*dimsumdolly* - the different morsels of the life of a foodie

Gözleme

One of the greatest joys of travelling is discovering new foods. Food is so much a part of culture, so to not want to try food that you've never come across before seems to defeat the whole purpose of travelling and discovering new worlds and cultures. That's why I hate travelling with people who are unadventurous when it comes to new experiences, food, and everything else.

In my recent trip to Sydney, my cousin and I went to Kirribilli Market on Saturday 28 June. The market is at Milsons Point train station that is along the North Shore line. It's just at the north end of the Sydney Harbour Bridge so there is a fantastic view of the harbour from there. The market is there only on the fourth Saturday of every month.

Anyway, the focus of this post is not about the market but the Gözleme which my cousin introduced me to. Gözleme is a traditional Turkish handmade pastry filled with ingredients such as spinach, feta cheese, egg, minced lamb, mushroom and potato. The dough is then sealed and pan-fried. To me, it was like the Turkish equivalent of the Indian Murtabak, except not so heavy as the dough is not made of ghee. Plus, there's no curry to go along.

The stall at Kirribilli market.

The little lumps of dough sitting pretty. The dough is made from yoghurt, flour and a pinch of salt. I felt like picking one up to just throw at someone and see how it would stick. Haha.

There's a production line going. It was actually rather therapeutic watching this old Turkish ladies, head wrapped in scarves, going about kneading the dough, rolling it out, and folding it so methodically.

The Gözleme is laid on the pan to fry and make it crispy.

The woman on the left is in charge of scooping the minced meat into the dough that has been laid on the pan. She's also in charge of turning it over and once it's ready, passes it over to the woman on the right. The woman on the right is in charge of using a pizza cutter and cutting the Gözleme into several pieces. She then places the pieces on a plate, together with a big slice of lemon, and serves it to the customer.

Sizzling hot and just waiting to be eaten!

Voila! A delicious pastry filled with mince lamb and baby spinach. You can have it in different combinations, so you can request to have feta cheese in it too. Squeeze the juicy and succulent lemon onto the Gözleme, bite into it, and savour the taste of it – crispy pastry on the outside, coupled with the tangy zest of lemon and the savoury juices of the minced lamb spilling into your mouth.

Great grub. And yes, please, eat with your hands even though it's oily and all!

Best Pistachio Gelato

One of the best pistachio gelatos I've ever eaten - so tasty with the generous amount of Pistachio bits in the pale green gelato. I loved its texture and I really enjoyed crunching on the pistachio bits! The hazelnut gelato also had hazelnut bits in it and was delicious too. I eyed the tiramisu and cannoli on other tables and they looked amazing too. Which means to say that I have to pay another visit to Bar Italia (below)!

Bar Italia is located in the Sydney suburb of Leichhardt which is known to be the Italian quarter. So if you're in search for some good Italian food, it's the place to head to!

169 Norton Street
Leichhardt NSW 2040
Tel : +61 2 9560 9981

Red Lantern

If you're looking for Vietnamese fine dining in Sydney, you definitely have to head to Red Lantern, which is located in Surry Hills, a stone's throw away from Central. I first came to know of this restaurant after coming across the cookbook written by its owners in a friend's place in London. Titled Secrets of the Red Lantern, it's one of the prettiest cookbooks I've ever come across. Apart from recipes, it contains the story of the main author's (Pauline Nguyen) family journey as Vietnamese war refugees in Australia.

The book chronicles her parents' decision to smuggle themselves out of Vietnam because of the Vietnam war in the 1970s. People like them were known as the 'Boat People'. Their struggle and resilience in surviving and adapting to a foreign land is well documented by Nguyen. She also writes about her growing up years and trying to find the balance between being ethnically Vietnamese and culturally Australian.

The well written and beautiful book with its fantastic graphics and well-designed layouts made me want to pay the restaurant a visit during my next visit to Sydney. And I'm glad to say I wasn't disappointed. I was there with two other friends and here's what we ate.

Entrance of Red Lantern

Red Lantern is housed in one of the charming rows of terrace houses in the suburb of Surry Hills. On foot, it's about a ten-minute walk from Central Station. Surry Hills is a very quaint and charming suburb with nice bars and restaurants along Crown Street and Cleveland Street.

Red Lantern interior

Warm, red tones dominate with dim lighting, reminiscent of the old Asia.

Mussels with glass noodles and clear broth

Our entree was delicious with the mussels being fresh and the broth absolutely flavourful.

Vietnamese pancake with seafood filling. Loved the grilled smoky flavour!

What I love about Vietnamese food is the raw vegetables that accompany many of the dishes. It's so refreshing to eat them!

Beef brisket with warm French baguette

The baguette had been put over a grill, thus it possessed that smoky flavour which made that just that bit more delicious in addition to it being fresh.

Grilled pork with preserved vegetables

This tasted delicious with the pork being well marinated and grilled to perfection with a smoky flavour.

If you have a group of four persons or more, I'd suggest going for the tasting menu as it is good value for the amount of food you get which, according to the waiter, is 'a lot'. The restaurant has two seatings - the first at 6pm and the second at 8pm. Service was good and expect to spend about A$40 per person.

Red Lantern
545 Crown Street
Surry Hills
NSW 2010
Phone: +61 (0)2 9698 4355
(Closed on Mondays)

Durians By the Road

I know many people out there don't like durians, but I do. I don't care if my breath stinks or that I keep burping awful smells after eating them. I can't understand how people can describe it as tasting like puke, or smelling like rotten food. Somehow my brain and taste buds have been wired to think otherwise.

And so with that, I find a certain glee and an element of fun in sitting on ugly stools and similarly ugly and un-sturdy tables along the seedy streets of Geylang (Singapore's red light district), chomping away at durians.

Mind you, some of these roadside stalls even put tissue boxes on the tables and have water coolers and plastic cups for you to help yourself to. There is a huge plastic basket beside each table where you will find empty durian shells, durian seeds which have been licked clean of their pulp and crushed tissue paper all thrown in.

Going to Geylang at the weekend, however, is a nightmare. The place is teeming with foreign workers (blue-collar workers from China and India going there to buy cheap toiletries, phone cards, etc) and prostitutes plying their trade. Neon-lighted signs bear the name of brothels, sleaze clubs and coffee shops where many sleazy 'Ah Peks' sit around drinking beer and leering at women. Driving along the streets of Geylang is hazardous as there is always a danger of running someone over, what with all the foreign workers giving no regard to traffic rules and turning a blind eye to the existence of traffic crossings. They rule the roads and us drivers have to comply with THEIR rules by slowing down our cars in an attempt to not knock any one of them down while they weave in and out of traffic in imaginary pedestrian crossings which they had conjured up. Parking is another nightmare as there are very few legal carpark lots. So nevermind, break the law and park illegally somewhere along some 'Lorong' (small lane) and head to the durian stalls!

OK, it's nightmarish driving to Geylang, but I accept that that is part of the experience of heading there. Without that, Geylang wouldn't be Geylang. You almost don't feel like you're in otherwise squeaky clean Singapore when you're there.

So anyway, there I am with my cousins, sis, mum, aunt and uncle, sitting around a small table, tucking into two Super D-24 durians. I love the act of tossing the seeds and empty shells into the basket. It's almost like playing durian basketball. Haha. Except if you miss, it'd mean you're really shit at aiming. Eating durians at roadside stalls in Geylang is truly one of those really Singapore experiences one could offer to a tourist. It doesn't get any more local than that!

Love Numbers

Over dinner and drinks with two friends one night, we were having the typical talk of singles in their 30s. OK, technically two of us haven't reached 30 yet, but we will in a few months' time – we are already mulling over what to do to celebrate. Ha. Suggestions welcomed.

Anyway, so it was the usual – jobs, people we know, the meaning of life, love and relationships. The last two were the main talking points of the evening. I mean seriously, we're single, what else is there to talk about? Superficial beings that we are. Haha.

Of the many facets of love and relationships we talked about, I remember something one of my friends said. He said he thinks it's better to have many failed, but not so deep romances rather than one major failed romance where it just wasn't meant to be with the love of one's life. His reason for saying so was that it's much easier on one's heart and it's easier to forget when feelings aren't so deep and entrenched. Conversely, there'll be major hang-ups and heavy emotional baggage arising from the end of a deep and love-of-one's-life kind of relationship. It's like the sum of pain from the many failed romances will never add up to the pain experienced from one major failed romance.

I don't know. I don't have the answers. You do the maths.

Eclairs

I love eclairs. There's just something very lovely about biting into well-made choux pastry filled with chocolate pastry cream and topped with dark chocolate. And it has to be a chocolate mousse filling. Custard or fresh cream variations just don't seem right and can't quite cut it as far as satisfaction levels are concerned.

