Chinatown Sichuan Restaurant : Spice Up Your Life

Found this excellent lunch/dinner/supper place which I cannot wait to tell you about.  An eatery that looks suspiciously like a tourist trap midst our deliberately constructed Chinatown, I will never step into this place without my brother's strong recommendation.

I seriously thought this is just another tourist trap along the row of shophouses selling bak kwa and all.  Sichuan Restaurant is located right opposite People's Park Centre, along New Bridge Road and hence difficult to miss.  At the end of last night, I realised I was quite wrong. 

We were suitably impressed by the level of hygiene at this humble eatery with a spartan interior!  Everyone gets a fresh, new set of sanitised utensils.  This is what they do in Beijing's restaurants these days I heard!

Star of the night is the innocently named Shui Zhu Yu (translate loosely to water-cooked fish), $12.  But this dish is definitely far from just fish cooked in water.  The soup was drown generously in chili oil and sichuan peppercorn - very spicy and numbing indeed!  The spiciness is definitely quite toned down in comparison to what I ate in Shanghai.  This is quite ironic as our table is the only Singaporeans around on a Vesak Day night.  The rest of the customers were all Chinese nationals.  To think that I actually used to think of this eatery as a tourist trap.  Nope, I am quite sure now is meant for Chinese who miss their hometowns. 

La Zi Ji (spicy fried chicken), $16 is another earth-shattering-numb-to-the-max experience.  The very boney chicken bits were fried till very fragrant.  The rest of the onions, red and green chili, ginger and peppercorns went very well with plain rice.  If you know me well enough, it has been years since I ate a whole bowl of rice.  Well, I did it last night.  Quite a feat for a restaurant to be successful in tempting me to finish my rice! 

Pu'er tea is a good option for us to clean our palate before stuffing ourselves with more spicy and numbing fish or chicken!

Another look at the slices of very fresh fish 'swimming' in oily and hot soup.  I like oil, especially spicy oil.  I like fish, especially freshly sliced fish.  The servings here are huge and prices are very reasonable.  We had these 2 dishes, 3 bowls of rice and the bill came up to just $30 for 3.  All of us were very full at the end of the meal! Love this place.  In fact, I am planning to go back to try their other dishes tonight! 

Chinatown Sichuan Restaurant
199 New Bridge Road 
Tel: +65 6225 2578

Applebee's : Because You Trust Me

Dropped by TripleOne Somerset to visit wonderful C for lunch and caved in to the cheery greetings of the staff of Applebee at the lobby.  We quickly decided on the set lunch as the menu seemed rather tempting for a quick bite. 

Sliders and Mushroom Soup Set Lunch, $14.90

I must be suffering from some bad sliders luck.  The sliders I had recently were all dry.  The beef were really dry and the mild dipping sauce did not really help to enhance the taste for the bread and beef.   

Four Cheese Chicken Penne and Mushroom Soup Set Lunch, $14.90

I like the piping hot mushroom soup.  It was comforting and tasty, not too salty with generous bits of mushroom.  The penne however was again dry and oily.  Nothing that bad nor fanciful.  Lunching with C is always a great joy.  We chat, we eat and food just disappeared.  

Hot Fudge Sundae and Strawbery Cheesecake Shooters, $7.90 (Complimentary for people working in TripleOne Somerset)

C's office is in TripleOne and we got free desserts because of that!  The waiter simply asked if we are working in the building and didn't even check C's pass or anything.  The free shooters are definitely the highlights of our simple lunch.  I like the way Applebee's trusted us.  And somehow even though lunch was way from fantastic, I feel like going back to try their menu proper - salads, grills and all.  Applebee's made me feel comfortable and happy.

AppleBee's
111 Somerset Road
#01-11/12 TripleOne Somerset
Tel: +65 6735 9671

Hi People,

I shamelessly joined the sgblogawards and surprisingly got selected as one of the finalists for the food blog category.  I feel extremely honoured, totally undeserving and would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your support.  Without you I will be writing too many words for too few people in the past 8 months.

Of course, this blog is no where near winning anything.  It is already a miracle for muchadoabouteating to be in the finals.  However, this is the first and probably the only time in my life I can ask YOU to vote for me. Just click on the banner on the top RIGHT-HAND corner or go to  http://sgblogawards.omy.sg and vote for me! Voting is free and you can only vote once a day. There are prizes such as smartphones and resort stays to be won.  So start voting now!

Of course, I am happy enough to have you drop by here. But if you vote for me, I will be even HAPPIER!

The Seafood International : We Celebrate With Seafood!

