Jap Style Marche - Awesome!

Having read about Shokudo all over the press, I of course have to try it. :) I love trying new places to dine, so this was a great option for lunch.



Raffles City is really upping the ante with their retail and culinary options - lots of new boutiques and restaurants have opened. Even J Co, the famous donuts from Indonesia have opened, stealing their business from The Donut Factory! ( haha..... ) I'm seeing how long this donut craze will last.

Anyway, when I stepped into Shokudo, its pretty overwhelming - lots of food options! I thought it was quite a good idea to have it Jap style, as lots of Singaporeans like Jap food, and Jap food has great variety.

A brief summary of the food options available: Jap style omelette, Jap style pizza, Bamboo rice, Omu rice, Noodles (Ramen + Cha Soba), Teppanyaki, Shabushabu, Oden (Jap style Yong Tau Foo), and of course Jap Rice ( Jap curry and rice bowls )

too many! I tried Mushroom & Cheese Omelette - YUMMY. they cooked the omelette with 2 layers. The first layer with the fillings, and cover it with another layer of egg. The finished product is topped with fish flakes, mayo and jap sauce. The taste - thick soft eggy goodness that's absolutely delish. I think im going to try it at home. hehe

Ramen next! The ramen is ok... soup base is normal, average ( nothing much to say about ramen cos the best Ramen ever is at Gallery Hotel. I think its very hard to compete with the ramen there )

my rice bowl - Shokudo Grilled Chicken & Egg Rice Bowl. Awesome too! The grilled chicken is sweet, tasty, and the rice is sticky and authentically Japanese. This rice bowl came with a different style of serving - its egg is barely cooked - so i just mashed it all up with my rice and chicken. good good good.

Other things I must try when I'm back - the Jap burger, Jap Pizza, curry rice & Teppanyaki.

Price wise - very reasonable, avg of 5-7 bucks per dish.

try it try it!

Durian Madness!! I love Durian!!

OH MY GOD. I just found out Goodwood Park has just launched their Durian Fiesta this year.

I have to tell you how much i love durian - both its fruit and its desserts.

I first fell in love with Puteri Mas's very awesome durian puffs, and quoting from Friends, they "taste like little drops of heaven". Just speaking of it makes me crave for it. Puteri Mas does not just offer great durian puffs. They added a twist to a traditional kueh and came up with Durian Ambom - soft coconuty kueh with a rich lump of pulp in the middle. I remembered coming out of a horrible job interview and ate 6 of these amboms at one go, and I felt good immediately after. hee.

Enough of Puteri Mas, I can go on and on. I just want to bring attention to these lovely lovely desserts that Goodwood Park hotel has came up with this year! The Durian & Brownie Chocolate Cup and the Durian Oreo Cake just looks so TEMPTING and DELICIOUS!!

Durian Oreo Cake & Durian and Brownie Chocolate Cup

I've tried Goodwood Park's durian puffs, and found them lacking in flavour to Puteri Mas's. BUT! Their durian crumble is to die for. You can eat them plain, or the one with Hazelnut - both are awesome. I think Goodwood is good for their durian improvisation, to produce these classy desserts and cater to the tastes of the slightly more "atas" people.

I am definitely heading down to Goodwood to try these desserts out - :) Just the thought puts a smile on my face :) :) :)

Sigh - if only durian is low-fat, non-heaty and very healthy. Then i can eat them everyday................ but then again, eating too much of a good thing isnt good eh?

On a diet? Do Yogurt!

whenever i felt that i've overeaten and it is time for a detox, i'd start counting my calories ( not like i do not count it everyday ) haha..

so at least if i've gained weight, i know its cos i overeat? i hate it when i gain weight and do not know why!!

anyway, for a girl, its best to have 1800 calories a day ( for a girl with normal activitity ). if you wanna lose weight, just eat less than that - i'd recommend between 1200 - 1400 calories. Since you consume 400 less calories a day, you'd lose approx 1/2- 1 kg of fats in a month!

so let me recommend one great food that can aid you in your diets -- Yogurt! Marigold Non-fat Yogurt. comes in many flavours - blueberry, mixed berry, strawberry, aloe vera & peach mango, they all taste great. and heres the best part ---- its only approx 120 calories per pack, with very little or no fat at all! how great is that?



yogurt helps digestion, helps prevent osteoporosis cos of the calcium inside, and is filling ( so you wont overeat ). if you think its too boring and plain to eat it alone, mixed in with some crushed digestive biscuits, or cereal and there you have it ( your very own home-made delicacy that's fit for a queen to eat.

so this weekend, i'm really looking forward to my detox diet - consisting of some healthy foods like apples, bananas, yogurt, milk, cereal + one indulgent - muffin from Delifrance cos the muffins are just so cheap and good.