One of the best eclairs I've had was in Paris when I was on holiday there with the Skinny Epicurean. Having heard of the wonderful eclairs at La Maison du Chocolat, we bought one caramel and one coffee eclair. Both were divine and we sighed in satisfaction and delight as we sank our teeth into them.

I had the chocolate eclair pictured above at Corduroy Cafe in Vivocity and thought it was good. If you know of any other places in Singapore that have good eclairs, please drop me a note. I'm on my eclair quest!

Tajimaya Yakiniku

Tajimaya Yakiniku is another one of those restaurants where you have to cook your own food which has sprouted out in recent months. Its sister restaurant just next door (they're actually linked and staff serve both sides) is the shabu shabu arm of Tajimaya.

Its interiors were nice and comfortable with soothing, cream colours and muted clean lines characteristic of Japanese decor.

Here's the charcoal grill with the fiery red charcoal in all its heated glory. There's something to be said about grilling with charcoal and the telltale smoky flavour it imparts into food.

We ordered a plate of sesame salad to have some greens in our meal. It was very ordinary and those few sprigs certainly weren't worth its $9++ price tag.

Next came the pork collar which was had a nice marinated that tasted good after the meat was grilled.

Of course, the star of the night was the plate of Wagyu beef with all that fine marbling. All that fat renders the beef so tender!

Then came along the even fattier pork belly which was pretty good too. By that point, all the exercise I had done earlier in the day had come to naught. When grilling the pork collar, we were told not to put more than three slices at a go because anything more would cause too much fat to drip onto the charcoal which would then see it spewing fire. We believed it 'cos it happened with the three we put on the grill!

Overall, it was an enjoyable enough meal but it wasn't exceptionally good for the price paid. You would have to budget for at least $35 per person. Service was good but I'm not in a hurry to go back again as I didn't think there was anything special there. Two weeks later, I went to try the shabu shabu side – the food was even more forgettable than Yakiniku's.

1 HarbourFront Walk
#01-102 VivoCity

Pick Your Packet

When I was in Hong Kong in February, I had lunch with my friend Felix in Tseun Wan. When we were in one of the small shopping complexes, we walked past this cart which was full of plastic packets. Curious, I went nearer to have a closer look.

What I saw was pretty bizarre. There were small portions of food in each packet and the idea was that you could pick and choose what you wanted to combine everything into a bigger meal. But all that food there looked foul! All processed food and everything looked so cold and unappetising, not to mention innutritious. Examples of food inside those packets: cold yellow noodles, spinach noodles, tofu, chicken feet, soggy cabbage, processed fish cake and fish balls, fake crab meat etc.

Granted it's really cheap, but please, it's not something any food lover should touch!

Bread In a Cup

I love going to Japanese lifestyle shop, Muji. To be more specific, I like their food section. All the Japanese snacks, teas and biscuits make me just wanna grab everything!

The biggest Muji outlet I've been to is the one in Tokyo which is near the station Yurakucho. That one was like a big warehouse and it also had an eatery. I had lunch there before I caught my flight back to Singapore and it was a pretty good one. Oh, how I miss Japan!

In Singapore we have mini Muji. I went to the outlet at Marina Square and came away with this bread-in-a-cup mix. That's my name for it anyway. You've just got to hand it to the Japanese for their ingenuity.

The tomato and cheese bread flour mixture looks like this on the outside.

Instructions are on the back – don't worry, there's an English translation. Each packet is sold for S$2.30.

Add water to the flour mixture and stir with a spoon or fork. After stirring, it will look like what you see above.

I decided to improvise a little and added slices of cheddar cheese into the mixture.

Put the mixture into the microwave for about 2.5 minutes at 500W and you'll get bread in a cup!

It actually tasted pretty good! Slightly sweet and savoury at the same time, and it was pretty soft. Just make sure you don't put it into the microwave for too long.

This is great for a quick snack and something useful to have in the house for the times when you want something to nibble on desperately!

Sweet Potato Buns

I love these steamed sweet potato buns I found at 一口味 the other day. I really like eating sweet potato so I usually like anything that has sweet potato in it. I liked the slightly sweet taste of the buns and I love that cheery orange colour! They were going for $2 for 2.

Go here to read more about this humble tuber.

Fresh Honey

For the first time in my life, I tried honey fresh from the comb yesterday. This situation came about by accident.

Those who know me well know that I paddle a lot as a form of exercise. I either dragon boat or outrigger canoe depending on the competitions my team is preparing for. I'm pretty hard core about paddling as I like to train to paddle competitively. After all, where's the fun in training when there's no goal to work towards? OK, some people don't enjoy and can't understand the joy of being competitive, but I do.

But I digress. So I outrigger canoe in Sentosa and our club has a boat shed there. One of my teammates was cleaning the shed yesterday and to our horror, we discovered that under one of the black boxes we had left lying face down in the corner had become home for a hive of bees! One brave guy went to destroy the hive and soon bees were buzzing around everywhere. There were also a few slabs of fresh honey combs which contained larvae and fresh honey! Some of us, including me, couldn't help but run our fingers along the comb to get a taste of the fresh honey.

And boy did it taste good! That molten gold honey was so pure and so sweet. Free of preservatives. It was, quite possibly, one of the best I've ever tasted. Anyhow, while it was nice to be able to taste fresh honey, I don't wish to have the same situation again. It was actually kinda scary having all those bees buzzing about!

Vintage India

Sometimes there are perks to be considered a 'food blogger'. I got a lunch invitation to go to Vintage India, a restaurant serving North Indian food at Dempsey Hill. I seldom, if ever, get such treats so I jumped at the opportunity. To be honest, I was prepared to eat rather bad food 'cos why would a good restaurant need to invite a kuching kurak (that's 'small fry' in Malay) blogger like me? But I was obviously not going to pick an argument about that. Heehee. I also took good friend monoceros with me. So on a lazy Tuesday afternoon, us two girls made our way to Dempsey Hill while the rest of our high-flying executive friends were busy battling the lunch crowds downtown. Honestly, I could – but I can't – get used to this. :p

The interior of Vintage India looks very grand, perhaps a tad austere for day time. If you prefer something more private, you can request for a private room. It's not really a room per se, but rather they separate you from the rest of the diners by drawing the curtains, which to me works just fine.

You can also dine alfresco but it's not something I'd recommend on a hot and humid afternoon. I would imagine it would be pretty nice at night though. There are also nice couches to the right side of the area where you can sit around and have drinks.

The requisite papadum and dip to stimulate the palate. This was crispy and nice with a slight bitterness to it.

We were served two Indian mocktails which were extremely refreshing on a hot afternoon. The green drink was lemon juice with mint and the yellow drink was lemon juice with ginger. Monoceros and I liked the lemon juice with mint better as it had more zest and kick to it.

For starters, we each had a tiger prawn stuffed with crab meat, a lamb chop and a helping of salad. The tiger prawn with crab meat was delicious as was the lamb chop which was grilled to such perfection. It wasn't overcooked and the mix of spices that was used to marinate it was very tasty.

Look at the lovely pink centre of the lamb!

Clockwise from left: Stuffed tomato curry, butter chicken, sea bream curry

The stuffed tomato curry was something I hadn't had before. The stuffing was made up of other ingredients like chickpeas, potatoes and raisins. It was very tasty and was one of my favourite dishes of the spread. There was also butter chicken and sea bream curry. I thought the chicken was a little dry but really enjoyed the sea bream curry. The fish was cooked just right, so kudos to the chef for that. I think one of the litmus tests of any restaurant is to see how well fish is cooked. It's all too easy to overcook fish so to be able to cook it just right shows a chef's skill.

We also had saffron rice and lentils.

Tomato curry stuffing

Something I must always have when eating North Indian food is garlic naan!

I'd also recommend the mango lassi which was very rich and tasty. Drinking lassi is good for people who can't take spicy food. Sugar actually helps to get rid of the burning sensation on the tongue.

I also tried the pistachio and saffron lassi. I've never had this flavour before and found it really interesting. The slight orange colour is due to the saffron. Pistachio nuts are blended into the yogurt as well as sprinkled on top of the drink. This has a lighter taste than the mango lassi and is probably a better accompaniment to the main meal as it's not as overwhelming. Mango lassi can actually serve as a dessert for me.

Dessert came in the form of deep-fried cottage cheese with vanilla ice cream. I try – I really do – but for some reason I just can't seem to like Indian desserts no matter where I go. I always find it too sweet for my liking and this one was no different. It's just me. Really.

To end off what was a very long and filling lunch, we had Masala tea. The tea was very fragrant but by this time I was so stuffed that I couldn't even stomach any fluids. Oh, I forgot to mention that Vintage India has an extensive wine list so wine lovers might want to give a couple of bottles a try.

Vintage India does serve up good food but I think what's preventing the crowds from coming is its location. There was no lunch crowd at all. I guess North Indian fine dining is also a little heavy for lunch. But if you're in the mood for Indian food, you might want to pop by for a visit.

