canele

there is not doubt that canele is probably the place to go for kick ass chocolates and mind blowing desserts...i mean when i don't know what to get for pak law...a box of canele handmade chocolates and truffles will definitely always does the trick *wink*. but this post isn't to rave about canele's chocolates but more to give a big shout out for extending its culinary finesse beyond the sweet endings and into its entrees, sides and mains.

dinner was a little late last friday evening but we manage to hit the new canele at paragon at the perfect time, post dinner and pre coffee so it had a nice quiet cafe buzz to it. i was craving pizza that evening and was literally spoilt for choice so heeding the maitre'd's recommendation, i indulged and had the big breakfast for dinner! plastered with a half boiled egg, the pizza was layered with fresh tomato paste, pepperoni and bacon and baked fresh on not your usual doughy pizza base but on a rather more like the slightly flaky dough, similar to that used in the classic chinese red bean pancakes. it definitely hit the spot for me but unless you really are hungry, this big breakfast can easily satisfy two.

as i predicted, g had the bolognaise and poached egg with parmesan cheese doria, translated to simply mean awesome bolognaise baked rice with a perfectly poached egg. i really enjoyed the mouthfuls i had...think tangy yet sweet tomatoes stir fried in minced beef, covering short grain rice and enveloped with a generous portion of freshly grated parmesan cheese. topped with the warmth of the gooey runny egg, this not only was a visual piece of work with the warm colours, it tasted pretty good as well. what i didn't expect was g's choice of soups... i had my bet on either the cream of mushroom or the minestrone but i think g chose right with the corn and clam chowder. bursting with flavours of sweet corn and sea saltyness of the clams, the soup, served with homemade garlic pesto bread, was a good appetiser, whetting the appetite without over filling our tummies before dinner.

dessert honestly wasn't in my plan, although i did spot the crepes section in the menu and made a mental note to come back for them another day! but g seemed taken by the possibility of a nutella crepe so i saved half of my pizza in a doggie bag and dedicated the rest of my tummy space to the heavenly nougatine. filled with nutella, salty caramel, caramelized filo, nougatine ice cream and vanilla crème chantilly...no one and i mean no one will be disappointed with this sweet crepe. whole wheat crepes layered with generous spreads of nutella and topped with home made nougatine ice cream and a touch of salty caramel...if one ever needed a definition of dessert bliss...this pretty much will be it!

canele patisserie chocolaterie (and cafe!)
290 orchard road
#b1-25 paragon
(65) 6733 8893
www.canele.com.sg

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la cuisine française

that is jean-charles dubois...chef at the french kitchen, whom i caught very much by surprise by trying to get some piccies of the buzz in the kitchen. i wasn't quite sure if i was allowed to take pics but the smile from chef dubois after this shot, set me at ease. the reason i was curious about the kitchen (and yes, i was hoping to get a glimpse of the chef at work) is because g and i were half way through the pretty delectable degustation menu and i just had to see the going ons in the teeny kitchen.

it was a six course immersion into some quintessential french dining. the atmosphere was intimate, food delicately prepared and creatively presented, and the service was fabulous. keeping in tune with the entire experience, this girl is gonna try something different this time and practice her french with a quick run down of the courses, each paired with a french adjective *grin*

apéritif un: saumon fume mimosa ~ harmonie (harmony)
(home smoked salmon with traditional garnish of finely chopped egg, parsley, capers, shallots and horseradish cream)

apéritif deux: terrine de joue de boeuf et foie gras - crémeux (creamy)
(angus beef cheek and duck liver terrine, pommery mustard dressing and printaniere salad)

potage: bisque de homard - réconfortant (heartwarming)

(traditional lobster bisque with tiger prawns beignet and leek custard - chef dubois' family recipe)

interruption: le trou d'angers - régénération (refreshing)
(poached pear angevine granite)

entré un: carre d'agneau - offre (tender)
(roasted rack of lamb, apricot and raisin fine wheat grain, confit turnip, harissa scented jus gras)

entré deux: cabillaud - subtile (subtle)
(slow cooked cod fish with sauteed baby spinach,mouclaude emulsion and crispy farmer bread crouton)

dessert: sabayon aux fruits de foret - parfait (perfect)
(gratinated warm frothy cream of egg yolk and champagne with forest berries)

petit fours - mignon (cute)
(chocolate macroons)

truly a hidden gem, the french kitchen may be a small outfit, but it most definitely explodes with effervescence and character.