:)

Awesome Uses for Milo!! :):):)

I love Milo. Its the most awesome drink on earth! I can drink Milo for breakfast, lunch and dinner and never grow sick of it. :)



well, since I love Milo so much, I've decided to list down with some awesome ways I consume this lovely chocolatey goodness.

1) Good old fashion Milo Drink with Cream Crackers

A piping hot cup of milo is great with cream crackers, or otherwise known familarly as "sor da bia". Whoever made cream crackers definitely made it to go with Milo! And sor da bia in my opinion, is the best cracker to go with Milo. I have tried it with digestive biscuits, white bread etc etc, and none beats sor da bia. so for all of you who have not tried it before, go try it!!!! I recommend Khong Guan crackers or Hup Seng crackers. They are the creme de la creme of cream crackers hehehe.

2) Milo powder with White Bread

OOOooOOoh. If you like Nutella with white bread, go for milo! yes, its heaty. Yes, its fattening. Yes, its downright sinful. BUT - sometimes one just gotta indulge a little! Simply take a piece of white bread and spread the milo powder into a thick even layer. as I'm writing this post I am craving for this luscious delight. AS you take your first bite, you will not regret. The powder will burst in your mouth like little drops of heaven - the ultimate delight. Forget cheesecakes and awfully chocolate cakes. This simple dish is good enough a substitute, in my opinion. :)

Other breads you can try - baguette - Toast baguette before spreading the milo powder. Cos of the heat, the powder melts and coagulates into something of a milo spread - and oh - its good. Just that baguette can get a little hard, and can be messy eating the whole thing without dirtying your table - be sure to eat it over a plate or over the sink.

3) Ice Milo

Well - hot milo is great, but sometimes Ice Milo can be more gratifying. I always crave for this ice-cold drink during work - and the Indian uncle at the prata shop downstairs makes the ice milo thick, sweet and yes, very sinful too. If you want to up the ante on the sinful factor, do a Milo dinosaur! Simply pour over the drink spoonfuls and spoonfuls of milo powder..........

Well - the top 3 are my favourites - if anyone reading this post has any other ideas, pls comment on the post!!! :) If i suddenly remember any, I definitely will add in. :)

4) Milo muffin

oh this is the first I've tried recently. you know, with muffins you can try with about EVERYTHING under the sun. I was playing around baking muffins, and yes! simply find a recipe for a good muffin batter, stir milo powder in, top it off with more milo powder ( i cannot emphasize enough how generous you have to be ) and you have yourself a great muffin that tastes great!

other flavours I've tried it with - pork floss ( yum), coco crunch with cornflakes ( not too bad )

hehe.

Awesome Mini Breads!

there is just something alluring about mini things. the UOB visa mini, the mini cooper, mini magnums, mini cornettos, mini peanut butter cups and the list just goes on and on



well, the mini selection of breads at various bakeries are definitely making the raves. Bakeries like Four Leaves, Bread Talk and Sun Moulin have all tapped into this HUGE demand for mini breads and decided to satiate the desire of the public for these so cute mini things. Perhaps its the thought that you can buy more without having to gauge yourselves out. Perhaps its just that these breads look much more appetising and inviting when they are so small and harmless. At 5 pieces for $2.80, it is so easy for one to pile up 10 pieces on that tray, that tray that seems so empty if just one small item is placed on it.

