There’s no better way to celebrate your friendship than with these beautiful cakes from PrimaDéli, the Cake Specialist in Singapore!
I have known Christina for more than 10 years. She used to be the boss of a tuition agency and I went to apply for a tutor job. That was during my JC days! We got closer when we started to go to the same gym together. Since then, I hang out at tuition centre more than I need to and we would always go for lunch together. Or she will dabao for me if I have class.
It was no longer that boss and worker relationship. We were there for each other through thick and thin, especially during all the festivals when we are alone. Now that we are doing our own things, but we are always keep in touch and we understand each other. It’s a special feeling that can’t be explained.
Because I have been travelling, I didn’t get the chance to celebrate her birthday on the actual date this year. So we did a belated one recently, with a unique cake which I got from PrimaDéli.
Chocolate Surprise looks like a simple and beautifully frosted cake. But when we slice it open, we were all squealing with excitement because colourful button shaped chocolates were all hiding in the centre of chocolate sponge. Look how happy she was! We shared the cake with her kids and they love it too!
Thanks to PrimaDéli, I decided to surprise my two aunties with a cake each too! There is no need for a reason to buy a cake. It was definitely a sweet surprise for them as we usually only have cakes during birthdays. So nobody was expecting anything and when they opened the boxes, they go like “WOW! SO PRETTY!”
Eating cake is always a reason to celebrate, to celebrate life and to show my appreciation to both of them who have been taking good care of me since young. We are just like friends, there are no secrets and we talk about anything under the sun. Especially for Aunty Angela, she has always been supportive in whatever I do and go the extra mile to help me achieve my dream.
With a wide variety of cakes for everyday treats and special occasions, it’s tantalizing to choose a cake from PrimaDéli because I want A LOT of the cakes! But I decided to get the Chocolate Surprise (again) and Rainbow Connection.
Rainbow Connection is a sight to behold! The colourful cake features soft and fluffy vanilla coloured sponge that is light in texture and not overly sweet. A mouthful of rainbow makes everyone super happy!
THANK YOU PrimaDéli for helping us to paint memories! ☺
Started in 2010 by Aussie Ben Lee, Sarnies is a vibrant café located at Telok Ayer, right in the heart of the bustling Singapore Central Business District. To celebrate their 6th year of serving up comfort café grub and specialty coffee, Chef Zak has revamped the dinner menu, with new items packed with rustic flavours. Sarnies has always placed an emphasis on providing wholesome meals made from scratch using only fresh, quality ingredients such as grass fed beef, chicken free from hormones and antibiotics, and bacon cured in-house, just to name a few.
With 26 years of experience in the kitchen, Chef Zak (formerly from NYDC, Open Door Policy and Open Farm Community) is the creative brain behind the newly crafted dinner menu. He feels that cooking is an art and he looks forward to discovering and creating new items every day. He wants the dishes at Sarnies to be classic, with a special twist to the flavours so as to stand out from others.
Our night began with Sarnies’ Spicy Buffalo Wings ($14) which really packed a good punch! It arrived looking fiery hot, with an aromatic smell of spices. For Sarnies’ unique rendition of Buffalo wings, Chef Zak used 20 spices for the marinade before slow-cooking the wings for approximately 4-5 hours, followed by frying. You get a slight crunch upon sinking your teeth into the Buffalo wings before reaching the tender, well-cooked meat. If you can’t really take spicy food, prepare a glass of water as the spiciness only kicks in awhile later! FYI – we perspired in the air-conditioned café!
New items include slider trios, with a choice of Grilled Haloumi with Onion Jam & Roasted Cherry Tomatoes ($13) or Pulled Pork with White Coleslaw & Homemade BBQ Sauce ($14). Every component is made from scratch and each bun is lovingly kneaded and baked fresh in-house daily. We loved the cheesiness as it wasn’t too overwhelming and the caramelized onions enhanced the overall flavour. The juices from the cherry tomatoes burst sweetly in your mouth, so wonderful! It usually comes in a portion of 3 but we only had 2 due to the heavy mains that were served later on.
Big eaters would enjoy the Texas-style Burger with Overnight Smoked Brisket, White Slaw, Dijon, Gherkins, BBQ sauce and Hand-Cut wedges ($26.50). It’s stacked so high with smoky, tender brisket, it’s almost impossible to take one full bite of the burger in a mouthful. We fell in love with the BBQ sauce as Chef Zak blended the usual BBQ sauce with his secret Moroccan spices to make it special. The buns are also done in-house on a daily basis.
For those with a more adventurous taste bud, go for the Southern Indian-style Hand-cut Pappardelle with Prawns, Coconut Milk and Curry Leaves ($19.50). The pasta is made by hand, cooked al dente to order and coated in a light creamy curry sauce. Chef Zak does his pasta dough every 2 days to maintain the freshness of all ingredients and ensure you get premium quality food at Sarnies. This hearty pasta was the highlight of our dinner!
Another bigger plate we had was the Blackened Grass-fed Sirloin, Columbian-style Chimichurri and Olive Oil Mash ($24.50). Chef Zak re-stocks his steaks every 2 days and he vacuum-packs and chills his steaks and never purchases frozen steaks. The combination had a balance of savoury flavours, with a hint of zest.
All meals need a happy ending so we had Sarnies’ Brownie with Vanilla Ice Cream ($8). They usually serve the original flavour and sometimes, Peanut Butter flavour, but we went on a lucky night as they had the Matcha White Chocolate Brownie available. It wasn’t too sweet and we could taste the subtle matcha flavour. What a great end to the night!
Besides serving amazing food, Sarnies also whips up a good range of cocktails, with spirits, beers, ciders and wines on their drinks list as well. This café boasts a really relaxing atmosphere and is easily accessible when you get off work in the CBD. Moreover, it’s quite romantic to dine al fresco on a breezy night. With their variety of delectable sides, mains and desserts, Sarnies is bound to gain many loyal customers.
Specializing in making traditional authentic Peranakan delicacies, HarriAnns began in the 1940s when Grandma, Madam Chia Nguk Eng, started a push-cart selling her Nonya Kueh and Teochew-style sweet and savoury glutinous rice in the Tiong Bahru vicinity. She had to feed her two sons after losing her husband so she did what she did best – cook!
In 1950, Grandma Chia moved to Tiong Bahru market as the Ministry of Environment clamped down on street hawkers. Her delicious foods quickly gained her a huge following and her elder son, Harry, quit school to help her at the market. Grandma Chia retired in 1996 and handed down her treasured family recipes to Harry and his wife, Ann, hence the re-naming of their stall as “HarriAnns”. Towards the end of 2013, Harry handed the reins of this business to his son, Alan and in July 2014, HarriAnns Nonya Table café was born.
This unpretentious café, located in Bugis, draws a huge crowd as the set meals for the scrumptious Nonya cuisine are really affordable. It’s the third generation running the operations now but they still faithfully uphold Grandma Chia’s traditional techniques of making each kueh painstakingly by hand and using the freshest premium ingredients.
HarriAnns Nonya Table offers customers the All Day Breakfast Menu and the Peranakan Meals. There are 6 different sets of All Day Breakfast for you to choose from and we had Set A6 ($5) which includes Grandma’s Signature Glutinous Rice, 4 pieces of bite-sized Nonya Kueh and a cup of coffee or tea. Although the café is situated in a modern shopping mall, having the Nonya Kueh paired with coffee brought us back to the nostalgic days of the old Singapore. Each kueh had a good soft consistency and we liked that it doesn’t get stuck onto our teeth. The tasty glutinous rice mixed with braised soft whole peanuts is very fragrant. This breakfast set will certainly begin our day on a chirpy note!
There are 4 Peranakan Meals to choose from, namely Nonya Laksa set, Nonya Curry Chicken set, Mee Siam set and Ayam Ponteh set and these dishes are all prepared following the instructions of Grandma Chia’s traditional recipes. All set meals come with 1 Honey Iced Lemon Tea or Calamansi with Lime drink. We went around 7pm in the evening for dinner but they’re already sold out on the Nonya Laksa so we settled for the Nonya Curry Chicken set and Mee Siam set.
The Nonya Curry Chicken set ($8) boasts chicken that’s cooked till tender and moist in their signature thick and rich curry rempah. Complemented by aromatic pandan rice and a portion of Nonya Achar, which gave a hint of a refreshing sourish-spicy twist, we couldn’t stop taking one bite after another. The Nonya Curry Chicken is simply enjoyable and satisfying.
The Mee Siam set ($7) consists of stir-fried vermicelli served with a spicy sweet and sour gravy made from rempah spice paste, tamarind and salted soy bean. Topped with fresh prawns, half a hard-biuled egg, chives and fried bean curd cubes, it arrived looking fiery spicy, with the fragrance whetting our appetites. Imagine slurping one mouthful which gives a burst of flavours in your mouth! We found this dish to be the highlight of our meal.
HarriAnns Nonya Table is the place to go if you’re looking for affordable and delectable Peranakan food in a casual setting where you can catch up with friends over the weekend or unwind with colleagues after work. Don’t forget to take-away some of their kueh as they make a good snack!
HarriAnns Nonya Table
Address: #01-01A, 230 Victoria Street, Bugis Junction Towers, Singapore 188024
Yamagata (山形県, Yamagata-ken) is a large prefecture along the Sea of Japan coast in the Tohoku Region. The prefecture is blessed with natural beauty such as Mount Zao. It also has more than 100 hot spring locations. More importantly, it is the largest producer of cherries and pears in Japan. A large quantity of other kinds of fruits such as grapes, apples, peaches, melons, persimmons and watermelons are also produced. Here are 7 things you can do in Yamagata Prefecture.
HOW TO GO TO YAMAGATA FROM TOKYO?
We flew into Tokyo via Japan Airlines. The seat is of course comfortable, the take off was on time and the aircraft is great. To get to Yamagata from Tokyo, we bought the JR EAST PASS（Tohoku area) for unlimited rides on the Shinkansen and limited express trains to Eastern Japan. Japan’s shinkansen, or bullet train, never fail to amaze me. Every time a train arrives, the cleaning crews will clean the whole train within 7 minutes.
We first alight at Yonezawa, which is in the southern part of Yamagata Prefecture. It is on the Yamagata Shinkansen line between Tokyo and Yamagata. There are hourly departures from Tokyo, with the trip taking just over 2 hours and costing ¥10,000.
EAT THE FAMOUS YONEZAWA BEEF
Yonezawa may be an unassuming rural town but do you know that it is known throughout Japan for its beef (米沢牛 yonezawa-gyū). Its beef became famous after an Englishman named Charles Henry Dallas, an English teacher at the Yonezawa clan school, took a Yonezawa cow to his friends at Yokohama in 1875. They lvoe it and words start spreading about how delicious it is.
Yonezawa cows are fed such rice straw that sucked up the minerals. Most of the cows are raised and fattened for the period as long as 32 months, which explains secret to the quality and flavour of the meat. We had our lunch at Uesugi Joshien (上杉城史苑 • ウエスギジヨウシエン) where Yonezawa Steak Don and beef fillet. The steak don has sliced beef grilled to perfection and every piece literally melts in your mouth.
Uesugi Joshien (上杉城史苑 • ウエスギジヨウシエン)
Address: 1 Chome-1-22 Marunouchi, Yonezawa, Yamagata Prefecture 992-0052, Japan
Yonezawa is also a favourite amongst sake lovers and the best-known local tipple is Tōkō (東光). Upon reaching our destination, we took a bus to visit Japanese Sake Brewery. I am impressed with the punctuality with all buses in Japan!
Sake-Brewing Museum Tōkō Sake Warehouse helps us to understand the traditional Sake-Brewing within Yonezawa. Stated since 1597, Tōkō has been around for more than 400 years and Mr Kojimaya Zaremon is now the 23rd generation is taking care of it. They have 53 sake breweries in Yamagata and are the 4th biggest around. They export to 13 countries world wide.
With the aim of sharing the traditional art of sake brewing to the world – the museum was restored from and old sake distillery in 1984. Various sake production implements are on display, including a huge vat made of Japanese cedar once used for fermentation. Sake making typically happens from October to March and fermentation itself can take up to a good 2 months. Guess what, the TV commercial for SKII is also done here! In the sake-tasting area, visitors can enjoy freshly pressed, unpasteurized sake that cannot be found anywhere else. Go for their top-of-the-line daiginjō (¥12,000/1.8L)!
Tōkō no Sakagura (東光の酒蔵)
Address: 2 Chome-3-22 Omachi, Yonezawa, Yamagata Prefecture 992-0031, Japan
From Yonezawa Station, we took a train and alighted at Yamadera Station where we visit Risshaku-ji Temple. JR trains are extremely efficient and fast, and a major part of their efficiency is due to all the different kinds of express trains!