Vintage India
10 Dempsey Road
#01-21 Dempsey Hill
Singapore 247700
Tel: 6471 3100

Buddha Jumps Over the Wall 佛跳墻

I like reading and knowing about the origin of dishes. With that added knowledge, I always feel that it gives extra meaning and depth to what I'm eating. Unfortunately with Chinese cuisine, such information is lacking in the English language which I find easiest and quickest to read. So I now have to reactivate that part of the brain which sat through years of Chinese lessons.

I came across this article about the famous Chinese dish Buddha Jumps Over the Wall 佛跳墻 on a Chinese website about Chinese food history and thought I'd translate it after trawling through some websites in English and finding that they don't have this information on its history.

It is said that the dish originated in the Qing Dynasty during the reign of Emperor Daoguang who ruled China from 1820 to 1850. There are 18 main ingredients and twenty-odd types of seasonings that go into making the dish. The main ingredients include chicken, duck, pig stomach, pig trotters, tendons, Chinese ham, chicken and duck stomach, shark's fin, sea cucumber, abalone, dried scallops, fish maw, pigeon egg, Chinese mushroom, Chinese bamboo etc.

There are several stories with regards to the origin of Buddha Jumps Over the Wall. The first is that it was invented by a guild of beggars who went begging everywhere with their elms bowl. At the end of the day, they would put all the food they had collected into a big pot.

One day, a rice merchant smelt the nice aroma of food as he was walking on the street. He found that the inviting smell came from a broken pot which had Chinese wine and leftover food cooking in it. This rice merchant then realised what he could do with the mixing of various ingredients and wine, and Buddha Jumps Over the Wall was thus invented.

The second story is, to me, more interesting. In the olden days, the Fujian people had a tradition called 试厨 (shi chu) which literally means a cooking tryout. According to this tradition, a new bride had to be in her new home (her husband's family's residence) on the wedding day, return to her own family on the second day of marriage, and on the third day return to her new home. The challenge on the third day was that the new bride would have to demonstrate her culinary skills to her new family. It was the litmus test of a new bride's capability to run a household.

There was once a very pampered girl who didn't know how to cook, thus she was very anxious about the upcoming shi chu as she was about to be married. Her worried mother decided to help her by wrapping the household's best ingredients individually in lotus leaves, and instructing her repeatedly on how to go about cooking the food she had packed. But the bride forgot all her mother's instructions in her state of nervousness the day before she was to cook!

At night, she went into the kitchen and unwrapped all the packs of food that her mother had packed. She laid everything on the table and had no clue where to start. Just as she was at her wits end, she heard her mother- and father-in-law walking in the direction of the kitchen. As the new bride was afraid they would pick on her for messing up the kitchen, she hurriedly dumped all the food into a wine vessel that was sitting beside the table. She then used the lotus leaves that were used to wrap the food to cover the mouth of the wine vessel, and left the vessel on a stove that still had some remaining embers. Daunted by the thought of the task that lay ahead of her, she quietly slipped back to her parents' home.

The next day, this new daughter-in-law was nowhere to be seen when the guests arrived. The parents-in-law went to the kitchen and found the wine vessel on the stove, and to their surprise, it was warm! On opening the lid of the wine vessel, the nice smell of the simmering food filled the place. The guests loved the dish and it soon became known as Buddha Jumps Over the Wall.

Another story goes that the dish originated in the reign of Emperor GuangXu of the Qing Dynasty who ruled from 1875 to 1908. A government official in Fuzhou hosted a banquet and invited a minister called Zhou Lian. One of the government official's servants was a very good cook and she put the chicken, duck and pork to cook together with Shaoxing wine. When Zhou Lian tasted the dish, he couldn't stop singing its praises. He then told his house cook Zheng ChunFa to learn how to make the dish. Zheng got the recipe but modified it by using more seafood and less meat and named it 坛烧八宝 (A Stove's Eight Treasures).

Apparently, 坛烧八宝 was later known as 福寿全 (Abundance of Luck and Longevity) and eventually 佛跳墻. There's yet another story about how 福寿全 became 佛跳墻. When the dish became famous as a delicacy, many famous literary men came from afar to have a taste of the dish. After eating a sumptuous and delicious meal, the sated men would often break out in song and poetry, one of which was 坛启荤香飘四邻，佛闻弃神跳墙来. This is to say that the aroma of the food was so wonderful that even Buddha would be tempted by the food of the mortal world. Another story goes that the nice smells permeated the walls to the temple next door such that even the monks were tempted into disregarding the rules of the tonsure and asked to be invited to the feast.

For those interested in reading the original Chinese text, go here. The writing in Chinese is much more elegant than my translation, but I hope you learnt something from it nonetheless!

Thousand Layer Cake 千層糕

I love eating 千層糕 or what is literally translated as Thousand Layer Cake. It's one of my favourites as far as dimsum is concerned. Unfortunately, I've never been able to find it in Singapore. Thus every time I'm in Hong Kong or Sydney, I get my 千層糕 fix.

千層糕 is a steamed cake which has layers of salted egg yolk and coconut lotus paste in between the layers of steamed flour. The saltiness of the egg yolk is a good complement to the sweet paste. A good 千層糕 has to have the right balance and be neither too sweet nor salty.

Go here for the recipe (in Chinese) and do let me know if you know where to find this in Singapore!

Hot Chocolate

The ideal hot chocolate is made with the finest cocoa powder or solid chocolate or both. The resulting beverage should be neither too thin for serious satisfaction nor too thick to refresh; neither too bitter to produce the childlike enjoyment we seek, nor so sweet and simple as to insult the intellect. The harsh flavour and gritty texture of cocoa powder and the soft fattiness of solid chocolate should be blended so that neither can be distinguished. As a general rule, one's first swallow should induce a long interlude of silence.

~ Jeffrey Steingarten in It Must Have Been Something I Ate

Hot chocolate is one of those things which I mentally file under 'Comfort food' or perhaps more accurately 'Comfort drink'. It's best enjoyed on a cold winter's day or at a time when you need a sugar rush. You can also somehow convince yourself that it's healthy 'cos hey, it's milk after all, and milk is supposed to be healthy, right? But perhaps that reasoning can only be applied to hot chocolate that is more English- or American-style.

The hot chocolate that you find in Italy and Spain is like molten chocolate. It's thick and viscous and flows down your throat like molten lava. I like this version when I'm feeling I need something REALLY sinful. It's rather heavy-going and I know some people who can't fathom how anyone could gulp down something so thick and viscous. They can't, but DSD can!!!

In Singapore, I haven't found a place which does hot chocolate Italian or Spanish style. Admittedly, I haven't tried ordering it in an Italian or Spanish restaurant here. OK, I shall make that my next mission the next time I go to one. But if any of you know of any place which serves it that way, please let me know. Just don't tell me to go to a chocolate fountain at some buffet, 'cos that just ain't the real McCoy.

As for the normal hot chocolate, I like the one served in Canele. So far, it's the best one I've had in Singapore. Other recommendations are welcomed!

Old-Fashioned Cakes

My dad came back with these boxes of cakes the other day. He seldom buys cakes, but when he does, it's usually these ones which always bring back a wave of nostalgia.

Way before Singapore had fancy bakeries and patisseries like Canele, The Patisserie, Bakerzin etc, it was cakes like the ones below which Singaporeans enjoyed.

I'm not crazy about these cakes mainly because I don't like butter cream. But I have to say I love the look of these cakes. True, they aren't elegant and pretty like the French cakes and pastries, but they just look so retro and so cute! If I were to have a 60s/70s theme party, these cakes are definitely going on the menu!

Sadly, not many bakeries sell such old-fashioned cakes and pastries any more. The famous Red House bakery in Joo Chiat is now, sadly, but a slice of Singapore history. But nevermind, there's still Le Cafe Confectionary & Pastry which my dad somehow managed to find!

Le Cafe Confectionary & Pastry
264 Middle Road, Singapore 188990
Tel: 6337 2417

Blk 42 Cambridge Road #01-02, Singapore 210042
Tel: 6298 1477

Lulu

The name and the rather kitsch black and pink interiors of this restaurant at the basement of Raffles City didn't exactly make me want to rush into it for a meal. Somehow, the name 'Lulu' seems more befitting for a cabaret bar rather than a restaurant.

Nevertheless, for the sake of trying a new place rather than Shokudo which had a snaking queue, my friend and I decided to eat there. Actually I think many of the diners at Lulu are there only because they changed their minds about Shokudo due to the long queue.

Lulu serves Shanghainese and Sichuan cuisine. Being not a big fan of Sichuan cuisine because I don't like spicy food, we ordered only the Shanghainese food on the menu. We had the sweet and sour braised pork ribs (甜酸小排) which was tender and tasty. My friend, though, found it a tad too sweet for her liking. As for me, I have a sweet tooth, so I actually liked what must have been a big dose of honey in the glaze.

