With numerous outlets in Singapore, each with its own specialty dishes, it’s no wonder Ramen Keisuke became the biggest ramen chain here. To celebrate its 4th anniversary at Tori King, chef-owner Mr. Keisuke Takeda has curated a new menu. Chef Keisuke is known to be one of the early pioneers that reinvented and reintroduced ramen with chicken stock base. His new menu is crafted based on his insights of the local market and customized according to his customers’ tastes and preferences.

My favourite is Tori King Ramen Clear Soup (from $11), made with Japanese “Dashi” broth. It is a combination of edible kelp and shavings of preserved, fermented skipjack tuna. The broth harmonizes the flavour and creates the best Unami for a clear soup base. I usually have a heavy lunch followed by a light dinner so Tori King Ramen Clear Soup is perfect for me. The broth is light yet, still so tasty and we slurped everything down, till the last drop. I’m already planning to return for this dish as it’s the rainy season, making the cold weather perfect for ramen.

My dining partner, on the other hand, prefers a heartier meal and he likes a stronger and more flavoursome broth. Needless to say, his favourite is Tori King Tan Tan Mien Ultra Super Rich (from $14.90). Tan Tan Mien is a popular ramen in Japan that is heavily influenced by Chinese noodle. You can expect a rich creamy soup base with white sesame paste and Keisuke’s special chilli oil. Corianders are added as a finishing touch to give the dish an Asian flavour. I found this too rich and too creamy but my dining partner enjoyed each mouthful.

We also tried Tori King Dry Noodle Maze Soba (from $12.90), which is the first dry noodles by Ramen Keisuke. Mixing minced pork meat with different types of nuts gave this dish a different flavour and texture. Chef Keisuke also added a splash of his original spicy sauce and vinegar for a unique touch. If you love spicy food, this fiery bowl is bound to satisfy as it packs a really good punch!

There is also Tori King Dipping Noodle Tsuke Men (from $12.90). You get a bowl of dry noodles served with a small bowl of rich gravy on the side. Simply dip or soak the noodles in the gravy before adding chilli sauce for that perfect finish. You can taste the natural sweetness of the chicken meat and its tenderness from this dish and I really love the flavoured eggs. After trying quite a number of ramen restaurants in Singapore, I feel that Ramen Keisuke’s flavoured eggs are still the best done!

Besides noodles, Tori King has introduced the Roasted Chicken Meat Ball as a topping ($1). Two different types of minced chicken meat are blended with Yuzu skin and roasted at a high heat. Bite into the tender, juicy meat that finishes with a refreshing zing! Chef Keisuke is also passionate about helping the underprivileged, especially the youth. Therefore, he will donate a dollar for every sale of Green Tea Cola from 1 to 30 November 2016. Due to the rainy season, we’re pretty sure everyone craves a comforting, warm bowl of ramen so be there early to avoid a long waiting time.

Note: This is an invited tasting.

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Kam’s Roast first overseas branch has opened in Pacific Plaza, located next to the Michelin-starred ramen restaurant Tsuta! The flagship outlet in Hong Kong was awarded the Michelin Star in the 2015, 2016 and 2017 editions of MICHELIN Guide Hong Kong & Macau. Started by Mr Hardy Kam in 2014, Hardy was the grandson of the late Mr Kam Shui Fai, who founded the Hong Kong roast goose institution, Yung Kee Restaurant. Within 6 months of opening, Kam’s had earned a Michelin star.

[EXCLUSIVE!] Kam’s Roast Goose: Moving On From Yung Kee to the Michelin Star

Head Chef Wong Kwan-sang has also flew to Singapore to train the staff and make sure everything is smooth in the beginning. The chef helming Kam’s Roast in Singapore used to work at Yung Kee and will be permanently based in Singapore. Another chef from Kam’s Roast Goose will be stationed here for a month. With careful supervision from the original roster of Hong Kong chefs, the same Kam’s Roast will achieve the same quality and standards expected of the dishes.

Using the family recipe and the same sauce and marinade techniques used back in Hardy’s grandfather’s day, signature dishes at Kam’s include roast duck, suckling pig and “toro” char siew made with premium pork belly. With everything done fresh daily, the whole process takes a few hours, including cleaning, marinating, air-drying and then roasting. There is slight crisp in the skin with a layer of fats underneath. The meat was juicy and tender, even better with the subtly sweet plum sauce. The first plate which I tried, they drenched a little too much sauce hence the skin turned soggy. Subsequent plate that my husband had was much better.

‘Toro’ Char Siu is a secret recipe by Mr Kinsen Kam Kwan Sing, who was once the second-generation owner at the famed Yung Kee. The premium pork belly is seasoned with Kam family’s award-winning marinade. The slab of meat is barbequed and boasts a melt-in-your-mouth texture. It’s more on the sweet side and I thought a little more char is good to get a greater smoky flavour.

Even though the duck was the highlight, what impressed me was the sio bak instead. I think Kam’s has got the right formula. The skin is crispy brittle and you can hear the crackling sound when you bite the skin. The first bite producing a noisy crunch from the skin before it gives way to the juicy layers of well-seasoned tender and moist meat under it. OOOMPHH…..

There is roast chicken with ginger and scallions dip as well. Suckling pig is also available at Kam’s. Corporations or individuals can also order the Suckling Pig for events or celebratory occasions too. It is roasted gently for long hours, and the collagen produced from the meat is bound to please.

My dining partners all love the legendary Wonton Noodles, exclusively available in Singapore. Apparently, it was the same noodles that Mr Kinsen Kam Kwan Sing served in Yung Kee. Al dente with a firm bite, the noodles are air flown from Hong Kong daily, hence absolute freshness is guaranteed. Not much alkaline taste, it has got that eggy fragrance. The noodles can be accompanied with slices of Kam’s famous roasts or their goldfish-shaped wontons which I have not tried.

End your meal with red bean dessert cooked with premium mandarin peel that has aged for decades, hence they are more potent in aroma and taste. At Singapore’s outlet, you will get to see the same artist’s impression of Kam’s family on the wall, just like the one in Hong Kong. Congratulations to Mr Hardy Kam and Mr Robert Chua!

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As a kid, I’ve always loved Christmas! My family will assemble a mini Christmas tree at home and leave the gifts we’ve received from family and friends around the tree. On Christmas day, we will have a family lunch together before opening up our presents excitedly. This is also the part I anticipate the most every Christmas. Now that I’m all grown-up, it’s my turn to shower my parents and my little nephews and nieces with Christmas gifts and there’s no better way to get ready for Christmas than with HSBC credit cards.

1. Get Party-Ready – Start your beauty preparations with L’Occitane

Christmas time is the perfect excuse to doll yourself up for a good time out with friends. There are so many beauty products around but I only trust products made using natural ingredients as my skin is quite sensitive. L’Occitane uses more than 300 ingredients of natural origin in its production process. The textures and fragrances are inspired by the land of Provence and follow a strict formulation charter to guarantee quality and efficiency, while respecting people and the environment. Personally, I like knowing what I’m using and is proud to support a company who keeps the values of respect and authenticity at heart.

This Christmas, L’Occitane offers sensorial gift sets for men and women to suit your Christmas shopping list – from festive Christmas baubles with 3 charming products inside priced at $20 to an Advent Calendar with 24 surprising delights inside at only $79. Besides pampering yourself, if you’re looking for a beauty product to impress your loved one this Christmas, why not surprise them with L’Occitane?

HSBC credit cardholders receive a complimentary shampoo and conditioner travel set with a minimum spend of $160. This limited offer is valid from 18 November to 31 December 2016 at all L’Occitane boutiques (except Takashimaya Department store) and while stock lasts.

Address: There are various outlets island-wide in Singapore so check out http://sg.loccitane.com for more details on each outlet.

2. Shop for Christmas Gifts and enjoy the festivities at Forum The Shopping Mall

There’s something for everyone this Christmas at Forum The Shopping Mall. Soak in the festivities along Orchard Road as the street lights up this Christmas while enjoying shopping privileges with your HSBC credit card at Forum.

Little ones can find excitement at The Secret Garden of Enchantment Interactive Experience between 1pm and 6pm from 9 to 20 December 2016 (except 12 December). While your kids enjoy a magical Christmas surrounded by imaginary fairies and garden nymphs, and overcoming obstacles to emerge victorious in the interactive experience, not only do you get to shop but also be rewarded with gifts ranging from Christmas ornaments to insulated bags and many more.

Ladies, for ultimate pampering, there is a 90-minutes OPI signature hot wax hand & feet spa treatment priced at $158 at the OPI Centre. This sounds very tempting and I’m looking forward to making a date with my girlfriends just to prep ourselves for Christmas parties! For the men who frequent the gym and for those who require supplements, you get 15% off regular-priced items at GNC (excluding food stuff and selected items). This is such a good deal and I’ve planned to drop by to get some health supplements for my elderly parents. For kids who may deserve yet another toy to their collection, HSBC credit cardholders get 15% off Kyosho regular-priced items at Toykar. I think this would be the perfect place to find a gift for my nephews and nieces. Besides these, there are many other shopping and also dining privileges at Forum for HSBC credit cardholders.

What’s more, charge a minimum of $500 to your HSBC credit card at Forum to redeem a $50 Forum voucher. Plus, redeem a Samsonite Hanging Toiletry Kit worth $65 when you charge an additional $800. You’ll enjoy complimentary parking on Saturdays and Sundays with a minimum charge of $50 in a single receipt. Gifts are limited so head over to Forum today!

3. Plan a Christmas Celebration with your loved ones at Manhattan Bar

Inspired by the Golden Age of cocktails and fine drinking, Manhattan Bar brings back in time to the glamorous, elegant and sophisticated moments of old New York. This majestic hotel bar serves artisanal spirits and classic cocktails, meticulously crafted from the world’s first in-hotel rickhouse. If you’re staying for the night and prefer “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” to “Moulin Rouge”, there’s also a Sunday cocktail brunch available.

Try your hand at mixology by building your own Bloody Mary cocktail in the Ingredients Room. Choose from fresh ingredients and herbs, as well as a selection of homemade spices that include a Bak Kwa-flavoured powder, for a truly unique experience with the classic cocktail. Wines and beer are also available so remember to enquire with the server for the day’s selection. And to go along with your handcrafted cocktail, slurp up the fine selection of succulent, freshly-shucked American bivalves at the Oyster Bar before moving on to the small plates of seafood delights such as lobster ceviche, Maine lobsters and shrimp cocktails.

Christmas is also about feasting so look forward to pairing the alcohol with a sweet surprise. A must when you visit the Rickhouse is Manhattan’s Baked Alaska – chocolate mousse filled with orange curd, feuilletine and meringue, drizzled with aged rum from the bar’s signature American oak barrels. The dessert counter offers a wider selection of sweets including the Classic Apple Pie, Black & White Cookies, Apple Cake Pops, Caramel Banana Cream Pie, an assortment of Cronuts and plenty more. This Christmas, it’ll be a unique experience to grab a bunch of friends or business associates and dress up in old Hollywood glamour for a brunch date or a night of drinks and bar bites at Manhattan.

HSBC credit cardholders enjoy complimentary free-flow champagne for Sunday Cocktail Brunch, valid every Sunday from now till 18 December 2016. Do note that prior reservations are required.

