The Chocolate Reindeer

Old Airport Road Food Centre

2011-07-25T10:01:00.002+08:00

I'll let you in on a secret.

DH and I, we have a lunch date once a week. We drop off the kids for their chinese class at 1.30 pm, and only need to pick them up at 3pm. We have a late lunch at the nearby hawker centre.

And it has been sooo good. Luckily for us, this hawker centre is famous for its gastronomic delights.

In fact I havent finished indulging in all of them yet.

This one is my favourite, chee cheong fun with your choice of filling - mushroom, charsiew or prawn. Just last week, I chose all 3, and it made for a filling lunch (haha, pun intended).

Doesnt look like much, but it is super delicious.

This one was famous, but I didnt quite like it, it was too dry and didnt come with the sambal chili that I have come to associate fried prawn mee with.

In other news, Cutie had a school performance and he was great.

And Sweetie is now officially a teenager because she has discovered make-up.

have a good week my friends!

Royal Carribbean Cruise

2011-07-20T11:08:00.005+08:00

We thought a cruise might not be a bad idea for kids and old folks.

Royal Carribbean seemed expensive, but heard decent reviews so we gave it a try.

Foodwise, there was a decent variety. A commonroom buffet restaurant and a nice sit down dinner room.

Sleeping arrangements were also good enough. There was a sofa pull out big enough for 2 kids.

we got to go on a day trip to Phuket.

We got to have fresh coconut juice.

Sweetie was not too impressed by it.

We sat at the balcony on the balmy evenings.

Sweetie liked hanging out on the balcony too.

We got to do some shopping at the Duty free shops.

Boys enjoyed shopping too.

For sweetie, the highlight was drinking the little cups of milk in the fridge every night.

Seoul Garden Hot Pot @ HarbourFront Centre

2011-07-19T14:34:00.003+08:00

Had a team lunch here, and it was really not bad. Quite affordable, lunch sets were around $10 or perhaps slightly more if you add in dessert and a drink.

Here is my kimchi seafood pot. It comes with korean tang hoon (glass noodles) inside so its really filling. I didnt eat much of my rice. Top up about $3 for korean banchan (side dishes) like pickles.

This really refreshing korean ginseng drink with red dates costs only $3.90 and it tastes good. Healthy too.

Spent the weekend with batman and princess aurora.

we also went to Ryan's 6th party. Cutie totally had fun.

Sweetie too.

Check out the Angry Birds cake! So cute!

Hungry in Hungary

2011-06-27T15:09:00.009+08:00

I miss you readers just as much as you miss me... Yes, all 3 of you, you know who you are. (DH is not included in this list btw, he doesnt even come here, we can talk about DH to our hearts' content, yayy!)

So he brought me to Hungary and France. Sort of like a 2nd honeymoon almost. It was romantic and lovely and we could talk and hold hands and do all the stuff that we did before kids came along. We missed the kids so much of course... but it was soo good to be adults again. and not just parents. And he spoilt me rotten. We went everywhere I wanted to go, and we ate everything that I wanted to try.. and everything that I wanted, even if it was just a random comment, he bought. He was determined to make it a wonderful holiday for me... and he indulged me excessively! And he refused even a tiny gift!! We were at LV and he bought me 2 things (shan't tell you what) from there... and I wanted to sneak some cufflinks for him.. but he caught me and flatly refused..

We did loads of touristy things.. and ate at only touristy places like Champs Elysee, Eiffel Tower, St Stephen's Basilica.. This will be the one holiday that I will remember forever.. it's even better than my 1st honeymoon... honest! We were older and had been working long enough to afford luxuries that we other wise wouldnt have... and it was so so amazing.

first meal of macaron, in transit from Paris to Budapest

Foie Gras, first meal in Budapest, in our hotel room.

traditional hunter's soup with tarragon and wild mushrooms

Paprika chicken with roasted potatoes, another hungarian traditional dish

Chocolate Almond Crepes, hot favourite.

This was our first dinner that we had in a hungarian restaurant near the hotel..

My hungarian bean soup, was basically tomato broth with beans and some ham. Tasty, but nothing very exciting.

DH's hungarian goulash tasted similar to the bean soup. Just with more savoury additions like meaty things. The last Hungarian speciality was a traditional fisherman's soup. It arrived looking the same as the other soups, but oh my, what a pong! It was made with some preserved fish, i think it was herring (because I saw it at the breakfast spread) and my my it was very very fishy! Think sardines made into a soup. We all couldnt take more than 1 sip.

DH had the recommended Dunacorso chicken steak with goose liver. Its a speciality of the restaurant and a traditional hungarian dish. It was interesting, but again, not really to our taste.

I had the river catfish stew with cottage cheese pasta. Also interesting.

River Cruise, against the Parliament House. We are so in love. with Budapest, and with each other. Can you tell?

Hello!

2011-06-23T17:14:00.003+08:00

HI my friends...

I miss you and I miss this blog... No time to blog, no time no time..

But, I did manage to try some new and interesting things recently:

escargot in France taste better!

Chic Parisienne at a French Bistro!

French Champagne also tastes better in France!

Pots of Steaming mussels - I had mine in dijon mustard and mushroom sauce and DH had his in white wine bacon and cream sauce. He liked mine more cause it was less jelat, but delicious all the same!

And here is my hungarian milkmaid and hungarian footballer saying hello.

More pics of hungarian eats to come. Hungarian goulash?

Cut by Wolfgang Puck @ Marina Bay Sands

2011-04-07T10:30:00.005+08:00

made a reservation at Cut at MBS. Been wanting to go for a long time... and we finally went on a Friday after work. Date night! Made arrangements for DM to babysit. Thanks loads, Mom!

So DH was a little late so i had a cocktail at the bar. It was a Cut original called Crouching tiger something dragon and it was a citrusy drink, very refreshing.

Then we had a complimentary starter, quite nice. Forgot what it was. Some kind of cheese bread nugget I think.

Then we had THE MOST AMAZING grilled bone marrow. It was creamy, melt-in-the-mouth, oh so decadently indulgently luxuriously delish. More more more please!

DH had the bone in ribeye...

And I had the NY striploin... they were both delish, and very expensive. But very amazing cos they were aged you know, so lots of wastage in aging the meat but so meaty and oomph. See the Maillard effect? My colleague MOKY says that is indicative of a good steak.

No sides, we ordered mushrooms and onions.. DH's pick. They count as vegetables he says. Delish too, but also ex. Like honestly, would you pay 20 bucks for a side of onions and another 24 for a side of mushrooms? Will you?

Medium rare in the middle, the only way to eat a good steak.

Cutie and Sweetie wouldnt stop calling, asking when we were getting home and "why were we taking so long".... By the 4th phone call, DH picked up my phone and told them to stop calling. :p

They were quite well occupied, nevertheless.

But very happy that we were home!

Table 66 @ 66 Tras Street

2011-04-05T08:59:00.005+08:00

Gotta love restaurant week!! It's my first time participating in it, and it's a really good deal! Wows. Next time I will book more restaurants. This one, MOKY booked it for us, but wasnt able to make it. So the rest of us had loads of fun!

It was so funny cos all the way there we were making silly jokes, like how the name of the restaurant was very original, because it was named after its address (which is a pretty common thing here no?)

and that since Table 66 is a restaurant that serves Modern European cusine, then RM (who is from London) is a true blue Modern European will be the one who can fully appreciate it?!

haha. fun.

Really good complimentary bread. This onion bun was soft, slightly crusty, warm and delicious. I think the standard of bread has really improved in recent years. Amazing.

For all of us. Each had an individual serving of butter, a thin slice but just right. Hate it when it's too much, what a waste.

we shared a sous vide egg with iberico ham grilled asparagus and hollandaise sauce. Because MOKY bought a sous vide machine and has been making sous vide eggs at home. And we wanted to try it out.

Then we each ordered a wild mushroom soup with truffle croutons chives and fresh cream.

We all also ordered the same thing - grilled beef tenderloin with garlic mashed potatoes, cherry tomatoes and beans.

The dessert of the day was a passionfruit tart with raspberry mousse. very tart.

All that for $25! Dont you love Restaurant Week?

Something Funny

2011-03-31T03:39:00.002+08:00

Been really busy at work these days... no time to upload my eating pics, and not much time to eat either.

anyway, here's something funny that i came across recently:

Famous Last Words

"What does this button do?"

"So, you're a cannibal."

"Nah, I don't think we need to go to the hospital."

"My brakes are fine."

"Don't touch the red button!"

"Nice doggy. "

"Noo these windows are ok to lean on"

"Did anyone check the oxygen tanks before we dived into the ocean?"
.
.
.
.
.
and my personal favourite.
.
.
.

"yeah, I guess you do look a little fat in that dress"

heheheh. I made some of the above up myself! *giggle*

add more to the list if you have any!

have a great week!

J Pot Steamboat @ Vivocity

2011-03-10T14:46:00.006+08:00

It was a rainy afternoon and I had been craving steamboat all week. YS kindly acceded to my request to come here for lunch even though she had already been here during the week.

The wide assortment of condiments that you get to pick from.

The seafood set for 2 was abundant, and wayy more food than we could finish.

The clams and prawns were very fresh! And not sandy!

I picked the tom yam soup base. It was great, exactly how I wanted it. YS had the imperial broth.

I am most pleased with my 2 unique concoctions. Everything tasted great with them. On the left: spring onion, chili padi, minced raw garlic in soya sauce and on the right: sacha sauce with fried garlic and chili oil.

thanks for lunch YS!

Chwee Kueh @ Bedok Interchange Hawker Centre

2011-03-10T14:13:00.008+08:00

The one thing you just cannot get in Sydney is Chwee Kueh. No way. Dim Sum (they call it Yum Cha there) yes, Curry and Prata yes, even chicken rice and char kway teow yes. But not my all-time favourite breakfast food - chwee kueh.

So one rainy morning, I made my way to Bedok Interchange Hawker Centre for breakfast. Some say the best chwee kueh is at Tiong Bahru. Lies, I tell you. The best food is found right here in the East.

There are 2 stalls selling chwee kueh here. And in the interest of giving you my dear readers the latest scoop on the best chwee kueh in town, I tried both stalls. It's not because I am a glutton. Stop sniggering. I hear you still doing it, DS.

This is Bedok Chwee Kueh, it is the stall that faces the interchange.

The queue is significantly longer here, but it moves quickly.

This is a branch of the famous tiong bahru chwee kueh.

No queue, except that there was a lady in front of me.

And now we begin the taste test.

The chwee kueh from the bedok stall. The kueh was soft and wobbly and very good. The chai poh (preserved vegetable) on it was spread in the middle, but there was a good ratio of chai poh to chwee kueh. The chai poh here is clearly the star. It was fragrant, slightly oily, and mixed with white and black sesame seeds, which released a distinct nutty sweet and salty aroma. It was delicious.

The chwee kueh from Tiong Bahru. The kueh was comparable to the one above. The chai poh was meticulously portioned out on each kueh. The ratio was right. The chai poh, although very good, did not impress me. It just did not have the oomph and fragrance of the chwee keuh from bedok, and it also did not have that nutty bite. It was also slightly oily.

With a warm cup of soya bean milk... it was a comforting breakfast.

The thing about eating at hawker centres is that these old people will approach you to buy tissue paper? And while I hear a lot of criticism about funding this trend because they could be from syndicates and whatnot, i just find myself unable to refuse. It seems so callous, especially when the sellers are so old and they look like they should be staying at home. And I really find that I am very blessed in so many ways... so it's just one way for me to share my blessings.

But, sometimes, they spread the word and I get a few sellers all converging on me.

haha.

Pietra Santa @ Wessex Village

2011-03-02T10:53:00.006+08:00

So we had a team dinner at this place

It looks much better now, sort of more cosy, and less flustered and haphazard. The last time I was here, they had just opened and they didnt seem able to cope with the flux of lunchtime visitors. The service was waay too slow, and PL and PC my lunch kakis were slightly miffed. Food was not bad though.

Now, things have improved tremendously, or it could be because I was there with a VIP. Mr SL appears to be a frequent customer judging from the enthusiasm with which he was greeted by the service staff.

We were served in their private dining room. And it was great because it was also a private kitchen.

So first we started out with Buffalo mozzarella with Italian tomato, 36 month aged Parma ham and basil sauce. This starter was excellent. Because I love fresh mozzarella. It's creamy with a thin chewy cheese skin, and the milk oozes out as you cut it. I recently had an even better buratta at a nice restaurant, and will save that for another gushing post.

This is Roasted capsicum rolled with Italian marinated cod fish mousse served with crostinos - tiny pieces of toast. interesting, but not too impressive.

Then we had Ravioli filled with lobster with fresh tomato and lemon zest. This ravioli was great, smooth, silky and tasty.

I chose a main of Roasted lamb rack with rosemary, bread crumbs and olives crust. It was a little overdone for my taste, but it was otherwise delicious. The other choices were Slow braised beef cheek with Brunello di Montalcino sauce and Baked Sole fish with white wine sauce, taggiasche olives and diced tomato. Which would you have picked?

For dessert we had Chocolate cake. It was rich and dense and I couldnt finish it. But I never had a very sweet tooth anyway. I think it suited the non-local palatte though, because everyone who was non-local finished the entire thing.

But you know, the funny thing about kids, is that they seem to like party food more than anything else. Look, Cutie and Sweetie wolfing down their lunch at a party at his school.

Cutie is growing up to be a smart, tech-savvy, loving boy.

Look, he looks especially handsome here, doesnt he?

Here's to scaling greater heights together with my boy.

Sweetie is aptly named. As she is the darling of anyone she meets.

she has her chili padi side too, however. Here she is not too pleased about taking her 29th photo in that cute little cheongsam.

But sometimes she does try to humour me...

And she sometimes does like the posing bit..

My 2 dearies, my pride and joy.

Hope you dont mind me gushing... about my raison d'etre.

Garuda Padang Indonesian Cuisine @ B2 Vivocity

2011-03-01T10:25:00.005+08:00

Vivocity always has a wide range of interesting things to eat. Not many classy joints but mid-range, fairly priced and a wide assortment of different cuisines abound.

So we ended up at at Garuda Padang Indonesian Cuisine, #B2-28 at Vivocity. It is a halal restaurant and it caters to a wide range of palattes - spicy, non-spicy, vegetarian, meaty, seafood. Free flow of rice and lime juice for a fixed price.

We ordered a number of dishes to share.

Sambal sotong (Spicy Chili Squid). It was done just right, not to chewy, and quite tasty.

Kari Ayam (Curry Chicken). Not too spicy, but the gravy was delicious. I got a piece of breastmeat so it wasnt very tender.

Sambal Terong (Spicy Chili Brinjal). This was my favourite. I could have eaten it all. It was just delicious. The chili was perfect, the brinjal was tender and totally yums.