Risshaku-ji Temple was founded over a thousand years ago in 860 as a temple of the Tendai sect under the official name Risshakuji. Its popular name, Yamadera, literally means “mountain temple” in Japanese. The temple is a nationally designated Place of Scenic Beauty and Historic Site.
You need to take about 1015 steps to climb up to the top. But it was not difficult at all. Just do it at your own pace and when you reach the top, all is worthwhile as you will get to see the great view down onto the valley. The temple is easily accessible by train. You can take a short walk to one of several entrances at the foot of the mountain.
Risshaku-ji (立石寺)
Address: 2 Chome-3-22 Omachi, Yonezawa, Yamagata Prefecture 992-0031, Japan
This natural lake formed in the crater of a volcano is the symbol of Mt. Zao. The lake was 27m deep but it was gradually buried over years due to the collapse of Goshikidake cliff walls. It is sometimes called the Five Color Lake due to the way its water changes colors from day to day. The circle crate is surrounded by the three mountains of the Zao Mountain Range, i.e. Kattadake, Kumanodake, and Goshikidake. This lake was named Okama after Japanese traditional cooking pot (kama) from its shape, and has been beloved by all.
Crater Lake Viewing Season happens early May to late October. Get on the Zao High Line (tolled road) from Zao Echo Line, and drive up to the park of Zao Mountain Peak Restaurant where you can find the view deck. There are two buses per day between Kaminoyama Onsen Station on the Yamagata Shinkansen and the Kattadake peak outside of winter. The one way trip takes about one hour and is free of charge!
Mount Zao (蔵王山)
Address: Zao, Katta District, Miyagi Prefecture
Phone: +81 0224-34-2725
EAT FRESH PIZZAS
After the visit to Mount Zao which takes up about half a day, you can drive down to Zao Liza World to have a slice of pizza! During winter, this is a famous ski resort. But for the rest of the seasons, you can enjoy vast greenland while enjoy a piece of pizza made upon order.
Mount Zao (蔵王山)
Address: Bodairakogen Zao, Kaminoyama, Yamagata Prefecture 999-3113, Japan
One of my favourite destination in Yamagata Prefecture is Takahashi Fruit Land where we get to pick the seasonal fruits. Grapes were in season during my visit in October so we get to try a few varieties of grapes. All of them were so sweet! Takahashi Fruit Land makes fruits all year round with 100% organic farming.
Takahashi Fruit Land (高橋フルーツランド)
Address: 1368-3 in front of Shiozaki, Amidachi, Kaminoyama-shi
Kaminoyama is a small onsen city. From Yamagata or Yonezawa, you can take the train to Kaminoyama Onsen Station and visit different onsen. Since there are so many things to see in the prefecture, I recommend you to spend your night at Ryokan Koyo where you get the best of both worlds – a scrumptious dinner and very good onsen. There are three standard hot baths – one cold bath, two hot baths, a hot sauna and a −5° Celsius sauna. There are different shampoo for you to choose from in your onsen. In the private dining room, all dishes were already laid out beautifully for us. There are sashimi in ice caves, hot pot with the special beef, and even seasonal vegetables in stacked boxes. Remember to change into a yukata cotton robe for a truly leisurely night. Each night costs 20,000 yen while a dinner here costs 12,000 yen. From Ryokan Koyo, there is a free shuttle bus to Zao Okama!
More chio bu going into the F&B industry! Meet Merissa Ang, an ex SQ air stewardess, who gave up her job to set up a cafe ‘The Caffeine Addicts’ in Jalan Besar since July. No, you won’t find your typical eggs benedict and coffee here. Instead, what you get is this kaya toast, chicken rice and Vietnamese coffee!
Learning how to cook chicken rice from a chef, Merissa fulfilled her dream of having her own eatery in July. She passes the cooking to the chef while she brings you SQ quality service and smile. Our Chicken Rice Set ($6.50) comes with a plate of rather tender chicken breast, braised eggs, vegetables, soup and rice. The rice grains have got that light chicken and ginger fragrance and it’s not too oily. And quite surprising that the chicken breast is not too tough and drenched with the sauce.
The Ngoh Hiang ($4) fared well too with crispy skin wrapped with prawn and minced pork. The smell of the five spice powder wasn’t too overpowering and it is served with the sweet black sauce. The only glitch today was the Curry Chicken ($6) which was a little bland and watered down. But it comes with generous beancurd puffs (tau pok) and tender chicken, which I believe to go well with the noodles.
Voted as the happiest country, Bhutan ‘Land of the Thunder Dragon’ is well known for it’s untouched wilderness and rich culture. All thanks to DrukAsia, I had the chance to visit Bhutan in June. Besides simply immersing ourselves in the streets in Thimphu and the dzong of Punakha, one of the highlights of travelling to Bhutan is a visit to the Taktsang Monastery ‘Tiger’s Nest’ nestled on the cliff edge high above the Paro Valley. Here’s an overview of the best places to visit in Bhutan.
P/S Scroll to the end of the post to see how you can win a trip to Bhutan!
1. START FROM BHUTAN’S CAPITAL – THIMPHU
With our guide in Bhutan, Kinley
Situated at an altitude of 2400m, Thimphu is the centre of government, religion and commerce. The capital has an interesting combination of tradition and modernity, and includes some of the most advanced and remotest parts of the kingdom. It is home to the Kings and the Royal family members, civil servants, expatriates, politicians, business persons and monks. Enjoy this cultural mix based on livelihood. Of culture we will take you through temples, dzongs, chortens, museums, handicraft stores, nunneries, parks and many more. Allow yourself to meet both traditional and contemporary artist.
Tashichhodzong (Thimphu Dzong) was initially constructed in 1641 and restored by the Third King Jigme Dorji Wangchuck in the 1960s. Tashichhodzong houses some ministries, His Majesty’s secretariat, and the central monk body.
2. UNDERSTAND BUDDHIST TEACHINGS
Meet the elderly generation in circumambulation at the National Memorial Chorten. Chorten means ‘Seat of Faith’ and Buddhists often call such monuments, the ‘Mind of Buddha’. Treat yourself with the fantastic depiction of Buddhist teachings in the form of paintings and sculptures at this temple. As the name denotes this National Memorial Chorten was consecrated on July 28, 1974, in memory of the Third King.
3. SEND POSTCARDS HOME
Visit the post office in Thimphu to get customized stamps or to mail cards to your friends and relatives.
4. VISIT THE TALLEST BUDDHA STATUE
Located at Kuenselphodrang Nature Park, the 169 feet bronze statue of Buddha Dordenma, Vajra Throne Buddha makes it one of the largest statue of Buddha in the world. The Buddha Dordenma symbolizes indestructibility, and it is said to emanate an aura of peace and happiness to the entire world. The Buddha statue will be completed soon, currently awaiting for the completed paintings but visitors can drive up to the Buddha point and view the tallest statue of Lord Buddha. The view of Thimphu valley from the Buddha point is spectacular and beautiful, especially at night.
5. DRIVE UP TO SEE THE HIMALAYAS MOUNTAIN RANGE
At 3,050 meter, the beautiful Dochula Pass is located on the way to Punakha from Thimphu. It offers a stunning 360-degree panoramic view of Himalayas mountain range with its 108 Druk Wangyal Chortens chortens that was built by Her Majesty The Queen Mother Ashi Dorji Wangmo Wangchuck to commemorate the victory over the Indian militants and to liberate the souls of the lives lost.
6. PUNAKHA DZONG IS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL DZONG (in my opinion)
From Thimphu, we proceed to Punakha, the ancient capital of Bhutan. It takes about 2.5 hours drive from Thimphu across Dochu-la pass. Once you cross the pass, you will see a gently flowing aquamarine river that leads you to the Punakha Dzong, the second dzong to be built in Bhutan.
Punakha Dzong was built in 1637 by Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal to serve as the religious and administrative seat of the region. It was here that the dual system of government was introduced in the 17th century and in 1907, enthroned the first King Gongsar Ugyen Wangchuck. Damaged over the centuries by four catastrophic fires and an earthquake, the Dzong has been fully restored in the recent years by the 4th King Jigme Singye Wangchuck.
7. WALK BHUTAN’S LONGEST SUSPENSION BRIDGE
Pho Chhu Suspension Bridge is 160 metres long and is known for the longest suspension bridge in Bhutan. Spend an hour or so there and you will be awarded with spectacular views of Punakha Dzong and the Pho Chhu Valley.
8. PICK A SOUVENIR AT PARO
The beautiful valley of Paro is home to many of Bhutan’s old monasteries and temples. The country’s only Airport is in Paro. The valley is also home to mount Chomolhari (7,300 meters) situated at the northern end of the valley whose glacier water forms the Pachu flowing through the valley. Explore the main street of Paro town and check out if there’s anything you will like to pick up as a souvenir!
9. FIND BHUTAN’S NATIONAL FLOWER AT CHELE LA PASS
We drove to Chele La Pass, which, at 3,988 m, is the highest road pass in Bhutan. On a clear day the view sweeps away to the snow-dome of Bhutan’s second highest peak, Mt Jhomolhari (7,314 m), and down to the Haa Valley, which only opened to foreigners in 2002 due to its proximity to the border with Sikkim and Tibet. Walk slower because you will be pretty breathless with the high altitude. We went around to hunt for Blue Poppy, national flower of Bhutan. It’s rare now in Chele La Pass but if you are sharp enough, you will be able to find the beauty. After a easy hike, have a picnic lunch while enjoying the beautiful view.
10. MUST CLIMB TIGER’S NEST
A trip to Bhutan is never complete without a visit to Tiger’s Nest. Indeed, it’s true as the journey there fills you with spiritual bliss. It is believed to be the birthplace of Buddhism in Bhutan, making it the most sacred monastery in the country.
On our last day, we took a 3 hours climb up to the Taktsang Monastery, located 3100 metres above sea level. Paro was raining in the morning so the weather was cool but very misty. When we were nearing the viewpoint, the sky cleared up for a few minutes for us to take some shots before the mist covered the whole cliff again. But well, that precious moment was enough for us to be awed by the stunning view.
Why is it called the Tiger’s Nest? Legend has it that in 8th century Guru Rinpoche flew to this spot from Tibet on a back of a tiger. He came to subdue a demon and then took residence in a cave. To visit, you can either climb to the monastery by foot or ride a mule.
It wasn’t the best day to climb, honestly. When we were up there, it started to rain again hence walking down the slope was muddy and slippery. But through this, I get to see how helpful our guides were. They held our hands tightly, walked each step with caution, carried our camera bags all the way up and were always by our side to cheer us on. Of course, thank you Dennis for being such an awesome travel partner!
Are you ready?
WHAT TO EAT IN BHUTAN?
Chilli and rice form the essential part of most Bhutanese meals. Some of the specialties that you definitely get to try in Bhutan includes:
Ema Datshi: The national dish of Bhutan, Ema Datshi is a mix of chilli and cheese. It is a staple in every meal just like how Koreans love kimchi.
Momos: These Tibetan-style dumplings are stuffed with pork, beef or cabbages and cheese.
Red Rice: This rice is similar to brown rice except that it is softer and more stickey. Red rice is extremely nutritious and filling.
Buckwheat Pancake: Buckwheat has been a staple in their diet for centuries. Bhutanese make pancakes using buckwheat!
*EAT BHUTANESE FOOD IN SG* At the Druk Asia Breathtaking Bhutan Travel Fair in ION Orchard from now till 30th October 2016, we get to sample some Bhutanese cuisine such as red rice porridge and dumplings prepared by Chef Sonam.
This is a three stars hotel situated in Punakha with a commanding view. The rooms are spacious, reminiscent of the unique charm of boutique hotels. Most rooms have balconies overlooking the lush and verdant fields and valleys of the region. Hotel Lobesa also houses a restaurant where guests can sample traditional Bhutanese cuisine.
This is my favourite hotel during my stay in Bhutan. The hospitality team took great care of us and made us feel at home and comfortable. What impressed me is the authentic asian cuisine. It’s really authentic because the lady boss is from Malaysia so she makes amazing nasi lemak and bak kut teh! It also has a beautiful garden and lots of parking.
It’s only 15 mins away from the airport and if you are catching an early flight, you don’t have to wake up so early to travel and you can even have buffet or call for room service. Newly opened, Le Meridien Paro has got amazing view of the river. The hotel facilities are fantastic and great service.
TRAVEL PACKAGE WITH DRUKASIA
If you like what you see and would love to pay a life-changing visit to the Land of Happiness, DrukAsia will take you there! Select from a wide range of itineraries via their website – www.drukasia.com – and pick an experience that is best suited to you.
The beauty of DrukAsia’s packages are that everything and anything can be customized to your unique preferences. You get to decide however long or short you would like to spend at each attraction, and get to add on the experiences you would like!