Every year, my colleagues and I will celebrate something that is not worth celebrating.  What was meant to be a happy occasion has ended up otherwise. Nevertheless, we 'celebrate' the long-awaited occasion despite its late arrival. 

And what better way to celebrate the belated occasion with one of the most well-loved national dish? Our little aim is to go round Singapore and eat black pepper crabs whenever the event that is not worth celebrating takes place.  After trying Master Crab, Jumbo and No Sighboard, we decided to be adventurous and go for the less acclaimed Seafood International rather than Red House. 

The Seafood International

Spring Onion and Ginger Beef, $12

Our customary beef/veal dish as a prelude to seafood! The thinnly sliced beef may be a bit over-cooked and slightly tough but at least it was not reek full of tenderiser like many other places.  I took a slice since I am not big on beef but gobbled up the flavourful spring onions and ginger! Yums.  

Razor Clams, $8.50 per 100g

We all had a razor clam each.  The warm and helpful waitress sugggested the steamed garlic style which is one of the best way to eat the shellfish.  The overdose of garlic was surprsingly more spicy than pungent. The vermicelli did its job to soak up the sweet seafood stock.  The clam was perfectly tender.  This chinese-thai dish reminded us of Nam Sing in Bangkok. Oh service was ultra efficient so I did not manage to capture the whole plate of clams in their original grand glory. 

Thai Style Stir-fry Kai Lan with Mushroom

There is a no chilli person in our celebration party. Once again the experienced and knowledgeable staff offered to omit the chili in this very Nam Sing-style dish.  All of us enjoyed the deep fried golden mushroom and the stir fry mushrooms with oyster sauce.  The kai lan was tender and I detected no hint of bitterness which can be common for this vegetable. 

Black Pepper Crab (foreground), Butter Crab (background), $4 per 100g

Again, the professional staff were totally helpful when the stars of the night arrived.  They changed our plates, shifted the plates around and top up our tea in the most unobtrusive manner to prepare us for the grand entrance of black pepper and butter crabs.  The butter crab was crispy yet moist even though it was deep fried.  The fried butter 'stuff' while a tad salty was light and just very tasty.  Must declare that this is one of the better butter crabs we have had.  Ok I did not try the black pepper crab but my colleagues gave their thumbs up.   

Hor Fun, $8

Seafood hor fun though a common dish was well executed and full of 'wok hei' which is the most important criteria for me.  The serving was huge at a mere price of $8, really worth it.  

Red Ruby, $4

The red ruby was so pretty and gave a sweet ending to the heavy meal. 

Mango with Pomelo, $4 

This is not a place that I will expect a good yang zhi gan lu but it was really fabulous.  I like the thick mango puree and fresh mango cubes.  Of course if they can swop the ice-cream to a better one it will be perfect but I am not complaining. 

The meal set us back by approximately $170 for 3 (sorry I forgot the prices of some dishes) and it's really a good deal in comparison to pricier places such as No Signboard and Jumbo as the quality of the dishes are on par.  We were extremely impressed by the meticulous service and knowledge of staff.  They even offer us a free parking coupon when we enquire about it.  No wonder this place was almost packed to the rim on a supposingly slow Monday evening. 

The Seafood International
902 East Coast Parkway
Blk A #01-01 Playground @ Big Splash
Singapore 449874
Tel: +6563451211

Mini Wagyu Sliders

Had some disturbingly hard and msg-laden mini wagyu burgers for late lunch today.  Cute, photogenic little fellows but too bad they were a tad too dry.

Now I am craving for a good wagyu burger.  Do you have any to recommend?

Pietrasanta : Black Gold!

Question: How do you know you are comfortable with a person?

Squidink Crab Pasta, $22.90

Answer: When you are willing to share a squidink pasta and laugh at each other. 

Squidink is just ink extracted from squid, when infused in food gives a wonderful ocean tang but unfortunately leaves a black glow as well.  Like most self-conscious ladies.  I will not order squidink anything when I am out with the unfamiliar.  Although the black stain can be easily removed by swiping the tongue discreetly over the teeth but I still avoid it. This is also because I did not manage to find a squidink anything I really like till Pietrasanta.  The squidink crab pasta is really gorgeous, so gorgeous that I kick myself again and again for not trying out the restaurant which is so near my workplace.  Pietrasanta's version of this common dish is choked full of fresh crabmeat and thick tomato sauce.  The strong flavour of sea, rich sauce and "wok hei" just give the dish much oomph.  This pasta is so addictive that I found myself going to Pietrasanta again and again. 

  

Pietrasanta  has several types of complimentary bread.  I like to mop up the crab meat sauce with their bread too. Oh, by the way, the squidink is their signature which is not on their menu...hmm.

