Le Petit Connoisseur

HK-SIN on Cathay Pacific

2012-02-03T01:13:00.000+08:00

While I love exploring foreign lands, I have a phobia of eating on the plane. I gag at the idea of being engulfed with the aroma of airplane food and hold my breath whenever I walk pass the pantry.

I mustered the courage to attempt the main course on my recent flight to Hong Kong back. Unfortunately, I found the fish too salty for my liking and abandoned it thereafter. No complaints about the al dente pasta though! Interestingly, Chinese tea was served when I requested for tea, and Häagen-Dazs cookies and cream ice cream was served for dessert!

Although the entertainment system on my flight to Hong Kong was sufficiently varied, the one on my return journey proved to be painfully limited. The food trolley took ages to arrive on both occasions as well. Nevertheless, taking comfort and comfort into account, I was satisfied with my overall Cathay Pacific experience- especially with the fact that they served my favorite Häagen-Dazs strawberry ice cream on my flight to Hong Kong!

Pudong Kitchen

2012-01-03T08:30:00.000+08:00

I'm not sure how Pudong Kitchen has managed to stay out the culinary limelight all these years, but I'll skip straight to the point: what may possibly be Singapore's best xiaolongbao can be found at this nondescript Shanghainese restaurant located at the basement of Balmoral Plaza.

. Biting into each xiaolongbao released an ambrosial gush of rich and savory soup, leaving me with melt-in-your-mouth tender meat. And yes, the thin skin of each dumpling held up to my chopstick work.

My first bite into the guotie ($6 for six) sent steaming hot broth shooting across the table. That should tell you how juicy they were! That aside, there was nothing to fault about the tender meat filling or the thin, firm dumpling skins.

But if I could only choose one dish to eat at Pudong Kitchen, I would head straight for the dongporou ($30). Braised in an unctuous, umami sauce, every forkful delivered succulent lean meat brimming with sticky collagen. To the weight-conscious: ditch your diet plans for this pork knuckle or nibble at a small piece of meat and attempt to exercise self-restraint while everyone else tucks in with wild abandon; you must not give this dish a miss!

We ordered some stir-fried French beans ($12) to balance out our indulgence, which I found a tad salty. P.S. Why are vegetables almost always overpriced in Chinese restaurants?!

The service could have, however, done much better. I had to personally fetch the menu from the counter, and my table waited for ages before the waitress made her appearance in the dining area to take our orders.

Pudong Kitchen
271 Bukit Timah Road
B1-02 Balmoral Plaza

Tel: +65 6732 8966
Opening hours: 11am-2.30pm, 5.30pm-9.30pm daily

The Daily Scoop III

2011-12-17T21:45:00.006+08:00

I haven't gotten around to trying new flavors at the Daily Scoop after discovering two favorites, Lychee Martini and Cha. Aside from its invigoratingly fruity flavor, I also loved the slightly icy texture of the former. The juicy lychee bits embedded within only add to the pleasure quotient!

Cha, a fragrant and refreshing earl grey sherbet, makes an excellent post-lunch treat as well. A pity that it's not available often though.

As previously mentioned, I love my waffles cakey, so I didn't really fancy the light and fluffy version served here. Crisper edges would have been welcome too. On the other hand, I have no complains about the brownie-studded Salted Mister Brown ice cream that crowned the creation- though I wouldn't have minded if the brown sugar-based concoction was a little saltier.

Prices here are reasonable at $2 for a junior scoop, $3 for a single scoop and $5.60 for a double scoop. What's more, dine in customers get to enjoy their ice cream in chilled bowls!

The Daily Scoop

41 Sunset Way

Clementi Arcade #01-04

Opening hours: 11am-9pm (Mon-Thu), 11am-10pm (Fri & Sat), 2pm-9pm (Sun); closed on selected PH

41 Jalan Merah Saga

Chip Bee Gardens #01-78

Opening hours: 11am-10pm (Mon-Thu), 11am-10.30pm (Fri & Sat), 2pm-10pm (Sun); closed on selected PH

Kim's Family Restaurant

2011-12-09T18:13:00.002+08:00

Listen up if you're a Korean food lover studying or living in the west: Kim's Family Restaurant's lunch deals offer a decent spread of banchan, a choice between beef, chicken and pork bulgogi and a bowl of rice for just $9.90+! The number of banchan served depends on the number of diners- I was served seven dishes when I was there alone, but was given eleven when I ate there with two of my friends.

Both the beef and pork bulgogi were well-marinated and tender, and came in generous portions to boot. I prefer the former though! The meat was accompanied by a serving of sweet sautéed onion slices that I happily lapped up. The rice was a little less sticky than I would have liked though.

One grouse I had about the food on both my visits to Kim's Sunset Way outlet, though, was that the bulgogi and rice were lukewarm. Nevertheless, I wouldn't mind returning for its value-for-money lunch deals.

Kim's Family Restaurant

Blk 106 Clementi St 12

#01-38E Sunset Way

窓 Chang Korean BBQ Restaurant

2011-12-06T20:06:00.001+08:00

My Korean friend brought a group of friends to Chang Korean BBQ Restaurant at Dempsey to introduce us to authentic Korean cuisine. I'm not sure about the tables outside, but the good ventilation inside the private rooms will ensure that you will not walk out of the eatery reeking of grease.

A decent spread of 반상 banchan to start off the meal

You can put aside your fears about overcooking barbequed items at Chang, for the trained staff will do the cooking for you here. The well-marbled Galbi prime ribs (왕양념갈비 Wang Yangnyeom) ($34++) were terrific: sweet, tender and mouthwateringly flavorful. I would gladly go for seconds!

I'm not a fan of grilled pork belly, but my friend declared the 삼겹살 Samgyeobsal ($20++) his favorite dish of the meal though.

Chang's 돌판알비빔밥 Dolpan-Al-Bibimbap ($20++) adds a modern touch to this ubiquitous Korean dish by featuring flying fish roe in addition to the usual suspects of soybean sprouts, julienned carrots and mushrooms. The pop-in-the-mouth tobiko added a welcome textural contrast to the mix of fresh-tasting sautéed and seasoned vegetables, fragrant rice and crunchy burnt bits from the bottom of the bowl.

The bean curd stew (비지찌개 Biji-Chigae) ($16++) and bean paste soup (된장찌개| Denjang-Chigae) ($16++) were passable, while the ginseng chicken soup (삼계탕 Samgyetang) ($25++) could have definitely done with more punch.

We also ordered two bowls of buckwheat cold noodles- one in beef broth (물냉면 Mul Naengmyeon) ($16++), as pictured above, and the other in spicy sauce (비빔냉면 Bibim Naengmyeon) ($16++). While the former was tangy and refreshing, I liked the Bibim Naengmyeon better for the addictive sweet and slightly tart chogochujang that doused the noodles. (My Korean friend commented that the chogochujang was slightly too sweet though.) I also preferred the chewier bite of the vermicelli in the spicy cold noodles to that of the Mul Naengmyeon.

A complimentary cup of 식혜 sikhye, a traditional Korean rice drink prepared from malt water and cooked rice, was served at the end of the meal to aid digestion. It's an acquired taste, I say.

Chang Korean BBQ Restaurant
18C Dempsey Road
Tel: +65 6473 9005
Opening hours: 12pm-3pm, 6pm-10pm daily

A Curious Teepee

2011-12-03T13:24:00.001+08:00

Having heard that it would be closing its physical store at the end of this month, I headed to A Curious Teepee to check out the offerings at its café. The food menu was very limited, as the picture above tells. I had been looking forward to trying their lemon berry tart and ATCP sandwich, but it seems that they are only during brunch hours on Sunday...a pity.

Papa Palheta coffee is available here for those who need a caffeine perk-up.

The quiche ($9.50) took a long time to be served, despite us being the only customers around. I had no complaints about its taste though. Flaky, buttery crust- check. Creamy filling packed with bacon and leeks- check. We polished off this pastry in less than the amount of time that it took to arrive at the table.

The Vegetable Tart ($8.50) was pleasingly cheesy, but I liked the meaty quiche more. Grilled peppers versus bacon, you take your pick.

I couldn't go without dessert- not only because of my sweet tooth, but also because my tummy was only half-filled from the savories. The Flourless Orange Almond Cake ($8.50) was dense and moist with a refreshing citrus flavor, nice but not particularly memorable.

The friend's crunchy waffles with maple syrup ($10.80) went down well with us as well. I am partial to dense and cakey waffles; those who prefer fluffy interiors will probably like A Curious Teepee's rendition of this dish more than I did.

Will I miss the food at A Curious Teepee? Judging from this experience, not really. Though all the items I tried were decent, they were not impactful enough to warrant a return visit.

A Curious Teepee

2 Orchard Link

#02-24 Scape

Tel: +65 68201680

Don Quijote

2011-11-29T23:18:00.000+08:00

Having heard many positive reviews about Don Quijote (say 'Don kwee-ho-tay'), I headed there for my primero experience with Spanish food.

Warm, chewy bread rolls served alongside a tasty garlic butter dip did a decent job of quelling our appetites while waiting for our mains. While the menu warns that paellas and fidueàs take about 25 to 35 minutes to be prepared, our food arrived in about 15 to 20 minutes on a low-traffic day.

I wasn't as wowed by the Paella Valenciana ($30++ for a small portion that will feed one to two persons) as I had hoped. It wasn't poorly executed- the creamy short-grain rice was thoroughly infused with the saffron stock, and the mussels and clams were pleasantly fresh and succulent. But as I dug into the bottom of the pan, I was disappointed by the absence of socarrat- the crispy burnt crust that is considered to be the hallmark of an excellent paella by many. I also found the rice too wet for my liking.

We all preferred the Fideuà Negra ($30++ for a small portion, starring bite-sized strands of angel hair pasta cooked in a jet-black squid-ink sauce bursting with flavors of the sea. As with the paella, we indicated that we wanted the noodles to be cooked al dente and they turned out perfectly done.

We rounded off the meal with Pudin de Pan y Manteqilla ($7++) and Pastel de Naranja y Queso ($7++). The bread and butter pudding fan in me wasn't particularly thrilled with the former; the orange cheesecake was satisfyingly rich and creamy but was, again, nothing out the ordinary. Perhaps, we should have opted for the friendly waitress' recommendation for the ubiquitous Bomba de Chocolate (molten chocolate cake).

Now, can someone recommend me a place for good paella in Singapore?

Don Quijote

Blk 7 Dempsey Road

#01-02

Tel: +65 6476 2811

Opening hours: 11.30am-10.30pm (Sun-Wed), 11.30am-1am (Thu-Sat)

Hummerstons

2011-11-16T12:25:00.000+08:00

While Cedele's and Food for Thought's pancakes still reign in terms of fluffiness and moistness, Hummerstons' rendition of this familiar breakfast favorite is definitely one of the better ones around. Thin but sizeable, these light and airy pancakes ($14++) had a delectable buttermilk tang and were served with berry compote, real maple syrup and easy-to-slather whipped butter. They go cold quite quickly though, so do lap them up with haste.

Oh, did I forget to mention that I adored the design of the spacious lounge area as much as I liked the pancakes?

Hummerstons

11 Unity Street

#02-14 Robertson Walk

Tel: +65 6737 8863

Opening hours: 12nn-12am (Tues-Fri), 10am-12am (Sat-Sun)

Paulaner Bräuhaus

2011-11-11T14:26:00.009+08:00

Portions come in big sizes at Paulaner Bräuhaus; my party of four left with stuffed tummies after sharing three mains, a dessert and drinks. The first floor of this German establishment is home to a bar cum brewery, while the cozy restaurant housed on the second floor is festively decorated with a majestic Maypole and murals of traditional Bavarian scenes and costumes.

Crunchy skin meets tender meat in Paulaner's crispy pork knuckle, otherwise known as knusprige schweinshaxe ($29.50++). While decent, this porcine signature was not as succulent as I would have liked. Being no fan of fermented cabbage, I passed on the sauerkraut; the soft and hearty knödel (bread dumplings) which accompanied this dish were however quite pleasant. Paulaner Bräuhaus also serves boiled pork knuckles- has anyone tried them before?

Die “Currywurst” Klassisch mit Pommes und Currypulver (the German Currywurst classic with curried tomato sauce and French fries) ($17++). I had no complaints about the currywurst, but it was the curried tomato sauce that stole the show- beats regular ketchup anytime! While the fries were decidedly average, they were wiped out in no time as tools to wield the addictive curry dip.

What's German food without sausages? Unfortunately, the Paulaner sausage pan ($25++)- which comes with Thüringer, cheese sausage, debreziner, pork sausage and spicy Kolbazi sausages- failed to impress. The sausages weren't particularly juicy, neither were they grilled to a crisp. The powdery reconstituted mashed potatoes were equally mediocre.

The highlight of the meal would be the Karamellisierter Kaiserschmarrn mit Apfel-Pflaumenkompott (caramelized Bavarian emperor's pancake with apple plum compote) ($12.50++). Prepared a la minute and served piping hot, the fluffy bite-sized pancake pieces were coated with a crisp caramelized sugar. While it was expectedly on the sweet side, Paulaner's kaiserschmarrn is definitely one of my favorite pancakes around and is a dish that I will return for!

Paulaner Bräuhaus

9 Raffles Boulevard
#01-01 Millenia Walk
Tel: +65 6883 2572

Opening hours:

Restaurant: 12pm–2.30pm, 6.30pm–10.30pm (Mon-Fri);

6.30pm–10.30pm (Sat); 11.30am – 2.30pm, 6.30pm – 10.30pm (Sun)
Bar: 11.30am – 1am (Sun-Thur), 11.30am – 2am (Fri, Sat & PH eve)

Sweet meets salty @ Tom's Palette

2011-10-27T23:05:00.003+08:00

Mention sweet and salty, and salted caramel (and possibly Tom's Palette's salted caramel cheesecake ice cream) immediately jumps to mind. If you're keen to try another salty-sweet flavor combination, do drop by Tom's Palette to try the new flavor for this month - Savory Crunch! Who knew that crunchy, salty potato crisps would taste so good sprinked in milk ice cream?

Good ol' pistachio (above) & Savory Crunch

Fleur de Lait & Kaya (an experimental flavor)

Tom's Palette's milk ice cream tastes great with chocolate-coated almond bits too (left), but I personally prefer Savory Crunch over the former!

Tom's Palette

100 Beach Road
#01-25 Shaw Leisure Gallery
Opening hours: 12pm-9.30pm (Mon-Thu), 12pm-10pm (Fri-Sat), Sunday 1pm-7pm (closed on the last Sunday of the month)

Alfero Artisan Gelato

2011-10-22T12:22:00.005+08:00

I firmly believe that ice cream parlors should not be stingy with samples- how are customers supposed to be satisfied with their purchase if they haven't found the flavors they like? Thankfully, Alfero Artisan Gelato passes in this aspect with flying colors- the friendly staff kept handing its patrons sample after sample during my visit there!

Unlike most of its competitors, Alfero does not showcase its wares behind a glass display- it stores them in metal containers instead, which apparently help preserve the freshness of the gelato.

Not only was the service at Alfero commendable, the gelato was excellent as well. I really liked the exquisitely silky mouthfeel of its gelato- you should try it out yourself! While Coccogelo's pistachio gelato was slightly more intense in flavor, Alfero's version is unparalleled in smoothness- I can't decide which I prefer. Wanting a refreshing perk-up after dinner, I chose to have a scoop of lemon sorbet as well. Although it was decent by all measures, I'll rather go for double or even triple scoops of gelato the next time I visit Alfero!

Price: $4.50 for a small cup (1 flavor), $6.50 for a medium cup (2 flavors), $8.50 for a large cup (3 flavors)

Alfero Artisan Gelato

6 Raffles Boulevard

#02-226A/B Marina Square

Opening Hours: 10am-10pm daily

Ikada Bakery

2011-10-15T10:34:00.002+08:00

Ikada Bakery might not be a fancy pâtisserie, but its cheese tarts are not to be sniffed at. Be prepared to be greeted by an oozing molten cream cheese when you bite into the tart, which comes along with a decently buttery and sturdy shortcrust. Even better, they're heftier than your average cheese tart and are priced at just $1.40 each. I prefer the blueberry version over the chocolate as the fruit jam helps to cut the richness of the cheese filling.

I liked their egg tarts ($1 each) even better. Less eggy and custard-like than its counterparts of the same name, the filling in Ikada Bakery's egg tarts is refreshingly silky, beancurd-like and sweetened just right. It seems that I'm not the only fan of them- these proved to be a hit amongst guests at a reception I recently hosted!

