joint here in singapore. to be honest, i’ve been to marutama before and way back then, i guess i wasn’t too impressed by the only four types of ramen on the menu and the tremendous queue just to get in! three years on and a return visit has me rooting for marutama and giving it its true credit for being the pioneer of the ramen movement here in singapore!

with the still four ramen choices on marutama's menu, deciding was really quite easy. one just needed to figure out if you were more in the pork or chicken mood, and if you were inclined to have a spicy or non spicy dish. i typically have the char siu ramen whenever i'm in mood for ramen....but i figured that since marutama's signature is in its chicken stock (unlike all the rest who normally do a rich pork bone stock), i'd go with its chicken meatball ramen, infused with seven different types of nuts. i really wasn't quite sure what to expect given my previously slightly more forgettable experience, so my first spoonful of the rich broth really was quite a surprise. the rich nutty flavor combined with the all-familiar chicken stock base turned out exceptionally appetizing and tummy warming. together with very al-dente (and home made) ramen noodles, i was quite blown away!

g opted for the spicy version of the char siu ramen classic. the broth was pretty good but i think i'm more of a pork bone base stock to go with the pork in the dish. the wow in this dish was in the slices of pork. very very well marbled and braised perfectly, the meat was extremely tender and definitely melted in the mouth...making marutama one of the very few places that serves up some really to die for slices of pork.

there is of course the option to add additional toppings to the ramen (the boiled egg is touted to be fantastic!), but g and i decided to keep it simple and indulge in a serving of gyoza instead. i had the mental picture of you know, the usual pan fried, slightly greasy pot stickers so i was again, pleasantly surprised when six freshly steamed dumplings were served up, floating on a part soy sauce, part vinegar, part chilli oil sauce. these were extremely delicious. filled generously with minced pork mashed with spring onions and prawn bits, and enveloped in a silky smooth wan ton skin, these little morsels complemented the earthy bowl of ramen to a t.

it took me a while but i guess its still not to late to give marutama the much deserved shout out and prize for being one of the first few places to introduce singapore to what good japanese ramen is!

marutama ramen
6 eu tong sen street
the central
#03-90/91
(65) 6534 8090

joining in the march of the food revolution

2010-04-14T16:21:00.007+08:00

i've been following jaime oliver's food revolution of late and only just begun to realize how much of an impact it is making on my perspective of food, eating and health. my recent post on b3 is probably the point where it really dawned on me (and hence made the burger vow!) that i've become a believer of the movement. it really wasn't a sudden revelation but rather a subtle one, with little things like writing for mojitos, dining more and more at homeand even messing about in the kitchen myself, that prompted me to think that i could potentially play a role and hopefully pass on the spark to start your own revolution.

many people ask me how i don't seem to put on weight especially after they see the spread of food that we have at our saturday dinners at one six b. as much as i do keep an active lifestyle, i am beginning to think the main reason why not only me but the rest of the regulars at one six b are able to enjoy and indulge pretty much on a weekly basis, is primarily because the food is fresh and home cooked. we do occasionally have the deep fried dish or two, but even in those cases, the food is fresh, not processed or frozen. take the oso bucco dish we had a couple of week's back. made really from scratch, pak law just got a decent cut of meat, threw in some of your regular carrots, celery, onions and tomato and slow cooked it over night in the trusty le cruscet (actually, any slowcooker would work just fine). the sweetness of the veggies and juices of the meat was all that was needed to add flavor and character to the stew, and the fact that food is cooked within its natural content, the nutrition and all is enveloped within. we typically have just normal bread or rice with the stew but pak law having just ventured to the new 313 foodcourt, found a store selling some really kick ass 'han jim pang' which he thought would go well with the oso bucco. the east meets west flavors did indeed go really well, with the savory doughy fried breads truly complementing the sweet stew.

we have had two beef dinners since, one with the three kilogram haul ben brought back from melbourne, and another i think was following recommendations from pak law's butcher. in any case, with beef being one of pak law's specialties, both dinners were fabulous. the meat carried back from melbourne of course was a notch better but pak law did both dinners justice but roasting the meats to medium rare perfection. he even had a go at experimenting making a pork terrine from scratch, inspired obviously by a thomas keller program he saw on the asian food channel. it turned out really not bad for a first attempt....more gelatinous than fatty which was good in my book, but nevertheless still very rich.

in addition to pak law's new terrine addition, he surprised us with a purple cabbage stir fry dish. it looked really quite odd but it turned out surprisingly sweet. mom also jumped on the band wagon and in addition to her classic sesame dressed salad, whipped up some really gorgeous popovers which were really divine with the beef jus. we did have an additional salad one weekend, due to the larger company we had for dinner, and that was whipped up by ben who garnished fresh baby spinach with deep fried fish skin and dressed it with a lovely citrus based sauce.

desserts are always the highlight for me whenever we have dinners at one six b. auntie ta always spoils us with awesome desserts....i'm not sure why i'm missing a few piccies but she did over the past couple of weekends, whip up some really yummy tarts, using pierre herme's sweet tart dough recipe. she did spoil us with a variation to her awesome pavlova, this time with a touch of tropical flavor and done trifle style. also, she and i entered into our very first collaboration with her whipping up some fabulous sticky date pudding and me, my signature salted caramel ice cream. together, i think we kicked some serious butt, with the regulars at one six b demanding seconds all round! the macaroons you see are courtesy of one of our guests who brought them from canale. auntie ta thinks canale has the best macaroons but i personally still think the ones that she made some time back are still much much better. in any case, it has got me thinking about having a go at making these morsels....i've found a supposedly idiot proof recipe so we'll see. i should be having a go at them pretty soon!

live writer – yay or nay?

2010-04-14T08:49:00.007+08:00

ask anyone of knows me and they will definitely tell you that i am a huge huge believer of multitasking to break up the monotony of any day. which is why this post is coming bright and early this wednesday morning (while i concurrently try to edit a paper, accompanied by music blasting through my little ear buds), testing out the use of live writer for blogging.

para one’s going well…but i can’t seem to find the page break tab that i’ve gotten so used to for teleporting you, the reader, to the full post…hmmm. (afternote...sent the draft to blogger and managed to edit and add the break!)

next test - piccie.

impressed! not only do you have the drag and drop function…there’s options to add borders, frames, effects! definitely helps with my current obsession on rounded edge piccies, polariod style and color pops!

there are a number of other functions but for the lay blogger like me, this is pretty good so far!

the verdict? its a yay! mojitos should be coming to you via live writer soon!

nakhon kitchen

2010-04-13T13:53:00.005+08:00

having gotten so used to the fare and proximity of thai noodle house back when g was at bukit timah, this girl honestly hasn't been as equally happy with the alternative thai food choices over in the eastern end of singapore. i mean, there are options but no one particular place has yet managed to make me feel that i've discovered the thai noodle house of the east, as it were. my last post on the thai table, probably comes the closest but they still don't quite make the cut for they don't serve up the oh so classic thai beef noodles! so when g suggested heading over to this newly spotted corner thai joint bedok, i immediately said yes, secretly hoping that this new discovery could potentially be the place that we've been looking for!