4. Cook Up a Christmas Feast with Fresh Groceries from Isetan

Personally, I prefer spending quality time with my loved ones during Christmas and enjoy whipping up a good feast at home every year. Usually, I’ll just head to the nearest supermarket to grab some groceries after work but Christmas is the time to savour good food cooked with quality ingredients which makes Isetan Supermarket my number one choice for quality ingredients.

Looking through the wide window panels, you’ll notice the servers preparing the meat, seafood and even sushi so you can be assured of the products’ freshness. I’m a bread-lover so I can never resist stepping out of Johan Paris Bakery empty-handed. The tantalizing scent of freshly baked bread is simply irresistible. There are even products from Hokkaido, Kyushu and Okinawa during Isetan’s Japanese Fairs where you’ll be able to sample authentic Japanese cuisine that have never been seen in any other supermarket shelves in Singapore.

Besides purchasing groceries, you can also dine-in at Isetan Scotts Supermarket at their very own WA-Dining, Dashi Bar and Kaku-Uchi Sake Bar. WA-Dining offers a wide range of Bento sets prepared freshly in Isetan Scotts’ private kitchen. Dashi Bar serves delicious udon, soba and miso soup while Kaku-Uchi Sake Bar offers a premium sake range including Honjozo, Junmai Ginjo and Junmai Daiginjo. You can take a break at Yaoya Fruit Juice Bar if you’re feeling thirsty after grocery shopping or have a sweet treat from Châteraisé.

HSBC credit cardholders can redeem a complimentary golf umbrella with a minimum spend of $150. You can also redeem $5 rebate vouchers on selected weekends with every $100 charged to your HSBC credit card. This promotion lasts from 11 November to 31 December 2016 at all Isetan stores.

Address: There are various outlets island-wide in Singapore so check https://www.isetan.com.sg/about-isetan for more details on each outlet.
Website: https://www.isetan.com.sg/

HSBC Christmas Festive Promotion

What’s more, with HSBC’s Christmas Festive Promotion, there are now more reasons to celebrate Christmas! Make this festive season even merrier with a sumptuous feast when you spend on your HSBC credit card, and share the joy this Christmas with a memorable get-together. Simply be the first 2,000 cardholders to charge a minimum of $3,000 from now till 30 November to redeem a Christmas Festive Hamper worth over $120. Plus, for every $500 charged to your HSBC credit card in December, redeem a $10 CapitaVoucher up to $50 worth per cardholder. Terms and conditions apply for all promotions herein. Visit www.hsbc.com.sg/promos for more details. HSBC would like to wish all a very Merry Christmas!

This post is brought to you in partnership with HSBC Credit Cards.

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To talk about Rumah Makan Minang, we have to start Sabar Menanti, a well-loved Malay restaurant established in the 1940s serving authentic Nasi Padang dishes from the Sumatran Minangkabau people. The owner Haji Marlian came from Sumatra and set up a small food stall. The business grew to become a modest restaurant that was very popular.

After the owner passed away, the running of the restaurant has passed on from the original owner from Sumatra, Haji Marlian, to his children and they eventually set up their own brands. So there is Sabar Menanti Restaurant, Sabar Menanti II, and Rumah Makan Minang.

Located at the corner of Kandahar Street and Muscat Street. Rumah Makan Minang is started by Haji Marlian’s youngest child, Zubaidah in 1954. Now, Aunty Zubaidah’s family runs the restaurant and they are now also doing catering. I have been here quite a few times and it’s one of my favourite spots when I bring tourists on a Chiak Local food tour.

One of my favourite dishes here is Ayam Belado Hijau ($3.50), featuring tender chicken in signature green chilli marinate. The marinate doesn’t overpower and I like how it helps to bring more umami depth to the meat. And there is Indonesian Tahu Telur ($6) made from large fried tofu mixed with eggs and dorned with bean sprouts, grated peanuts and dark watered sweet soy.

Generally speaking, chuck is too tough to eat without braising. (There is an exception: the blade, or flatiron steak, is delicious.) Braise it, however, and it becomes one of the most tender of meats, as in this version of Malaysian rendang, in which browned beef

Beef Rendang ($3.50) seems to be a highlight here with the beef made intensely aromatic by coconut milk and spices cooked over a slow charcoal fire. It wasn’t as tender as I hope it would be but the flavours are definitely there. Some vegetables to go along our meal include Sayur Lodeh ($3) – mixed vegetables boiled soft, spiced and flavored; and Terung Belado ($3) – eggplant fried with signature red chilli marinate. I love everything spice, so to add to my already spicy meal, I always add on Sambal Belado Merah ($1) – a Minangkabau style sambal that is sexily red and very spicy.

Order your food from the counter and the staff will deliver it to your table. I like how the strong and balanced flavours here and the chilli are not too spicy, so we can easily finish a meal. I got a chance to meet Aunty Zubaidah in real person as I was embarking on DBS SME99 project. Watch the video to hear her story!

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Designed by renowned French designer, Philippe Starck, Beast and Butterflies bar and restaurant boasts a retro-mix-modern interior. The whimsical setting, with a little elegance, is themed around ‘Opposites Attract’. Well, so is their menu as you can expect modern fusion and surprising flavours. We enjoyed an evening catching up and relaxing on the colourful plush sofas, with lava lamps and warm lighting exuding a homely vibe. There’s even a pool table if you’re in need of some entertainment.

Chic Popcorn ($10) and Spam Fries ($10) will definitely top the list for your kids’ favourite snacks! The former features deep-fried chicken popcorns coated with salted egg yolk. While the taste of salted egg yolk was subtle, it was sufficient to give the chicken popcorns some savoury flavours. These little crispy bites were so addictive that we continued popping one after another into our mouths. Before we know it, the whole bowl of popcorn chicken has been devoured. The latter features luncheon meat fries served with home-made basil cheese dip. Nothing needs to be said as everything with luncheon meat is just perfect!

For our mains, we had the MTM Laksa ($16) and the Lobster Porridge ($28). “MTM” stands for “Mee Tai Mak”, which is my personal favourite choice of noodles. Silver needle noodles are accompanied by fresh cherry stone clams, prawns, fishcake and crispy tau pok, soaked in tasty Laksa gravy. The broth has a good balance of coconut milk, spices and herbs. It’s not too spicy or too rich. Although this Laksa doesn’t come with cockles, the plump and sweet cherry stone clams are a delicious alternative. The only setback is the price as you can get a few bowls of Laksa at hawker centers with this price.

The Lobster Porridge is prepared according to Teochew-style rice porridge. Jasmine long grain rice is soaked in a savoury crab broth, sweetened by the chunks of meaty abalone and dried scallops within. The large, half lobster captured everyone’s attention when this stone bowl arrived. We liked that the rice wasn’t too mushy. It has been cooked just right, with a slight bite in texture. The lobster boasts fork-tender meat, which are easily detached from its shell. This is the ultimate comfort food for us.

Yam Brulee ($10) is a must-try in my opinion! It was my first time trying a yam dessert that isn’t in the form of traditional “Orh-Nee”. Yam paste at Beast and Butterflies is served with a beautifully caramelized sugar crust and a scoop of coconut ice cream. We like the light yet creamy yam paste, which finishes with a sweet twist. This is such an interesting culinary creation, kudos to the chef!

We also had So Shiok ($18), consisting of thin, crisp waffles, dusted with salted egg yolk powder, accompanied by juicy strawberries and a creamy, thick durian pengat. We recommend you to try the waffles first, or else the rich durian pengat will overwhelm whatever flavours you savour after that.

Beast and Butterflies bar and restaurant is an ideal place to chill after work. If the weather’s good, you can also dine al fresco, with the view of our Singapore River. The interior is spacious, making it great to hold private conversations without worrying about someone eavesdropping nearby. There are many other items available on their menu but you should remember to save stomach space for desserts!

MissTamChiak.com made anonymous visit and paid its own meal at the restaurant featured here.

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Rishiri is a small island off the north-west coast of Hokkaido made up of a single volcano called Rishiri-san (利尻山) which towers some 1719m over the surrounding sea. The 60km island offers unspoiled natural environments, abundance of wild flowers, and their quiet fishing communities. If you have been to Hokkaido for a few times and wish to explore the islands around it, why not spend a weekend at this quiet island and enjoy lovely sea and mountain views while indulging on premium uni and kelp?

Visit Lake Otatomari

Lake Otatomari is the largest lake on Rishiri Island and you are probably familiar with it if you are a big fan of the famous Shiroi Koibito (“white lovers”) biscuits because the beautiful picture on the packaging is taken right here in Rishiri.

At Numaura Observatory, you get to see Mount Rishirifuji and Otatomari Pond at the same time. This place is also called Shiroi Koibito Hill. Guess what, if you propose here, you can get a certificate. Just have to register at the Tourism Information Desk at the Oshidomari Ferry Terminal.

Do some shopping at the souvenir shop

Near the entrance of the Otatomari Pond, there is a souvenir shop where you can get fresh seafood or some local snacks. During our visit, the uni season was ending and we manage to savour the last few piece of uni sushi. SO CREAMY! Each piece is 600 yen (about S$8).

Feed the seals at Cape Sen-houshi

Because Rishiri is such a small town, you can get from one place to another easily via car. We manage to catch the sunset at Sen-houshi area, located at the southern part of Rishiri Island. You get to feed the cute seals by purchasing the small fishes from the shop.

Eat Sea Urchin

The island is famous for sea urchin (uni). There are two types of sea urchin – the red one (deep orange colour that’s creamy and rich) and the white one (more bright yellow and lighter in taste).

Eat Kelp

Sea urchins eat konbu kelp. This is why the Rishiri is a major harvesting area because of their well known konbu kelp crop. Fertile konbu kelp grounds definitely have a large stock of sea urchin. And the premium konbu is best to make into dashi stock.

Do you know, Rishiri produced 205 tonnes of kelp and 47 tonnes of uni last year. Farmers typically work from April to September and they earn about US$200,000 (S$280,000) a year. Oh my, I think I am coming here to work as a farmer already.

Take a walk around Himenuma Pond

Cycling and hiking are the two of the main activities on Rishiri. You can take a 1km trail around Himenuma Pond, a man made pond at the foot of Mount Rishiri. The views of the mountain reflecting in the pond are charming. Take a walk in the forest to enjoy the tranquility.

Where to stay?

Minshuku, ryokan and hotels can be found in Rishiri. We stayed in Marine Hotel where we can enjoy hot-spring baths and a dining room that serves Japanese breakfasts and dinners. It is about 15 minutes from Rishiri Airport via hotel’s free shuttle.

Horsehair crab is one of Hokkaido’s most well known seafood products. At Rishiri Marine Hotel, we had a scrumptious dinner with so many dishes prepared on the table, including the horsehair crabs prepared by boiling live in salt water.

Take a ferry to other islands

Oshidomari is Rishiri’s largest town and transport hub. If you wish to travel to other nearby islands such as Wakkanai and Rebun, take a ferry from Oshidomari Port. Ferries operate twice daily between Rishiri Island and Wakkanai, and the trip takes 1 hour 40 minutes. Prices start at 1,090 yen (S$14.60), with the option of Western or tatami seats.

While you are at the ferry terminal, don’t forget to go to the cafe on the 2nd floor to try their Unimeshi Bowl with luxurious serving of sea urchin and salmon roe! The soup stock made with Rishiri kelp combined with rich sea urchin. Alternatively, the seafood ramen and uni pasta are good options as well.

