from the horse's mouth

How time flies. I can still remember M's last birthday when I brought her to Wasabi Tei(which I've not even blogged about) for good and affordable Japanese. It's her birthday yet again. Although having a couple more lines isn't worth celebrating, I think every birthday girl(and boy, of course) deserves a good meal on their special day.

I was very excited to bring M to Riders Cafe for brunch when I first learnt about this secluded place. Firstly, she's a horse lover. Secondly, I promise to buy her Eggs Benedict. Thirdly, her birthday was round the corner. Perfect recipe.

Tucked away from the hustle and bustle of city life, Riders Cafe is surrounded by greenery and occasional trotting horses at Bukit Timah Sadde Club. It is in a historical black and white building with high ceiling, old tiles, everything rustic and it is not air-conditioned!

The café is pretty small and it’s may be a good idea to make reservation especially during weekend. Take the seats by the balcony for a nice view to go with your meal.

Nice detail.





We ordered Eggs Benedict($12.00) but they served us Eggs Florentine instead, which was a good thing because M later said she loves spinach and we found them delicious. I'm going to try the poached eggs with smoked salmon the next time.



I'm very glad to discover yet another place that serves Eggs Benedict(reasonably priced!) in Singapore.



The Roast Beef Sandwich($16.00) was served with wholewheat toasts and accompanied by steak fries. A very hearty meal.



I heard that the to-die-for desserts is a must-try especially Death By Chocolate. On my next visit!

nice ambience + good food + great company = happy (birthday)

Yes, I'm born in the year of the Horse. You do the maths. :P

thai-style grilled chicken

A follower of my blog asked if I've been fasting.

Sorry for not blogging.

Most would have known, my dearest Power Mac G5, which has served me well for some time, went dead on me about 1 month ago. High time to upgrade.

Finally, I'm back on track with a high drool factor 2.93GHz Intel Core 2 Duo 24" iMac.

So, what's cooking?

This was what I've attempted in the kitchen last Saturday.

Thai-style Grilled Chicken


Ingredients:
4 chicken thighs
1 lime
a few lemon grass to garnish

Marinade:
1 lemon grass stalk, chopped
1" piece fresh root ginger
4 garlic cloves
2 shallots
1/2 bunch coriander roots
1/2 tbsp palm sugar
1/3 cup coconut milk
2 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp soy sauce

Steps:
To prepare the marinade, process ingredients with a food processor until smooth.

Marinade the chicken for at least 4 hours, or preferably overnight.

Grill the chicken at 200ºC for about 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked and golden brown, turning the pieces occasionally and brushing with the marinade.
(The chicken will taste better if it was barbecued)

Garnish with lime wedges and lemon grass.


My friends love it to the bone.

I wish for a rich & good man

I love swiss rolls. Simply because of its simplicity.

I first tasted Rich & Good's kaya swiss rolls 8 years back when a client of my ex-company bought them for us whenever he passed by the area. I soon left the company and left the tasty memory behind.

Thanks to T who let me relish the goodness of the rich and creamy cake again on my birthday. :)



Instead of the regular fat and short rolls you can get from your neighbourhood bakery, these are long and thin.



What you get for $10 is a long roll of super soft and moist cake filled with rich fillings that are not too creamy or sweet.



My favourite is coffee flavour but kaya and durian are highly recommended. You can actually taste chunks of durian flesh in it. Other flavours include chocolate, mango, strawberry and blueberry.


Rich & Good Cake Shop
24 Kandahar Street

virtual cake

Thanks M for the Tiramisu from Obolo. :)

a prime dinner

I've tried Astons Specialties but dinner at Astons Prime was a totally different experience. All thanks to CL for the delightful birthday treat. :)

Astons Prime serves more premium cuts of meat. Of course, there's a price to pay but still, both restaurants offer great value.

I really enjoyed the Deep Fried Oysters after having too many(although not even half of what M had) raw ones at The Line. The wasabi mayonaise sauce complimented the starter very well.



I am no expert when it comes to steaks and can't even recall the names! But I do remember it's supposed to be veal and cost about $30. Served with buttered mushrooms and mashed potatoes, I like the feeling when my steak is served sizzling on the hotplate.



However, we later realized the beef got overcooked after awhile even when it was cushioned by the onions.



This slab of meat(about $20) was soaked in red wine before it was cooked. I can't even remember the portion but it was just enough for me.



The meat was very tender and juicy.



What's red meat without red wine? ;)



There's no ambience and not an ideal place for a romantic dinner. But there's also no service or GST charges. In short, you are only paying for quality food.

I'll definitely recommend Astons Prime to MM, a meat lover.