snuggled in the corner of block 133, nakhon kitchen apparently is no stranger to singaporeans, with a steady queue already established on the corridor when we got there at about 7.30. the queue did seem to move fast and a quick recce of the cafeshop revealed that the first sitting of diners were finishing up. they did a good job with managing the crowd, occupying the patient diners with menus to plough through and an order prior to seating practice. our wait was about 30 minutes and typically i would have told g we'd come back another time, but seeing the dishes steadily streaming out of the busy kitchen (plus the queue!), i have to admit i was curious.

our tom yam soup, stir fried morning glory and grilled pork took a good 45 minutes to get to us. was it worth the wait? well...the food was pretty good. g and i polished up the fresh veggies, indulged in the crispy yet tender morsels of pork dipped in yummy thai chilli sauce and drank up most of the soup, in addition to polishing off the prawns, sotong and fish within! we were hungry but i do have to give credit to nakhon kitchen for whipping up quite a decent thai dinner and at pretty competitive prices too. the only down side, aside from the wait, is that both g and i had quite massive msg attacks post dinner. that for me, immediately was a bit of let down as the food was really pretty authentic.

thai noodle house still wins....with thai table settling in second as an alternative joint in the east.

if you guys know any good thai places...do shout yah?

sawadeekah!

nakhon kitchen

133 bedok north ave 3

only As at b3!

2010-04-11T23:11:00.004+08:00

this post is one that will go down in mojito's history because it is one of the very few posts that i punch out just hours (read within twenty four hours!) after being at the place....and yes, it is purely driven by the excitement, satisfaction and the need to just shout it out to the whole world that i've just experienced a gastrorgasm! the place? burger bench and bar or better known as b3.

with light wood furniture, mosaic tiled walls and table tops and a menu blackboard, the vibe is clean, classic and no fuss. chef willin (from wild rocket fame) definitely has got the formula right, keeping everything simple and allowing the focus to be on the food. and focus there should be, as the burgers at b3 are without a doubt, the best burgers i have had in a long long time. spinning off the success of relish, b3 serves equally good and freshly made burgers but at fast food joint prices. yup...you heard right. for eight bucks, you will get fresh homemade ground beef patties (think juicy, medium rare mince), airflown tomatoes, fresh crisp veggies and sweet onions, all sandwiched between freshly baked sesame seed buns. i mean, this is how burgers should be...none of that processed, frozen, preservative loaded crap for me...yes, i'm taking a 'burger vow' and committing to say no to the burgers served up at all fast food joints, no matter how much people claim to say that they are 'lovin it' or promise that 'it will get messy'.

with everything sounding fantastic (from classic cheeseburgers with caramelised onions to japanese curry curry chicken katsu burgers), deciding which one to have proved to be really hard. as g accurately put it, we both wish we had more tummy space just so that we could have more than just one burger! i had the sarawak black pepper beef burger which i highly recommend - think rich ground black pepper sauce, akin to that eng seng the crab nazi place serves up in its famous pepper crab dish, smothered over the juicy pattie. perfectly balanced with just the right hint of spice, saltyness of the meat and crisp sweet veggies, this burger was in one word...yum! g had the mushroom beef burger (upsized with an additional beef pattie!) and was equally satisfied with his choice given the speed at which he polished off the burger, mopping up every single drip that fell off the burger!

in addition to the kick ass burgers, everyone MUST have a taste of b3's gourmet dark chocolate soft serve ice cream. at only three buckaroos, this ice cream is to die for. think valrhona type cocoa rich, soft smooth ice cream.....

....ultimate, truly ultimate comfort food!

to steal the quote from b3, ' do yourself a favor, eat real food'....head on over to burger bench and bar and i guarantee you, you will leave the place mentally making arrangements to head back for more!

burger bench and bar (b3)

cathay cineleisure orchard

#01-02

www.wildrocket.com.sg

paradise?

2010-04-10T22:19:00.004+08:00

okay...to be really honest, the paradise inn folder has been filed under the 'maybe' category on my trusty macbook, with no real plans to actually post something up, especially given the growing number of folders under my 'to write' category! but it's gotten a humongous bump up because of a recent paradise inn review by chubby hubby...and i thought i'd (shamelessly) jump on the paradise inn bandwagon and share my experience.

the pork trotter vermicelli was definitely a dish that stood out in paradise inn's menu and pretty much the main reason g and i decided to have sunday lunch last week at paradise group's new outlet at east point mall. the dish literally was braised pork trotter tossed with egg noodles, garnished with bits of mushroom and veggie. i do agree with chubby hubby that the pork trotters were braised quite nicely, resulting in moist and tender chunks of meat....it was definitely fatty, making the dish quite lemak and a tad too oily, at least in my book. it might be chubby hubby's definition of a fabulous, fatty fantasy in a bowl but for me, its not going to be one thing i'll head back to paradise inn for.

as for the rest of the dishes we had, again, i disagree with chubby hubby who rated the dishes as pretty good. we had the kong ba bao and winter melon soup, both of which were well, nothing much to shout about. g thinks the westlake baos are way way better and we've definitely had double boiled soups better (and cheaper!) at many other places.

i do agree the service is somewhat lacking and might consider chubby hubby's point that the experience (maybe including the food) is different at different outlets, given that the outlet we visited just opened the week before, so maybe i'll venture back into paradise inn one day...but till then, i give the place two scoopies! (sorry chubby hubby!)

paradise inn
3 simei street 6 #02-14/15
eastpoint mall
(65) 6786 6618

ah yat!

2010-04-01T21:57:00.006+08:00

it's been a crazy couple of weeks and this girl's finally got some time (and inspiration!) to sit down and quickly punch out one of the many posts that i owe mojitos. discovered literally as a result of scaling the 30m vertical wall in orchard central, ah yat tian xia turned out to a nice little surprise, serving up some good quality chinese classics with a hint of flair.

known by most for specializing in abalone, the tian xia outlet i guess is the ah yat's group attempt to break into the the more generic market by diversifying its menu for the regular budget while trying to stay true to its abalone roots. the menu did have the theme of abalone running through it (think the likes of braised beef brisket and abalone noodle!) but deliberate efforts were made to have the abalone play a more subtle supporting role in their dishes. being loyal dbs card members, we treated ourselves to the one for one set lunch which turned out to be quite fantastic value.

the seven course degustation-styled lunch started off with a refreshing fresh scallop fruit salad with fish roe - perfect to whet the appetite with the sweet fruit and equally sweet morsels of scallop. this was followed by a bubbling claypot of braised shark's fin soup with crab meat...a fantastic contrast to the scallop dish, as the soup was not only earthy, but had the almost creamy texture with a hint of familiar saltyness.

course three, four and five consisted of a steamed prawn with dou fu in black bean sauce, pan-fried fish fillet with mushroom sauce and abalone hong kong wan ton noodle. very simple dishes but classically done with fresh ingredients, which i think were key in bringing out the flavors of these dishes. the noodle dish was one that i found particularly unique as the noodles were more refined than the usual egg ones and had a very distinct crunch...blanched in a nice rich stock and presented with a generous portion of abalone, the wan ton noodle tasted almost exactly like that served up in hong kong!