For vegetables, we had stir-fried Kai Lan with preserved fish and black beans. This dish was a bit too oily and I thought the preserved fish and black beans didn't do much for the dish. Somehow those two ingredients didn't add much flavour to the vegetables and the flavours of the individual ingredients didn't meld together. I would much rather have eaten parboiled Kai Lan seasoned with a small amount of oyster sauce. That way, at least the original flavour of the vegetable is retained.

The last dish we had was the Special Fried Rice which I found interesting. It was served in a claypot and contained prawns, squid, diced pumpkins and mashed salted egg. A red-coloured fermented bean paste was then mixed in with the rice to add flavour. Without it, the rice tasted rather bland as the bean paste was both salty and spicy. That bit of chilli added an extra dimension and kick to the dish.

Overall, service was efficient. The service staff were prompt in topping up our glasses of water. Expect to spend about $25 to $30 per person. It's not a place I would choose as my first choice for a place to dine, but for somewhere convenient to eat in that part of town, I wouldn't say no to it either.

Lulu
252 North Bridge Road
#B1-44B Raffles City Shopping Centre
Tel: 6338 7441

Ham

The most exquisite peak in culinary art is conquered when you do right by a ham, for a ham, in the very nature of the process it has undergone since it last stalked on its feet, combines in its flavour the tang of smoky autumnal woods, the maternal softness of earthy field delivered of their crop children, the wineyness of a late sun, the intimate kiss of fertilising rain, and the bite of fire. You must slice it thin, too, almost as thin as this page you have in your hands. The making of a ham dinner, like the making of a gentleman, starts a long, long time before the event.

~ W.B. Courtney

Dining Report

I've been eating out quite a bit, what with meeting up with various friends over – you guessed it – meals. Here's a summary of the places I've eaten at.

1) Waraku – Ate at the Marina Square branch and I wasn't impressed by the food. The slices of fish in my sashimi salad weren't very fresh and the fish just tasted flat. The mixed yakitori also tasted rather bland and didn't have the nice, smoky flavour of well-grilled yakitori. My verdict is that I'm never going back again.

Price: At least S$15 per person

2) Nogawa – Named after its owner, this small Japanese restaurant in Le Meridien Hotel is something I wouldn't have known of if not for my Japanese food-loving foodie friend The Skinny Epicurean. Eating there isn't cheap, but you can see why from the quality of the sashimi and the service. It'd be best to make a reservation before going. I had the chirashi (sashimi placed on a bed of rice) and took delight in seeing the chef preparing it with such care . But I took greater delight in the taste of it!

Price: At least $30 per person

3) Ramen Santouka – Had the charsiew ramen with soya broth. My friend went for the charsiew ramen with miso broth. I preferred the soya broth and though it was rich and flavourful, I felt it could have done with a tad less salt and oil. The soya and miso broth were much too oily, partly also because of the fat-laden charsiew. I also didn't like the noodles which I thought were too starchy. I prefer my ramen with a more springy and chewy texture.

Price: At least $18 per person

4) Ramen Miharu – This ramen place at Gallery Hotel is another popular joint for ramen lovers. I like the noodles here because I like its springy and chewy texture. There is bite in the noodles if you know what I mean. The broth though slightly less flavourful than Santouka's, is less oily. Overall, I prefer the ramen here.

Price: At least $18 per person

5) Bar & Billiard Room – I was treated to a dinner buffet at this restaurant in Raffles Hotel. For a meal that costs S$69+++ per person, this disappointed. But I guess that's what you get from buffets – quantity but not quality. It's an international buffet but with more emphasis on Western fare. The barbecued section had a long queue for the tiger prawns, beef and sausages. I gave up queueing. Instead I just went for the sashimi, lobsters and lobster pancakes. The salmon and tuna sashimi weren't good as the fish didn't taste very fresh. The raw oysters were rather small and I didn't think they tasted very good either. I would much rather go for an a la carte meal at another restaurant and get better food for the same amount of money. Definitely not recommended unless you're going for quantity and not quality. But really, there's only so much you can eat and it definitely wouldn't add up to the amount you would pay.

Price: S$69+++ per person for dinner

6) Canele – Finally got to try some of their cakes after hearing so many people rave about them. I must say the cakes didn't disappoint. I had the Mont Blanc, Citron Tart and one of the chocolate cakes with some praline in it. All delicious and I'm particularly partial to the Mont Blanc as it's really difficult to find a good one with such a rich chestnut flavour! And oh, the hot chocolate's yummy too!

Price: At least $8 per person

7) Shokudo – The outlet at the basement of Raffles City is like the Japanese version of the now defunct Marche. I had the Omu Rice (Japanese omelette rice) with grilled chicken. I didn't think this was that great. I thought the grilled chicken tasted very flat. For dessert, I had the crepe with green tea ice cream and chestnut. I made a special request for the latter. The menu had put down green tea ice cream with azuki (red bean), but as I preferred chestnuts I asked for it instead of azuki and was glad that the cook agreed to accommodate my request. Again, this didn't taste that fantastic. Maybe it just wasn't 'sinful' enough! I thought the crepe batter was a tad too sweet. I felt that the batter could have done with less sugar since its accompaniments (banana, chocolate, green tea ice cream, azuki, chestnuts) already had sugar in them.

Price: At least $10 per person

8) E-Sarn Thai Cuisine – This small Thai restaurant at 20 Sixth Avenue serves good Thai food at reasonable prices. I enjoyed the Tom Yam soup and Pad Thai.

Price: At least $10 per person

9) Cafe Iguana – Located at Riverside Point, this is one of the few places you can find Mexican food in Singapore. The weekend crowds are insane but I liked my Quesadilla and my friends enjoyed their burritos too.

Price: At least $25 per person

10) Shin Kushiya – Went to the Suntec city branch (the other's at Vivocity) and enjoyed the meal I had there. My friend and I had the yakitori where the meat was succulent and well marinated. The rest of the food was pretty good too (I can't quite remember exactly what we ate 'cos that was sometime in January!) but I only wished the portions were bigger and the prices lower!

Price: At least S$30 per person

25 degree Celsius

The moment I stepped into 25 degree Celsius, I couldn't not like it. The vast array of cookbooks in this cookbook shop cum cafe presents such a visual feast that somehow lures you in to sit down for a meal. OK, my visit there was planned but even if it hadn't, I would have sat straight down the moment I walked into it.

The dizzying array of cookbooks will have you 'sampling' Chinese, Thai, Japanese, French, Italian and other world cuisines. There are also specialty cookbooks on cakes, pastries, chocolate, etc. Vegetarian cookbooks are available as well.

My friend had the pork with potato wedges and salad which was pretty tasty but rather unimaginative. Truth be told, the dish also didn't blow me away with its appearance.

I went for the chicken casserole which tasted great when I dipped the bread into it. The chicken was tender and the stew was flavoursome.

It's not a big cafe and there aren't many tables, so it'd be best to make a dinner reservation prior to turning up.

As my friends and I didn't make a reservation, we had to contend with seating at the counter which was OK, but just lacking in a little leg room.

I went back for lunch another day and had the tuna mango sandwich which was nice but tiny in size. If I had to measure it, I would say it was only 2.5cm by 10cm in dimension. It also came with some salad and chips. For dessert that afternoon, I shared the grilled butter cake with my friend. The staff touted it as their specialty and I did like the fact that it was served warm with a slight crunchiness to the surface.

The cafe always has a special of the day where the dish originates from a recipe they're trying out from one of the cookbooks. So you can always look forward to something different on the menu.

Service is good and the staff were friendly. The food is alright, but not wonderful. To me, it's also rather expensive. Be prepared to spend $20 and above per person. But overall, I like the place for its casual feel and just the fact that I can browse all those cookbooks. It's like reading food porn. :p

25 degree Celsius
25 Keong Saik Road #01-01
Singapore 089132
Tel: 6327 8389
Closed on Sundays

Eataly

I don't know how I ever forgot to blog about this supermarket I visited in Turin. Yes, I use the word 'visited' because I specially made my way there to have a look at it. I actually find a supermarket a tourist attraction for me! The only one of its kind in the world thus far, Eataly is a supermarket set up by the advocates of the Slow Food movement, of which Carlo Petrini is the Italian founder and president.

And how can one not love the name Eataly? It simply and succinctly embodies what the supermarket is about. That is, bringing all the best local and organic produce of Italy and the region under one roof. The foods sold are seasonal, following the Slow Food philosophy that people should eat according to the seasons in order not to tax on the agricultural land and also to reduce one's carbon footprint. Slow Food advocates don't believe in eating food that has come as a result of causing harm to the planet.

The facade of the supermarket isn't really that impressive, but trust me, the goodies are inside!

