the holy grail of restaurants.

made it. i.will.not.forget.this.ever.ever.ever.

when the week ends, the real weekend begins.

i've always dreamt about having a picnic at the botanic gardens with the full works sunday brunch style. finally managed to convince my canoeing mates that something like this was worth waking up at 7.30am on a sunday for. i offered to bring all the food just to persuade them that it wasn't such a bad idea after all and so the past two days were spent planning, grocery shopping, prepping and finally cooking! 

el menú

i might have been over ambitious to think that i could pull all of that off on my own, so thank god my elf chef (aka sister's bf) and loving mother offered to help cook and clean respectively. 

note to self: grocery shopping needs serious muscle strength. transporting everything from home to botanics also needs serious muscle strength. 

it was great fun nonetheless and save for the very small picnic mat situation, everything fell into place perfectly. good weather, great food (i would like to believe!) & fantastic company! =)

from left to right:
pancakes with vanilla poached peaches and caramelized bananas,
baked eggs with mushroom, bacon & cucumbers
elf chef's balsamic cream mushrooms and home-made salsa
smoked salmon and cream cheese with crackers
roasted pumpkin and spinach salad 

the grand finale - bread & butter-less pudding
(lovingly assembled by elf chef!)

missing in the pictures was the ultimate sunday brunch tipple - mimosa! the champagne and orange juice combination completed the picture. 

if you're interested, here are some of the recipes i used as reference:

Pumpkin and Spinach Salad 

(Fantastic salad combination, I also added feta cheese)

Vanilla Poached Peaches 

(Unbelievably easy yet delicious)

Jamie Oliver's Bun & Butter Pudding 

(Made a few adaptations by soaking the raisins in Cointreau, using French baguette, omitting the butter, cognac and zest. It was so yummy I'm still thinking about it now)

I hope you had a great weekend too, have a blessed week ahead! =)

have a slice of the world.

3 guys
44 days
11 countries
18 flights
38,000 miles

i'm pretty damn sure it was a trip of a lifetime alright!


EAT from Rick Mereki on Vimeo.

i like the jalepeno shot!

also check out move and learn here.

first seen on black eiffel!

qarah moment.

was extremely blessed to be given the opportunity to host claus meyer, the co-founder of critically acclaimed restaurant Noma, when he was in town recently. a great, great visionary man and loving father indeed. this was one of the biggest highlights of my job yet!

read more here and here.

a week of His crowned goodness!

such an awesome sunday! back to the waters paddling in a k2 for the first time in years, followed by a fantastic brunch at the plain with the canoe babes and fed my soul with a great sunday service. it's great to have a colleague, friend and fellow sister-in-christ all in one pretty package called ms. liew. =)

humpty dumpty and vegemite soldiers 

dippy eggs with vegemite on buttered toast sticks

(ermm.. we borrowed a marker and drew the eggs ourselves so please don't be disappointed when yours doesn't look this cool.) photo courtesy of shoe.

darling's eggs

poached eggs with ham, cheese, & roma tomatoes on sourdough toast

iced coffee with milk and honey

skinny cuppacino

photo courtesy of woon

chanced upon this funky french/finnish indie pop band called the do, and this must be one of the weirdest funky song and video, caught myself bobbing along to its bollywood-like tune!

slippery slope - the do

another of their song with a beautiful video:

dust it off - the do (live at aquarium de paris)

have a fantastic week ahead everyone! =)

the best scone in my world.

i had drawn up a long list of cafes and restaurants to check out when i was in scotland, turned out i didn't even have the chance to try any! i spent the first day finding my bearings around edinburgh city and was on the road most of the time while in the highlands, eating only at random pit stops.

fortunately, the friendly hostel receptionist recommended a supposedly good cafe called the Edinburgh Larder right opposite where i stayed. feeling mildly depressed that my foodie escapade in edinburgh didn't quite turn out the way i wanted to, i swore to have breakfast at the cafe on my last morning there.

the edinburgh larder, stocked full of goodness

warm and cosy interiors of the cafe

and so i did. and had the.most.awesome.scone.ever.

freshly baked scone with clotted cream and strawberry jam

fresh out of the oven, it was warm and crusty on the outside, yet soft and fluffy on the inside. together with some jam and clotted cream, i felt like i'd just gone straight to heaven.

ok... granted i barely got to try the other scones around and didn't quite have a fair comparison, still it was the best i've ever eaten at least. it made those which i've tried in singapore taste really bad.