 

Buffalo Mozarella with Parma Ham, $34.90

Another fabulous item which is not on menu is Pietrasanta's version of caprese.  The buffalo mozarella was bigger than a fist and cherry tomatoes were the sweetest I ever tasted in Singapore.  This starter is served with really good olive oil and aged balsamic vinegar.

Merluzzo alla Griglia, $28.90

I had this on my first visit.  The grilled cod was good but not impressive.  Perhaps, I am too spolit by Ember's miso cod and Forlino's black cod.  This pricey fish is not as smooth as it should be but the charred parts were yummy. Nevertheless, I may still order this on my feel-healthy days. 

 

Filettoal Prosciutto Crudo con Scamorza, $30.90

Perhaps it's a guy's thing.  I went to Pietrasanta with 3 guys - a colleague, WC and A on separate occasions.  All of them pick this tenderloin with parma ham and red wine sauce.  All 3 men enjoyed their red meat while I found the meat a bit too heavy in taste. 

  Cannelloni di Cinghiale Gratinati, $18.90

My colleague ordered the wild boar cannelloni on our first visit and it was really nothing but wild.  Just stick to the squidink pasta if you ever go to Pietrasanta ok?

Another look at this addictive pasta! Yum to the max.

Why no dessert? Because Laurent Bernard is just next door.  But try to have an early dinner if you are eyeing LB's dessert as they close before 8:30pm on weekdays. 

Pietrasanta

Blk 5B Portsdown Road

#01-03 Singapore 139311

Tel: 64799521

Papa Palheta : Charming Coffee Boutique

I cannot help but to fall in love with Papa...Palheta.

The Interior.

The Courtyard

The Tasting Room

The Lattes

Papa Palheta is not a cafe but a coffee retail boutique.  A and I decided to go hunt for some beans for our mothers some time ago and descended on the most charming retail outlet we have ever set our eyes on.  We tried their Ippolito blend and A loves its balanced and robust flavour.  I am not big on coffee but know what is good stuff (in another words am a much more discerning coffee drinker than everyday addicts :P).  I found Ippolito very likeable as the aftertaste reminded me of butterscotch candy which made me as happy as a kid that day.  After chatting with the very friendly barista, we both decided Sumatra Mandheling will be what our traditional mothers want.  The blend was unfortunately not in stock as Papa Palheta roasts limited amounts to ensure freshness.  Well, we cannot get the beans just in time for our mums for their day but we are sure we will be back soon.

 Go explore every corner of this charming little gem.  Way too pretty a place to miss.

Papa Palheta Specialty Coffee

140 Bukit Timah Road

Singapore 229840

Tel: 97990420

Under 30mins Scones

Tried this many times and this recipe has not failed me yet. I have used this recipe with white chocolate, cheese and chives, matcha powder and they worked perfectly well. The best thing is preparation time is less than 15mins and the baking time is just another 15mins.  In half an hour, you will get piping hot scones fresh from the oven! Try it. 
 

Recipe

Ingredients

100g plain flour

1.5 teaspoon baking powder

25g sugar

25g frozen butter (I just cut the amount I need and leave it in the freezer for 10mins or so) 

3 or more tablespoon of fresh milk

a pinch of sea salt

2 tablespoon of milk chocolate buttons

some cereals

Steps

1. Sieve flour and stir in sugar and salt.

2. Cut frozen butter into cubes to rub into the flour.

3. Add in chocolate buttons and mix well.  Make a well in the mixture.

4. Add milk to make into a soft dough.  Knead quickly till soft.

5. Flatten and shape into 5 or 6 rounds of 2cm height. Sprinkle on cereals.

6. Bake at 230 degrees for 15mins.  

Makes 5 or 6 scones.  Best served with clotted cream but taste just as well on their own.  

The Buffet : Ups and Downs

As a sit-down-and-be-served kind of person, I do not usually enjoy buffet.  But Her Highness loves the durian pengat at Orchard Hotel. M Hotel which is also under Millennium Hotels serves the prized delicacy of her heart too.  After calling to confirm that the prized delicacy will be available, I bought Her Highness to The Buffet to celebrate her day in advance!  The Buffet got a much wider spread than what I am showing here but will just concentrate on things I like and don't.  I am weird, will start from dessert.

Up: Blueberry Cake. For a start, it was really pretty. The sponge was moist and soft.  Blueberry was tart.

Up: Mocha Cake.  We like the mousse.  The taste of coffee went well with the fresh cream.  Hey, this looks pretty too! 

Up: Jelly. For the variety and quantity. 