Their team of friendly and experienced Bhutan Travel Specialists would be more than happy to help recommend experiences that caters to your Bhutan Bucket List! Also, don’t expect a bus-full of fellow tourists. All of DrukAsia’s packages are for private groups catered for groups of up to 4, making your private holiday that much more enjoyable.
What’s more, Druk Asia’s travel packages all come complete with the following:
1) Visas for Bhutan
2) A qualified & licensed English speaking guide
3) An experienced driver
4) Suitable transport for your group with experienced driver
5) All meals inclusive at selected restaurants
6) Accommodation at 3 star rated hotels
7) Taxes, surcharges, government contribution
8) Mineral water for the duration of the stay (FOC, to get from guide)
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
All foreign travellers are required to apply for a Visa before entering Bhutan except for India and Bangladesh passports holders. Your Visa to Bhutan can only be applied and processed by an authorized and registered travel agent like DrukAsia. The Visa will come together with your travel package to Bhutan. You can’t apply Visa yourself and Bhutan embassy does not have travel visa services.
The minimum tariff for tourist visiting in a group of 3 persons or more are as follows:
• High Season Tariff: USD 250 per person per night halt (March, April, May, September, October & November)
• Low Season Tariff: USD 200 per person per night halt (January, February, June, July, August & December)
WIN A FREE TRIP TO BHUTAN!
To give Singaporeans a glimpse into Bhutan, Druk Asia has organized the “Discover Breathtaking Bhutan Travel Fair” at ION Orchard Basement 4 from 18th – 30th October 2016. There is photography and painting exhibition, loom weaving demonstrations, Bhutanese culinary delights available for sample, and a chance to purchase Bhutanese food and handicrafts.
What’s more, you can win an all-expense paid 4D3N return trip to Bhutan for two worth S$8,600! Simply put on the gho and kira and post your image on Facebook and Instagram with the hashtag #BreathtakingBhutan, and a caption on how you would like to Discover Breathtaking Bhutan and why. You will stand to win an experience of your choice from 5 themed itineraries – adventure, trekking, cultural, festival or essential Bhutan!
It’s time to put Bhutan on your travel bucket list if you want to visit the happiest place on earth!
Breakfast is the best meal of the day. It builds champions. Especially when you get that wafting eggy aroma lingering in the café, this is what makes people happy. Carrying the new Panasonic LUMIX GX85, I visited 7 cafes in Singapore that serves instagram worthy pancakes. Some serious café hopping happening here!
My first stop is Habitat Coffee where I get to try out GX85 for the first time! Together with the tiny, collapsible 12-32mm F3.5-5.6 zoom, it felt very nice in my hand. Small, discreet but still a very solid-feeling camera.
Singaporean owner Ryan was inspired by Melbourne cafes, he’s taken his passion for coffee back to Singapore and started his own cafe Habitat in a neighbourhood in Upper Thomson populated with cafe-goers. Paired together with a cup of cappuccino, Stuffed Berries Hotcake ($15) was a swell circle of sweetness. Using cream cheese instead of ricotta, the hotcake is kept light and moist, a nice complement to a maple syrup and seasonal berries.
I love cafes with big space, because it gives me some breathing space to truly enjoy the coffee and surroundings. We sat by huge windows at Atlas, watch passers-bys walk pass and catch up with each other’s life. Its Butterscotch Banana Pancake ($18) featuring signature fluffy pancake served with caramelized banana and house-made butterscotch & honey comb ice cream. The wait is 20 minutes, but it’s worthwhile for the soft and tasty pancakes. Alternatively, go for the Breakfast Strawberry Maple Pancake ($16). Pair it with a cup of coffee, the thick velvety pillow of microfoam is amazing.
The ISO sensitivity for LUMIX GX85 is quite straightforward. It has a native ISO range of 200 to 25,600. Even at ISO 12800, the output images are still quite useable for online. Some details are lost but it still has the colour and contrast. Overall image quality is decent and comparable to a lot of APS-C sensor cameras.
The GX85 has a tilt LCD which helps especially when I love to shoot my food from a low angle. It also has a new 5-axis Dual I.S.(Image Stabilizer) for more effective suppression of blur and makes it easier to take clear pictures especially during night time. So say YAY to even better image stabilization performance.
By the same folks behind Stranger’s Reunion, Curious Palette was established recently at Prinsep Street. Waffles and coffee are crowd-pleasers at all Ryan’s cafe, as evident in Stranger’s Reunion. Offerings include buttermilk waffles with gula melaka and coconut cream ($14.50), or buttermilk waffles with wine-poached pear and walnut crumble ($15.50).
Or try the picture-perfect Berry Ricotta Hotcake ($18.90) with fresh berries, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds and vanilla bean ice cream. Pour some maple syrup into the moist and fluffy hotcake to get maximum pleasure. It’s enjoyable with cold vanilla ice cream giving a great contrast. Don’t forget to pair the desserts with coffee (from $3.50).
As with many modern cameras, the LUMIX GX85 includes built-in Wi-Fi connectivity where you can connect the camera to their smartphone / tablet to expand the flexibility in shooting/storing/sharing images. Say yay to direct upload to Instagram!
Paddy Hills
Address: 38 South Buona Vista Road, Singapore 118164
Located at the corner of a row of shopshouses along South Buona Vista Road. I first got to know the cafe for their Berry Ricotta. But recently, they have replaced it with a colourful plate of Berry Muffcake ($20) – smaller but better! Inspired by the famous Top Paddock in Australia, it is a delicious combination of vanilla bean ice cream squares, chocolate crumbs, magic balls pink milk & pumpkin seeds. Yes, the huge square chunks are vanilla bean ice cream, not butter. Each muffcake is slightly crispy on the outside, while lighter and more fluffy on the inside. The tangy berries actually helps to balance the sweetness.
While taking delicous food pictures, you can use many picture effects from the camera, including one point color, star filter, impressive art, low key, high key, sunshine, dynamic monochrome, bleach bypass, soft focus, sepia, toy pop, old days, fantasy, miniature effect, Silky Monochrome, Rough Monochrome, Toy Effect, cross process, monochrome, retro, high dynamic and expressive.
The Academics Pancake Tower ($19) really made our day and it’s not often I get to eat it because sometimes, the wait is just ridiculous. But it really got us excited when the three pancakes arrived at our table. Not only was it beautifully presented, but the piping hot, thick and fluffy pancake totally satisfied our palettes. The delectable pancake tower goes really well with their ice cold berry sorbet, which was sweet and slightly sour. The whipped cream, on the other hand, wasn’t light and fluffy so we didn’t really like it with the pancake.
Pancakes with warm maple butter ($18) for example, have been voted ‘Best In the City’ twice by New York magazine, and are extra fluffy and flavourful from the use of whipped egg whites and American all-purpose flour. Boosting the proportion of eggs, butter and sugar at the expense of flour, they were impressive for their fluffiness but also for their deep flavor.
Choose from wild blueberries, banana walnut or chocolate chunk toppings to crown a generous serving of three fat pancakes. As you slice and devour it, it’s sweet and tart, but lovable as always. Honestly, the pancakes are so rich and delicious they can be served with nothing more than a dusting of confectioners’ sugar. But of course, we won’t complain for a little more sweetness from the accompanying homemade maple butter, made to a gorgeous drizzly consistency using Canadian maple syrup.
Goodbye sticky date pudding pancake, Pacamara has launched a new Matcha Pancake with azuki bean paste, fresh berries, azuki ice cream and vanilla sauce. The pancake itself is soft but wished it has more matcha flavour. Same for the azuki paste. But we love the azuki ice cream and matcha kitkat chunks. The small pot of sweet condensed milk could have been better.
Here’s me trying out the Post Focus function on the camera which allows you select in-focus area even after shooting. It’s easy – just shoot an image in a Post Focus mode and touch on the point where you want to set focus while playing it back. So in the above two pictures, you can see that the cup is in focus in one of the shots, while the pancake is in focus on the other photo. Post Focus is helpful in situations like macro shooting where severe focusing is required.
About The LUMIX GX85
For most of my everyday shooting, I use the S-AF autofocus mode, and it has worked great on the LUMIX GX85 — fast and decisive. You can reposition the AF areas easily by tapping your screen and swiping through images in playback. I’ve had no complaints about its responsiveness at all. Especially when we pour the syrup, the GX85 shoots fast; controls respond quickly and shutter lag is minimal.
Cameras today can offer so much for so little. Like Panasonic’s GX85, it is not as bulky but it has a huge lens selection, great IQ and a great price. What’s not to like?
The LUMIX GX85 is retailed at S$1,249 at all authorised dealers. For more information, click here.
Besides offering delicious hawker fare, Tiong Bahru has become quite a hipster area in recent years, with the popping up of many cafés in the neighbourhood. Some of these cafés boast a really tranquil and cozy ambience, which make you feel like snuggling in a corner with your desired novel while others are vibrant and lively, making it an ideal place to chill your weekend afternoon away. No matter what food you desire, here is a list of 11 cafés in Tiong Bahru that is bound to satisfy your particular craving.
Sin Lee Foods
Tucked in an old neighbourhood on Bukit Ho Swee, this café is converted from an old coffeeshop. They have kept the name and original signboard, but modernized the menu that many people love. You can expect bestsellers like Salted Egg Sweet Potato Fries ($12) that’s made with salted duck’s egg sauce and Beef & Grain ($25) featuring seared marbled striploin served with wet orzo ‘rice’, runny free range hen’s eggs, ginger, furikake and scallions. The striploin is tender and the orzo rice has bold flavours. Sin Lee Foods also offer their specialty – Fried Chicken & Waffles ($21.90) which is topped with a seasoned, juicy leg piece, accompanied by a creamy homemade slaw. We’re impressed with how Sin Lee Foods try to be creative in combining different ingredients together to create unique yet delicious dishes.
Sin Lee Foods
Address: #01-164, Blk 4 Jalan Bukit Ho Swee, Singapore 162004
Phone: 6377 3170
Opening Hours: Tue-Sat 11am to 9pm. Sun 9.30am to 6pm. Closed on Mondays.
Founded by master baker Gontran Cherrier and operating under the Spa Esprit Group, Tiong Bahru Bakery is an artisan bakery that serves coffee and a wide variety of freshly baked premium quality breads and pastries. They are famous for their croissants, which you must try fresh in the bakery. It’s buttery and light, with very crispy and flaky skin. First bite into the croissant, you get a chewy yet soft texture. For the savoury, there is the Mozza & Ham Focaccia ($8) which is so colourful that it puts you in a good mood instantly. It’s one of the rare few cafés that is open on Mondays! Avoid going on weekends as it can get very crowded and too rowdy for relaxing.
Tiong Bahru Bakery
Address: #01-70, 56 Eng Hoon Street, Singapore 160056
Opening Hours: Sun-Thu 8am to 8pm. Fri&Sat 8am to 10pm.
Cream and Custard
Resident baker, Melissa, started with home-baked brownies before moving on to higher order recipes supplied by her aunt, who had received training at Cordon Bleu. She was previously from The Pattisier on Mohamed Sultan Road as head of the section for customized cupcakes. The team at Cream & Custard believes in using top-quality ingredients so they have scoured the region and beyond for the best such as Valrhona dark chocolate feves, President full-fat cream and 100% pure fruit puree. They bake their cakes from scratch in-house fresh daily and make limited quantities, offering only five to six servings per cake flavour. We had the Galaxy Cake ($8.80) which captured our attention immediately, with its shimmering coat of glitter on the exterior. The interior consists of a rum-soaked, mildly sour cherry which was a refreshing contrast to the bitterness of the dark chocolate and blackcurrent jelly.
Cream and Custard
Address: #01-894, 46 Jalan Bukit Ho Swee, Singapore 160046
The serene interior with sofas makes one feel at home at Drips Bakery. It’s a perfect place for afternoon tea as you sink your sweet tooth into the bakery’s dainty tarts that are freshly prepared daily. We were delighted by the wide variety of colourful tarts on display. Whether you’re looking for a fruity, nutty, sweet or savoury tart, you’ll be spoilt for choices at Drips Bakery. We had the Special Seasonal Mix Fruit Tart ($9.20) which is a wonderful combination of raspberries, blueberries, custard and crunch all put together perfectly into one big yummy treat. The custard was light and fluffy while the tart was not too hard like those you get elsewhere and the berries were refreshing, with a subtle sweetness. Simply enjoyable!
This indie café has indoor and outdoor seats so take your pick but we prefer the indoor ones due to the scorching hot weather. They had 4 new items on the menu when we visited and Fish & Pancakes ($16.80) sounded unique to us so we had to give it a try. 2 tiny fillets of crumbed dory fish are served atop 2 savoury pancakes with mesclun salad and a side of French fries. The fish fillets are fried to a crisp golden brown and we love biting into the crunch before we reach the fork-tender meat. Our only complaint about the fillets was that the portion was too stingy. As for the pancakes, we felt that they were mediocre, nothing impressive to shout-out about.