The most interesting dish of the day - Kari Nangka (Jackfruit Curry). I like jackfruit, its one of my favourite fruits, because it is so fragrant. In a curry however, they use the young green jackfruit, so it has a different texture. A little chewy, a little fibrous. But very interesting nonetheless.

A crowd favourite - Rendang Danging (Spiced Beef Stew). It's very fragrant and delicious and the meat, while tender still has a tasty bite.

And then to end off a delicious meal, chendol gula melaka (iced drink with jelly and red beans and brown sugar syrup)!

Honestly the meal was only so-so because i find the spices too tame and not rich enough. But the company was top notch!!

One on the Bund @ Fullerton Bay Hotel

2011-02-22T09:53:00.006+08:00

We decided to try somewhere new for CNY. And headed to One on the Bund.

Wow this place has really changed from a dingy seedy harbour where people boarded dingy seedy cruise ships to a spanking shiny hotel.

The restaurant was right in the middle of the lobby, where the mama teh tarik shops used to be.

We ordered some dimsum and their signature grilled lamb.

It was crispy, and light, abit like the mock duck made of beancurd skin. But, it still smelled very strongly of lamb, and it didnt really appeal to me.

Scallop dumplings, were not bad.

The chicken feet were also not bad.

The prawn dumplings were juicy and tasty.

The killer was this plate of spring onion noodles with nothing else except 3 stalks of spring onion. Guess how much this cost? $25. Was it because of the presentation? or was there some abalone essence that dressed the noodles?

Overpriced. Very overpriced. Quality of food was average.

Happy Lunar New Year of the Metal Rabbit!!!

So the kids take photos with Rabbits, for the year of the Rabbit, geddit?

Sweetie with a Rabbit again.

Cutie with a Rabbit again.

I think they both enjoyed CNY!

Drinks China Square

2011-02-22T09:25:00.003+08:00

I"m actually a happenin' mom, y'all!

You know how much I love being a mom to Cutie and Sweetie, and how every single little thing that they say or do makes me laugh. i look forward to evenings and weekends where it's our special bonding time, and where we get to do fun things together. Or like on Saturday, when Sweetie was still asleep and Cutie woke up earlier and we spent our time lying on the bed looking at the cracks in the ceiling and discussing the shapes (one really looked like spiderman having a poo). It's the little silly things like that which make me turn into a gooey mushy marshmallow.

Still, I sometimes do make an effort to meet up with my ex-colleagues in Raffles Place.. and have drinks!

So we headed to China Square because drinking places at Boat Quay (which is nearer) are not as nice (read: sleazier).

First up, an Italian beer. Peroni is refreshing and light, like an ale. I like.

Then a fruit beer, i think this was a pear. Also yummy.

Then, we shared some fried camembert. Always good with beer.

So all in all, a fun time. I think we were at Oosters the Belgian pub. Check out the pubs there, they all have decent happy hour prices.

Cheers!

Home Cooked CNY Goodies

2011-02-08T13:24:00.006+08:00

Happy Lunar New Year to all of you!!!

Have you had lots of fun eating and feasting and feasting and eating?

Lots of Home Made goodies I am sure.

My DM (Dearest Momsie, for those of you who did not know) cooked up a multi course imperial feast when we went over. It came out course by course, and so she was labouring away in the kitchen for a good part of the meal.

Of course, DM's famous dishes are a family secret.. the special steamed fish disappeared as soon as it arrived on the table, as did the super delicious salt and pepper butter XL sized prawns.

Her buddha jumps over the wall soup, was slurpilicious. It had all the traditional delicacies - fish maw, japanese mushroom, sea cucumber - and was cooked for a really long time over the stove. The ingredients had to be cooked separately too. Really a labour of love that would have induced anyone to jump over the wall.

Her braised abalone with sea cucumber and dried conpoy would have also enticed mr buddha to jump over the wall again.

Her soup was such a hot favourite , she did it again for ren ri (7th day of the lunar new year), which is also everyone's birthday according to the lunar calendar.

Yums max.

She also made yu sheng for us. It's a traditional chinese new year salad, which we toss for prosperity and good luck. I love this. really do. It has so many auspicious connotations, and it's healthy.

I think I ate it about 8 times over this CNY period, which is really quite tame. Some people even eat it twice a day.

MIL made curry chicken for our reunion dinner, held on the eve.

and tumeric prawns.

And i ordered a pen cai (a braised claypot of goodies). $288 from Man Fu Yuan. it's pretty good. we liked it so much we ordered it again. IMHO, better than Tung Lok's. But as we've eaten it thrice over the past 2 years, maybe we should consider another place. Shang palace maybe. The Sichuan Palace at Westin actually served rabbit meat in their pen cai. Eeeks.

More Interesting Snacks

2011-02-07T11:31:00.007+08:00

Apart from the locally inspired cookies from Cookie Museum I also tried a number of other interesting snacks, all in the interest of researching for this blog.

So, we have, in order of appearance and fear factor status:
1. milk candy tablets

So the milk candy is the most innocuous. It still tasted funny though. 2 tablets are the equivalent of 1 glass of milk. It tasted like compressed milk powder, and since i never liked formula milk in the first place, I couldnt like this. I prefer milo or horlicks candy, which applies the same principle of compressing a powder based drink into a tablet.

2. vacuum packed boiled chicken feet

This wasnt supposed to be a big deal since I do eat chicken feet at dim sum restaurants. But honestly these looked a little scary (a little too big). And sweetie insisted that these were "chicken hands" because of all the "fingers".

Taste-wise, they were chewier than the melt in your mouth dim sum type. Salty, but otherwise not very exciting flavour-wise.

3. preserved donkey meat

Surprisingly, everyone was game to give this a try. Donkey meat! Seriously?

It tasted a bit like canned tuna. Texture wise.

Taste-wise, it was very strongly flavoured with possibly 5 spice and MSG. Sort of like preserved ham.

All in all an interesting experiment. And I think Kong Kong took the most, and was also the most game to try.

Hello Marcus!

2011-01-25T14:23:00.001+08:00

Cookies from The Cookie Musuem

2011-01-20T10:17:00.006+08:00

I have more interesting munchies to recommend for this coming CNY.

Apart from the usual love-letters and snacks, I think it would be interesting to infuse some local flavour into our munching sessions.

The Cookie Museum has an interesting array of unique cookies, such as madeleine rose (pure pink rose) and english lavender (fresh lavender) and their bestselling berry lite (organic blueberry and macadamia nuts). However, it's their local range of cookies that particularly caught my attention.

1. Nasi Lemak Cookies

These were seriously good. They were slightly spicy, very fragrant, very crunchy and with ikan bilis and peanuts on top to evoke the experience of devouring a yummy packet of nasi lemak (except it's a lot more elegant and classy!).

Buy as a gift for your boss, or your MIL.

It's interesting and a pretty unique conversation starter during the CNY munching.

Comes in 3 layers of about 6 cookies, so I would put these in the expensive category.

Comes in a festive looking gift box too.

2. Laksa Cookies

Had a strong taste of coconut milk, with the fragrance of the daum laksa (laksa leaf). It was nice and also interesting but nasi lemak was still more shiok!

It is a little paler in colour to the nasi lemak.

probably less chili.

but yummy too.

We also tried the Hae Bee Hiam - This was great! It was spicy and crunchy and yummy. It was actually a little similar in taste to the Nasi Lemak except it didnt have the ikan bilis or peanuts. Sorry no picture.

We also tried the berry lite (blueberry and macadamias) - sweet and delicious, but less interesting and less of a conversation topic. Still good nonetheless.

Happy CNY Y'all!

Sunnyhills pineapple cakes 凤梨酥

2011-01-17T16:17:00.005+08:00

Chinese New Year is coming!! I am so excited, all that feasting, visiting, ang pows, feasting, feasting, feasting... Hahaha.

So, what is your favourite snack for the CNY festivities? For me, it is always the pineapple tarts. It is practically synonymous with CNY. I will wait impatiently and anxiously for CNY just so that I can enjoy my first taste of pineapple tarts (yes, even though some places sell pineapple tarts all year round, it just doesnt taste the same unless it's eaten during the right season. Same thing with durians, they taste best when you eat them during the right season.)

So, you can imagine my excitement when I saw these 2 boxes of my favourite CNY snack!

Don't they look inviting and delicious?? All hygenically packed and individually wrapped!

I was breathless with anticipation, waiting to unveil this golden nugget!

And there you go, a perfectly formed golden cake, filled with organic goodness.

Did I say organic? Yes I did. That's the dilemma I always experience. I love pineapple tarts and CNY goodies, but I am always worried about the kind of food that I am consuming. Transfats, carcinogens - all the things that take away the enjoyment from eating something delicious.

And that is why, to me, it is so important to source for something that is both healthy and delicious. Impossible you say? Well not anymore. These delicious pineapple cakes are made with ORGANIC Cayenne pineapples grown on Ba Gua mountains in the Nantou County of Taiwan. They use gourmet baking flour from Japan and pure New Zealand butter. They bake the cakes using traditional methods and proudly call these "Sunny Bites". A taste of sunshine in every bite. Yum. Although these cakes are made in Taiwan, they are airflown to Singapore, freshly made, every 3 days. Yes, these treats are now available in Singapore!

I liked everything about this pineapple cake. The crust was buttery crumbly delicious and the pineapple filling was a perfect combination of sweet and tangy (definitely not oversweet, which is my greatest fear). In particular, the filling had a nice texture, with sufficient bite to it. My Dear Mom (DM) who is a very fussy pineapple tart eater because she used to make them herself from scratch many years ago, has proclaimed these the best pineapple tarts she has ever had. What a resounding endorsement! She especially loves the filling, which is not too sweet and has a good home-made texture.

Here is a close-up of the yummy treat! doesn't it look tantalising? Well, in my humble opinion, this pineapple cake is really good value for money because it comes in a beautiful gift box (perfect for giving to important clients) and is individually wrapped, and is huge (at least 2-3 times the size of a normal pineapple tart).

If you wish to order these delectable goodies, here are the details:

6pcs (300g) in a box: S$13.80
10pcs (500g) in a box: S$23
20pcs (1kg) in a box: S$46

Call +65 8522-9605 or email services@sunnyhills.com.sg for more details. Free delivery for orders above S$90. Those above S$180 receive a complimentary box of 10pcs.

There is also a booth promoting these cakes at Funan IT Mall Food & Lifestyle event from 17- 31 January 2011.

AND here is an EXCLUSIVE DEAL just for you wonderful readers of this blog:If you quote Chocolate Reindeer, you will get a free sample at the booth!!

So remember, nothing but the best for you, your family and your guests this CNY. Get your pineapple cakes from Sunny Hills now.

See this cheerful and happy face? Dont you want to give her the best pineapple cake in the world?

Yes you want to hug her and feed her pineapple cakes from Sunny Hills. I know it.

Quick call +65 8522-9605 or email services@sunnyhills.com.sg.

-Chocolate Reindeer would like to express its gratitude to Sandy of Sunny Hills for the samples provided for this review-

Eating in Hong Kong

2011-01-11T17:05:00.012+08:00

Well, I really have mixed feelings about Hong Kong. On one hand I find it very crowded and polluted, on the other hand I find the eating and shopping way better there.

The food is great because the standard is quite high, even in non-descript hole-in-the wall eateries. I do think that it can get quite salty (because I am not used to taking food that is too salty). Nevertheless, I think I will be back again because of the abundance of cheap and good food, and because the kids had such a great time.

One of the first places we headed to was Mak's, where they have wonton noodles served famously in very small bowls (the theory is that the small bowls prevent the noodles from soaking up the soup and becoming soggy).

And it was certainly a delicious treat. The noodles were firm and had a lovely bite, and the soup was fragrant, redolent of chives and flat fish. And indeed, the noodles were QQ to the very last bite, and were not in the least soggy.

The downside of eating here is that the premises are very cramped and small and the tables are chairs are placed really close to each other. Not very conducive for younger children, but quite ok for my 2 little ones.

Then we tried Yung Kee's famouse roast goose. A one-michelin starred establishment, it was crowded and wouldnt allow diners a seat till more than 2 hours after you arrive. Fine if I were alone and didnt have 2 hungry kids in tow. So we hopped over to a cha chan teng (Tsui Wah) which was also pretty famous and good. No pictures of that meal unfortunately, I literally had my hands full with Cutie and Sweetie. DH was disappointed that we didnt get to eat that roast goose, so we ordered a takeaway box back to the hotel to try. Each roast goose drumstick costs SGD22! We bought 2 boxes, one for DH and one for me. And the total cost of SGD45 (including tax and surcharges) exceeded the cost of our dinner for 3 adults and 2 kids at Tsui Wah. Whoa!!

Still it was quite worth it. Crispy skin, tasty meat, drenched in a sauce of complex flavours (a little sweet, a little savoury, a little smokey) and lots of tasty little chewy hard peanuts. Yum. I think it costs even more if you eat at the restaurant, so maybe it's worth exploring this takeaway option - no queues, same yummy food at a lower price.

Then we tried roast pigeon! It was rather bony without much meat, but it was an interesting experience nonetheless.

Sweetie rather liked having something to hold and eat with her hands, and for once it was very manageable because it was just the right size for her!

We tried the roast pigeon at a random restaurant at Ngong Ping 360, a little themed village built on top of a hill.

I originally thought it was a theme park, with a Monkey mascot not unlike Sun Wukong (who at that time was Cutie's favourite martial arts pugilist) but it was really a little village, with a small street of restaurants and shops selling trinkets and souvenirs. Oh there was a big buddha statue too, which we didnt visit.

But it was worth the visit because of the amazing cable car ride that took almost 10 minutes, yes it was that high up in the mountains! Look at that amazing view!

We met up with my dear friend for dinner, at a Japanese restaurant at Jardine House. It was great and the highlight of my meal was getting to catch up with WL!

Then we visited Ocean Park because Cutie insisted. We actually thought we wanted to spend the day shopping, but vehement protests from Cutie ensured that we were speeding towards Ocean Park in double quick time.

The place was huge and there were several attractions. Pandas, goldfish, raccoons, all hot favourites with the kids.

Regrettably the only ride that they were tall enough to sit was the log ride. It was one wet ride I tell you, the kids had their raincoats, which I always pack for rides like these, but DH and I? No such protection. The kids loved it so much we took it twice.

My sweet chinadoll in a chinese pavillion at Ocean Park.

Then we did some shopping. We went to this shop where Sweetie is posing... We just browsed only! We did most of our spending at H&M. The shoes that Sweetie is wearing were from H&M. She picked them out herself and wore them immediately.

Then on the last 2 days, we went to the happiest place on earth - Disneyland!

The obligatory pic outside the castle. It was magical i tell you. Once we sauntered through the Disneyland gates, we were transported into a magical fairytale world!