Getting There

Scoot (www.flyscoot.com) started a direct flight from Singapore to Sapporo, with a roughly one-hour stopover in Taipei. The flight operates three times a week on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday and takes about 10 hours. Airfares vary with the season, but regular return all-in economy tickets start at $418, excluding baggage and meals.

From Sapporo’s Okadama airport, Japan Airlines and Hokkaido Air System operate flights direct to Rishiri Island. Visit www.jal.co.jp for fares and travel dates. There are city buses going around major tourist spots from May to end-October. Alternatively, you can rent cars at the airport or bicycles at the Oshidomari Ferry Terminal.

Call the Rishiri Fuji Tourism Association (Tel: 0163-82-1114 or 0163-82-2201) to make bookings for tour buses or tourist taxis. It also helps travellers make hotel bookings (Tel: 0163-82-1837).

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Founded in the year 1952, Roxy Laksa started as a humble cart parked outside the Roxy Theatre. It Nyonya laksa recipe has weathered through the ebb and won the hearts of many fodies. Now, the third-generation owner of Roxy Laksa, Mike Lim, has partnered lawyer-turned-chef Willin Low to succeed the closely guarded 64-year-old family recipe at its new home at Timbre+.

Chef Willin has been a regular at its previous location at East Coast Lagoon Food Village, hence he pick up the ropes easily. They are planning to create a production kitchen that will make hawker food on a scalable level whilst maintaining the great traditional flavours we all love. So next time, we probably can buy the laksa paste and recreate the Roxy flavours at the comfort of home.

I don’t really remember how my last bowl of Roxy laksa taste like. But this bowl of laksa at Timbre+ is really lemak yet not overly overpowering. Made with fresh ingredients every morning, they grind the rempah themselves, hence this thick gravy has got all the robust flavours from the spices. With some slices of fish cakes and prawns, each bowl of laksa costs $4.50. Mix a spoonful of sambal for the punch. To be honest, the price is a little steep but this is definitely a better bowl of laksa compared to many others. An otah costs $1.50, so if you get a set of laksa and otah, it costs $5.80.

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Celebrity Mod Sin Chef Shen Tan is back in action again! We have been supporting her at various pop-up events because we miss her food. And finally, she has found a place to call home! She will be taking over the kitchen at Revolution Coffee in One-North. And of course, she’ll be bringing her famous Nasi Lemak to Revolution Coffee.

I knew Shen back in her Wok & Barrel days when I did a story on her Nasi Lemak in the newspapers. I even went into the kitchen to cook the rice with her. Oh man, it’s really tedious. Shen has developed this Nasi Lemak recipe after loads of research to get the “Lemak” rice.

Her nasi lemak is steamed with fresh coconut every day, instead of being thrown in a rice cooker with coconut milk.
Only the best Fragrant Jasmine rice is used and each grain of rice is distinct and fluffy but richly lemak and deserves to be called Nasi Lemak! It is so well flavoured that you will want to eat the rice on its own!

The 5 Nasi Lemak rice sets feature dishes such as crispy pork, crispy fried chicken, 5 spice pork confit, beef rendang and chicken rendang. Instead of going for the usual beef rendang, I went for the crispy pork instead. It’s so crispy on the outside yet juicy on the inside.

Each set comes complete with the Nasi Lemak rice, omelette, ikan bills, homemade sambal belachan and coffee sambal on cucumber slices. Coffee and chilli gives a unique earthy flavour. You have to sample Shen’s extra spicy Sambal Belachan with its nuclear explosive kick. Shiok! The price of nasi lemak ranges from $4.90 to $9.90.

With a love of incorporating local and South East Asian flavours into her dishes, Shen has come up with brand new creations such as Buah Keluak Pasta ($19.90). Al dente ribbons of tagliatelle is generously slathered with the black paste made with turmeric, blue ginger, garlic, shallots, prawns, minced pork. Served with twice cooked pork belly, it has got that addictive umami. There is also Bak Chor Mee Pasta ($19.90) and Fish Curry Pasta ($19.90).

Don’t forget to try the Shendol Delights ($10). Shen’s version of local dessert, Chendol, is a creamy smooth panna cotta with the gula melaka syrup and super yummy red bean ice cream.

Revolution Coffee is the only café in Singapore to offer coffee from the Caffeine Dispensary, a Jakarta-based roastery. With such good coffee, Shen will be using the coffee powder to create coffee-based sauces such as coffee sambal and coffee-barbeque sauce. There is also coffee-kaya, where additional dimensions of brightness and mocha put a new spin on this much beloved local spread.

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Stepping into Sandaime Bunji makes you feel as though you’ve been transported to an authentic eatery in Japan. Boasting al fresco seats, counter seats, as well as, Zabuton seats (Japanese cushion for sitting on the ground), this Japanese eatery exudes a relaxing vibe. Furthermore, you wouldn’t feel suffocated and stuffy when dining inside as there is an open space by the “window” where you can chill while people watching.

The impressive item that brought us here was their Wagyu Round Roast Beef Set ($19.90), a towering bowl with 250grams of beef slices stacked on top of the rice. The beef was executed to perfection and my dining partner found it to be succulent, tender, yet a little chewy. However, we felt that the beef might be too raw for some people. Our set came with salad, tofu and Ox Tail soup, which was surprisingly very flavourful. The soup had a natural sweetness to it and we didn’t feel that MSG was added to enhance its taste. The tofu was very soft and smooth while the salad was a very crunchy appetizing starter that whetted our appetites.

As we’re beef-lovers, we also tried the Wagyu Sukiyaki ($15.90), which features items such as carrots, an assortment of mushrooms, cabbages and the main star of the dish – wagyu beef slices. The broth was too saltish if you slurp it on its own, but when eaten with steamed rice, the pairing is perfect. The wagyu beef slices were more cooked and sliced reasonably thin for easy consumption. It managed to soak up the savoury flavours of the broth, making each bite heavenly. Furthermore, this piping hot dish was perfect due to the rainy weather at that point of time.

Lucky us also stumbled on the Sashimi Promotion – Unkai (Sashimi 6 Kind with Ootoro) is going at $29.90 per bowl, instead of its usual $68.80 but do note that there are limited quantities each day to ensure freshness of the sashimi. “Ootoro” is a Japanese word, meaning “the fattiest part of the fish” so of course, our sashimi assortment included the most expensive cut of tuna, taken from the lowest part of the belly next to the head, which is very high in fat. There were also hotate sashimi, kanpachi (amberjack) sashimi, mackerel and our favourite, the salmon sashimi!

Sandaime Bunji is a place worth checking out due to its delicious food and great ambience. Furthermore, it’s affordably priced and their level of service is commendable. Towards the end of our meal, a Japanese couple arrived and took their seats beside our table. That’s when we found out that one of the waitresses, Madam Jenny Wong, speaks fluent Japanese. Later on, she shared with us that she used to study in Japan, hence picked up the local language. This is a restaurant that we would return to without doubt on days when we crave good Japanese food.

MissTamChiak.com made anonymous visit and paid its own meal at the stall featured here.

The post Sandaime Bunji – Delicious Mountain of Wagyu Roast Beef Rice appeared first on Miss Tam Chiak.

Kueh(s) can be sweet or savoury bite-sized snacks, with its roots traced back to Malay and Indonesian cuisines. The Peranakan Community who were early Chinese settlers in Malacca and later, Indonesia, adapted the original Malay and Indonesian kueh(s) as part of their cuisine. Eventually, it is the Peranakans who popularized the term, “Nonya Kueh” as part of their cuisine in Singapore. With modernization and more creative brains popping up in the culinary world, kueh(s) that are made with traditional techniques and authentic ingredients are hard to come by nowadays. Relish in 17 traditional Nonya Kueh that gives you a sense of nostalgia.

Ang Ku Kueh is a small round or oval shaped pastry with soft sticky glutinous rice flour skin wrapped around a sweet filling in the centre. It is moulded to resemble a tortoise shell and is presented resting on a square piece of banana leaf. It’s believed that Ang Ku Kueh brings prosperity. The common and original fillings are sweet bean paste and peanuts but you can find unique flavours nowadays such as durian, coconut and more.

Getuk Getuk originated from Java and is made from tapioca. The tapioca is first peeled, boiled, then mashed. This is followed by mixing the tapioca with grated coconut, a pinch of salt and palm sugar which gives the kueh a brownish colour and more distinctive taste. It is finally topped with more freshly-grated coconut.

Harum Manis, which literally means “fragrant” and “sweet”, is a steamed sponge cake that’s similar to apam but embellished with slices of bananas. The steamed cakes are enriched by the warm caramel-like sweetness from gula Melaka and wafts of aroma from the cooked bananas. If you’re up for a challenge in the kitchen, this is an excellent option to use up leftover bananas.

Kueh Bingka Ubi means baked tapioca cake. This traditional Nonya kueh is fragrant, semi-soft, slightly chewy and goes perfectly well when paired with a cup of tea. It has an inviting aroma from the pandan leaves, eggs and coconut milk hence its rich and flavourful taste. You’ll be glad to know that Kueh Bingka Ubi is relatively easy to make compared to other Nonya kueh(s) as you simply mix all the ingredients together before baking.

The authentic Kueh Bugis is served wrapped in pandan leaf to give a sweet scent, on top of the already fragrant, thick layer of coconut paste covering the green dough. It’s hard to find great tasting Kueh Bugis nowadays as Singapore becomes more modernized. Just the thought of sinking our teeth into the sticky and chewy steam glutinous rice flour with sweet coconut paste is enough to make us drool.

Kueh Dadar has juicy palm sugar flavoured grated coconut fillings enveloped within a piece of green crepe. Pandan leaf is the core ingredient of Kueh Dadar and the green exterior is made of a batter coloured with natural pandan juice extracted from pandan leaves, hence the tempting sweet fragrance. There’s a slight crunch when you bite into the soft exterior of Kueh Dadar due to the grated coconut fillings inside.

Kueh Kosui is made from tapioca starch and rice flour and sweetened with gula Melaka and sugar. Pandan leaves enhance the fragrance of this kueh and it is usually served with freshly grated coconuts for more texture and taste. The contrasting colours of the grated white coconut and the bouncy brown kueh also make this dish more pleasing to the eyes.

Kueh Lupis is one of our favourite kueh(s) due to its subtle sweetness, with a hint of savoury flavour and slight crunch from the coconut shavings. Glutinous rice is cooked in pandan juice before being wrapped into a triangular shape in banana leaves. It is further boiled in water for approximately 3 hours before the banana leaves are removed and the kueh is rolled in generous amounts of fresh, slightly salted coconut shavings. It is finally drizzled with thick gula Melaka syrup, sinful but so good!

Kueh Salat is a two-tiered Nonya dessert with a base of steamed glutinous rice weighted down by a thick layer of custard flavoured with freshly squeezed coconut milk and pandan juice. Coconut milk is the key ingredient in making this kueh as it imparts a creamy taste when cooking the glutinous rice and making the custard layer. In general, making kueh(s) is a very laborious job. You first need to soak the glutinous rice before steaming it then pound the pandan leaves, squeeze the juice, beat the egg, make the coconut custard and finally, steam it again. Kueh Salat takes hours to make but is devoured within minutes!

Don’t confuse Kueh Talam with Kueh Salat though their colours look almost similar. Kueh Talam also has two layers, a top white layer made from coconut milk and rice flour and a bottom green layer made from rice and mung bean flour with natural green colouring from pandan leaves. This kueh is also done by steaming. We find Kueh Talam not as chewy as Kueh Salat and it has a softer texture.