P.S. They do delivery for orders above $150.

Ikada Bakery

Block 108 Depot Road

#01-09 Depot Heights Shopping Centre

Opening hours: 8am-8pm (Mon-Fri), 8am-7pm (Sat-Sun), closed alternate Sundays

Tel: +65 6273 5442

Tai Tai-ing @ TWG

2011-10-13T22:39:00.022+08:00

The luxurious furnishings and old world charm of TWG's tea salons makes them them easily mistakable for outposts of a premium Parisian tea chain, but did you know that the company was actually established in Singapore in 2008? Bewitched by its beautiful decor and the numerous tea canisters on display within the glass-walled enclave, D and I joined the queue outside TWG's Ion Orchard outlet one day for a classy afternoon treat.

I ordered the 1837 tea time set menu ($18++), which included a pot of TWG tea as well as a choice between two scones, two muffins and a patisserie from the trolley. To my disappointment, the raisin-studded scones looked better than they tasted- they were dry and overly crumbly, and weren't buttery enough for my liking. At least they were warmed before serving.

While the red tea jelly was quite nice, I would have preferred my scones to be paired with rich clotted cream instead of whipped cream.

A pot of tea at TWG costs $11++ and upwards, and no refills of hot water are provided as the tea has already been strained before serving. (FYI: No sharing of teapots is permitted.) Fragrant and calming, my Vanilla Bourbon Tea was just one of the numerous teas on offer- you'll definitely have a hard time choosing your beverage here! I didn't take to its slightly sour tang though.

On another occasion, I picked up some macarons ($2 each) from TWG's booth at Takashimaya Food Hall for tea. While credit has to be given to TWG for giving a spin to the ubiquitous macaron by infusing them with tea, the shells were too soft and sweet for my liking. With the exception of Bain de Rose (pink), which featured beguiling floral notes, the tea flavor in the other macarons was too muted. That being said, I adored the sticky caramel filling in the Napolean tea & Caramel macaron (black) and found Grand Wedding tea, Passionfruit & Coconut (purple) and 1837 Black tea & Blackcurrant (dark pink) pleasantly fruity.

TWG Tea Salon & Boutique

#02-21 Ion Orchard

Opening hours: 10am-9.30pm daily

Egg Tarts @ Imperial Treasure Bakery

2011-09-07T11:27:00.002+08:00

I thought I stumbled upon my favorite egg tarts in Singapore when I tried Tong Heng's egg tarts, but I was wrong. My new to-go place for egg tarts is none other than Imperial Treasure Bakery, conveniently located at 111@Somerset in Orchard.

The egg tarts here combine smooth and creamy custard with an impeccably buttery, melt-in-your-mouth shortbread crust. While Tong Heng's egg custard remains unbeaten in terms of wobbliness, Imperial Treasure Bakery's egg tarts edge them out in other aspects. While Tong Heng's egg tarts are overly sweet, Imperial Treasure Bakery's got the sugar level down pat. Not forgetting to mention, while the flaky pastry crust of Tong Heng's egg tarts turns soggy after cooling, Imperial Treasure Bakery's egg tarts still taste delicious after being kept till the next day. It's still best eaten freshly baked when the custard's at its wiggly best though!

Each palm-sized portion of deliciousness is priced at $1.50.

Imperial Treasure Bakery

111 Somerset Road

#01-26 TripleOne Somerset

Opening hours: 8am-9pm (Mon-Sat), 10am-9pm (Sun)

Snowskin Mooncakes from Jewels Artisan Chocolate

2011-09-04T18:03:00.006+08:00

Jewels' Korean Black Garlic mooncakes are probably the most unusual mooncake flavor I've ever heard of. Possessing nary a trace of the pungency you might expect, the black garlic had a slightly tangy flavor akin to preserved plum. It's an acquired taste and didn't quite agree with my tastebuds, but I guess the black garlic mooncakes were worth trying for the novelty.

Coffee lovers must not miss on the espresso truffle version, which packs a robust caffeine punch. My other favorite in the box would the version with crunchy Valrhona dark chocolate pearls, which lend a welcome textural contrast to the smooth lotus paste.

Alcoholic mooncakes are ubiquitous nowadays, and Jewels' champagne ganache truffle snowskin mooncake is certainly one of the better ones around, though it could have done with a stronger dose of booze. The last flavor features a lusciously rich and creamy salted caramel truffle, which was delicious as well!

Pssst...if you intend to purchase mooncakes from Jewels, spend $10 or more at their Orchard Central outlet and quote 'FB30D' to be entitled to purchase up to 2 boxes of mooncakes at 30% off the total price.

Jewel Artisan Chocolates
Orchard Central
181 Orchard Road #02-31/32
11am to 11pm daily

K ki ケーキ

2011-09-02T14:10:00.004+08:00

One of my favorites at K Ki is their buttery and perfectly crisp sables ($12 for 14). I love the intensely flavored matcha version, which is given a savory touch by the addition of sesame seeds. The fragrant coconut sables are equally fabulous, and the chocolate hazelnut version is delicious as well. It's a good thing that these sables are individually packed, otherwise it'd be all too easy to finish the whole bag in one sitting!

Noisette ($8) was a nutty creation comprising rich dark chocolate ganache, fresh cream and hazelnut praline cream sandwiched between layers of hazelnut dacquoise. Though the chocolate and hazelnut elements were brought out nicely, the entremet was marred by the overly stiff dacquoise.

Fromage Melon ($8.50) features a light and dreamy fromage blanc mousse with a sweet and juicy melon core, sitting on a sable breton base that packs a buttery crunch. Nice, but I still like Kinabaru better..someone I know will beg to differ though!

K ki ケーキ

7 Ann Siang Hill

Tues-Fri, Sun: 12pm-7pm, Sat: 12-4pm

One-for-one Fish & Chips @ Manhattan Fish Market

2011-08-30T09:35:00.005+08:00

Manhattan Fish Market is currently holding a one-for-one promotion for their dory & chips with cheese fries between 12nn and 6pm, ending on 1st September. The Manhattan Fish & Chips with cheese sauce is a new addition to the menu, and costs $3++ more from their regular fish & chips ($10.90++).

That equates to $3++ difference for a meagre portion of cheese sauce. You probably wouldn't want to order cheese fries with your dory & chips at Manhattan Fish Market when this one-for-one promotion is over.

Dory tends to be quite tasteless on its own, and this was the case here. It's nothing that ketchup or tartar sauce can't fix though. While the fried dory was moist, the batter lost its crunch rather quickly, and the under-salted fries lacked crisp. While I wouldn't mind giving the chain's Flaming Platters a shot, I'll rather head to Fish & Co. for a convenient fish & chips fix.

Something else to note: do not visit MHM's Junction 8 outlet with a large group if you object to sitting outside the restaurant- there were apparently insufficient seats inside the restaurant to seat seven people at 5.30pm on a public holiday.

Manhattan Fish Market

Junction 8

D24 Durian Mooncakes @ Four Seasons Durians

2011-08-25T13:31:00.003+08:00

I have yet to check out this year's latest mooncake offerings, but here's a run-down on a crowd pleaser that's available every year. Four Seasons Durians' D24 durian mooncakes boast a delectably creamy and bittersweet filling made of pure D24 durian flesh, encased within a soft snowskin.

The snowskin was a little thicker than I would have liked, but there's no doubt that I polished up the durian mooncakes with much gusto! The durian purveyor also stocks Mao Shan Wang mooncakes, which have been well-received by ST's food critics but are overly pricey in my opinion.

I can't wait to get my hands on Peony Jade's Teochew Orh Nee mooncakes- it's a must-eat every year!

Four Seasons Durians
Outlets are located at AMK hub, Takashimaya, Clementi and Nex Serangoon

Some of my favorite things.

2011-07-28T17:23:00.004+08:00

Carrot cake topped with a fabulous cream cheese icing, buttery scones served with Cornish clotted cream and strawberry jam, honey lemon drink and an incredibly moist dark chocolate brownie from my favorite café.

Chai latté, my favorite drink at Starbucks.

From the recent Summer Hokkaio Fair at Isetan: Shinori roll, a delightfully soft sponge roll filled with fresh cream.

Arles' wild berries rare cheesecake earns a 10/10 from me. I ♥ eating it semi-frozen.

Otaru Yakata milk pudding, also best consumed semi-frozen!

Old-fashioned sponge cakes from L.E. Café, featuring an addictive salty-sweet buttercream. Nice cakes don't need to cost a bomb.

Another old-school favorite: Sara Lee pound cakes. My favorite is the chocolate swirl variant, how about you?

Ramen Champion @ Iluma

2011-07-16T10:42:00.007+08:00

Six acclaimed ramen-yas hailing from various Japanese prefectures have recently opened outposts at Iluma Bugis. They will be open until June 30 next year, and a popularity contest based on sales and votes will determine the Ultimate Ramen Champion who will be invited to set up a restaurant here.

Following the Straits Times' recommendations, I settled on a regular portion of Ikkousha's signature Hakkata Ajitama ramen ($13+). Other dishes on offer here include Bario ramen, mori soba from Taishoke, Tetsu's Very rich! Paitan tsukemen ramen, Negitama ramen from Iroha as well as Ganetsu's special miso ramen.

Ramen Champion uses a magnetic strip card system a la Marché. Like in Japan, a disc-shaped electronic device is issued to you upon ordering and beeps when your food is ready for collection!

Ikkousha's noodles are skinny and slightly crisp to the bite, though not as resilient as I would have liked. Texture aside, the kansui (alkaline) taste of the noodles could have been more subdued as well. Simmered with pork bones and soy sauce, the broth was smoky and piquant, and was topped with some crunchy black fungus and negi. My favorite item in the bowl would be the flavorful chashu, which was tender with a great fat to meat ratio. The onsen tamago, however, could have been more tasty, and it was unfortunate that the yolk wasn't molten either.

For the ravenous, a larger serving of the Hakkata Ajitama ramen is available at $15+, and you can ask for kaedama (替玉) ($2+) if you want a refill of noodles.

All in all, this was a decent bowl of ramen but I'm too sure if Ikkousha deserves the title of Ultimate Ramen Champion. Santouka's pork cheek ramen still reigns in my book and I hope to be back to try the other stalls here in the year ahead.

Ramen Champion
201 Victoria Street
Iluma @ Bugis
#04–08/09/10

A new love @ Beard Papa Sweets

2011-07-04T15:46:00.004+08:00

Love Beard Papa's cream puffs? You've got to try their Paris Brests. I adore the green tea version, which combines a fabulous matcha-infused frosting with light, donut-shaped choux pastry that guarantees a burst of cold, airy vanilla bean custard cream in every bite. The earl grey variant (above) is delicious as well. Other flavors include chocolate, coconut and hazelnut- I can't wait to try them all! (With the exception of the plain version.)

Available at selected Beard Papa outlets such as Takashimaya and Bugis Junction at $2.50 each, or $18 for a box of eight.

Missing Pierre Hermé

2011-06-30T22:28:00.003+08:00

This is a very backdated post, but I felt a strong urge to rave about Pierre Hermé's incredible macarons after an acquaintance of mine posted photos of the Ladureé macarons she had in Paris (she couldn't locate Pierre Hermé's boutique, unfortunately).

Just one bite is enough for one to understand all the hype. There's no doubt that Pierre Hermé's macarons are the best. Ever. They make my world go round.

The macaron shells had gorgeously thin and crisp crusts and delightfully soft and airy innards, which yielded to the most dreamily smooth and creamy fillings in inventive but yet amazingly complementary flavor combinations. Rose, a rose macaron filled with rose petal cream, was definitely my favorite of them all; and the divinely delicious Infiniment caramel version (caramel macaron biscuit with salted butter caramel cream) came a very close second. Milk chocolate and passionfruit make a great pair, and Mogador (Macaron biscuit, milk chocolate and passion fruit ganache) was no exception.

If only the tea macarons from a certain local patisserie were as good as Pierre Hermé's Jasmin, which featured a delightfully fragrant jasmine tea cream. Sigh.

Here's a list of the other flavors I had, which were all lovely as well:
Huile D'Olive & Vanille: Olive oil, vanilla (Macaron biscuit, olive oil cream and vanilla)
Éden: Peach, apricot and saffron (Macaron biscuit, peach and saffron cream, moist pieces of apricot)

Arabesque: Apricot, pistachio and pistachio praline (Macaron biscuit, apricot cream with moist pieces of apricots, crunchy pistachio praline)
Mosaïc: Pistachio, griottines & cinnamon (Vanilla macaron biscuit, pistachio and cinnamon cream with griottines)
Citron: Lemon (Lemon macaron biscuit, lemon cream)
Chocolat: Pure origin Venezuela Porcelana dark chocolate (Chocolate macaron biscuit with a lush Venezuala Porcelana dark chocolate ganache)
Fragola: Strawberry, balsamic vinegar (Macaron biscuit, balsamic vinegar cream, strawberry compote)

Knowing my love for Pierre Hermé's macarons, my dear cousin carted some of these dainty babies back to Singapore for me some time ago! The shells became a little stale after the 13-hour-long flight back, but the flavors remained just as incredibly delicious as before.

From top: Marron & Thé Vert Matcha - Chestnut & Matcha Green Tea (Pretty good though the green tea flavor could have been more pronounced), Pietra (Hazelnut Praline: Decently nutty), Infiniment Caramel

From top, clockwise:
Rose, Pietra (Hazelnut Praline), Infiniment Caramel,
Dépaysé (Matcha Green Tea, Azuki Red Bean, Lime & Ginger: The matcha element was delightfully intense, though I could barely discern the lime and ginger in the buttercream. A winner!)

Aoki

2011-06-12T10:11:00.011+08:00

Having dinner at Aoki is a pricey affair, starting from $165++ per pax. But it's possible to get a premium sushi fix at the restaurant without bursting your budget, for Aoki dishes up affordable set meals during lunchtime (at $30++ and above), without compromising on quality or portion size.

Being one who'll never pass on a chance to catch the skillful sushi chefs in action, I opted for a seat at the counter. But the tranquil atmosphere of the restaurant makes it an ideal location to catch up with friends- you should consider sitting at the private booths on the second floor if you intend on doing so.

The meal started off with a tasty braised renkon otoshi ($3++), followed by a simple but refreshing salad- for a dose of fiber and vitamins!

Salad tossed in a soy sesame dressing

What makes Aoki’s mazechirashi an excellent deal is the vast variety of seafood it features. Unearthing the assortment of fresh sashimi piled atop, I discovered pieces of buttery uni, shoyu-marinated ikura, as well as cubes of ebi, tako, shime saba, kanpachi, shiromi, maguro and chutoro. The well-seasoned sushi rice was also topped with delightfully spongy cubes of tamago castella, slices of cucumber, nori strips, shreds of perilla and a dollop of nama wasabi. Needless to say, I polished it all off with much relish!

Colorful tsukemono, pickled ginger and a bowl of prawny miso soup were served along with the mazechirashi.

Variety pleases me, and the trio of dessert miniatures- namely plum wine jelly, smooth milk pudding drizzled with caramel sauce and icy muskmelon sherbet– certainly made for a light but satisfying ending to the meal. A cup of genmaicha was also served to aid digestion- a thoughtful gesture on the kitchen's part!

Food aside, the service was attentive and I loved the pretty tableware. To round it all off, I had great company as well!

The mazechirashi set is priced at $35++.

P.S. Do make a reservation before visiting Aoki as the restaurant can be quite packed at lunchtime. If you're planning to order the mazechirashi, it would be wise to indicate so in your booking- I heard that the restaurant only makes 10 bowls of it a day for lunch. どうぞめしあがれ!

Aoki Restaurant
1 Scotts Road
#02-17 Shaw Centre
Opening hours: 12pm-2.30pm, 6.30pm-10.30pm (Mon-Sat), closed on Sundays

My favorite donut @ SomethingToGo

2011-06-03T22:35:00.015+08:00

In commeration of National Donut Day, today's post will be about my favorite donut in Singapore!

Though the donuts from the bakery at SomethingToGo at Regent Hotel are priced at $3 each, their cost is justified by their size- these donuts are nearly twice as large as regular ones. Powdered sugar, almond & white chocolate (top) and hazelnut & dark chocolate (left) donuts all make tempting options, but the blueberry & custard version (right) is the one to go for.

SomethingToGo's donuts were all nicely doughy and fluffy, and were less greasy than most of their counterparts to boot. Take extra care when you bite into the blueberry & custard donut. You wouldn't want to waste any of the wonderfully juicy blueberry jam and rich, silky custard filling.