Took a pic with Buzz Lightyear, Cutie's other favourite superhero. We also took the buzz lightyear ride at least twice. They give you a gun and you sit in a space shuttle that travels through the galaxy and you need to shoot Zurg the enemy. It was easy shooting at the targets. I was space ranger first class!

The people there were simply so nice, everywhere we turned somebody was trying to give Cutie and Sweetie disneyland stickers.. They got a whole stack! Here is Sweetie trying to look for her favourite princess, Princess Aurora. You know who that is? *wink*

Another family favourite, A Small World ride. Where you travel through several countries in a leisurely cruise boat.

I didnt understand why this ride was so popular, we queued for 30 minutes or more! The rest of the more interesting rides like space mountain and buzz lightyear had literally no queues! Still, Sweetie seemed quite pleased to be able to take control of the steering wheel.

We did space mountain twice! Isnt Cutie brave?

Doesnt Cutie look cool and grown up outside the gingerbread village? If you peek into the windows of the cottages, you will be able to guess who lives there. Our favourite was Minnie with all her sweet pink tea sets.

This was perhaps sweetie's favourite, Flying Dumbo.

Sweetie wants to know whether we are buying her some minnie mouse ears... "No Mommy? Why?"

So we capitulated and bought her those ears... which she wore with pride during our 2 days in Disneyland.

And the nicest thing that happened when we were about to leave was that the entire main street started snowing and there were carols and a huge Christmas Tree. It really felt like Christmas!

We stayed in the Disneyland resort itself for these 2 days. And it was really worth it.

They had kids' activity corners in the hotel so that the kids could just spend time playing or drawing.

On our last night, we had the Disney Character buffet dinner, where there was lots of food and lots of fun photo-taking with our favourite characters. Minnie Mouse...

Goofy..

Pluto..

Donald...

And our favourite Mickey!

No, actually Sweetie's favourite was the free flow soft serve ice cream at the buffet..

Kuriya Fine Dining @ Central

2010-12-27T10:53:00.004+08:00

Happy Holidays! Greetings from the Chocolate Reindeers! We've had a great holiday, did you have a good one too?

When DH and I got back to SG, one of the first things we did was to go on a date. We really missed that when we were in Aussieland on our own. We didnt do the common thing - which was to hire a sitter to take care of the kids - so we never ever had dates.

And since there were so many new restaurants to try out in Singapore, we had a good reason to have date night!

Kuriya Fine Dining at Central was a great choice, it had both excellent food, drinks and a gorgeous sky view. Plus, they didnt allow children under 15. So it seemed to us that it would be an ideal date place. And it was!

I honestly cannot remember what this starter was. Is it foie gras? Chicken? Tofu? You take a guess.

Grilled Gingko nuts, lightly salted. They are chewy, and warm and salty and a little sweet. DH's first time trying it, and he loved it. I think this is very typical Japanese izakaya fare, perfect with that glass of sake.

Sashimi was delicious, and very beautifully presented.

This was beancurd skin with unagi and foie gras stuffed within. Very interesting and definitely very tasty.

This is Oden, a Japanese yong tau foo. Nice but not as nice as the foie gras. The sweetish gravy was rather similar though.

DH's main of wagyu steak came at an additional price.

My main of grilled fish, which was nicely done.

So our dining experience was very interesting because, when we arrived we were ushered to the bar area for our complimentary welcome drinks. Then we sat at the table in the dining hall where we were served our appetisers and mains.

Then we had our dessert, which was served buffet style on a trolley.

We picked the seasonal japanese fruit. Love Japanese grapes especially!

And they had different kinds of parfaits for you to pick from. DH and I liked the sesame best.

Our dessert was served in the outdoor lounge that was like a little private garden. Very romantic!

We also ordered umeshu on the rocks, my current favourite drink. A bit girly cos its sweet and doesnt have very high alcoholic content but it is sooo refreshing! And they serve it with this huge spherical ice, which was perfect for keeping the drink cold with minimal dilution. I will come back just for this drink alone.

Can you guess where this is?

Highlights from our Hong Kong trip coming up on the next post, stay tuned!

Gunther's @ 36 Purvis Street

2010-12-20T14:41:00.007+08:00

The foodblogger community had a lunch here not too long ago. Being stuck in Australia meant that I wasnt able to attend.

Nevertheless, a trip here was necessary seeing how well-reviewed the cold angelhair pasta with oscietra caviar was.

The complimentary amuse bouche of prawn tempura.

So, we came here and ordered the pasta as a starter to share ($60).

It was very fragrant, dressed in an obviously very good quality olive oil, and topped with a generous mound of caviar. This caviar (well it's only the 2nd time I
have tried it) is very different from say, ebiko (flying fish roe). It's not fishy and it doesn't "pop" in your mouth. The taste is rich yet very subtle, very smooth.

Then we shared a roasted rack of black pig (2 person serving at $75pp). It was tender, so melt in your mouth tender. It also had a richness to the meat. And, funnily enough, there were different parts to the meat, one side was more "white" meat, and the other side was more "dark" meat. Sort of like chicken where there is breast and thigh portions, but in the same piece of meat. I know the description sounds odd and probably not very appetising, but it was good!

Complimentary petit fours, which were generous and delicious too.

And a pic of Sweetie.

She's really grown up huh?

Playing hide and seek, and she is always so thrilled when she is found. haha.

And here is Cutie, being well, cute.

Yep, Cute.

Waku Ghin, Marina Bay Sands

2010-12-13T15:49:00.004+08:00

It was a great experience. from the moment you step in, you feel as though you are transported to a different universe where the food is out of this world, and the service is impeccable.

Our first course was a fresh oyster with yuzu dressing. It disappeared too quickly and I forgot to take a photo.

This is a signature favourite, and I can see why. Sweet creamy uni paired with crunchy botan ebi and beluga caviar. It was a divine medley of tastes and textures that sent one straight to gastronomic heaven.

Did you know, they are so particular about serving the best that the spoon that we used was a mother of pearl spoon? This is because caviar afficionadoes are of the view that the taste of caviar is affected if metallic silverware is used.

Grilled alaskan king crab leg. Sweet, meaty, delicious.

Unfortunately, we did not sample the rest of the menu. One my guests at the table had food poisoning the night before and was unwell. As the dinner progressed, he got worse and we had to take him to the hospital.

And this was when the restaurant's service standards really were put to the test, which they passed with flying colours.

I wrote the following letter to commend them:

From: Teng, Vivien
Sent: Monday, December 13, 2010 11:47 AM
To: wakughinreservation
Cc: sean_leo
Subject: RE: Reservation for 11 december 2010 - THANK YOU

Dear Sirs

I would like to commend your staff and your kitchen for a wonderful dining experience on Saturday 11 December 2010.

I arrived for with my 2 guests for dinner on Saturday. One of my guests had food poisoning the night before and was not completely well. He had requested for only cooked food for his set. However, he felt worse as the dinner progressed and eventually we had to take him to the Accident and Emergency department (at the Singapore General Hospital). We were thus compelled to abandon our meal after having had only 3 courses.

Your staff were reassuring and accommodating throughout the entire time. When Chef Yazawa learned that I had to leave despite not being able to complete the set dinner, he took the initiative to waive the cost of the dinner, thereby charging me only for the drinks that we had ordered. I was more than prepared to make payment for the full dinner but I was assured that the restaurant would welcome my reservation at a later date. Your Maitre’D (who was also from Sydney where I lived) was very kind and tried to alleviate my distress and discomfort.

Your staff certainly made a traumatic experience so much more tolerable with their kindness, understanding and compassion. It has made an indelible imprint in the minds of both myself and my guests. The professionalism and graciousness of your staff has made the difference in transforming this restaurant from a great restaurant to an exceptional one. Please convey my gratitude to your staff, particularly to your chef and Maitre’D.

I have to add that the food that we managed to try were superb, and were a gastronomic delight.

I will definitely return, and I will definitely inform others of the remarkable experience I have had.

Once again, thank you.

Best regards

Vivien Teng

This was their gracious response.

From: Wakughin [mailto:wakughin@MarinaBaySands.com]
Sent: Monday, December 13, 2010 1:40 PM
To: Teng, Vivien Yuet Ying
Subject: FW: Reservation for 11 december 2010 - THANK YOU

Dear Vivien,

Thank you so much for your such a kind email.
Hope your guest is alright now after the night.

Please do give us a call for another booking and we are looking forward to welcoming you.

Many thanks
Hitomi Matsumoto – Guest Relation

10 Bayfront Avenue, Level 2 (Casino), Singapore 018956
T +65 6688 8507 | F +65 6688 8531
E wakughin@marinabaysands.com
W wakuGhin.com (Launching soon)
W www.marinabaysands.com

So, you can see, the difference between a good restaurant and an exceptional one, lies not in its food (which of course is important) but in the service. And for that, Waku Ghin has my loyalty from now on.

Burnt Orange, Mosman Sydney

2010-12-08T09:14:00.013+08:00

One of the things I liked best about Sydney was the abundance of space and the beautiful outdoors.

Burnt Orange, a concept retail store cum cafe set amidst lush greenery of an old golf club, only 15 minutes from where we stayed, was the perfect place to enjoy the best of Sydney.

The burger was fresh and juicy.

DH had the salmon patty with salad, and it was refreshingly tart.

I had the signature seafood pie, and it was rich and flavourfull.

Sweetie had a good time too.

And Cutie enjoyed the home-made fries.

And of course, after our lunch, we enjoyed the beautiful grounds...

Cutie found a stick that also worked well as a boomerang.

Sweetie picked flowers..

Presented the flowers to mommy..

Again..

Cutie gets some for mommy too

I love being a mommy, can you tell?

Sydney Update - And Maybe Goodbye

2010-03-16T12:40:00.005+08:00

Hello all.

too busy to blog these days, so sorry. No time to update blog or facebook or anything. Luckily I dont have twitter yet, or else I would have something else to feel guilty about ignoring.

Good thing is I am paying lots of attention to Cutie and Sweetie, both really growing up quickly.

___

I wrote the above a few months ago. And never got around to posting it.

It has been 6 months since we moved to sydney, and i have been having a wonderful time with the children. I really truly enjoy the daily challenges of caring for Cutie and Sweetie, planning and cooking tasty nutritious meals for them (and Dear Hubby), taking them out to interesting Sydney attractions, spending time with them.

I have also started reading more cooking blogs, to get ideas on what to cook for the kids etc.

And I stumbled on quite a few blogs whose writers I know. One of which is the wife of an old classmate and ex-colleague, and it was quite revealing!

have come to realise that, blogging really displays a very personal aspect of your life to the public, especially if you like to put up pictures like I do.

When I first started this blog, I didnt intend to post personal photos of myself or the family. However, when cutie and sweetie came along, I was so proud of them and so awed by their cuteness and cleverness that I could not help but post more and more photos of the photogenic pair.

Now, I realise I shouldnt place my family into such public scrutiny. Even mundane things like where we ate or what we did over the weekend might be misconstrued.

DH had always voiced his mild disapproval about this blog because he didnt think it was right to publicise certain things. He however indulges me as much as he can, to the point where he put his objections aside in order for me to pursue my interest in blogging.

Now, however, I think, as cutie and sweetie didnt have a choice or a vote in this, I should err on the side of caution, and therefore, I am considering closing this blog.

What do you think?

Sydney Eats Part 2

2010-01-19T14:14:00.007+08:00

So sorry, no time to blog these days, taking care of 2 kids alone.

And when I do have some free time, it's easier to just read other blogs instead of blogging. And since the internet connection here is erratic (cos we can't afford any better!) it's annoying to try and post up pics but only to have the connection die on you, so all the effort is wasted.

Anyway, not many outdoor eats... all indoor, home-cooked eats this time.

Home-cooked by DH: whole barramundi with rosemary and thyme, served with garlic, lemon and salad.

Home-cooked by Cutie: mushroom and ham pizza.

See! I trained my boys well, they are doing all the cooking! While the girls do the eating!

Here are some of the things that the girls' team served:

Fried Veg with taupok

grilled tumeric and lemongrass chicken

baked pasta

We almost always eat porridge for lunch. Different permutations of meat (fish or chicken or beef) with 2 kinds of veg (1 root veg like carrot, sweet potato or pumpkin and 1 green veg like bok choy, kailan etc).

Fish with pumpkin and veg I think

Chicken with scallop and mushroom I think

For a change I sometimes cook rice noodles instead of porridge (with the same main ingredients) but it's too messy feeding 2 kids noodles, so i think I will stick to porridge.

For dinner it is always 1 meat, 1 veg served with rice. So a few nights ago, we had:

Veg with mushroom and scallop

Baked fish two styles (one with rosemary and thyme and one with diced black olives)

We also always round off with fruit for dessert

White and yellow peaches (DH prefers the white ones!)

Berries (Straw and Blue)

Sydney Eats

2009-12-19T05:52:00.005+08:00

Hi Folks, sorry for the long hiatus!

I have been busy with relocation.

And now, here are the things that we have been eating...

Fresh seafood and fish at the iconic Sydney Fish Market:

Jordon's Seafood Restaurant at Darling Harbour:

Seafood Platter for 2, impressive looking, but freshness was only so so.

Our best restaurant experience so far, Wildfire at The Rocks (facing the Sydney Opera House):

Super ultra fresh oysters. You know how sometimes in Singapore when you eat oysters, even if they are fresh there is that metallic taste of the sea? Well, over here, it tasted Sweet! and Fresh and sublime! and no funny smell.

DH had the wagyu beef and I had the angus beef and they were both delicious.

We didnt find a marked difference between the 2, so we concluded that the wagyu didnt have a high marbling index and that the beef here in Aussieland is so good anyway it wasnt really necessary to upgrade.

Our souffle which was fluffy and delicious.. and because it was a hazelnut souffle it was super rich too. The other souffles that I have had (at Au Petit Salut) were all fruit ones (like passionfruit) so they tasted somewhat sour.

Lunchtime specials can be really cheap here. Here is our 9 dollar rumpsteak! What great value! Funny thing, the caesar's salad on the menu cost more - $14! They tell me, here in Aussieland, some things which we think should be more expensive are cheap and vice versa (like salads more ex than some meats, chicken breastmeat more ex than chicken drumsticks, fruits are super sweet and ch

And DH bought himself a new toy. We have been indulging in one capsule everyday.

Chinatown Eats

2009-09-23T14:08:00.004+08:00

You know, I have been visiting Chinatown pretty frequently. Haha, some of you know why. Yes, I needed to get supplies of ribbons and clips for my new hobby. Actually I am not making them for Sweetie anymore, she has a whole load of new clips already. I am making them for my friends' kids mostly. haha.