Kueh Lapis is the most common Nonya dessert you find in Singapore and the easiest to recognize and remember due to its colourful layers. Some people call this “thousand-layer cake” but it actually only has 9 layers. This was a snack we used to eat a lot during our childhood days! It is made with tapioca, rice flour and coconut milk before being steamed. Kids would enjoy peeling and eating this kueh layer by layer, and this eating style actually mirrors a saying – in life, you cannot take short-cuts and have to go through one obstacle after another so eating it layer by layer is somewhat similar.

Most Nonya kueh(s) are sweet but whenever we crave something savoury, Lemper Udang is the ultimate choice. It is made from glutinous rice, infused with coconut milk and flavour from pandan leaves. While the glutinous rice is steaming, grated coconut will be fried in a dry wok to bring out its fragrance before being added as a filling into the glutinous rice and lastly, wrapped in banana leaves. Sometimes, spicy shrimp paste is also included in the fillings to give that fiery kick.

Another favourite of ours is the Ondeh Ondeh which are made from either sweet potato or glutinous rice flour. These cute little balls are infused with pandan juice and filled with gula Melaka or palm sugar before being rolled in some freshly grated coconut. The palm sugar that’s in the middle literally bursts in your mouth when you take a bite! They are sweet and delicious and it’s impossible to stop at one!

Ongol Ubi is quite simple to make and it’s common for families to make this at home together. It is made from tapioca, infused with flavours from pandan leaves. It is steamed before being rolled in grated coconut. Different ingredients are used to create attractive colours for Ongol Ubi to ensure that this kueh is healthier due to the natural colouring.

Sagu Melaka, in Malysia, is called Kueh Bronok and made from sago balls and shredded coconut. Our version consists of three layers of distinctive colours. The white top is made from coconut milk while the middle is infused with gula Melaka to give its brownish colour and the base infused with rose syrup to create the pinkish colour.

Talam Ubi is literally translated to steamed tapioca cake and the main ingredient for the top white layer is coconut milk while the bottom layer consists of grated tapioca, grated coconut and palm sugar. This is a soft, chewy kueh which leans towards the sweeter scale for desserts. Simply delicious!

Yam Talam contains the similar ingredients as Talam Ubi, with the exception of yam! The top tier is similarly made from coconut milk but the bottom tier features yam as its main ingredient, hence giving this kueh a purplish finish. The texture is similar to Talam Ubi as well but it doesn’t taste as sweet as Talam Ubi.

There you have it – 17 traditional Nonya kueh(s) for you to pick and choose from, whenever your craving for Peranakan snacks kicks in! We can never stop popping balls of Ondeh Ondeh into our mouths and we also enjoy Kueh Lapis, Kueh Lupis and a couple of others as well. These Nonya kueh(s) make a good breakfast, as well as, afternoon snack! We hope you enjoy indulging in these Nonya kueh(s) as much as we do.

MissTamChiak.com made anonymous visits and paid for all the kuehs featured here.

The post 17 Traditional Nonya Kueh in Singapore that makes a Superb Snack appeared first on Miss Tam Chiak.

People often advice me to eat breakfast like a queen, lunch like a princess, and dinner like a pauper but when it comes to brunch, it’s the best excuse to feast to my heart’s content. Food is a strong motivational factor in snapping me out of sleep but I’m totally not a morning person. Therefore, I enjoy brunch dates as I don’t have to get up that early in the morning yet I’ll still able to enjoy pancakes drizzled with sweet maple syrup or savoury brunch items such as eggs benedict.

Quandoo is a restaurant reservation platform that has seated 2.7 million diners in Singapore. Every 1,000 loyalty points earned give you a $15 cash-back. There are many places that serve brunch menu in Singapore so we’ve rounded up 7 of our favourite spots. On weekends, seats are snatched up in the blink of an eye so be sure to book in advance with Quandoo.

Located conveniently in the heart of Singapore’s Central Business District, this 70-seater restaurant is an ideal spot for holding breakfast meetings. Begin the day with a healthy dose of nutrition from their Homemade Natural Muesli with green apple, blueberries and strawberries or their granola bowl, featuring Greek yogurt, berry compote, honey and fresh bananas.

On days when dieting isn’t of concern, I would immediately go for a hearty breakfast feast and I’m always tempted by the Club Signature Breakfast, which includes 2 eggs prepared according to your preference, pan-fried bacon, grilled chicken or pork sausage, sautéed button mushrooms, sautéed cherry tomatoes and your choice of wholemeal, sour dough, rye or Turkish pide toast. I’m one who prefers to begin the day with savoury items so I find Club Meatballs’ signature breakfast very satisfying and I love it when sweet juices from the cherry tomatoes burst in my mouth. It’s a refreshing twist to the other savoury items.

Club Meatballs also serves Freshly Baked Croissants with berry compote and butter or Kurobuta ham and cheese or smoked salmon and arugula with dill sauce. The fragrance of the baked croissants lingers in the air and whets your appetite for more. You can also DIY your own Club House breakfast or satisfy that inner sweet tooth with the pancakes. For most of us, breakfast or brunch would never be complete without injecting some caffeine into our system. It’s wonderful that coffee served at Club Meatballs is from Common Man.

Boasting a localized Asian-Western fusion concept, my tastebuds were in for a huge surprise at Froth. They have quite a comprehensive brunch menu available on weekends and public holidays. For starters, you can look forward to the Duck Kut Teh, a 12-hour superior duck broth with melons, radish and cresses. This is a creative twist on our local Bak Kut Teh and it’s a nourishing way to begin your day.

Brunch specials offer Char Siew Eggs Benedict, Lup Cheong Rosti and Chilli Crab Burger, just to name a few. Classic poached eggs and barbecued pulled pork are drizzled generously with dollops of Hoisin hollandaise and served with homemade puff pastry. I really love my eggs poached as I love the image of slicing the eggs in the middle, causing bright yellow yolk to ooze out so appetizingly. The lup cheong rosti is a local twist on classic Western rosti dishes. As a Singaporean, I’m a huge fan of chilli crabs so there was no doubt which brunch special appealed to me most. Despite getting my hands dirty, I’ll still bite huge chunks off the chilli crab burger, consisting of fried soft shell crab, homemade chilli crab sauce and arugula stacked in the middle of two soft brioche burger buns.

Big eaters can go for the Seafood Tom Yum Risotto which is a tomyum pumpkin risotto served with grilled tiger prawns, flower clams and squids. This is the ultimate brunch dish if you’re feeling extremely hungry! Froth also serves desserts, waffles and lava toasts for their weekend brunch.

You don’t have to go light on brunches as indulgence is good once in a while so we recommend the superb steaks served at Mad Cow. Whether you desire Aussie beef, Prime US Ribeye or Angus steaks, Mad Cow has it all. The bacon & egg salad is my usual comfort food and I love munching on the fresh greens while waiting for my steak to be prepared. If you’re heading here with a bunch of friends, you can order their light bites for sharing, from crispy chicken pops to Mad Cow’s kueh pie tee to their range of cheese available.

I always go for the US Ribeye as this part contains the most abundant fat marbling, hence being the juiciest and most flavoursome of all steaks. I love its robust flavours, tender texture, with fatty juices bursting in my mouth with every bite. However, I have girlfriends who watch their diets closely so they usually go for the US Tenderloin, the part with the least fats. It is lean and has the mildest flavour compared to other cuts. It’s also not as juicy as other steaks and sometimes, I find it too dry if cooked beyond medium.

If you’re not in the mood for steaks, Mad Cow also serves burgers, pastas, chicken cutlets, seafood dishes, fish and chips, and some other vegetarian options. It’s conveniently located near Orchard Road, making it an ideal brunch spot before your shopping spree.

Ninja Cut serves Japanese-inspired rice bowls and the good news is that their brunch items are available all day. I would have a serving of Yoghurt & Granola with a serving of Ninja’s Steak & Eggs for a fulfilling breakfast before the start of my hectic work day. A healthy and refreshing bowl of fresh fruits, granolas, honey, milk and yoghurt will keep me energized for a long period of time although it doesn’t fill my tummy. Hence, I paired this light dish with a heartier item – Ninja’s Steak & Eggs, slow-roasted ribeye, scambled eggs and toast. I really love the combinations of textures and flavours.

If you can consume rice bowls for brunch, we recommend Waikiki Surf and Tuna-Na-Na-Na. The former consists of yuzu-marinated salmon poke, aburi avocado, cherry tomatoes, onsen egg, garden greens and sakura ebi. The latter, on the other hand, contains tuna tataki, onsen egg, tomatoes, miso cucumbers, aburi avocado and furitake. Both of these items are so nutritious and a great start to the day!

You can end your brunch on a sweet note with the Marvellous Matcha Ricotta pancake. It’s like a huge Matcha lava cake, filled with green tea fondant made in-house from white chocolate and Matcha powder. We couldn’t resist taking a bite as soon as we noticed matcha flowing out upon splitting the pancake apart. It is topped with ricotta cheese to neutralize the sweetness and the yuzu peel gave this dessert a tangy twist. Homemade dango and azuki beans further enhanced the attractiveness and flavours of this dessert.

Weekend brunch at Platypus Kitchen is a relaxing gastronomical affair. It’s not just a feast for your eyes but the food tickles your tastebuds too. Those with a sweet tooth can go for the DIY Sea Salt Caramel French Toast that is perfectly executed, topped with the DIY vanilla crème and sweet sour cream and accompanied by salted caramel sauce and wild berry coulis. Its sweetness is neutralized by the slightly savoury salted caramel sauce and it finishes with a refreshing twist from the sour cream.

My favourite is the Sous-vide Eggs Shakshuka, made from cumin & chilli tomato chutney, 63 degrees Celsius eggs, sautéed mushrooms, paprika, cilantro and served with homemade rustic bread. Dipping the bread into this flavourful shakshuka is so heavenly! Like I said, I prefer savoury food to sweet items hence, I found this shakshuka hitting all the right spots.

You can also savour Platypus Brunch Bowls, which is similar to a salad, containing sliced ribeye, japonica rice, sharp cheddar, bacon bits, onsen egg, wasabi sprouts and cherry tomatoes. Besides these, brunch specials also include greek style salmon & feta bowl, double stacked philly cheese steak and lime, prawn & arugula linguine. The double stacked philly cheese steak is a wonderful comfort food though it’s terribly sinful.

Weekend Brunch is so exciting at The 1925 Microbrewery & Restaurant due to their dessert cocktails. The brunch menu is only available on Saturdays and Sundays from 11am to 3pm. You can start off with the mushroom soup infused with truffle oil to enhance its flavour. It is freshly prepared in-house and served with a side of grilled Portobello and toasted bread. Mushroom-lovers will simply fall in love with this dish.

We liked the Deep Fried Poached Egg on Portobello, with a side of grilled vegetables and toast with homemade herb butter and a jumbo cheese sausage. Waking up to a meal like this has never felt so good! Other savoury brunch items include The 1925 Breakfast, as well as, the Chargrilled Beef Burger. The former features poached eggs, sautéed mushrooms, sundried tomatoes on toast with a side of Portobello, grilled vegetables and sliced bacon while the latter boasts freshly grilled beef patty with sautéed mushrooms and topped with crispy bacon, served with a side of fries.

