that 'premium' burger from BK

... looked so dismal!

BK's premium Angus Beef Steakhouse burger

I was already told that it's wasn't a slab of steak between those buns so my expectations have been lowered.

But.. but... surely it could have tasted better??!

A1 steaksauce... my foot, ah! I mean, the BBQ Turkey Bacon tastes more robust than this supposed 'steakhouse' burger!

I expect the burger patty to at least be as big as that for the Whooper. Well, I'm referring to what was portrayed on their promo poster...

My meat patty obviously didn't go beyond the perimeter of that corn-dusted bun!

And is that bun getting to be a trend?? McD uses it for their current promo - the Teppanyaki Burger (albeit of different shape).

Gah! So disappointed!

Trust me to pin high hopes on promos from a fast food outlet. I just never learn my lesson!

Pfft!

congrats Ruf!

All the heartfelt congratulations to a close bud from secondary school, on her union over the last weekend!

Congratulations Rufeah & Farid!

May this marriage retain its bliss till eternity (nothing corny about that). Till' heaven, yes.

May you be blessed (hopefully soon) with nice, nice kids.

May we still remain as friends.

Take care now!

before solemnisation - waiting for arrival of her groom

after solemnisation - going for their outdoor shoot

wedding day - procession to groom's side

PS: Honeymoon go where, ah?

BK's new promo

Tell me, why oh why do I feel tempted to get my hands on this?

Doesn't help that there are TWO Burger King branches within 1km radius, from my home.

MUST-GET-MY-HANDS-ON-THIS!

GONNA-SINK-MY-TEETH-IN-THIS!

Oooh yeah!

McD's Grilled Chicken Teppanyaki Burger

I went into McD, intending to buy their apple pie. Armed with a $1 coin, I approached the counter.

That's when I saw their new offering/promotion, the Grilled Chicken Teppanyaki Burger. I don't know what came to my mind right then but I replaced the $1 coin with a $5 note (it cost a hefty $4.30!!) and bought one of that.

The box had a picture from the new James Cameron movie, 'AVATAR'. I don't know if the movie had a Japanese theme or something, to be associated with a teppanyaki burger.

the packaging

**warning: the next couple of pics aren't really appetizing. showing show food from a fast-food joint in its true form. don't believe their promotional posters!

partial view

I've always been a fan of these corn-dusted buns, irregardless of which fast-food joint serve them.

the reveal

Just look at the dismal-looking splotches of black pepper mayo! The slab of chicken-thigh meat was surprisingly big (fits the bun nicely) and of decent thickness.

And I'm surprised to see the generous amount of lettuce inside here.

Taste-wise:

Ok, here's the funny part. I had misread 'Teppanyaki' to be 'Teriyaki'. I LOVE anything Teriyaki; especially chicken so that must have been why I was willing to grab this one here, on a whim. Yes, I was a little disappointed.

But when you say 'Teppanyaki', one immediately think of garlic but I hardly taste that here. Hmmmm...

Well, they sure add a lot of those coarse-grained black pepper (looked similar to the one we get for breakfast) in that mayo. The chicken was tender and seemed to have been marinated in this light-tasting sauce.

Nothing special, really. Just chicken meat, black pepper mayo and lettuce with corn-dusted buns for a hefty $4.30?? I don't think it's worth it, despite it tasting pretty decent.

I eventually figured out the reason behind that 'decent' taste. The extreme thirst prior to eating that explained it. Must be the sauce that the chicken is marinated with.... pfft!

office desserts

My lady boss is pretty fond of sampling nice cakes. Since our office are made up of girls (which girl don't like her desserts?), she took the chance to buy some back for us to share together.

The other day, she got back from Icon Village at Tanjong Pagar and came back with this box.

Glace Patisserie - Japanese confectionery

I always hold Japanese cakes in high regard, seeing how they're so much into French-style of dessert-making and yet their products can clearly identify themselves to be Japanese-made.

I have no idea who that Chef Yamashita is or if he's anything like the revered Sadaharu Aoki but for him to but his name on the box like that..? hmm....

I had a pretty heavy lunch that day so I passed when my colleagues asked if I wanted some. That night, I kept thinking of them cakes and made a point to have them for breakfast the next morning (how healthy!).

Opened the box to see that they've sampled 4 out of the 5 cakes bought. They kept the strawberry one intact, seeing that it had 'looked too nice' to be cut. So that explains why I only managed a picture of only 1 out out the 5.

Strawberry souffle ~ $5.30

I was still slightly traumatised by the sourish strawberries from the Strawberry shorcake at Nectarie so I took a small corner while my colleagues divide amongt themselves, the larger piece.

The mousse had been sooo smooth and light, just like the sponge cake and the strawberries aren't THAT sour after all.

The other cakes slices/pieces were the:
- Mont Blanc ~ $5.60 (chestnut paste)
I've always wanted to try the Mont Blanc seeing it it the favourite amongst the japanese themselves. I find the taste disappointingly bland, maybe I had confused 'chestnuts' with 'hazelnuts' and had no idea what it will taste like when blended to a paste. But interesting enough...

- Double rare cheese mango ~ $4.70
This is a favourite of the lot! The cheesecake flavour had been subtle, coupled with mango mousse and puree with fresh mango cubes.... Oh, bliss!