Ipoh Tuck Kee Sar Hor Fun 2nd floor, Hong Lim Food Centre

This is an icon. It has been here for ages, it has a faithful following lining up outside its stall during lunchtime, and its cheap and good.

There is the long queue. It moves quickly though.

The dumpling soup is tasty and cheap - $3 for like 10 dumplings, and a whole prawn in each dumpling. Delicious!

The crayfish horfun, is a steal at $3.50, and it is simply delicious. Slippery smooth hor fun with savoury prawns and crayfish. Yum Yum Yum.

Loh Mei Specialist People's Park Centre Food Court

Ever heard of Loh Mei? It is a stewed dish with chicken wings, cuttle fish, kang kong, pig's intestines and other interesting things. Hard to find nowadays, but interesting and tasty nonetheless. My mom cooked it once sometime back and it was delicious.

This stall is probably the only stall in Singapore, but it's standard is nowhere near Por Por's! Anyway it is not bad for $4.

An assortment of goodies.

Served with rice, it makes a filling meal.

Chew Kee's Braised Chicken Noodles, Chinatown
This one is also pretty famous. There are 2 stalls side by side, owned by brother and sister, and they are competitors. Not sure which is better, but my friends think that the brother is more friendly so we always go to this one.

The braised chicken ($12 for a 4 person portion) is always good and tasty.

Some greens to up the fibre intake.

Delicious noodles, and they also serve hor fun too. I usually prefer hor fun, but today i just felt like noodles.

And of course lots and lots of ribbons for new hairclips... Here are some in my new collection:

Recent Eats

2009-09-02T17:34:00.006+08:00

El Cerdo, 43 Changkat Bukit Bintang, KL

DH and I went to KL for a day trip to run some errands... and we had lunch at El Cerdo, recommended by my good friends (thanks YS and Ben!).

It is a spanish restaurant specialising in iberico jamon (ham of spanish black pig which is fed only acorns). So we went the whole hog, and had jamon, black pork ribs and black pork belly! DH is especially tickled that we went to a Muslim country and had a porky lunch.

Our delicious starter of iberico jamon and serrano jamon (black pig and white pig respectively). Both had a very chewy texture, quite salty but definitely tasty. It was a burst of flavour with every bite.

They recommended the black pork belly. It was of course delicious, but you know what, I liked the slices of chorizo sausages that it was served with even more!

The best ever pork ribs. They were meaty and tasty and tender.

We also had a glass of sangria each. Whee. It was very festive and fruity.

Dinner at Home

Por Por steamed some crabs for dinner that day, and they were delicious. Cutie had a fun time playing with the live crabs in the kitchen. He was quite sorry that we ate them.

Simply steamed, and eaten with a dip of vinegar and sliced ginger, these were amazing. They were meaty and full of orangey roe.

Beef stew. It was flavourful and fragrant.

Empress Jade, Jewel Box, Mount Faber

Farewell dinner for someone in the office. This was an excellent choice for lunch, and quite interesting since we took the cable car over.

starter of prawn cocktail. Interestingly paired with a sliced grape. Sweet and savoury.

Pork liver and egg white soup. Funny choice, since offal would not be something that many people would easily take. Quite a Chinese thing, maybe, as it is meant to be nourishing. I thought it smelt a little strong, since I dont often take pork nowadays. Still it was well done, since the liver was tender, and not overcooked, something which is easy to do for pork liver.

steamed whole pomfret, delicious and yummy. A crowd favourite.

Crispy duck. I think this was a nice dish, and not too common. The skin was crispy and light, and not oily.

There was a noodle dish that I forgot to take a photo of.

My almond cream desssert. I love almond cream, I think its nice and not too sweet and I also hear its good for the complexion. It's an acquired taste though, because i know it can smell unbearably like mothballs for some. I wonder how i learnt to take it, since my family doesnt really take it.

Hakka Yong Tau Foo @ People's Park Hawker Centre

2009-08-17T11:11:00.007+08:00

I went to People's Park Centre to look for ribbons (it's my latest craft hobby, but more about that later!).

And I was starved by the time I finished running my errands.

So I really wanted to have something yummy, to placate the growling tummy complaining of abuse and neglect.

I was looking for Loh Mei (a stewed dish with chicken and stuff) but couldnt find it. So I settled for Hakka Yong Tau Foo, which I knew was famous here.

The good thing about lunching late, was that there wasn't a horrendous lunchtime queue. So I got my food pretty quickly.

Wow, this really really hit the spot. After a month of bland styrofoam meals... here is something really worth eating.

The soup was full of rich umami goodness, it just hits the tastebuds and makes you go Wow! There were lots and lots of soya beans in the soup, which I love. Each of the yong tau foo bits were tasty too, with a rich flavour of dried fried sole, meat and fish.

I liked how they had fresh veggies in the mee pok. The mee pok was certainly yummy too. It had the old school taste and seasonings of chili, oil, some soya sauce, a dash of ketchup. No lard. but very good nevertheless.

It was a great lunch, and I truly enjoyed it.

Cant wait to go back... in fact, I might go back this week, since I want to get more ribbons.

Oh, and here is the reason why I am buying ribbons and clips... http://chrissieclippies.blogspot.com/

Japanese Snacks

2009-08-11T10:42:00.008+08:00

To cheer me up, DH has bought me a bunch of Japanese snacks so that I wont be so depressed when working through lunch.

So here they are:

Lots and Lots of Royce chocolates! This is just the first batch btw. Already eaten up. He subsequently bought 2 more batches of different flavours for me. Dark Green is Champagne (my longtime favourite). Brown is Bittersweet (with no alcohol, but we still find it a little too sweet so DH bought Bitter the next time round, which was better). And Light Green is a seasonal special, Green Tea (my current favourite).

I love the delicate taste of green tea! I dont drink green tea much (except when they serve it in Japanese restaurants and always with ice), but I love green tea ice cream, green tea frapps and now, green tea chocolate. It's got this fragrant tinge and a little bittersweet edge. Lovely. Each box of chocs costs around $12.60.

Lots and Lots of Japanese cookies and biscuits. I kind of miss the Hokkaido cream biscuits. It's pretty famous - Shiroi Koibito. So we got all sorts of snacks, to see if any of them could match up to the gold standard of shiroi.

This Well Cookie from Morinaga is my favourite. It was buttery and crispy, with a coffee flavoured fragrance. The fragrance was subtle, yet lovely enough to make me want more than just one. The cookie and the coffee cream paired so well together, it was like a match made in Heaven. I couldnt stop at just one.

This was a white chocolate langue de chat, so it is the one that is most similar to shiroi koibito. However, the cookie was a little too light, and a little too thin, and the white chocolate was a little too delicate. So, all in all, it makes a good substitute if you cant get your hands on the real thing... but, for me, I think I would rather hold out for the real thing, or eat a Well Cookie.

This is chocolate langue de chat. The chocolate was a little too thin, and the cookie was a little too thick, so I didnt think it went too well together.

Each of the boxes costs around $5 each.

Cutie is also snacking on Japanese cookies.. these are ball cookies, I think its a Japanese brand with a chicken in the centre. Both Cutie and Sweetie like it, but it seems that Cutie snacks more often than Sweetie.

So here he is, having ball cookies as a supper snack with his Daddy.

I am not sure if its a good idea to encourage Cutie to have supper... but its just so cute when he bonds with his Dad over supper after Sweetie has gone to bed.. .so I give in once in a while.

And Sweetie is just as sweet as ever. She is now 12 months old, very active as you can see, she is climbing all over the place.

She has lots of nice clothes, more than her brother ever had.. Thanks for the pretty dress, Auntie YS!

Still Eating Packed Lunches

2009-08-04T11:06:00.003+08:00

This is duck noodles $3.50 from that new food court at the first floor of HarbourFront Centre. It used to be a halal food court, and now they split into 2, one halal and one not. This duck noodle stall also serves kway chap.

It was ok.. at least I got to eat it while it was hot.

Typical Lunches these days...

2009-07-20T16:04:00.001+08:00

... are tarpowed food from the hawker centre or food court, hastily gobbled up in between meetings. Sometimes, I dont even get to eat it when it is still warm.

It has been a string of busy busy weeks... months even. No break in sight.

Megumi @ Upper East Coast Road

2009-06-15T16:39:00.009+08:00

Decided to walk over to Megumi for a quick Jap dinner over the weekend. It was hot hot hot, and everyone was tired.

We ordered this UFO maki to share. It was a crispy seafood roll, according to the description on the menu. This was very well received indeed. The crispy seafood roll inside was clearly fried upon order, it was warm and crispy and it was delicious paired with the rice and ebiko. Thumbs up for this one. We ordered it recently when we went there again. It was very well received by all!

My favourite california roll was good, but overshadowed by the excellent UFO maki. We also devoured this in a jiffy, nevertheless.

Cutie ordered a california handroll, which he adorably calls a sushi cone. He couldnt wait for me to snap a pic... see, his fingers are reaching for his handroll already!

My order of sumi udon. I wanted cold noodles, given the sweltering weather. And I saw this interesting charcoal wheat noodles on the menu and gave it a try. It was smooth and nice, didnt taste like charcoal! I hear it has some cleansing properties, so give it try if you are game for some gut cleansing! See the little quail's egg in the corner? I wasnt sure whether I am supposed to add it to the dip, or crack it over the noodles or what.

The server recommended asahki sashimi, I believe it was called. It was a whole fish, sliced up. I found it a tad warm, I like it slightly colder and the pieces stuck together as though it was sliced with a blunt knife. Didn't really like this one. It cost $35.

Here is Cutie, all ready to eat. He usually eats his dinner earlier, but these days, he is going through a growth spurt, so having a 2nd dinner is usual for him.

Sweetie is doing some gymnastics before dinner. Haha.

School Carnival at Fort Canning

Cutie's pre-school held a carnival at fort canning for charity. So we bought tickets to support the charity and headed there on Saturday morning.

Driving Game, using a magnet to direct the metal car.

Ball Throwing game.

He looks cool with sunglasses, I think.

Drumming game...

Picking balls...

Riding the little car...

saying hi to a teacher from his school...

Cutie also brought home some balloons for himself and his sister. His is a balloon sword, and he liked it so much, he brought it with him to the bath.

He also requested a balloon flower for his sister, which I thought was very sweet.

Yes, Sweetie likes her balloon too.

All in all, a great weekend!

Marusui Japanese fish Market @ B2 Vivocity

2009-06-15T15:44:00.006+08:00

had an inpromptu lunch with CT, since we were both working late, and by the time i stepped out of my little office, I could only see her around. Everyone else had already gone out for lunch.

Suggested that new fish market place at Vivocity basement, opposite Giant supermarket. Its a little place with only a few tables, so if you can't get a seat, you might need to tarpow back to the office.

The sashimi and sushi is displayed in front of you like at the japanese supermarkets.. You choose what you like, then pay at the cashier. The chefs will slice up the sashimi for you.

CT patiently queuing to pay while I chope the seats!

Our sashimi selection! All fresh and nice. Came on a friday, which was delivery day! How lucky!

I like california rolls... Like all the ingredients and the happy orange colour. Started liking since my pregnancy days when I couldnt eat raw foods, but still wanted sushi.

This was on offer, alaskan crab on rice for SGD5.80 instead of the usual SGD12.80, so we got one to share. Yes, the crab was sweet. Then we saw a gentleman eat the entire crab leg. Turns out, that only costs $8! We should have got one! It looked quite nice.

Peramakan @ Keppel Club

2009-06-10T16:27:00.008+08:00

I really should get a membership at Keppel Club. I am here so often! I came here for friday lunch with some girls. And we had a great time.

The last time I came, I honestly didn't find the food that fabulous. Perhaps we ordered the wrong things.

This time however, everything was fantastic. Particularly the company! :)

Assam Udang Nanas(Tangy assam prawns with pineapple) - very appetising and delicious. The gravy was tasty and tangy and really excited the tastebuds.

Spicy Gravy Chicken (Ayam Rendang) - this was tasty and the chicken was tender.

Grilled squid (Sotong Bakar) - my favourite! It was delicious! The squid was perfectly tender, right texture, fragrantly grilled. The sauce covering it was slightly spicy and very yummy.

We also shared otah and sambal kang kong, but i was too busy eating to take any photos.

Our shared dessert of apom balik - fluffy pancakes with warm banana syrup. The pancakes were warm and soft and delicious. The banana syrup was not too sweet and had real chunks of banana. We also each ordered a durian chendol... I forgot to take a photo of it, but its in the group photo below. It was delicious and although it tasted very rich, it didn't feel rich, it felt most refreshing.

Looking forward to the next one, girls!

Dian Xiao Er @ Vivocity

2009-06-10T16:23:00.005+08:00

Went for lunch with DB at Vivocity.

I like lunching with him... he is fun to talk to.. And he isnt so self absorbed like other youngsters who only talk about themselves or their own angsty issues... He can discuss current affairs, he has intelligent views, and he is concerned enough to ask about me and the kids.

We went ala carte... and chose our faves.

The fried rice (SGD9) here is good. Each grain of rice is tasty and redolent with the fragrance of wok hei. I also like their fried vermicelli.. also has the same wok hei which comes from an experienced hand.

The crocodile soup with almonds (SGD6) used to be more expensive, now all the soups are 6. This was tasty and nice. DM says its too heaty though, should have avoided in these recent times of extreme hot weather.

A close up of the soup. We discovered this wormy things... and were told that these were cordyceps! Sure or not? I know that cordyceps are super expensive! They were crunchy but tasteless. Certainly no herbal taste. The meat tasted alright, not too tough, but certainly not tender either. DB says it tastes like pork.

The signature herbal roast duck - everyone loves it. It is fragrant and tender and delicious.

I can pick up peanuts with my chopsticks! IeatIshootIpost was recently blogging about the right way to hold chopsticks... how do I fare eh?

And, the main reason why I come here. The power chili sauce. Goes well with everything and really has the spicy kick.

Drinks from Queen and Mangosteen. Refreshing. I really needed a break, it has been a crazy week.

Best chocolate ice cream, cutest spoon and takeaway box.

Retail therapy - as I said, it was a crazy week. So, bought clothes for cutie from Club Marc - they are really expensive in the States (just try buying online!) but in its vivo outlet, it seems that they are having perpetual closing down sales.

Bought myself a pretty watch too.

Kome Japanese Dining @ Keppel Club

2009-06-08T15:34:00.008+08:00

DH and I wanted to have a quick sushi and sashimi lunch before our movie date - State of Play at Vivocity Gold Class!

So we headed to Kome Japanese Dining. I come here for lunch pretty frequently, because they have pretty good, value-for-money bento set lunches. think sashimi, chawanmushi, mentaiko cod, tempura, with a salad starter and a fruit dessert for only SGD22.90. Usually I add a scoop of sesame ice cream if I am not too stuffed.