Happy National Donut Day everyone!

SomethingToGo

1 Cuscaden Road

The Regent Hotel

Opening hours: 8am-9pm daily

Baskin-Robbins @ Clementi Mall

2011-05-28T18:55:00.004+08:00

Baskin Robbins- the world's largest ice cream speciality chain- reopened its first outlet in Singapore at The Clementi Mall last Sunday. Another outlet has since opened at Velocity@Novena Square.

Prices here are on par with fellow American ice cream parlor Ben and Jerry's, with prices starting at $4 for a junior scoop (2.5 oz) and $5 for a single scoop (4oz). I opted for a double scoop (two 2.5oz ) which was priced at $6.

Being American-style ice cream, the flavors were on the sweet side. I foresee myself ordering Toasted Coconut Crunch (above) again the next time I drop by Baskin-Robbins. Smooth and creamy, the toasted coconut custard flavored ice cream was perfectly complemented by a swirl of sweet and buttery caramel and pralined cashews.

While Old Fashioned Butter Pecan (below) had a nice toffee flavor, it could have done with a smoother texture. More of those crunchy toasted pecans would also have been welcome!

Baskin-Robbins

The Clementi Mall

04-K1/K2

Awfully Chocolate II

2011-05-04T13:27:00.000+08:00

After a healthy dinner of wholemeal rosemary chicken sandwiches at Cedele, my friends and I adjourned to Awfully Chocolate for awfully sinful desserts.

Best served warm, Awfully Chocolate's Super Stacked Chocolate Cake ($6.50 per 100g) features the company's signature All Chocolate cake smothered with six layers of fudge, each prepared from a different type of chocolate. My friend ordered this with a scoop of dark chocolate ice cream, and I regretted not following suit- the richness of the fudge layers was a little overwhelming when the cake was eaten on its own, but it made a great pair with the cold, creamy ice cream!

The Cold Poached Chocolate ($6.50 each) was equally indulgent. A liquid chocolate mix is poured into molds on a cold marble slab and left to solidify to form a circular base, with a texture akin to a rich chocolate mousse. The cold slab of chocolate is then topped with a generous drift of whipped cream lightly spiked with your choice of liqueur- flavors include Bailey's Irish Cream, butterscotch and Kahlua.

My friend and I shared a Cold Poached Chocolate with Kahlua cream, and while we both enjoyed it, we felt that the chocolate base was a tad too decadent for our palates. I guess this dessert is best suited for die-hard chocoholics!

Awfully Chocolate

#01-156 Vivocity

Opening hours: 10am-10pm daily

Hot Cross Buns & some recent eats.

2011-04-22T07:06:00.000+08:00

Classic Hot Cross Bun & Chocolate Hot Cross Bun from Cedele

Cedele's Classic Hot Cross Buns are available all year round, but when National Hot Cross Bun Day is around the corner, several other flavors . I liked the Classic Hot Cross Bun for its firm bite and for the dried fruits embedded in it. That being said, chocolate addicts might prefer the chocolate version, which is studded with dark chocolate chips and walnut bits!

Being a fan of classical music, I have attended several concerts at the University Cultural Centre. Unfortunately, my experiences with the only dining outlet located within its premises have been less than inspiring.

A recent attempt at the cafe's beef pie left me filled but not quite satisfied. Having been reheated in a microwave (although there was a toaster around!), the puff pastry crust of this beef pie was just plain soggy. Its bolognese filling was equally mediocre.

And here're some ice cream photos to round of this short post:

Refreshingly icy strawberry soft serve from Isetan Spring Kyushu fair

Sweet potato soft serve from Isetan Okinawa Fair (ending 24 April)

Jean-Philippe Darcis

2011-04-10T20:53:00.006+08:00

Apologies for the long hiatus, time had been a much limited commodity in my schedule for the past two months. In the meantime, here're a quick post about my dining experience Jean-Philippe Darcis.

Available in 15 flavors, Darcis's robustly flavored macarons boast satisfyingly crunchy and meaty shells. Out of the four flavors I tried, the star performer was the Chocolate macaron, which boasted a smooth, refined ganache. The Blackcurrant Violet macaron also pleased with its generous layer of fruity buttercream. The Pistachio macaron, however, wasn't as nutty enough.

(Clockwise, from top left) Pistachio, Blackcurrant Violet, Chocolate, Strawberry Poppy ($5.61+ for two)

Being a fan of macarons with tender interiors, I found Darcis' macarons too chewy for my liking. My vote still goes to those from Jewels Artisan Chocolate. But of course, nothing compares to Pierre Hermé's- more about them another time!

I also had La Dame Blanche ($8.80+): lusciously smooth and rich vanilla ice cream served with chocolate sauce, crunchy chocolate pearls and chantilly cream.

Jean-Philippe Darcis

The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands #01-38

Opening hours: 10am to 11pm (Sundays to Thursdays), 10am to 12am (Fridays and Saturdays)

Nazt Bistro Lounge

2011-02-14T06:53:00.001+08:00

Contrary to the noisy and crowded pubs that line Club Street, Nazt Bistro Lounge offers a cozy ambience suitable for a quiet night out. The dim lighting, however, did make food photography a rather arduous task.

Warm and fluffy slices of herb bread and white bread were served after we placed our orders, I preferred the former.

Seafood Delight ($22++): Oven baked fillet of sole, grilled prawn & clams served with clam chowder, caviar & crab oil

Cooked to flaky doneness, the mild-flavored sole proved to be a good match with the rich clam chowder perfumed with crab oil. The caviar-topped freshwater prawn that was the centerpiece of this dish didn't disappoint either, with its fresh and sweet flesh.

Rachel ordered the pan fried red snapper ($18++), which was accompanied by savoy cabbage, parsnip mash & thyme cream sauce.

Pan Seared Watermelon ($8++): Caramelized watermelon with berries & ice cream

Warm watermelon's not my thing but I certainly enjoyed the delicious scoop of honey ice cream. This was made all the more delicious when paired with crunchy bits of buttery crumble.

While the friendly and unobstrusive service would be ideal for couples, I've got to admit that it was difficult to attract the waiter's attention when it was time to pay the bill! For those watching their wallets, there is also a $18++ three-course set lunch available at Nazt.

Nazt Bistro Lounge

54/56 Club Street

Opening hours: 11.30am-3pm (Tues-Fri), 6pm-12am (Tues-Sun)

LivinGreens

2011-02-10T16:40:00.003+08:00

If you think vegan food is boring, pay a visit to LivinGreens and you might just change your mind. Aside from conventional dishes like avocado salad and brown rice sets, innovative dishes like pumpkin pie are also available at this casual eatery.

The Shepherd's Pie was my favorite dish of the lot. Beneath a layer of mashed potatoes were cubes of carrots, green and red peppers, mushrooms and tomatoes, livened up with a variety of herbs and spices. Though refreshing, some dressing could have been provided with the colorful salad on the side.

Layers of tofu paste replaced pasta sheets in the café's take on lasagna ($8.50), which was filled with a mix of vegetables similar to that in the Shepherd's Pie. Honestly, there's nothing like a plate of good ol' cheesy (but diet-unfriendly!) lasagna, but for the calories saved, I wouldn't mind having LivinGreen's wheat-, gluten- and dairy-free version again.

The Avocado Pudding ($4) was made from fresh avocado blended with soy milk, sweetened with a syrup of gula melaka and molasses. Though pleasant, the mousse-like dessert could have done with a little less gelatin. I also felt that the small portion of avocado pudding did not justify its price.

LivinGreens

325 Beach Road

Opening hours: 11.30am-8.30pm (Mon-Sat), closed on Sundays

CNY @ Tom's Palette

2011-02-04T01:16:00.009+08:00

There's no need to worry about limited seating at Tom's Palette anymore, for it has now reopened with enough space to fit 22 40 people! 18 27 flavors are also on display at once now, up from 12 18 flavors previously. In addition, Tom's Palette is now open seven days a week, save for the last Sunday of the month.

To celebrate CNY, Tom's Palette has launched five seasonal flavors- Eight Treasure sorbet, luo han guo, pineapple tart, pumpkin & winter melon and tau sar piah. My favorite would be the pineapple tart flavor (right), an amalgamation of tangy pineapple ice cream and bits of chewy pineapple jam, with tart chunks crumbled in for a buttery edge. And my favorite pistachio ice cream (left) never fails to put a smile on my face- how I wish it'll be available more often!

A friend recently tipped me off about the limited-edition kuromitsu ice cream, and I'm absolutely glad I dropped by Shaw Towers that evening just for it- the deep and earthy flavor of Okinawan brown sugar combined brilliantly with the signature silkiness of Tom's ice cream! It's a real pity that this flavor will no longer be available due to certain reasons, but nonetheless, do give kuromitsu ice cream a try if you ever come across it.

During my latest visit, I had some decently intense green tea ice cream (left), as well as pineapple tart ice cream (right) that tasted even better than before! Do give the latter a try soon if you wish- the CNY flavors will only be available till the end of the month.

Happy CNY to all!

Tom's Palette
100 Beach Road
#01-25 Shaw Leisure Gallery
Opening hours: 12pm-9.30pm (Mon-Thu), 12pm-10pm (Fri-Sat), Sunday 1pm-7pm (closed on the last Sunday of the month)
*Note: Tom's Palette is currently closed for CNY and will reopen on 7 February 2011*

Chikuwa Tei

2011-01-31T00:09:00.000+08:00

I've heard a lot about Chikuwa Tei, a new venture by the infamous Nazi chef of the now-defunct Wasabi Tei at Far East Plaza. It's a pity that I've not had the opportunity to dine at Chef Peter's former restaurant, but I certainly don't mind paying a bit more for a spacious dining area and friendly service.

A crunchy braised renkon otoshi entertained our tastebuds as our orders were prepared.

Every spoonful of the smooth chawanmushi ($5++) was chockful of ingredients, ranging from pieces to chicken to strands of chewy Korean noodles and shimeji mushrooms.

The restaurant's signature chirashi featured fresh cuts of hirame, kajiki, kanpachi, salmon and tuna, as well as a dollop of buttery uni and a piece of tamagoyaki on a bed of well-seasoned sushi rice. Along with the above-mentioned starter, the chirashi set ($25++) also includes a bowl of fruits, miso soup and pickles. Particularly worthy of mention was the oily salmon sashimi, as well as the generous slices of fish which were certainly the thickest I've ever had!

The relatively quiet weekday lunch crowd and decent food- in terms of both price and taste- made for an ideal location for catching up with friends (over many refills of green tea). I'll love to try Chikuwa Tei's famed cod fish hotpot sometime!

Chikuwa Tei
9 Mohamed Sultan Road #01-01
Opening hours: 11.30am-3pm, 6pm-10pm daily

Wheat Baumkuchen

2011-01-28T01:21:00.001+08:00

Wheat Baumkuchen is a bakery cafe producing the famed layered German confection, easily recognized by its characteristic concentric rings which resemble the cross-section of a tree trunk. No surprise, then, that baumkuchen actually translates to "tree cake". Like its lookalike kueh lapis, baumkuchen is painstakingly baked layer by layer, except that this is all performed on a rotating spit.

Although the layers of my Classic original オリジナル baumkuchen were visually well-defined, this was not the case taste-wise. On its own, it tasted similar to a butter cake, and could have been more buttery and moist. Thankfully, the cake was coated with a layer of refreshing lemon frosting that helped to liven up its flavor.

While I felt that Wheat Baumkuchen's cakes please the eyes more than the tastebuds, I wouldn't mind trying some of the other innovative baumkuchen flavors it offers, such as durian, green tea and Nutella almond.

Wheat Baumkuchen

Block 190 Lorong 6 Toa Payoh, #01-530

Opening hours: 10am-9pm daily, closed on public holidays

Cream Dowa @ Isetan Hokkaido Fair

2011-01-24T00:55:00.000+08:00

Although I was unable to get my hands on Crema Dowa's Yubari ice cream, their milk gelato made for a more than decent substitute. Simple, yes, but there's just something magical about superbly fragrant and creamy Hokkaido milk swirled into a lusciously textured gelato! I really should have gotten two scoops of the former instead; the chocolate gelato (left) was just ordinary

As strange as it sounds, the wasabi made a surprisingly harmonious pair with ice cream. While enjoyably potent, the wasabi gelato (left) was thankfully not so fiery to the extent of burning my nose. On the other hand, the cheese gelato (right) was especially creamy but was too mild in flavor.

Winter Hokkaido Fair @ Isetan Scotts Supermarket

Ends today

Tarts galore @ LE Cafe Confectionery & Pastry

2011-01-22T10:15:00.008+08:00

LE Cafe's famed pineapple tarts ($15.50 for a tub of 20 *before CNY price hike*), each sized as large as a golf ball, have proven so popular that they've been completely sold out two and half weeks before the start of Chinese New Year. Don't fret if you've missed the chance to get your hands on this festive treat though as it's available all-year round!

I loved the way the crisp, rich yet light pastry melted in my mouth. There's nothing to fault about the moist and well-textured jam as well. My sole complaint would be that the buttery fragrance of the tart crust was somewhat muted by the pineapple jam due to the low pastry to jam ratio.
The crumblier texture of the pastry in LE Cafe's pineapple tarts gives them an edge over those from Mirana Cake House. Nevertheless, those from the latter make an excellent alternative.

LE Cafe is also well-known for its bean curd tarts, a refreshing alternative to the traditional egg tart. The silky smooth tau-huay-like filling that accompanied the buttery and crunchy tart crusts was even similar to egg custard in consistency.

Although these bean curd tarts are only sold in boxes of 8, they keep well overnight and are best served chilled. They retail at $8 for a box of eight original bean curd tarts and $9 for a box of eight assorted bean curd tarts.

Bits of gingko nut & white fungus, slivers of grass jelly and longan chunks all made pleasant additions to the bean curd filling. My favorite was the version with egg white. I was, however, not particularly impressed by the tarts studded with peanuts and red beans. There's also a durian version too which I must definitely try sometime!

LE Cafe Confectionery & Pastry

264 Middle Road
Elias Building
Opening hours: 10.30am-7pm (Mon-Fri), 10.30am-3pm (Sat-Sun)

Komagatake Gyunyu & Cream Dowa

2011-01-15T00:25:00.002+08:00

What a fortunate coincidence it is that Komagatake Gyunyu gelato is available at Takashimaya's Hokkaido Fair while Tom's Palette is temporarily closed for renovation. And there's not doubt that it has proven to be an excellent alternative to my default ice cream fix.

I like a slightly icy consistency when it comes to Japanese gelato, and Komagatake Gyunyu's rendition satisfies this criteria. Although not quite as awesome as Malga's, its lusciously thick and smooth texture definitely left me raring for more!

The green tea gelato pleased with its intense, bittersweet flavor. But I liked the slightly tangy and refreshing yogurt gelato even better- if only I had the time to make a return visit before the fair ends on Sunday! Flavors vary on a daily basis, and other flavors include milk, pumpkin, strawberry sorbet and vanilla.

Isetan Scotts Supermarket is also currently hosting a Winter Hokkaido Fair, which will end on 24 January. And there's no doubt that'll be where I'm heading to for my ice cream fix next week! The much raved-about Yubari melon gelato from Mashuko Dowa was unfortunately sold out for the day, so I treated myself to a tall cone of soft milk ice cream ($5) instead. Made from the rich and fragrant milk of Hokkaido cows, this light and creamy soft serve is definitely something I'd love to have again!

The Pancake War: TCC

2011-01-11T21:51:00.002+08:00

If you haven't visited TCC recently, here's a fun fact for you: the coffee chain has strangely been changed from The Coffee Connoisseur to The Connoisseur Concerto. Like several other coffee chains, TCC offers a range of breakfast items to start off your day, including scrambled egg croissants and American breakfast sets.

Yes, raisins are a rich source of iron but I would recommend ignoring the questionable health claims scattered all over the menu. Castle in the Clouds ($9.50++) was overloaded with so many raisins, they must have made up half the volume of the pancake batter! On their own, the pancakes were fluffy but overly sweet and crumbly, so much so that I started wondering if I was eating 马拉糕 (a traditional Chinese steamed sponge cake) instead. While the generous portion of glazed apples stuffed between the layers were nicely crunchy, they rendered this dish even sweeter. In contrast, the dollop of cinnamon cream was insufficient for the stack.

My favorite component of this dish were actually the sweet berries on the side. Perhaps I should have gone for the organic pancakes instead, but again, I'd rather have Hotcakes at McDonald's.