- Maison ~ $5.10
French for 'house' because that's what the cake is shaped like, cross-section. 4 different layers of sponge cake; Vanilla, organic green tea, coffee and chocolated and glazed with Belgian chocolate. Given that it's mainly sponge cakes, it has a tendency to dry-out faster when not consumed soon enough.

- Opera ~ $5.00
This wasn't as sweet as the one from Nectarie (yes, the Japanese with their subtle touch!). Love this one. The coffee flavour doesn't overwhelm that of the chocolate. The almond sponge may dry out fast too so this is best consumed soon after purchase.

I was surprised to see the cakes being much cheaper than that at Nectarie or most other confectioneries that I've been to. But I have no idea if their shop does only take-aways or has any seating space...

Gotta check them out anyway. There are most other cakes that I yearn to try. Especially the chocolate ones! I'm aiming the 'Chocolat de Noeh'.

...And I wanna have that mango cheescake again!
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Previously, the lady boss came back from ION Orchard with this really small and colourful confectionery box. She was grumbling about how the caramel flavour had sold-out and she had to buy the green tea one instead.

The sponge cake had was this certain shade of dull, dark green, which seem to scream, "MATCHA!!!" and I was ready for a bitter aftertaste upon the first bite.

Surprisingly, it never came. In fact, the taste of the soft sponge went pretty nicely with the light cream that it was rolled with. You just don't feel like chewing. It's just nice to keep that piece in the mouth and let the taste and texture of the cream and sponge linger inside.

It really is nice!

A few weeks after that, she came back with that same, colourful box and exclaimed excitedly that she finally got that caramel roll.

I was really eager by now. I read about Arinco King's 'Salt Caramel Roll' on the khkl food blog and realised just how popular it is. Must be nice right?

my slice of 'Salt caramel roll'

Is it true that these rolls were flown in from Japan, hence the limited amount sold daily?

As always, the taste and texture had been soft and light. The surface of the sponge was coated with melted caramel and it was rolled with both the plain cream and the salty caramel one.

Oh, how do I describe the taste? The caramel came of as sweet (duh!) but it wasn't overwhelming or coyingly sweet. That slight sweetness was then followed by this salty taste (which explains the name). But what took the cake (pun intended)was the last bit of bitterness that came, almost like an aftertaste. It seem to come from the dark portion of the cream. THAT blew me away.

I was soo reminded of the Burnt Caramel ice-cream flavour from Island Creamery, suddenly.

Wow, I'm glad I finally get to taste this cake for myself. Knowing how popular this cake is, there's just no way I can get this roll for my own. Besides, it's not exactly a big piece and it cost a whooping $18 each!

Many thanks to my bosses for giving me a chance to sample all the delights. After all this, I'm suddenly missing the Passion Fruit Meringue from The Patissier, which had been EVERYONE'S favourite!

baked potato @ home

baked potato ~ made in 'dewek'

Yeah, yeah I know that this doesn't look THAT appetizing as compared to the one from Eatzi... I already split it down into 2 and took a bite before deciding to make a run for the camera.

It sure look like it could do with more ingredients, eh? This was the one that my mum prepared for me. The one I did, I had heaped everything on so generously- only to have it conveniently taken away by my dad. . .

Many thanks to my bro, for not being able to get over the the baked potato that I savoured at Eatzi on Monday. He didn't even wait till' my parents fly off so that he can have the kitchen to himself.

Wednesday afternoon, he called to tell me that he's down at NTUC supermarket and he needed to know what to buy to make baked potato. Didn't really give me a review as to how it turned out, though. And I was all excited at the prospect of my bro wanting to eating something and preparing it itself...

Yesterday, I came down to my parent's place cos' my mum's been bugging me that another pre-natal massage is due. She asked tat I buy a small box of aluminium foil. In the kitchen, she took out 6 of the US Russet potatoes that my bro had bought the day before. WHoa!

We got down to cleaning, then oiling them. Then a sprinkle of sea salt (my mum's hooked on that) and pepper, before giving them a shallow cut at the centre and wrap in foil. Then pop them into the oven - 180 deg C for 1 hour.

My bro wasn't able to find any halal beef bacon or salami so I suggested the garlic chicken franks by NTUC (my fave!), which he can dice finely and fry till crisp. As I was about to cut up the remaining chicken franks, my mum recalled that there's a packet of beef salami stashed deep in the freezer.

Defrosted that and chopped them finely, along with several stalks of scallions and garlic. Then I fried the meat till crisp in olive oil with the garlic and some chilli flakes for more oomph!

Before an hour was up, our stomachs were really rumbling and my mum impatiently took out 1 one of the spuds. She pressed them open. They were cooked through! Whoo!

Heaped on some (light) sour cream, the fried salami and scallions.... Yes, that's all for dinner that night. But it was sooo good. I ate 2! Nothing beats something home-cooked...
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PS: I eventually found out that it was my mum who prepared the baked potato that he ate on Wednesday. Pfft! I know he's still 'mummy's boy' when mum's around, after all... Hmmph!

eatzi

A dinner treat by my bro at Eatzi Steakhouse. If I'm not wrong, this is the halal subsidiary of Jack's Place (both under the same company).