The moment you enter, you'll see this section that has been set up to educate shoppers on the seasonal fruits and vegetables. This round pamphlet which shows when all the different fruits and vegetables are in season can be bought for €1. What I like about Eataly is their approach and philosophy towards food. They believe in educating people so that people will know how to eat better and in more responsibly ways.

The fruit and vegetable section has a wide variety of seasonal produce grown organically.

There are also labels telling the shopper where each of the produce originates from.

Formaggio!!! Cheese lovers will love this section with its wide variety of cheese to choose from.

There was also a wide variety of salami, prosciutto and other cured meats from the local farms. Eataly believes in informed eating and that people who should be made aware of the origin of their food. Hence there is always information about where and under what conditions the food items are made. In this photo, the signs above the hanging salami contain such information.

Spices

I've never seen such a wide variety of pasta in my life! There were shelves and shelves of pasta for sale in Eataly.

If you feel like it, you can have pasta there.

This machine's really cute. For €1, you can have a bottle of fresh cow's milk. Put your bottle in, slot in the coin and wait for it to fill up! The milk is gotten fresh every day and you're encouraged to recycle your bottles.

These are the bottles that can be bought when you want to buy milk. Each bottle costs 40¢.

The wine section takes up almost the entire basement.

You can buy wine straight from the barrel, using the bottles on the left hand side of the photo to contain the wine.

Beer lovers need not despair. There's also a whole section devoted to beer and other spirits. You can also sit at the counter and enjoy a pint or two.

Stacks of cheese waiting to be eaten in due course

You can also buy kitchenware here.

There's also an area where you can sit and browse the cook books for sale. You can also have a meal there they serve food there as well. There are eight themed restaurants you can check out. Eataly also organises cooking classes and other food events and if you're going to be in Turin, perhaps you could try attending one! It's probably best to check out their website for updates.

There are other sections like bread & pastry, jams, coffee, tea, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, meat and seafood etc, each with really fantastic food. It's definitely a place worth a visit for foodies!

Eataly Torino: Via Nizza, 230 / 14 (in front of "8 Gallery") Turin Lingotto

Opening hours: Every day 10am to 10.30pm
Restaurants open from 12am to 3pm and from 7pm to 10.15pm

Harajuku Crepes

In order to get a taste of Japanese pop culture, we decided to head to Harajuku (原宿) to have a look. This is like the equivalent of Singapore's Far East Plaza, except that it's many times more happening and interesting.

We were hoping to catch a glimpse of some cosplayers but none were there. Still the narrow street was packed with shoppers. We came across several Lolita shops and shops with all kinds of weird fashion which only the Japanese could carry off. The fashion being sold there wasn't really my style so all I really wanted to do was get out of the crowds asap.

The only stall I was looking for was one of the crepe stalls so that I could get my hands on some crepe. It was as if everyone who came to Harajuku came for the crepes 'cos I saw so many people eating one. Being a sucker for crepes, I couldn't resist getting one either even though I had already had lunch.

The staff at the stalls make the crepes with speed to keep up with the queue that never seems to shorten. There are savoury and sweet crepes in all sorts of flavours like strawberry, chocolate, banana, blueberry, crepe with ice cream etc. Don't worry if you don't speak Japanese 'cos the menu is a series of fake crepes with numbers next to each crepe. When it gets to your turn, just tell the person the number. The girl who served me understood English...failing which, just write the number down. Easy!

This tiny lane was filled with people eating crepes they had just bought. Everyone was ducking into the lane to finish up their crepes instead of braving the crowds with a crepe in hand.

The crepe I chose was called the Mont Blanc and true dessert lovers would know that with a name like that, it would surely have to contain chestnut puree. I love chestnut so I couldn't go away without giving this a try. To be honest, it wasn't that fantastic, but I'm partial to chestnut so I liked it all the same.

Getting there: Take the subway train to Harajuku Station on the Yamanote Line

Shiseido Parlour

I discovered that a Shiseido 'cake' could take on two meanings in Japan. Before going to Tokyo, a Shiseido 'cake' would have just meant a two-way cake to me. Two-way cakes, by the way, are fantastic for a lazy person like me who's too lazy to slap on foundation and powder separately, if at all.

But ah, I was to discover that the Japanese cosmetic giant has something else up its sleeve in way of 'cakes'. At Shiseido Parlour, feast your eyes and stomach on the exquisitely made cakes and chocolates. I was on my way to a sushi dinner so I didn't actually sample any of the delights. Seriously, there is too much good food in Japan for my stomach to handle!

That Mille Feuille au Chocolat looks devilishly good.

You can browse and buy cookbooks. You can also dine in and the seating area is upstairs.

Shiseido Buildingg 4-5F, Ginza 8-8-3, Tokyo

Giant Tako Ball

I came across the biggest tako ball while walking along the street market in Ueno (上野), Tokyo. As I was hungry, I was more interested in filling my stomach rather than looking at the shoes and clothes around. So I went on the prowl for food while I left my friends in the shoe shop where they got waylaid. My eyeballs caught sight of these baseball-sized tako balls when I walked past the stall. Naturally, I just had to give it a try!

You can choose different toppings - plain, with cheese, with spring onions and three others which I can't remember now.

This giant taco ball is a different from the normal ping-pong ball sized one in that it has got pieces of sausage and a quail egg in it. They were also generous with the taco (octopus).

It is then served in a cute little box not unlike those used for Chinese takeaways in the US. It's not fine dining or anything, but it's hearty junk food and I enjoyed it thoroughly!

And don't worry if you don't speak or understand Japanese. They have pictures with English translations and you can just point to it. Each taco ball costs 300 yen (approx S$4).

London Favourite Eats

1) Leather Lane – this lane near my office in Holborn has cheap eateries lining it to cater to the lunch-time office crowd. My favourite stall there is the Mediterranean salad stall Sunny’s Olive Tree. They have the best mixed salad box for a cheap £2.50. A bigger box costs £3.20 but the small one is more than enough to fill you up. It comes with a slice of foccacia too. I love their fresh cherry tomatoes, cous cous and mixed beans. You can also choose to buy a range of olives and nuts that they sell.

2) Food For Thought – A vegetarian organic café in 31 Neal Street, Covent Garden. I’m usually not big on vegetarian, but this one serves really yummy vegetarian food. Everything’s good, but I especially love their quiche and stews. For dessert, try their crumbles.

3) Churreria Espanola – This Spanish eatery at 177-179 Queensway W2 5HL (nearest Tube: Bayswater) has hearty Spanish food at reasonable prices. Try the pork knuckle and meat balls. And if you like thick molten hot chocolate (Spanish chocolate caliente), this is the place to head to. It’s the only one I’ve found in London!

4) Carluccio’s – It may be a chain, but it serves up affordable and pretty good quality Italian food. They have several branches around London in South Kensington, Canary Wharf, Spitalfields etc. They recently opened one in Covent Garden.

5) Masala Zone – Good Indian food at reasonable prices. The Thali set is good value for money. They have several branches, but I've only been to the one near Oxford Circus.

6) Harlem – The service is crappy and slow but the pancakes there are fantastic. It's a great place to go to for a lazy Sunday brunch. Just be really patient. On a nice day, you can walk over to Kensington Park after eating to lounge around some more! They're at 78 Westbourne Grove W2 5RT (nearest Tube: Bayswater).

7) Kowloon Bakery on Gerrard Street, Chinatown. I go there to get my fix of Chinese breads and pastries. My Polo bun, Lo Por Bang (Wife’s Biscuit), Malay Cake (a steamed cake), Char Siew Bao, egg tarts etc. It's not fantastic, but it's good enough to satisfy those cravings for something Asian.

8) Maison Bertaux – a charming French patisserie with rather retro and quirky interiors on 27 Greek Street in Cambridge Circus. Try the chocolate mousse cake, St Honore and raspberry slice with fresh cream. I don't really like the rest, so just give it a miss. It's a nice place to go for tea or dessert after dinner.

9) Marks & Spencer’s Food Hall – love all the ready-made meals. I take ages to decide what to get! M&S is ubiquitous in the UK and their Bureau de Change (in the bigger stores) offer good exchange rates to buy or sell foreign currency. Actually I think they offer the best rates. I've done my homework.

10) Waitrose – love all the ready-made meals. Like M&S, I can never decide what to get. I only wished they had more stores around London!

11) Cornish Pasties – workman’s food which is somewhat like the British version of the Italian calzone. Or you could say it's the British version of the curry puffs in Singapore, except it's not curry. Anyway, it's hearty fare which I love for a snack.

12) Borough Market – In my opinion, the best farmer’s market in London. It's both a visual and gastronomical feast. A must-go for foodies.

13) Duchy Originals – the line of food products endorsed by Prince Charles. Profits from sales of Duchy’s food go to charity. Good for people into ethical eating. The chocolate tart, lemon tart, biscuits, basically everything is really yummy! It’s not cheap compared to M&S but it’s worth the money.