I've tried various flavours, and man they are addictive! The sweet and savoury mini croissants from Four Leaves taste like little drops of heaven. I was in love with the sweet potato croissant. A thick paste of Japanese sweet potato wedged inside the squarish croissant. Unfortunately it was discontinued due to poor response? :(

Anyway, I tried the blueberry, strawberry, choco and nut and ham and cheese croissants. The layers of sweet croissant are laced with sugar syrup which made it extra flaky and crispy. The fillings are of the right amount, and when bitten into half the filling oozes out and it just tastes awesome! Mine would taste extra better though, I brought them home, gave them a slight toast in the oven, and made them that more crispy, the filling that more oozy.

The ham and cheese croissant was not disappointing either. I expected it to have just a small slice of ham wedged in between. It was not the case however. The ham was rolled in together with the croissant, and every bite of it was bursting with the flavour of ham and melted cheese.

Go explore the other flavours! There are plenty to be adventurous with. This is great to step out of the ham and cheese/sausage bun routine, and try other flavours. With these mini breads, you can experiment without much costs incurred. If it tastes bad, just dump it out!

Four Leaves is available at
Takashimaya Basement 2

Picture Source

Yummy Food at Teahouse The Asian Kitchen!

I've finally did my first ever food review! I ALWAYS wanted to be enjoying my meals and taking pictures and writing about them and sharing them with others, but not bringing my camera out is always the bottleneck. This weekend, I have succeeded! And I give my virgin review to Teahouse The Asian Kitchen.

We have always wanted to try this restaurant located at the newly refurnished Raffles City Shopping Centre. Its warm and homely ambience beckons to us - and the rows of roasted ducks and meats in the display window is enough to tempt anyone who is looking for a good meal into stepping in and ordering a bite.

Since the roasted ducks are what enticed us, and is apparently the signature dish, we decided to order a small serving of its duck breast meat served in herbal sauce.

Crispy Herbal Duck

It is fragrant, its skin is crispy, its meat is tender, and the herbal sauce topping off the meats is just awesome! One thing though, I'm a fan of anything herbal - thus the herbal sauce in my opinion can be more herbal-ish for me. :)

We also tried the Fiery Fish, which is a simple dish of fish slices stir fried in chilli sauce.

Fiery Fish

One thing about such a dish is that it can get too oily (due to the chilli) for anyone's liking, and thankfully the chef at Teahouse kept the oil amount to a reasonable amount. Match the fish slices with a mouthful of white rice and you have yourself a meal not to be forgotten.

Another must-try is the Crispy Garlic Ginger Ribs! I personally love this dish - it is tasty, and not too tough on the bite.

Crispy Garlic Ginger Ribs

All in all, the meal at Teahouse was a memorable one, and I definitely will be back! I was looking over at my neighbouring table and a group of tourists were enjoying their oriental cuisine with cups of beer. I wonder how yummy that will be..

Awesome Breads! - Apple Galaxy at Bread Talk

hehe. I'm glad I managed to try more breads this week. :)

Well - everytime I walk past Bread Talk Silver located at the basement of Paragon Shopping Centre, I'd make it a point to step in, just to take in the fragrant smell of the newly-baked breads, and entice myself with the myriad of varieties available out there. This outlet sells breads different from its regular outlets, infusing a mix of unique ingredients to cater to the taste buds of their patrons!

Apple Galaxy

I saw picked up the Apple Galaxy - what can possibly go wrong with anythng apple? It is similar to the Applewerm available at the regular Breadtalk, just this is without the sugar coating. It is also "designed" to look like a galaxy, with rich caramel-brown swirls encircling this round-shaped bread, topping off with a star-shaped apple slice.

Its fillings are obviously apples, but they added some extra flavour with the use of raisins. The end result - a delicious yet wholesome bread that I believe will become a favourite with the young and old alike.

Awesome Drink: Negative-Calorie Fruit Juice!! - Green Apple Celery

i personally am pretty health conscious - so though I love to eat, I ensure I count my calories everyday to make sure I do not exceed my limit. It really comforts me to know that there are such things as "Negative Calorie" around -- to make our lives that much easier.

Let me introduce to you this awesome drink - green apple + celery fruit juice.