Went to the one at Eastpoint Shopping Mall, Simei.

(I hope she won't end up reading this...)
My bro brought along his new (female) friend, who is a fitness instructor! Yeah, I had a steak dinner with a lifeguard and a fitness instructor... How exciting!

Oh well, it's no secret that my bro isn't exactly the healthiest of lifeguards but I'm curious to see how a fitness instructor eats. Heh.

Thankfully, she's no longer on a diet. Well there's was one time that she was; prior to an aerobics competition. I can barely make it to the end of some aerobics class and yet.... Whoa, I don't know how anyone can survive that one. But that was history, she said. Phew.

Come to think of it, she DID refuse the ice-cream... But she admit to loving chocolates. Guess she's human after all. Geez, I should really stop stereo-typing those in the fitness line to be health freaks.

Passion Soda (unstirred)

My bro's order. It's HAS to be something sweet.

soup-of-the-day (comes w/ garlic bread) ~ mushroom soup

Both ladies took up the promotion for 'Great Value Set Dinner', where the main course will come with the soup-of-the-day, dessert and coffee-tea.

Not exactly the 'out-of-can' variety, tastewise. Lots of mixed-mushrooms chunks. But this was a little too creamy. My bro had a taste and remarked, "So thick..?"

"It's called starch," I replied.

fish & chips
(photo taken by the man himself)

I recommend for the bro to simply order the kids' meals, for the varieties were more to his taste, anyway.

He scoffed at the idea.

And yet, he got for himself, the fish & chips and onion rings. Plus, he pushed ALL the veggies to one side.

Healthy, indeed. For me, at least. The 'rabbit' in the family.

Chef's special steak

My order. The best steak on the menu, no less.

"... Tender and juicy fillet, topped w/ asparagus and homemade black mushroom sauce...."

The thing about this place is that the veggies that they serve on the side are seasonal. Everytime I dine here, I was served with different veggies. There had been carrots, peas, cabbage, broccoli and even brinjal!

This time it's sweetcorn kernels (sweet!) and cucumber. It's would have been nicer had they used the Japanese cucumber instead of this typical, conventional ones.

The steak was thick and juicy alright. Although I request for medium-well, I ended up getting a medium. Other days, that would have been fine (medium's the norm for me) but I'm currently conscious of my preggers state.

Doesn't help that my bro was remarking that my steak was a bit 'bloody'. It's more of 'pink' actually but then again, he's a lil' ignorant, so pardon him.

Grilled chicken

This is what the fitness instructor ordered.

They used the thigh meat it seemed, so the chicken does look juicy. The sides appear to be same one as those served with steak. Maybe I can opt for this one the next time, should I not feel too carnivorous (for red meat, I mean).

Yes, she discard the chicken skin but she did eat the potato...

baked potato

What I've been dreaming about, prior to coming here.

I love, love, LOVE baked potato. Especially when prepared simply.

Potato baked with a little butter. They usually serve this on its own and another server with come along with the condiment tray. Before she can even ask, I already said, " I want ALL."

So there. Sour cream, fried beef bacon and spring onions. YUM!

Mango ice-cream - single scoop w/ jelly.

The dessert that's served as part of the Dinner set.

Yes, the fitness instructor pushed hers aside (maybe she's just full). My bro had a taste and widened his eyes. "Taste like REAL mango!"

Oh yeah, it sure does.

I can't figure out what's the flavour of that orange/red-coloured jelly strips but their texture complement the smooth ice-cream pretty well.

A nice end to dinner, that night.
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PS: I'm really, really inspired to train for a marathon after giving birth. Maybe I'm aiming too far but I just felt so driven somehow. Wish me lucK!

laksa penang

I blame this entry on EatingAsia for making me think of Asam laksa (laksa Penang) since the past few months.

Thankfully, it didn't become a sorta' craving or this entry would have been done wayyy back.

I've been inquiring around for a good bowl of halal Asam laksa because the only one I've had here in S'pore was at Tan Tock Seng - yes, the hospital. At the foodcourt, anyway. This nyonya food stall or smth. Wah, that's my first time trying it and I was blown away!

I went back there again when I visited someone (that's always the case). Had another bowl... Still syiok! But that was the pre-H1N1 period, lah. Now I don't have anyone to visit at TTSH and I dun bother to travel all the way there just for this.

However, I once candidly asked my mum-in-law if she had eaten Asam laksa before. She told me she always had that at Banquet Eastpoint... Oh, hello?! That's like.... so near!

Yeah, so near and yet never gone there yet... -_-

Fast forward to today, my mum-in-law and me, we were on the train to Kembangan for my gynae appointment and we passed by Eastpoint Mall. "Been a long time since I went there...," she remarked.

"Oh, you mean for your Laksa Penang..?" I suddenly had this idea...

"Yah. You want to go later...?"

"I don't mind. I'm on 1/2 day anyway so I only need to get to the office at 2pm."

Straight outta' gynae's clinic, we took a train ride back to Simei. Being 11++am on a weekday, I'm amazed to see the foodcourt being pretty empty (I usually had to wait for a table to be vacated when I'm there).

Straightaway, I went to that stall (which also serve 'Traditional' laksa, Ipoh Hor Fun etc.) and made an order for 2 bowls of Penang laksa (as displayed on their signage).