the french kitchen
7 magazine road
central mall #01-03
(65) 6438 1823
www.thefrenchkitchen.com.sg

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gorgeous gunther's

with plans made as early as january, the regulars at one six b were quite happy to give pak law a break from the kitchen the weekend of his birthday, and head out for a night at one of the much talked about places in town at the moment - gunther's. 

right from the time we stepped in, we were immediately well taken care of by the fantastic service staff. from the arrangement of our table in the private room to the detailed attention to our needs (including the one from the kids), the staff really made us at home and the entire experience truly memorable. dinner started off with a champagne toast, and an additional order of special spanish gammon ham that pak law spotted on the way in...both of which i do have to profess, were well worth the additional investment! the champagne (sorry i don't know the name of the bottle we ordered!) was very good...refined, part sweet part dry, with a never ending stream of pretty bubbles *grin* this went very well with the freshly baked mini baguettes and whipped butter. even better with the warm crusty breads were the smokey slices of marbled ham. brought in all the way from spain, the ham was sliced just right, smoked just right, giving it a rich salty flavor and an unusual (in a good way) texture. 

the first official course was the egg cocoon. think warm frothy egg white enveloping a runny egg yolk, infused with a touch of cocoa and spice (i think!), we were all blown away just by the myriad of flavors and textures with just one teaspoonful of the dish. hors d'oeuvre number two was a carpaccio of wagyu beef (grade 9!) done tartare style and served with potato crisps. with a grade 9, we all knew we were in for a treat and would have been quite happy to just have the beef as is! but chef gunther put together such an awesome mustardy, masala-y sauce that brought out the awesome flavor of the beef, we would have picked up the plates to lick them clean if we could!

a clear mushroom consomme bridged the meal perfectly, closing the course of hor d'oeuvres and whetting our appetites for the mains. the consomme was earthy and had a touch of beef flavors in the background but it was mainly sweet due to the medley of different mushrooms used to concoct the refreshing soup. with most mushroom soups done creamy, chef gunther really stepped things up by flipping the usual ordinary cream soup to quite an extraordinary bowl of goodness!

we were further spoiled with two outstanding mains...first, the sicilian vongole pasta. this girl literally fell in love with the pasta on first bite! cooked fantastically al dente, tossed in a delicate and perfect mix of olive oil, fresh garlic, chilli and the brine of the fresh juicy clams (they were specially flown in from sicily!), coupled of course with the flavorful clams themselves, this was one vongole bursting with so much flavor that chef gunther's definitely got my vote for the best pasta vongole in singapore! the second main was a true indulgence with all of us treated to thick slabs of roasted kurabota pork, nestled on a bed of apple compote and slice of handmade potato crisp. crisp on the outside, yet moist and with an almost melt in your mouth texture, the pork again was another example of chef gunther's innovation of keeping the ingredients and dish simple yet in combination producing a harmonious blend of flavors. 

the finale to the dinner was chef gunther's signature apple tart with rum and raisin ice cream. just typing this already makes me wish i could taste it right now! think the crispy texture of a flaky pastry pancake, enveloping a warm candied mixture of apple, topped with sprinkles of roasted almonds and icing sugar...this dessert was hot yet cold, tangy yet sweet, crispy yet moist...it is no wonder this is the restaurant's signature. inspired (we think!) by the cantonese styled red bean pancake, this was given a western twist and refined several folds over to produce a definite winner. post dessert treats were handmade petit fours that were once again a runway hit. both the caneles and chocolate egg discs were freshly made, not too sweet and hence perfectly complemented the illy cuppas we had.

ahh...if i had one word to describe the culinary experience at gunther's, it would most definitely be 'gorgeous'! i hope we have yet another occasion to head back!

ps: happy birthday pak law....we love you!

gunther's

36 purvis street

(65) 6338 8955

www.gunthers.com.sg

note: kids below 7 are usually not allowed in but hint here is too keep them occupied!