As for desserts, The 1925 Tiramisu sounds enticing but our attention is captured by the Dessert Cocktails, mainly Ziegfeld Follies and Gelico Flapper. Bigger groups can order a few appetizers for sharing, ranging from truffle fries to wasabi fries to chicken skins and Hawaiian pizza. There’s something for everyone at The 1925 Microbrewery & Restaurant.

Weekday brunch lasts from 8am till 3.30pm while weekend brunch is from 9am to 3.30pm. The brunch offering is almost similar, with their signature Toasted Banana Bread on both menus. You have a choice of choosing your toppings between homemade vanilla yogurt & toasted macadamia nuts and homemade ricotta, pumpkin seeds & honey. The toasted banana bread is soft and fluffy, with slightly charred corners. Personally, I prefer topping the toast with homemade vanilla yogust & toasted macadamia nuts, for a light yet tasty finish, with a good crunch.

There are other brunch items such as salads, roast chicken ciabatta, roast beef on wholemeal, the Lokal ricotta, the Lokal lobster roll and many more. You can even pimp your own breakfast with 25 items to choose from. It’s always nice to eat what you’ve chosen or created for yourself. Don’t forget to order a cup of coffee to kick-start your system!

Lastly, we recommend sharing a dessert to complete your meal. The sticky date pudding is a to-die-for dessert, with plentiful caramel sauce and vanilla ice cream. Please share it as it’s too sweet for one person to devour.

BOOK YOUR TABLE AT QUANDOO

Wondering why you should use Quandoo? Well, firstly, if you’re clueless as to what to have for your meal, you’ll be able to find a variety of restaurants using Quandoo. Furthermore, you’ll be able to earn loyalty points while dining at many restaurants. The festive season also calls for many gatherings and catch-up sessions so make your reservations through Quandoo to save precious time so you can spend more quality time with your family and friends.

There you have it – 7 amazing brunch places worth traveling around Singapore for! Everything’s made easy with Quandoo. Now, we are even more motivated to get up early just for brunch dates. With the plethora of food offerings, brunch will never get boring. We hope this is a helpful brunch guide for all of you.

This article is powered by Quandoo.

The post 7 Best Places for Brunch with Quandoo appeared first on Miss Tam Chiak.

It’s the end of November, we all know Christmas is coming. For companies, Christmas party is a way of saying “thank you” for all the hard work. For families, it is the time to get together and have a feast. BUT, planning Christmas meals is not an easy task. Food is a key part of any party. You are not alone if that’s how you are feeling about it, as the time and pressure of cooking something your families will enjoy can make it a stressful ordeal.

Four Seasons Catering has launched a limited edition Xmas Party Box Set which will help you to with your party planning. Catering to a group of 8-10 pax, you can save the hassle of food preparation for gathering and focus on spending quality time with family and friends. Plus, they are halal certified. Marvellous, isn’t it?

Only available for 100 sets, each Xmas Party Set is stacked with specially designed Christmas boxes and delivered like a present – isn’t this more convenient and hassle free? Comes with full fill utensils, biodegradable plates ware and disposable mat and recycle bags, you can just purchase it and deliver it to the venue as a gift set, instead of the usual potluck.

Thank you Four Seasons Catering, I get to have my Christmas party early to try out the Xmas Set! The appetizers begin with a huge bowl of Turkey Ham & Potato Salad. Indulge in julienne turkey ham to add richness, offset by sweet and grainy honey mustard dressing.

Deep fried items are always a hit, especially amongst the kids. The Triple Snacks Platter was gone very quickly because of the deep fried Golden Fish Finger, Mexican Wings and Ebi Prawns. I like the wings most with spicy half-cut mid wing, coated with Mexican spices and deep-fried to golden brown perfection.

When you think of Christmas dinner, you probably envision a huge and round turkey set at the center of your dining room table right? But I think the simpler way is to have it readily sliced so that we don’t have to spend hours in the kitchen preparing the iconic holiday bird.

Here comes the star – Christmas Turkey Roast that is already beautifully sliced to moderate thickness. The turkey breast is roasted till perfection and stuffed with apricot, finished with a giblet sauce drizzle. Don’t be fooled by the look of the meat because it’s still tender and the giblet sauce sure makes it tasty.

Other dishes in the Xmas Part Box Set includes the Blackened Spices Oven Baked Fish served with a lemon butter caper sauce, Buttered Corn & Carrots, Rosemary Roasted Potatoes and Creamy Pesto Penne. All these are great accompaniment to the turkey roast. We particularly like the buttered corn because it’s soooo sweet.

Here comes the finale – Bread & Butter Pudding. The chef’s signature dessert, the bread & butter pudding is freshly baked in-house. It comes to the table as one loaf studded colourful raisins, strawberries and raspberries. My favorite part is the contrast between the crisp surface and a plush interior that will absorb the clotted cream and raspberry compote perfectly. Don’t bother splitting this with a friend—you’ll each want your own.

Four Seasons Catering’s Xmas Party Box costs $289.00 ($309.23W/GST) per set and is suitable for 10 pax. The Christmas menus are available from 1st Dec 2016 till 1st Jan 2017.

Exclusive Citibank promotion! Enjoy 15% off Xmas Party Box (self-collection orders) or 10% off Xmas Party Box (Delivery orders)

One lucky reader will stand a chance to win a set of Xmas Party Box when they
1. LIKE Four Seasons Catering Facebook Page
2. TAG your families/friends in the comments fields & hashtag #FourSeasonsxMTC
on the repost on Four Seasons FB Page.

• Giveaway period: 25th Nov – 27th Nov

Four Seasons Catering
Hotline: +65 6383 3003
Website: http://www.fourseasons.com.sg
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/fourseasonscateringpteltd

The post Four Seasons Catering Launched Limited Edition Halal Xmas Party Box Set – ONLY 100 SETS! appeared first on Miss Tam Chiak.

Nothing is more welcoming that a rich bowl of fishmaw soup filled with generous servings of minced pork, pork liver and quality fish maw, topped with braised mushroom slices. Seng Kee has been in business for 36 years. Owner Mr Lee started out in Eunos before settling here in Serangoon Gardens a few years ago. He is well known for tossing his bowl up into the air when he is cooking his Bak Chor Mee.

I have been a loyal fan of Seng Kee for many years. Just that whenever I visit, my camera is not with me and hence the delay in this posting. A few weeks ago, I went back to fix my BCM cravings and was shocked that the stall was closed. When I posted it in Instagram, Mr Lee’s daughter, Melody, informed me that they have shifted a few stalls away (stall 36). Phew! So I went back again last week and got my cravings satisfied!

Go for the $10 one lah, confirm you won’t regret! This is a fish maw Mee to try. Each bowl of cloudy soup is so tasty and full of flavours. Boiled with pork bones for hours, dried sole fish (ti poh) was added for extra depth and umami. When you watch the video, you will hear Mr Lee exclaiming that he uses premium quality fish maw which has soaked all the essence from the soup. Each bowl of $10 fish maw soup also includes pork slices, minced pork and braised mushrooms.

The noodles are cooked till al dente and tossed with their chilli and thick mushroom sauce. Mr Lee said that the mushrooms are braised for at least 4 hours with some spices and it indeed goes well with the noodles. And super addictive. To be honest, Serangoon Gardens is not too convenient for us but whenever I have the chance, I would gladly make a detour just for Seng Kee Mushroom Minced Meat Noodle. That’s it, one of my favourite BCM blogged!

MissTamChiak.com paid its own meal at the stall featured here.

The post Seng Kee Mushroom Minced Meat Noodle – Delicious Fish Maw Soup in Serangoon Gardens appeared first on Miss Tam Chiak.

Korean BBQ and Japanese Hotpot are two highly sought-after meals in Singapore. Ministry of Food at NEX Shopping Centre has combined both beloved brands – DaeSsiksin Korean BBQ Buffet and DANRO Collagen Hotpot Buffet – together to give you the best of both worlds.

With bottomless supplies of marinated meats, fresh ingredients and a whole range of Korean and Japanese delicacies, you can enjoy delicious Korean BBQ with cheese dip or a robust collagen hotpot or both! Each table features a built-in grilling pit for all meats and vegetables. Don’t worry about leaving the smoke on your shirt as the smoke suction pipe absorbs the smell of the Korean BBQ while you are cooking. Plus, there is free flow of drinks!

The restaurant is popular for its prime cuts of meat available all-day including beef bugolgi, marinated pork, pork collar, marinated chicken, spicy octopus. During dinner, more premier selection such as marinated ribeye, beef short ribs and prawns will be added. There are also radish pickles, onion sauce, green chilli, enoki mushrooms, tomatoes, kimchi etc which make great accompaniment to the meats. Attention to detail—the raw meats are exceptional—makes the difference.

The grills are turned high. The table starts to hiss. The beef short rib is first to be submitted to the fire. It quickly becomes melt-in-your-mouth delicious. There’s also a juicy and more intense-tasting ribeye. Spicy octopus with spicy gochujang sauce is seared quickly on the grill. It’s tender, enjoyably chewy, not to mention a burst of flavour with every bite!

Kimchi Pork belly is marinated for hours and the natural sweetness is deepened by the fermented vegetables eclipsing it. Let the pork belly stretch out and watch the faintest ripple as it starts to feel the heat. Cook some kimchi on the top and when all is ready, eat it together and you will go “oomph…”.

Then comes the glory of cheese, placed at the corner of the grill, used for dipping the meats. Be patient: It takes a while for the cheese to melt and you should stir it continuously to get a smooth custard-y texture. But trust me, you won’t regret it.

There are various ways to eat the meat.

We first cooked the enoki and bacon separately before wrapping it together and savour it as an entity. Then, when the pork belly is nearly done, we snip the meat with scissors and have romaine leaves ready at the side for folding around the pork, along with a swab of gochujang and sliced garlic. I like to add some grilled cherry tomatoes while help to cut the oiliness. End off by cooking rice with gochujang, kimchi and cheese over the grill and let the grains soak up the juices from the meat.

As for the banchan, the array of small side dishes that come with Korean barbecue, these are equally sumptuous and abundant. The crispy fried chicken is tossed in sweet glaze and the boiled pork belly is less oily yet still as tasty.

Another draw here is DANRO Collagen Hotpot Buffet. Select 2 soup bases from Chicken Collagen, Garlic Pork Collagen, Garlic Pork Spicy, or Sukiyaki. A pot of 2 broths is brought to the table, set on a gas stove, and heated until it boils.

Platters of raw ingredients (beef, chicken, pork, vegetables etc) are available at the buffet table, so feel free to take your pick. Vegetables like cabbage are dropped into the broth first, followed a few minutes later by silvers of pork belly.

I was just as happy eating the meat unswaddled, touched by nothing but you can dip the meat into peanut sesame sauce or yuzu sauce. After having so much BBQ, it’s always good to return to comforting soups to end the meal. The collagen hot pot tastes sweeter with cabbage; while the sukiyaki is not overpowering and good for meats. The ambience is fun and casual, and everyone was making conversations while cooking on the table.

Here’s the most awesome deal. If you are craving for Korean BBQ and hotpot, you only need to top up $7++ / table (1 to 3 pax) or $4++ / table (4 pax & above). It’s the best of both worlds!

