Seafood paradise @ Singapore Flyer

I am strangely feeling very satisfied from a very chapalang dinner of instant soup with meatballs, burnt bread and tea. This made up for the awful lunch I had this afternoon at some reputable chinese restaurant (I really want to share which restaurant is that but....... no, I am not going to spoil their reputation because of my personal opinions).

This post is wayyyyyyy overdue as I had been on a hiatus from blogging because of moving to Ipoh and getting married. :D Oh well, better late than never.

We actually have friends who are really fussy when it comes to food. Like, "NO, I don't eat that", "NO, nothing with sauce please", "NO, that is strange, is it even food?" SO, it is quite hard for us to find a place which actually accommodates to their fussy eating habits. (E to J: NO, I am not one of those fussy eaters. I just don't take certain food due to certain reasons)

After a long while with the cravings for crabs, we decided on Seafood Paradise at Singapore Flyer. You know, I can actually goes on and on about the history of Paradise Group but I shall just skip that today. BUT, if you are interested in knowing some background stories about them you can give me a call @ xxxxxxxx.

Okay, so first up is our appetisers. I liked the silver bait that comes with the tangy lemony saunce. It's light on the taste bud and makes fried food seems less sinful. Fried fish skin is one of my favourite food but I don't eat them often, I mean... who is willing to pay $9 for a plate of fried skins??? (Actually, I do know of someone who does)

Fried Silver bait

Marinated Jelly Fish

Fried Fish Skin

 

Fried Prawn Roll

We over ordered as usual but somehow, the six of us (all girls) managed to clean every dishes. The only spectacular one is the creamy butter crabs which went so well with fried man tou (E: I am up for any dates with anyone with crabs :D ). The rest of the dishes are good but nothing that screams awesome.

 

Poached Chinese Spinach with 3 Eggs

Seafood Ee Mian

Roasted Chicken

Hotplate Tofu with Cai Xin and Minced Pork

Steamed Soon Hock in Superior light soya sauce

Pepper crabs

Butter crabs and Fried Man Tous

Desserts on the house :D

The night ended sweet with our free round of desserts and not to mention, the awesome-ness of our friendship. Do give Seafood Paradise a try if you are craving for some seafood treats.

Edit: This was written 2 years back. I'm not too sure about the standard of the food now, but I sure miss the girls back in Singapore, especially J.

E

Banzai Nippon!

Believe it or not, we're back to blogging. Too much has been going on like E getting married and leaving the Lion City... *starts weeping uncontrollably*. BUT! The show must go on!
I'm amazed once in awhile we still get likes. What is it that attracts you all to us? Is it the hilarious insider view on the FnB industry? Or just the simple food photos? Either way, thank you.

On to the main topic, HOKKAIDO! Now, I have been to Japan a few times already, but you know it's so tiresome to blog. So let's begin.

I'm going to skip all the nitty-gritty, and go straight to what I ate. Japan's cuisine always mesmerizes me because they put so much effort to make everything look so pretty, it is almost an art form. I always joked with everyone that "in Japan, you can't sell it if it's not pretty", which is not far from the truth. 

"Kodawari" a word meaning obsession, perfectionism, passion and determination, is probably the best word to describe how Japanese treat their food. And my oh my, every time I go Japan, it's a treat for the eyes and mouth. Let me show you why...

Hokkaido White Corn

This corn is eaten RAW. It's more like a fruit than a vegetable, I suppose, since it's usually eaten cold and raw. It is crunchy and sweet, like eating an apple actually. You have to bite into one to understand. Please pick one up when you're in Hokkaido!

Other interesting fruits that can be found in Hokkaido is their WHITE CHERRY. Why is everything white you ask? My answer to you is that it doesn't matter, it tastes amazing so just shut up and eat.

White peaches and melon!

Let me tell you that one slice of that melon in Singapore is about $15-$20, depending on the season. I ate it at Hokkaido for $3.

And how can you go to Japan and not eat sashimi?

 

I must have Ootoro! And of course uni(sea urchin)

There are 3 parts to a tuna; akami, chuutoro and ootoro.

Akami - the normal red meat of the tuna that is usually eaten,
Chuutoro - a little fattier than the akami.
Ootoro - the fattiest part of the tuna, the tuna belly. It melts in your mouth due to the high fat content.

Uni is really expensive outside of Japan and not fresh. The ones I had in Singapore tasted like a wet sponge. :(

Hokkaido's desserts are to die for. Their dairy is sublime. It's creamy and smooth and it doesn't have a strong cow smell. So I believe that even the milk-hating E would enjoy the dairy products in Hokkaido.

Cheesecakes:

Imagine the cheese if the milk is that good!

Other desserts:

That's a real peach and they piped custard into it!

Other Japanese must tries!

Onsen Egg

If you love egg, you have to try this. It's lighter than a poached egg. You eat it with light soy sauce or on top of white rice.