Forty Hands first opened in October 2010 before the café was given an entire facelift and reopened in April 2014. It is created by Harry Grover, in collaboration with Spa Esprit Group, as one of the very first coffee joints in Singapore to offer a taste of Third Wave Coffee. Nowadays, the brunch crowd packs this café on weekends for their tasty menu offerings. Some of their desserts are unique such as the Bacon Cheesecake ($8) that we tried. The cheesecake is infused with purple sweet potato flavours and topped with roasted walnuts and caramelized bacon. Unfortunately, this doesn’t work for us as our tastebuds were confused with the mixture of sweet and savoury flavours.
The culinary talents behind this café hope to provide customers with childhood-reminiscent flavours made from seasonal ingredients worthy of a home kitchen. The cupcakes are always baked fresh daily and they only use tip-top quality ingredients from French butter to pure Madagascar Bourbon vanilla, bittersweet Belgian chocolates and perfectly ripe bananas, just to name a few. No artificial preservatives have been added and they purchase from local suppliers to ensure that their eggs are always fresh and their coffee beans newly roasted. They use a different cake recipe for each flavour offering before pairing the sponge with their delicious frosting. We had the Vanilla Bean cupcake ($3.90 / cupcake) and really enjoyed the fluffiness of the sponge. It was so good we finished it within minutes. If the frosting was a tad less sweet, the cupcake would’ve been rated a perfect 10!
The Orange Thimble has many nice corners for you to relax with a book or gather with a group of friends and family over the weekend. You can also take some time to admire the art pieces that have been hung on the walls within this café. We shared a Ondeh Ondeh cake ($8) which looked really pretty with the clearly-defined layers. The gula Melaka cream was light yet flavourful while the sponge had a hint of pandan-coconut flavours to it. Their menu also has savoury items, which is perfect for a weekend brunch.
The Orange Thimble
Address: Blk 56, Eng Hoon Street, Singapore 160056
Phone: 6223 8068
Opening Hours: Tue-Sun 11am to 9pm. Closed on Mondays.
Drawing inspirations from European interior designs, the white minimalistic café is hard to miss – you can even spot it from afar! Besides being in the limelight for their sweet desserts, baked pastries and savoury food, we had a wonderful afternoon catching up over a cup of Latte ($5.50) and Hot Chocolate ($6.50). The former was smooth and featured a strong aromatic taste while the latter was our favourite. The hot chocolate had the right amount of thickness, not too overwhelming such that it becomes ‘gelat’ after a few sips and it also had the right amount of sweetness, just enough to make you yearn for more, especially on rainy days.
Whisk Café
Address: #01-15, 58 Seng Poh Road, Singapore 160058
Opening Hours: Tue-Thu 9am to 7pm. Fri&Sat 9am to 11pm. Sun 9am to 9pm. Closed on Mondays.
As its name suggests, this café is marrying potatoes and tea, which might sound a bit unusual for most of us. Well, it’s not that bad as you have the clean, soothing element from a good pot of tea to cut the heaviness from a potato dish. We paired the PTT Platter ($16) which includes truffle fries, sweet potato fries, wedges and hash browns, with the Honeydew Green Pot O’ Tea selection ($6.80). The truffle fries are really amazing as the strong truffle flavour has been well brought out. Our PTT Platter also came with our desired choices of three dips – wasabi mayo, nacho cheese and Thai chilli. We felt that the wasabi mayo hit all the right spots while the nacho cheese will make cheese lovers out there scream for more. The Thai chilli however, tasted very ordinary.
Chapter 55 is a spacious café, with a wide food offering and dessert choices. They have an ongoing 1-for-1 lunch promotion that is available on weekdays between 11.30am and 3pm which we felt was super value-for-money. We shared Buffalo Wings appetizer (Usual Price $16) and the Bonito Thin Crust Pizza (Usual Price $23) and paid $23++. The buffalo wings are marinated with a tasty spicy herbs buffalo sauce and it was really fiery hot when devoured. The Bonito Thin Crust Pizza took us by surprise as it was superb and contains ham, button mushrooms, mozzarella cheese, tonkatsu sauce and generously topped with savoury bonito flakes and Japanese mayonnaise. There are too many items on the menu so we have made a date to return to Chapter 55 to try other dishes.
Tiong Bahru is really full of hipster cafés and has numerous food choices to satisfy whichever craving you have. It’s also a good idea to have your meals at the hawker centre or coffee shops before making your way to one of the cafés just to relax and have a dessert. Hope our Tiong Bahru café guide will be useful for you.
MissTamChiak.com made anonymous visits and paid its own meals at the stalls featured here.
Tucked away in a row of shophouses along Hindoo Road, Sri Veera’s Curry Restaurant is a traditional Indian restaurant serving authentic Chettinad cuisine daily. We came here for supper after our Indian friend recommended us to dine here.
Named after M Veerasamy, pioneer of masala chicken and curry fish head in Singapore in the 1950s, his grandson T. Nagarajan was inspired to continue the tradition of South Indian and Tamilnadu culinary arts, hence he opened Sri Veeras Curry Restaurant.
Authenticity can definitely be found at the restaurant. No utensils were given on the table unless you request for it. Food is served on a bed of banana leaf and best consumed with clean hands for a finger-licking good experience.
Rich flavours and spices are seen in all the vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes especially Tamil curries. They use heavily on spices such as curry leaves, coriander, ginger, cumin, nutmeg etc. Apparently, the curry fish head is the signature but it was too heavy for supper. Hence we go for other traditional dishes such as Thosai and Chicken Chettinad.
Chicken Chettinad has got dominating notes of star anise and fernnel that’s rich, flavourful and creamy. It paired absolutely well with the mildly fragrant nasi briyani. I had the Dosa wrapped with potatoes and a spoonful of coconut chutney works wonders. But skip the roti prata, mine didn’t inpress.
It’s also interesting that the restaurant’s closing hour is 11.59pm. I recommend that you go early, as most items will be sold out after 10. Happy Deepavali!
When I’m preparing for work, I think about sandwiches. I like to pack a lunch, something portable and easy. Good news, KRAFTWICHTM by Swissbake has launched NEW items in their menu for all sandwich, salad and dessert lovers. Applying their knowledge in flavour and texture, the team has devoted much time to convert every sandwich or salad into a midday marvel. Not only so, they have also launched a new range of tarts and affogatos!
NEW SANDWICHES
The highlight of the menu is definitely the range of KRAFTWICHTM – signature handcrafted gourmet sandwiches made with the finest ingredients and packed with nature’s best nutrients. There are two types of bread available – Multigrain Bread vs Maize Bread.
The former is a unique multigrain bread featuring seven healthy grains: wheat, soya, malt, sunflower seeds, flax seeds, rye, and oats and packed with fancy fillings. While the latter is a softer version made with pumpkin seeds. Both breads taste as delicious as it is nutritious!
The new premium Pulled Beef Sandwich ($10.90) is a wonderful thing: slivers of succulent pulled beef, perched on refreshing veggies, tomatoes, red onion and cheddar cheese. Properly made, it threatens to be too tall to eat, but anyone with a firm grip will make the tender meat comply, squishing down just enough for that first juicy bite. It’s the ultimate lunchtime belly filler.
For the non-meat lovers, Roasted Veggies Sandwich ($10.90) is your ultimate choice for a healthy and delicious meal! Crunchy zucchini, cauliflower and other assorted vegetables are topped with tasty sriracha aioli on a KRAFTWICHTM Multigrain bread. I love how the fresh tasting sriracha aioli sauce helps to combine the flavours together.
Other classic KRAFTWICHTM sandwich ($8.90) choices include smoked salmon, turkey ham & cheese, tuna & egg, vegetarian, beef pastrami, smoked duck, portobello and smoked chicken.
NEW SALADS
For those who prefer to go carb-free, you can turn their favourite KRAFTWICHTM fillings into a refreshing salad.
There is everyday Oven Baked Salmon ($12.90), mixed very smooth with homemade Teriyaki sace, to eat with red onion rings, cherry tomatoes and broccoli. Not forgetting the Pulled Beef Sandwich ($12.90) that can be pulled easily with a fork and served with honey mustard dressing.
Thai Spicy Chicken ($12.90) comes with Japanese cucumber, cherry tomatoes, broccoli, whole egg drizzled with siracha dressing. What lifts the salad up is the whole piece of tender oven baked chicken scorching up the tastebuds with a hot punch of flavour from siracha dressing.
Those who enjoy choosing what goes into their salad can also make their selections at the salad bar to ‘kraft’ their own salad.
NEW DESSERTS
Chocolate makes people be happy. Which is why KRAFTWICHTM has created two new chocolate tarts instead of just one. The Dark Chocolate Brownie Ganache tart ($6.90) is a rich indulgence – perfect for the Monday blues. Creamy, sweet, with just a hint of texture – that’s the way a chocolate tart should be. The Chocolate Crumble ($5.90) features rich, velvety chocolate custard, topped with crunchy chocolate crumble.
The piquant, fruity apple tart ($4.90) is my favourite choice. It is light but super hearty. There’s pistachio for nuttiness and a slight crunch, apples for tanginess and an ice-cold scoop of vanilla ice-cream for sweetness. This post-meal dessert treat is served slightly warm.
NEW AFFOGATOS
After all the tarts, affogatos are the best bet. It’s quite possibly the simplest dessert imaginable: vanilla ice cream doused with coffee. To make it right, KRAFTWICHTM has used a rich ice cream and a shot of espresso, straight from the machine.
That is not all, the creative team has also came up with a new range of non-caffeinated special affogatos which puts a fruity spin on the classic favourite. The Summer and Tropical Affogatos are apt for the hot weather in Singapore. Have a refreshing scoop of mango gelato with a shot of orange and lemon juice, or go for the wildberry gelato with apple and pear juice. It’s seriously a taste of summer!
Chocolate lovers will like the sinful Cookies Delight Affogato featuring Belgian chocolate gelato with a rich chocolate sauce and you can pour in some warm frothed milk to make a perfect dessert.
KRAFTWICHTM outlets are located at One Raffles Place, The Central, Singapore Management University, Tanjong Pagar Centre and Paya Lebar Square.
KRAFTWICHTM by Swissbake
Address: One Raffles Place, One Raffles Place Tower 1 #B1-04/05, Singapore 048616
[BANGKOK, THAILAND] In the late 1970s in Brussels, Belgium, Blue Elephant’s Master Chef Nooror Somany’s brother studied Hotel Management and persuaded his sister to join him for further education. He held a part-time job at an antique shop owned by Mr. Karl Steppe while he was studying. It was love at first sight for Mr. Steppe and Master Chef Nooror. Besides sharing the same interest in antiques and history, they both enjoy good food and share a great passion for cooking. In 1980, Master Chef Nooror’s good friends and Thai restaurant pioneers in Belgium, Mr. Chai Wayno and Mr. Somboon Insusri, convinced the married couple to start up a Thai cuisine restaurant, hence the first Blue Elephant restaurant was born in Brussels.
Over the years, Blue Elephant London opened in 1986, followed by Copenhagen in 1990 and Paris in 1991, just to name a few. The couple’s successful efforts made Blue Elephant one of Europe’s leading Asian restaurants. In year 2000, the couple came across the Old Thai Chine Building and was instantly drawn to its rich history and accessible location along Sathorn Road. Housed in a century-old building, creating a feeling of time travel, in addition to an exquisite dining experience, The Blue Elephant Cooking School and Restaurant Bangkok officially opened in 2002. The menu is a palette of traditions and novelties and you’ll be spoilt for choice with the variety of unique dishes, from the past, present and future of Thailand’s gastronomic culture.
Our Thai feast started with Blue Elephant’s Signature Zakouski. “Zakouski” is a Russian word which means “cold dish”. We had Betel Leave Snack Wrap and Tapioca. The former is a Thai traditional snack made up of an assortment of desiccated coconut, roasted peanuts, ginger, shallot and green lime, enveloped within betel leaves and served with caramelized sauce made from palm sugar, tamarind juice and shrimp paste. “Wow” was the first thought upon popping this wrap into my mouth! There’s a good crunch, with a rainbow of flavours tantalizing my tastebuds. The latter, on the other hand, features steamed tapioca stuffed with caramelized Kubota pork, sweet turnip and crushed peanuts. It has a milder taste, with a soft, chewy exterior.
Blue Elephant treated us to 3 of their best-selling starters such as the Foie Gras, consisting of seared French goose liver from “Landes”, paired with Thai North-Eastern style chilli sauce. As tamarind is one of the ingredients in making the chilli sauce, it gave a zesty punch. The foie gras is accompanied by potato that has a melt-in-your-mouth texture.