lunch was concluded with a petit egg tart sprinkled generously with bird's nest and a petal bowl full of almond tea. again, an exquisite display of refined cuisine with flaky pastry and creamy egg custard...not too big a serving as well which allowed the meal to be concluded without you feeling overly stuffed. the tea was apparently pretty good too, if almond essence flavor is your thing (i'm not a fan)....otherwise, i think the egg tart does justice enough to bring the meal to a close.

definitely worth the value at buy one get one for fifty five big ones....if not, i would still vote for giving ah yat's a la carte menu a try, just so that i will at least figure out how well beef brisket and abalone go together! *grin*

ah yat tian xia

181 orchard road

#05-34/35/36

orchard central

(65) 6884 9979

brunch at district ten

2010-03-14T10:31:00.003+08:00

been kinda caught up with things over the past couple of weeks, and thought it's high time i took a couple of steps back, regroup and refocus on things that i love doing (mojitos being one of them!). and it being a sunday today, i figured it'd be nice to share with all a somewhat recently discovered brunch place - the district 10 bistro.

occupying the old monk's hill secondary school premise, the laid back, retro, homely vibe of the place immediately stands out. the place is considerably big, with an outdoor dining veranda and large indoor seating. outfitted with loungy sofas, high tables or the regular dining tables, district 10 had a table option to suit any mood you had for the day.

the brunch menu was pretty extensive with almost every brunch variety you can imagine. from the full breakfast works to freshly baked pastries and pancakes, there would definitely be something to satisfy that brunch craving. i was craving poached eggs and english muffins that morning so decided on the eggs florentine instead of the eggs benedict, thinking the spinach would do me more good than the ham! covered with quite a well done mornay sauce, the florentine was on the whole not bad. the eggs could have been a touch more runny in my book but overall, the creamy mornay sauce made up for the lack of runny-nest of the eggs and pretty much still hit the spot for me.

g indulged in the full works, which was very aptly coined the 'district ten greasy spoon'. think two eggs done to your requested style, bangers, hash browns, baked beans, mushrooms and a grilled tomato. it really wasn't as greasy as you would imagine, but definitely one hearty brekkie to kick start your day!

with breakfast already in their tummies, my sis and kids decided on the more lunch-y options on the menu with the kids getting all messy with the classic cabonara and iced chocolate, and my sis trying out the asian seafood salad. again, both were pretty good, although the kids would agree that chef wilin at wild rocket served up a way meaner cabonara...they were content with their al dente pasta. the seafood salad had a nice asian touch with vermicilli noodles, lychees and a fresh chilli dressing....pretty refreshing and worth a shot if one was not in the mood for the heavier brunch or pasta options.

all in all, district 10 turned out to be a nice experience. very family friendly with decent food and helpful service staff...worth a shot if you were in the area and wanted a little refuge from the hustle and bustle of town a few blocks down!

district 10 bistro
10 winstedt road
#01-17
+65 6738 4788
www.district10.com.sg

going wild again at wild rocket!

2010-02-26T23:40:00.005+08:00

this girl has always made a mental note to return to wild rocket after hearing about it's brand new modern yet chillax deco and matching brand new menu. so when it came to deciding where would be best to celebrate pak law's birthday this year as well as give a little bit of a farewell treat to cousins from vancouver, i literally jumped at the chance and suggested heading to wild rocket *grin*

there were a total of thirteen of us that evening and we were given a nice long booth-like table in the middle of the newly decked out restaurant. it was nice as we were early, giving us enough time to gush over the new menu and let the maitre'd take us through chef willin's new creations. there were many new entrees, from fresh frog legs to ngam lam pasta and to die for sounding desserts of a gong tng peanut and honey comb ice cream creation amongst others! literally spoilt for choice, we all decided to indulge in the four and six course menus as it seemed to encompass most of chef willin's new treats. the kids were of course not forgotten, and i'm not sure if it was from memory but nephew e adamantly insisted on having the cabonara. one taste of the cheesy creamy sauce over al dente pasta, i immediately knew why he insisted on having it!

the bulk of us had the four course menu which started off with either the burmese tomato and crab salad or a consomme with duck confit ravioli. the salad was fresh and refreshing with sweet tomatoes and equally sweet crab meat, topped with nice cubes of lime jelly and a tangy sauce. this was definitely a crowd pleaser and in my book, a more refreshing start to the meal compared to the soup which drew inspiration from the traditional 'xian chai ya tang'. don't get me wrong though, the duck confit ravioli and soup was good but i think i personally didn't quite like a salty start to a meal.

next in the four course meal was the pasta. it was a tough choice between the ngao lam beef pasta and the sesame ginger chicken confit pappardelle, as i love both the beef brisket and sesame ginger chicken flavors! i chose the beef in the end, but only after confirming that my sis was going with the chicken and promised to share! both turned out to be outstanding with al dente pastas, well braised ngao lam, tender chicken and awesome traditional flavors. the east and west flavors were fantastically balanced in both the pasta dishes, truly showcasing chef willin's ability to achieve authentic fusion in his dishes.

course three was either a main of fish or lamb. having already had the ngao lam, i chose the soon hock which was steamed and then pan fried (i think!) to perfection. think melt in your mouth textures, rich stock topped with a refreshing tangy mango cucumber relish...yum! the tandoori rack of lamb main saw a generous portion of meat marinated with a myraid of indian and tandoori spices, accompanied by freshly deep fried papardums. the meat was tender with a nice hint of tandoor and the papardums crisp and flavorful. the meat could have done with just a touch more spice in my opinion but other than that, the rack was pretty well done.

the six course menu kicked off with a blue swimmer crab congee soup and seabass carpaccio salad. again, another fantastic demonstration of chef willin's ability to fuse even the simplest traditional chinese elements like congee with western techniques of emulsion and carpaccio. the congee soup was really clever with a ball of rice sitting in a clear crab soup. the right way to enjoy the dish was to break up the rice ball and swirl everything together, very much like how one would enjoy a hot steaming bowl of congee! the seabass carpaccio followed the congee soup to a tee, reminding me of how i used to grow up having a bowl of porridge and a nice plate of raw fish. think paper thin slices of fresh fish sprinkled with a tangy truffle like oil...the combination of the sweet fish and tang of the orange shallot oil really put a nice spin on the traditional 'he seh' dish we are all so familiar with.

i really don't know where chef willin comes up with these ideas but the next two courses in the menu just affirmed the genius and creativity he has in mixing the old classics with the new favorites. i mean, who would think of using bee tai bak in place of pasta and tossing it in a classic bolognaise sauce whipped up with wagyu mince no less! and liquid nasi lemak? another really out there spin on the old school coconut rice fav....think a dollop of like pureed coconut rice, embracing a nice cut of pan fried chilean seabass topped with part salty part spicy ikan bilis and peanut. the result - an amazing combination with just the right amount of kick from the coconut to pair up with the sweet seabass, crunch from the nuts and salt from the ikan bilis.