14) Four Seasons Chinese Restaurant - the roast duck and char siew look the best amongst the eateries along Gerrard Street. I think it's kinda the best among the worst. The Chinese food in Chinatown is actually pretty crappy but Four Seasons isn't too bad. They have a branch in Bayswater too. The Chinatown outlet is at 12 Gerrard Street and the Bayswater one is at 84 Queensway W2 3RL.

15) Lisboa Patisserie - a Portuguese cafe at 57 Golborne Road W10 5NR serving fantastic Portguese egg tarts and other pastries. It's always crowded and I think it's best to do take-away. It's near Portobello Market so if you're around the famous flea market, take a short detour and head to this cafe for a snack if you're feeling peckish.

16) Ben's Cookies - Really yummy freshly baked cookies sold by weight. It's the same price across the board. So for example, if you buy a dark chocolate with nuts, it'll cost slightly more than one that's a lemon-flavoured one. On average, each cookie costs £1.35. It's a big cookie but still expensive nonetheless. But it's worth the money especially when eaten fresh!

Mad About Pies

I couldn't possibly leave England without writing about pies. I love eating pies and it's one of the items of English pub-grub I really enjoy. A hot pie made with shortcrust pastry (any other pastry just doesn't do it for me) filled with succulent meat and/or stewed vegetables is such a treat on a cold day. I like my pies served with gravy and mashed peas. As you may have expected, I have eaten a lot of pies in the time I've been in the UK. Such an indulgence that doesn't help in my expanding girth, but nevermind.

I was at Hampton Court Palace and was listening to the audio guide about pies in the Tudor period. Back in the those days (1500s), the pastry was really just used as a pot. They didn't have many pots and pans back then, so the pastry was used as a container to cook the meat in. After the meat was cooked, the Tudors would have taken the lid off and used the rest of the pastry as a bowl from which they would have eaten the meat from.

Pies are one of the food items I'll miss when I leave the UK. I haven't quite found a good pie place in Singapore! Foodie friends in Singapore, if you're reading this, please keep a lookout for good pie places for me!

Melted Cheese

For those of us who absolutely adore melted cheese, there's nothing like a raclette. Raclette is a type of cheese or a dish featuring cheese. The cheese and dish originate from the Swiss Alps and the cheese is made from cow's milk.

This is really good, hearty comfort food. It's a dish fit for the cold weather that has made its presence felt since September. This stall selling raclettes and melted cheese sandwiches can be found in Borough Market, London. The nearest Tube station is London Bridge.

I just love it when the hot, melted cheese is scraped off the top. Watching that thick, viscous cheese slide off onto the mashed potatoes is pure ecstasy.

After scraping one layer off, the raclette cheese is put back under the heater to melt down the next layer.

The stall also sells melted cheese sandwiches. That vast amount of cheese stacked between the bread slices is enough to satisfy any cheese fanatic.

The raclette dish – hot, melted raclette cheese on mashed potato flavoured with some fresh ground black pepper with some gherkins on the side.

Heavenly.

Hot Chocolate

Pun intended in entry title by the way!

The hotbod was spotted in the window display of chocolaterie Jean-Charles Rochoux.

Anyway, am off to Nottingham for the weekend for a dragonboat race. Let's hope I meet some human hotbods there! If not meet, at least get to see and feast my eyes on some!

Hermé NOT Hermès

Fashion divas may pay homage to Hermès, but as food divas, the Skinny Epicurean and I had to pay homage to Hermé. Note the difference in the accent and the extra 's'!!! Those two elements make a whole lot of difference!

While the latter is a haute couture house, the one both of us paid homage to is a haute patisserie. Yes, judging by its prices, it is haute pastry alright.

Skinny Epicurean was utterly ecstatic and over the top when she saw this street sign. She couldn't wait to rush cross the road to get over to that street, because what lies there is famed patisserie Pierre Hermé.

With its very sleek signage, who would have guessed what lies inside are a heavenly assortment of cakes and pastries??? Just as Hermès boutiques are decked out in beautiful clothes and accessories, the cakes and pastries are equally gorgeous in their colours and appearance...a testament to the skilled pastry chefs who churn out these heavenly delights!

The staff are all smartly dressed in black, immaculately tailored uniform and they handle the cakes and pastries with the utmost care. It's almost like some venerable touch!

Go on, feast your eyes!!!

I tried the Praline MilleFeuille (5 Euros) which had so many fine and delicate layers of pastry that were freshly crunchy. The richly flavoured praline mousse just melted in the mouth. It can rival Sadaharu Aoki's Macha MilleFeuille for my favourite MilleFeuille so far. I think both are on equal standing 'cos they are very different in their own right!

Anyway, as you can guess, the Skinny Epicurean and I were very happy about having our teatime pastry fix!

Borough Market

I LOVE Borough Market! I just want to eat everything there. It's a farmers' market, but an upmarket one. The food sold there isn't cheap. Lots of gourmet cheeses, cakes, meats, chocolate, biscuits, pies, etc. It's a foodie's paradise. The photos will speak for themselves. You can't leave London without visiting it!

Delicious cakes

And more sinful cakes at another stall

Chocolate truffles

A mountain of brownies

Breads, muffins, and tarts

Cheeses

Eat your veggies!

My favourites - blueberries, strawberries, raspberries and blackberries!

Fancy sodium chloride

Jams and honey

A wide variety of vinegar infused with different flavours

Turkish delights

Going nuts over nuts

Churros

Yummy churros! Should have put this picture with this entry. It also tastes nice when dipped in sugar! It's Spanish comfort food!

Also want to add that I won't be blogging a lot from now on, not because I don't want to, but because I have limited access to the Internet. I don't have Internet access at the place I'm staying now so I have to stay back in the office after work hours to do personal emails and stuff. I always end up being one of the last few to leave the office. Technically I can leave at 4.30pm. They work a 35-hour work week in the UK...quite relaxed! I'm like the sad chick who doesn't have a social life so would rather spend her time in the office on the net. Oh well.

Chocolate Caliente

My favourite beverage in Spain was Chocolate Caliente [pronounced Cho-co-la-tay Kah-li-arn-tay] aka Hot Chocolate in English. I found this deliciously sinful version at a cafe just outside the hostal I was staying at in Torremolinos. That's probably the only good thing there! Like molten lava, this one was so thick and viscous that the waitress took so long to pour all of it. Haha. This one was freshly made from one of those espresso machines. The Chocolate Caliente from ready-made packets served by some cafes pale in comparison to the freshly brewed ones. Chocolate Caliente is usually taken at breakfast and is best eaten with freshly fried churros, the Spanish version of youtiao. It's pure comfort food!

Bill's

Bill's definitely deserves an entry of its own. I can always count on olduvai to sniff out places like this. Chungkingexpress and his posse of friends took a train from London to spend Sunday afternoon in Brighton and olduvai took us to Bill's for lunch.

Bill's sells fresh produce like seasonal fruits and vegetables, but are a little pricey compared to the big supermarket chains. It's organic blah blah blah...the English are very into ethical eating. Everywhere I turn I seem into encounter some "Eat local produce" message so that air transport is reduced hence reducing carbon emissions into the environment. I must admit that as a Singaporean I never thought much about all these 'cos in Singapore everything is imported! But OK, I'm beginning to get into the whole ethical eating movement now. It takes a bit of getting used to though!

Anyway, Bill's also sells canned and bottled foods from countries such as Thailand, France and Italy. I was surprised to find Thai curry pastes being sold in glass jars there. There is a very relaxed and casual feel to Bill's and it's bustling with activity. More often than not, you'll find yourself waiting for a table as it's always packed. As you wait, you eye the plates of food on the hands of the wait staff and the food on people's tables and you work up an appetite just by all the visually tantalising food streaming out of the kitchen.

As olduvai and I had quite a late breakfast we decided to plunge straight into dessert. We shared the Hazelnut Meringue with creme fraiche, banana, passionfruit and raspberries, topped with hazelnut sauce. Heavenly. I also had a refreshing fruit juice mix of plum, peach, mango and watermelon.

Basically everything there, whether it's savoury or sweet, looks really good. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves! Those cakes with all the flowers on top as decorations look sssooooo good, it's practically obscene.

Bill's
100 North Road
Brighton
BN1 1YE
Tel: (0)1273 692 894

The Mock Turtle

Ah, what a wonderful and relaxing week spent in Brighton with olduvai! Her dorm room faces Brighton Beach and it's so nice to look out of the window and see the vast sea, the occasional sailboat and the seagulls flying around. The seagulls in Brighton are like mutants – they are especially big! They must be fed too much by humans. The pigeons are also terrible. They aren't afraid of humans at all and are very audacious as to come right up to you and snatch your food away. It's also a bit risky to eat alfresco as evident when we walked past one woman sitting at a fish & chips eatery being "bombed" by a seagull. Ooops!