Penang Laksa

(check out that big piece of fish flake and pineapple at the bottom-right)

I was wide-eyed to see the stall-assistant heaping on the greens; which consist of large cuts of leaf lettuce, julienned cucumbers and whole mint leaves. The absence of 'daun kesom' (Vietnamese mint) was sorely felt. That's the variant typically used in 'traditional' laksa. Oh, also missing was the ever-fragrant 'bunga kantan' (ginger-torch flower).

Other than that, this bowl wasn't that bad at all. The onions, fresh pineapple and even the sardine/mackerel fish flakes came in fairly big chunks/piece. Either they're really generous or the stall hands were too lazy busy to cut them any smaller.

Or they felt obliged to give me more, considering I am with a very pregnant belly...Should have requested for more of that 'hei ko' (prawn paste) that's drizzled on top.

The sour taste of the gravy/soup was really refreshing and I'm glad it only had a slight hint of sweetness, unlike the one I had in KL, which was sooo sweet that it's just so wrong. It could have been spicier, though. However, I don't feel obliged to eat the cili padi on the side (my heat tolerance has yet to improve).

My mum-in-law had remarked previously, that the bowl that they served the laksa in was pretty big and she always had a hard time finishing hers. When I saw the medium-sized bowls that they served me, I told her that the economy must have affected them, making them reduce their portions.... Or so I thought.

Even as I scooped my last strand of noodles, 3/4 of her laksa remained untouched. In fact, she had pushed her bowl aside. Goodness, maybe it's just her minute appetite and not the stall cutting costs!

I saw all those greens floating on her gravy and offered to finish that up for her (talk about eating-for-two). I can't help it. I may be slightly full from my own portion but I just can't resist those veggies. I love my greens too much to just ignore them, seriously.

So there. After so long, I finally had my bowl of Assam laksa. Oh, correction. 1 AND half bowls of Assam laksa. Also known as laksa Penang. Yum!

Oh, do prepare some breath mints. That sardine/mackerel gravy + prawn paste + onions?? Surefire cause for evil breath. Especially when you're taking the train after all that.

need I be embarrassed...?

My mission was to get a cab directly from my place (already late!!). Little did I noe that my gramma-in-law was waiting to take the train with me...

At Pasir Ris mrt station, there's already a train filled with passengers. So I told gramma to wait for another train, so that we can have a higher chance of getting a seat (she's alighting at Outram- long journey!).

However, the station master decide to cancel that train service and all the commuters inside scrambled out right when another train was arriving. And they didn't bother to queue at the side of the train doors. Was even dismayed to find most of the seats already filled by those commuters from Tampines. I told the gramma to go ahead and (try to) get a seat.

Those peeps were pushing and jostling that old lady aside, lah. Not surprisingly, she didn't get a seat. :(( So the both of us stood at the intersection between 2 carriages, which is right beside the priority seats. All the way till Tampines. And that's when this young angel board the train....

I can't help noticing him looking up & down at me, then looking around at all those who are seated. I can sense that something's gonna happen so I looked away. True enuff', he came up to me and asked, "Do you need a seat?"

I was all wide-eyed and sheepishly replied, "Uhh.. it's okay. I'm fi...." Didn't get to finish my sentence before he went off to the lady seated right beside where I stood, "Excuse me, can't you give up your seat to this lady? She's with.. erm.. a baby." (Guess the word 'pregnant' didn't come to mind).

The lady hurriedly got up and say, "Oh sorry, I didn't know.." (I stood beside her the whole way from Pa'Ris to Tampines with my 8.5mths belly). So I took over her seat, looked at the guy and said, "Why, THANK YOU!" Honestly, my back was already starting to ache, that time.

Kinda' felt guilty towards gramma, who was across from me. She ought to have a seat too. For her to have my seat after I alight at Eunos, that's a few more stations to go. Thankfully, the seat beside her was vacated 2 stations later. Seriously, the person seated there sat from Pa'RIs to Tanah Merah, which ain't that long a journey. Couldn't she have just given her seat to that old lady instead???

KUDOS to that young guy (looked like he's a poly student, in T-shirt, berms and slippers, reading notes) for his graciousness. Honestly speaking, I dun see myself doing that, even when I DO have the right to, given my condition. I gotta' admit that I just dun' have the guts to do that. And when I sat down, I was feeling a lil' 'paiseh' cos' the attention did come to me that time. I guess I shouldn't cos' I have the RIGHT to that 'Priority' seat, no??

He really made my morning. THANK YOU again, whoever you are.

homemade chicken pie

mini-chicken pies (basking in the light of the nearby oven)

I think, I have a phobia of cooking. Cooking in the presence of elders, that is. Ok, maybe not just cooking. Baking, too. Ok, let's use the term, 'Food Preparation', here.

I get really, really nervous, cooking when any elders are around, especially my parents. My confidence drop many notches and I believe, that's when the taste of the food got affected. That's why I only cook when I'm either alone or with my bro (he's my avid food-taster). During the festive period, I'll only bake in the middle of the night. My parents will wake up the next morning to see cookies already packed in bottles.