Downs: Various Cheese Cakes. Her Highness and I both could taste no cheese.  Enough said. 

Up and up: My fave cashew nuts and butter rice. Her Highness and I are closet health feaks.  We switched to basmati rice 10 years ago and recently went even further to totally organic and unpolished rice.  Hence, the fragrance of nicely separated basmati grain and butter was such a welcoming delight! We just wolfed down the rice with lotsa vegetable curry. 

Up: Love the flavourful vegetables curry

Down: Oily and hard prata.  I didn't even know how to hide the unfinished piece after I took one bite.  I love oil but hard flour and stale oil was way too much. 

Up/Down???: A bit cold but still tender char siew. Ok a bit of a double standards here.  The roast meats were cold and covered with hardened stale animal fat too.  However, kudos to the nevertheless flavourful and tender char siew. 

Down: Uninspiring Sushi.  We looked and walked away. 

Up: Salad Bar.  For once, I like the salad bar at a buffet.  The vegetables were freshly washed and cut.  The variety great. 

Up: Salad bar still...yums

The Buffet. Buffet is something I am not really familiar with but The Buffet seems good enough and what important is Her Highness enjoyed her time there.  By the way, she did get her durian pengat.  It was totally so not photogenic as everyone there wanted a scoop of it! 

The Buffet
M Hotel Singapore
81 Anson Road
Singapore 079908
Tel: 65006116 

Gunther's : The World's 84th Best Restaurant

A recent incident reminded me of how important it is to give second chances.  There is nothing scarier than nipping a bud even before it has a chance to bloom.  The same can be apply to the theory of restaurants.  I have told myself I will not step into Gunther's again after the first visit.  Fast forward years later, A suggested to give it a second chance.  Afterall, Gunther's was barely a month old when we last went.  I am glad Gunther's has made it to one of the S.Pellegrino World's Best 100 Restaurants 2010. I am glad I went Gunther's again before the title is conferred.  Congratulations Chef Gunther Hubrechesen! 

Egg Sunnny Side Up, Roasted Portabello Mushroom

Unexciting to eat sunny-side-up in a chi chi restaurant one may think but the horrific experience I had simply turn me to this safe bet.  The best part of the starter must be the perfectly 'meaty' mushroom both in terms of taste and texture.  The freshly baked baguette was perfect with both the cold butter and wiping up the yolk.  In fact the crusty exterior and soft insides were so good that I have to consiously stop myself to agree to the second helping. 

Mini Baguette

Consomme, Ravioli of Foie Gras

I was totally displeased with the foie gras on my previous visit.  It was bitter, hard and veiny (if there is such a word).  We were apprehensive but ordered the consomme nevertheless.  The broth and ravioli turned out great.  The clear broth was light and flavourful at the same time and acted as a great contrast to the ultra rich and creamy-to-the-max foie gras.  While the soup looks suspiciously like wanton soup but the flavour is distinctly french.  Will definitely order this again.  

Warm Angel Hair Pasta, Tiger Prawns

We all know that the cold angel hair with cavier is Gunther's signature.  Having had that before, I could never understand why and how it becomes the IT dish.  I didn't try the tiger prawn pasta (was nursing a serious right thumb injury at the time of visit and decide to avoid prawns) but it smelled great.  The fresh seafood smell was absolutely tempting and A was impressed by the light and flavourful sauce.  We both agreed the cold angel hair was WEAK in taste but the WEAKNESS did not replicate in this pasta.  Time to give the cold angel hair with cavier ANOTHER TRY!

Vegetable Tart

Cannot believe I can still remember my disappointment in Gunther's even though it was so long ago.  Anyway, I had some steam zucchini thing which was nothing but WEAK.  Was rather amused to see zucchini in the vegetable tart.  Seems like Gunther's like to fiddle with similar ingredients and I am so glad that they did.  The vegetable tart as boring as it sounds or looks was FABULOUS.  The zucchini was very sweet and when pared with cheese and crispy filo tasted divine.  Every single bite of this tart was sheer enjoyment. 

Mango Sorbet

This could jolly well be the best mango sorbet I ever tasted.  The texture was so fine that we felt like eating ice-cream but it's actually just sorbet.  Balance of sweetness and sourness was perfect in rounding off the meal.  LOVE. THIS. SORBET. 

Coffee served in a nice cup

Petit Fours

Finally, we were suitably impressed by the petit fours.  I like the heavily textured canele while A found the financier delicate.  They are not too sweet but gave the sweetest ending to such a good meal anyway.  Congrats to Gunther's once again!

Gunther's
#01-03 Talib Centre
36 Purvis Street
Singapore 188613
Tel: 63388955