i was about to vote the liquid nasi lemak as the must try dish of the evening until the seared ribeye with bovril onion sauce was served. having been spoiled rotten by the quality of pak law's steak, i have to admit that my bar for steak has definitely been raised. all i had was just about a centimeter slice of the ribeye and i was blown away. the meat was not only crisp on the outside, it truly melted in one's mouth and left a curious lingering aftertaste of a myriad of aromatic flavors. i can't quite put my finger on it...maybe its the bovril onion sauce, or the marinate chef willin used but this ribeye is to die for. perfectly marbled, perfectly seared, and served up in a perfect portion (at least in my book!), this definitely gets my vote as the die die must try and will return for dish!

last and by no means least, the dessert course. the four course menu included a gula melaka and ginger creme brulee. not being a huge custard person, this brulee version was so good, i polished it off..and mind you, it was served in quite a sizable ramekin! the hint of ginger really helped to cut the creaminess of the custard and off set the thick burnt gula melaka crusty layer. it was unexpectantly light and truly concluded the four course meal very well. if you do have space and or went a la carte, the dark chocolate lava gateau is a definite must try for chocoholics. we got to enjoy this as it was on the house for pak law's birthday celebration...but just imagine a light brownie-like cake encasing a heart of warm dark chocolate lava...just the right amount of sweetness to accompany the rich cocoa flavor. perfect for sharing (between two peeps max!) and trust me you will definitely have space for this!

the six course menu was meant to conclude with a raspberry champagne sorbet but both g and ben managed to swop them out for two new dessert entries - the gong tng, peanut brittle and honey comb ice cream and the lychee martini white chocolate tart. with names like that...i really don't need to say more than these were both heavenly! again bringing back memories from young of stuffing myself silly with gong tng and violet crumbles, this dessert creation truly brought together some old school sweets into one fantastic treat. i'm definitely going to have this the next time i'm back at wild rocket and yes...no sharing! the lychee martini was more of an adult dessert but true to its name, this had a real martini kick and was held together by a hundred percent chocolate shell...recommended for those who like to finish a meal with a martini in hand!

so there....we most definitely went wild at wild rocket and to be honest...i can't wait to run wild there again!

wild rocket

mt emily

hangout hotel

10a upper wilkie road

(65) 6339 9448

proud to peranakan!

2010-02-18T16:44:00.006+08:00

as with every chinese new year, the family tradition is to indulge in a full fletched peranakan feast. i know that i have raved about the feast before but as we really only indulge to this extent once a year, i figured that it is part of my duty as a peranakan to share with all the tremendous array of food that we had on the first day of the tiger year *grin*!

keeping in the spirit with it being the new year, i decided to try out something new with mojitos as well...so instead of static piccies in these posts, i ventured into the somewhat unknown world of flash and thanks to animoto, managed to stitched together a little video of the peranakan spread we had. the spread you will see includes the traditional salmon yusheng, roasted suckling pig (we had 2!), ayam buah keluak, ayam sio, sambal berlim bling, bawang kepeting, liver balls, hir peow soup, nonya chap chye and sambal timun.

i'll let the video do the talking this time so enjoy!

and oh! here's wishing all a roaring tiger year ahead!

reunion!

2010-02-14T22:37:00.005+08:00

reunion dinner last night was one to truly go down in the law clan history. with uncle t and family in town (grandson nate included!) and both ben and g back in time for the festivities, the last day of the ox year was celebrated in true law style. the bulk of the dinner was literally air flown in for the occasion....from the repertoire of awesome salami, array of champagne, reds & whites to the ten, yes ten kilograms of meat carried back by ben from pak law's butcher in melbourne, the law clan were really treated to a fantastic dinner.

dinner was kicked off by a platter full of salami brought over from vancouver...made from berkshire pork, truffles and wild boar, these were in one word - gorgeous. together with the duck rillette from france on warm slices of celede's crusty ciabatta and flutes of yummy bubbly (thanks to auntie ta!), this girl knew that dinner was going to be quite extraordinary!

the main event was characterized by pak law's signature dishes - roast beef, roast leg of lamb and roasted potatoes, pumpkin and squash. the meats were fantastically marbled, simply flavored and cooked to a medium rare perfection. we were also treated to marc's amazing ratatouille...think fresh sweet roasted peppers, zucchinis and eggplant stewed in tangy tomato. together with mom's yummy sesame honey dressing up the garden salad, the light, simple and refreshing ratatouille complemented the rich meats impeccably. these were both definitely a hit with both dishes polished off in a flash!

while the mains were terrific, this girl made a very deliberate effort to save space for the not one, but two desserts whipped up by auntie ta. i do have to commend auntie ta for balancing the meal with refreshing granitas and her signature pavlova....so it really didn't matter how full one was, the granitas cleansed the palate perfectly and managed to whet everyone's dessert appetites. part sweet, part tang with a subtle champagne kick, the granitas were a refreshing touch after the heavy dinner. the pavlova was really the icing on top of the cake (or meal!)...think crisp and marshmallowy meringue, smothered with freshly whipped cream and topped with fresh blueberries and huge sweet korean strawberries. enough said don't you think? *grin*

not quite your traditional reunion dinner but i think we celebrated the last day of the year of the ox the way the laws know best - with good food, good wine and a rowdy bunch!

the true teochew treasure!

2010-02-11T15:16:00.003+08:00

this girl is happy to finally put together this much delayed and long awaited post on lee kui. situated in the heart of chinatown, this is another one of those places that i grew up dining at. to be honest, i did not have very good memories of lee kui as i associated it with the then dark and dingy lanes of chinatown....with little furry creatures and flying insects hiding in the dark corners surrounding the then coffeeshop. thank goodness for urbanization and modernization, those dark lanes are now a thing of the past! lee kui has grown into a full fledged chinese restaurant and is easily the main stay along bustling mosque street!

one of the main reasons why we are so in love with lee kui is because it serves up some mean teochew classics. we almost always order the same repertoire of dishes when we eat there but we somehow never get tired or bored with the food. i think it is the simple combination of good ingredients, classic flavors, consistent quality and clean presentation that has kept lee kui a favorite. do be warned though that it is so popular that they manage two sittings for dinner (one at 6.30pm, another at 8pm) and is typically filled with big families or huge groups of fairly loud speaking individuals. i would normally not quite like to dine in such an intense place but somehow with lee kui, it just adds to the whole experience!

the must tries at lee kui (at least according to my family!) are the cold crab and jellyfish salad. i'm not a big fan of cold crab but it is one of lee kui's specialties and the rest of the clan get quite a high from these steamed cold sweet crustaceans, so yes, a definite must try (pre-order is advised!). i do dig the jellyfish salad as they toss some generous pieces of these creatures in a sweet plum sauce mix with lots of sesame and crushed nuts. very appetizing and gets your palate all ready for the meal yet to come.