i spent nearly 2 hours in the cafe that morning, sitting alone by the window with my scone, tea and magazine in hand. it was one of the best experiences ever. guess what, thousands of miles away from home and i still managed to bump into 2 singaporean dudes on exchange! one of them also ordered the scone and he couldn't help but to exclaim that it was awesome too. so there you go, i swear i wasn't exaggerating.

this is how every morning should begin

i shall go to bed tonight dreaming of all the sandwiches, salads, soup, pasta, brownies, scones, cookies and muffins i could have tried in scotland, and wake up hungry for a perfect scone. =)

the edinburgh larder
15 blackfriars street
edinburgh
http://www.edinburghlarder.co.uk/

je ne sais quoi.

went for a french cooking class with jols a few weeks back and it was really fun! we've been looking around for classes to attend for the longest time and finally decided on the french menu by cookyn with mervyn, a husband and wife outfit at novena gardens. definitely money well spent, can't wait to do it again!

le menu

mini hotcakes with smoked salmon and sourcream

seafood bouillabaise

roasted duck breast with tangerine wedges

pistachio and cointreau cake with stewed strawberries

art food, food art.

we've got tons of ice cream shops in singapore, from the $1 ice cream bread sold by uncles on their motorbikes to the more expensive gelato shops. however, we've yet to see ice cream shops selling only popsicles! popbar in new york has taken the old-school popsicle to a whole new level. 

pistachio

vanilla splash

coconut chocolate

they look tooooo good to be eaten, i just want to stand in front of the shop and stare at the rows of popbars all day!

a smile for the road! =)

from swissmiss.

happiness is...

i love this shot, it spells h-a-p-p-i-n-e-s-s in my dictionary. =)

from a cup of jo

great tea + great design.

the guys from gryphon tea launched an initiative to promote singapore's history and provide a platform for our local artists to showcase their talents. the artists were commissioned to provide their own interpretation of singapore's heritage, and their art work was transformed into gryphon's tea packages. yeah i know it's a marketing thing, but i think it's a great idea nonetheless, and the designs are really beautiful! =)

see camemberu's blog post on it here.

hummus love. =)

restaurant week 2010: lunch at garibaldi italian resturant & bar

and so.. the much anticipated lunch date at garibaldi came and went. thanks to restaurant week, jols and i had the opportunity of dining at one of the top italian restaurants in singapore yesterday!

lunch menu

insalata di gamberi, avocado e aranicia

poached prawns salad with avocado & orange

-----

tagliolini neri al granchio

homemade black in thin noodle with crab meat in vodka sauce

or

saltinbocca alla romana

veal "scaloppini" with parma ham, sage & marsala wine sauce

-----

tiramisu all 'amaretto e scaglie di cioccolato

homemade tiramisu with amaretto flavor and shaved chocolate

-----

coffee/tea

the restaurant had a minimalistic design, with a bar area and a large wine cellar upon entering. the main dining area was further in, and the tables were spaced out far enough from one another such that there was sufficient privacy, yet you'd still be able to catch bits and pieces of the other tables' conversations. it might sound weird, but i really liked the toilet, which was very nicely done up with marble tiles and fresh hand towels by the basin.

the dishes were well executed, of which the veal with parma ham and tiramisu were winners. the bread served throughout the meal was the most perfectly warmed bread i've ever, ever had, and should be the benchmark for any excellent restaurant.

a portion of my noodles were clumped together, perhaps due to the production process of the noodles, so i had it sent back. the service staff took it back with no questions asked. he had a disturbed look on his face, obviously annoyed that i had been served food that was not up to their usual quality. a fresh batch of noodles came back the second time around, with a significantly larger portion, and our next course was personally served by the manager of the restaurant. it was quite amusing to be given that much attention because i was obviously too happy to be bothered by that little glitch in the meal.

food wise, the dishes were definitely top quality and well executed, though i personally feel that the "wow" factor seems to be somewhat missing in the meal.

nevertheless, the service at garibaldi's was absolutely excellent! the service staff were attentive but not intrusive, though they were a little slow in refilling our glasses once the lunch crowd came in. knowing that jols and i wanted to share both the mains, the service staff offered to divide them into two individual portions. they also enquired if we were doing alright throughout the courses, which was a nice touch to the already exceptional service provided.

on the overall, it was a fantastic experience being able to finally dine in one of the finest restaurants around. excellent food, service and setting, not to forget awesome company, it was one of the best lunches i've had in a long while.

can't wait for restaurant week 2011! =)

move over, subway!

knew of this place some time back but haven't got to try it until recently, and damn i should have visited Quiznos a long long loooongg time ago! 