It was so nice meeting up with olduvai again after a whole year. Without fail, we'll always go in search of good food every time we meet up. We visited some cafes and also cooked dinner every night. Notably we made Bak Kut Teh, cornbread, pasta, mash potato etc. I'll do a tag team with olduvai here...she has written about the places we ate at and I'm just going to fill in the gaps by supplying some pictures and short descriptions! First to feature is The Mock Turtle! Don't you just love the name already?

It's a very quaint little cafe near the Pool Valley coach station serving English tea and cakes. There is more seating downstairs if you can't find any seats on the street level. Expect to find traditional English fare like scones, tea cakes, lemon cake, orange cake, walnut & date cake, shortbread etc.

OK, the only thing is that the pictures don't look that good 'cos they wrap all their cakes up with cling wrap! Actually I think it looks visually awful...can't they use glass cake covers or something???

Jars of homemade jam stacked on the shelf for sale.

Ooh, big fat jam doughnuts below!

Olduvai had the Walnut & Coffee cake which was really nice and moist, though maybe it could do with a wee bit less sugar.

I had the Old-Fashioned Dark Gingerbread with cream. This was a little bit dry but it had the right amount of spice. The cream that came with it, however, was scary! Gosh, imagine eating all of that artery-clotting cream! I suggest that you go without the cream and save yourself 30p.

We ordered a cup of tea each. Service is prompt and expect to spend about £6 for a cup of tea and a slice of cake. Note that it's closed on Mondays and is opened the rest of the week till 6.30pm.

The Mock Turtle
4 Pool Valley, Brighton
East Sussex
BN1 1NJ
Tel: 01273 327380

Ben's Cookies

All cookie lovers, you HAVE to buy some from Ben's Cookies to eat. They are delicious!!! Notice also that "Ben" is drawn by the illustrator of Roald Dahl's novels, Quentin Blake!

Hummingbird Bakery

Hummingbird Bakery is such a charming little bakery along Portobello Road. It's a very popular bakery judging by the number of people queuing up to buy the cakes and extremely pretty cupcakes.

The cakes are almost sold out by 4.30pm.

Giant chocolate chip cookies

I bought the Red Velvet cupcake which is just a plain cupcake with red colouring and vanilla frosting on top. It was nice and spongy and wasn't too sweet.

The red colour of the cupcake is a wonderful reflection of its name Red Velvet. I wanted to try everything! But of course I couldn't afford to buy so many and neither could I afford the calories! It's been raining so much in London and it's been so cold that I'd rather stay at home. It's almost summer yet temperatures are equivalent to those in Sydney where winter is reigning at the moment! Insane. Anyway, I'm hoping the weather will get better soon!

Meanwhile, the amount of cooking I've been doing in the past week is more than the average number of times I cook a year in Singapore! Cooking chronicles to come!

The Orangery at Kensington Gardens

It was a beautiful day in London yesterday and it also happened that Umami was in London and so we met up at a cafe called The Orangery situated in the heart of Kensington Gardens.

It's situated in this building facing immaculately pruned lawns.

The white, refreshing interiors of the cafe mirrored the lovely weather outside.

Some lovely spring flowers to brighten the place!



I felt that I needed some greens just to keep a more healthy diet and decided to go for the tomato, feta and basil salad. This costs £3.95...I don't even want to think about it in Singapore dollars anymore, 'cos that just gets depressing!!! It tasted OK...I mean, there's nothing much to it anyway. I had a cup of lemon & ginger tea to go with my food too. What's afternoon tea without tea?

Umami ordered the Orangery Cake which had some icing at the top and some orange bits in within the sponge cake. I thought it was a little dry for me and didn't really like it that much when I tried a bit of it.

She also ordered the fruit scone which came with full cream and jam. We were rather disappointed with this scone as they had reheated it by microwaving it, and so it didn't taste very good (we were placing high hopes of having some good English scones here).

Seeing that it was such a gorgeous day, we decided we couldn't just sit in and that we had to do the weather justice by taking a walk in the park. After all, such weather doesn't come all that often in UK!

We came across many squirrels nibbling on their food and these squirrels are so used to humans that they have no qualms about coming right up and sitting next to people. They were all very adorable!

Many people were out boating on the Serpentine, a lake within Kensington Gardens. That just made me itch to paddle. I miss paddling!!! Hordes of people were also out sunbathing on the lawns. All that's missing is a beach which will never ever materialise here!

Meanwhile I've been exploring the neighbourhood and I must say it's really very nice and charming! Many small and pretty shops! But I can't buy anything at the moment so that's pretty useless to me now.

I've also discovered that my two pals, Joe & Keith are very good cooks. I need to hone my cooking skills now. I bought blueberries and strawberries from Sainsbury yesterday and so I'm enjoying these seasonal fruits!

Anyway, back to the Orangery. My verdict is that the place scores higher on ambience than its food. But I think I'd rather do a picnic in the open...bring some food, a book and just lie on the grass and enjoy the sunshine!

Kensington Palace, Kensington Gardens, London, W8 4PX
Tel: +44 (0)871 3327927

Novus

Despite being ill on Monday night (still ill by the way), I didn't want to break my dinner date with two colleagues and an ex-colleague at Novus as it's so difficult to fix a date to meet up. You know us modern beings, trying to get a bunch of people to meet up is tantamount to organising an expedition to Mt Everest.

But anyway, we headed to the new restaurant serving modern European cuisine for some posh nosh. The interiors were very pleasantly done up with a contemporary European flair featuring neutral white and cream tones. According to the Uniquely Singapore website, the interiors are from designers Paul Smith and Jasper Morrison (whoever they are!). But it all blends in very nicely with the newly refurbished and very lovely National Museum.

Anyway, we splurged and went for the tasting menu which went for $108+++ per person. Chef Dan Masters and executive sous chef Philipp Meisel surprised us with a complementary starter made up of one prawn fritter seated on top a bed of guacamole. Nice gesture.

They were very good with replacing our bread platter. We hadn't even finished all the bread and they were already giving us a fresh platter!

While eating our bread, a flying ant flew onto the table and was moving around the table, coming dangerously close to the bread platter. I quickly alerted the lady in charge (a pretty blond lady who speaks with a European accent) and she promptly told one of the waiters to come over. Then this waiter comes over and puts his hand seemingly to just push the insect to another part of the table and then asks in Chinese, "What do you want me to do? Do you want me to kill it?"

Like DUH!!!! I mean, I don't freaking care whether you kill it or not! Just get the thing away! What a stupid question!

Anyway, the other starters were:

1) Slices of smoked salmon served with beetroot sorbet. That was the first time I've ever eaten beetroot sorbet and I really liked it. It was nice and refreshing and went well with the smoked salmon.

2) A big piece of scallop placed on chestnut puree together with a slice of pork belly. The sauce that came with it was both sweet and savoury at the same time. For me, this was the best dish of the night. The scallop was fresh and big, the chestnut puree heavenly and that slice of pork belly cooked to perfection.

3) A slice of seared cod fish nestled on a bed of spinach and mash potato. Fish is always difficult to get right, so kudos to the chef that the cod wasn't overcooked, but rather was really nice and moist.

Before the main course came along, we were given a scoop of lemongrass sorbet each to cleanse the palate. I really liked this!

The main course was a cut of lamb served with a rectangular piece of potato gratin. The lamb wasn't overcooked, so that was good. My colleagues felt, however, that the cut contained too much fat. Personally I was OK with it 'cos I think it's because of the fat that allows it to remain moist and not become overcooked.

Dessert was some kind of apple tart (it had some fancy French name) accompanied by cinnamon ice cream. It was pretty good but rather heavy and a tad too sweet for me. Maybe the apples were soaked in too much sugar. Would have been better if it were a little more sour.

At the end of it, a complementary plate of chocolates with a macaroon and blueberry madeleine were served to us - a nice touch to end the evening.

Overall, a good but pricey dining experience. Guys, it's a good place to bring your date for a nice, quiet evening if you're willing to splurge. That's all the fine dining I'm going to do in a really really long while!

Novus Restaurant & Bar #01-02
Tel: 6336 8770
Service: Very good
Price: At least $60/pax

Portobelle

Thanks everyone, I'm very happy with my new man. :) As men go, I'm still trying to figure him out and finding out which are the right buttons to push. We're still trying to get familiar with each other. Hee.

Amidst all that, I managed to take some time out to eat at Portobelle last Friday. This tiny Mediterranean cum Mexican restaurant located in one of the Peranakan-style shophouses along Killiney Road looked very charming and cosy with its terracotta walls, but unfortunately the food there didn't quite match the nice rustic look of the place. I had a plate of Quesadilla which had olive, tomatoes, green chilli and melted cheese inside. It was edible but it tasted very ordinary. My friend had the mussels in tomato sauce for a starter and ordered some pita bread to go with it. She said it was alright, but not particularly tasty.