as for mains, we always have the liver and prawn balls mix and the steamed pomfret. depending on the number of people, we sometimes do indulge in the duck stuffed with yam rice or the roast duck in very yummy thick gravy and beancurd (sorry no piccie!). not one for liver, the prawn balls are sufficient to hit the spot for me. think freshly made prawn paste, rolled into golf-ball sized mounds, served immediately after deep frying. dipped in some nice sweet sauce, you can never just have one ball! the pomfret to me, is another of lee kui's specialties....not sure how they do it but they always steam the fish just right such that it is never over or under cooked. sitting in a yummy pool of fish stock (and chinese wine!), the flavors really augment the sweetness of the fish.

veggie-wise, first choice always goes to a serving of freshly stir-fried serving of chives and prawns. think fresh chives and fresh prawns in a creamy part garlic, part salted fish, part oyster sauce based gravy. should we have a bigger crowd or just want to have more greens, second choice for veggies will go to the simple baby kale in garlic. very fresh and fragrant, it even gets a nod from non-veggie lovers!

the meal at lee kui must (and i really mean must!) conclude with a serving of orh ni and jiu jia baos. if i had it my way, i would vote for the jiu jia baos over the orh ni, but given the huge fan base to the smooth, creamy, pumpkin and gingko nut filled yam paste dessert, i would recommend saving space for both desserts. the baos come in both sweet and savory flavors and are honestly quite hard to find now given the amount of effort needed to whip up the skin, mix up the fillings, assemble and then steam and pan fry them! so again, i always indulge, especially with the savory ones as they are fantastic with a touch of homemade sambal!

lee kui (ah hoi) restaurant

8/9/10 mosque street

(65) 6222 3654

happie world nutella day!

2010-02-06T21:22:00.004+08:00

not many people know this, but this girl actually has a nutella & peanut butter sandwich for brekkie almost everyday of the work week. i know you must think i am mad but honestly, i really have not (and will probably not!) ever get tired of the smooth hazelnut chocolate sweetness and salty crunchy peanut butter combination. being world nutella day yesterday (february fifth), i thought i'd pay tribute to the humble hazelnut spread that has fueled many of my days and have contributed to the fun i have messing about in the kitchen!

it was actually just recently that i almost polished off a whole bottle of nutella, in my bid to re-create some caramel nutella crisps that i spotted off the taste spotting webbie. one really can't go quite wrong with a nutella based cookie with a soft caramel centre, also explaining why this recipe is part of another blogger's cookie sharing list! think simple ingredients mashed up quite easily with the trusty kitchen aid and baked equally effortless in the oven for just ten minutes. the most difficult bit in putting these yummy crisps together is the rolling of the cookie dough around mini mars bars (my alternative to the recipe's recommended milk duds) but honestly, it was quite fun...though a tad messy with the use of hands to ball these beauts together!

the outcome....crispy hazelnutty cookies with a soft chewy centre! definitely worthy of a mention and a try out in the kitchen if you happen to be in the mood for some nutella - cookie style!

happie world nutella day peeps!

ps: recipe can be found here (shout out to my kitchen addiction!)

'gone fishing!'

2010-02-02T17:06:00.004+08:00

now that's the sign you get if you ever try to head to charlie's corner on a monday...and also a huge clue to the chilled laid back vibe the place and crew exude at this corner part street cafe, part pub joint! the place definitely brings back memories from way back when pak law would bring the whole family up to changi village and my sis and i would literally go wild for their awesome fish and chips and fresh fruit juices served up in frozen mugs with the signature slab of ice at the bottom of each mug!

having been back there of late, it's good to know that the great things i associate with charlie's corner still remain. happy to also update that they have definitely a couple more good things to remember them by! first....the alcohol. okay...i guess being under the legal age of drinking back then, i would not have cared too much about the drink selection, but a couple of years on, i have to say, charlie's corner does have quite a mean selection of beers and ciders. think pear and peach ciders in addition to the classic apple versions and varieties from australia and sweden....this was like cider heaven! if not for the pending ride back (the bunch of us rode our fixies up to changi from simei) i think i could easily have polished off another bottle of the sweet fizzy nectar!

the food remained as good as i remembered. i went with the recommended chilli dog, although i was tempted to relive my childhood with the fish & chips...but it was all good as the hearty chilli (infused with lots of fresh onions!) really hit the spot for me that evening. g thoroughly enjoyed his porterhouse steak (which was huge by the way!) while the rest of the gang indulged in the fish & chips and chicken chop. we left the place happy and satisfied, and definitely all fueled up for the ride back.

i'll definitely be back soon for more good food and great cider...and of course, the fixie gang in tow!

charlie's corner

2 changi village road

#01-08 changi village market & hawker centre

(65) 6542 0867

the handle on the handburger - part two of worth the calories?

2010-01-28T22:38:00.005+08:00

opened by the folks that run the mean operation over at the soup spoon, the hand burger has been on my list of places to try since they opened. with the cool branding and concept, clean deco and decent reviews to date, i jumped at the chance to have sunday lunch at the city hall outlet...even though i knew it would be a heavy lunch and we were going to have a big dinner later that same day!

the menu - served on a neat wooden block, had quite a variety of burgers ranging from the classic beef types to burgers with salmon and duck confit. deciding was hard, just because everything sounded really good. choosing the appetizers was straightforward though, as g had his eye set on the chilled tomato soup. it was a good call as it was a nice shot glass sized portion of freshly pureed tomato with a touch of avocado and salsa adding a unique dimension to the cool concoction. as with all burger joints, a side of fries is a given but with onion rings also being served, we tried to get one of our two sides switched. unfortunately, they were quick sticky about the swop so we ended up ordering a separate serving of rings. the rings were pretty good...think nicely battered rings of sweet white onion, accompanied by quite an outstanding homemade relish mayo dip. i found them a tad too oily and given that we had the heavy burgers pending, we ended up doggie bagging the lot! all good though as we had them for tea the next day after reheating them up in the oven and they were still yummy!

burger-wise....i was torn between the portobello mushroom burger and the chicken caesar but finally decided to go with the chicken caesar becuase i figured the salad dressing twist might be interesting! presented on a custom-made wooden tray (which i thought was pretty cool!), my burger arrived looking piled high with flavor. abandoning my utensils, i tucked into my burger using my hands (the only way burgers should be eaten by the way!). the flavors were definitely there, from the homemade caesar dressing, creamy mozzarella and toasted sun-dried tomato and olive bun. however, the grilled bacon wrapped chicken breast was a little too over cooked and the basil pesto mushrooms were as a result lost in the shadow of the chicken. g's sirloin tataki was a little better composed....from the thinly sliced marinated sirloin steak strips in black pepper jus, topped with sweet grilled onions and mushrooms to the freshly fried renkon crisps, sandwiched between the same yummy sun-dried tomato and olive bun, the east west flavors and textures definitely came together more synergistically in this one.

whether i would head back to handburger to cash in some calories, to be honest, i would save the calories and detour further west to relish at cluny instead. maybe it was my burger choice this time around, so i just might give the place a second shot with another burger (maybe the portobello) but i have to admit, it is going to be quite hard for the handburger to truly satisfy my burger craving.