TCC

Outlets islandwide, including Citylink Mall

First ice cream of 2011! @ Tom's Palette

2011-01-08T19:04:00.008+08:00

My first ice cream of 2011 was a cup of White Forest and Pear & Brandied Dates from my usual ice cream haunt, Tom's Palette. I really liked the former, which featured a twist on the traditional Black Forest flavor by incorporating sweet Amarena cherry chunks into a smooth cream cheese and almond base. Though it was on the sweeter side, Pear & Brandied Dates was fruity and refreshing.

Easily one of the popular flavors here, Granny's favorite (left) was a pleasing combination of chocolate malt ice cream and cookie dough. Although I'm not a fan of savory desserts, I knew I had to try the truffle ice cream (right) for novelty's sake. And boy, the truffle infusion was strong- I was literally eating mushroom ice cream! This flavor is, however, now out of production due to the cost of its ingredients.

I'm a sucker for peanut butter, but PB ice cream a little boring on it's own in my opinion. Naturally, I was delighted to stumble upon Nuts 'n' Such (left). Mixing swirls of mocha brownie batter into PB ice cream made for a flavor that was oh-so-fabulously sweet, salty, nutty and creamy all at once! And no fan of the classic Italian dessert should skip on Tom's Tiramisu ice cream (right), which is spiked with three different types of alcohol. It's seriously divine!

Nuts 'n' Such (right) isn't always available, so I just had to have it again when I spotted the flavor during another visit. Easily one of my favorite flavors at Tom's, Longan Red Date (left) marries the natural sweetness of red dates- usually found in traditional Chinese desserts- into a silky cream. There're juicy bits of longan embedded inside as well!

You may still be able to catch the Christmas flavors now if you're lucky, or you'll have to wait till this December. Crunchy candy cane bits made an interesting addition to the minty White Christmas (right), but the flavor that stood out to me was Chestnut Brandy, a lightly boozy and lusciously textured ice cream imparted with an intense chestnut flavor.

Another Christmas flavor would be Chocolate pudding (right), a rich chocolate ice cream mixed with chewy marshmallows. Those looking for a healthier ice cream treat should definitely give the light and very refreshing Chrysanthemum (left) ice cream a try. The fragrant infusion of dried chrysanthemum flowers proved so intense, I'm suspect this flavor might well be packed with cancer-fighting antioxidants!

Do note that Tom's Palette will be closed for renovation for the next two weeks, from 10 January to 25 January. There'll be an expanded range of offerings and seating space for 30 customers when it reopens!

Tom's Palette
100 Beach Road
#01-25 Shaw Leisure Gallery
Opening hours: 12pm-9.30pm (Mon-Thu), 12pm-10pm (Fri-Sat), closed on Sundays

En Japanese Dining Bar & Pine's Garden Cake

2011-01-06T18:04:00.011+08:00

Grade 9 Australian Wagyu Beef Shabu Shabu Nabe ($48++)

Rice is not included in the set and is available at $2++ a bowl.

Salmon sashimi ($11.50++)

Gyutan: Grilled sliced beef tongue ($13.5++)

The private tatami room was cozy but was a tad too small to host eight customers as there was barely any empty space on the table once all the dishes had arrived. It was nice of the staff to provide a complimentary Macha Tiramisu for the birthday girl, but they seemed unsure of the menu.

En Japanese Dining Bar

557 Bukit Timah Road

Crown Centre #01-14/16

Opening hours: 6pm-11pm (Mon-Thu), 12pm-3pm & 6.30pm-10pm (Fri-Sun & PH)

A pretty two-tier Lychee Martini birthday cake from Pine's Garden Cake! Although the Lychee Martini cake is supposedly Pine Garden Cake's signature, I felt that it lacked in character. Gobble down a slice of this cake quickly and you may not even be able to tell what flavor it is.

The bakers definitely could have been more generous with the crunchy lychee chunks embedded in the cake, and I could barely detect any alcohol or lychee in the buttercream. Nevertheless, the vanilla sponge was soft and fluffy (though a tad dry) and the buttercream was satisfyingly light.

Pine's Garden Cake
Blk 529 Ang Mo Kio Ave 10
#01-2369
Opening hours: 8.30am-9.30pm (Fri-Wed)

Durian delights all year round @ Goodwood Park Hotel

2011-01-03T18:42:00.004+08:00

Although most of Goodwood Park Hotel's renowned durian creations are only available during its annual Durian Fiesta, fans of the King of fruits can now get their durian fix all year round (even when the fruit is out of season!), for the hotel’s famed durian puffs are permanently offered for takeaway at at the hotel's Deli! Two other delectable durian treats- namely durian ice cream and durian crêpes- are also available on an ongoing basis at Coffee Lounge and L'Espresso.

Launched only this year, Goodwood’s durian ice cream ($6.50++ a scoop) is made on the hotel's premises and comes studded with chunks of D24 durian. While the durian aroma and taste in the ice cream were distinctive, being a fanatic of the spiky fruit, I wouldn't have minded if it was more pungent. Nevertheless, the durian ice cream was delightfully smooth, creamy and well-balanced in flavor. It is also available for takeaway from the Deli at S$14.80 for a 16oz tub until 7 January.

Crowned with a scoop of Mövenpick vanilla ice cream, the Durian crêpes ($15++) are easily my favorite durian creation from the hotel. Durian ice cream would have made a more befitting accompaniment, but anyhow, I was won over by the fabulously creamy and intense D24 durian pulp encased in the thin crêpes! Don't be fooled by the seemingly manageable portion size in the above picture though- this will feed two for dessert, or one greedy person for tea.

Read my review of Goodwood Park's durian-cum-dessert buffet here.

Coffee Lounge @ Goodwood Park Hotel

Opening hours: 6am – 10.30am (Breakfast), 12noon – 2.30pm (Lunch), 3pm-5.30pm (Local High Tea), 6pm – 10.30pm (Dinner)

Bloggers' dinner @ Shashlik Restaurant

2010-12-31T00:30:00.005+08:00

I recently had a lovely meetup with Daniel and Lay Sian, Fen and Yuan, Frances, Harris and Xinli at Shashlik Resturant, located at Far East Shopping Centre. As the dim interior of the restaurant limited the performance of my point and shoot camera, I have only uploaded pictures of the food I ordered.

Although the food took quite a while to arrive, I liked the fact that all the diners at each table are served at the same time.

I love the soft and fluffy bread rolls here, served warm with a pat of SCS butter. As I had a late lunch that day, I regrettably skipped the lovely Borsch soup in order to save space for desserts (which I unfortunately had to pass on).

My order of Chicken A La Kiev "Imperial" ($19++) comprised lightly breaded chicken served with a piece of toast, crisp fries and boiled mixed vegetables. The chicken breast meat was satisfying tender, and was, interestingly, stuffed with butter. However, the toast was too stiff for my liking, though it was deep-fried to a golden crisp.

Harris's Pepper Steak ($26++) was done to a medium as requested, but it was a pity that the pepper overwhelmed the flavor of the meat. Contrary to its name, Frances' Chicken A La King ($19++) would probably fail to satisfy the palate of royalty. This comprised chicken stewed in an overly thick sauce reminiscent of canned mushroom soup, accompanied by rice and mixed vegetables.

Although most of the food we had that night was rather average, the charming old-school ambience of the restaurant, complete with waiters docked in maroon vests bringing food around on wooden trolleys, is good enough a reason to visit Shashlik in my opinion. Food-wise, stick to the Borsch, Oxtail Stew, Shashlik of Beef, Spring Chicken, Baked Alaska and Cherries Jubilee to avoid disappointment.

Shashlik Restaurant

Far East Shopping Centre #06-19

Opening hours: 12pm-2.15pm (last order), 6.30pm-9.15pm daily

The Pancake War: Canelé Pâtisserie Chocolaterie

2010-12-27T10:12:00.009+08:00

Canelé Pâtisserie Chocolaterie is better known as a dessert haunt. But, like any other brunch lover, I was excited to discover out that its Paragon outlet serves breakfast too. There were other tempting options like Eggs Florentine and French Toast, but I expectedly headed straight for the Blueberry Pancakes ($7.50++).

To my dismay, Canelé's pancakes were not of the fluffy American variety I was expecting. While I still like the latter version better, the thin and crêpe-like European-style pancakes served were faultlessly light and soft. Even better when studded with sweet blueberries and accompanied by a sprinkling of powdered sugar, a generous drizzle of maple syrup and clouds of light crème chantilly!

My search for the best (American) hotcakes in Singapore continues, but in the meantime, I'd recommend heading to Food For Thought, Cedele and KFC for your pancake fix!

Canelé Pâtisserie Chocolaterie

#B1-25 Paragon

Breakfast is served from 8.30am-11am daily

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-25T00:23:00.004+08:00

As you indulge in festive goodies and relish the get-togethers, here's wishing everyone a great Christmas and happy feasting!

On a random note, the wreath shape of my Christmas fruitcake reminds me of donuts- my new addiction! More about them another time.

A new way of enjoying chocolate: THE CoCospoon

2010-12-23T17:04:00.003+08:00

It's difficult to go wrong with a food gifts for Christmas. And chocolate is almost always a safe option. For a twist on tradition, why not present your friends and colleagues with a CoCoSpoon instead?

Comprising a 50g block of chocolate molded to a spoon, this makes a mean cup of hot chocolate when stirred into a cup of hot milk. The smooth and rich drink fared much better than those concocted from powdered hot chocolate mixes. Plus, the wooden spoon can be kept as a keepsake! (Oops, I just broke mine while washing it...) Those who prefer their hot chocolate on the thicker side should add less than the recommended amount of milk though.

For chocolate addicts saving their calories for festive feasting, there's also a smaller version of the CoCospoon called THE CoCospoonies.

Price:
THE CoCospoon Milk/Dark (sold out) ($4/pc or $22 for a bundle of 6)

THE CoCospoonies Milk/Dark ($3/pc or $16 for a bundle of 6)

THE CoCospoon Almond (dark chocolate embedded with an almond) ($4.20/pc or $23 for a bundle of 6)

Hot milk is also available at the stand for an additional dollar for customers to try out the drink on the spot!

Currently only available at THE CoCo Grocer @ The Cacao Show

The Heeren

11am-10pm

Till 24 Dec 2010

Ponggol Nasi Lemak (Serangoon)

2010-12-19T10:25:00.000+08:00

Drive past Upper Serangoon Road in the evening, and one is bound to notice the never-ending line of hungry customers at Ponggol Nasi Lemak. Having heard mixed reviews about the place, my family decided to check out what the fuss was about one day.

Unfortunately, we were met with disappointment. While decent, the nasi lemak was definitely not worth the fifteen minutes spent in the queue. Though fluffy and moist, the rice could have done with a stronger coconut milk fragrance. To give them credit, the chicken wing was large and crispy and the mandatory sweet chilli was alright. But the otah was just ordinary, so were the greasy and spicy stir-fried long beans and sambal brinjal. My mum also complained that her sunny-side up was cold.

The only thing about this stall that wowed me was the large assortment of side dishes, including achar, curry cabbage and tempura prawns.

I was charged about $4.50 for a stingy portion of rice, a chicken wing, a piece of otah and a serving of veggies. Queue up for average and pricey food again? No thanks... I say, head to Lee Wee & Brothers' outlet at the nearby Kovan Food Centre for nasi lemak if you happen to be around the area instead.

Surprisingly, the neighbouring chee cheong fun stall fared better than the famed nasi lemak. Though not as soft and smooth as those from Old Airport Road Food Centre, the freshly-prepared rice rolls sold here were much better than the factory-made versions sold at most coffee shops.

Ponggol Nasi Lemak

965 Upper Serangoon Road

Opening hours: 6pm-5am, closed on Thursdays

The Daily Scoop II, Island Creamery & Ice Cream Frenzy

2010-12-16T10:37:00.000+08:00

Out of the numerous local ice cream parlors I have visited, the Daily Scoop is probably second only to Tom's Palette. Utterly avocado contained a fair amount of creamy pulp was lusciously smooth and rich. The intense matcha flavor in the green tea and red beans ice cream left me equally satisfied. As the ice cream portions here are pretty generous, I would advise one not to go for more than two scoops ($5.20) at a go after a meal.

The Daily Scoop

Outlets:

41 Sunset Way

Clementi Arcade #01-04

Opening hours: 11am-9pm (Mon-Thu), 11am-10pm (Fri & Sat), 2pm-9pm (Sun); closed on selected PH

41 Jalan Merah Saga

Chip Bee Gardens #01-78

Opening hours: 11am-10pm (Mon-Thu), 11am-10.30pm (Fri & Sat), 2pm-10pm (Sun); closed on selected PH

While it has its devotees, Island Creamery left me disappointed. I was initially excited about their range of local ice cream flavors, but I was so disatisfied with the flavors I had sampled (namely chendol, papaya sorbet, pulut hitam and teh tarik) that I was tempted to leave without getting any ice cream.

For courtesy's sake, I ordered a scoop of Black Forest ($3) as it had been honored in the Straits Times' 2009 compilation of the 100 Best Dishes in Singapore. Comprising dark chocolate ice cream spiked up with rum- and brandy-soaked cherries, this flavor fared better than those that I had tried but still failed the texture test.

Island Creamery

10 Jalan Serene

Serene Centre #01-03

Opening hours: 11am-10pm daily

Located near Ayer Rajah Food Centre, Ice Cream Frenzy is a convenient spot for a cool dessert fix after a meal. While the Green Tea flavor was nicely bittersweet, Cheese Biscuit was rather ambiguous in flavor. Again, the texture of the ice cream here did not live up to expectations as it was a tad too hard.

Price: $5.50 for two scoops

Ice Cream Frenzy

Blk 501 West Coast Drive #01-250

Opening hours: 11am-11pm (Sun-Thu), 11am-12am (Fri-Sat)

The Pancake War: KFC Blueberry Pancakes

2010-12-13T07:58:00.004+08:00

McDonald's Hotcakes, meet your new competitor. KFC's a.m breakfast menu has recently been expanded to include blueberry pancakes!

Perhaps I'm a bit biased as I like my hotcakes on the thicker side. But I'm heading to KFC the next time I seek an affordable and convenient pancake fix. While they were smaller in size, KFC's pancakes was no less satisfyingly soft, and were even more pleasantly fluffy and moist than those from the Golden Arches! The sweetened blueberry bits speckled in the batter rendered every bite all the more delightful.

Like most fast food restaurants, KFC's scrambled eggs were hard-cooked over high heat. Skip them (and save fifty cents) if you like your eggs soft and creamy like I do. If you're still feeling peckish, do grab one of their Portuguese egg tarts to complete your breakfast!

Price: $3.90 for blueberry pancakes, $4.40 for blueberry pancakes & eggs, $4.90 for blueberry pancakes & eggs with coffee/tea

KFC
Blueberry pancakes are currently only available at Compass Point, Jurong Point, Tampines CPF Building (8am-11am daily), Kallang (7am-11am daily) and Novena Square (Mon-Fri: 7.30am-11am, Sat-Sun: 8am-11am)

Shashlik Restaurant

2010-12-10T12:12:00.016+08:00

Shashlik Restaurant is like a time capsule. Set up in 1986 by 9 Hainanse migrants in 1986 after being laid off at Russian restaurant Troika, the menu remained the same for the past twenty years. The old-school decor is, too, as dated as the stern and efficient staff who roll out the dishes on wooden trolleys around the restaurant.

Shashlik is famous for their borsch soup ($7++ for an a la carte portion; the soup of the day can be upgraded to the borsch for $1++), and it's not difficult to see why. Ladled out at the table from a tureen sitting on a creaky wooden trolley, this tangy tomato-based soup came with a generous portion of soft cabbage shreds, as well as chunks of beef, carrot and potato. An optional dollop of sour cream added a delightfully creamy edge to the beefy borsch!

Instead of the crusty loaves found in authentic Russian restaurants, soft and fluffy bread rolls are served here. Dished out piping hot from the steamer, these sweet buns are perfect on their own, spread with butter, or for mopping up the remains of a delicious stew.

One of the favorites here is the oxtail stew- only available on Wednesdays as part of the set lunch ($14++), which also comes with the soup of the day, dessert and a cup of coffee or tea. Though inexpensive, oxtail is no less worthy than other cuts of beef if prepared well, as with the case at Shashlik. Flavorsome and gelatinous, the deliciously tender oxtail was served in a rich and hearty sauce along with boiled frozen mixed vegetables and potato chunks.