That's why, at my current home, with my grandma-in-law, mum-in-law and even the maid helming the kitchen, I got totally scared of even preparing simple foods for the hubby. So they thought I can't cook (which is partly true).

In the office, when I ventured to food blogs to keep awake, I do get inspired & driven to prepare something. Like the other time, I dragged my cousin with me to the supermarket right after work (to help me carry stuff back) because I wanna prepare Penne in Cream Sauce.

In my parents' kitchen of course. Oh, my mum, I think she figured out my problem and stayed out of the kitchen the whole time.

Last Sunday, the hubby's gonna sleep the whole day so I made my way to my parents' when they're out for their pilgrimage classes that morning. But I managed to do some shopping at the supermarket, getting the stuff to make chicken pie.

I have no idea what drove me to make that. I was even thinking of making Quiche Lorraine. And best part is? I dun even have a recipe for the filling. Just recalling what Jaime Oliver (or was it Nigella?) did when preparing chicken pie.

My mum didn't even have onions in her kitchen. And I can't find the flour. I called her up and she was still in class. So I scavenged around and found some garlic and a couple of shallots- thankfully.

And I rested after cooking the filling. Why, by watching cooking shows of course! I don't have the Asian Food Channel at home so it's payback time when I'm at my parents'. Besides, prolonged standing at the stove, it gave me a backache.

My mum did call back eventually, to tell me where she had kept the flour. But I got stuck to the sofa somehow and remain there till' their return. Only when hearing them at the door, did I scramble to complete the pie-making.

mini chicken pies (natural lighting)

mini chicken pies (natural lighting)

The pies, thankfully, got thumbs up from the family. My bro was so protective of his portion (his intended breakfast, the next morning), that he asked why my was my mum packing some away (for my grandma, whom we're visiting that evening). Tsk.

I packed some for the hubby to bring to work, telling him specifically that I/ME/YOUR WIFE had baked them. He came back the next day sans comments. Aiyah....! It better be him who ate them, and not his mates! Hmmph!

I wish I could have made enough for the in-laws to try but too bad... Maybe next time. So they'll know I can cook too (albeit only western stuff)... Pfft!

nectarie

Thankfully it already stopped raining by the time we stepped out of The Central, post-dinner. For we can proceed to Nectarie le'Dessert Patisserie at The Cannery (Block C, Clarke Quay). I had grand plans for the bunch of us to walk to Clarke Quay and enjoy the sight + people watch.

Thing is, I totally forgot that it was Halloween Eve that night and the celebrations were already in full swing. Seemed like locals and tourists alike; all thronged to the sheltered 'streets' there. Pretty claustrophobic, I'd say. My cousin's kids were so overwhelmed by the exuberant crowd jostling about in the dim, neon lit walkways that they cowered amongst us adults.

Anyway we found the bistro/cafe, finally but they were kinda' packed so we had to settle for the interior seating along their VERY narrow passageway, which was seriously cramped. And they used bar-stools which I'm very much hesitant to get on. Can you imagine a heavily pregnant woman perched on that high stool and trying to remain steady at the same time?

But I'm glad that we were inside when the cakes arrived, for the lighting in there was much better for photo-taking. It was pretty dark outside at the al-fresco dining area.

However, kudos to the staff for having empathy for a pregnant lady who remained standing while savouring the cakes. As soon as a table was vacant, they cleared it quickly and called us to take it over while they brought out our food & beverages.
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**oh geez, I misplaced the receipt... But I found the menu list here!

Pics look pretty crappy, despite the spotlighting- interiors.

Dark Chocolate Truffle ($7)

My personal opinion:
All Chocolate Truffle Cakes Are Nice.

Yeah, so far I've never had a chocolate truffle cake where they actually screw up the whole thing.

This slice is such... fruition. What more, it's DARK chocolate. Can't go wrong there, can they?

Strawberry Shortcake ($6)

I can't resist getting this because of all the cakes on display, this one here had looked sooo pwetty!

Even though this one here is as 'normal' as can be.. -_-

You know, just vanilla sponge layered with fruits and whipped cream... And the strawberries I bite into were a tad sour!

Double Chocolate Mudcake ($7)

I just figured out that 'mudcake' and 'mudpies' are 2 different things.

This mudcake here has a texture that's a cross between a brownie and truffle cake. Very dense, yet rich and smooth.

Best shared or you'll see yourself asking for water to neutralise all that richness.

Dark Chocolate Opera ($6)

I've never really like Operas. Not that I mind the hint of coffee flavour but I always feel that the chocolate, coffee and almond flavours hardly ever blend well to complement one another.

But 1 one my cousins, the coffee-lover that she is, had her eyes lit up when she knew that the Opera was a coffee-flavoured cake. While the other 2 cousins totally detest anything coffee so I guess, this will be shared by only the 2 of us.

Nectarie's version of the Opera was... sweet. A tad too sweet for my taste. Never mind that it's dark chocolate. There's not even a hint of bitterness that I had expected from a cake using dark chocolate with coffee. Hmmm....

Macarons (T-B) - Teh tarik, green tea, chocolate, lavender & coffee

These 10 pcs costs only $8++! Cheap, eh? And they're those regular-sized ones!

All the flavours are delectable. My favourite was a surprise, even to myself. It's the Lavender. Yeah, seriously.