the handburger

raffles city

b1-77/78

(65) 6334 4577

worth the calories? - the skinny on skinny pizza

2010-01-26T17:10:00.003+08:00

dinner at skinny pizza happened really by chance, as the plan really was to have ribs at tony roma's. however the first sight of the snaking queue outside the joint immediately made us do an about turn, and i took the opportunity to suggest heading to skinny pizza. having heard quite a bit about the place, i was honestly curious as to what was so special about skinny pizza that has given rise to its growing number of reviews (and outlets!). now that i've been there (and done that), this girl is happy to report that she is ready to present the skinny on skinny pizza!

the part retro part vintage deco immediately caught my attention and got me even more excited about the place. i mean...good food and a great deco and vibe is really the essence of a good makan place no? anyway...the menu did sound special with some pretty unique varieties, mixing and mashing the traditional italian flavors with our local asian influence. even the soups sounded pretty good so we ended up sharing two of the three daily servings- the wild truffle mushroom and curried pumpkin. accompanied by a nice warm slice of focaccia, the soups were well...average. they were both a little thin in texture and missing that special omph. okay for the purposes of sharing and as appetisers but i for one will not recommend filling your tummy up on them.

now for the main deal...the pizzas. we had the recommended squid ink and braised veal skinnys as well as the meatball bolognese for the kids. a definite grade a for presentation but taste wise, i found the crust a little too flaky for my liking. don't get me wrong, thin crust is fantastic but i personally prefer the doughy, heavier crust types instead of this flaky, cracker-like version. the toppings were good though....think homemade meatballs in bolognese sauce, fresh seafood in a ton of squid ink and tender chunks of braised veal, all garnished with a generous serving of fresh rocket.

so to answer the million dollar question of whether skinny pizza is worth the calories...this girl says only if you have great company and don't mind enjoying your pizzas without the base. don't miss the apple cider though....now that is definitely worth the additional cash and calories!

skinny pizza

3 temasek boulevard

#01-002

suntec city galleria

(65) 6333 9774

pork parade!

2010-01-17T22:34:00.004+08:00

having never really been a huge recipe book based chef, i have to admit that i am quite impressed at the level of engagement thomas keller's ad hoc at home has had thus far with pak law. it has got him quite inspired since he received it last christmas, experimenting quite relentlessly with all the new techniques and culinary ideas...and resulting in some amazing roast beef and lamb racks that we enjoyed over the holidays (do click back to mojito's archive!) but for me, the biggest breakthrough was in pak law's repertoire of pork.

it all boiled down to two new techniques - blowtorching or scoring and brining. whilst the blowtorch recipe was for a prime rib roast, pak law used his experience with the beef and translated it to prepare the pork. the end result was quite a fabulous roast pork. think a nice crisp layer of skin topping a a good cut of tender meat, served with pak law's first attempt at a caramelized onion marmalade jam sauce. the meat was good but was still a tad to 'porky' for me, despite the sweetness of the homemade jam sauce. guess pak law too was being a little conservative and kept this initial experimentation small, so we were also treated to a fantastic rack of lamb, grilled potato, squash and pumpkin, and thanks to auntie ta, a serving of the island's best homemade nonya rainbow layer kueh for dinner two weeks back.

unnerved and probably determined to perfect the roast pork, pak law sat the regulars down again last weekend and served up version two of the roast pork loin. this time, an additional brining step was included, with the pork soaked in brine over night before roasting and scoring like before. this time, pak law nailed it....the meat was extremely tender, thanks to the brine which also kept the porky flavor in check. the skin was slightly over scored but i think for most of us, the meat alone was satisfying enough. coupled with stewed apple in apricot preserve, the sweet, salty, tender combination of the meat and fruit was almost perfect!

tre bien pak law and of course, thank you thomas keller!

pu tien - pu dong?

2010-01-16T22:59:00.005+08:00

having passed by the pu tien outlet at tampines a number of times, i have to admit that i never did feel the urge to dine there... maybe it was because it was hidden in a corner of the basement and maybe it was because it never seemed to be as bustling as the all familiar crystal jades, so it kind of left me with the impression that it was well, another one of those crystal jade outlet wannabes and that the food was not all that good. at that point, i really did not know the reputation of pu tien (yes...i just found out that pu tien was listed as one of singapore's top fifty restaurants last year! so much for me as a foodie *blush*!) and so i was really quite impressed with pu tien's cuisine after lunching there last week.

g and i took a while pouring over the menu as the dish variety was a little different from the usual - think drunken cockles, iced bitter gourd and stewed potato chips! we finally decided to give the drunken cockles and mini shrimp with seaweed a go as well as indulge in the huge serving of scallop & crab meat with stewed shark's fin and honey pork ribs.

the cockles and seaweed were fantastic appetizers. blanched and smothered in a minced garlic and chilli sauce, the cockles were fresh and very delicious. the seaweed complemented the cockles, as it had a slight salty, slight tangy and slight mushy texture, helping to really cleanse the palate of the sharpness of the garlic. it was like a cross between mei-chai and preserved olives so if you are like me and love your salted veggies, the seaweed appetizer is a must try!

the soup was decent, although i do have to admit that i've had better (and cheaper!) versions of this classic shark's fin soup. the kampong chicken stewed version might have been a better bet, but then again, having been spoiled with the shark bone cartilage variants, i'll definitely need to try it to say! the honey pork ribs is the other definite try. braised in a yummy sweet part honey part plum sauce, the slab was a generous one and cooked till tender and falling off the bone. it's almost like having stewed pork belly done sweet sour style!

pu tien is most definitely anything but pu dong (ordinary). their pride in the cuisine resounds in every dish and it is no wonder that they have grown tremendously over the past year with another four outlets added to its kitchener road flagship.

p.s.: the servings are quite substantial so it makes a lot more sense (economical included!) to have at least three or four of your friends tucking in with you.

pu tien

4 tampines central 5
#b1-k19/27 tampines mall

(65) 6781 2161

www.putien.com

buono!

2010-01-14T13:11:00.005+08:00

there's something about these off the beaten track type places that always intrigue me and stir up some familiar fantasies of setting up my very own cafe, similar to those that litter the bohemian streets of melbourne and new york....i guess its the laid back vibe these places exude, plus of course, the fact that these places almost always serve up some really authentic and good quality grub that instantly draw me to them. with many of these places really living off recommendations passed around through friends and family, it really is kinda nice when you are told of or treated to a meal at such a place as it really makes one feel that you are in on a fabulous secret! that was precisely how i felt when we headed to buono one evening, thanks to g's brother's recommendation for a family birthday celebration dinner.

really tucked nicely in a corner of serangoon gardens, it was quite amazing how just being a block away from the madness of chomp chomp you actually find a cosy corner rustic italian joint. open by an an italian-singaporean couple, buono apparently has been secretly satisfying the italian cravings of many central dwelling singaporeans. the food is very simple and classically italian - think buffalo mozzarella and tomato type appetisers, pastas ranging from classic bolognaise to low cooked risottos, wood fired pizzas and of course those rich italian desserts. the variety is pretty typical but buono's edge is in its earthy, keeping to tradition type approach that i felt, came out of its dishes.

for starters, we tucked into some fresh buffalo mozz with sweet tomatoes and tender strips of prosciutto wrapped around sweet rock melon. mains around the table saw the pastas dominating and while they were good - think al dente and i think homemade too - i think the pizzas are the one that i would come back for. made fresh (you can actualy watch the chef knead the dough and put your pizza together!) and delivered hot out of those awesome wood fired ovens, i think these classic italian style pizzas are the only way pizzas should be eaten. no deep pan pizzas for me! think fresh crisp bready base, homemade tomato paste and generous mozzarellas forming the foundation of any of buono's pizzas (i particularly love the signature pizza with its overflowing portion of fresh rocket!), buono definitely gets my vote for serving up some authentic pizzas.

do remember to save space for dessert, especially if you are molten chocolate cake type of person. buono serves up quite a mean rendition! we didn't have tummy space to try any other of the more classic italian sweets so the mental note's been made for the return visit!

buono

27 lichfield road

(65) 6733 5646

the colors of life!