The restaurant is also known for its namesake, shashlik. Available in beef, chicken, lamb, pork and even prawns, the version here consists of grilled skewered meat served on a sizzling cast iron plate, and accompanied by Russian salad or boiled frozen mixed vegetables and fries. While tender and succulent, the Shashlik of Chicken ($18.50++) should be eaten quickly as it continues to cook on the hotplate. I also felt that the meat could also have done with more flavor as it was served without a sauce.

The Spring Chicken (Whole) ($17++) was another well-executed main course. Though it was not as juicy as some other fried chicken dishes I've had, this was barely greasy. And there's no faulting the crisp and fragrant golden-brown skin or the moist and tender meat!

Though the fries were of the frozen variety, they were properly crispy outside and fluffy inside. To my relief, the accompanying coleslaw was not soaked in mayonnaise, but was instead lightly crunchy and brined in a vinegar mix.

The set lunch includes a boring wedge of watermelon to end off the meal, which you may replace with a scoop of vanilla ice cream upon request. But do order one of the restaurant's specialty flambéed desserts anyway.

I simply could not help but look on with interest as my order of Cherries Jubilee ($16++) was prepared right in front of my eyes. Firstly, a pat of butter was melted in the pan, followed by the addition of dark sweet cherries and a splash of kirsch that ignited in flames. A dollop of cream was stirred into the sauce before the whole fiery concoction was ladled over icy vanilla ice cream. While the menu states that the dessert is meant for two, the Cherries Jubilee was so delicious, I regretted not ordering whole serving for myself!

Shashlik Restaurant

Far East Shopping Centre #06-19
Opening hours: 12pm-2.15pm (last order), 6.30pm-9.15pm daily

Bringing out the booze @ K ki ケーキ

2010-12-07T19:18:00.007+08:00

Finally, a return visit to my favorite cake haunt ♥

Tiramisu

The dreamy Tiramisu ($9+) featured feather-light mascarpone mousse ensconding a well-soaked ladyfinger. This boozy creation certainly got me raring for more!

Emily

Just as light and refreshing as its look-alike Kinabaru, Emily ($9) featured smooth champagne mousse sandwiching a delightfully intense wild strawberry gelee. Being a fan of passionfruit, I still prefer the Kinabaru to Emily, but give me either and I'll be one happy girl!

K ki ケーキ

7 Ann Siang Hill

Tues-Fri, Sun: 12pm-7pm, Sat: 12-4pm

Freshness Burger

2010-12-04T02:11:00.008+08:00

Freshness Burger, a fast food chain hailing from Japan, has recently opened its first outlet in Singapore at the newly opened Nex mall at Seragoon Central.

With no frozen ingredients used and burger buns baked in-store, Freshness Burger aims to provide fresher and more nutritious food than the average fast food chain. The homely ambience, ideal for chilling out after a bout of shopping, is also a stark contrast to the gaudy decor of fast food restaurants.

Freshness Burger

True to its claim to fame, the joint's namesake Freshness Burger ($4.50) was lighter than a typical burger. Aside from it being less greasy and the sausage patty less salty, the mandatory tomato slice in the hamburger was also unusually thick and provided a refreshing crunch. The chili-like Freshness sauce was pretty moreish, and the pumpkin bun was satisfying tasty and soft.

Popover & Matcha Latte

Light and slightly chewy, Freshness Burger's spectacularly high popovers ($3.30 each) went well with the cream cheese dip provided.

Fried Potatoes

Slab-cut from spuds sourced from the famed Hokkaido Farm, the delightfully puffy Fried Potatoes($2.80) were barely greasy but could have been more crisp.

Matcha Latte

Though decent, at $5.80 for a small cup half-filled with ice, the Matcha Latte was the most expensive drink I've ever purchased at a fast food outlet. Many of the other beverages on the menu also cost as much as those from joints like Coffee Bean and Starbucks. But again, the prices of the drinks may be justified by the comfortable ambience at Freshness Burger that matches up to that of premium coffee shops.

Freshness Burger

Nex
B2-48/49
Opening hours: 10.30am-10.30pm daily

Brownies from P.Osh

2010-11-29T11:58:00.004+08:00

Good things come in small packages. The 2"x3" treats at P.Osh, a brownie shop conveniently located at Dhoby XChange, are one such example.

Trip Earle C.

Here, the signature chewy brownies are available in a variety of flavors, ranging from mint mousse and dark chocolate to coffee caramel. I finally settled on the Trip. Earle C. ($3), which was topped with a mix of dark, milk and white chocolate swirls.

P.Osh's chewy brownie proved itself to be no less worthy than the cakey or fudgey versions which I am accustomed to. While it was pleasingly moist and not overly rich or sweet, what stood out for me was its lovely bite. Go give chewy brownies a try sometime if you haven't had them before!

P.Osh Premium Brownies

Aside from chewy brownies, P.Osh also offers Premium Brownies ($3.30) filled with pockets of melted chocolate and roasted walnuts which are more cake-. Nuked in the microwave for 15 seconds, this transforms into a sinfully dense and fudgy treat that would be perfect with ice cream. While both satisfied, I personally favor the chewy brownie over the premium version as it is less heavy on the tastebuds.

The stall also offers customized brownies, which start from $4 for a small piece. Though I have had even better brownies before, there is no doubt that those from P.Osh will make for a decent sweet fix.

P.Osh
#B1-40 Dhoby Ghaut MRT Station
Also available at The Old House, 1011 Upper Serangoon Road

Smiths Authentic British Fish And Chips

2010-11-26T11:01:00.012+08:00

I've found a great place to relieve culinary memories from my trip to England. Judging by both the number of British customers in the eatery as well as my own dining experience, the food at Smiths Authentic British Fish And Chips certainly lives up to its name.

Haddock and chips

In addition to cod and haddock, fixtures on the menu of every fish and chip shop in England, chicken, dory, salmon fishcakes and sausages are also available at this dine-in/takeaway establishment. Like a true blue British fish and chip joint, Smiths' menu also includes side orders, spanning from pickled eggs and gherkins to baked beans and gravy.

EDT (29 Nov 2010): Plaice, scampi and halibut are now available on the menu!

The first thing that striked me when I opened up the triple-wrapped package of fish and chips was the sheer size of the haddock fillet. While a tad pricey at $16, the portion of haddock and chips was sufficient for two small eaters! Deep-fried a la minute, the golden batter encasing the fish was delightfully light and crispy. The firm and tasty haddock also pleased with its flaky and moist interior.

Haddock and chips

Though lacking the crisp exterior characteristic of well-fried fries, Smiths' rendition cannot be described as soggy. Seasoned just right with a sprinkling of salt and malt vinegar, these plump and pillowy slab-cut chips definitely won my nod of approval. I'm sure the British patrons of this joint would like them just as much.

Mushy peas

Intrigued by its unusual name, I also ordered a serving of mushy peas ($2 for an eight-ounce cup), a popular accompaniment to fish and chips in northern England. Although I am not a fan of the vegetable, this simple and healthy dish comprising marrowfat peas boiled into a thick and stodgy soup was strangely satisfying.

Given the artery-clogging effects of deep-fried food, I don't quite agree with Smtihs' tagline that "everyone deserves a daily portion". But one thing's for sure- Smiths is the place I'll be heading to whenever a craving for fish and chips hits.

P.S. I heard that the standard and portion size has dropped since my visit to Smith's in November 2010, but have not verified this personally.

Smiths Authentic British Fish And Chips
230 Tanjong Katong Rd
Opening hours: 12pm-11pm (Tues-Sun)

The Pancake War: Wild Honey

2010-11-23T10:20:00.006+08:00

My still ongoing search for the best pancakes in Singapore would be incomplete without trying those at Wild Honey, an all-day breakfast joint located in the chi-chi Mandarin Gallery. With breakfast sets starting at $18++, dining at Wild Honey does not come cheap. Unfortunately, Wild Honey's pancakes proved to be both the priciest and the least inspiring ones I've had so far.

I've always favored thick pancakes, but nothing prepared me for the mighty filling, six-centimeter-tall stack that came along with the Canadian breakfast ($18++). Though soft and fluffy, the pancakes proved to be too heavy for my liking. There was nothing spectacular about the wild berry and hibiscus compote, and I was disappointed with the tough bacon as well.

Though the cozy vibe of Wild Honey is ideal for chilling out with friends, the layout of the cafe renders it difficult for some customers to catch the attention of the service staff. If you're actually still thinking of checking out the Canadian breakfast, do request for butter and a top-up to the meagre portion of maple syrup served when your food arrives.

Nevertheless, I hope to be back at Wild Honey sometime for the popular Sweet Morning and Tunisan breakfast sets.

Wild Honey

Mandarin Gallery #03-02

Opening hours: 9am-10.30pm (Mon-Fri), 8am-10.30pm (Sat & Sun)

Kim Dae Mun Korean Cuisine

2010-11-20T19:01:00.003+08:00

Kim Dae Mun is one of the few Korean food stalls in food courts that are worth their salt. Conveniently located at the food court in Concorde Hotel (previously known as Le Meridien Hotel), it is also one of the few eateries in Orchard which manage to provide tasty meals at wallet-friendly prices. Naturally, it is no wonder that this authentic Korean food stall draws snaking queues at lunchtime and dinnertime.

Potato Pancake 감자전 (Kamja Jeon)

Though a tad oily, the crisp Potato Pancake ($3.50) is pretty tasty when eaten with the tangy vinegar dip provided.

Spicy Korean Rice Cakes 떡볶이 (Ddukbokki)

While Ddukbokki is a popular street food in Korea, I'm not a fan of the soft and chewy texture of the cylindrical rice cakes. Nevertheless, this dish ($4.50) was admittedly well-executed, comprising rice cakes cooked to the right degree and gravy that was not overwhelmingly sweet or cloying. This dish is also not for those averse to spicy food, for the sweet Gochujang sauce definitely packed lots of fire.

Spicy Chicken Set

Like the other hotplate dishes served at Kim Dae Mun, the Spicy Chicken Set ($6.50) is cooked using water and not oil, making it an ideal choice for the health-conscious. Satisfying tender and well-marinated, the boneless chicken slices were spicy, but not overwhelmingly so. I also loved the sweet onion slices which took on a whole new taste dimension when simmered with sauce on the hotplate.

Every hotplate set also comes along with a bowl of fluffy and fragrant short-grain rice (served in a metal bowl!), soup, as well as a side dish. I have yet to try the spicy pickled cucumber, but I always opt for the fried anchovies over the kimchi, which lacks punch.

Kim Dae Mun Korean Cuisine

Concorde Hotel, Concorde Food Court
Opening hours: 10 am – 9 pm daily

Miki Yo!

2010-11-16T18:16:00.000+08:00

Having learnt about Miki Yo! from Bella V, I decided to give their froyo a go when I was at Suntec City some time ago.

Original flavor, with milk jelly ($4.20)

While I usually prefer to have my frozen yogurt plain, I was enticed by the attractive spread of toppings here, which spans from the typical assortment of fruits and nuts to lychee jelly and chewy honeydew mochi! I eventually settled on a small cup of original flavored swirl with milk jelly ($3.20+$1). Other flavors available include blackcurrant, green tea and strawberry.

Smooth and creamy, Miki Yo!'s froyo is very similar to Red Mango's, which coincidentally used to occupy the same stall space. As with most local frozen yogurt places, it was also unfortunately a tad sweet, so as to cater to the tastebuds of the masses who are unaccustomed to the tartness of real yogurt. The intriguing-sounding milk jelly was pleasant and tasted just like almond jelly.

Miki Yo!

#01-140G Suntec City Mall (Tower 4)

Daily: 11.30am – 8pm

Astons Express

2010-11-14T02:00:00.003+08:00

I rarely patronize Western food stalls in coffee shops or food courts. However, having heard favorable reviews about Astons, a chain establishment known for serving quality food at affordable prices, I decided to give its sister chain Astons Express a try one evening.

ieat Super Burger

Priced at $12.50 for a portion large enough to feed two small eaters, the ieat Super Burger featured a grilled patty, freshly hand-chopped from 200gm of sirloin steak, sandiwiched between two sesame seed buns along with two slices of melted cheese, bacon rashers, barbeque sauce and a drizzle of mayonnaise for a creamy touch. Not to forget, the mandatory tomato and romaine lettuce slices that helped to cut the grease.

Sizewise aside, I was unfortunately not bowled over by the ieat Super Burger as the beef patty could have done with more flavor. However, I loved the unconventional addition of battered onion crisps which provided a slight sweetness and much crunch to the burger!

Every order of the ieat Super Burger includes a complimentary side, with choices ranging from fries to baked potatoes. My friend and I did not regret opting for the onion rings, which were satisfyingly crunchy and not too greasy. But my vote will still go to those addictive onion crisps... if only they could be placed on the a la carte menu!

Astons Express

Outlets islandwide

Malga Gelato @ Hokuriku Fair

2010-11-11T01:15:00.001+08:00

Over the past two years, I've tried cold confections from various Japanese ice cream parlors at the seasonal Isetan food fairs. Blue Seal is horrendous, Aso Natural Ice is acceptable and Mashuko Dowa's decent. But my favorite has got to be Malga Gelato, which is currently retailing at the Hokuriku Fair.

Passionfruit & Green tea

What makes Malga Gelato stand out from the rest is its slightly icy but delightfully soft and smooth texture. Every flavor I tried was a pure flavor experience, which can only be achieved when simple and natural ingredients are used. The Passionfruit sorbet was pleasingly refreshing, but I liked the intense green tea gelato even more!

Other flavors include black sesame, chocolate, kaga plum wine, pebbly strawberry and vanilla. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I'll be able to get my hands on the natural salt gelato before the fair ends!

Hokuriku Fair

Isetan Scotts Supermarket

Till 14 Nov 2010

Forty Hands

2010-11-08T11:12:00.008+08:00

Despite only having opened in October, Forty Hands is already drawing a steady crowd of caffeine addicts. Located in an old shophouse in the serene realms of Tiong Bahru, the cafe's name is derived from the mean number of people required in coffee production, from the plant to cup.

Drinks on the menu, brewed from certified Fair Trade coffee beans, range from $2.50 for a single shot of espresso to $8.50 for a large mocha. The iced latte ($7.50) certainly lived up to my expectations of a cuppa from a specialty coffee joint. Strong, rich and full-bodied, this definitely kept me buzzing for the rest of the day!

Aside from a variety of sandwiches, Forty Hands also offers a spread of croissants, ranging from pain du chocolat to almond croissants. Longing for a savory nibble at lunchtime, I opted for the ham and cheese croissant ($4.50). Sadly, the ham and cheese were simply sandwiched into the croissant, instead of being baked with the pastry. Better quality cheese could have also been used instead of processed slices. Nevertheless, the crisp-shelled croissant satisfied with its light and fluffy interiors, though it can't compare to its fabulously buttery counterpart at Mirabelle Patisserie.

Carrot cake, lemon ricotta cheesecake and scones (which looked more like rock cakes) were just some of the tempting sweet options. It wasn't an easy decision, but I eventually settled on the beautifully-assembled chocolate tart ($5) for dessert. Rich without being cloying, the lush-looking chocolate filling did not betray its appearance with its luxurious silky smoothness. If only the tart crust could have been more crunchy- or even better, replaced with a buttery pate sucree base!

As someone who is not a java devote, I am unlikely to return to Forty Hands soon, partially due to its not-quite-convenient location. However, this charming cafe definitely makes a good hangout for those who appreciate a good coffee. (Psst....there's WiFi!)

Forty Hands

78 Yong Siak St #01-12

8am-6.30pm daily

A&W: A Pictorial

2010-11-03T11:48:00.005+08:00

Visiting A&W was a must on my itinerary during my family's short getaway to Indonesia. I had Googled the location of the A&W outlets in Batam before leaving Singapore, and I was definitely glad to hear from the tour guide that we'd be dropping by Megamall for some shopping! The lack of an information counter and the shopper-unfriendly mall configuration didn't help, but I eventually found A&W on the ground floor of the shopping centre.

The fried chicken was slightly dry. While the curly fries were nicely crispy/fluffy, it was a pity that they were overly salty.

A&W Strawberry Milkshake & the classic A&W Root Beer Float. Of course we had to upsize the latter.

Waffles with vanilla ice cream

This was the other A&W classic that I had been so eagerly anticipating. I would have been certainly disappointed to leave Batam without rekindling memories of having the same warm and slightly salty waffle with cold soft serve as a little girl.

Though this was not the best waffle-and-ice-cream combo I've had, I relished every bite of nostalgia... if only someone would bring A&W back to Singapore! While the prices of the other items were comparable to those from fast food outlets in Singapore, this was a steal a 19090 rupiah (about S$3).