Chef Lawrence Chia is the brother of Ronnie Chia (Tatsuya) so I think they both employ the same marketing tactics - good and fresh sashimi at reasonable, value-for-money prices.

So this is our current favourite restaurant..

We went for an omakase sashimi and sushi lunch. Although if you are on a budget, they have a very reasonable ala carte buffet lunch for SGD38pp.

Our sashimi platter - includes toro and botan ebi. All delicious. Melted in my mouth.

We loved all the sushi that we were served - toro, uni, ikura, aburi hotate with mentaiko, aburi salmon belly with savoury garlic sauce. I was too busy oohing and ahing over the delicious morsels to take any photos at first... but when this seared foie gras on white tuna sushi arrived, i had to take a photo. It was simply divine.

See, DH and I are totally happy!

We then made our way to the GV Gold Class cinema to catch our screening of State of Play. I thought the movie was so-so... but I loved the whole experience of Gold Class. The comfortable reclining arm chairs, the wide array of hot food available, the proper cutlery, silver ware and glassware, the proper service. I felt pampered. We ordered wines (1 red, 1 white), a cheese platter and nachos with dips. It was decadent.

So I really enjoyed our movie date and so did DH. It was very extravagant, but luxuriously so.

The kids are just too funny these days.. Look at Sweetie's expression! "Mom, who's that guy next to me?"

And check this one out.. it totally cracks me up - "Am I pretty, mom?"

Then, we brought the kids swimming over the weekend. It was too hot, and so I capitulated and went swimming with them.

It was Sweetie's first visit to the pool! And yes, she sure enjoyed it! It was great fun seeing how she just kicked and splashed and squealed in delight.

Cutie found some friends straightaway. He is a very sociable kid.

Borrowed their water gun and aimed it right at me.

I just love bonding with my kids - and swimming on hot and sunny days is one of the best ways of doing just that!

7 ate Nine @ #01-36 Esplanade Mall

2009-06-03T15:02:00.007+08:00

The good news is, DH finally finished his exams (and he did really really well too)! The bad news is,he has to start work at a new hospital immediately after he finished his exams. No time for a break at all. I originally thought we could do a staycation at Sentosa, but nope, it was not possible.

Oh well, he promised that we would still try to spend time together.

We went to watch a movie yesterday after work. But we promised his mom that we would still go back for dinner. So it was a rather rushed kinda thing. And since we met after work, we went in separate cars, and left separately. Didn't feel at all like a date! Told DH that it didn't count as one.

For those who are wondering, we went to watch Terminator Salvation. I thought it was rather nice - the boys were goodlooking, very ruggedly so. They all had very nice straight and shiny teeth (I Like!). In an environment where fuel, food, clothes are all scarce... it's quite a wonder that the girls in the show all seem to have easy access to rose/coral lipstick though. Lol. I dont know if it's because I am now too old... it just seems that all the movies that I have watched appear to have a rehash of the same old themes - messiah theme (he came to save the world / he sacrificed himself in the end), machines take over the world for the humans' greater good theme, falling in love with the "supposed" enemy theme.

So today we had lunch!

I asked him what he felt like eating, and gave him a few recommendations - Japanese (Kome), Italian (Bonta), French (Gunther's) or tapas-style bites (7atenine)... unfortunately, he chose 7atenine! I was rather hoping to go somewhere new (he hasn't tried any of the above, but I have tried Kome and 7atenine).

Still, I do think that 7 ate nine is good value for money, and fun to eat.

I am happy, because he came to pick me up, and he was ON TIME. Applause please!

Most of the stuff I tried today were different from what I had previously, except for 3 items - the tomato cheese tart (which DH also liked), the stuffed beef on hot stone (DH thought it was interesting) and the truffle risotto (which DH also liked). I guess these items are firm favourites. Anyhow, they were good, so we ordered repeats of the tart and the risotto.

Duck Rillette with caviar. It was quite tasty, with an interesting contrast in flavours and textures. I like rillette and I like caviar. Somehow, together, it should have been a good match, but maybe just a tad salty.

Chicken Caesar Salad - it was nice, but the chicken tasted salty, more like chicken ham. Otherwise I thought it was pretty good.

Soft shell crab - a crowd pleaser. Crispy and tasty. But not unique.

This was a winner - Goat's cheese ravioli in crab bisque. Loved the texture of the ravioli (smooth and silken), loved the tasty cheese encased within, loved the crab bisque, which was flavourful and delicious. We of course ordered a repeat of this one too.

Carnivorous DH must have his meats, so the above was one of his favourites. Braised Veal with polenta. Their polenta is creamy and tasty. The last time I had the polenta here, it was also very well received. The veal was tender and full of the gelatinous tendony bits, which we liked. We ordered a repeat of this one.

This is roasted beef flank with enoki mushrooms. This was very nice and although not super tender, it was quite tasty. We also ordered a repeat of this one.

Our array of desserts. We were stuffed by the time desserts arrived, to be honest. They all looked very pretty. On the spoons were a mango sorbet, then a chocolate truffle ball on a stick with a sweet earl grey jelly, and then a brownie with vanilla ice cream.

DH spent quite a fair bit of his time playing with his phone though! He can't seem to stop texting at the table! So, I shall tell him that this date doesn't quite count either. He shall have to take me out again!! haha.

Brotzeit, #01-?? Vivocity and Tung Lok Classics, Chinese Swimming Club at Amber Road

2009-06-01T16:11:00.016+08:00

Went to Brotzeit for lunch today. It a German pub, run by Paulaner Brauhaus I believe. They do seem to have a wide array of drinks. Foodwise, it seemed pretty limited. There weren't many things that tempted me on the menu. Eventually we shared a sausage platter (SGD32) and ordered a potato salad (SGD5.80). He had a original lager (SGD10.90) and I had a Mango Wiessbier (a beer mixer of white beer and mango juice, SGD8.90). I enjoyed our lunch very much..

It was enjoyable conversation, with refreshing insights. He is very mature, very smart... yet also very nice and warm. He looks cool, but now I see that he actually has very grounded and traditional values. He was trying to convince me of the sanctity of marriage. He actually firmly believes in the doctrine of marriage... and the erosion of family values is a phenomenon that worries him. How quaint, and sweet.

Tung Lok Signatures

We went to Tung Lok Classics at Chinese Swimming Club for dinner over the weekend. The restaurant was well reviewed in the local papers in the past week, resulting obviously in a large crowd of people descending on the place. It wasn't equipped to take the crowd, and there was no sitting area for a comfortable wait.

To appease us, they sent a complimentary juice desssert, served in an extravagant display of shaved ice.

Cutie liked the juice, I think he had 2!

No matter. The kids had fun though.

Cutie and Daddy.

Me and Sweetie.

Cutie doing his own thing.

Sweetie doing her own thing.

Bought a new camera - a Canon Ixus. Love the functions, and the various cool and nifty things like automatic macros function, nice sleek design etc.

Took this photo in the car, and see how well it turned out!

Cutie

Generally, he has been a good boy, he is learning to accept criticism, and we are learning to do it in a more gentle manner. He can be quite embarrassed if we scold him in public or in front of others. If we are insensitive to his feelings, he will manifest his feelings of hurt pride and/or embarrassment by talking louder, in this pseudo macho bravado - "If Daddy scolds me again, I will cut him with the scissors! Lalala..." He says it loud enough for the people around to hear... I think it's so that he can manage his fragile male ego from being told off. Is this a guy thing?

Due to the extreme heat conditions here in Sunny Singapore, we have been eating ice cream a lot. Here he is, eating vanilla ice cream. His favourite flavours are green tea and vanilla.

Cutie also copes with the heat by taking frequent baths. He loves to have lots of bubbles in the tub, and if I take away the bathsoap, he will use shampoo, handsoap and anything else that is available. SIGH. How to scold him, when he is so delighted?

Sweetie

Our little princess. Wearing a tiara.

Sweetie is very good at posing for the camera... it's an instinctive girly thing maybe... she will turn to the camera and smile!

Sweetie is 10 months now. Very sweet and observant and friendly.

You know, I am very proud of my 2 little ones, they are growing rapidly! I find such joy in playing with them, reading to them, going for walks or just watching them.

I find that Cutie is a very good big brother, albeit a little rough from time to time... He takes time to play with Sweetie, does silly things to entertain her and make her laugh... Here is the video evidence of the above! I wasn't sure if my approach was right... you know, at first, when I decided to spend more time with Cutie after Sweetie arrived. Some experienced moms, and most books, suggested that it was important to spend more time with the elder sibling, because the elder sibling would be very aware of the new addition, and would be particularly sensitive to the intrusion and/or change. The baby would however be blissfully oblivious. So I adhered to this rule... resulting in me spending more time with Cutie than Sweetie.

The good thing of course, is that Cutie never felt threatened or abandoned. So he loves Sweetie and is always sharing things with her and playing with her. Nevertheless, I worried about this approach, I obssessed that Sweetie might not be close to me. The fears were of course unfounded. Sweetie still prefers me over any other caregiver. But now that she is older, she is more vocal in her demands for my attention as well. Fortunately, now that we are all pretty settled into the new family structure, the fact that I am now paying more attention to Sweetie does not change Cutie's attitude towards her. He is still the caring and loving big brother. I hope the way I dealt with this situation had helped, in a way. I think different kids respond differently so I dont know if my approach would be appropriate for everyone, but I think it did work well for me.

7ate9 @ Esplanade Mall #01-36

2009-05-18T15:52:00.010+08:00

Finally, after several rounds of rescheduling, the girls managed to meet up for lunch! The last time we met was the French Kitchen lunch that PC hosted, which was in February!

I miss PC so very much, ever since she left for greener pastures, but I am happy that she is happy.

Anyway I am glad we 3 girls had lunch again together. PL had good news to share and I was so happy for her too. I hosted lunch this time and we went to 7ate9, where they are having a lunch unlimited promotion for SGD37++ (including free flow juices, soft drinks, coffee and tea). It was truly an enjoyable lunch, girl talk and great food.

The food is served tapas-style, and you can ask for repeats of anything that you particularly enjoyed.

I found the food light and nice, presentation was interesting and service was warm and polite. I had read some bad reviews online about the unaccommodating service, about taking photos etc. However, when I was there, I noticed the staff didn't prohibit photos, and they even helped to arrange the plates nicely if you want to take a photo.

Some of our favourites are below:

This was the first dish to arrive - tomato tart. It was served on a crisp parmesan cheese biscuit, held together by a white creamy cheese and topped with arugula leaves. Sinful, I bet, but utterly delicious. We asked for a repeat of this one!

This was a mousse of sorts, topped with caviar. Although it looked rich, it actually tasted quite light and healthy. Not bad but not superb.

This was tuna topped with sea urchin mousse (if I recall correctly). It was alright. I found the fish a little chewy, but it was nevertheless very fresh.

This was a visually stunning dish! We girls oohed and ahhed when it arrived. It was prawn and squid balls I think, served with a dip of wasabi mayo? It looked amazing, and tasted equally amazing. Can't go wrong with well-fried seafood balls, I imagine. These were light and crisp and fun to eat.

Beef on a hot stone. I think it was meant to be eaten slightly raw, because the stone wasn't really hot enough to cook the think slices of beef. It was an interesting concept though. We all enjoyed this.

This is more well cooked beef, served on a plate. It was a little chewy, but otherwise enjoyable. The tart and refreshing cooked apple on the side was fantastic though!

Ahh.. the well-reviewed risotto. I was told that the risotto here is quite a highlight. And it was good. This was the truffle risotto. Wow. It was really fantastically fragrant, with sliced truffle and mashed black truffle. We had a repeat order of this.

This was the an interesting satay skewer of macaron, raspberry jelly and cake. pretty good. I recall the jelly being surprisingly tart, in a good way.

The chocolate cake was well-received, which girl doesnt like chocolate?

We all agreed that this was the best dessert of all - banana mousse. Not too sweet, very fragrant and light and smooth.

Next one is on PL, she's going to take us to the White Rabbit!

McDonalds @ Kallang, Sakuraya @ South Bouna Vista Shopping Centre

2009-05-12T13:52:00.012+08:00

Birthday Party for Lea at McD's
Lea is 6! She is our neighbour's youngest daughter, and she has 2 sisters, Lyn (aged 10) and Liz (aged 7). They are all lovely polite and well-mannered girls, who are kind and generous. I really adore them.

Lea is, I think, Cutie's first ever girlfriend. He likes her a lot and always enjoys going to her house. When he was younger, he would stand at the window and call out to her: "Lea, Lea, are you at home?"

They kindly invited Cutie to Lea's birthday Party at Kallang McDonalds! And of course Cutie had a great time.

Birthday cake was lovely. He sure enjoyed the cake, the food and the games.

He of course had to take a photo with his first girlfriend.

Yep, if Cutie were a little bit taller, they would have made a great couple! Haha.

Him and the other girls at the party.

Sakuraya Japanese Fish Market
I have never even heard of this place, but decided to check it out after a colleague mentioned that this was a pretty good place for cheap sashimi. Then I realised it sort of a well-kept secret, because this place filled up quite quickly on a weekday afternoon. This is a rather deserted location, near pasir panjang village (towards the haw par villa end).

Our selection of sashimi (which you choose from a counter and then they slice up and serve to you). Wow, I think we really ate a whole week's quota of sashimi. The nicest was the swordfish. It was firm and fresh. The salmon was also good, sweet, fresh and oily in a good way. The scallop was huge huh.. very fresh also.. it was sweet and yums.

We ordered uni sushi for $8 for 2. It would have cost easily $7 each at other places. The toro was $14 for 2, but we didn't go for that.

This grilled spicy salmon belly was SGD6. It was recommended dish on a website, but i found it a little dry.

We all ordered our own staple, and I had this. It was quite nice, but the rice was a little under-par. Not sweet, not sticky, not really a good accompaniment to the fresh salmon roe.

Verdict: come here for fresh and cheap sashimi, but that's about it.

Mothers Day Pressies
MOTHERS' DAY!! First time Cutie is really celebrating it with me. Usually Cutie's dad would buy a gift or plan something on behalf of Cutie. Cutie would be oblivious. Not this year though, because Cutie's dad is busy with something until the end of this month. And because, Cutie now 3 years old! He is very adept at art and craft and therefore has made the following pressies for me. I am thrilled to bits!

Bookmarks that he made for me at Por Por's house. One says "Mummy I love you" and the other says "Happy Mothers' Day!". It has stickers of a bus and a car and he says that he wants to buy them for me when he grows up.

These paper flowers in a yakult bottle, he made at school for me. Aren't they lovely? Beats any flower you get at the florist, any day. Exclusively hand-made by Cutie, and one of a kind.

On the left, bookmark with hearts made with Chinese teacher in school. On the right, a red styrofoam heart that Cutie made at Sunday school.