The scent/flavour ain't too strong and it ain't too sweet either. The chocolate didn't disappoint, thankfully. The 'Teh Tarik' (tea latte) was something new and it's not bad, actually.

Teas ~ (L-R) Peony Jade ($6.50), Lemon Chamomile ($5.50), Rosebud ($5.50)

Each teacup comes with a side of coffee-flavoured mini macaron.

The hot water infused and mildly scented by these real dried flowers that thankfully, didn't bring on too-heady-a-fragrance to the drink.

I heard the Peony Jade was a pretty popular flavour.

The refill of hot water was a definite plus for their service.

Ice lemon Tea ($5)

These were ordered for the kids and they were pretty taken aback by how 'real' this is.

I mean, they are so used to those pre-manufactured ones straight out of the bottle/cans and here, they got a glass of cold tea with a wedge of lemon and syrup in a separate container.

Sigh, being fancy-schmancy ain't just ain't worth when faced with people who don't know how to appreciate it. heh.

Strudel ~ Alphonso mango w/ lemongrass ($6)

We ordered this after we shifted out to the al-fresco seating outside (thankfully the menu board was visible from where we were).

In fact, from outside I didn't see the word, 'lemongrass' or it would have set the alarm bells ringing. I didn't know that mango & lemongrass can complement each other, even though the taste of the lemongrass ain't that strong.

I wish the strudel could have been a little warm. I remember that the best strudel I had was where the puff pastry had been fresh out of the oven, the apple chunks also warm (straight from the pan?) and paired with cold apple cream sauce and vanilla ice-cream. Yumz!

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All in all the cakes were okay. There are other varieties that I might wanna try. Maybe I should come again- with a different group, perhaps (guys, are you reading this??). And preferably, in the day.

The service that day was quite good, despite the crowd. I like.

Have u ever fall in love like this...?

This one here is soooo schweeet... I tot' I got diabetes after watching it.

PS: For romantics only....

PSS: I need another honeymoon!!!

mfm @ central

The initial idea to head to Swensen's was thrown outta' window - seeing that the fussy eaters aren't joining us.

One cousin wanna satisfy her craving and suggested MFM. So I suggested the one at The Central for it's very near to Clarke Quay, where it'll be a more fun place to hang out and people-watch, seeing that it's Friday night and all.

And also at Clarke Quay is this dessert place called Nectarie le'Dessert Patisserie, which I intend to bring my cousins to.

Captain's Quencher & Tropical Breeze

Refreshing mocktails. The kids ordered milkshakes.

Sizzling Louisiana Prawns

Nice! I totally dig the sauce. Wish they had given more baguettes for us to totally relish that sweetish, spiced cream sauce.

Don't u think that the act of pouring the sauce into the hot pan in front of the patrons (to create that loud sizzle- like its name), pretty gimmicky? It not only impress, but made other curious to try it out as well.

I realise that I now eat prawn heads, save for the eye portions and above (where it's sharp!).

Fried Country Mushrooms

And old favorite. Nothing can go wrong with plump button mushrooms deep-fried in spiced batter, aite?

And paired with light sour cream. Yum!

Garlic Butter Mussels

If not for the fact that this sauce is pretty thick and rich, I could have easily had taken a spoon and sip this up like a soup. The sauce is just sooo delish!

I do feel like I could have made this on my own, though.

It's clever marketing to put merely 5 pathetic mussels per serving. Cos' it's not enough to go around and you're just so tempted to order more.

starters

Realised that the starters we've ordered were all the favourites (as marked in the menu).

I can't help comparing this pic with those taken on one of my previous visits.

I just realise that a blog is particularly useful when it comes to comparing the experiences and foods on 1 visit with another. So you can spot any dwindling portions or service...

Seafood Platter for Two

Deep fried fish fillet, calamari, oysters and 'flaming' prawns served with chips and garlic rice. I recall that we've opted for the 'spicier' option which is just some paprika sprinkled in or on the batter.

Have they forgotten to pour on the fish; the lemon-butter sauce..?? I sure don't see it here...

Flavour-wise, I believe MFM's platter has it. But the portion sux, la (unlike the OTHER company).

Honestly speaking, I only like the rice and prawns. The rest ...ehm... disappointing. The size of the fish looked sooo measly (yes, more batter than fish meat; me thinks). The calamari can't be any thinner, eh?

can't-get-enough-of-this!

We have a prawn-lover (almost a maniac) with us and I know that she wasn't satisfied with only that 4 prawns for the 6 of us.

Especially when she remarked as to how much she looove that sauce.

ordered a separate portion... (more gimmick)

Yeah we did. This portion had 8 pieces and comes with either rice or chips (fries, duH!)

manhattan flaming prawns

Labeled as 'award-winning'. Whatever.

We do admit that it's nice, though.

The server overdid the blow-torching and some fries got burnt at their ends. Not that I mind, though. I love burnt food! =P

Overall, I have to say that the servings, portions etc pretty much varies with their branches. I'm dreading a visit to the one at White Sands Mall, which is a stone's throw from home...

I sure don't mind more of their prawns!

seafood lunch @ ECP

That day, during lunch, I was sorely disappointed with the cam.