Waffles with strawberry ice cream

A better name for this would have been "waffles with soft serve ice cream and strawberry sauce".

Waffles with chocolate ice cream (waffles with soft serve and chocolate sauce)

A&W

Megamall, Batam

Salted egg yolk ice cream & more @ Tom's Palette

2010-10-30T12:14:00.024+08:00

Most will conjure of glorious images of salted caramel in their minds when sweet-salty flavor pairings are mentioned. Salted egg yolk in mooncakes and even macarons are some other such combinations I’ve tried. But salted egg yolk ice cream is something that I've never heard of, at least until lately.

And where else but Tom’s Palette could we expect to find such a novel concoction? While this flavour may not suit everyone’s tastebuds, I personally felt that the salted egg yolk was pretty well-incorporated into the ice cream, making for a cheesy and intriguing taste experience.

Sarsi Float and Salted Egg Yolk

It’s a pity that there aren’t any A&W outlets in Singapore anymore, but why not try the Sarsi float ice cream at Tom’s instead? Fizzy yet creamy, this refreshing flavour was like an ice cream float in reverse. I'd have Sarsi float ice cream over the actual drink anytime!

There's been an explosion of ice cream parlors in town, and while the flavors they offer may be just as numerous and well-executed, the key reason why I've been going back to Tom's Palette is because few manage to hit the spot in terms of texture like they do. Quality ingredients are key to good ice cream (read: NO addition of stabilizers), and at $2.80/$3.60/$4.50 for a small/medium/large cup, you get a really good deal for the price you pay. Go on and be envious (as if it actually helps?!), but I'll readily declare that Tom's Palette is one of the few ice cream outlets in my book which truly deserve a revisit.

Pistachio and Sabayon

I've also sampled Black Sesame, which I found to be too intense for my liking. I’m sure those who like 芝麻糊 will love it though! Fans of the malted milk drink should give Horlicks a try, and the refreshing sabayon- marsala wine ice cream with berries- is bound to please too.

Durian and Hazelnut

Tom's Durian ice cream is available only twice a year, in Tom’s anniversary month of September. That's such a pity, 'cos their durian ice cream was really good- I simply had to have more after devoring a medium cup of it! Non-durian fans need not worry about the aroma of the pungent fruit possibly affecting the taste of the other ice cream flavors as the tub of durian ice cream is thoughtfully covered up. Hazelnut is decent too, and really reminded me of Ferrero Rocher!

Buttered Pecan and Banana Honey Roasted Nuts

Melt 'n' Sizzle and Apple Pie

With a generous amount of roasted pecans embedded in an especially smooth and creamy ice cream, Buttered Pecan and Banana Honey Roasted Nuts will definitely please those who love nuts. Fans of cinammon should go for the Apple Pie, studded with apple chunks and bites of speculoos.

What was, however, more memorable for me was the Melt ‘n’ Sizzle, brown sugar ice cream mixed with berries and chocolate chunks. I had a blast enjoying how the popping candy embedded in the chocolate fizzled away in my mouth- you've got to try it for yourself!

Longan red date and Pistachio

I like my cheng tng, so it was no surprise that I loved Tom’s Longan Red Date, a silky cold creation concentrated with the natural goodnesss of dried longans. And their Pistachio ice cream will always remain a perennial favorite of mine, ‘nuff said (:

You can read about my previous visits to Tom's Palette here, here and here.

Tom's Palette

100 Beach Road

#01-25 Shaw Leisure Gallery

The Pancake War: The Marmalade Pantry

2010-10-25T00:15:00.003+08:00

I was hoping to try Marmalade Pantry's Banana pancakes with blueberries & crème fraiche, but learnt that they had been replaced by Lemon Ricotta Hotcakes ($16++) with honeycomb butter. Citrus fans will take to the mildly zesty pancakes, which were teamed up with stewed apricot and peach chunks, a sprinkling of icing sugar and a generous drizzle of delicious maple syrup to counter the tartness of the lemon.

While their citrusy flavor profile pleased, I can't say so for the texture of the hotcakes. Ricotta is a well-liked addition to pancake batter for the light and fluffy result it achieves, but these hotcakes stopped short of my expectations. Though they were tender and well-risen, my pancakes were a tad heavy and made for a rather filling lunch, despite them being rather small in size.

Marmalade Pantry

#03-22 ION Orchard

Restaurant Chako

2010-10-20T11:14:00.001+08:00

Patrons of Restaurant Chako will probably remember it as a place not to visit with a growling stomach or when pressed for time, as much as for the delicious and authentic Japanese homestyle food it serves.

All the cooking in this restaurant is done solely by the Japanese proprietress, who will only prepare your order when you arrive at the restaurant, even if you pre-order your meal. Having been warned about the long wait-ranging from 45 minutes to as long as 3 hours- I brought something along to read while waiting for my food to arrive. It's also best to visit Chako during a weekday, when it is less crowded- the only other customers at the small 22-seater resturant during my visit at 7pm on a Tuesday night was a family of five.

Fragrant and smoky roasted barley tea to feed your thirst during the wait.

My Unatamaju ($22+) arrived only 40 minutes after I had placed my order, but it was certainly worth the wait. Save for those who dislike fatty fish, it'll be difficult to find someone who wouldn't love the delectably tender broiled eel! Matched with a bed of soft and sweet egg, as well as fluffy rice ladled with just the right amount of tasty (and not overly sweet) kabayaki sauce, the Unatamaju was so comforting, I mopped up every last grain of rice.

The cold tofu, cockle-laden miso soup and pickles which were part of the set were decent but not outstanding.

Thankfully, dessert only took five minutes to arrive. While it was a tad icy, I enjoyed how the low cream and sugar content of Chako's homemade Green Tea ice cream ($6.50 per scoop) allowed its intense matcha flavor to shine through. Other flavors include black sesame, blueberry, mango yogurt and vanilla soya bean.

A return visit for their Katsudon, Salmon Zosui, and of course- the Unatamaju- is a must!

Restaurant Chako

134 West Coast Way

Hong Leong Shopping Centre

Located in the middle of side of the building facing the expressway

Coccogelo

2010-10-16T14:58:00.006+08:00

Located along the eatery-lined stretch of East Coast Road, Coccogelo is yet another new addition to the local gelato scene.

The flavors served here lean towards the more adventurous side. Out of the 10 different flavors available that day, I had already spotted Black Sesame, Lychee Yogurt, Banana Rum and Sweetcorn with Nutmeg.

A Piccolo (single scoop), Medio (double scoop) and Grande (triple scoop) go for $3.80, $4.80 and $6.80 respectively.

Coincidentally a top pick amongst customers, Coccogelo's pistachio definitely pleased with its delightfully deep and nutty flavor! The refreshing Strawberry flavor, though decent, could have been more intense. I also sampled the exotic Spiced Apple Curry, a surprisingly harmonious combination which I wouldn't mind having more of.

The rich and satisfying dense texture of the gelato was also commendable. I'm sure Coccogelo's spacious and lovely mural-adorned interior will soon attract many Katong residents seeking a tasty respite from the heat!

Coccogelo
89 East Coast Road
Tel: 6345-3646
Opening hours:
Tues-Fri: 12pm-9pm
Sat: 12 pm-10.30pm
Sun: 12pm-8pm

Fredo Galaxy

2010-10-12T13:54:00.003+08:00

Fredo Galaxy is not just any other neighborhood bakery. Helmed by Alfred Chan, a former pastry chef with 20 years of experience working at hotels such as Shangri-La and Intercontinental, this gourmet bakery seems to have been transported from Orchard Road to the sleepy realms of Tanglin Halt. The good thing is, prices have been adjusted accordingly too.

The Chocolate Brownie Vanilla Cheesecake ($4), as its name suggests, comprised a layer of dense brownie topped with light and moist Japanese cheesecake. While both components were decently executed, their textures did not quite meld together. Perhaps, the Japanese cheesecake could be replaced by its creamy American counterpart for a more cohesive combination.

The Pistachio De Chocolate Cake ($4), featuring light chocolate mousse, chocolate sponge and pistachio mousse on a light almond cake base, was a disappointment though. I was unable to discern any hint of pistachio in the cake, even when I tasted the pistachio mousse on its own. Another small complaint about both cakes would be the layer of gelatin on top.

Savory pastries such as Rosemary and Potato Pie are available at Fredo Galaxy, but my sweet tooth settled on the Freshly Baked Cinnamon Banana with Puff Pastry ($2.80). Heated up to a beautiful golden brown in the toaster, the pairing of the crisp pastry purse with the generous portion of soft, caramelized banana hidden within was definitely an enjoyable one.

The Cinammon Apple Tart ($2.80) could have definitely done with a stronger dose of cinammon and a more buttery pastry. Nevertheless, I liked the fact that a thin layer of fresh cream was used to sandwich the well-cooked apple slices and the tart base.

Made daily, the sandwiches at Fredo Galaxy ($5.50) are healthsome, yet tasty. My Portobello Chicken sandwich had lean chicken breast meat, two juicy mushrooms and crisp greens on dense and hearty multigrain bread. Drizzled with a light and refreshing mustard mayonnaise dressing, it certainly filled me up with its whole-grain goodness! The bakery also stocks freshly baked loves of European bread in flavors such as Alpine Cranberry.

The cookies are, however, clearly the star amongst Fredo Galaxy's varied offerings. I knew I was in for a treat when I was greeted with an irresistibly nutty aroma upon opening the pack of macadamia nut cookies ($3.50 for a pack of eight), and they certainly did not disappoint. Crunchy and superbly fragrant, these delectable bites of heaven are surely not to be missed.

The crunchy chocolate chip ($4 for a pack of eight) ones are decent too, but it is the bakery's macadamia nut cookies that will keep me going back again and again!

Aside from those aforementioned, the bakery also stocks soft, cake-like cookies. However, do call to to check if they are available as they sometimes sell out.

My favorite find from Fredo Galaxy would be the rich and moist Devil Chocolate Cookies ($3.30 for 100g). These bites of chocolatey goodness are enlivened by the addition of a touch of salt, making them all the more delicious! The delicate and buttery Raspberry Vanilla cookies ($3.30 for 100g) are definitely worth a try too.

Being constantly on a lookout for good macarons, I had to try those sold here as well (80 cents each). Unfortunately, these small confections failed to make the mark. While the chocolate and orange liqueur ganache was alright, the meringue shells were too poofy.

I liked the crunchy macadamia nut and chocolate devil cookies so much, I finished them on the day I bought them. Do try them sometime!

Fredo Galaxy
Blk 46-3 Commonwealth Drive, #01-388

Opening hours:
Monday, Wednesday to Saturday: 8.30am-8pm
Sunday: 8.30am-6pm

Muffin Man

2010-10-05T23:20:00.007+08:00

We've all heard of molten chocolate cakes. But chocolate lava muffins? Maybe not.

A few weeks ago, I learnt of Muffin Man, the brainchild of a former art director who traded his career in the advertising industry for muffin baking. Unlike many of its compatriots which proffer the same old banana/blueberry/chocolate offerings, Muffin Man ups the ante with its creative Luscious Chocolate and Hidden Treasure muffins, which enclose a heart of chocolate lava and custard respectively.

To think about it, Muffin Man's offerings resemble sponge cakes more than muffins, which are more bread-like. Nevertheless, I enjoyed their soft and airy texture and the fact that they were not at all greasy.

The Mint Chocolate ($2.70) was my favorite of the three. Every bite yielded luscious yet refreshing chocolate mint sauce oozing out of the soft chocolate sponge. While the muffin could have done with more of the filling, I enjoyed it anyhow!

The Cheese Custard muffins ($2.10) are one of the bestsellers at Muffin Man, along with the Mango Custard and Rum and Raisin muffins which were unfortunately still in the oven when I dropped by in the late morning. Sprinkled with grated cheese on top and filled with lush cheese custard, the Cheese Custard muffin definitely pleased with its harmonious balance of sweet and savory.

The Green Tea and Red Bean Custard muffin ($2.70) did not disappoint either. Unlike many similar confections, both the sponge and the custard were sufficiently infused with the essence of matcha.

The Mango Custard, Passionfruit Streusel and Rum and Raisin Custard muffins sound scrumptious too. Do tell me how they fare if you try them!

FYI: This week, every third muffin purchased at Muffin Man is going at a discounted price of $1!

You can check out the range of flavors at Muffin Man's website.

Muffin Man
China Square Central #01-07
Mon to Fri: 9:30 am - 8:00 pm
Sun: 10:30 am - 5:00 pm

Microwave Chocolate Cake

2010-10-04T15:57:00.003+08:00

A fabulous five-minute chocolate cake sounds too good to be true, but I decided to give it a try to satisfy my curiosity. Seeking something more decadent, I decided to give a microwave flourless chocolate cake recipe a go.

Directions: Beat 1 egg in a bowl or cup. Mix in 1 tbsp milk, 1 tsp flour, 1/2 tsp vanilla extract, 1 tsp baking powder, 2 1/2 tbsp hot chocolate powder and 1 tbsp sugar. Microwave for 2 minutes.

(A trimmed and dressed-up version of the result)

Unfortunately, the cake failed to deliver instant gratificiation. Probably due to it being overcooked, the cake was dry and solid. I ate the ice cream and threw the rest of the cake away. I might try whipping up a chocolate cake in the microwave again... but surely, nothing beats one slowly baked in an oven for an hour.

The Pancake War: Strictly Pancakes

2010-10-01T22:36:00.004+08:00

I love pancakes. Naturally, I was very excited when I learnt of Strictly Pancakes (SP), Singapore’s first dedicated pancake café! Located at 44A Prinsep Street, SP is open from morning till night so customers can have their pancake fix anytime during the day.

In addition to the traditional butter-and-maple-syrup combination, SP also offers six sweet and six savory options, ranging from Chicken A La King (chicken chunks, sweet onion slices, cream sauce and asparagus) to Strawberries & Co (mixed berries, vanilla ice cream, strawberry coulis and cream).

I had set my eyes on the Black Forest Pancakes while browsing through their online menu, which was coincidentally recommended by the staff.

Black Forest ($12+): Chocolate pancakes topped with brandied cherries, a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream, chocolate shavings, homemade chocolate sauce and cream

These were supposed to come with three chocolate pancakes but I accidentally served plain ones instead. Not that I minded though, ‘cos I find chocolate pancakes too sweet for me! However, I didn’t get receive any reimbursement for the error (chocolate pancakes cost $1 more than plain ones on the a la carte menu) but I was not charged for the rum and raisin butter (U.P. $0.50) which I had requested to try.

The pancakes were decently soft, and were in fact very much like a slightly thicker version of Mac’s hotcakes. While I enjoyed the combination of cold vanilla ice cream with warm pancakes, I definitely won’t be ordering dessert pancakes here again as I find them too sweet for my liking. Nevertheless, those with a sweet tooth will probably enjoy this. Although my favorite way of enjoying pancakes is to have them drizzled with lots of maple syrup, I will not be attempting the plain pancakes here as I have heard that the maple syrup served here is watered-down.

Iced Blended Mocha ($5+)

The Iced Blended Mocha was decent- light, frothy and not too sweet. However, it was a tad icy.

Cedele’s superbly soft pancakes are still the best choice for those who like their pancakes on the thinner side. However, having heard positive reviews about SP’s savory choices and milkshakes, I will not rule out the possibility of a re-visit if I happen to be around the area. Oh, and students (like me) get 10% off the bill!

Strictly Pancakes

44A Prinsep Street

Opening Hours:
Mon-Thu: 1130 - 2300
Fri: 1130 - 0100
Sat: 0900 - 0100
Sun: 0900 - 2300

The Pancake War: Food For Thought

2010-09-25T11:55:00.005+08:00

Food for Thought's outlet at 8 Queen Street is the place to be if you're looking for a relief from the hustle and bustle at the nearby Bugis Village and Junction 8. Or if you're seeking an energizer after a study session at the nearby National Library. Or if you want to enjoy good food while helping a good cause: FFT does not have a service levy, but all tips go to the Give Clean Water Fund. While it does not charge for a free flow of iced water (and I don't see why any restaurant should), you are encouraged to donate $2 to Living Water International to grant an African with access to clean water.

Once you've navigated to Queen Street, locating FFT should not be a problem because it's is housed in a glass house which stands out from its surroundings. And once you've entered the place, it's difficult to resist the cozy vibe of the tastefully decorated café.

FFT's 8Q menu is more varied than that at its North Bridge Road Outlet, and what its breakfast menu, available from 9am to 5.30pm daily. I'd love FFT even more if the breakfast menu was available all day, but I'm not complaning! While the breakfast menu is not extensive, I love the idea of being able to customize your meal from a selection of fry-up items. The next time I drop by, I'm going to help myself to the brioche, thyme hashbrowns and their much-raved-about scrambled eggs with cream!