Cutie also made konnyaku jelly with mango and kiwi. Mine was a heart-shaped one. He proudly presents it to me on Friday. I praised him and told him to teach me how to make jelly next time... he says: "cannot, because must cut fruits with a knife, and I am afraid you will cut your hand. Only I can cut fruits with a knife because I am very careful."

One thing I am very grateful to Por Por is, she really is a hands-on grandma who allows Cutie to explore and try things under her careful supervision. She allows Cutie to explore, and do things like cut, and bake, but under her watchful eye so that he doesnt get hurt. Cutie actually enjoys the freedom, and he learns so well through this hands-on experience.

Doing a taste-test before giving it to me. -_-"

Present from sweet DS, a Mommies' Calendar with inspiring tales and verses to keep me grounded and grateful for life's blessings. Thanks DS!

So, to sum up, I really really love being a mom. Especially to these 2 darlings - Cutie and Sweetie.

:)

Hilarious

2009-05-06T00:48:00.002+08:00

Someone sent me this.

WHY YOU SHOULD ALWAYS CHECK YOUR CHILD'S HOMEWORK

===================

Here’s the note the teacher received the next day.

Dear Mrs. J,

I wish to clarify that I am not now, nor have I ever been, an exotic dancer.

I work at Home Depot and I told my daughter how hectic it was last week before the blizzard hit.

I told her we sold out every single shovel we had, and then I found one more in the back room, and that several people were fighting over who would get it.

Her picture doesn’t show me dancing around a pole.

It’s supposed to depict me selling the last snow shovel we had at Home Depot.

From now on I will remember to check her homework more thoroughly before she turns it in.

Sincerely,
Mrs. S

Cutie's Activiities

2009-04-14T11:05:00.006+08:00

Cutie has been eating all over town. I guess he is a growing boy, so he is always (and I mean always!) hungry.

He went to the petrol station near our place, and while i was settling the bill, he very swiftly helped himself to a pack of biscuit sticks, made himself comfortable on a low shelf, and started eating.

Luckily the staff at the petrol station know him well and really like him, so no problems with his "eat first, pay later" style.

He tells the cashier, "I am so hungry you know, I have no food". SIGH. People are going to think that we ill-treat this kiddo, and starve him.

Brought Cutie bowling. This was a kiddy event and mommies brought kids there. Cutie was the youngest though. He couldnt bowl very well (not strong enough) but he was very enthusiastic about cheering for his mommy.

He also decided to eat more food at the event. Even though this was after his own dinner at home.

Then we also went to east coast park and he rode on a scooter. We're avoiding crowded areas now, so no more east coast park for the time being.

Dim Sum Lunch @ Crystal Jade Dining IN

2009-04-13T16:40:00.005+08:00

lunched with DC and PC, both classmates from my secondary school and JC days. It's so funny how we have really grown up since our carefree days in school.. and yet, we aren't really that grown up!

Spicy squid. I thought it was going to be calamari, but this is even better. I liked squid generally for its chewy texture. This was also very tasty, with generous bits of chili. I liked this very much. Eat it quick though. It turns hard when it gets cold.

Siew Mai was ordinary. I am not a fan of siew mai. I find it too stodgy.

Spinach dumplings. I liked this for its fresh and tasty filling.

Char Siew Pastry was a winner because it contained lean char siew meat (please dont put fatty bits into it, i dont like that.. and its really not necessary to put fatty bits in order to get tasty char siew). It also has bits of century egg. Not a lot, just a little bit to make it more interesting.

Har gow was smooth and fresh, one of my favourite dim sum items.

fried carrot cake, this was smooth fragrant and superb. This is my 2nd favourite dim sum item and is a must order every time I eat dim sum.

Cheong fun with prawns is my favourite dim sum item of all time (it;s right up there with chicken feet!). I like this because it is smooth and savoury and healthy.

FOOD AT HOME

birds' nest dessert. Cutie is learning to take some too. He asked whether it was egg white, since it tasted so eggy.

And I made sandwiches for DH. This is honey baked virginia ham with lettuce, tomatos and brie cheese. Improvised from a cedele sandwich that I had during the week.

I made a version with dressing (honey mustard and french mustard mix) but DH seems to prefer the plain.

Tokyo Tastings Part 6

2009-04-06T17:08:00.016+08:00

Day 3 Breakfast
On the very last day, I was due to fly back to Singapore at 1130 am. So, any normal person would have slept in, had a good breakfast and then headed off to the Narita airport right?

Well, not me.

I cajoled my friends into waking up at 6am with me, and we headed to THE FAMOUS Tsukiji Fish Market for a sushi breakfast!

So happy because I have never ever been there, despite all my frequent trips to Tokyo.

When we arrived they were already clearing up... Not much to see.

We went to the various sushi restaurants within the market.. there were some with really long queues, like sushi daiwa and sushi dai (both very well reviewed on foodblogs and travel guides).
Many of the people in the queue were foreigners, caucasians and tourists. I would think that it is because they dont really speak japanese and can only rely on food guides, so they would head for these tried and tested restaurants rather than elsewhere. So the queues means that these places are visitor-friendly, and may not be a testimony to the standards of sushi here.

I say this because, of course we didnt have time to queue, so we ended up at a sushi joint in between Sushi Daiwa and Sushi Dai, also on block 6, called Sushi Yamazaki.

I took the sushi set for $80. The sushi is served as the chef makes it, so here they are in order:

egg and tuna sushi.

scallop and fresh prawn sushi.

sea urchin sushi

He was nice enough to substitute some of the items in the set upon request. He gave me this glass eel, a seasonal delicacy that I have tried in Singapore in place of something else.

So, above you see glass eel and crab leg sushi.

NC had the chirashi bento. Same price, same stuff, except with sushi rice in a box.

The stuff was so fresh. He took out an abalone, and showed us how it was quivering. Very good marketing gimmick.
I ordered one. and also a toro sushi.

NC ordered toro sashimi. I think it cost $30.
I think it was sliced too thinly. Proper sashimi shouldnt be so thin surely?

Anyway it was fun to finally visit this place after having heard so much about it.

Then we cabbed back to the hotel and I managed to make it to the airport with time to spare.

This was what I had for my airline meal.

Starter: tender warm satay with peanut gravy.

They always serve satay on SQ. It's boring, but nice.

I chose the japanese bento option.

I liked all of them, although some were really too cold.

Chilled cha soba was nice, since it is meant to be eaten cold.

Sakura ice cream dessert was a little harder, and less creamy than what I had at takashimaya food hall basement.

And a cheese platter to round off the meal!

I watched Twilight (a vampire teen romance movie) and quite enjoyed it. The boy isn't good looking in the movie, a little too pale and a little too thin. He looked pretty ok in Harry Potter though. I still quite liked the premise of this movie... all-consuming love (in every sense of the word). Maybe I will watch the next movie when it comes out.

Tokyo Tastings Part 5

2009-04-06T17:01:00.009+08:00

Snacks in Tokyo

Some of the loveliest snacks that I have had, I tried in Tokyo. Such as cream mochi - ice cream mochi in the yummiest flavours, azuki red bean, matcha, strawberry sherbert... and I dont mean the hard frozen icky stuff that you find in the ice cream sections in Cold Storage. No no no. These were sold in mochi galleries, really classy, like an ice cream parlour, in elegant black boxes, and it was smooth and creamy and chewy. Not cheap at S$2.40 each, but I really loved them.

So this time, when I went to Tokyo, I tried some of their seasonal sakura snacks.

Sakura Ice Cream - $5. This was very light, rather fruity in taste. But not really tasting like a bite of cherry fruit, it was more floral. It was very interesting.

Sakura Rice Dumpling - about $2-$3. This was quite interesting. It was glutinous rice, with a filling of sakura paste and a little sakura blossom on top. The blossom itself tasted pickled. A sweet bakchang.

Sakura Pancake - about $2-$3. This was a light pancake, with a filling of sakura paste. It was very pillowy soft, sort of like our peanut pancake (ming chiang kueh back in SG) but a lot softer and fluffier. The sakura paste was light and floral.

Sakura Mochi - about $2-$3. On the leftmost side of the pack, you see the sakura mochi. This was also lovely, with a delightfully light and chewy skin of glutinuous rice flour. I liked all of them, and cannot say I preferred any one over the other.

Sakura Cheese Cake - about $9. I tried Hokkaido cheese cake in Hokkaido, and they were simply divine. They tasted light, with a little lemon and it was creamy and cheesy and melted in my mouth like air. I can still remember the taste, and this is one dessert that I hope to try again and again. So when I saw that they had cheesecake here, I decided to try some. Of the 4 flavours available (original cheese, new york cheese (darker yellow), blueberry cheese and sakura cheese), I chose sakura cheese. It would have been lovely if not for the fact that I forgot to take it out of the bag before eating, so it kinda melted a little and was not as firm as it should have been. It was nevertheless still very light and delicious.

Strawberries - about $9. Wanted to eat strawberries, because I really remembered the last time I ate Japanese strawberries, they tasted like an explosion of sweet berry flavours. So at the supermarket, I grabbed a punnet.

They were sweet, but not quite as sweet as I remembered. Anyway it is always nice to have some fruit after a meal.

Tokyo Tastings Part 4

2009-04-06T16:49:00.010+08:00

Day 3 Dinner

Last dinner in Tokyo, as I was flying back next morning at 1130 am. We couldn't decide what to have.

first course - Shabu Shabu

This is beef shabu shabu, a delicious meal to have in cold weather.

First, they served a complimentary starter of squid in a savoury sauce. Quite nice. A little sweet and savoury.

See how marbled the beef was? It was tender and fresh. The restaurant takes pride in its fresh sashimi grade beef. We were asked to first eat the beef fresh, dipped in a garlicky soya sauce. It was tender and light, not a strong beefy taste.

Yup, very very marbled.

You can choose to dip the beef in either a sesame sauce (goma) or a vinegary sauce (ponzu). I liked the sesame better, it seemed to make the beef more fragrant.

The set also came with a serving of vegetables, tofu, fish cake etc. Well, they tasted pretty normal to me, tasted like boiled vegetables.

Then the waitress offered us some udon cooked in the shabu shabu broth. It was served with some scallions, some sesame seeds, and it was very tasty.

We ended with a yuzu ice cream that was more icy sherberty than creamy. It was a refreshing end to a delicious meal.

This meal was delicious but very affordable. The whole meal cost us about $$85 per person.

2nd course - yakitori

There is this little lane, rather cramped and uneven, near shinjuku station that is frequented by locals. All the shops in this lane serve kushiyaki (grilled skewers) and are small little shops with a counter and less than 10 seats around the counter. No tables. DH and I have walked past this place when we were in Tokyo, because we stayed at Shinjuku each time we came here, but we never stopped by because 1. we were with cutie and this place obviously wasn't a baby friendly place and 2. it seemed too local and we were afraid of the language barrier.

Well, this time, I came with my colleague who comes to Tokyo for business so often, she is considered part Japanese already. So she has come here before and is in fact good friends with the proprietress of one of these little shops.

There was barely enough space for us. The 3 of us and 2 caucasians next to me (who helped to take this pic) took up the whole row of seats.

We ordered quite a number of things to share.

some edamame beans. Sprinkled liberally with salt, it was quite a tasty treat, although a bit cold.

Grilled enoki mushrooms wrapped with bacon. Always a tasty treat. My friend tells me that she did this for a family bbq and it was very well received. I think this should be quite simple to make at home. Maybe I will try it sometime.

The grilled giant scallop with butter. Very tasty and chewy. I liked the chewier bits around the scallop, rather than the meaty scallop itself.

We also had tsukune, minced chicken. This is usually served on a skewer, and served with a sauce and raw egg, but as this lady makes it herself, she puts in a bowl, and cracks the egg in the middle instead. Interesting way of serving it, tastewise, it was just ok. Not as smoky or fragrant as I would have liked. I am also a little wary of eating raw egg in such conditions.

Grilled chicken wings, always popular at any party. These were polished off quickly because they were tasty and salty.

This is grilled fish, saba I think. It was very salty but otherwise quite fresh. The lady goes to the market every morning to procure her ingredients and closes the stall once her food is sold out, so the food is freshness guaranteed.

Total cost was about S$80 for 3 of us.

Tokyo Tastings part 3

2009-04-06T16:14:00.005+08:00

It was really rather cold in Tokyo this week. Although the meteorological agency of japan announced that sakura (cherry blossom) season would start this week, we only saw some sakura blossoms, but they were not really blooming yet.

Glad I brought my suede coat, and leather boots. I am warm and comfy.

Day 2 Lunch

Sushi Lunch with our colleagues. As it was raining, we went to the shopping mall next to the office tower, in Roppongi. This is a popular sushi restaurant on the first floor, and there was a short queue.

I ordered a sushi set lunch. It cost about SGD25.

It is a long platter of sushi moriwase - 12 sushi and 3 maki. On the right, there were some cooked items, and some vegetable items (lady's finger and eggplant). from this end, I liked the ikura sushi (salmon roe) best.

On the left, there were various types of fresh fish. On this side, I liked the amaebi sushi (sweet raw prawn) best.

Day 2 Dinner
Our gracious japanese colleagues arranged a hanami dinner (ie sakura viewing dinner).

It was at a hotel, which had glass panelled windows facing their sakura garden, and we were offered a priceless view of the beautiful sakura trees. Too bad they were not in full bloom yet.

They ordered platters of japanese food to share. This was the starter platter - which had yakitori, octopus, beans, bamboo shoots. All very nice, if a bit cold.

we also had other things of course, but no photos, because the platters were too far away.

Day 3 Lunch

We went to the Ohsaki office today, instead of the Roppongi office. Lunch was at a pretty popular tonkatsu restaurant at the mall next to the office, Ohsaki Gates. There was, again, a queue. But everyone was very patient about it.

My yummy order of rosu katsu (pork loin) and beef burger with cheese set.

It was so delicious and light and crispy! Not greasy at all. I tried various combinations - with mustard, with yuzu dressing, with tonkatsu sauce (a bit vinegary). All delicious. The pork was tender and succulent, and had a little fat, which was what I wanted.

The restaurant offered various parts of the pig - and rosu had a little fat. Hire is another popular cut with the ladies I am told, and is a leaner cut.

Delicious.

Tokyo Tastings Part 2

2009-04-05T14:03:00.012+08:00

Day 1

We arrived after lunch due to some delay in our flight schedule.

Our first meal in Japan was at Starbucks, whilst waiting for our train to take us to the hotel. A lovely selection, but we just shared a poppyseed cheesecake.

And I had a matcha (green tea) frappucinno,cos DH told me that the green tea drinks in Starbucks are made with Japanese green tea from Japan, whereas elsewhere (like in Singapore) the green tea is imported from US and is not as fragrant.

