truffs = truffles

My colleague Jim promised us that he'll get us the the truffles from Truffs for Hari Raya.

Yes, this is the same fella who gave us the Sins chocolates for X-mas.

Apparently the chocolatier behind this newly-minted shop is a friend of his and he brought back some samples one day, after he went to their launch.

Oh, that first taste was totally out of this world!

I've never been fond of plain chocolates. But this type of 'plain' chocolate has 3 different textures. From the soft ganache center, to the slightly crisp shell and then the thin cocoa power coating... Oh bliss!

Before that, chocolate truffles, to me, are a 'see-no-touch' affair. Because they're are just too expensive! I can't imagine eating a chocolate ball that's at least $2/pc.

Scarily though, since that first taste.. my mindset changed.

The box for a set of 9 pcs.

That's the minimum number that you can buy, it seemed.

Nice..

Reminds me of the packaging of Japanese sweets.

70% Honduras

Excerpt from their website:

"For the true dark chocolate lover, the intense taste of this chocolate reveals hints of flowers from the Criollos and Trinitarios trees, the best cocoa beans from the island."

TRUE dark chocolate lover - I AM.

the reveal

Neat, huh?

looks don't matter...

No, these aren't meteors.

another angle

up close

No, it's not asam-boi (chinese preserved fruit snack) either!

taken

satisfied

DO read

info

My words here are minimal, ain't it...?

Words can't really describe such exquisite taste... Mmmmm!

These aren't just regular chocolates that one can get off-the-shelves. The taste of this variant of dark chocolate might not be appreciated by many (read: kids). Even some adults find this taste yucky.

Therefore, when I got this package, I had only some people in mind - my choc-loving buddies.
People with whom I went thru' thick and thin to explore the world of desserts. People whom I know can savour this whole flavour to its' fullest.

I had some of these babies and eventually called them down to take away the package.

2 facts about something nice:
- it is meant to be shared.
- too much of it ain't good.

So there. And please don't be taken aback at the price of these chocolate truffles. Truffles are after all... expensive. And this is Valrhona that we're talking about, ok?

this is ALSO not a Ramly burger

My quest for the famous Ramly burger still didn't get me to venture to the bazaar at Geylang Serai.

In fact, I got myself something much better..

just the way i like it - my style

My mum's homemade burger.

Ok fine. So not everything's homemade, save for the beef burger patty (which was really juicy!) and the omelete.

That gloppy mess was just some generous slathering of mayo, sweet chili sauce and freshly-cracked black pepper.

Just like the generic Ramly burger sold outside, except that my mum used TWO eggs for that omelete there, a WHOLE slice of cheese was melting inside that omelete - on the patty and slices of Japanese cucumber plus some salad greens to complete the picture.

One big messy eat, there. But who cares when you're enjoying it at the comfort (and privacy) of your own home?

this is NOT a Ramly burger

Blame it on food blog-hopping.. I came across someone who had burger Ramly in JB and i got really tempted.. The beef patty with wrapped with egg omelette, cheese and all that jazz...

aargh!

The only time I come across stalls selling burger Ramly is when there's a bazaar of sorts and please dun mention Geylang.. I'm soo not going there...

Despite the fact that I'm like.. 5mins away whenever I took the train from Paya Lebar to get home.

Anyway, as per habit, I head to White Sands to check out my fave temaki (handroll). Sold out. Choco-almond croissants also sold out. waargh!

Then I start thinking of burger Ramly. Was thinking of getting the closest possibility: McD's Double Cheeseburger.

Then I came across Burger King and thought that their burgers are more worth the calories. BUT - I made the mistake of sticking to the same order.

double cheeseburger

I have never ordered this from BK before. How was I to know that it'll so big??? Well.. comparing it to the one from McD....

Should stick to their singles selection instead...

At least when comparing it to the actual Ramly burger... sesame buns - check. Juicy beef patty (patties in this case) - check. Cheese -check.

But no black pepper sauce, mayo or the thin omelet wrapping the patty... :(

Will do, lah.

PS: No, this ain't some craving. This habit of mine - yearning to eat something (especially after food blog-hopping) started since waaay back.

eclairs again

Ah, yes. Silly me went browsing into Prima Deli's website when I got bored at work...

Was thinking of their truffle cake and wanted a slice of it. Just too bad, the variety available at the branch in Ehub! just seemed so... pathetic.

So I end up with this baby, here.

Prima Deli's eclair

I used to think that this version from Prima Deli is the holy grail of eclairs.

The first time I had a taste of eclairs was during a cousin's engagement. Someone brought over these box of mini eclairs and I must have gobbled down like 10 of them.

Back then I didn't even know the name of these delightful goodies.

When I described these to another cousin, she went, "Oh, you mean eclairs??"

E - what???

"You should get the one from Prima Deli. Sedaaappp!"

Back then, Prima Deli wasn't as established as they are now. I found out the nearest branch was somewhere in Tampines. And I really did seek it out.