Top of The Line

Sorry for the absence. No, I haven't starved to death. My appetite was poor for the past weeks. Things wasn't smooth sailing and I was sick. Naturally, I was in in no mood to blog. But don't worry for the hungry girl is back! :D

Firstly, I'd like to thank my family, friends and K for all the wonderful birthday treats last month.

Top of the line got to be The Line at Shangri-La Hotel. With over 16 culinary stations, the international buffet spread was impressive! However, buffet at The Line is not just about quantity and eat-all-you-can. It is all about quality. It feels like fine dining less the uneasiness.

These huge and succulent oysters were very fresh.



This was like the size of 2 oysters!



Sashimi was a must-have too.



The cold crabs and prawns were very sweet unlike those I've tasted at other buffets.





Cheese Platter


Roast Beef


Something I usually won't eat at a buffet, local fare. But I didn't know why, the laksa looked really tempting and I had to give it a try. It'd be perfect with cockles though.



By the time we were done with the mains, there wasn't much time or space for desserts.

Chocolate Fountain


My favourite Tiramisu!


Thanks M for such a lavish treat. :)

do not judge a burger by its look

Everyone knows the food served never really looks like what's photographed on the menu or poster. The new Scallops Rice Burger at Mos Burger is one very good example. It looked nothing close to the burger featured on their attractive poster!



Ironically, I was once the one who tempted the target audience with irresistible looking food and desserts, I never stop being a victim of advertisements. I never deny that.

Despite looking nothing like the burger that was advertised, it tasted pretty good as a whole. The beans was a good match because the scallops were kind of tiny.

Can give it a try but I'll still go back to my succulent Ebi Rice Burger!

"mos makes my day"

the hunt continues

The hunt for a good curry puff never stops. After a satisfying meal at Old Airport Road Food Center, greedy me went around hunting for other good food to bring home since I hardly come here. I spotted Wang Wang Curry Puff easily with newspaper cuttings and awards stuck all over its stall front. How can I not try this hidden gem!

At $1.10 each, it was a bout the size of 1A curry puff. In fact, they look identical because of the multi-layered crispy skin. Flaky and thin but not as fragrant as 1A's.



The filling was moist, which I like, but it was not spicy enough. There were chunks of potatoes and a piece of very tender chicken meat. No sign of egg.



The good thing about this curry puff was that it didn't feel oily at all after gobbling up two. You know how the oil tends to surface on the skin when you reheat it. The skin of this puff was matte after I took it out from the oven.

Wang Wang Curry Puff may not be the best puff around but I'll definitely grab a few back if I happen to be around the area. The highly recommended black pepper chicken flavour is also a must-try on my next visit.


Old Airport Road Food Centre
51 Old Airport Road, #01-125

ice ice baby

First, it was bubble tea. Followed by Rotiboy then donuts in all sorts of unimaginable flavours. It's interesting how these food trends come and go. Just like fashion.

I first chanced upon Rotiboy many years back when I used to frequent City Square, Johor Bahru to meet a client. It was love at first bite. I was overjoyed when it came to Singapore. It became so popular that lead to the openings of Rotipapa and other imitations. The trend, however, died after some time. The businessman had made enough money and decided to wind up.

How can they just vanish into thin air completely? There are people like me who still love Rotiboy.

If you notice, there has been a rising number of Taiwan and Hong Kong style dessert houses lately. Perhaps they won't die off like other food trends because of our tropical weather?

Recently, P, who has sweet tooth, brought me to for desserts after dinner. I frequent Junction 8 but was not even aware of its existence. Mei Heong Yuen 味香园 is located at the basement level where all the snack stalls are. I'm not sure about other desserts because I'm not a big fan of such, but the Mango Ice was commendable.



The flavoured and finely shaved ice was drizzled with mango syrup and topped with fresh mango cubes.





Absolutely refreshing.

By the way, my nephew and niece love the Mango Snow Ice ice-cream at Xin Wang Hong Kong Cafe. It's gigantic. So don't attempt to finish it by yourself.



They also enjoy the milk flavoured shaved ice at Ice Monster.





I shall blog about other non-icy Hong Kong desserts in my next post.

For now, let's chill.

i-ing on iPhone

i have been contemplating if i should switch to iPhone. It's the coolest gadget since iPod Touch.

My trusty Sony Ericsson 3.2 mega pixel Cybershot camera phone has been doing a good job on capturing, though not professional, but acceptable pictures of my indulgences. I wouldn't want to lug around a DSLR and make shooting a chore. That's also the reason why K got me the Ricoh GX100 a year ago. But having a film camera with me most of the time, I do not want to add to the weight on my shoulder and only take it with me on holidays.