Freshly grilled rice crackers

These are found all over Japan. Rice crackers are best fresh off the grill as the flavours are more intense. Not for the weak teeth!

Kaiseki

Japan's finer dining option. Kaiseki is a multi course Japanese meal. Depending on where you go, it is either served all at one go, or the more fine dining ones, serve you one dish at a time. Kaiseki dishes change with the season. They are also served with real leaves and flowers which you can eat! Although they serve it in most parts of Japan,  I recommend you go to Kyoto for the most authentic experience. It is pricey, but hey, if you're on a holiday why not make the most out of it? 

For the most authentic experience, order a sake along with this.

Since I was on a holiday, I had to go to a more tourist-y place. Who doesn't know what Shiroi Kohibito is? That expensive chocolate that everyone gets as a souvenir from Japan (besides the Tokyo Banana)

Shiroi Kohibito Factory Cafe

Hot chocolately goodness with a great view outside, what a time to be alive. They provide orange liqueur to drip into your chocolate if you want.

For the last day I went to Daimaru. I love this place, especially after 5pm when everything is discounted. 

Loot!

Let me try to walk you through my loot.
Top left: Japanese fishcakes. It's sweet. I can't explain, just go try one when you're in Japan.

Top center: Gyoza.
Center: Chirashi. More sashimi!
Left: I think it was tempura.

Desserts!

More dairy filled desserts please! The one in the bottle is milk pudding. Remember to dig your spoon all the way in when you take a scoop to unleash the caramel at the bottom!

So don't hesitate to book your ticket to the Land of the Rising Sun!

-J

Sorry the photo water marking is a little off. Not sure what E's trying to do.

Luncheon Meat Made Fancy

Omg guys! How long has it been since we last updated this blog? Back then, both of us were so busy with work, life and what's not. Now, things have changed.. Well, you know, there is a common saying that goes "change is the only constant".

So anyhow, we will be blogging about food from two different places, namely, Singapore and Ipoh. The transition from a city to a laid back town has been really tough, but I made it (I really wanted to believe I made it even though I still bleed Singapore). 

Ever since I became a mother and at home most of the time, I try to make dinner 3 times a week. I will be sharing my culinary experiences here albeit without any measurements as I do not follow measurements precisely when it comes to cooking. I always go with my gut feelings.

Have been thinking about making sushi at home and managed to find some recipes online. However, the lack of ingredients + the laziness to get to a supermarket changed my mind. So I started being creative and this is what I ended up with.. 

It is surprisingly good and my husband loves it! 

Luncheon Meat and Egg Rice Rolls

(For 2)

Cal-rose Rice                    1 cup

Luncheon Meat/Spam     1/2 can

Eggs                                2

Soya Sauce                     

Salt

White pepper powder

Japanese Cucumber

Japanese Mayonnaise

Chilli Sauce

Roasted Seaweed

I soaked the rice grains for 30 mins and cooked it with about 1.8 cups of water. The texture and stickiness of the rice turned out perfect. Cook the meat and eggs like how you normally would. And remember to wet your hands before handling the rice!

As I didn't mix the rice with sushi vinegar, I believe any ingredients will work. Just make sure whatever you use is well seasoned as the rice is tasteless ;) It is a very versatile idea, isn't it. Now, get your creative juices rolling! 

Xoxo,

E

Modesto's and Dolce Tokyo

I realise it's a REALLY late Valentine's Day post. But here it is. We had a BFF dinner for Valentine's day on short notice.

Or else....

Anyway, after we have our whole indecisive ritual about where to eat, we decided Modesto's. I've seen it around a lot, especially when E and I used to work together at a certain huge mall. So we've finally got down to trying it.

It's always nice to be served the bread basket, but it would ALWAYS be better if the bread was warm and toasted. Unfortunately this wasn't..... C'mon, just throw it in the oven for a bit.

Bread with Olive Oil.

After glancing over at other tables, I got a bit worried that the portions might be too big, so we shared an appetizer and main course.

Seafood platter

Squid Ink Pasta

Washing it down with beer

For dessert, because we are such failures, we couldn't find a Fruit Paradise which we wanted to eat in Orchard. Did it close? I swear I thought there was one. So after searching high and low, we ended up at Dolce Tokyo.

This is by the people who opened MOF(Ministry of Food) and LENAS.

Chocolate brownie with Gelato

I actually wanted the one with flambe bananas... but they got our order wrong. 

This wasn't a very exciting Valentine's Day for us. But I hope yours went much better!

Chongqing Hotpot

Hope you all had a great CNY now that all 15 days are over! Everyone probably gained a little weight, but really, doesn't matter as long as you are happy.

E and I went to The Magic of Chongqing Hotpot for our reunion dinner, just us two. A yearly tradition to meet during CNY period. Plus I really love this place. If you can appreciate Sichuan hotpot, then you'll enjoy this place.