I also tried their tiramisu which kinda disappointed. I felt it tasted rather flat - not enough alcohol, the cream was a tad too sweet, and I'd have preferred a little more coffee powder to make it slightly more bitter.

Anyway, I doubt I'll be making a second visit. I even went to Killiney Kopitiam on the opposite side of the road to have a plate of fried rice after leaving the restaurant! That plate of rice which costs $4.50 left me much more sated!

128 Killiney Rd
Tel: 6737 7127
Service: OK
Price: $30-$40/pax

Bills

Australians love to do brunch - that I've concluded from the numerous places I observed having brunch menus and the vast number of people tucking in to the huge portions of food from late morning into the afternoon.

I guess this two-in-one meal concept works for people who are late risers. But I'm an early bird for the most part and prefer eating more meals a day for more variety. Just 'cos I'm greedy. :)

But well, on a lovely and lazy Saturday, C, my good friend in Sydney brought me to bills for brunch. Located in a quiet street corner in the charming suburb of Darlinghurst, this cafe by Australian celebrity chef Bill Granger exudes a nice casual feel, making you feel like you've stepped into your own dining room.

A big wooden dining table is the centrepiece of the cafe. Diners sit around the table making you feel as if this is like some big communal eating affair. Placed in the middle of the table are magazines like Vogue, Bazaar, Vogue Travel, and other hip magazines sprawled on the table for diners to browse as they munch. I lurve it.

You can see the people in the kitchen working with the open kitchen concept. I love the blackboard on the wall too. I want to have that in my kitchen one day if I ever get my own home!

I was a little disappointed at the menu though. There wasn't much to choose from. There were pancakes, some yoghurt thingy, muffins, corn fritters and you could also design your own toast. I was just expecting more variety and some things that sound more exciting.

C chose the corn fritters and bacon above which were very tasty.

The pancakes that I saw someone ordering looked very delicious (they were thick and fluffy) what with the bananas and maple syrup but I was in the mood for something savoury. So I chose toast instead. This came with scrambled organic eggs and the sliced fresh tomatos and mushrooms were side orders. Other side orders to choose from are bacon, avocado, cooked tomatoes and a few other stuff which I can't remember now!

Though I didn't find the food particularly exciting, I must say it did taste good. Probably just 'cos the food was fresh. I really liked the eggs as they were so fluffy and delicious! There was so much of it that I couldn't finish. What a pity.

It's a nice place for brunch, after which you can head to the charming little shops for some shopping or just walk around the neighbourhood to look at some of the lovely old terrace houses.

C and I headed to Freshwater Beach which is the next beach up north from Manly. It's smaller and less touristy than Manly but just as nice too! We spent the afternoon there swimming and soaking in the sun while lying on the beach talking and occasionally eyeing the random cute surfer dude. One thing I love about Australia? There's so much eye candy for me! Drool fest! And now I'm back in the cesspool of men here in Singapore. Blah.

433 Liverpool Street
Darlinghurst NSW 2010 Australia
T +61 2 9360 9631

Mon - Sat
7.30 - 15.00
18.00 - 22.00

Sun
8.30 - 15.00

Pancakes In Paradise

I had the yummiest pancakes at Surfers Paradise at this restaurant called Pancakes In Paradise. The place certainly lives up to its name with its thick and fluffy and oh-so-irresistable pancakes.

On weekends, the place is packed! They serve savoury pancakes too. E.g. with bacon and egg. You can also have your pancakes with ice cream, chocolate, banana, strawberry, etcetc. You have no lack of choices!

This is called the "Long Stack", that is, four pancakes in a stack. At first I thought that yellow scoop on stuff on top was ice cream. But it turned out to be a huge scoop of butter!!! Man, it was sinful but so damn delicious!

I know it's terribly unhealthy, but I love to drown my pancakes in maple syrup. My friends think I'm mad. But I just have a very sweet tooth and here I attempted to make a smiley face with the syrup. But the syrup soaked through and my smiley pancake looks more like a sad pancake. Oh well, it ended up in my stomach nonetheless - guess that's nothing for Mr Pancake to be happy about!

The enormous pancake that stands at the entrance to welcome visitors. And no, I didn't go for the All You Can Eat offer. I couldn't even stomach more than two so it wouldn't have been worth the money to go for the buffet. I actually shared the Long Stack with a friend. Just eating two of those pancakes left me really stuffed!

I'd recommend going to Pancakes In Paradise for a really hearty breakfast. If the restaurant were by the beach, it'd be even better with views of the beach! But unfortunately, it's not. However, it's only a three-minute walk from the beach so you can just head straight to the beach after eating!

Cookies!!!

As you can see, tiggie, fatgirl and I baked many cookies! Was really fun mucking around in the kitchen. The bottom two trays of cookies were decorated by me. I had a lot of fun doodling with the icing.

Should do this with my friends more often. :)

The True Baguette

The true baguette is thin, between about 24 to 28 inches long, slightly flattened, weighs nine to ten ounces, and has five or seven oblique slashes along the top surface, made just before baking, to allow the dough to expand before the crust has set. The crust itself it toasty, tight, and crackling, and the insides (known as the 'crumb' in English or the 'mie in French) are creamy - nearly golden - never bone white, and marked by an irregular profusion of glossy bubbles and holes, some as large as olives.

The true baguette is made only from flour, water, and salt - and, usually, yeast for leavening. Countless French techniques exist for arriving at the same goal, but the classic recipes call for a brief, slow kneading and a fermentation of several hours with only a little yeast. A true baguette must be baked directly on the hearth; its underside never shows the telltale curve and waffle pattern of a metal pan. Its most elusive qualities are the strong, simple sweetness of the crumb, though absolutely no sugar can be added, and a nearly paradoxical quartet of textures - around the air bubbles, the crumb is dense, moist, stretchy, and extremely tender, all at the same time, with no hint of rubberiness, no dry, tough sheets or filaments of gluten.

- Jeffery Steingarten in It Must've Been Something I Ate

Corduroy Cafe

The cafe arm of the Corduroy & Finch group located on level 1of Vivo City is a place done up very tastefully, giving a classic French cafe feel. It's dark wooden chairs and tables and comfortable sofas just beckon you to sink your butt into it and enjoy a cuppa.

It helps, too, that as you make your way into the sitting area, you have to walk past this display of pretty cupcakes topped with huge swirls of colourful icing, decadentally sinful cherry chocolate cake looking positively evil in their dark brown coat, delightful cherry crumbles, panna cottas, etc. Your brain synapses just start telling you to order everything in sight as you go to find a table for yourself!

The cafe faces the waterfront and if you want to get closer, just opt to dine al fresco. Order at the counter, pay up and your food will be brought to you. I had the grilled chicken sandwich with egg which came with salad in balsamic dressing. The bread was fresh but the sandwich was average. Nothing that I haven't eaten before. I couldn't make room for dessert but next time I'll make sure I do so. I do like the setting of the place what with it's homey feel. Magazines and newspapers are also provided to be read at your own leisure.

Great place for brunch or afternoon tea!

Service: Prompt and pleasant.
Expenditure: Average $20 per person

Corduroy Cafe
Vivocity
#01-106
Tel: 6376-9895

Jade Garden Restaurant 苏浙汇

I always believe that as long as there are Chinese people around, there will always be people willing to pay for good food. The increasingly affluent Chinese in China are forking out lots of money to eat in posh restaurants like Jade Garden Restaurant and South Beauty 俏江南.

Originally from Shanghai, Jade Garden Restaurant now has two outlets in Beijing, one of which is on the first floor of the building where my company's Beijing office is situated. South Beauty is located in the next building where the office used to be located until June this year. So I've eaten many times at both restaurants. Lucky me. Hee.

Jade Garden Restaurant specialises in the cuisine from the provinces of Jiangsu (江苏), Zhejiang (浙江) and the Shanghai municipality. The most famous city in Jiangsu is Suzhou (苏州) and in Zhejiang it's Hangzhou (杭州). The word 汇 (hui) refers to the Shanghai municipality. Jade Garden's interior design is what one would call Chinois chic with Chinese influences fused with Western design - no gaudy red dragons and phoenixes wood carvings adorning the walls and ceilings. It is elegant with pristine white tablecloths, black chairs with clean lines, string beaded curtains in the numerous private rooms in the restaurant for added privacy.

On week days, the clientele stems mainly from the corporate sharks who have to entertain other corporate sharks. On weekends, the place is patronised by many families. The place is always packed and I have no doubt that there are many rich Chinese people out there 'cos the food really isn't what I would call cheap even by Singapore standards.

Serving portions are similar to Singapore, i.e. quite small. This actually suits me fine 'cos most of the time I can't finish the huge portions that many other cheaper restaurants in China serve.

The menu is pretty extensive. There are the