2010-01-08T16:29:00.004+08:00

the first work week of 2010 passed by surprisingly quickly for me...i do admit it was somewhat of a surprise that returning to the grind seemed to be less painful than i expected and i would like to think that it is because i made a pact with myself to keep calm and carry on, believe that every cloud has a silver lining and to genuinely get excited and do things! i guess that explains my recent affinity to color, among other happie things...and i thought i'd just share with all some of this really pretty happie piccies.....

huge shout out to veer.com, one of my favorite webbies for design and creative inspiration - i got these fantastic pictures from and also blatantly stole their category title *blush*.

be inspired and do embrace the colors of life this weekend and throughout twenty-ten!
happie fridae from mojitos!

homestyle japanese

2010-01-07T22:26:00.005+08:00

megumi japanese restaurant has been a stone's thrown away from my place for the longest time and its funny how we almost never think of heading there whenever we are in the mood of some jap fare. i guess its largely because we usually have little choice with my nephew's vote swinging to the established big name chain restaurant, and also me with my brain wired to associate jap with a few trusted places. in any case, after the recent experience at megumi, some re-wiring has occurred such that when i think japanese, megumi will pop up in my head, together with the rest on my trusty jap joints list!

what really stood out for me at megumi was the fact that despite being tucked on the quieter side of siglap, the place was still packed with diners, some of which were japanese too! it was a little noisy but i guess the food and the service staff made up for the slight chaos. the menu had some unique dishes...think charcoal udon, hokubee steak and UFO makis, all of which i made a mental note to try next time as i had to scratch a unagi and sashimi itch that evening!

so between g and i, we tucked into a nice hotstone bowl full of unagi don, a plateful of salmon and herring sashimi, soup brewed from the bones of the herring, one grilled mackarel and a side of softshell crab tempura style. everything was very good, from the fresh melt in your mouth sashimi to the korean inspired garlic infused unagi don, megumi did an excellent job staying true to its japanese roots while infusing some unique flavors into their dishes. the herring was a pleasant surprise recommendation from one of their staff who suggested us try it since it was one of their freshest fish that day and could be enjoyed in more than one way. turned out he was right, the fish done sashimi style was delicious. sweet slices of fish garnished with bits of ginger and lots of spring onion resulting in a slight chinese raw fish tasting flavor that augmented the sweetness of the fresh fish. the soup too was outstanding...better than the traditional teapot version in my book, so much so that we made sure we didn't leave any last drops!

so there...good food, good value and close to home. another jap joint to add to the list of places to go, even with family!

p.s.: they have another outlet in the west, so westerners have no fear!

megumi japanese restaurant

77 upper east coast road

#02-03 lodge 77

(65) 6243 0700

block 106 clementi street 12
#01-38
(65) 67791411

happie twenty-ten!

2010-01-01T15:08:00.004+08:00

as this will be the first post of the new decade, i'd thought that there would be nothing better to kick off a new year then to share with all three of my part resolutions, part mantras *grin*

wishing all a fabulous year ahead!

thank you for keeping up with mojitos and all its madness!

christmas kitchen messings - one step at a time!

2009-12-28T19:32:00.012+08:00

another one of the reasons why this girl loves christmas, is the fact that it gives me the opportunity to mess about in the kitchen and whip up (at least try to whip up!) some yummy cookies and sweet treats to pass on to good friends as part of the holiday festivities. i would have liked to mess around a little bit more but with everything that was going on, i have only so far managed to work through three new recipes and am hoping to experiment a little bit more the rest of 2009!

for the fantastic crew at my old office, i decided to try out two new recipes discovered through the fantastic montage at tastespotting.com. with a cookie name like cafe volcano, and ingredients like almonds, walnuts, espresso powder and an egg white meringue base, i knew this cookie would be a hit. they were surprisingly easy to make (from dorie greenspan's baking: from my home to yours) and although i did over estimate the time to roast the nuts (yes, the recipe did highlight the need to be careful!), the cookies still came out nice and crisp, with a strong coffee hint and nutty flavor.

the other recipe i absolutely had to try was the chocolate caramel cookie brittle. yup...think a salty cookie brittle base, smoothered with a sweet creamy caramel layer and topped with a thick layer of melted chocolate. enough said don't you think? *grin*

for the last and most recent kitchen messing, i decided to try out a classic chocolate chip cookie recipe from the book 'baking: one step at a time' which i got sometime back. i think it is a secret dream for all aspiring bakers to be able to whip up a good batch of this classic cookie and to be honest, it is extremely hard to get it right...as there are those who like these crunchy, while others (me included) like the cookies soft and chewy. in any case, these recipe churned out some pretty crunchy flatish cookies that were surprisingly good. they were a tad too salty but were other than that, yummy enough for me to consider already whipping up another batch and serving them up between some homemade ice cream!

here's looking forward to more kitchen messings before the year runs out! check back soon for more!

ps: do leave a comment and contact if you want any of the recipes yah? didn't want to make this post too long!

don't you just love christmas?

2009-12-25T23:21:00.005+08:00

okay i do have to admit that thirty hours ago, i really wasn't in much of a christmas mood or spirit...i guess with everything that's going on in my life, i kinda got distracted and caught up in the roller coaster that i forgot what christmas should be about. guess god does work in mysterious ways and i was reminded that despite all the negativity that i seem to be drowning myself in, i am in fact actually extremely blessed. so before i show off the gorgeous christmas lunch spread that we were treated to today, i absolutely have to say that i am thankful for g and my family (extended included!), for all the love... nothing really defines christmas better than being surrounded by people you love, and people who love you no matter what.

just in case you didn't know, the law clan's pretty unique in that we express ourselves best through our food so i'll just let the piccies show how the law clan celebrates and embraces life & love *grin*!

by the way, everything was home cooked...from the turkey, ham and lamb to the three course dessert (sorry there was the skillet cookies that I didn't manage to capture because they were gobbled down in a flash!)!

i love christmas...don't you? *wink*

happie christmas from mojitos!