The other starter is River Prawn Salad with Mangosteen. Grilled Ayutthaya river prawn salad comes with mangosteen and a spicy tamarind dressing. This was a very unique dish for us as we’ve never tried any food elsewhere with mangosteen incorporated into their cooking. The prawn is very fresh and juicy. We really liked that the mangosteen enhanced the flavours of this dish.
The final starter came in the form of Crispy Crab Soufflé. Deep fried crab shell is stuffed with minced prawns, chicken and crab meat and Blue Elephant’s special red curry paste. It is encrusted and topped with crispy egg and served with sweet chilli sauced mixed with ground roasted peanuts. You’ll first sink your teeth into the crunchy exterior before its tender, flavoursome interior.
We had the Duck Longan Soup, boasting a spicy and sourish base with roasted duck and organic longan. You first get hit by the spiciness of the soup and the savoury taste of the roasted duck before a sweet aftertaste. This wonderful combination of ingredients reflects Master Chef Nooror’s culinary creativity.
Moving on to the main courses that we savoured – Blue Elephant’s Phad Thai and Crispy Snow Fish. While the Phad Thai consisted of fried rice noodles with fresh prawns and ground roasted peanuts with tamarind sauce, the Crispy Snow Fish was topped with stir-fry bird’s eye chilli, garlic and sweet basil. Both dishes were perfectly executed! Just a fun fact – The world renowned Phad Thai dish was actually created during the Second World War in the period of Prime Minister General Por Phiboonsongkram.
The next main course that arrived aroused everyone’s curiosity as we all wondered, “how to eat?!” The dish is called Loong Reur Chilli Relish, which is an Ancient Thai dip with Parkia seeds and served with crispy catfish and assorted vegetables. Just dip the fresh, raw vegetables in the dip and you’re good to go. We also had Crab Curry with Betel Leaves, an extremely spicy Phuket specialty so remember to order their Steamed Coconut Rice to neutralize the spice. Our last main course was Massaman Curry with Lamb and Sweet Purple Potato. Australian lamb is stewed with Massaman curry paste in coconut milk, tamarind juice, palm sugar, sweet purple potatoes and cashew nuts. The succulent lamb was well-soaked with the rich, strong curry flavour and fork-tender.
Every meal will not be complete without desserts for a sweet ending! We had Egg Custard with Pumpkin, Ruby Sago and Jasmine Ice Cream. Each dessert is unique in their own way – Egg Custard with Pumpkin had a creamy texture which wasn’t overwhelmingly sweet while our favourite, the Ruby Sago, was made with tapioca and topped with lots of shredded young coconut, which gave a very refreshing twist and the jasmine ice cream managed to top off our meal on a good note.
We would consider taking up Blue Elephant’s cooking lessons if we had more time in Bangkok. It was an extremely satisfying dining in an elegant setting with a plethora of delicious food. Note that Blue Elephant Restaurant’s preferred dress code would be smart casual, which means long pants for guys.
We would like to thank Thai Airways, (Amazing Thailand) Tourism Authority of Thailand and the World Tourism Organization for organizing the ASEAN Bloggers Media Trip to Bangkok.
Blue Elephant Cooking School and Restaurant Bangkok
Timbre+, a hipster joint by Timbre Group, has been offering diners delicious food and great live music. You can find different graffiti designs and spray paint art splashed all over shipping containers and vintage Airstream travel trailers transformed into food trucks at this traditional-meets-modern gastropark. Timbre+ is home to 21 hawker stalls that usually close around 6pm, and 15 restaurant brands that serve you till late night.
* GOOD DEAL * Between 1 to 30 November 2016, a $1 Good Eats campaign will be rolled out from Monday till Saturday after 6pm. This is the perfect chance to savour the dishes/drinks that you might have missed out on your previous visits, at only a dollar! Yes, you heard us right, ONE DOLLAR per dish or drink, with an additional $1 for tray deposit. To be eligible for purchase of the $1 item, note that payment must be made with UOB Cards using Apple Pay, UOB Mighty Pay and Android Pay only.
There are over 200 items available at $1 each day. Whether you crave Indian, Vietnamese, Western, Japanese or other food, Timbre+ offers a wide variety of food choices to satisfy. You name it, they got it! We’ve selected a few items to try, ranging from local favourites to best-selling fusion food.
1. Slurp a bowl of Stew Beef Pho from Tuk Tuk Viethai Cuisine
Chef-owner Shaun See delights in experimenting with improbable flavour combinations that result in a free-world gastronomic dining experience. He favours food that is crafted from a memory or sometimes, even an emotion – shuffling you between the past and future with every bite. Tuk Tuk Viethai Cuisine serves Thai and Vietnamese inspired food. Their menu changes every few weeks to keep things refresh and to ensure variety and uniqueness to set them apart from other similar restaurant concepts. We tried the Stew Beef Pho which came with generous thin slabs of succulent beef. The broth was light yet flavoursome, which made this noodle dish very enjoyable. Now you can have it for only $1!
Usual Price: $10.90 Now: $1 YOU SAVE: 90.8%!
2. Grab the Chicken Katti Roll from Chit Chaat Chai
This restaurant’s name originated from the punning of English word, ‘chit-chat’ for conversation and the Hindi word, ‘chaat’ which refers to a variety of snacks. “Chai”, as everyone already know, refers to a hot cup of Indian tea that owners of this restaurant hope to add a fitting beverage for customers to quench their thirst. Entwining traditional flavours from North India with the snack-bar atmosphere of the West, this restaurant aims to reinvent Indian street food in Singapore. Our first bite of the Chicken Katti Roll gave an explosion of flavours in our mouth. It packed a good punch, which made this dish very satisfying.
Usual Price: $6 Now: $1 YOU SAVE: 83%
3. Enjoy a bowl of Chicken Curry Bowl from Kush
Chef-owner Chung Deming made his passion for food a full-time profession, with his unique take on ModSin (modern Singapore) cuisine. Kush is short for ‘Kushiyaki’, which means grilled meat and vegetables on skewers. Kush is the first to introduce ModSin-inspired charcoal grill skewers and rice bowls concept in Singapore. The Chicken Curry Bowl is complemented by an onsen egg, celebrating Singaporeans’ infectious love for runny yolks. It is also accompanied by sambal kangkong, giving the dish a spicy kick. The curry features strong coconut flavours, peppered with a hint of nostalgia and a touch of modernity. Chef Deming hopes to preserve local traditions and food, as well as, present humble yet amazing local ingredients to the world.
Usual Price: $10.80 Now: $1 YOU SAVE: 90.7%
4. Drink the Bak Kut Teh Soup Set, with rice and 3 sides from Soon Huat
Behind this bowl of Bak Kut Teh is the inspiring story of Jabez Tan, who once spent 12 years in jail. As Soon Huat is a social enterprise, 80% of workers employed here are ex-offenders, as Jabez wants to help them reintegrate back into the community. Soon Huat Bak Kut Teh stands out from the rest as its specialty is the pig innards that come with the full bodied broth that gives a slight sweet aftertaste. Jabez explained that Argentinean pork is used so customers get to taste its natural sweetness and juices. This is the ideal comforting dish on rainy days.
Usual Price: $8.90 per set Now: $1 YOU SAVE: 88.7%
5. Savour the Barramundi Fish and Chips from Dancing Crab Shack
Dancing Crab Shack is a refreshing, American counterpart to Singapore’s equally famed preferences for seafood, shellfish and rich flavours. As this establishment is supported by one of Singapore’s oldest seafood restaurant leaders, TungLok Group, Dancing Crab Shack sources their shellfish from the same vendors used at the group’s best seafood restaurants. Dancing Crab Shack aims to mirror the happy atmosphere in New Orleans, Louisiana, popular for lively music and high spirits. The Barramundi Fish and Chips feature two fresh barramundi fillets fried to a crisp golden brown, with fork-tender interior. It comes with the usual fries which were very addictive.
Usual Price: $15 Now: $1 YOU SAVE: 93%
6. Have a plate of Signature Seafood Paella (single-portion) from Portico Platos
Portico Platos use the freshest and finest ingredients to deliver a unique Spanish experience, working closely with local farmers to source fresh produce such as sea bass, frog legs and a variety of mushrooms. These fresh local produce are supplemented with authentic Spanish ingredients, like thinly sliced jamon iberico and harlequin olives. The Chef put a lot of thought into curating flavours, textures and presentations in order not to neglect the soul and essence of each dish. The highlight of Portico Platos is their paellas, which are cooked right in front of you. Limited portions are prepared each day so you get the highest quality and freshness. Their signature seafood paella consisted of a huge prawn, mussels, squids and fresh fish. Each mouthful whet our appetite for more and we had such a gratifying meal.
Usual Price: $9 Now: $1 YOU SAVE: 88.9%
7. Meal Platter (3 cubes) from Food Anatomy
Chef-owners Sean Wong Xin Hong and Gee Jia Xin both graduated with a Diploma in Culinary Arts from At-Sunrice GlobalChef Academy and founded Deli and Daint in 2012, selling a variety of Western cuisine which allows customers to create their own salad. Later on, this entrepreneurial couple decided to set up Food Anatomy, with the concept of “design meets culinary”. They believe that dishes should not only be tasty but aesthetically pleasing as well, hence they sell layered food in blocks. We tried Cold Soba, Organic Lasagna and Pork Cheek with Fragrant Rice and found the soba jelly very unique.
Usual Price: $10.80 per platter Now: $1 YOU SAVE: 90.7%
8. Enjoy a slice of Fat Samurai Pizza from The World is Flat
Originally from the US, Howard grew up in the shadow of Disney World, so the hospitality industry always beckoned to him. He first opened Standing Sushi Bar in 2009 before setting up Tanuki Raw, Shinkansen and running Liberty Spirits Asia and The Secret Mermaid. The World is Flat is Howard’s latest establishment, going into a “revamped” pizza concept, inspired by Californian deep-dish pizzas, fushioned with Japanese tastes. We had a humongous slice of Fat Samurai, which consisted of duck confit, bacon, prawn, burnt onions, smashed US beef, roasted cabbage, Konbu mayo, balsamic Okonomiyaki sauce, crispy bonito flakes, mozzarella and brie, atop an Umami charcoal crust. Honestly, one slice can be shared among 2-3 people as the toppings are very generous. Moreover, with such a deep crust, if can be too heavy if you savour it alone.
Usual Price: $9 per slice Now: $1 YOU SAVE: 88.9%
9. Finger Lickin’ Good 6-piece Chicken Wings Set with rice/fries and drink from Two Wings
Owner Jeremy learnt to fry chicken wings from his granduncle and further fine-tuned the flavours to cater to the current tastebuds. Using fatter wings from Brazil, Jeremy marinates these wings in a secret formula overnight. Hence, you can smell the distinct aroma of sesame oil for the original-flavoured wings as the flavours have already been well-soaked into the wings. Every morning, Jeremy will meticulously massage the wings to drain off excess marinade before deep-frying them to a golden hue and presenting them on wooden boards that makes this package ‘picture-perfect’. These wings are only freshly fried upon order so you can expect delicious, fragrant wings to arrive piping hot on your table.
Usual Price: $12.90 per set Now: $1 YOU SAVE: 92.2%
10. Indulge in 12-hour Crispy Pork Belly from Garçons
Founded in 2015 by Chefs Enoch Teo and Immanuel Tee, Garçons is a casual French dining concept that serves up hearty, unpretentious and affordable European food in a casual setting. They believe that French fine dining cuisine should be accessible to everyone hence their focus is on creating fuss-free gourmet dishes using only the best quality ingredients. You can expect authentic French classics with a modern twist. The 12-hour Crispy Pork Belly is one of their best-selling signature dishes, boasting a spice marinated pork belly served with a honey-balsamic glaze.
Usual Price: $17.90 per portion Now: $1 YOU SAVE: 94.4%
11. Delight in Yakitori Bento (A/B/C) from Teppei Daidokoro
The latest Japanese yakitori concept of Chef Teppei Yamashita, Teppei Daidokoro (‘Daidokoro” means “kitchen” in Japanese) offers yakitori skewers with charcoal-infused yakitori sauce, with a selection of chicken meatball, chicken thigh, pork belly, pork sausages, salmon belly, quail eggs and many more. Chef Teppei spent many months formulating and perfecting his own special charcoal-infused yakitori sauce set to give an intensely charcoal-flavour for yakitori lovers out there. You can look forward to feasting on Yakitori Bento set A, B or C depending on your desired choice of yakitori.