There're six other varieties of pancakes to choose from as well, such as Mixed Berries and Dark Chocolate with Stewed Cherries. If you're not a fan of sweet toppings, you can simply have them botak (i.e. plain) for an affordable $6 as well. I ordered Banana Walnut Pancakes ($10+), a huge favorite of mine. The generous portion of banana slices and walnuts are served on top of the stack by default, but you can choose to have them embedded inside like I did.

The inconvenience I faced walking to FFT in the rain (with an umbrella that persistently upturned every minute or so) was well-worth it after I had my first bite of these thick and fluffy pancakes. While just as superbly soft like Cedele's, FFT's pancakes were perfectly moist to boot. The generous portion of caramelized bananas and crunchy walnuts hidden inside made them all the more lovable.

Maple syrup is not served here, but who really cares when you have gula melaka syrup instead? Normally used in traditional desserts like chendol and Nonya kueh, the gula melaka syrup lent the pancakes a delightfully aromatic and sweet edge. An affordable but equally worthy alternative to maple syrup, surely! Oh, and did I forget to mention that the cold fresh cream which made such a lovely accompaniment to the warm pancakes is hand-whipped and not from a can?

I wish I had space for more, but the pancakes turned out to be just the right portion for an early dinner as I just had a cup of awesome ice cream at Tom's Palette. Guess the grilled vegetables and butterscotch and apple crumble have to wait for another time!

Food For Thought
8 Queen Street
Mon-Sat: 9am-10pm (Last orders from kitchen 8.50pm)
Sun: 9am-9pm (Last orders from kitchen 7.30pm)
Breakfast is served from 9am to 5.30pm daily

Snowskin Mooncakes from My Pastry

2010-09-19T07:50:00.003+08:00

I was taken aback when the lady at My Pastry's booth at Compass Point's Mooncake Fair offered my mum and I entire chocolate truffles when I asked for a sample of their snowskin champagne mooncakes. The sales assistant then managed to find samples of the mooncakes and offered them to us. We were again, stunned at the generosity of the samples- we were given 1/4 of a mini mooncake! And we tried both the white chocolate and dark chocolate flavors)- a far cry from the tiny pieces proffered by other merchants (possibly leading to a scenario where the flavor of the mooncake can sometimes only be discerned by highly sensitive tastebuds). Thankfully, we liked their champagne mooncakes and decided to get two boxes of them as we were meeting up with a relative later.

While I have not tried them, judging by their popularity, the offerings from Raffles Hotel, Fairmont and Jewels Artisan Chocolates probably rank as the best champagne ganache mooncakes in Singapore. While My Pastry's Snowskin White Lotus Champagne Mooncakes have yet to enter their league, they were pretty decent and make an affordable alternative to those previously-mentioned- the least pricey of which is Fairmont's version at $38.40 for a box of eight mini mooncakes after 20% early bird discount (for HSBC cardmembers. In contrast, a box of eight mini snowskin mooncakes from My Pastry (U.P. $46) are going for a discount at $34.96, with a free mini Snowskin Soursop mooncake thrown in for every box purchased. This works out to $3.88 per piece, as compared to $4.80 per piece for the former.

I have to slice these mini mooncakes very meticulously to prevent an argument about who gets the piece with the largest champagne truffle quarter from breaking out. Just kidding! Undoubtedly, the most enjoyable part of this mooncake was the creamy, boozy centre encased in a crunchy chocolate shell. While the white chocolate and champagne or dark chocolate and champagne combination were both pleasing, I preferred the latter as the intense flavor of the lush dark chocolate ganache paired really well with the champagne! The fact that there is no other retailer which offers dark chocolate champagne mooncakes at the moment, despite the snowskin and lotus paste faring just okay, was sufficient to warrant our purchase.

Though the champagne truffle is spiked with a decent dose of alcohol (less so for the lotus paste), the alcohol content in these chocolate champagne mooncakes is not so strong to the extent that they are unsuitable for consumption from children, unlike the Snowskin Rum and Raisin mooncakes- or so described by the sales assistant. I did not get to try the latter though as they were sold out.

The fact that the flavor of the complimentary mooncake was fixed turned out to be a blessing in disguise. The chunky soursop filling in My Pastry's Snowkin Soursop mooncakes were superbly refreshing, and I would definitely love to get more of them next year, along with the dark chocolate champagne mooncakes. Strangely enough, the snowskin of the Snowskin Soursop mooncake I had was softer than that of the chocolate champagne mooncakes.

My Pastry

Booth at Compass Point Basement till 22 September 2010

Main kitchen: Shimei East Kitchen, 3015 Bedok North Street #04-08

Mini Cheese Mooncakes from Dragon Phoenix Restaurant

2010-09-15T17:52:00.003+08:00

The variety of mooncakes available in Singapore is not limited to the traditional baked Cantonese version, snowskin mooncakes and flaky-crusted Teochew-style mooncakes. Dragon Phoenix Restaurant's Mini Cheese Mooncakes ($38 for a box of 20) come with a tender shortcrust pastry crust is a great baked mooncake alternative for those who dislike the richness of the quintessential Cantonese version.

I loved how the tender and flaky pastry of these two-bite mooncakes simply crumbled away in my mouth! Smooth with a melt-in-your-mouth texture, the smooth, sweet lotus paste was nicely complemented by the savory cheese flavor incorporated into the buttery crust as well as the salted egg yolk embedded in the filling. Just like Home's Favourite's durian mooncakes, these were something I knew I had to get when I first tasted them at the Takashimaya Mooncake Fair.

As with other mooncakes with flaky crusts, these Mini Cheese Mooncakes should be best consumed within a few days to guarantee freshness. But don't worry, they're still scrumptious even if you keep them for longer than that!

My Favorite Fruit!

2010-09-11T01:02:00.005+08:00

Okay, I actually can't decide whether I like these or durians more. But on to my point, I promise that grapes will never be the same after you've tried those from Kyoho. They're pricey and I can only afford to indulge in these a couple of times a year, but they're definitely worth it.

These Concord-like cross grapes, hailing from Japan, are also cultivated in several other countries like Korea and Taiwan today. But those grown in Japan are unbeatable, you've simply got to try it from yourself!

I absolutely adore the firm and superbly juicy flesh, whose taste really reminds me of Japanese grape jelly. Dark-purplish in color, every grape delivers a burst of intense flavor and sweetness. These grapes are so good, it's hard to believe that they're full of antioxidants beneficial to your health! It's best to peel the slippery skins before indulging- they're traditionally not consumed, as they are slightly bitter in taste. Do also note that these grapes should only be washed right before being eaten.

Kyoho grapes are sold in Istean Scotts' supermarket, and sometimes at Cold Storage.

HK Goodies from Takashimaya Mooncake Fair

2010-09-10T15:48:00.002+08:00

I've never been to Hong Kong, but I'll love to visit the city one day. I can only drool over the much-raved egg tarts from Tai Cheong Bakery for now, but in the meantime, Takashimaya Mooncake Fair has brought some of Hong Kong's delightful pastries into my reach.

Wing Wah Bakery's booth at the Takashimaya Mooncake Fair is one of the largest and the most generous with samples, with samples available for almost all of their products. The size of their mooncake samples were much larger than the tiny squares offered by other stalls too.

I found Wing Wah's mooncakes alright, but what captured my attention most was their walnut cookies. Crumbly, airy and fragrant, these were a steal at $2 for a pack of 6. Not all of Wing Wah's cookies were too my liking though. I found the texture of their almond cookies too hard, neither was their pineapple shortbread impressive.

Being a fan of the Lao Po Bing 老婆餠 (Wife's Biscuit), my mum was delighted to see that Hang Heung Bakery 恆香老餅家 had set up a stall at the mooncake fair again. The bakery has flown some of its pastry chefs over to Singapore, guaranteeing the freshness of the pastries I purchased.

Lao Po Bing 老婆餠

I'm not particularly fond of 老婆餠, but Hang Heung Bakery's famed version left a favorable impression on me. The superbly thin and tender crust flaked away to reveal soft and chewy candied winter melon innards with much ease. Though the texture of the soft filling was commendable, it was a tad bland for my liking and could have done with a bit more sugar.

Piglet biscuit 豬仔餅 from Hang Heung Bakery

Rich in taste, with a dense and slightly chewy texture, I declare Hang Heung Bakery's piglet biscuits a tasty and affordable alternative to mooncakes . The biscuit's interior was tender, but its crust could have been slightly less stiff.

Takashimaya Mid-Autumn Festival
26 August (Thu)-22 September (Wed)

Pulau Tioman: A pictorial of icy desserts, Ramly burgers and scenery

2010-09-08T18:54:00.003+08:00

One of my lunches at the buffet at the resort's restaurant. I love their superbly smooth egg tofu!

As its name implies, the ice ball is simply a mound of shaved ice, shaped into a ball and drizzled with rainbow-colored syrup. I doubt that this humble predecessor to ice kacang can be found anywhere in Singapore today.

Served in a cup, the ice kacang here comprises a mountain of shaved ice drizzled with colorful syrup, topped with ground peanuts and Milo powder and accompanied by red beans, cubes of agar agar and sago. I didn't regret getting this despite having an ice ball during lunch 'cos the stall owner ran out of ice after preparing my order, and her stall was not open for the next two days. Lucky me!

Wading through waist-high water in mangroves to get to the less disturbed regions where more fiddler crabs reside.

Capturing specimens from streams using seines and hand nets.

Barbeque night. Smoke from the cooking area fans out into the restaurant before dinnertime, proof that the grilled items were cooked on charcoal.

The Ramly Burger shop. One of the things I'll definitely miss about Tioman.

Chicken special with cheese (RM 5.00): A lightly toasted, superbly soft and fluffy bun sandwiching a chicken patty wrapped in an omelette, complete with cucumber and tomato slices, lettuce shreds and a drizzle of mayonnaise and chilli sauce. Naturally, I chose to up the stakes with the addition of oozing melted cheese.

Humble, tasty, and affordable to boot, the Ramly burgers really put Mac's to shame. They were so popular with us students, the shop ran out of cheese on the second night.

Just look at the amount of effort they put into constructing each burger. The ingredients used may not be the best, but lovingly prepared food always tastes good.

Hold a cube of bread in your hand while snorkelling, and you'll be greeted by schools of fishes eager for a bite. I saw giant sea urchins under a huge rock!

Beef special. Without cheese :( Oishii nonetheless.

After that first memorable encounter during our Ramly burger and ice cream party with my friends, my trip to Tioman gained got a new objective. To enjoy as many Ramly burgers as possible within my short stay there.

During our last night there, my friend suggested to the stall owners that they open an hour earlier the next morning so that we could get another burger fix before we leave. And to our delight, they did! I crammed a Chicken Special into my stomach with much joy, never mind that I was upping my chances of getting seasick, never mind that I was consuming yet another egg after having about two and a half eggs in the form of an omelette and scramble during breakfast.

Goodbye Tioman. Back to Singapore, back to work. Sigh...

Snowskin D24 Durian Mooncakes from Home's Favorite

2010-09-03T15:51:00.006+08:00

Visiting the Takashimaya Mooncake Fair is a must-do for me every year. Being fond lovers of the thorny fruit, purchasing durian snowskin mooncakes is an annual affair for my family. My search for the best snowskin durian mooncake involved sampling the goods from almost every booth at this year's fair, and of course, trying all the durian mooncakes available heheh!

It was a tough fight, but the creamier and richer durian pulp filling of Home's Favorite Snowskin Black Durian Mooncake eventually edged out Peony Jade's Organic Pandan Snowskin Mao Shan Wang Durian Mooncake as my top snowskin durian mooncake pick available at the fair. The other top competitor worth mentioning would be Four Seasons Durians' Mao Shan Wang Durian mooncakes.

The main difference between Home's Favorite D24 Durian Mooncake ($50 for four pieces) and its D24 Black Durian Mooncake ($52 for four pieces) is the addition of charcoal powder to the snowskin of the latter. Though the difference between the two mooncakes is subtle, the charcoal powder in the snowskin seems to render the Black Durian Mooncake slightly less sweet and helps to bring out the bitterness of the durian flesh it encases.

Except for it being a little too soft and a bit sticky, I had no complaints about the snowskin. What makes Home's Favorite durian mooncakes a highly addictive affair is the fantastic pure durian pulp filling used. Both D24 and Mao Shan Wang durian mooncakes are available, but only the former was available for sampling at the fair. The D24 durian filling was so luxuriously luscious and punchy, I really wonder how good the Mao Shan Wang durian mooncakes ($68 for four pieces) are going to get!

However, durian mooncake lovers who are picky about the quality of the snowskin might want to go for Peony Jade's durian mooncake, whose melt-in-your-mouth snowskin is bound to please. While less pungent and bitter, its rich durian filling is excellent nonetheless.

This post will feature in Food Bloggers' Potluck #001 and this week's host is Food Prints.

Cornish Pasty #3: You can't get this in the shops

2010-08-30T00:36:00.004+08:00

With the exception of another post about some souvenirs, this will be my last post about my eats in Cornwall. I had told K's grandparents about the pasty I had made during cookery class during my visit to their place. During our discussion, I learnt that Cornish pasties used to always be made in home kitchens, and even though you can get fabulous versions in the stores, it is said that nothing lives up to home made ones.

Her gran nicely offered to make pasties for us, and on Monday, K's dad picked them up from their home for our tea (that's what the English call dinner). The four pasties sat neatly in a box, covered by a cloth, each individually wrapped with two paper bags. No doubt, they were made with much love.

I had this pasty for my last tea (dinner) in Cornwall. Biting through the slightly crumbly and thin layer of pastry revealed a filling of well-cooked cubes of onions, potatoes and swede, small bits of steak here and there, all sitting in a clear broth. This was definitely the most juicy pasty that I've had, in the ideal portion size too.

Yes, I concur... home made pasties are the best. On another note, it's been about two months since my trip to the UK. I miss the laid-back culture in Cornwall lots.

Big Weekend @ Trevaskis Farm

2010-08-26T18:13:00.003+08:00

I had listed down food as one of my interests before we were matched up with our buddies from the British school I visited. Imagine my delight when K shared with me that there'll be a farmers' market in a nearby town during the weekend!

Here I sampled Yarg Cornish Cheese, a semi-hard cheese with a texture varying from creamy under the rind to mildly crumbly in the core. It is wrapped in nettle leaves after pressing and brining, which attracts molds that help the cheese ripen. The Yarg cheese had a slightly mushroom-like and slightly taste which I didn't quite fancy. I preferred the Wild Garlic Yang a variation of the cheese covered in wild garlic leaves which had a delicate garlic (what else?) taste.

Treleavens Luxury Cornish ice cream which I've blogged about before!

Rhubarb Crumble and Clotted cream & Strawberry

Saffron buns, saffron cake and shortbread from Simply Cornish. The size of their samples is pretty generous, don't you think? I didn't quite take to the taste of their saffron cake though. The shortbread was not too bad but strangely, all three flavors had different textures, some more crumbly than the others.

Berrymans' Cornish Saffron Cake was more appealing in my opinion. Their strawberry shortcake was pretty good! Pity that it didn't come in sealed plastic packages for me to take back to Singapore :(

I wrapped the saffron cake in bubble wrap before stuffing it into my luggage. Thankfully, it didn't get squished!

No, this isn't raisin bread. It's saffron cake (a larger version of the saffron bun), a light and fluffy bread studded with currants and flavored with saffron and some other spices like cinammon and nutmeg. Just like a fragrant version of raisin bread!

Due to the high cost of saffron, the most expensive spice in the world, coloring like tumeric is often used to enhance the color of commercially-produced saffron cakes. Best consumed lightly toasted to bring out the aroma of the spices (:

Finally, some artisan jam from Cornish Meadow Preserves produced in batches of 24 jars at a time! I sampled some Strawberry Chilli jam- an intriguing combination of sweet fruit enhanced by a potent kick of spice from chillies, meant to be taken with cheese. I just can't imagine eating a spicy spread along with toast for breakfast! The Cherry & Cornish Apple jam I purchased goes well with brown toast, though it's on the sweeter side.

Superdog

2010-08-22T00:00:00.021+08:00

Superdog is definitely my favorite fast food joint. Prices here are a little higher than most fast food chains, but is definitely justified by the quality and taste of the food. One's first visit to Superdog will probably involve bring intrigued by the interesting tips on hotdog etiquette printed on the paper liner- for example, one should take no more than five bites to finish a hotdog. Although I'd be able to do so, I have always savored my hotdogs at Superdog 'cos their hotdogs are too tasty to be gobbled down in a haste!