After checking in, we ravenously scour the area for eateries. Thing is, not many places are open because it is after lunchtime. We ended up at a non-English speaking small little restaurant near Shinagawa station. By pointing at pictures, we each ordered lunch.

My Chicken Katsu-don with Udon. Quite nice, and piping hot. Did its job of filling my stomach. Cost about S$20.

We had meetings with our Japanese colleagues in the late afternoon, and then asked for recommendations for dinner. Our gracious japanese friends took us out to dinner instead. This is a little japanese izakaya (like a pub) called Ni (which means one or first) near Roppongi Station. It was our best meal of the trip.

First, little bowls of starters and pickles. They all tasted different and clearly homemade. Some were crunchy, some were meaty. I liked the pickles with japanese black beans. I also liked the chilled braised snails. All delicious.

Next, this beautiful and fresh platter of sashimi.

Look, just look at it. It came with a whole conch shell!

I don't know how much it cost, but my guess is that it probably isnt cheap because it was such a huge and delicious platter. There was Toro (wow!!!), Akagai (Ark Shell, wow!!) and some other fresh fish that I didnt recognise. Those that I did recognise, I know they aint cheap. So yums. I savoured every single bite.

Then all the fried stuff came. All typical izakaya fare, I am told.

Fried chicken. Crispy and not greasy at all.

Fried Oysters. The oysters were huge, just huge. The size of my palm. and so juicy.

Fried fresh sardines. Never tried sardines except in a tin can before. Delicious.

Korubuta (Japanese pork) belly. Wow, this one was powerfully flavoursome. It was savoury, crispy, chewy. I am salivating at the recollection of this. I have not eaten this before in SG.

Fried Mushrooms. Also very juicy. Had a fresh mushroomy taste. Strange, but I find that Japanese produce tends to be very sweet and tasty, compared to what we can get here locally in SG. Better than Australia even, and I used to think that Australian produce is very sweet and tasty.

Then some japanese speciality of fried fish fin - it's sort of like soft cartilage / bone of stingray, but very crispy. Interesting, and quite fun to eat. especially with Asahi Super Dry.

We ended off with some yaki udon, fried noodles, and stumbled back to the hotel, sated and very pleased.

Tokyo Tastings Part 1

2009-04-04T16:11:00.005+08:00

I was forced to go to Tokyo last week for work. Forced, I tell you. They had to drag me to the airport, kicking and screaming.

Well, on one hand, I was loathe to leave my 3 babies (Cutie, Sweetie and DH). On the other hand, it was sakura season and I miss Japanese food. It was a tough battle. To complicate matters, that was the week that MIL, DM and DH were also planning to go overseas (MIL - wednesday, DM - Saturday, DH - Sunday). And I was due to fly on monday night, returning on Friday morning. So this needed some careful planning. So it all worked out, the kids stayed with MIL on Monday and Tuesday, and with DM on Wednesday and Thursday (The kids usually spend alternate weekdays at DM's in the day, but go home to sleep at night).

Conversation with DH went like this:

Me: Looks like I have to go to Tokyo next week, the rest of the project team don't want to postpone the trip.

DH: (nonchalantly) Ok Dear.

Me: So the kids how? Your mom going to China on Wednesday!

DH: I dunno, but I will be studying. (emphatically) very busy.

Me: You ok with Por Por taking care of the kids for those 2 days?

DH:Ok. I also stay with Por Por?

Me: (incredulously) You also need Por Por to take care of you?

DH: Then who is going to take care of me when you are away? (sad wail)

So there you go. my 3 babies really really need me.

It was a nice trip and I bonded well with my colleagues. They were all great fun and we all enjoyed japanese food very much. Usually work trips for me are very quiet and boring and I don't venture out too much. I go back to the hotel before 9, and I read and sleep. This time, with a team of 3 others, we ended up eating out a lot and trying different things. On our last night, we actually had 2 dinners because we couldnt decide between shabu-shabu or yakitori (so we had both).

On Friday, I couldn't wait to get back to the kids, but the rest of the team extended their trip over the weekend.

More on what we ate, coming up. Arigato Gozaimasu.

Birthday Cupcakes

2009-04-03T16:43:00.004+08:00

I am the social events coordinator for my team this quarter.

And there are 2 birthdays this month to celebrate... 2 lovely ladies, S and K.

So I ordered birthday cupcakes from Little House of Dreams, and they conceived a theme of handbags, dresses and shoes, which were lovely! Perfect for our elegant ladies.

Dont these look so sweet and gorgeous?

Lovely work.

They tasted great. Not too sweet. You know how, for most cupcakes, you would scrape away the topping or icing, so that you can just eat the cake and it might still be a tad too sweet? These cupcakes are just delicious, and you can eat the cream on it, and it is just nice.

Yum.

Thank you to Little House of Dreams.

DH

2009-03-12T17:29:00.011+08:00

Late night telecon and then had to send comments by email after that. Can't go back to sleep. DH's study light is still on. He is revising for an exam and he doesn't have time to study much in the day or early evenings. So his only window to study is after the kids go to bed. Poor DH. Went in to check and see if he needed anything to eat or drink but he was going to bed soon.

You know, I am very effusive when blogging about my 2 little ones. Cutie is such a cutie pie - he is eloquent and active, and has a very endearing side. He can be very thoughtful, like whenever it rains, he will ask Grandma whether Mommy has an umbrella cos he "doesnt want Mommy to get wet". Sweetie is such a sweetheart too - she is cheerful and smiley and seems to have a high adversity quotient. Minor ailments and loud noises (from cutie pie) or small discomforts don't seem to affect her as drastically as it would affect some other children (like cutie pie).

But I realise I seldom blog about DH. I haven't really told him how much I appreciate him. So, here is a post dedicated to DH. A letter with my love. Maybe he will stumble upon it and read it.

You know, I met DH when I was 18. So, it has been a really long journey together. Yah yah, I am very old.

Dear DH,

I believe we're meant to be. From the way we met to the way we ended up together, I believe it was part of a greater divine plan.

We're from different circles, you and I. Different schools, different fields, different professions. It was pure serendipity that we happened to meet at the airport. What were the chances?

Yet, we are so alike. We like the same things, we enjoy the same foods, we have the same priorities in life.

Thank you for being so supportive in all the things that I did. For cheering me on, for applauding each and every one of my (minor) achievements. For always seeing the good side of me, for always believing in me when I doubted myself, for painting rainbows in my skies when my clouds were grey.

Thank you for always being generous to me and my family. You think of my family when you go overseas, you buy supper or dessert when you go over, you give advice when they need an impromptu consultation. I feel especially loved when you do that.

Thank you for being my personal advisor, for never being too tired to hear me out when I need a sounding board. On hindsight, I realise your analysis of work-related matters are usually very accurate. You also seem to have a particular knack of being able to decipher politicking much better than I can. I don't think I would have come this far without your guidance and your encouragement.

I think I have grown up a lot in the past years. I am more mature, more willing to make sacrifices, more caring, more considerate. I usually attribute this change in attitude to motherhood. But I think, the people who have stood by me throughout this entire metamorphosis are the ones who I must thank the most. Because these people are the ones who have loved me as I was, even when I was well, not so grown up. DM, DS and you. Thank you.

I appreciate the gifts that you always lovingly pick. Looking back, I realise that each gift you have bought for me, were always made with careful consideration on whether I would like it. When I was going through my Harry Potter phase, you bought me all the Harry Potter DVDs. When I mentioned that the OSIM foot massager was a good invention, you bought it for Christmas (ok it is a white elephant really, and I only wanted to get a free massage at the Osim roadshow at Centrepoint but nevertheless I am still touched that you got it because you thought I would like it). The lovely extravagant sparkly gifts you got because you thought they would look nice on me. And the wheels.

There's a song, which I happened to hear on youtube, which I think represents what I want to say to you. It's a Hokkien song (from Money No Enough). Jia Hou: Meaning Wife in Taiwanese dialect.

with all my love,
Chocolate Reindeer

Postscript: Someone who knows DH well suggested that we met at the airport because he was stalking me. No LAH!

Peramakan @ Keppel Club

2009-03-12T14:08:00.007+08:00

PL, YS and I came here for lunch. I think it was because I read some good reviews on this place from Keropokman and Leslie... :) can't go wrong when a fellow foodie recommends the place right!

We each selected a dish that we wanted to try.

I think this was YS' choice by default. She said she was pretty easy, didn't mind anything, but didn't eat sotong or weird stuff like nangka curry etc. Mmm. Ok fish is safe. This is Ikan Assam Pedas. I think. Nice gravy.

PL wanted something with petai. So this is Garang Udang Petai, but no petai! Were we supposed to explicitly say we wanted petai (cos there was a non-petai option)... oops. Not bad also lah.

My choice! I wanted to try the ayam buah keluak! This version didn't disappoint. I like the taste of buah keluak, its kinda smokey, and fragrant and meaty. Very nice. I recommend this.

And then we each chose desserts. YS doesn't take durian! Ooops! PL and I love durian. The desserts here are good! Lots of gula melaka, coconut milk, durian. All make for a rich and satisfying end to our meal.

PL's choice of durian chendol. It was very refreshing! Cold and creamy.

My choice of durian pancakes. Served warm and melting. Yums. I had the durian pengat last time. Also yums.

YS chose a safe sago gula melaka. It was nice too.

I like eating lunch with my girlfriends! This was my turn hosting lunch. YS treated us to dimsum last time and PL wants to take us to eat Okinawan! Stay tuned!

Rong Cheng Bak Kut Teh @ Sin Ming Industrial Park

2009-03-12T11:33:00.002+08:00

Our 2nd lunch date was on a rainy afternoon...

I was rather stressed at work and needed some warm comfort - bak kut teh with DH was just the thing to perk me up.

DH wanted to bring me to bishan, he said, lots of good food and it's somewhere that I have never been. It's true that I seldom venture to this part of Singapore. It's just not anywhere near where I would normally hang out.

Have heard of this place from the food bloggers, but never tried it.

Am glad I did.

This is the stuff we ordered to share. DH likes the tang orh (green vegetable in soup). He says its nicely cooked and fragrant. I liked the pig trotter. It was braised till tender, and cleaned very well, so it didnt smell or taste porky. Just tasty and savoury with lots of that dark sticky soya sauce.

We each had a bowl of bak kut teh. The long pork rib is the nicest. The other 2 are just so-so. Next time we must order only prime ribs. They refill the soup too, but my refill wasn't piping hot. such disappointment. The soup was slightly peppery, and fragrant with garlic. You can see whole large cloves of garlic in the soup. No herbal smell or taste. This is pure teochew style i guess. I like it this way, although it could be a tad more peppery.

Almost everyone in the coffeeshop ordered the same thing as us. Then the lady would balance everything on a metal tray and cart it over to the table. She is super strong!

The food came very quickly and cost about $20 for both of us.

Verdict: I wouldnt mind coming back if I am in the area.

Takumi Tokyo

2009-02-13T16:30:00.004+08:00

DH and I don't really have time for each other these days. He is busy studying for a major exam, and well, I have my hands full with a day job and 2 kids.

However, we have made time to have lunch with each other... and I have enjoyed both occasions immensely.

I feel very loved when we lunch together. And although our conversations are now a lot more mundane, it feels a little bit like we are dating again.

So, today we went to Takumi Tokyo. It is a relatively new Japanese restaurant next to Prive. The dinner sets range from $100, $200 and $300. Fortunately their lunch sets are less exorbitant. My ladies set lunch was $30-ish and so was DH's set lunch.

My starter, which had quite a variety. I liked the slices of sashimi, though small they were fresh. There was a refreshing tofu salad with sesame dressing and a marinated seaweed with salmon roe. Lovely start.

DH chose to add $10 or $12 for a sashimi starter. His portions were slightly more generous, and there were 2 slices of air dried japanese beef.

Then the 2nd course of zaru udon, cold and nicely refreshing. And a gratin of sorts. I cannot remember what it was, but I think DH liked it.

My main of miso cod. Portion a little on the tiny side, but it is a "ladies" set after all. I am not considered a dainty lady with feminine appetites, you see.

Dessert was a sesame ice cream, I think.

And there is free flow of soft drinks with the set.

On the whole, quite enjoyable... I would go again. DH thinks it's a little overpriced, for the servings.

I miss DH already.

The French Kitchen @ Central Mall

2009-02-13T15:13:00.008+08:00

The French Kitchen @ 7 Magazine Road #01-03, Central Mall.

I will come right out and say it: I LOVED my dining experience at the French Kitchen.

Maybe because it is a new restaurant opening in the bleak times of recession, maybe because it is located in an area which is getting really quiet, maybe because we were lucky they really liked us. Whatever it was, I have to say, we enjoyed everything about our lunch - the food, the service, everything.

First there was complimentary bread (we had wholegrain and raisin when we were there) served with butter and with pork rillette. The bread was warm and fresh and constantly replenished.

Then our complimentary amuse bouche of salmon rillette, served with a crispy parmesan cheese cracker. Which was tasty and had a nice aroma and texture.

The set lunch ($36) had a choice of 3 different entrees and mains, and a choice of 2 desserts. Between the 3 of us, we ordered everything. And tried each other's plates. All for the sake of good journalism.

My fantastic starter of terrine de foie gras et cochon - kurobuta pork cheek and duck liver terrine. It was creamy and smooth, yet with some contrasting meaty texture from the pork. It was perfectly executed. And it was a thick and generous serving too.

PL's starter of bisque de homard - traditional lobster bisque with tiger prawn beignet and leek custard was a visual delight. Crispy battered prawns with soup served separately. It was rich and velvety smooth and fragrant. Yums.

PC ordered Macedoine de legumes aux truffes - mixed organic winter vegetables with poached egg and black truffle essence. It was nice, crunchy fresh and sweet vegetables with a poached (but not runny) egg. No photo, but you can imagine.

PL's main of sea bass and scallop. She liked it best of all the 3 mains. I thought it was nice and fresh.

But my fave main was PC's chargrilled agnus beef with boulangere potato. It was delicious. Just delicious. The potatoes came separately, bubbling in a small pot, covered with a creamy sauce.

My main of crispy duck breast with cocobean mijote and sun dried tomatoes. I thought it was just a tad heavy on the sauce and the salt. But the sundried tomatoes helped a lot in cutting through it all. I think it is just me though, because I am sure DH would have loved the tasty flavours.

Both PC and PL ordered the citron - organic lemon with melon granita and creme chantilly and home made madeleine . They both enjoyed it a lot and PL said she liked her dessert best.

I liked my order of dark chocolate creme brulee with vanilla ice cream. It was excellent. Served warm, with a crispy torched crust and smooth creamy interior, contrasting nicely with my vanilla ice cream, I was in dessert heaven.