Buffet Pricing at SERANGOON NEX

Weekday (80 mins lunch, 100 mins dinner per diner)
Lunch: $16.90 ++ (adult); $10.90++ (child 4-10 years old and senior citizen 55 & above)
Dinner: $28.90 ++ (adult); $21.90++ (child 4-10 years old and senior citizen 55 & above)

Weekend (100 mins dinner per diner)
All day: $28.90 ++ (adult); $21.90++ (child below 10 and senior citizen 55 & above)

Additional Cheese Dip: $3++

Student Promo

Monday to Friday 11.30am to 4.30pm at only $13.90++ (60mins). For students 16 years old and below. Present student pass to enjoy the promotion. Only for December 2016.

December is the month of giving. I am giving away $50 dining vouchers to 5 lucky readers of MissTamChiak.com

All you have to do is:
On Miss Tam Chiak’s Facebook Page, tag three friends you wish to bring for Korean BBQ & Japanese Hot Pot and why?

Closing date: 5th December 2016, 23:59.

This post was brought to you by Ministry Of Food.

The post DaeSsiksin Korean BBQ Buffet & DANRO Collagen Hotpot Buffet – Enjoy the Best of Both Worlds at Serangoon NEX! (PLUS GIVEAWAY) appeared first on Miss Tam Chiak.

As the clock nears midnight on December 31, what could be better than celebrating the end of the year with a memorable meal? Whether you’re looking for a fun party or a more romantic space to share a midnight Champagne toast with someone special, Grand Hyatt Singapore is one of the best choices in town. Located right in the middle of Orchard Road, the hotel celebrates all things beautiful with five different buffets at their F&B establishments (with different beverage options) on Saturday, 31 December 2016, including a Belle Époque countdown party.

mezza9

No celebration is complete without a visit to mezza9. Offering a multitude of culinary delights in just one spectacular venue, you will be treated to a thoughtfully sourced buffet spanning every theatre kitchen that includes Chinese, Japanese, Thai and Western cuisines.

Highlights will consist of a sustainable crustacean bar, as well as British Red Poll prime rib, grass-fed lamb saddle, Dingley Dell pork racks and more, all prepared on a Jarrah wood-fired spit roast. The beef is slowly roasted for hours until the exterior is in beautiful shade of brown and the interior cooked to a rosy pink. The meat is deeply succulent and intensely beefy in flavour.

Other highlights will include sustainable sashimi and sushi; Chinese roast meats; Isaan sausages (Thai-style sour fermented pork and rice sausages) and other Thai classics from our expanded Thai kitchen. The buffet begins at 7:30 PM, and is priced at SGD298++ per adult (with alcohol) and SGD148++ per child (ages 4 to 17), which includes entry to the Belle Époque countdown party.

StraitsKitchen

For a uniquely Singaporean festive buffet, look no further than StraitsKitchen, which will feature authentic Chinese, Malay and Indian dishes whipped up in Halal-certified kitchens.

During the festive period, you will have the chance to savour lobster masala, sikandari raan (lamb leg seasoned with Indian spices), Malay oxtail soup, baked salmon in brioche and roasted duck rolls in egg pancakes, available at the Peking duck carving station. The lobster masala is tender with just enough bite! A chilled sustainable seafood bar will feature poached tiger prawns, Boston lobsters, Alaskan crab legs and freshly shucked oysters.

The buffet begins at 7:30 PM, and is priced at SGD188++ per adult (with alcohol), SGD138++ per adult (without alcohol) and SGD98++ per child (ages 4 to 12), which includes entry to the Belle Époque countdown party.

Pete’s Place

Serving authentic Italian cuisine in a homely environment, Pete’s Place is an ideal venue for any gathering with friends and family. Surround yourself in the rustic trattoria setting of Pete’s Place, while tucking in to Italian antipasti such as spicy devilled eggs, beef carpaccio, salami, sustainable crustaceans from the seafood bar and more.

There will also be handcrafted pastas, risottos and wood-fired pizzas, while mains will include oven-baked porchetta with rosemary and garlic, roasted Australian grain-fed beef rib eye and salt-crusted barramundi, all available at the carving stations. The porchetta is freaking delicious, with a good balance of fatty and lean meat. Generously salted, the roasted meat is basted with its own juices.

The buffet begins at 7:30 PM, and is priced SGD188++ per adult (with alcohol) and SGD98++ per child (ages 4 to 17), which includes entry to the Belle Époque countdown party.

10 Scotts

Perfect for cosy get-togethers with your girlfriends this New Year’s Eve, 10 SCOTTS will feature a communal-style array of highlights such as sustainable sashimi (Pacific yellowfin tuna, Atlantic salmon, yellowtail kingfish), freshly-shucked oysters from the crustacean bar, an extensive appetiser buffet and a carving station showcasing grass-fed Australian roast beef, baked salmon coulibiac and Chinese roasted duck with pancakes.

The buffet begins at 7:30 PM, priced at SGD188++ per adult (with alcohol) and SGD98++ per child (ages 4 to 17), which includes entry to the Belle Époque countdown party.

Oasis Restaurant

I love poolside BBQ! For an alfresco locale, head to Oasis Restaurant for a great selection of barbecue choices such as spicy gai yang chicken, beef sirloin, lamb cutlets and more. Offerings will also include a sustainable seafood bar and a live carving station featuring salmon coulibiac and roasted turkey with chestnut stuffing. You can end the meal with classic holiday desserts such as Jack Daniel’s-soaked plum pudding.

The buffet begins at 7:30 PM, and is priced at SGD98++ per adult (with alcohol) and SGD48++ per child (ages 4 to 17), and does not include entry to the Belle Époque countdown party.

Belle Époque Countdown Party

Meaning the “Beautiful Age” in French, the Belle Époque countdown party will celebrate this golden age with ornate touches and live entertainment right in the hotel lobby. Priced at $88.00++ for each party ticket alone, enjoy free-flowing beverages such as Perrier-Jouët Belle Époque vintage champagne, and an exquisite dessert extravaganza from 9:30 PM onwards. For more information, please click here.

This post was brought to you by Grand Hyatt Singapore.

The post Grand Hyatt Singapore – Usher in 2017 with a Belle Époque party! appeared first on Miss Tam Chiak.

Located at Bugis Cube along North Bridge Road, Jiu Gong Ge Hotpot is the latest trendy hotpot place to go in Bugis to get your mala fix. They sell your typical mala hotpot, but erm, it’s bigger. And we really mean much bigger.

Different from the normal round pot, 9-grid Hot Pot is divided into 9 sectors. Using the same soup base, you can boil your favourite side dishes without mixing with others. The heat varies from sector to sector, with the centre being the highest.

You’ll find plenty of fresh hot pot ingredients, ranging from mouthwatering meats like kurobuta pork, frogs, mala chicken, to seafood like spicy baby lobster, as well as plenty of vegetables, rice and noodles. You can order an ala-carte or go for the seafood set at $118 (2-3pax), $148 (4-5pax) and $198 (6-7pax).

While hotpots provide warmth during rainy days like this, it is also a communal eating experience that makes it memorable. My group of 5 sat around the hotpot, dipping and chatting and generally having a great time. We ordered the seafood set for 4-5 pax. There were at least 50 clams in the pot and a whole lot of other fresh seafood like bamboo clams, lobsters, crabs and more.

We looked at each other and the pot. Then we dug back in. Slowly and steadily, we conquered every piece of crustacean, slurping the juices from the prawn and lobster head quietly while listening to the list of Chinese songs played in the restaurant. If seafood is not your thing, go for the ala carte menu where you can order the meats.

The seafood has been pre-cooked before steeping in the hotpot that is slick with oil and heaped with cilantro. More than 10 spices are used to make the soup, all we feel is the signature mouth-tingling after every sip. Even so, it tasted so good. I was trying to render some self-control but all seems futile. In fact, it wasn’t my first time here. The previous time, we had mala grilled fish here and it’s delicious too. To cool the tongue, you might land on the a can of soya bean (or maybe not), which we thought was homemade.

As with all hotpot, concoct your own chilli dip to go with the mala. But seriously, I don’t think there is a need here because the soup itself is already power. At the end of the feast, we all join in and sip the broth as a last course; it has absorbed all the flavors of the seafood that have gone before.

It’s definitely a perfect way to start December and a great team lunch to get to know each other better.

Let’s build a food community that helps to update the food news in Singapore! Simply comment below if there’s any changes or additional info to Jiu Gong Ge Hotpot 九宫格火锅. We will verify and update from our side. Thanks in advance!

MissTamChiak.com paid its own meal at the stall featured here.

The post Ming Tang Jiu Gong Ge Hotpot (名堂九宫格火锅) in Bugis – That is really HUGE! appeared first on Miss Tam Chiak.

By Maureen & Aileen

Located within the central area of Singapore, Orchard Road is famous for its numerous shopping centres. However, it has always been painful when it comes to settling a meal in Orchard, as most of the time it involves us in burning a hole in our pocket. Do you know that you can easily get food under $10 or even $5 at Orchard? We’re talking about meals that can satisfy your tummy and your palettes. We have travelled into every nook of Orchard Road, and here’s a long list of places with cheap (and some with really good) food.

How about having a bowl of Buddha Jump Over The Wall for just $10? Stewed with generous amounts of mini delicacies such as dry scallops, abalone, mushrooms, sea cucumber and fish maw, the taste is mellow and tender. In fact it is lighter than Shen Xi Soup but still decent. A set comes with a small plate of bean sprouts and a bowl of rice. They also offer a variety of “atas” food such as Tom Yum Sea Cucumber Soup set ($5.90) and Baby Abalone in Sauce set ($9.10). Despite us arriving during lunch time, this place was surprisingly not crowded, hence we had no trouble finding us seats. Read more about it on https://www.misstamchiak.com/rabbit-brand-seafood-delicacies/

PeraMakan is a highly recommended place, because the food is SHIOK! For 1 meat and 2 vegetables, this meal cost $8.80. The beef rendang was soft and filled with fragrance of the spices. The spiciness really hits the spot but it’s too addictive to stop. The curry vegetable and lady fingers were on point too. If you’re ever shopping around Orchard Road, this is a MUST-TRY!

Saveur at Far East Plaza is under the same organization that manages Saveur Art located at Ion. The signature Saveur’s Pasta comes in two portions, $4.90 and $10.50. The latter is equivalent to that of a main. The pasta consists of chilli oil, chopped kombu, pork sauce, sakura ebi. Slightly on the drier side, the pasta was quite out of the ordinary. It was savoury with a touch of spiciness. The sakura ebi also gave a crunchy texture and slight salty taste to the pasta.

Located just a few stalls away in Lucky Food Centre, Hua Ji Sliced Fish Soup ($4) also garners quite a number of customers. Be prepared to queue for around 5 to 10 minutes before getting your orders taken, and as the food centre is rather small, it would be best to find a friend to help “chope” seats while you queue. A thumbs up to their aromatic soup as they are very generous with their shao xing wine. However, although the soup was addictive, their sliced fish was quite thin and their fried fish was slightly salty.

The famous Indonesian BBQ from Plaza Singapura’s Kopitiam can be found at 313@Somerset. They have the usual Ayam Panggang, Ikan Panggang and Sotong Panggang which can be ordered as ala carte or with a set which comes with a drink. The price range is from $5 to $8.60. I always go for the Ayam Panggang where the big chicken thigh is grilled till perfection and drizzled with black sauce that has a balance of sweet and savoury.