Usual Price: $8.80 per set Now: $1 YOU SAVE: 88.6%
12. Pig out on Spicy Bellychon with Rice from Iskina Cebu
In the past, the suckling pig was imported from Holland but now, you’ll get a taste of Spanish suckling pig, with generous stuffing of lemongrass, spring onion and other secret Cebu ingredients. Chef owner, Christian Calledo, is very particular with MSG and insists on not using it so customers get to fully experience the depth of each part of the meat. For Cebu cooking, it’s all about salt so Chris wants to remain congruent yet he lowered down the usage to suit localized tastebuds. The crackling skin and soft juicy fats goes perfectly with fragrant rice.
Usual Price: $10 per set Now: $1 YOU SAVE: 90.0%
13. Chow down Big Bern’s Beef Whoopass Cheeseburger from Big Bern’s American Grill
Chef-owner Bernie Utchenik, also the culinary talent behind Botak Jones and other restaurants and clubs in Singapore since 1996, has set up Big Bern’s at Timbre+. This “American Diner” concept serves up genuine American comfort foods with Southern Louisiana accents. You’ve to go hungry in order to sink your teeth into Big Bern’s Beef Whoopass Cheeseburger! It’s a really big beef patty, with cheese and chilli con carne smacked deliciously between two layers of hamburger buns. You get a savoury, hearty burger which finishes with a tinge of sour and spicy taste.
Usual Price: $13.50 per set Now: $1 YOU SAVE: 92.6%
14. Relish in sets of 3 Galbi Short Rib Tacos from Vatos Express (opening on 4 Nov 2016)
Behind this successful chain of Korean restaurants are three creative Korean-Americans, hailing from Southern California and Texas. They spent their lives growing up on authentic Mexican food but they were fed a steady diet of homemade Korean food lovingly prepared by their first generation mothers. Thus, leading to the natural progression towards Korean-Mexican fusion cuisine. Vatos Urban Tacos was named the “Hottest New Restaurant in Seoul” and has since garnered many praises for providing exciting new tastes using only the freshest ingredients. You can look forward to devouring the Galbi Short Rib Tacos at Timbre+.
Usual Price: $18 per set Now: $1 YOU SAVE: 94.4%
On top of mouthwatering food, the $1 Good Eats Campaign also offers 14 bottled beers (choose from Archipelago Brewery’s Singapore Blonde Ale, Vedett Extra White or Little Creatures Bright Ale) and 15 Jim Beam Citrus Highball from the Bottle Shop (usual prices at $10 and $11 respectively) at $1 each daily to complete your night at Timbre+.
Hurry down to Timbre+ as the $1 deal campaign is only limited to 10 to 15 $1 item per restaurant per day and each customer can only purchase one $1 item per restaurant. Note that purchases are for dine-in only and not available for take-aways. Timbre+ boasts a great atmosphere for winding down after a hard day at work, with live music every night after 7.30pm.
Chase away your Monday blues with Johan Lee and Jerome Mak whose music covers a diverse range of genres and eras from the 80s, 90s, to the current top 40s. Relax on Tuesday nights with Good Karma, the band that promises nothing but a great musical sensation, with an innate love for rock and roll, blues and folk songs. Celebrate TGIW and TGIF with SuperSonic, who plays a wide repertoire from Top 40’s to rock to evergreen classics and more, catering to all ages. Unwind on Thursday nights with The Common People, playing the Top 40’s pop rock and party tunes from the 80s, 90s and today’s repertoire. There isn’t any prearranged set list so expect to hear something new everytime and do put down your requests with The Common People. Finally, rock it out on Saturdays nights with O.K READY!, a fresh four-piece band which is entertaining, versatile and massive sounding. They will perform classics and current chart toppers.
So, with such a vibrant scene at Timbre+ every night, wait no further as $1 Good Eats are limited and on a first-come-first-serve basis. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to feast on restaurant food that’s made extremely affordable in a casual, unpretentious environment!
Opening Hours: $1 Good Eats Campaign lasts from 1 to 30 November 2016, Mon-Sat from 6pm onwards on a first-come-first-served basis while stocks last. Must pay with UOB Cards using Apple Pay, UOB Mighty Pay or Android Pay to be eligible for the $1 deal. Timbre+ is closed on Sundays.
Most casual-dining sushi restaurants are conveyor-belt type of establishments. But for Genki Sushi, their food is prepared and sent out to the tables from the kitchen on trains. Now, Tunglok Teahouse is following suit as the FIRST Chinese restaurant to launch the automated tray delivery system!
Located at Square 2, customers start by ordering dim sum and other Tunglok signature Chinese dishes through ipad. The food is handmade on the spot and steam to order. It is then then delivered to you table automatically via trays. Now with shortage of manpower, this automation definitely helps to restaurants to operate more effectively, even though it also means less human interaction.
There are two levels, one on top of the other. Dim Sum is typically ‘transported’ from the top while all other signature dishes are delivered from the bottom track. There will be a beeping sound when food arrives and you can off load the dishes on the table. The empty tray is then sent back to the kitchen with the press of a red button beside the table.
We ordered some of dim sum items like steamed shrimp dumplings ($5.30), steamed siew mai ($5.90), Teahouse signature rice rolls ($7.80) and steamed juicy xiao long bao ($5.30). The har kau and xiao long bao didn’t quite impress as the skin breaks easily but forgiven lah, since it was their soft launch anyway.
Teahouse Signature Rice Roll Cheong Fun is one of my favourites with silky skin stuffed with crunchy prawns, scallop, vegetables and a crispy netted rice paper offering varying textures in dish. Other signatures including the Brainsed House Special Beancurd with spinach ($16) is so soft with eggy fragrance.
Housed in the same quaint premises Five & Dime formerly occupied on River Valley Road, Fat Lulu brings together two talented chefs Sam and Song to create “Wicked BBQ. Smooth Desserts”. The former is a BBQ dude, blasting kickass flavours into meats, fish, and vegetables seasoned with Asian spices and chillis. While Chef Song creates desserts of refined delicacy that are technique-driven and visually arresting.
So first on our table that evening was a high char ‘burn’ dish of bio-corn! The Burnt Corn ($11) is rubbed with salt and lemon, oregano, served with sour cream. There is also Burnt Asparagus ($14) dressed in housemade bernaise sauce. My favourite appetizers include Sataytay ($12) with Iberico pork collar on skewers, marinated one full day in sambal (chilli, garlic shallots mixed together with kicap main and kosher salt). Such tender and juicy meat with a hint of smokiness. Not forgetting the Roasted Potatoes and Mushrooms ($12) that are poached in lamb fat and pan seared. It’s finished with roasted hoshimeji mushrooms, kale, rosemary, parsley, garlic and lamb jus.
Inspired by his experience in Bangkok, Chef Sam has done up a flavourful platter of Grilled Mangalicia Pork Collar ($24). The pork collar is seasoned with just salt and grilled hardcore. Serving on the side is okra grilled together with sambal. I love how he combines local spices with grill, it just feel so much at home while eating this yet a little different.
Duh Meat Board ($28) is not ‘duh’ at all especially when you have wagyu inside skirt cooked in thai fish sauce and dehydrated on top of grill Kailan. On the other side, there is iberico pork marinated in sambal. This is honestly the plate for meat lovers.
For something more local, go for the Ikan Bakar ($28). Literally means “burned fish” in Malay, the wild line-caught parrot fish is marinated with chilli, garlic, lemon juice, Kashmiri chilli powder, served with cucumber achar with “kiss of Nicki Minaj” (spicy chaat masala). I love how the flavours sit into the meat and keeping it moist while allowing the surface to char.
The Spicy BBQ Full Rack Pork Ribs ($28) consists of a generous whole pork rib marinated with blended sauce of chipotle, kechap manis, rice wine vinegar, resulting in a smoky flavour. The ribs has been sous vide at 77 degrees for more than 10 hours, it turns out full of flavour and slightly on the sweet side. But well, I am not a big pork ribs fan to begin with.
Chef added another dish for us to try that evening – Open Ravioli of Beef ($22) and it was yummy. The delicate pasta glisten beneath the parmesan cheese and accompanied by a velvety sauce. At the pressure of a fork, the dough gives way to the soft and melting red wine braised beef.
Apple “Tarte Tatin” is an inspiration from the accidental origin of Tarte Tatin. While making a traditional apple pie, the apples were mistakenly over-caramelised, and to save the dessert the chef threw pastry on top of the apples, baking it as an “upside down” tart. It was so well received it became the restaurant’s signature pastry. Similarly, Chef Song’s discovery of this pastry came from his own mistake of burning the base of his vanilla ice cream, a flavour he “created” by accident.
Chocolate lovers will like Atas Kinder Bueno as it has four different chocolates in a “chocolate bar” – Bailey’s hazelnut cream, chocolate sponge, creamy milk chocolate, and bitter chocolate sherbet. For a more refreshing touch, the Berries & White Chocolate is a refreshing, frozen, fruity dessert using white chocolate and cassis, with elderflower-infused strawberries, making an excellent complement to the burn and heat of Asian BBQ.
There are also desserts which help bring back memories of the past. Childhood has got peanut butter popsicle, dark chocolate cookie, and raspberry granita all in a plate; while Pandan Muesli features a rice pudding of Arborio rice, cooked with pandan and vanilla for an awesome, gooey sticky texture. There’s homemade granola and yoghurt with a very ripe slice of mango. Mm!
Fat Lulu’s also serves brunch on Saturdays and Sundays.
Conceptualized to pay tribute to the decadent glamour of 1980s Hong Kong, Sum Yi Tai (meaning “Third Wife” in Cantonese) propels traditional Chinese cuisine into the realm of designer bars. This restaurant is spread over 3 storeys of a conservation shophouse in the vicinity of our Central Business District. Upon entering, the wall of delicious-looking ducks will capture your attention immediately.
The first floor offers tapas-style dishes in a crimson-lit gangland bar while the second floor houses the Mona Lounge where the DJ starts playing after 7pm from Wednesday to Saturday nights. At the rooftop, Sum Yi Tai used decorative screens and rattan to create an intimate cove and this Rooftop Bar attracts the after-work crowd in search of good whiskies, wines and cocktails.
We visited on a weekday afternoon for their “Lunch Express” menu which consisted of sides and mains. We had Maple Honey Char Siew ($12) for our side dish to share. Honestly, we found this Maple Honey Char Siew to be the highlight of our meal, comparing this to the mains we had later on. There is a good layering of fats within layers of lean meat, giving the char siew a soft, chewy texture, retaining its juiciness and moisture. Drenched in a honey sweet sauce that was not overwhelming, this char siew was full of flavours. Each bite whets your appetite for more. It’s actually possible for one to finish the entire plate!
The dry version of Zha Jiang La Mian ($8) with spicy minced pork sauce was an average dish. It would have been better if the spicy minced pork sauce was more flavourful. As the sauce was not on the generous serving side, the noodles dried up very quickly and became slightly lumpy. However, there is a very generous portion of vegetables for the health conscious.
The biggest disappointment for us was their Signature Chinese Sausages & Preserved Meat Clay Pot Rice ($26). Personally, we feel that good clay pot rice is supposed to be richly flavoured by the sausages and meat, with a hint of smokiness from the dark soy sauce and a satiny smooth texture from the oil but Sum Yi Tai’s clay pot rice failed to meet our expectations. They were a little stingy on dark soy sauce hence our rice lacked flavours. For the portion we were served, we also felt that it is way too overpriced.
Perhaps, Sum Yi Tai is a good chillax place after work, with their wide offering of alcoholic drinks and delicious Chinese tapas especially when it is conveniently located in the CBD.
Bukit Merah View Food Centre is labeled as one of the best food centres in Singapore by taxi drivers. This food centre also caters to the working crowd around Henderson Industrial Park. It’s quite a big-scale food centre even though it’s not that accessible from MRT stations. You’ll be able to find our favourite local hawker fare, as well as, some many delicious food options from different countries. We bring you 7 delicious food stalls that made us shout, “MORE!”
Sisaket Thai Food
Owner-chef Viparat Saibua, affectionately known by her loyal customers as Cat opened this stall in 2014 and has since gained a huge following. Her Thai Mango Salad ($4) consisted of good textural crunch, with a distinct sweetness from the mangoes that balanced out the usual spiciness of Thai salads. Thai Seafood Tom Yam Soup ($5) consisting of fresh, tender fish slices and prawns came with a bowl of white rice which came in handy as the soup lit our mouths on fire. Pineapple Fried Rice ($4) was fragrant and had a good consistency. The pork floss topping enhanced its flavours. Lastly, Phad Thai ($4) were slightly moist, with a strong eggy flavour. The squids were cooked just right and isn’t hard unlike most stalls that tend to overcook their squids.
Sisaket Thai Food
Address: #01-01, Blk 115 Bukit Merah View, Bukit Merah View Hawker Centre, Singapore 151115
Mobile: 8387 4515
Opening Hours: Fri-Wed 10.30am to 9.30pm. Closed on Thursdays.