Can you see, from our happy faces, how we enjoyed our meal? I love my girlfriends... I always enjoy lunching with these 2 sweeties.

I have to add, that the service was excellent, and truly memorable. Chef Jean-Charles (formerly from Raffles Grill) personally came over to our table to greet us and ask us whether we enjoyed our food. He even made time to say goodbye to us as we left. Restaurant Manager Jan was affable and friendly and made us feel very at home. When he realised we were trying to get a cab, he spontaneously went to the road and tried to flag us one!! How's that??

And, guess what, we just received a thank you email from Jan and Jean-Charles! Have you ever received a follow up email from a restaurant before? This is certainly the first time for PL and I. Kudos to the French Kitchen team. I am sure we will be back!

Kids at CNY

On the home front, Cutie has settled very well into school and loves school days. He is always clamouring to go to school and even when we want to keep him home (because of a slight runny nose) he refused.

This was the CNY celebration at school. They got to do a lo hei, a traditional salad, that is tossed for good luck.

They got to play with bubbles outdoors...

Can you see him enjoying himself?

And the children performed a Chinese New Year song for parents.

He sang so well! Every word in the song was perfectly enunciated, every action was perfectly timed. I am so so proud of him. *beam*

And this is Cutie taking Sweetie on a ride on his motor scooter. I think Sweetie had fun. She laughed a lot.

Oh, and in other news, DH and I have instituted a time out corner. Where Cutie is made to stand and reflect on the things that he shouldnt have done.

So there he is. He is being timed out for doing something naughty. He does look rather morose, doesn't he?

Blogging??

2009-02-09T10:38:00.004+08:00

Seem to have lost interest in blogging somehow.

Facebook is more fun.

And with 2 babies, I don't always have time to do both.

But, we're still having fun!

Phung Thien Nhan

2009-01-03T23:48:00.011+08:00

Today I read something in the local news that made me cry.

Nhan is a 2 year old who had been abandoned in a forest by his unwed teenage mom. To me, a mom abandoning a helpless child is already unfathomable and needlessly cruel.

But that was not all. She left the baby in a forest infested by wild dogs and other animals. A helpless, innocent baby.

What happened next breaks my heart. A wild animal came and ate up the boy's right leg and other organs. Villagers found the baby bleeding, shivering and covered with biting ants.

WHY? It is so inhumane, so senseless.

From the pictures, the boy appears to be lively, intelligent, handsome. I feel so so sorry for the terrible ordeal he has had to endure, and the pain that he continues to suffer.

I have decided to donate to this boy's welfare fund.

If you would like to do the same, please go to this website for details.

Jap Curry Meals

2008-12-30T11:03:00.004+08:00

Raku Ninja @ Republic Plaza #B1-07

I went to meet a friend at Raffles Place and we ended up at the basement of republic plaza, which had lots of stuff to eat. we initially intended to go for a paper pot, but I was tempted when I saw some other diners eat this...

The curry udon was insipid, with the curry more like a watery gravy instead. The tempura were hard, although not oily.

Verdict: Give it a miss, there are loads of better places around here.

Japan Gourmet Town @ Vivocity #01-157

PL and I came to this place on my first day back at work. This restaurant opened when I was on maternity leave so I hadnt eaten here yet.

When I realised it was part of a chain restaurant, which included the ubiquitous Ajisen ramen, I was rather hesitant because I was never a fan of Ajisen... but since we were already here, we decided to give it a shot.

I ordered their highly recommended moonlight okonomiyaki to share, but I wasnt impressed. The okonomiyaki was hard and tasteless. I wasn't expecting the okonomiyaki that I had in Osaka, but this really missed the mark by miles. I think Nanjya Monjya's version is still the best.

My tempura prawn curry rice was boring. The curry tasted of local curry powder, and was not at all like Japanese curry, which should taste sweet with the generous addition of carrots and onions.

Verdict: not good enough.

Sage @ Mohd Sultan Rd

2008-12-30T10:49:00.008+08:00

Of course, I have heard quite a bit about Sage, about chef Jusman So and his restaurant manager wife Kimberly. Most food bloggers know this place, since a bloggers dinner was organised here a few years back when Jusman was just starting the restaurant. Now he has clearly perfected his art, honed his skills, and opened a bigger place to cater to the growing crowds.

Well, I have always liked Husband and Wife restaurant pairings (think Emmanuel and Edina of St Pierre, Julien and Edith of St Julien) so, I decided to give this place a shot for lunch (open only Wed to Fri for lunch, every day for dinner).

There were many choices for their very affordable lunch set (SGD38 for 3 courses, SGD45 for 4 courses), and all looked so yummy that I really had a tough time deciding.

My starter of veal rillette and sauteed onion. It was delicious, and a very ample serving. I loved it. What a good way to start a meal... and it was a precursor to more delicious offerings.

The other starter that tempted me was the crab salad in tomato consomme. SK kindly agreed to order it so that I could sample some of it. Very very delicious. It was a little crunchy, very savoury, yums.

My main of duck confit. It came in a pool of gravy and I didnt know what to think of that, since a good duck confit should have a crispy skin, and a murky pool of soup isnt going to help right? Well, the gravy was a mustard dressing, which was super delicious and goes very very well with the duck. The duck itself was done perfectly, with crispy skin and tender meat. I was waiting to find a piece of dry meat, but it was so perfectly cooked!

My yummy dessert - a cheese platter. Most places would ask for an additional sum for cheese to be served, but over here it was part of the set. I loved everything that was served. My favourite was the 1st and the 2nd. Forgot what they were called. But the last 2 were quite strong though.

I wanna come here again! If only they serve lunch on weekends, then I can bring DH here.

Xmas Party

2008-12-29T16:39:00.005+08:00

A few of us girls decided to have a Christmas party for the kids, and well, although there were some moms who had to pull out in the end, we managed to have 4 families get together, and 4 kids to share in this party.

E brought this beautiful gingerbread house which was gorgeous! Tasted delicious too. Delicately spiced with cinnamon and ginger, it was fragrant and chewy.

A wonderful spread of goodies.

My contribution!

Rakuichi @ Dempsey

2008-12-29T11:36:00.007+08:00

I brought the kids to the Botanic Gardens for a morning outing... and DH joined us for lunch and we decided to go to Dempsey.

Cutie adjourned to Go-Go Bambini's for playtime, and DH, Sweetie and I went to eat some lunch. We decided to try Rakuichi. It seemed a bit pricey but it was Dempsey after all... everything is a little pricey.

Oh, but the lunch sets were actually quite affordable. I think our sets were about $30 to $40 each.

We started with some skewers: pork belly and beef tongue. Both were so good! The pork belly was savoury, sweet, slightly smokey, very tender (and fatty!). It wasn't cheap but it was so good, I am still salivating at the thought of this one. The beef tongue was sliced thickly, unlike most other places. This was unusual, but still tasted good because it was cooked just right. The texture of the meat was still slightly chewy. I loved these.

DH took the sashimi and sushi set, which he shared with me. All were quite nice, but nothing particularly memorable.

My set was the grilled set - with soft shell crab, unagi and hamachi cheek. All were good and I think my set was nicer than DH's... and cheaper too.

DH liked the hamachi cheek best of everything we tried that day. I liked the pork belly best. Portions were substantial enough to satisfy us both.

We were eached served sesame ice cream as our dessert. It was lovely, one of the nicest I have ever tried. It was delicious, not too sweet, fragrant and nutty.

We brought Sweetie with us to the restaurant. Sweetie didn't eat anything, but she sure brightened up the whole restaurant with her megawatt smile! :)

Happy Birthday Cutie

2008-12-29T11:33:00.003+08:00

Cutie turned 3 in November, and we had a vehicle-themed birthday cake for him and his friends.

I think it was a lovely party. And Cutie sure enjoyed it too.

Sushi Jiro @ Siglap

2008-11-28T00:03:00.015+08:00

Part 2 of DH's birthday celebrations were held at Sushi Jiro, a quaint little restaurant near our place at Siglap. It's run by a Japanese chef who married a Singaporean lady and decided to relocate to Singapore.

One thing interesting about this little place is that it serves seasonal specials which are typically found in more high end restaurants. This is mentaiko (spicy codfish roe), which is really an acquired taste. DH likes this a lot, and can eat it presented in various ways. I do like this, but would prefer it to be cooked, like mentaiko pasta, mentaiko tofu or grilled mentaiko.

We ordered edamame beans for SGD6 cos Cutie likes them...

But he very sweetly offers them to me first.

This is rather interesting - Ankimo in Ponzu (monkfish liver in vinegary ponzu sauce). Again, not something that one would usually find in ordinary japanese places. The last time I ate this was at Inagiku (we haven't gone there in awile cos our Feed at Raffles card has expired, sigh). It is very smooth, and rich, almost like eating a slab of meaty butter... taste-wise, I would liken it to foie gras, but the ponzu helps to cut the richness, and give it a tangy lift.

Another unique offering - Shirako in Ponzu (codfish milt in vinegary sauce). This white curdy thing is considered a supreme delicacy by Japanese, available only during the winter months. It is actually rather tasteless, and absorbs the taste of the ponzu. Rather, it is the unique texture of the shirako which makes it so sublime. It is soft, creamy, a little custardlike, yet rather delicate. Interesting.

The beef sukiyaki was a large pot, and we asked that they cooked the beef for us... Although I think it would have been nicer to serve us the raw beef slices, we didnt want to have the gas stove cooker on the table with 2 kids around. The sukiyaki was served with 2 raw eggs, which DH used as a dipping sauce. MIL and I both avoided the raw egg... I am a little afraid of eating raw egg, even though I eat raw fish. Is that silly? DH says it makes the beef silkier and smoother.

The grilled hamachi (yellowtail) cheek was truly delicious. It was clearly very fresh as it tasted very sweet, and it was grilled just right, with the fish skin slightly crispy and the flesh soft and yielding. Very very nice.

Our premium omakase sushi set... with all our favourites, uni (sea urchin), toro maki (bluefin tuna belly), anago (sea eel), akagai (ark shell) etc. This plate costs GD80, which really isn't cheap.

DH's birthday mochi, with a candle on top! Cutie sings Happy Birthday so enthusiastically, the waitress pops in to investigate.

Sweetie loves birthday celebrations too! She happily joins in the clapping, but maybe she doesnt really understand the commotion...

Imperial Treasure Restaurant, Crowne Plaza Hotel at Terminal 3

2008-11-25T23:22:00.012+08:00

I've always thought that Imperial Treasure was a very nice restaurant, serving up very exquisite and classy traditional Chinese delicacies.

So, when we made reservations to come here, I had high expectations... and the outlet at Crowne Plaza Hotel, Terminal 3, didn't disappoint. Everything about this restaurant really impressed me, from food standard, to service, to decor, all were excellent.

We tried the roast pork which was crispy and piping hot... There was a rather thick layer of fat under the crispy skin though, so that may not be too well-received. DS does a very good roast pork, totally home-made (her trick is to use lemon juice to dry out the skin, and then poke holes in the skin using a fork...) but it is very painstaking and is a true labour of love.

We also had braised goose wings and goose webs, but I forgot to take a picture.

Drunken prawns... very succulent and fresh. The herbal soup was so delicious, I had to slurp it all up.

The squid in salted egg yolk was also superb, a divine pairing of tastes and textures.

An individual serving of sea cucumber and mushroom for each of us. Also excellent, because the gravy was delicious and both the mushroom and sea cucumber were a substantial serving.

This dish, we got tricked. I thought it was kai lan with fish slices, and ordered it, but when it arrived, it wasn't fish slices but slices of fish cake. Aiyah!

Ee Fu Noodles, because it is a birthday, we had to have noodles to symbolise long life. This one was fried with spicy XO sauce and scallop. Very good.

Dessert we shared: Glutinous rice dumplings (Tang Yuen) in crushed peanuts,
and mango pomelo sago dessert.

DS bought 2 tiramisu cups and had the waitress bring them over with candles for the 2 birthday boys - DH and Cutie. Cutie loves blowing out the candles.

Happy Birthday to my 2 dearies.

Thank You

2008-11-11T16:47:00.000+08:00

Thank you to everyone for their kind birthday wishes.

Thanks particularly to Wei, Mia, Chandelier, Ice and Fen, for being so sweet.

I really do have lots to give thanks for. :)

Obolo Chocolate Cheesecake

2008-11-09T00:18:00.011+08:00

Happy birthday to Chocolate Reindeer!

This blog is 2 years old!

If you look back at my earlier posts, you will find that this blog was started on my birthday...

Thanks to DS and my family, who surprised me by sending a hamper with beautiful flowers, balloons and a chocolate cheesecake to my home..

Yummy cake, it was dense and rich and smooth, and not too sweet. Very very nice.

Thanks to DF,DM, DS, DBiL and DB for loving me so much!

PS: the cake is from Obolo, a boutique de patisserie (which means pastry boutique in French) in Joo Chiat... It serves all kinds of gourmet desserts and specialises in very classy, very exquisite cheesecakes like the Guanaja Chocolate Cheesecake that DS ordered. The Guanaja Chocolate Cheesecake is a luscious dark chocolate cheesecake made with premium cheese and Valrohna (wow!) 70% dark chocolate, studded with dark chocolate chunks, topped with chocolate macarons. MMMMM.... Thanks DS!

Beef and Beef

2008-11-08T23:26:00.016+08:00

DH recently discovered this beef place which sells excellent grades of beef, so we have been eating lots of it..

He bought this sliced beef karubi for our hotplate dinner... it's called full blood blackmore wagyu beef. It supposed to be beef 100% Japanese black cows without any other breed introduced to its bloodlines (therefore full blood)with a marbling grade of 9+, the highest possible grade.

400 g of this beef cost DH $170. Just look at the beautiful marbling.

It smelt soooo good as it sizzled on the hotplate... You dont need to cook it for too long... and then it just melts in your mouth... ooh delicious.

Yums.

LUNCH AT HOME

DH also bought some USDA grain fed aged ribeye home... at about $40 for a slab of 200g, this was cheaper than the grade 9 wagyu.

It tasted very good, very beefy, if you get what I mean.

The guys at the shop can marinate and season the meat for you too. DH chose salt and pepper so that we could truly appreciate the natural taste of the beef. Eaten with a simple salad with balsamic vinaigrette dressing, it was a hearty and filling meal.

Thanks to my cute chef.

CUTIE

Time really flies, Cutie is now almost 3 (he turns 3 at the end of this month), so we have decided to send him to school...

Look at Cutie in his uniform!

He shows me the caterpillar he coloured at school... and it says I love mummy on the top right hand corner.

My little boy is growing up!

SWEETIE

Sweetie is also growing well. She is happy and cheerful... and we are really thankful for this new addition to our family.

Cutie loves his sister, and is always trying hug her, kiss her and/or make her laugh. Here they are together. My pride and joy.