a sandwich place with a similar concept to Subway, this place puts Subway to utter shame. on my first visit i tried the Zesty Grill Steak sandwich (6" for $6.90), described as "thinly-sliced steak, mozzarella, cheddar, mushrooms, sauteed onions, honey bourbon mustard and zesty grille sauce on rosemary parmesan bread". sounds good? it sure damn was! 

the rosemary parmesan bread was warm and fluffy, unlike the ones at Subway which i never did like but had to live with. the thinly sliced steak with all its cheese, onion and shrooms friends made a delicious combination, but more importantly, the ingredients  tasted fresh. there was also a side bar with different kinds of jalepenos and pickles to choose from, and they were delish as well. 

to top it all off, they actually toasted not only the sandwich, but my cookie as well. i hope my subsequent trips won't disappoint, and as they become popular in singapore (which i'm very sure they will), that their franchise outlets will keep up the fine quality of its sandwiches. three cheers for Quiznos! =)

Quiznos Sub Shop
181 Orchard Road #03-33
Orchard Central
Tel: 6509 9833
Opens daily, 11am-11pm

viewing the world through food.

Japan: The Ukita family of Kodaira City
Food expenditure for one week: 37,699 Yen or $317.25

Favorite foods: sashimi, fruit, cake, potato chips

Chad: The Aboubakar family of Breidjing Camp
Food expenditure for one week: 685 CFA Francs or $1.23

Favorite foods: soup with fresh sheep meat

United States: The Revis family of North Carolina
Food expenditure for one week: $341.98

Favorite foods: spaghetti, potatoes, sesame chicken

view more interesting shots in what the world eats, part I

photographs by peter menzel from the book "hungry planet"
source: www.time.com

tradition.

our customary mcdonald's breakfast during holidays where my dad gets a rare opportunity to wake up late and enjoy a slow brekkie. that's why the latest advertisement by macs (where the uber cute little girl wishes her dad doesn't have to work so she can have macs breakfast everyday... though that may not be a brilliant idea waist-wise) totally hit the nail in the spot. now... time to get ready for work. =/

introducing the deluxe big breakfast...

for my dad of course, i'm sticking to ma fluffy hotcakes baby!

farmers' market - a piece of europe in singapore.

a farmers' market is a common feature in europe, somewhat like our local pasar malam, where farmers will gather to sell their produce to the public. chef jane of the pantry at loewen gardens missed that little piece of home, and decided to organise a farmers' market on the first saturday of every month!

organic bread by the organic baker

absolutely devine orange cake by madz chef

when i was living in maastricht, i used to wake up early in the morning on days when the farmers' market was on, cycle to the city centre with a shopping bag and return with my loot of fresh fruits and vegetables. i still remember the comical scene where my friends and i would try to balance the heavy bags while cycling uphill. ahh.. these wonderful memories!

scones and desserts from the pantry

i was really excited upon hearing about this event and decided to forgo my precious sleep, wake up early and head down to loewen gardens with jolene. with no idea how a farmers' market in singapore will work out, we didn't really know what to expect.

olives etc. from olive grove, a supplier to hotel and restuarants

surprisingly, it was a lovely and cosy affair, with loads of imported and homemade food! it's not quite the scene where farmers sold their own produce, but i guess that's about as close as we can get in singapore.

salmon quiche from the pantry

sausage, scrambled eggs and toast from the pantry

jols and i had a lovely brunch at the pantry, and we both went home happy girls with peach cake, sicilian olives and hummus in our bags!

more details on the farmers' market on expat living.

the pantry, loewen gardens, 75 loewen road

is your menu playing mind games on you?

photograph: public domain

read this really interesting article about how restaurants design their menu in a way that customers will unknowingly be enticed into ordering their profitable items. you have to check it out!

say kim-chee!

back from a whirlwind work trip to korea. though i can now say that i have stepped foot into the land of kimchi and ginseng chicken, i must admit that i haven't seen much to decide if i like this country. it was probably 80% airports, hotels and offices. i haven't had so much kimchi in a day before, not that i'm complaining!

kimchi

(photo from the korean times)

one thing i realised is that kimchi tastes different in every eatery, and through a quick google i also found out that there are numerous types of kimchi! looks like i have to read up on it some time. if you're interested to learn more, click here.

time for bed, i'm extremely exhausted. i miss the beach. a blue sky holiday would be nice.

christmas dinner 2009 in pictures.

it was a wonderful evening worth documenting, so here's what we had for dinner:

setting the table

parma ham and rock melon salad; french onion soup

whiskey-glazed carrots; pumpkin with scallops and mushrooms

chicken le cordon bleu

shrimp and scallop pasta in foil package

monkey munchies

lovely company!