Another thing I like here is the less plastic decor- the Vivocity outlet, for instance, has comfortable cushioned chairs while the full-length glass windows at E! Hub outlet enables diners to enjoy the view outside.

The outlet I patronize most, coincidentally their first outlet, is located at the basement of Vivocity, but new outlets have opened at E! Hub at Downtown East, White Sands Shopping Centre and 313@Somerset. Breakfast is served daily from 7.30am-11.30am at their Vivocity and White Sands outlets, and there's even delivery service to Tampines, Pasir Ris, Changi, CBD, Bukit Merah, Queenstown, Alexandra and Chinatown (boohoo that means they don't deliver to my home or school :/ ).

Superdog

The Superdog ($7.50) includes a juicy German Bratwurst topped with Superdog Chili, grilled bacon, sliced tomatoes, shredded cheese and diced onions. It's packed with so many goodies, your bun might just break into half! Note that bratwursts usually include some spices which may not appeal to everyone.

Superburger

The massive-sounding Superburger ($7.50) contains 1/3 pound grilled fresh beef chuck patty with 2 slices of grilled bacon, cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, grilled onions and Superdog's signature sauce. Despite its name, the Superburger wasn't actually that humongous- I had this for for lunch one day and left reasonably filled. Thankfully, the beef patties here was moist and much more flavorful than the cardboard-like ones served at some places.

Chicken Ripper

Ironically, my favorite hotdog is also the most affordable one on the menu. The consists of a juicy sausage topped with a tasty and mildly spicy mayo and some (healthy but tasteless) chopped-up tomato bits in a toasted soft bun. The sausage is supposedly deep fried till it bursts, hence its name 'ripper', but out of the many times I've ordered this, this was never the case. Well, at least it won't be oily this way... I'm still liking it loads!

I'm usually torn between ordering the Chicken Ripper and the equally delicious Grilled Chicken Burger ($4.50). Unlike most fast food joints where you get a patty of minced meat in your chicken burger, the version here featured a slab of juicy chicken thigh drizzled with the same yummy spicy mayo.

I also like Bacon Lovers ($5.50), which stars well-grilled streaky bacon coupled with caramelized onions, melted cheese and Superdog's signature sauce. This meaty and juicy delight is definitely not for those watching their saturated fat intake! Other items which I've tried include the bacon ripper ($4) and chili dog ($4) which were alright.

At Superdog, you also have the option of adding an egg or bacon to your burger or hotdog for $0.50 each and $1 per strip. With any burger/hotdog order, you can up add regular/medium fries and a regular drink for $2.50/$3.

Iced lemon tea

One quibble I have about Superdog's Vivocity outlet is that I was told that Superdog does not serve tap water. However, during my visit to their Pasir Ris outlet for breakfast, my request for plain water was obliged. Anyway, I strongly recommend you to order a drink if you're having lunch or dinner there. And please don't order any old drink like Pepsi or 7-Up, just head straight for the freshly brewed iced lemon tea! Sweetened to just the right degree, Superdog's iced lemon tea is a class apart from the ones you get from a can and makes a refreshing accompaniment to the meaty mains. I found the Pineapple Sensation, an icy drink blended from pineapple chunks, to be okay but a tad sweet.

Battered onion rings

The onion rings here ($3 ala carte, you can top up $1/$0.50 to substitute your fries from the $2.50/$2 set meal), while less greasy and having a lighter batter than most, had a soft exterior instead of being crispy as I'd have liked them to be. I'll suggest sticking to the Chili Cheese Fries ($4.50 ala carte, you can top up $2.50/$2 to substitute your fries from the $2.50/$3 set meal) instead. My dining partners and myself are always mopping up every last bit of the amalgation of meaty chili and melted grated cheese with the fluffy fries!

There are student set meals on weekdays too, where you can get a chicken ripper, fish burger, grilled chicken burger or chilli dog with regular fries and a drink for $5. (Of the course the options will be limited but since I prefer the cheaper items, this doesn't matter to me!)

Superdog
Vivo City, #B2-41
E-hub, Downtown East, #04-101
White Sands Shopping Mall, #01-22
#B3-21/22 313 @ Somerset

Share pictures of your meal for charity!

2010-08-21T13:05:00.000+08:00

Extracted from http://www.wix.com/shareurmealsg/home:

shareurmeal, Singapore! is a community initiative to raise awareness about the plight of low-income families in Singapore. By sending a picture with your meal to shareurmealsg@gmail.com, their sponsors will donate S$3 to support TOUCH Community Services.

Help them reach their target of 1,000 photos by sharing your photos today (I have loads haha)!

Check out shareurmeal, Singapore!'s website here and their Facebook page here.

Fish and chips takeaway from Pickwicks Restaurant

2010-08-19T01:21:00.003+08:00

Fish and chips, a British classic, require no introduction. Contrary to the case in Singapore, where the dish is usually found in cafes and restaurants, fish and chips are usually purchased from takeaway shops in the UK. Traditionally, they come wrapped in a layer of white paper followed by a layer of newspaper, or even just in a couple of layers of newspaper! Being somewhat a nitpick about hygiene, I'm glad that my food was placed in a paper cardboard box and wrapped with white paper.

Sorry for the poor lighting in the picture- the seagulls are always trying to steal beachgoers' food (no kidding- there're signs in St Ives which advise people to keep a lookout on their food) and K's mom was helping me to shield my fish and chips from an onlooking seagull as I snapped this photo.

Pickwicks Restaurant, located in Perranporth, where K's mom grew up, has been described by her to be the best place to get fish and chips in town. The queue outside the takeaway section was proof of its popularity; having to wait for your order to be ready also means that your food will be fresh out of the fryer. Here, there were several choices of fish available, including haddock, pollock (£3.15) and cod (£3.45). As with many fish and chip shops, battered cod roe was also available here- too bad I didn't manage to give it a try :(

Naturally I chose to cod 'cos it's so expensive in Singapore! Although only a small ice cream stick was provided for cutlery, I faced no problems in cutting up the chunk of cod into bite-sized pieces for it simply flaked apart when pierced! I was pleased with the lightness of the batter, though I would have preferred it to be more crunchy. The star here is still the fresh, firm and delicate interior of the battered cod fish, whose moist flesh fared far better than the soft deep-fried cream dory I have been eating all along.

Do not expect to be served skinny fries, slab-cut potato chunks are the norm in Britain. Plump chips with fluffy insides, freshly sliced from potatoes, instead of hollow French fries from a frozen package... if only more places in Singapore would serve such decent chips! A generous serving of these can be purchased for an affordable £1.10 at Pickwicks'... even if you only order chips, you're bound to be full.

Enjoying your fish and chips by the lovely beach is much better than being cramped inside the packed restaurant, I say.

Cornish ice cream: Ice cream is a must everywhere I go

2010-08-16T00:41:00.005+08:00

Not many arable crops are grown in Cornwall due to the climate conditions there. But the lush grass of the region is ideal for dairying, bringing us the famed Cornish clotted cream which has found its way into not only cream tea and fudge, but ice cream as well!

I was initially excited to see that Cornish ice cream was available at Cold Storage. But, upon taking a closer look, I soon realized that the mass-manufactured product could never recreate the authentic Cornish ice cream experience. Take a look at ingredients inside Wall's Cream of Cornish, a product found in Tesco's outlets all over Britain which has given those outside Cornwall a taste of "Cornish ice cream":Reconstituted Skimmed Milk, Water, Sugar, Glucose-fructose Syrup, Butteroil (8%), Whey Solids, Cream (1.3%), Emulsifier (E471), Stabilisers (Guar Gum, Locust Bean Gum, Carrageenan), Flavouring, Natural Colours (Curcumin, Annatto.)Where's the Cornish clotted cream? Is the paltry amount of cream inside even clotted cream?

While I have to admit that the artifical flavorings in those inferior imitations are somewhat resemble the taste of authentic Cornish ice cream, their high overrun and hence fluffy texture is a far throw from the real thing. What makes Cornish ice cream special is its use of Cornish clotted cream, which gives it its thick and rich consistency, unique flavor and yellowish tinge.

My first Cornish ice cream was from Callestick Farm, in clotted cream vanilla (above). I had this on my first afternoon in Cornwall and I chose this flavor because I was curious about how the famous dairy export would taste in ice cream! The ice cream was richer and slightly thicker consistency than the ice cream I'm used to, and while I can't put the flavor of the ice cream in words- you've got to try it for yourself to find out- I felt that the flavor or the vanilla matched pretty well with that of the clotted cream.

While reading up about Cornish ice cream, I learnt that several Cornish ice cream producers like Callestick Farm, Helsett Farm and Roskilly's were set up in response to the introduction of an EU quota limiting the milk production and sales of dairy farmers, but which fortunately excluded ice cream production. Interesting!

At the Big Weekend at Trevaskis Farm, I was delighted to see a stall by Treleavens, a relatively new maker of luxury Cornish ice cream and sorbets. It's served at top restaurants such as Jamie Oliver's Fifteen Restaurant at Watergate Bay, and has garnered a handful of awards as well. Take for example, one of the flavors I had, Rhubarb Crumble and Clotted Cream won a Gold at the Great Taste Awards 2007.

Rhubarb Crumble and Clotted Cream & Strawberry

I didn't know that rhubarb is supposed to taste really tart but fortunately for me, there was only a mild presence of rhubarb which gave the ice cream a delicious fruity twist, well complemented by bits of crumble here and there. You could really taste the fruit in the strawberry ice cream, though its intensity still can't beat the stawberry gelato from Mashuko Dowa. What I liked most about Treleavens ice cream was how rich, creamy and luscious it was, especially the rhubarb crumble and clotted cream flavor- naturally thicker because of the clotted cream!

During my last afternoon in Cornwall, I visited the popular ice cream parlor, Mr B's, at Hayle. K's friend had described the ice cream here to be divine, and K's cousins love Mr B's so much, they take a 15 minute car ride here for ice cream every week.

I'm sure you can sense the excitement I felt as I ~~strolled~~ brisk-walked towards the shop!

Teddy cones, waffle cones, fudge sticks, Flake bars... snooping around their Twitter account revealed that Mr B's flavor list rolls 166 deep as of May 2010. No doubt the wide range of flavors the ice cream parlor offered- a rarity in Cornwall- is a main reasons behind their popularity.

Ferrero Rocher & White Chocolate Honeycomb

The rich consistency and smooth texture of the ice cream was perfect for a dreamy, milky white chocolate ice cream mmm! Ferrero Rocher featured chocolate hazelnut ice cream generously studded with chocolate chunks- a winning combination which I still reminisce about today. Though I have only tried the ice cream from a few Cornish ice cream parlors, I wouldn't be surprised if, as reputed, Mr B's sells the best ice cream in Cornwall. In addition, while I can't remember the exact price of my ice cream, but I recall that the serving size was pretty generous for the price. No wonder there is apparently always a queue at Mr B's!

It's not Nutella... it's white chocolate spread!

2010-08-12T06:03:00.003+08:00

In England, people usually have cereal for breakfast. One day, K's mom asked me if I'll like to have toast for a change. "What spread will you like with your toast? We've got jam, peanut butter, K's favorite white chocolate spread..." White chocolate spread? That's something I haven't heard of before... it doesn't take a genius to figure out which one I chose!

All it took was just one bite, and I was in love- the combination of the silky, sweet white chocolate with the slightly salty, fragrant butter was simply heavenly! I polished off all four pieces of toast before K finished her bowl of cereal... Seeing how much I liked the spread, K's mom gave me a bottle of it to take home. Hooray (:

Expectedly saccharine sweet, white chocolate spread, though absolutely delicious, is probably not something you'll want to eat large spoonfuls of straight out of the jar (unlike Nutella heheh). Cliché as it may sound, it is hence best enjoyed in small amounts, thinly spread over generously buttered toast.

Unfortunately, I doubt that it's possible to find white chocolate spread in the shops in Singapore. I'll be so sad when I finish my treasured bottle of spread! That's when Internet shopping saves the day...I've compiled a list of all the white chocolate spreads I could find on the Internet for those who want to give it a try!

Wicklow Fine Foods Luxury White Chocolate Praline Spread €5.00EUR 220g

"Winner of Best Product Award, Mitchelstown Fine Food Festival 2003; a fabulous Belgian white chocolate spread with caramelized almonds and hazelnuts."

Le Pain Quotidien Blondie (White chocolate spread) Available in outlets in countries like Australia and Japan.

Other white chocolate spreads:

Nusco White Chocolate Spread 400g USD $2.95

Hashahar Haole White Chocolate Spread / Bright Morning Chocolate Spread - Dairy Free 1lb/8oz

ASDA White Chocolate Spread (above) 400g £0.98 (yes, only S$2! Pity about the cost of shipping haha)

Le Petit Connoisseur

HK-SIN on Cathay Pacific

Pudong Kitchen

The Daily Scoop III

Kim's Family Restaurant

窓 Chang Korean BBQ Restaurant

A Curious Teepee

Don Quijote

Hummerstons

Paulaner Bräuhaus

Sweet meets salty @ Tom's Palette

Alfero Artisan Gelato

Ikada Bakery

Tai Tai-ing @ TWG

Egg Tarts @ Imperial Treasure Bakery

Snowskin Mooncakes from Jewels Artisan Chocolate

K ki ケーキ

One-for-one Fish & Chips @ Manhattan Fish Market

D24 Durian Mooncakes @ Four Seasons Durians

Some of my favorite things.

Ramen Champion @ Iluma

A new love @ Beard Papa Sweets

Missing Pierre Hermé

Aoki

My favorite donut @ SomethingToGo

Baskin-Robbins @ Clementi Mall

Awfully Chocolate II

Hot Cross Buns & some recent eats.

Jean-Philippe Darcis

Nazt Bistro Lounge

LivinGreens

CNY @ Tom's Palette

Chikuwa Tei

Wheat Baumkuchen

Cream Dowa @ Isetan Hokkaido Fair

Tarts galore @ LE Cafe Confectionery & Pastry

Komagatake Gyunyu & Cream Dowa

The Pancake War: TCC

First ice cream of 2011! @ Tom's Palette

En Japanese Dining Bar & Pine's Garden Cake

Durian delights all year round @ Goodwood Park Hotel

Bloggers' dinner @ Shashlik Restaurant

The Pancake War: Canelé Pâtisserie Chocolaterie

Merry Christmas!

A new way of enjoying chocolate: THE CoCospoon

Ponggol Nasi Lemak (Serangoon)

The Daily Scoop II, Island Creamery & Ice Cream Frenzy

The Pancake War: KFC Blueberry Pancakes

Shashlik Restaurant

Bringing out the booze @ K ki ケーキ

Freshness Burger

Brownies from P.Osh

Smiths Authentic British Fish And Chips

The Pancake War: Wild Honey

Kim Dae Mun Korean Cuisine

Miki Yo!

Astons Express

Malga Gelato @ Hokuriku Fair

Forty Hands

A&W: A Pictorial

Salted egg yolk ice cream & more @ Tom's Palette

The Pancake War: The Marmalade Pantry

Restaurant Chako

Coccogelo

The flavors served here lean towards the more adventurous side. Out of the 10 different flavors available that day, I had already spotted Black Sesame, Lychee Yogurt, Banana Rum and Sweetcorn with Nutmeg.

A Piccolo (single scoop), Medio (double scoop) and Grande (triple scoop) go for $3.80, $4.80 and $6.80 respectively.

Coccogelo89 East Coast RoadTel: 6345-3646Opening hours:Tues-Fri: 12pm-9pmSat: 12 pm-10.30pmSun: 12pm-8pm

Fredo Galaxy

Muffin Man

Microwave Chocolate Cake

The Pancake War: Strictly Pancakes

The Pancake War: Food For Thought

Snowskin Mooncakes from My Pastry

Mini Cheese Mooncakes from Dragon Phoenix Restaurant

My Favorite Fruit!

HK Goodies from Takashimaya Mooncake Fair

Pulau Tioman: A pictorial of icy desserts, Ramly burgers and scenery

Snowskin D24 Durian Mooncakes from Home's Favorite

Cornish Pasty #3: You can't get this in the shops

Big Weekend @ Trevaskis Farm

Coccogelo
89 East Coast Road
Tel: 6345-3646
Opening hours:
Tues-Fri: 12pm-9pm
Sat: 12 pm-10.30pm
Sun: 12pm-8pm