These 2 fruits are both negative calorie, meaning though they have calories when eaten, become negative calorie when digested as the energy needed for digestion is more than what they contain! You must be thinking, are you sure?? Is this for real?? Yes yes yes!! I am for real. It means -- that you can eat as much of it as you can and not gain weight - of course, without adding any sugar/dressing etc etc.

Other negative calorie foods are: berries ( blueberry, strawberry, raspberry ), apples, mangoes (surprisingly), watermelon

Green apple + celery fruit juice is possibly the most refreshing drink there is out there. Celery is an acquired taste though ( applies personally to me too ) but once you get the hang of the taste, you'd be wanting more.

Simply blend 2-3 green apples with 1 stalk of celery and you have yourself a great beverage - whether for breakfast, lunch, dinner, tea time or supper.

Awesome Breads: Blueberry Fluff from Bread Talk

I was at Citylink yesterday night after a game of pool and what better place to visit then Bread Talk?

This branch is different compared to other outlets in Singapore. They have different varieties of bread which other outlets do not have! ok, lets not compare to Bread Talk Silver at Paragon - that is a story for another time.

Some breads that are uniquely theirs are like this awesome Blueberry Fluff that I tried yesterday. Retailed at $1.10, it is truly worth the money, and whatever calories contains. True to its name "fluff", the bread is amazingly soft, and accompanying this texture is its milky, custardy taste. The blueberry filling adds the finishing touch - its blueberry bursts are not too coyingly sweet, and tastes of wholesome goodness - do you know that blueberry is actually a negative-calorie food?

Negative-calorie means that while some fruits and vegetables have calories when consumed, become negative when digested. The energy needed to digest is more then the calories they contain.

Well, though the blueberry filling has been tampered with sugar, making it not negative-calorie anymore, it is still superior to eating whole breads of custard cream cheese or chocolate cream.

What was meant for breakfast had been devoured on the spot - thus leaving my next-day breakfast options wide open.

PS: Pictures coming soon

Awesome Spreads: Duchy Originals Strawberry Preserve

Since young, jam has been a part of my life - i eat it with plain bread or eat it with peanut butter for an awesome PB&J. Strawberry jam has always been my favourite, thus imagine my delight when I got to taste this pretty awesome strawberry preserve from Duchy Originals - the latest brand brought in by Ms Christina Ong of Club 21. Duchy Originals came from London, and is now the up and coming upmarket lifestyle brand specialising in organic foods. Located at the basement of Paragon, it targets just the right group of customers - those who are health-conscious and affluent - so they can afford to spend a premium on organic food stuff.

For the first time in my whole being - i ate the jam differently. I spread it on a cream cracker (those from Jacobs, Khong Guan or Hup Seng) due to a recommendation from my boyfriend, and wow does it taste good! The cracker plays an important part - it has to be crispy, buttery and fragrant. Mine was from Khong Guan, and thankfully it played its part well. The not-too-sweet jam combined with the cracker proved great as a breakfast item and even more excellent as a late-night snack.

Yes yes, we heard all about the high sugar content that jams can contain. I comfort myself by telling myself this jam i'm indulging in is organic. =P

Awesome Breads: Wassant from Provence

I love breads. I do not know why. Even though I can't bake, I can't help it but walk into any bakery that I pass by. I hope to intern in a bakery just to get close to these lovely carbohydrates!

Meanwhile, i gotta rave about the various breads I've tried. The wassant from Provence bakery has got to be one of my all-time favourite breads in the whole wide world! As and when I can, I'd head down to Holland V to purchase these cute swirly chocolate buns, and I can devour them in a second.

they are amazingly soft, not too sweet and filled with just the right amount of chocolatey goodness. These wassants come in just 2 flavours - chocolate and custard, but my personal fav is still the chocolate one. Another bread-lover friend of mine adores the custard one though, so there is no particular debate of which tastes better - both are equally awesome!

If you want to get your hands at these lovely wassants, head down to Holland V. its located near the foodcourt, opposite sub way and beside the newly open Marmalade Pantry. Remember though, if you want to ensure you can get your hands on these heavenly breads, always make a reservation. In this way, satisfaction is guaranteed. :)

Provence at Holland Village, Tel: 6467 6966 check out their website! www.provence.com.sg

PS: Pictures will be up soon. :)