A small cozy eatery located in a corner of Cuppage Plaza, Orchard Yong Tau Fu has fresh ingredients such as stuffed tofu, mushrooms, bitter gourd, meatballs, broccoli and cabbage. The ingredients are cooked and served in flavorsome broth that was made from soy beans. For just 7 ingredients with noodles, it only costs $5.60.

As with all Pork Ribs Soup ($7 / $9), the quality of the dish depends strongly on the quality of the pork. Keeping this in mind, Song Fa uses good quality pork that is carefully simmered with garlic and pepper to achieve the clear and peppery soup. The peppery kick is not overpowering, balanced off with the sweetness from pork ribs. Another signature dish is the Braised Pig Trotters ($7 / $9) stewed with a range of spices to achieve the intense flavour and mouth-watering tenderness. Read about The Centrepoint’s new restaurants here: https://www.misstamchiak.com/the-centrepoint-new-restaurants-orchard/

At Greenview Café, you get to enjoy traditional handmade mee hoon kueh. The Dry Mee Hoon Kueh with Minced Pork ($4.50) has chewy mee hoon kueh and you could tell it is handmade as they were all in odd shapes. As mine was served spicy, the level of spiciness was so shiok that my lips was slightly swollen. So if you’re not able to take too spicy, you might want to choose soup or non-spicy.

This humble-looking stall is hidden in a corner of Lucky Plaza, and serves a wide variety of Indonesian dishes for their Nasi Padang. They have dishes that are spicy and non-spicy. Their green chili chicken was very tender and not spicy, but if you favor the spicy version, there’s the usual curry chicken. The dishes can be quite spicy, so be sure to ask before ordering if you can’t take spicy food. For this plate of Nasi Padang, where there’s fish, eggplant and chicken, the damage was $10.

A traditional Hainanese chicken rice stall in Far East Plaza, this is my chicken rice fix since secondary school days (no kidding). Their tender chicken rice costs $4 and you could add an egg for just $0.50. The chicken itself melts in your mouth is so full of flavours. You can top it will thick soy sauce and refreshing chilli. There is free soups for every diner. It’s quite a small shop so if you’re going to eat there during meal times, be sure to be early or you would have to wait for a seat.

Dapur Penyet’s owner Edy Ongkowijaya is considered by many as the first person to introduce ayam penyet to Singapore. Using rice flour and deep frying flour with egg as batter, the Ayam Penyet ($9.50) is not overcooked and retains a nice juiciness. The skin is wonderfully crispy, yet not hard. It comes with a batch of boiled kang kong, a piece of tempeh (fermented soya bean cake) and beancurd. One unique point of Depur Penyet is – they have 5 different types of sambal of varying spiciness, with origins from different parts of Indonesia. Read about The Centrepoint’s new restaurants here: https://www.misstamchiak.com/the-centrepoint-new-restaurants-2016/

The chicken cutlet was the star of RedRing Treasures. These cutlets are marinated for 24 hours in their secret marinade and freshly fried upon order so you get a crispy exterior with a tender and juicy interior. The egg noodles boast a springy texture when accompanied by their signature umami rich sauces, which complement the cutlets very well. The Chicken Cutlet Noodle costs $5.90, read about it here: https://www.misstamchiak.com/redring-treasures/

Not exactly a snack bar, but they do have a great variety of zi char dishes. The Salted Egg Pork Ribs Rice ($6) is executed really well. The pork rib was tender and easy to chew but we would have been slightly more satisfied if it consisted of a little crispiness. The sauce, on the other hand, was so wonderful, featuring the right balance of rich creaminess and aroma. There were curry leaves which enhanced its fragrance and chilli padi that gave it a good kick. This beautiful sauce didn’t taste gelat at all and we enjoyed every mouthful. We would highly recommend this dish to anyone who’s in town and wants some enjoyable yet affordable food. You can also try their claypot beef mee tai mak. Read more about it: https://www.misstamchiak.com/new-station-snack-bar/

Tasty Treats is conveniently located beside New Station Snack Bar. The Fish Fillet Noodle ($4) is an interesting mix of fried fish fillet with wanton mee’s kind of noodles. The fish fillet is crispy and juicy, like those from a Western food stall. The noodles were also al dente, and especially love it when eaten with the chili.

Real Food Café, located at Killiney Road, is a vegetarian restaurant. Despite the zen furnishing of the restaurant, the Mushroom Aglio Olio ($10.80) tasted rather bland. It actually lacked in fragrance of the garlic and was not savoury. It did have some spiciness but that was all.

Specialized in their Ayam Penyet ($7.90), the set comes with smashed chicken, fried tempe, fried tofu, blanched kang kong, sambal chili and rice. For people who love spicy food, their sambal belachan would definitely not disappoint you. Spicy yet addictive, it was a literally a love-hate when you want to have the sambal but your mouth was already burning. The chicken was flavorful as you could taste spice used, however the meat was slightly tough and dry.

At $9.90, you could get a bowl of Beef Pho at Tonkin Vietnamese Noodles Bar. The rice noodle was al dente, but the soup could taste better with more flavours from the beef broth. There was a generous portion of beef and vegetables, so if you’re not picky with the taste, it’s quite worth the price.

Not exactly at an easily locatable place, Thai Tantric is a small eatery at corner. The Pork Belly Rice ($7.20) consists of rice, sunny side up and, crispy and well-seasoned pork belly. The pork belly was slightly tough and thin, but the seasoning was really tasty. The chili sauce was rather spicy but does not really suit my taste.

The Beer Battered Fish ($8.90) at Ngee Ann City, was quite big a portion. The fish was soft and moist, and the batter was light and crispy. Served along with fries, this was actually more than enough for me. Really for this price and the portion, it’s a great catch, don’t you think?

Located at level 6 of Lucky Plaza, My Favourite Café is known for their Yong Tau Foo, but they also sells Fishball Noodles and Wanton Noodles. For $5.60, you get to choose 8 yong tau foo ingredients accompanied with rice or noodles. They are famous for their deep fried meatball, but it felt rather dry personally. On the other hand, their famed braised mushroom had fragrant garlic taste and was juicy. The soup is robust with flavors of soy bean and the other ingredients also tasted very fresh.

Where else can you settle a meal in Orchard with just $3.80? At River Valley Nasi Lemak, you have 5 different sets to choose from, and they’re all just $3.80. Their chicken drumstick set comes with fried chicken that was very big and crispy, along with fish, otah and egg. The chili was sweet and spicy, and goes very well with the rice. The downside of having cheap and good food is the queue; don’t be too shock when you see how long it can be.

Upon entering into this place, it was as though I travelled back in time into a chicken rice stall with white marbled floor and round wooden stools. Their fragrant rice paired with their homemade chili is very addictive. The chicken was soft and placing it on light soy sauce enhances the taste of the roasted chicken. The roasted chicken rice ($4.50) comes with soup but if you would like a drink, that’s $1.50 more. If you find this place too crowded, you could always pop by at Rabbit Brand Delicacies Food Outlet, which is just down the corridor.

Just up the escalator to level 4, you can easily spot As-Shifaa Café which is just around the corner. Everyone queuing there is just waiting for one thing, their deep fried chicken with rice and sambal ($4.50). You get to choose the part of the chicken you would like to go along with your rice. The sambal that a given is a perfect match for the chicken. Nonetheless, they do close as early as 4pm so be sure to be early if you want some tasty fried chicken.

At Inasal Philippine Barbecue, most of the dishes are barbecued. As most dishes are not in English, it can be a little difficult to order, but feel free to ask as the staff there is rather friendly. Initially, Pork Inasal set (pork on stick) was chosen, but the kind staff suggested Pork Belly set ($9) as he felt it was a nicer dish. The pork belly was slightly charred and oily, so if you’re health conscious, you might want to steer off this dish. The achar (pickled vegetables) was different from the Nonya version, as it was sweet and sour, making it very appetizing. By the way, if you’re not familiar with Lucky Plaza, it would take you awhile to find this shop. Try locating their bakery also named Inasal and you would be able to find the eating place tucked behind it.

Situated in Lucky Food Centre, Fancy Vegetarian Food offers a variety of vegetarian dishes to go along with either fried rice, rice, or beehoon. For this plate of beehoon with 4 sides, it was just $4. Their curry vegetable was surprisingly spicy, but it enhances the taste of the beehoon. The best part was none other than the crispy and fragrant Vegetarian Mock Goose, which was fried just right and not too charred.

Let’s build a food community that helps to update the food news in Singapore! Simply comment below to recommend more affordable and good food in Orchard Road. Thanks in advance!

MissTamChiak.com paid for all the meals featured here.

The post 25 Places to Eat Cheap & Good Food in Orchard under $10 (some even below $5) appeared first on Miss Tam Chiak.

Among the many popular prawn noodles stalls in Singapore, Wah Kee Big Prawn Noodle from Pek Kio Market and Food Centre stands as a strong contender amongst its competitors. Despite serving bowls of prawn noodles up to tens of dollars which might come as a surprise to some, it has undoubtedly won the hearts of many Singaporeans across the island with their heavenly prawn noodles.

Building on its 65 years of legacy at Pek Kio Market and Food Centre, it has opened another outlet at a prime location, Esplanade Mall. Their signature big prawn Noodles, available in dry or soup, is a must-try.

Surely, we were not left disappointed. The Mee Kia noodles, which was specially made for Wah Kee Prawn Noodles, were cooked to al dente and had a great QQ texture. The lard and chili provided the extra Oomph to the noodles, making it even more flavourful. Soup noodles are also available, but we highly recommend trying the dry version.

Finally, introducing the star of the day- succulent prawns sitting in a bowl of heavenly broth. The prawns were perfect, slightly firm yet bouncy with a slight crunch texture upon biting into it. Dip your prawns into the specially crafted spicy sauce for the extra kick!

The owner shared his secret recipe of using 6 different types of prawns and completely no meat to prepare the broth for 4 hours. The sweetness and richness of the prawns came through upon the first sip of the broth. A slight spice kick and hint of garlic elevated the dish further, and left us feeling satisfied.

There are 4 sizes available: Regular, Medium, Large and Extra Large, priced at $6, $12, $20, $30 respectively. Only the regular and medium sized portions were priced slightly higher by $1 and $2 than the Pek Kio stall respectively, which is reasonable in our opinion. Upon comparison, the prawns found in the $20 portion were sweeter and more flavourful than the ones in the $12 portion.

Expect to be indulge in a wide array of new creations and special dipping sauces prepared in-house daily at this branch! Seafood lovers will be glad to know that this place could be your next heaven. Grilled or steamed options are available, with the choice of 2 complimentary sauces.

If you appreciate raw oysters, definitely tuck into the Fresh French Oysters ($4.50 per piece) and Fresh US Oysters ($3.50 per piece). The fresh oysters were fresh, juicy and plump. The oyster dishes come with a choice of 2 sauces from a selection of 4 sauces – the classic Tobasco sauce, Sawadee sauce, Ponzu sauce and Sichuan sauce. Perhaps, you could give the tangy Ponzu sauce a shot if you’re spoilt for choice. Any additional sauces will cost an extra $2. Although we were served the freshest catch of the day – Canadian Oysters instead, feel rest assured that the restaurant promises to deliver the freshest to you. If you’re in the mood, feel free to pair your seafood with their comprehensive selection of wine.