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sister shops

with it being the holiday season and all, this girl can't find a better excuse not to indulge in a few good meals...hence explaining the plethora of posts that i'm putting up! *grin* it was really by coincidence that in the span of two days, g and i headed to two familiar outlets, located at different places from the ones we had our first visits to.

first up was lunch at ma maison. this time we headed to what i would think would be the main branch here in singapore, located at a little corner of the food extension side of bugis junction. the menu was a little bigger than the one at the central, with more variety in their hamburger steaks, gratin and appetizer lists.

remembering how yummy the gratin was the last time, g decided to have the classic ma maison gratin. think seashell pasta smothered in a tuna and corn cream mix and baked to slightly crisp. one taste of the gratin instantly brought back childhood memories of gratin meals at a little japanese outfit called petit monde in isetan parkway eons ago! the japanese definitely has got this classic french style dish down pat with a nice asian touch to it. the gratin was not too big a portion, allowing one to really enjoy the entire creamy dish without feeling overly stuffed. i had the classic japanese chasoba salad..which hit a spot with the mix of japanese mayo and sesame dressing. it was a nice refreshing starter cum main which was complemented by the cream of corn soup that g and i shared. now...this is yet another thing that i think the japanese make very well. like the gratin, the soup had just the right amount of cream and a lot of little bits of corn making the soup really sweet and yummy to drink. i don't usually have corn soup but after being introduced to the one at mos burger and now this one at ma maison, it will be corn soup for me only at japanese joints!

ma maison
200 victoria street
#02-51 parco bugis junction
(65) 6338 4819

partly driven by a slight craving for black pork and partly to get away from the madness of the crowd on christmas day in town, g and i headed to liang court to give tampopo, sister to tom ton, a try. the place was a buzz even at about 8 that evening, almost full with families of japanese expatriates. we were a little disappointed after going through the menu as we were subconsciously hoping for a larger black pork dish list...but it turned out all good, with me having the house specialty shabu shabu black pork ramen and g having the katsu curry. the ramen was very well done...cooked al dente in rich creamy pork bone broth (cooked over 2 days no less!) with slivers of black pork, tampopo will be one place this girl will head to again for authentic japanese ramen.

the katsu curry must be the other specialty of tampopo as many diners were tucking into the dish, giving the restaurant a hint of curry fragrance throughout. the pork cutlet was breaded and fried just right, keeping the meat moist on the inside. the curry had a little more asian curry flavour than i think most other japanese curry have, giving the dish a nice spicy and aromatic bite to the dish. it was a good dinner...nice and somewhat quietly busy...and i think we will be back soon for more value for money japanese specialties.

tampopo
177 river valley road
#b1-50 liang court shopping centre
(65) 6338 3186

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marvellous ma maison

g and i have been wanting to get a table at ma maison ever since we discovered it in a little corner on the 3rd floor of central few months back...but due to the very small outfit, dinner on a friday night meant at least a thirty minute wait. but it was all good. kinda was a blessing in disguise that we accepted the invite to sit by the counter....gave us a bird's eye view of the kitchen so i was secretly glad *grin*

we had the all the 'must trys' of the menu - escargots, seafood gratin and the hamburger steak with the signature brown sauce. the escargots were served sizzling in a metal plate, nestled on a bed of sea salt. the quick flash of flames was a really nice touch, giving the snails the nice out of the pan freshness. as for the gratin...i only have four words. melt in the mouth! g warned me that it was creamy but this sort of creamy i like! not overly rich, just the right amount of cream and cheese to give you a full flavour. the prawns and scallops were fresh too but what won me over was how the pasta was cooked till soft, adding the additional sweetness to this sinful awesome dish and making it literally melt in the mouth.

we had a first hand view of how their signature hamburger steak was prepared...with precision down to actually weighing out the meat. served with ma maison's signature brown sauce (ingredients still unknown!) the steak was a refreshing change from the usual slab of meat. guess the japanese decided to cut to the chase and focus on what is the main deal with burgers, the pattie! hence giving birth to this version of the hamburger. definitely worth a try if you haven't done already...best bit is that they serve it either in a large or small portion so you can have room for other yummy things (read the gratin!)!

a fun and refreshing perspective of the japanese influence on classic western dishes. we'll be headed to their main branch at bugis really soon!

full piccie link here

ma maison
6 eu tong sen street
central #03-96
(65) 63278122

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