2009-12-25T11:43:00.004+08:00

enjoy, indulge and have a blast all!

one six b's welcome home dinner

2009-12-18T16:19:00.002+08:00

i know it has been all quiet on the one six b front and i am deeply sorry for not giving all at least a heads up that the kitchen would actually be closed a large part of november and december as pak law jets about, taking a break from the cooking and stretching his legs on the golf course! the dessert kitchen too, albeit located at the other end of the island, was also closed for the past month or so but for the very different reason of remodeling! the re-surfacing of the one six b thread is thus officially marked with this post, with pak law back in the kitchen from down under - eight kilos of meat in tow no less (yes eight!), and auntie ta busying herself in her new kitchen, fully decked out i hear with a spanking new oven!

it has most definitely become a one six b ritual now that every time anyone flies home from australia, he or she will be tasked to go to butcher X, buy a specific cut of meat (okay, sometimes several cuts of meat) and hand carry it back for the welcome home dinner the day of or the next day following arrival. pak law carried almost equal halves of prime rib and leg of lamb this trip home and reopened the kitchen with his signature prime rib roast (ala thomas keller style) and roast leg of lamb.

as much as i do agree that a good quality cut of meat does make a world of difference to its taste, i have to admit that there is some skill needed in balancing the precise timing and temperatures needed to cook the meat to the perfect state. pak law has somehow mastered the technique and works purely by feel....no timers, no meat thermometers, nothing! the end result is a flavorful roast - seasoned only with salt and pepper and accompanied by a touch of horse radish, the meat was tender, moist and pink on the inside, encased by a light and crispy, slight burnt layer. no one described the tenderness and texture of the meat better then uncle d who exclaimed on his first bite that it tasted like sashimi! this is without a doubt one of pak law's best servings of the prime rib roast....and if he charred the outer layer a little bit more, the meat would come quite close to that served at the renowned peter lugers!

the beef was good, but i was personally blown away by the leg of lamb. working with a butterflied leg of lamb instead of the usual rack, i found this cut a lot more tender, flavorful and overall just excellent. these slices literally melt in your mouth and explode with flavor, slightly different from the rack, which is still good by the way, in that the meat in the rack's slight more textured and just that bit more chewy. i had three slices of the gorgeous meat and am now secretly hoping that the upcoming reunion dinner will feature the butterflied lamb leg again!

nothing could have completed the meal any better than auntie ta's yummy-licious pavlova. baked in her brand new oven, the pavlova had the pristine white and perfectly marshmallow-y meringue base, freshly whipped cream and ultra fresh and sweet korean strawberries and blueberries. it was truly bliss!

it is without a doubt that we were spoiled rotten that evening (three bottles of wine accompanied the dinner too!) but i guess there really isn't any better way to celebrate coming home then good food enjoyed in the presence of great family!

recess anytime at the canteen!

2009-12-17T11:45:00.005+08:00

next to restaurant les amis, the canteen is probably the most established outlet living along the flanks of shaw centre. having passed by the place several times heading to yoga, this girl made many mental notes to check the place out, especially after seeing yummy pictures of local inspired grub and the clean open concept of the place.

we finally made it there last saturday for a late brunch..okay make it lunch, and as i poured over the menu and sneaked side-way glances at what other people were tucking into, i was honestly torn between the chicken and mushroom pie (i was thinking puff pastry!), the teriyaki chicken burger (thanks to the boy wolfing in down on my right!) and the x.o sauce lo shi fun. the lo shi fun won in the end...just because it reminded me of my recess adventures in primary school, filled with mee tai mak versions of mee pok ta *grin*. of course, the unique description of the dish - x.o sauce, chilli sauce, minced pork, green beans and century egg - piqued my interest as to how this dish would actually taste. as it turned out, the lo shi fun was pretty outstanding. al dente mouse tail noodles tossed in spicy chilli oil and x.o sauce, enveloped with mashed century egg and earthy mince and beans gave the dish fantastic texture. the flavours were in perfect harmony with the chillis and x.o. sauces holding back the sometimes overpowering ammonia taste of the century egg and the mashed egg too balancing the spicy and saltiness. no regrets on this one and i'd head back for more of this childhood inspired dish!

g had the swiss mushroom and cheese burger which was not bad. served with fries that i swear tasted like mckie d's fries, the burger was made with a fresh homemade beef patty, melted swiss cheese, mushrooms and held by a soft sweet bun. the patty was a little over done, and more mushrooms would have made the burger a little more outstanding but i guess it was still good.

as for the sweets, i was a little disappointed that they didn't have the goreng pisang katsu (king of banana deep fried with vanilla ice cream) that day but we managed to get our sugar dose of chocolate and coffee through the ice blended milocinno. a pretty good a concoction with a strong coffee flavor and hint of the oh-so familiar milo.

les amis really displayed its ability to appeal to the masses with some good local infused fare at the canteen while staying true to what the chain is really known for - good quality food and good service. three years since its revamp, i think the canteen has found its niche and will continue to satisfy the crowd here, local and foreigners alike!

the canteen

1 scotts road

#01-01b shaw centre

back in bangkok - the tlc edition!

2009-12-10T21:29:00.007+08:00

the fantastic thai food and gastronomic experiences available in bangkok is just one of the reasons this girl hearts bangkok. there are in actual fact two other reasons - the awesome t-dub or thai wake park for some water (and air!) time to work off some of those calories and the acclaimed traditional thai massages.

having raved about t-dub in my earlier post, i thought i'd share where we went for some tlc in bangkok. this trip, we re-visited the now familiar asian herb association and ventured to somewhat new ground by tracking down let's relax and indulging in a four hands massage at spa 1930.

four hands you say? yes...and before anyone gets the wrong idea (we are in thailand after all!), this four hands massage is what i would coin the massage of the season. think total relaxation and complete bliss brought about by two therapists working on your entire body in perfect unison, kneading and massaging away the knots, stress and worrys of the world. it was total and i mean total calm i experienced, despite tight shoulders and a slightly stiff neck. it is a good thing we left this for the last as i think after the ninety minute pampering, i for one will find any other massage a little lacking! the treatment is a little more pricey with spa 1930 opened by a friend of the royal princess, but i believe it was well worth every baht!

spa 1930

42 soi tonson

lumpini

bts: chidlom

www.spa1930.com

we actually intended to have the four hands treatment at let's relax but they were booked solid that evening so we settled for the standard dream package of foot, hand and back massage. the treatment was as good as i remembered from our experiences at the let's relax joints in phuket and we would definitely be back with a pre booking for a four hands massage at the let's relax next time! slight heads up though, this outlet is kind deep in the soi so do cab it in and remember to ask the driver to go by the meter!

let's relax

sukumvit soi 39

bts: phrom phong

www.letsrelaxspa.com

i know i didn't mention too much about the asian herb association other than in the very first post on mojitos way back in 2007, so thought i'd round up this post with a quick kudo shout out to the fantastic service at all outlets. asian herb, like let's relax, is one of those places where you are sure to have a good relaxing experience. with professional staff and variety in terms of treatment, asian herb association will always get a nod from me....helps too that you can walk in and almost always not have to wait!

asian herb association

@ sukumvit 24 (near emporium)

bts: phrom phong

@ sukumvit 55 thong lor

bts: thong lor

www.asianherbassociation.com

till the next time this girl hits the relax button....do feel free to share with mojitos any other tlc places!