Na Na Homemade Curry
We’re pretty sure this stall needs no introduction as everyone went crazy over the extremely spicy fish head curry ever since it was included in the Michelin Bib Gourmand list. Ang Go Li (Goldbanded Jobfish) and Ang Sai (Red Snapper) are usually used as they can grow to quite a large size so their heads fit nicely into the large claypot. Due to its large size, their heads also contain a lot more gelatinous bits, which Chinese really enjoy savouring. Moreover, the meat from these fishes are able to hold its shape yet absorb the curry very well when lifted from the bones and not flake apart. Each bite was filled with fine, tender and juicy meat, with an excellent texture.
Not a fan of fish as you’re too lazy to pick the bones, go for the Curry Chicken ($3) or Curry Chicken Drum Stick ($3.50). You can pair your meat with a bowl of Curry Vegetable ($3), as well as, bread and rice at an additional 50 cents. The chicken meat falls off easily from its bones and it’s so tender. Basically, all the curry dishes are extremely spicy but so well executed that it’s really savoury and delicious.
Na Na Homemade Curry (Marina South)
Address: #01-47, Blk 115 Bukit Merah View, Bukit Merah View Hawker Centre, Singapore 151115
Opening Hours: Mon-Sat 11am to 8pm. Closed on Sundays.
Bukit Merah View Carrot Cake
Having been in the business for over 60 years, the hawker is still painstakingly making carrot cake the traditional way. If you’re wondering why carrot cake here is served in bigger chunks, it dates back to around 50 years ago. The original carrot cake came in big chunks and fried simply in sweet black sauce. This hawker believes in sticking to tradition. There was no chye poh or eggs in the past but it evolved to suit the young crowd’s tastebuds. This is also how the white version came about. Bukit Merah View’s Carrot Cake is served in chunks that feature a crispy exterior. It has a good texture inside, soft but not mushy. It was very flavoursome, with its savoury taste coming from fish sauce, eggs and chai poh. The small portion only costs $2.50.
Bukit Merah View Carrot Cake
Address: #01-37, Blk 115 Bukit Merah View, Bukit Merah View Hawker Centre, Singapore 151115
Mobile: 9325 2500
Opening Hours: 7am to 2pm daiy.
71 Lor Mee
There wasn’t any queue around 11.30am when we ordered a bowl of Lor Mee but we only realized later on that they cater mostly to the early morning marketing crowd as they were sold out around 1pm when we were about to leave Bukit Merah View food centre. Affordably priced between $2.50-$3, the portion is very reasonable. You can request for a mixture of beehoon and yellow noodles or either one. There were fishcake, wu xiang and little pork bits which gave the lor mee a unique crunch. The lor (gravy) was savoury and did not turn starchy even after it had been left out for awhile (due to photo-taking).
71 Lor Mee
Address: #01-71, Blk 115 Bukit Merah View, Bukit Merah View Hawker Centre, Singapore 151115
Opening Hours: Wed-Mon 6am to 3pm. Closed on Tuesdays.
Hong Xing Handmade Fishball and Meatball
This couple makes their fishballs and meatballs every morning before boiling them in a mouthwatering fish and meat stock. Yellowtail is used to make the fishballs which turned out super bouncy, springy and tender. You can taste the freshness and natural sweetness of the yellowtail fish. It’s perfectly executed such that you can’t detect any fishy-ness. The meatballs, on the other hand, are firmer in texture and contain lots of teepo (dried sole fish) which gave it a savoury finish. Our kway teow soup costs $5 as we requested for a mix of both fishballs and meatballs. If you’re observant, you’ll notice that the size of each fishball and meatball differs as they are truly made by hand, unlike those purchased from suppliers that are mass-produced with a uniformed shape at factories.
Hong Xing Handmade Fishball and Meatball
Address: #01-07, Blk 115 Bukit Merah View, Bukit Merah View Hawker Centre, Singapore 151115
Opening Hours: Thu-Tue 6.30amm to 1pm. Closed on Wednesdays.
Charcoal Grilled
This hawker only opens for business in the evenings for approximately 4 hours only. They sell cuttlefish kang kong, rojak and their highly sought-after satay. You can opt for pork, chicken or mutton satay. Pork and chicken satay costs 50 cents per stick while mutton satay costs 60 cents per stick. We shared 15 sticks of chicken satay and 2 ketupat for $8.60. Each stick was glistening but only lean meat is used. One bite of satay was full of flavours, with a slightly charred exterior. The meat was tender and goes very well with the soft ketupat that has a melt-in-your-mouth texture. It was so addictive that we devoured stick after stick and before we know it, the plate was completely empty.
Charcoal Grilled
Address: #01-09, Blk 115 Bukit Merah View, Bukit Merah View Hawker Centre, Singapore 151115
Opening Hours: 5.30pm to 9pm daily and they have no fixed rest days.
Chai Chuan Tou Yang Rou Tang
It’s hard to miss this hawker stall when there’s always snaking queues. The queue might be very long but the hawker aunties were super efficient and managed to clear the crowd quickly. We paid a total of $7.50 for mutton ribs, mutton stomach and mutton meatball soup, with a bowl of big rice. The soup contained a peppery punch and was full of coriander leaves, with a distinct gamey mutton aroma. The meat falls off the ribs easily and was fork-tender, with pleasant layers of fats and skin. The mutton was not overpowering and had a touch of its natural flavours so for people who don’t really know how to appreciate mutton soup, this is considered acceptable. The good news is that the soup is refillable! Our only disappointment was the chilli as it had no kick and we found it a tad too saltish.
Chai Chuan Tou Yang Rou Tang
Address: #01-51, Blk 115 Bukit Merah View, Bukit Merah View Hawker Centre, Singapore 151115
Opening Hours: Mon-Sat 11am to 2.30pm. Closed on Sundays and PHs.
Bukit Merah View Food Centre seemed like a rest-point for taxi drivers so if you’re driving, do go earlier to avoid long waiting time for a parking lot. Besides the above mentioned 7 food stalls, we’re certain that residents staying in the vicinity have their personal favourite stall that we might have missed out. We would return to this food centre due to the wide variety of delectable hawker fare!
MissTamChiak.com made anonymous visit and paid its own meal at the stalls featured here.
[HONG KONG] Hong Kong is known to be a shopping and food paradise, but there are also more stylish hotels that you can go for while having a holiday. Opened beginning of this year at Yau Ma Tei, Hotel Stage is an urban lifestyle boutique hotel that feels fresh out of the box new.
We know that Yau Ma Tei is an old district filled with many traditional old shops. But in recent years, a creative breed has moved in to bring life to the historic heart of Hong Kong. Designed to serve the curious traveller, this stylish hotel takes its guests on a neighbourhood journey through the lens of history, culture and art. Paying homage to the local art community, the boutique hotel features 97 guest rooms and suites, with oversized windows providing a lot of natural light.
Rooms range from cozy Superior rooms to Suites with dining and living areas. We checked in to a beautiful suite with a warm, neutral bedroom and a separate living room with sofa and comfortable touches. The room boasts high speed, multi-media connectivity, LCD projectors, multi-TV systems, and a range of cutting-edge audio-visual equipment. Some of the rooms have got artwork done by local artists, performers and artisans to showcase the soul of the city. For the wall in my suite, the wall painting by Kwong Man Chun features the nostalgic Mido Cafe with the beautiful banyan trees.
It feels like my own place more than a hotel, and there is a huge bathroom with bathtub. Club and Suite guests can enjoy 24-hour exclusive access to the cosy and tranquil Library Lounge — a perfect place to relax or read books.
All guest rooms are equipped with complimentary handy smartphone, allowing you to stay connected. The phone features unlimited 3G Internet Access, unlimited local calls, unlimited International Calls to Australia, China, Korea, UK and US, attractions guidebook, shopping & restaurants guide, interactive map and GPS functions, social network and instant messaging.
Living rooms with art installations is also available for your personal hours or social gatherings. Hotel Stage has designed unique spaces for your projects, meetings and retreats during the day. Featured music streaming and screen sharing with your own devices, the day studio is ideal for groups up to 8, and offers a choice of 4 sessions daily. Please contact resv@hotelstage.com or phone +852 3953 2222 for more details.
The hotel’s all-day-dining restaurant Kitchen Savvy is tastefully designed with an open kitchen concept. I am super in love with the space as it is divided into three zones, including a living room and lounge, a communal dining space, and an intimate dining area, ideal for business lunches. If you wish to enjoy a scrumptious breakfast in a comfortable environment, enjoy the eggy breakfast done your preferred style and complement with sausages, bacons, mushrooms etc. Call +852 3953 2213 to make reservations. Opening hours: 7am – 10:30pm (Monday – Sunday)
We get a complimentary welcome drink at Muse Wine Bar during our stay so we went to the lounge to enjoy a cup of tea while admiring the artwork by acclaimed Korean artist Kim Chanil. Working between sculpture and painting, the canvas is coated with oil and acrylic paint forming a wave-like ripple pattern. There is a great selection of wine and beverages with light refreshments to satisfy your tastebuds. Call +852 3953 2203 for enquiry. Opening Hours: 4pm- 12am (Monday – Sunday)
After staying at Hotel Stage, you won’t want to leave. It’s the kind of place that you dream of being your home if only you’d win the lottery. Thank you Hotel Stage for sponsoring the stay.
Hotel Stage
Address: 1 Chi Wo Street, Jordan, Kowloon, Hong Kong
Situated in the city centre and close to Marina Bay, The Westin Singapore is a 5-star luxury hotel providing us with a contemporary escape amidst the bustling city. What are some of the good food around the hotel? Here are 10 Best Places To Eat In And Around The Westin Singapore!
I have a thing for anything peranakan. Even when I conduct food tours, I will make sure I introduce our unique Peranakan heritage. For #MakanWithWestin Food Trail, Chong Wen Ge Café is one of our food stops. Sharing the same building as Singapore’s first music box museum and Peranakan tile gallery, Chong Wen Ge cafe is also part of Thian Hock Keng temple complex that was gazetted as a National Monument in 1973. The menu is all about local favourites. The sweet tangy tamarind gravy from Mee Siam ($7.80) was unabashedly bold and served with rice vermicelli paired with tiger prawns, beancurd, eggs and fresh beansprouts. The assortment of nonya kuehs ($1.50/pc or $6 for 4 pcs) lets you choose from keuh da da, ondeh ondeh, kueh salat, ang ku kueh and kueh lapis. Don’t forget to pair it with Teh C Special made from caramel, evaporated milk and brewed black tea.
Seasonal Tastes
Address: The Westin Singapore, Level 32, 12 Marina View, Asia Square Tower 2, Singapore 018961
Seasonal Tastes is The Westin’s Singapore’s signature dining venue. Offering a live interactive kitchen concept, the restaurant’s sweeping floor-to-ceiling windows show off breathtaking views of Singapore’s city skyline while you are having your brunch.
Its Decadent Sunday Champagne Brunch Buffet is a must-visit because it offers freshest seafood – shucked oysters, Alaskan king crab legs, lobsters and half-shell scallops. If you prefer your oysters cooked, there are options such as Garlic Butter, Kilpatrick and Rockefeller just beside the fresh oysters station. Not only that, there is lavish selection of crabs, potatoes, corn on the cob and smoked house made sausages from steamers. I am also in love with their tom yam lobster soup which is specially prepared by a Thai chef. Don’t forget the dessert corner as well!
Decadent Sunday Champagne Brunch Buffet is available every Sunday from 12 to 3pm and costs $148++* or $88^ per adult and $44++ per child.
*Inclusive of free-flow of champagne, wine, beer, soft drink, or selected cocktails.
^Inclusive of a glass of champagne, wine, beer, soft drink, or selected cocktails.
Rayyan's Waroeng Penyet
Address: 121 Telok Ayer Street Stall No.7, Singapore 068590
Rayyan’s Waroeng Penyet stands out with long queues during lunch hours every weekday. Their fried chicken featurs crispy skin with tender and uicy meat. Instead of tempeh and beancurd, they offer stir fried vegetables. The sambal belachan is spicy but not numbingly spicy. I think the accompany coconut rice did make this lunch memorable.
Satay Street
Address: 18 Raffles Quay, Lau Pat Sat, Singapore 048582
Opening Hours: 7pm till late daily
Originally built as a wet market in the 19th century, Lau Pa Sat has been converted into a hawker centre where both local and Asian foods are sold. For local street dining experience, you should come for the satay street which opens from 7pm till late daily which provides diners with chicken, lamb, beef and pork skewers from Chinese to Muslim style. See how they barbecue the meat skewers with charcoal fire before you and breathe in the smoky aroma that lingers in the air. I usually go for Stall 7 where the owners are friendly and the satay are decent. Don’t forget to have a bottle of Tiger Beer for the ultimate experience. If you are staying in The Westin Singapore, it is only 3 minutes walk from the hotel.