It works as a buffet style, and I find it really worth every cent you pay. You get 2 cooked appetizers to begin with. Then free flow of tea and the food of course.

Fried Dumplings and Xiao Long Bao

I really like the service here, since I'm really lazy, the waitress will just bring you EVERYTHING on the menu and you just throw in what you want. Whatever you don't want, they'll send back to the kitchen. But please be considerate, don't throw in 1 tofu then send the rest back.

Extensive menu. I can see my pineapple tarts beside the menu! Made by our friend. She's amazing! Do order from her next year!

You get to pick 2 different soups. We chose the medium spicy Sichuan soup and chicken soup. The Sichuan soup can get a bit numbing... So if you're not that hardcore, medium is good enough. But if half way you cannot take the spiciness, the waitress will help you remove the spicy oil. Did I mention I love their service?

My mouth got all numb. :(

I've heard from the waitress in my previous visit that the Ba Bao Cha is the best tea to counter the numbness from the Sichuan spice.

All the food will be sent on trays. Those that you don't want you can send back.

MEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAATTTTSSS!!!

Their homemade noodles and meatballs. REALLY GOOD!

Halfway through your meal they'll send this dish to you. It's Mantou, Water Chestnut Cake and Tapioca Kueh? I don't know. It had icing sugar on top. It's supposed to help you clean off the Sichuan spiciness also.

I don't know what to call this course. I always save this for last.

THEN we had dessert. So that wasn't dessert. There are no photos of our dessert. It was ice-cream.

Highly recommended place!

The Magic of Chongqing Hotpot

19 Tanglin Road

#04-06/07 Tanglin Shopping Centre

Tel: 67348135

Paul

You know there's always that restaurant, that you walk past and you go "wow, looks nice" but you never try it?

Well that was Paul's for us. Now, I think most of you are going "where's this?", but I can assure you, you all have DEFINITELY seen this restaurant before.

It's at the 3rd Floor of Ngee Ann City, beside Kinokuniya. That big restaurant that you can see while taking the escalator up, ringing a bell now? Yep, that's the one. Always gives me the Tai-tai feel kind of restaurant, where I'd expect to see middle aged ladies sipping tea and talking about manicures after a yoga class from California Fitness that's located on the top floor of the same building.

I've heard about it from my chef friend that the pastries are good, but the bread was hard, stale kind of hard.... So we didn't order any of that.

Nice bistro feel/setting.

I can imagine that this place, in France, perhaps...? Would be at a little corner by the main road, where customers can sit and enjoy fresh bread and coffee while watching motorists and pedestrians pass by. But we were in Takashimaya, so all I could enjoy really, was people going up and down the escalator.

Smoked Salmon on a flat potato pancake

Yeah yeah, I don't remember the names of the dishes exactly. I would have preferred if the potato was piping hot and crispier... Maybe if filled with a bit of melted cheese too... 

I felt that the dish was so-so really, just a new dish experience at best. But the salad was good though, because of the vinaigrette.

Sautéed mushrooms with flat potato pancake.

For dessert, E and I shared a Lemon Meringue Tart. WOW IT WAS SOUR. It's so sour that my saliva just collected my mouth while thinking of it. Need more of that meringue to sweeten it up.

My God, it was sour.

Well, a new experience, it was.

Paul's

391 Orchard Road

#03-16/16A/17 Ngee Ann City

Tel: 68365932

S'mores COOOOKIIIESSSS!

I've heard/read a saying:

 You can be unhappy before eating a cookie, you can be unhappy after eating a cookie, but you can never be unhappy while eating a cookie - Unknown source

HENCE, E and I decided, we needed to be very happy people. So we got together with the help of another of my friend, AND MADE S'MORES COOKIES. (S'mores was added because we needed to be extra ultra happy).

You may wish to find the recipe here.

The cookies were really, really sweet and probably added more calories than you can burn off in a marathon. But who could care when you are this happy?!

                                                           

LOOK AT THE COOKIE DOUGH!!! It was a huge bowl.

Piling it up. The smores are precariously perched on the cookie dough. E has skilled and stable hands.

The difference between the one packed with smores and the ones without. 

While E and I were baking this, my phone buzzed like crazy. My friends were Whatsapping me for a cookie. 

1st batch of cookies. GOD SPEED. 

I prayed so hard for the cookies. 

WE DID ITTTTT!!!!!

I think E really did a great job. I just stood around snapping photos and.... yeah.

The perfect s'mores cookie.... You may drool now.

Let's take a look inside. MELTED MARSHMALLOW AND CHOCOLATE. Oh wow my mouth just watered up.

A MOUNTAIN!!! 

E and I did stare at the amount of cookies we made... We can't seem to just be normal and make a normal amount. We made probably close to 30. Yeah, we don't like being normal. Don't know who we were planning to feed.

What should we bake next? Any suggestions?