Doesn’t this dish remind you of the typical oyster cakes that we are familiar with? We personally felt these Oyster Croquettes ($12 for 3 pieces) were pretty tasty. The dish came with 2 dipping sauces – Soya Mayonnaise and Chili Barbecue. Prying the crispy exterior open which reveals the oyster is like discovering a rare pearl in an oyster.

The Blue Mussel With White Wine ($30) was a relatively mediocre dish in terms of aesthetics and taste. There were no hints of white wine at all, and the steamed mussels were not the most flavourful that we have tried. For that price tag, you may want to save your stomach space for better dishes.

This Grilled Squid ($15) was one of the highlights among all the dishes we sampled. It was served warm and had a fragrant aroma. Upon service, the flesh looked very tender and moist, and indeed, it was. The sweet juices of the squid were locked in well, but go ahead and have yours with the special dipping sauces for extra flavour.

Wah Kee Prawn Noodles has put their own spin on Singapore’s local favourite dish, Rojak, by injecting in some East-West influence with strawberries. The Rojak Salad ($12) makes for a perfect appetiser if you are not a fan of seafood. The dough fritter pieces were crunchy and slightly chewy in the centre.

For dessert, the Black Glutinous Rice with Coconut Ice Cream ($5) was nothing much to shout about. The coconut ice cream was a letdown as it lacked the fragrance and richness that we were looking for. Perhaps, you may want to give this a miss and look for other dessert options.

Be sure to check out this classic hawker favourite at Esplanade Mall from 3 December onwards at 11am and don’t miss out on Wah Kee’s opening promotion – the Regular size (UP $6) is going at only $5 and the Medium size (UP$12) at $10. After all, the queues at this restaurant are expected to be shorter than the ones at the Pek Kio stall.

Note: This is an invited tasting.

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It’s less than a month till we celebrate Christmas, and New Year’s Eve countdown is just a few days away from Christmas. Whether you’re planning an intimate gathering with your loved ones or hosting a get-together with friends or colleagues, Lime Restaurant at PARKROYAL on Pickering is the ideal destination to satisfy even the fussiest eater. With a myriad of delectable dining options available, there is something for everyone.

FESTIVE BUFFET

The Festive Buffet lasts from 2 December 2016 to 2 January 2017. Begin your festive feast with the refreshing Jiggly Lime beverage, a complimentary festive concoction of signature Limenade, Ginger Ale, Eggnog and Honeydew. You can look forward to indulging in succulent seafood on ice featuring Tiger Prawns, Alaskan King Crab Legs, Scallops, Mussels and Clams, or Yuletide classics such as Roasted Wagyu Beef with Red Wine Jus, Atlantic Salmon Fillet with Glazed Asparagus and Orange and Butter, and Roasted Turkey with Chestnut Stuffing served with Cranberry and Giblet Sauce, just to name a few. Cranberry and chestnut create that lovely aromatic flavours with the turkey.

Lunch is priced at $58++ per adult and $39++ per child while dinner is priced at $78++ per adult and $49++ per child. For something more indulgent, enjoy an extended feast from 12:30pm to 4:30pm during Super Lunch Sunday – the festive edition – priced at $78++ per adult and $49++ per child. Each adult gets a complimentary glass of Jiggly Lime and unlimited coffee and tea. If you love pairing your meal with champagne, you can choose to dine with a bottle of Mumm Cordon Rouge, available at $88.

CHRISTMAS EVE

On 24 and 25 December 2016, there will be more luxurious offerings. On Christmas Eve, cheese lovers can go for the Artisan Cheese, with a selection of 10 different cheeses from all over the world while fans of seafood will be able to savour Maine Lobster Nonya Laksa and Foie Gras Torchon flambéed with Cognac. Traditionalists will fully approve of the dedicated carving station and dessert station serving festive favourites like Roasted Turkey with Apple Stuffing, Pavlova and Christmas Pudding with Brandy Sauce. We are in love with their turkey, they retain the juiciness after roasting and the apple stuffing helps to cut the oiliness, if any.

Christmas Eve Lunch is priced at $68++ per adult and $44++ per child. Each adult gets a complimentary glass of Jiggly Lime and unlimited juice, soft drinks coffee and tea while each child gets a complimentary glass of Jiggly Lime and unlimited juice and soft drinks.

Christmas Eve Dinner is priced at $128++ per adult, with a complimentary glass of Jiggly Lime and unlimited juice, soft drinks coffee and tea or $158++ per adult, with a complimentary glass of Jiggly Lime, unlimited Champagne, house pour wine, house pour beer, juice, soft drinks coffee and tea.

CHRISTMAS DAY

On Christmas Day, there will be Lobster Bisque with Cognac Cream, Honey Glazed Gammon Ham, Apple and Clove Glazed Pork Loin and Wok-fried Kam Heong Swimmer Crab. Velvety smooth lobster bisque brings a good start to the meal as the soup is made with lobster head, hence bringing out the richness. End your meal on a sweet note with the Spiced Cheesecake, tasty, hand-made Salted Caramel Crepe and a variety of log cakes infused with local flavours, ranging from Bandung and White Chocolate Log Cake to Durian with Gula Melaka Log Cake to Pandan with Coconut Yule Log to Belgian Dark Chocolate with Yuzu Log Cake. Oh man, being a fan of local flavours, I am so in love with the pandan and coconut yule. The pandan mousse is so fragrant and it’s not too sweet. Durian with gula melaka is also a good option where you can taste the durian pulp in the log cake.

Christmas Day Brunch and Christmas Day Dinner is priced at $108++ per adult, with a complimentary glass of Jiggly Lime and unlimited juice, soft drinks coffee and tea or $158++ per adult, with a complimentary glass of Jiggly Lime, unlimited Champagne, house pour wine, house pour beer, juice, soft drinks coffee and tea.

FESTIVE GOODIES

If you prefer dining in the comfort of your own home, and organizing a cozy potluck party, you can take-away Lime Restaurant’s Celebration Set which includes 2kg of Turkey, 1.5kg of Honey Baked Ham and a Trio of Log Cakes. You will be able to choose your desired flavour for your whole roasted turkey or the turkey featured in the celebration set.

The four unique flavours are Apple & Cider, Onion & Sage, Kaffir Lime, Lemongrass & Galangal and Turkey Percik style. The festive roasts include roasted vegetables and their specialty sauces. Priced at $118, the celebration set is good for 4-5 pax. UOB card-members get to enjoy early bird savings of 15% for orders confirmed and pre-paid before 2 December 2016 and 10% for orders confirmed and pre-paid between 2 to 12 December 2016.

NEW YEAR’S EVE PARTY

This New Year, you can either choose to dine at Lime Restaurant with your loved one or party lavishly with your friends at PARKROYAL on Pickering’s rooftop Orchid Club Lounge. The latter will make your New Year’s Eve Countdown very memorable. Not only get to soak in the panoramic city views from the rooftop, you also get to devour luxurious canapés of Expression of Foie Gras, Kobe Beef with Black Truffle, Snow Crab with Apple Spoon, Flambéed Crepe Suzette, Sturia Cavia, Jumbo French Oysters with Champagne Jelly and many more. I am not kidding, it’s kobe beef with black truffle – a delicacy renowned for its flavour, tenderness, and fatty, well-marbled texture!

The party lasts from 9pm to 1am and you’ll be able to toast to a fabulous 2017 with unlimited servings of Mumm Champagne, house pour beer, red and white wine and selected cocktails and mocktails. Usually, the Orchid Club Lounge is only accessible for guests staying in the Orchid Club rooms but on New Year’s Eve, this party is open to the public at $178++ per adult and $99++ per child. Guests dining at Lime Restaurant on New Year’s Eve and in-house hotel guests can also purchase a privileged access pass to the countdown party at $88++ per adult and $54++ per child.

If you wish to treat yourself to the ultimate countdown experience, book the New Year’s Eve Countdown Stay at PARKROYAL on Pickering, which includes two invites to the New Year’s Eve Orchid Club Countdown Party and one night’s stay in an Orchid Club Room with full Orchid Club privileges such as Champagne breakfast, all-day refreshments and evening cocktails. You will also get to enjoy late check-out until 4pm on New Year’s Day. Each package costs $781++ and you can email reserve.prsps@parkroyalhotels.com for your booking.

The countdown to Christmas and New Year is on! If you haven’t made any festive plans, perhaps feasting at Lime Restaurant might be a good idea! Here’s wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

This post was brought to you by PARKROYAL on Pickering.

The post PARKROYAL on Pickering – Celebrate Christmas & New Year with Festive Buffet appeared first on Miss Tam Chiak.

Wakkanai, the northernmost city in Japan, is a compact town between the Sea of Japan and the Sea of Okhotsk. It is windy with many fishing boats bringing in rich catches of seafood such as crab, sea urchin and scallop.

It also has ferries going to the Rishiri-to and Rebun-to islands, both of which are designated as national parks. There are many interesting things you can do in this beautiful town. Good thing is, most sights are 10-15 minutes of each other so you can easily walk around.

MUST go to Cape Soya

You HAVE to visit Cape Soya which is at the northeastern part of the city. “Monument of Japan’s Northern Most Point” for showing point of latitude 45 degrees 31 minutes is built at the tip of the cape, and many tourists form a line to take a picture themselves with the monument. There are also souvenir shops, restaurants, a restroom around there. There are also interesting shops around the area like “northernmost canteen” and “northernmost souvenir shop”. Diao.

See other islands from Cape Noshappu

Because Wakkanai is a very windy city, when you visit Cape Noshappu, there is a possibility that you may get blown away (just like us). But if you manage to stay grounded, or if the weather is clear, you can look over Rishiri Island, Rebun Island and the beautiful setting sun. Near to Cape Noshappu, visit the Breakwater Dome for a photo opportunity. This hallway is supported by 70 Roman style pillars and helps to protet against strong winds.

Address: Noshappu, Wakkanai, Hokkaido
Tel: 0162-23-6161（Wakkanai City Office)

Visit Former Seto House

A visit to former Seto House will help you to understand the life of Japan during its yesteryears. This house was built by “Tsunezo Seto” of a okigoteieigyogyo in the 20, Showa generation when Wakkanai was a busy fishery. Now, it has become a museum for tourists to see the fishery pieces of Wakkanai and its history. It is approximately 5 minutes on foot from JR Wakkanai Station and is open from April to October 31.

Address: 4-8-27, Chuo, Wakkanai-shi
Old Seto’s house telephone: 0162-23-5151

Shop at Wakkanai Fukuko Ichiba

To buy fresh seafood and local produce, you can shop at Wakkanai Fukuko Ichiba where you can find fresh seafood and souvenirs all in one location. You must also have a bottle of Wakkanai milk, it tastes soooooo good!

Address: 1-6-28,Minato,Wakkanai city
Tel: 0162-29-0829

Dine at Northern Taste Takechan

Wakkanai is a great place to spoil your taste buds with all of the fresh seafood. Be sure to try their sea urchin because they are of the highest quality. The best season is spring and summer. If you travelled in other seasons, not to worry as you can also feast on fresh fish and crabs.

Getting There

Scoot (www.flyscoot.com) started a direct flight from Singapore to Sapporo, with a roughly one-hour stopover in Taipei. The flight operates three times a week on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday and takes about 10 hours. Airfares vary with the season, but regular return all-in economy tickets start at $418, excluding baggage and meals.

There are regular flights from Sapporo to Wakkanai. All flights to the airport are operated by ANA – All Nippon Airways. The airport is 20 minutes away from Wakkanai station by bus.

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