And never looked back since. .

Unlike other conventional eclairs, this one here had the puff cut on top and the chocolate cream nicely piped in. Then there's the chocolate fudge squiggle on it. The puff doesn't only have the fudge, they even sprinkle almond flakes on it.

In terms of presentation, they win hands down. Taste-wise... well, they used to reign supreme in my books, until I was exposed to the world of dark chocolates... It's a whole different realm altogether.

I've yet to find a really tentalising dark chocolate eclair (maybe using Valrhona?)... Anyone with recommendations??

sushi!

Well, the past weekend seemed somewhat Japanese-themed somehow. Due to the death in the family, I backed out of the dinner buffet with my cousins.

Somehow, they got the VIP room. So they closed the door and packed some food back. They then called me down to meet them, when they handed be a pack of grilled unagi (freshwater eel).

So sweet of you all. Thanks ya!

When I brought that home, everyone turned away, disgusted. However one of my hubby's aunt, who's more adventurous - physically and gastronomically; upon being offered that, actually scooped some rice, took a slice of omelet and eat that with a couple of slices of the unagi.

assortment of sushi

Courtesy of my sister-in-law.

When I caught sight of those orange pieces of the salmon, I remarked, "Is that what I think it is?"

She sniggered as she kept them in the fridge. "Later we try, ok?"

unagi roll

salmon mayo roll

nigiri sushi

Raw fish or not, I ate them up anyway. Just-can't-resist. One slice won't harm, right??

spicy sushi

Gosh, my tastebuds had gone really low in its tolerance for spiciness that this simple spicy sushi became SUPER spicy to me.

Hope this phase pass after I give birth.

softshell crab temaki

makimono

By the time the maghrib prayer call sounded, she had lined all these up on the counter.

However, everyone were rushing to take their ablution for the jemaah prayers, so I managed to wallop the unagi roll and the salmon mayo roll. Delish!

Post prayers, I saw the 'spicy' sushi and got cuirous... Gosh! Bad move.

I'm so gonna go back there for more of this. Thankfully, this is just a mere 10 mins walk from home.

Hope it won't look weird to see a pregnant woman sitting alone in that restaurant, gorging down all the sushis...

death in the family

Minutes before I was even supposed to go back home, my sis-in-law called to say that, "Grandpa's gone..."

Given the fact that I've been feeling a tad more sensitive since my pregnancy, I actually cried all the way from the office and in the cab ride home.

Worse luck was when I got a really chirpy driver. I love chirpy drivers but not that moment, la... He eventually shut up after a while, when he realised that my replies were more curt than they were friendly.

Thankfully the tears dried up as I got home. Grandma looked fine. Mighty fine, in fact. For someone who had just lost her husband.

*Salute!*

I soon realised that that despite some gloom, the mood was more positive that it should have been. Positivity that stemmed from relief, that the old man, who had been bed-ridden since the past year need not have to suffer no more.

Come to think of it, my mother-in-law lost both her parents in a single year... Poor her.

And due to his funeral, I finally managed to really bond with my hubby's side, many thanks to the tahlil held over the 2 days that weekend. It was a beautiful experience, being able to perform jemaah prayers together as a family. And for that, I can never be more grateful.

...Semoga Allah mencucuri Rahmat ke atas roh-nya. Al-Fatihah.

when chocolate come-a-calling,,,

...This time I start thinking of eclairs.

eclair

The peeps at Four-Leaves only make their eclairs (they call these 'chocolate puffs') on alternate days and every time I got there, they're sold out.

Must be good.

One evening, I was lucky enough to get my hands on 1 of them (only 2 left).

Well.... they definitely used a much better quality chocolate than Prima Deli and especially Polar. But it's not as bitter as I expected.

I really should quit pitting these regular bakeries with Bakerzin, seriously... Having tried the stuff there has totally raised the bar for me.. Sheesh!

i'm thinking....

b u f f e t s....

I've covered 1 Indian one last week... Free-flow of naans, briyani rice (I didn't have that), Tandoori Chicken, Matter Paneer, Aloo Gobi, Mutton Korma, Fish Masala etc....

Oh and not forgetting the papadums dipped in refreshing mint and yoghurt sauce... ummmmmm...!

All washed down with Mango Kheer (Rice Pudding) and some other pudding that's heavily infused with cardamoms. And a cup of masala tea to complete the meal.

Pictures?? What pictures? Was so hungry that I wolfed everything down before I remember having a camera.

Coming up will be another 1 at Sakura D.E. Not keeping my expectations high for the food at that one. Just gonna enjoy quality time with my cousins. Now pondering whether to have the sashimi at all...

Next.. hopefully another 1 with my mates. Can't disclose that the location for that un...

And oh.. That irritating Swensen's ice-cream buffet ad on radio is getting on my nerves. ...Cos' it's just so tempting!

Funnily enough though... Despite the saying, "Eating-for-two", I find myself being unable to eat much nowdays. Stomach space taken up by babe, I guess... =P