For it had felt like one of the best lunch experiences ever, what with a great location, great atmosphere, great weather, great company and most importantly, great food. And yet, the cam chose to die on me (batt flat) right when I'm about to snap photos of the food.

Nice timing. Grrr...

great location, great weather, great company

It wasn't even 4pm, that Sunday afternoon. The lunch crowd were long gone and the dinner crowd would be in only later. So East Coast Lagoon Food Centre was pretty much a picture of peace. It was sunny and pretty breezy. We managed to secure a table at the very shady pavilion which had pretty spacious seating and it overlooked the nearby lagoon.

After fetching my bro from work, my mum had wanted to patronise the Thai Restaurant near the Sultan mosque but the rest of us were somehow resistant to the idea. Not surprisingly, here, my mum also asked to have the same type of meal that we would have had, over there.

Namely, a plate of rice each and an array of dishes. She must be hungry.

We were seated right behind this stall which we have never seen before. Must be new. It's called Adim Ann Seafood & Satay Specialist. What caught my eye was the weird name. Sounds really foreign, almost.... Thai.

My bro and I proceed to make the order. Cereal prawns is a must on my list right then. Kangkong belachan and kailan (veggies are good for health, ok?). My mum refused to have BBQ fish. I saw that they do serve sweet & sour so I ordered that. Somehow the guy offered the '3-rasa' (3-flavours) instead. That one is more like a Thai kind of sauce- sweet, sour AND spicy. We agreed on that.

I saw the array of fresh fish on display on the bed of ice in front of the stall and chose the seabass cos' that- to me, taste pretty good when fried. I cheekily asked that it be fried till' really, REALLY crispy.

I guess there's really something about a heavily pregnant woman making special reaquests when ordering food. You just have to abide. The fella literally wrote down on the order chit - beside the 3-flavours seabass, 'Very, VERY crispy'. Heh.

Also ordered satay. I somehow missed having tripe so I ordered 5 sticks of those and 10 sticks of beef. Surprisingly, my bro refused to have chicken, this time.

The 15 sticks cost us $8. Not exactly cheap, actually but that price seemed to be the norm, nowdays. But they tasted pretty good. Even the sauce. Now, when everyone in a Javanese family unanimously agree that the satay is good, you gotta believe them. Satay is a specialty of the Javanese, after all.

The first dish to come was the cereal prawn and boy, were we taken aback. The portion was huge! It's definitely large. Thing is, the stall didn't state any portion sizes so we didn't see the need to specify. We were worried as to how we were gonna finish all that. There was a mound of cereal over the prawns there. I took a spoonful of the spiced cereal....

It-was-sooo-good! They were generous with the curry leaves and chili padi. Those tiny red bits were also really spicy, an indication of the freshness. My mum told me that the prawns were fresh, because she had to tug hard at the head to separate it from the body. And the flesh was sweet and firm. Ummmm..... I like the fact that they didn't fry the prawns in some batter, like how it's done in some places.

Now that I count back the number of prawns each of us had, I dare say that there were at least 10, big, fat and juicy tiger prawns, there. Maybe, there could even be 12!

The portions for the veggies were pretty small though. I'm surprised at the way they prepare the kangkong belachan. There were cut red chilies and rings of red onions fried together with the greens, hence giving the dish a pretty nice hint of sweetness, "...just like how mum cook," my bro remarked. I agree.

And lastly, the deep fried seabass in '3-flavours' sauce (ikan siakap 3-Rasa). I poked at the fish. It sure is crispy. Very crispy, alright. I first attacked the crispy meat around the fins. And the sauce was awesome! Sweet, sour and pretty spicy. And they were pretty generous with the kaffir lime leaves, which were torn by hand.

Seeing that, I looked back into the stall to spot the cooks. I told my mum, "..Are the cooks Thai? Something tells me that they are..." She also start looking in and we spotted a couple of guys and a lady helming the kitchen. "The guys sure looked Thai to me.." she replied.

Thai or not, their cooking style is reminiscent of Thai cooking. Should have tried their tom yam...

For that large portion of cereal prawns, 2 plates of veggies and a medium-sized seabass + 4 white rice, I paid merely $45.

I recommended this place to my colleague and she treated her family there yesterday. Imagine- she ordered stingray, cereal prawn, calamari, kangkong belachan, omelette and tom yam; and she was charged only $70. And that's for 8 pax!

She told me the calamari is nice. I remember my bro mentioning calamari. He was wondering if they have that there. Well, we have our answer!

Another visit sure is due (before they start changing cooks or compromise on their quality or even revise the pricing).

...Pretty long entry, eh? If I only I had the photos, I needn't have to describe so much. Hmph! =((

sakura

23102009

A spontaneous decision for a get-together with gal pals of TMS. Coincidentally, one of the gals just had her birthday a couple of days back.

We were thinking of 'buffet' for the varieties and also to accommodate or vegan fren. Carousel's too expensive. Guess Sakura @ Downtown East it is (very close to home!).

One thing I learn about coming here - keep expectations low. VERY low. There's very poor chance that the food (esp. the seafood) here is fresh. And taste-wise.... well, if you're pessimistic, just stick to the safer choices.

from the sushi bar

It's a great risk that I'm taking, taking slices of sashimi. One bite tells me that I should just forget about it.