Dal In Korean Restaurant
Address: 17 Boon Tat St, Singapore 069618
Phone: +65 6225 1006
Opening Hours: Mon to Fri 11.30am to 3pm; 5.30pm to 2am. Sat 5.30pm to 10.30pm. Sun 11.30am to 10.30pm.
A walk around Telok Ayer and you will be surprised to find so many Korean restaurants. My personal favourite is Dal-In. The moment I stepped in, it makes me feel like I am in a traditional Korean eatery in Korea. The TV plays Korean MTV, we were surrounded by Koreans having their dinner, the Korean waiter speaks with an accent and you get real traditional Korean food. We were recommended to try Seafood Jjamppong Tang ($32) – our seafood soup came in a pool of red broth and generous portions of seafood. Man, the soup was real spicy which sent down some sweat on my forehead. BUT IT WAS SO SHIOK! The fresh seafood is excellent and the combination of soup and rice was indeed tasty. Another must try is Jokbal ($38), or pig trotter in seasoned soy sauce. Very light in seasoning, the tender meat goes perfectly well when eaten with garlic, bean sauce and green chilli.
Hawaiian poke bowls are in trend now and there are many salad bars offering this colourful and healthy bowls. One of them is Aloha Poke. Filled with fresh vegetables, proteins and grains, each bowl offers an interesting myriad of textures. Ordering is easy. First, pick a base – sushi rice/ quinoa/ romaine lettuce. Then, select a flavour – shoyu/ spicy garlic sesame tuna, avocado miso/ spicy mayo salmon. After choosing the size of your bowl, go for the toppings such as carrot, edamame, cucumber, tomatoes, pineapples and tobiko. It’s an healthy meal and their smoothie bowls are creating a quiet stir as well.
Don’t be taken aback when you find out that Ocean CurryFish Head is actually an economic rice stall. Only Grade A Ang Goli fish are used at Ocean so you can be assured that the fish are fresh and of tip-top quality. The use of spices in their curry is the X-factor that made so many office workers love it despite of the hot weather. On top of choosing and selecting your desired food items from those that are displayed, you will also be able to order dishes that are prepared freshly out from their kitchen. All the food items maintain a high standard of tastiness!
Frankie's Peanut Pancake
Address: 121 Telok Ayer St, Singapore 068590
Phone: +65 9849 9056
Opening Hours: Mon to Fri 8am - 5pm
Uncle Frankie’s peanut pancake is a gem. Now located at the coffee shop at the junction of Boon Tat Street and Telok Ayer Street, his ban chiang kueh is a favourite amongst the office crowd. The thick and spongy pancake is pleasantly fluffy and chewy at the same time. Get the combo version which is a mix of both red bean and peanut for just 90 cents.
This is the place to go for quick, comfort food in an unpretentious environment. Fat Saigon Boy serves Australian-Vietnamese cuisine. They have attractive lunch sets that caters to the working crowd in the CBD. We felt that their Street food outshine their mains such as the Viet Nachos that we had ($6.50 a la carte). You get crispy sesame wafers with a spicy pulled pork with sour cream and salsa dipping. We found this the highlight of our meal as the dipping gave a really good kick and was very savoury and appetizing. We also had The Beef Eater Pho, consisting of beef balls, shin and sliced tenderloin in a deep-flavoured broth topped with aromatic herbs. These is a comfort food, especially on rainy days!
For a romantic dinner with your loved one, Cook & Brew is a good choice. The gastro-bar offers the perfect contemporary setting to indulge in an array of delectable local and international comfort food, paired with a carefully curated selection of craft beers, wines and cocktails, against magnificent views of the Marina Bay area.
The burgers here are impressive and the patties are made with USDA beef and served with house-brined sour pickles and fries. Cook & Brew Classic Burgers ($27) comes lettuce, tomato, red onion. For a burger with local twist, Hawker Burger ($27) features tender and fatty char siew styled pork jowl with crispy pork belly and sambal mayonnaise.
Or share a plate of appetizers such as House-Made Fresh Smoked Pork Sausage ($24) or Surfed & Turfed USDA ($145) – a platter of 365-day grain-fed beef rib-eye 400g, Nova Scotia lobster 600g, fork-crushed fingerling mashed potatoes, clarified butter and avocado cream.
BOOK WITH WESTIN & JOIN ME FOR FREE FOOD TOUR
Yes, you didn’t hear me wrong! Whether you are planning your anniversary locally or if you are a tourist visiting Singapore, book your stay with The Westin Singapore and you can join me for a food tour every Sunday morning!
From their signature Heavenly Beds to Level 35 Infinity Pool, The Westin Singapore truly offers world-class facilities and services. I have stayed here for a few times and one of the things that I look forward to whenever I stay in The Westin Singapore is their HEAVENLY BED. Seriously, that is one of the best beds and they are designed to give a good night’s sleep. It’s so comfortable that I nearly wanted to get the blanket and pillows for my new house.
Every Sunday 10am, my team and I will be bringing all hotel guests on a walking food tour around The Westin Singapore where we will introduce you to different local cuisine and its history. Through this tour, you will have a better understanding about our food and culture scene.
The Westin Singapore is really feeding you well. Not only will you get to enjoy this free food tour, you can also visit their restaurants such as Seasonal Tastes and Cook & Brew. So what are you waiting for? Book your stay at The Westin Singapore today!
The Westin Singapore
Address: 12 Marina View, Asia Square Tower 2, Singapore 018961
Tsuta made global headlines after being awarded a Michelin star in 2015, becoming the first and only Japanese ramen eatery to receive the prestigious accolade. Ever since soaring to fame, hundreds of hopeful diners in Japan began queuing at 6am for a ticket to dine at the nine-seater establishment, which only serves 150 bowls of ramen daily. From 6 November onwards, Singaporeans will be able to have Tsuta ramen right here at Pacific Plaza!
Founded by Chef Yuki Onishi, the name, “Tsuta” is birthed from his conviction that ramen is a noodle dish that Japan is proud of. Chef Onishi learnt the art of making ramen in 1997 at his father’s ramen shop, “Nanae no Aji no mise, Mejiro” after graduating from high school. He opened Tsuta in 2012 and is renowned for his experimentations with unique flavours and careful selection of natural quality ingredients. Noodles at Tsuta are handmade, as it is Chef Onishi’s motto to prepare ingredients by hand, thus ensuring that the final products are safe for consumption. Chef Onishi has also specially curated 4 types of whole wheat flour and whole grains to create the noodles. He ensures that the flavours marry well with that of the ramen soup bases. Therefore, in Tsuta Singapore, flour for making the ramen is imported from Japan and made in-house.
The base of the soy broth is made with three types of shoyu. Two of the shoyu are formulated in-house. Chef Onishi has personally visited a shoyu brewer in Wakayama Prefecture and requested for it to brew the third soy sauce to his specifications. This shoyu is made with whole soy beans that are matured for two years. The special sauce is then blended with the two shoyu and mixed with dashi (soup stock). The dashi is made with whole chickens, vegetables, clams and other seafood ingredients and boiled over controlled heat to bring out the umami flavours of the ingredients. Unique to Tsuta, this dashi-shoyu forms the base of the ramen broth, imparting natural and umami flavours.
Dining at Tsuta Singapore is very convenient as you simply order and make payment via the kiosk at the entrance of the restaurant before the server will show you to your seats. You can pick either Shoyu Soba ($15) or Shio Soba ($15). Don’t be mistaken, the ramen is named “soba” as in Japanese, soba basically means noodles so Chef Onishi wants to keep Tsuta as traditional as possible to the Japanese culture. After choosing your soup base, you have a choice to add on char siu and flavoured egg. Big eaters can also order side dishes such as Ro-su Meshi ($6), Niku Meshi ($6) or Soup Chazuke ($2).
We had the Char Siu Ajiama Shoyu Soba ($22.80) which consists of 4 slices of pork collar char siu, bamboo shoot, leek, flavoured egg and truffle pureed in truffle oil. Pork collar is used instead of the usual pork belly as it is lower in fats yet retains the same texture and tasty flavour. Each bowl contains 100grams of ramen, a relatively hearty portion. Shoyu-based broth tastes earthy and is very flavoursome, with a distinct flavour of truffle.
Char Siu Ajiama Shio Soba ($22.80), on the other hand, is created by adding a careful balance of Okinawa sea salt and Mongolian rock salt. The ingredients are similar to Char Siu Ajiama Shoyu Soba and the only difference is the green olives pureed in truffle oil. Hence, for this broth, it’s lighter on the palate and not as strongly flavoured as the Shoyu broth, yet still savoury and delicious. We couldn’t resist sipping till the last drop!
Among the Shoyu and Shio Soba broth, I prefer the former as my tastebuds love stronger flavours. Tsuta Singapore only serves wheat tea as Chef Onishi went around trying tea at many places and specially selected wheat tea as he feels that this tea complements his ramen most. Tsuta is a small restaurant with only 18 seats so you will be served on a first-come-first-serve basis. Be there earlier or risk being disappointed when the ramen is sold out. Chef Onishi supervises the Singapore kitchen strictly so rest assured that the same high standards as the flagship outlet in Japan is maintained. If you’re looking for authentic Japanese ramen amidst a cozy setting, Tsuta is the place for you! Although it’s located along the bustling streets of Orchard Road, dining here makes us feel at home.
As the saying goes, Birds of a feather, flock together.
Birds of A Feather is the new all-day dining, cafe and bar in Amoy Street that is the perfect antidote to frenzied, stressed out lives. The owners are from Chengdu, where they own Good Wood Coffee, a successful chain of café across Chengdu. As the capital of Sichuan province, the city has given rise to an entrenched tea culture and a globally renowned cuisine.
The space here is BEAUTIFUL! There is green everywhere with comfortable sitting spaces where you can really come and relax and bond over food. On the menu is superb contemporary Western cuisine with a pronounced Sichuan influence.
Look forward to small plates options such as Crispy Pork Trotter in a Bag ($12/5pcs), Find the Chicken in the Chillies ($16), Fortune Skewer in Szechuan Pepper Broth ($19) and Fried Calamari ($19) with yuzu tartar sauce. Crispy Pork Trotter in a Bag is inspired by paper wrap chicken or shaker fries where you add in the sichuan spices into the paper bag and shake it well with the cooked trotter. Positively exploding with flavour, Find the Chicken in the Chillies, or simply firecracker chicken, comes fiery and filled with sichuan peppers and chillies.
Fortune Skewer in Szechuan Pepper Broth is a party in a bowl half-filled with chile-laced broth and long bamboo skewers sticking up. At the pointy end of the skewers, you might find almost anything: prawns, lotus root, quail eggs, cauliflower etc. You never know quite what you are getting when you pluck each skewer from the broth, the element of surprise is definitely there. The broth is almost mild enough to sip and you can top with noodles after finishing all the skewers.
For flavours from the less-spicy end of the spectrum, go for the Roasted Chicken & Avocado Salad with Szechuan Pepper ($18) and Charcoal Roasted Romaine Lettuce ($16). The former is a very western dish on a bed of mixed greens and lemon dressing while the latter features deep fried fried cheese ball in a nutty sesame dressing. I like the Grilled Cheese Panini ($20) with flavourful braised pork belly in sichuan style, pickled cabbage and fried potato. Or, go for the Bird’s Signature Burger ($30) with charcoal grilled beef patty with foie gras, cheddar and caramelized onion.
We enjoyed the Oriental Bolognese ($20) very much. A modern version of zha jiang mian, thin angel hair pasta is cooked with pork ragout, onsen tamago, wilted kale and sakura ebi. You can want it non-spicy or spicy (add $2). I wish they were more generous with the pork ragout but the onsen tamago coated the noodles well, balanced with the deep, earthy notes from kale. Tofu burger with Mapo Meat Sauce ($22) has got soft house-made bun sandwiched in MAPO pork ragout, tofu cheese patty and pickled cucumber served in fried potato.
Available only for dinner, Hot & Sour Chazuke ($28) featuring niigata rice with spicy mustard green broth, charcoal grilled barramundi and mentaiko. The clear broth is spicy and appetizing, balanced with tangy pickles. Such comforting bowl of porridge that works best for rainy days.
You might as well stay for desserts. Although it’s not extensive, they have some good ones including Raspberry Granite ($16), Poached Pear ($12) and Glutinous Rice Cakes ($12). Homemade cakes such as Feather Cheese Cake served with Red Fruit Compote ($9), Sea Salt Caramel Cheesecake ($9), Chocolate Cake ($12) and Matcha Tiramisu ($8) are available as well. And the choice of beverages is not limited to tea and water, they make decent coffee as well as cocktails and mocktails.