My colleague told me that a few slices of FRESH sashimi, esp. the premium ones from authentic Japanese restaurants should be fine. But this...?

I just savour the seaweed roll w/ prawn tempura and the california roll with unagi. That mussel in the foregroud was from the grilled-food section. Mussels topped with this sweet, orange-coloured creamy sauce (I can't figure out what). That was decent.

from the cooked-food section

Photo taken of the belated-birthday gal's first plate. Fried stuff, mostly. I was kinda' disappointed to see all that breadcrumbed stuff. I was hoping for some tempura, esp. since they were having this 'Japanese Food Promotion'. Was I asking for too much?

from the salad bar

Now this is what delighted me. The reason why I love buffets is because of the array of salad greens and cold dishes.

There were several cold dishes that had tuna in it. I just took a couple of those. These's something that looks like cold yakiniku. The chuka idako (Japanese seasoned baby octopus) was really starchy/gooey.

Wish I could have taken more of the alfalfa sprouts. I LOVE, love them alfalfa sprouts. But I read somewhere that pregnant women should hold back on consuming them because the way they are grown, there's a high chance of them harvesting a lot of bacteria.

Shucks, I know.

And on the top-left corner are 2-halves of boiled slipper lobster (aka crayfish) which was really cold and bland. Even the various sauces didn't perk up the taste. Sheesh.

my plate of cooked-food

I tell myself that the cooked food didn't look that very promising so I just try to go for 1 round of it.

Got the chawanmushi (bland), deep-fried vietnamese rolls (nice), a couple of dim sum (there are like 4-5 varieties but all the fillings looked the same), some breadcrumbed prawns & crab-claw.

From the grilled-food section, I got the teriyaki chicken (very dry - should top the meat with more sauce, post-grilling), more of that mussels and grilled prawns that's topped with the same orange-y sauce (doesn't taste that fresh).

I actually went for a 2nd round of the fried foods because I just spotted the wasabi mayo (my weakness!). But the wasabi taste was sorely lacking. Should have taken the actual wasabi from the sushi bar and mix it in!

I realise that I didn't even bother to try the food on the cook-upon-order section. Stuff like hot-plate grill, soups and teppanyaki. I was tempted to try the teppanyaki wagyu beef but something held me back.

one of my faves

Fried salmon skin! Nom nom....!

little pieces of cakes ~
background (L-R) - blackforest, oreo cheese, choc. truffle
midground (L-R) - choc. fudge brownie, choc. mint
foreground (L-R) - marble cheese

After the disappointment with the food, the desserts were thankfully, a saving grace.

Especially the marble cheesecake. They were just topping up on that one when I was at the fridge (must be popular!) so it was refreshingly cold to the bite, just like cheesecake ice-cream. And tasted just nice, not too sweet nor creamy.

The letdown was the blackforest for there was no hint of a cherry flavour. Just like a normal choc. cake. The mint in the choc. mint was lacking, too. The oreo was too overpowering because the proportion of it to the cheesecake was like 3:2.

The choc. fudge brownie & truffle cakes were decent. pretty nice, actually.

All in all... the foods aren't really THAT worth the $27. I noe there are other places out there that serve better food for a little more.

ayam penyet

Okay... this should have been posted sometime back, seeing that I had these on the same day I bought the baby schtuffs at Takashimaya.

Yea, as I've mentioned previously, my mum-in-law had wanted to eat 'ayam penyet' at Lucky Plaza. Actually, she's been craving for the avocado juice.

They've (my in-laws) often gone to the Ayam Penyet Ria on the 4th storey. This time, I decide to bring them to my family's favourite, Ayam Bakar Ojolali.

Ordered quite a fair bit and sad to say, they've ran out of the avocado juice (of all things?!).

The in-laws shared a set of Ikan Lele (catfish) and Gado-gado (mix-vegetables w/ peanut sauce). My dad had the Gado-gado, my mum- the namesake Ayam Bakar Ojolali (grilled chicken) and myself, the Ayam Penyet (fried chicken). There's also Sayur Asem (sour soup) , Sup Buntut and Ikan Goreng Kipas (deep-fried 'Gurame' fish).

I only managed a couple of pics because my mum-in-law kept teasing me whenever I fished out the cam. She asked if I'm taking these photos, "so that I can learn to cook the food". As soon as she said that, I kept the cam. Shouldn't try to build up her expectations ...

Ayam Penyet

Check out those crumbs! Kinda' remind one of the pisang goreng (fried banana fritters), eh?

The condiments/sauces were free-flow; kept in 2 jars on every table. The spicy chilli sauce (sambal) and the soy sauce with chili padi were such a hit that by the time we left, the 2 jars were almost empty, especially the chili.

Even I who can't take spicy stuff couldn't resist. I mixed some soy sauce into the sambal to neautralise the heat. My sis-in-law remarked that the chili here is definitely nicer than the one upstairs...

Sayur Asem -delish!

A mix of veggies like long beans, tomatoes, squash, cabbage, sweet corn and peanuts in tangy/sour soup. Sometimes, buah melinjo and daun melinjo is also added.

The pink drink in the background is the Es Ojolali (pink ice coconut) which is; young coconut, nata de coco and basil (selasih) float. My dad's order.