Then there's the Sony Ericsoon C905 equiped with a 8.1 mega pixel camera. Tempting. But it'll defeat the purpose of owning a compact digital camera, isn't it?

Sadly, one can't have the best of both worlds.

2.0 megapixel is so yesteryear and there's no macro mode. :( Thankfully, there's Griffin's Clarify which may compensate the inadequacy.

I think the switch will force me to fully utilize my GX100. Which is, of course, a good thing.

What am I waiting for?

My birthday!

Haha!

Sunset Grill & Pub

This entry is dedicated to E.

I've known E for merely two years. If I remember correctly, I've not gone out with her alone more than twice. They say, it doesn't take a food connoisseur to tell if the food is good. Likewise, it doesn't take a decade to find out E is a nice girl.

She's helpful, kind, caring, sincere, friendly, trustworthy, responsible and the list goes on. One thing all her friends will have to agree is that she is very good at organising.

Lately, I got to discover this really cool dining place and other interesting shooting locations all thanks to her. Sunset Grill & Pub is located at Singapore Flying Club, overlooking a beautiful sunset and, if you're lucky, private jets taking off or landing.





I was a tad disappointed to learn that Sunset Grill & Pub is opened by the owner of Jerry's BBQ & Grill. I'm not sure if Jerry's is related to Buckaroo BBQ & Grill but somehow I prefer the latter. No, I'm not about to start a debate who is better. After all, I love both their signature buffalo wings.

We skipped the main course and ordered a variety of appetisers to share.


Fried Button Mushrooms ($13.50)


Cheese Fries


Fried breaded calamari and prawns


Mussels in creamy olive oil sauce

The highlight got to be the highly acclaimed fiery buffalo wings with spiciness from level 1 to all the way to 30! If you're up for the challenge at level 30, your name will be on the hall of fame. Or rather hall of flame!



Try the wings last in case the spiciness numbs your tastebuds. For the chicken hearted, there's also the non-spicy version.

We started with half a dozen of at level 3($19.50). Tasty, tangy, spicy. Still enjoyable. For someone who can't take spiciness like E, that's her limit. KT thought it was no sweat and we doubled up to level 6 for the next half a dozen($21.00).

First bite, it was just as spicy as level 3. A few seconds later, the spiciness started to bit my tongue. I sipped a mouthful of ice cold beer to put out the fire but it only worsened the situation. After the beer went down my throat, my mouth started burning. I could however finished the whole thing without tearing. KT on the other hand, was screaming for water in between bites. *LOL* And poor KC felt miserable after finishing up his share.

I can't imagine how spicy level 10 is, let alone 30. O_O|||

After the burning sensation which left us with Angelina Jolie's lips, we had something sweet to neutralise our tastebuds.



Happy birthday, E. Hope you had a great time. :)

Sunset Grill & Pub is a nice and secluded laid-back place to chill out. I suppose many came here because of its rustic ambience. You may want to set off earlier as the area is quite a maze.






P/S: Thanks, E, KC&JT. It was a great trip. :)

Sunset Grill & Pub
Republic of Singapore Flying Club
140-B Piccadilly, Seletar Airbase,
East Camp
6482-0244
Opens daily from 4pm to 10pm

Sim Lim Square Food Court

Here's an entry on the soup dumplings(小笼包) at Sim Lim Square Food Court I promised to blog about earlier.

Whenever I step into SLSQ foodcourt, I'll head straight for the soup dumplings from Shanghai Delights(stall 14) and decide what else to have. Because it takes about 10 minutes for the dumplings to be served steaming hot.



I don't know about the number of folds but this is as good as it gets. Soup spilling out from the thin skin as I sunk my teeth into it. No porky taste or smell. Resting on a thin slice of carrot, this "basket" of eight soup dumplings costs only $6.00. Try them if you haven't. You'll be delighted!

I usually end up ordering Garlic Naan with Butter Chicken($6.50) from the stall next door, Indian & Pakistan(stall 15). I’d vouch for the fragrant naan and thick gravy anytime, unless I'm not fit to take spicy.

The naan is cooked in a huge ceramic furnace. Is there a name for it?



The crispy naan was flavoured with of minced garlic and butter and served hot from that huge furnace.



Tender chicken pieces were covered with sizzling curry and served on a hot plate. It wasn't exactly spicy and in fact a tad sweet, but somehow I didn't mind at all.



Perfect match.



Despite looking dry, the tandoori chicken was very tender and juicy.



Apart from roti prata, naan and dosay, I'm clueless about Indian food. I can't compare but I can tell you it satisfies me, anytime of the day.

Besides what I've recommended, the Parklane Abalone Minced Meat Noodles and popiah from Local Delights are very good too.

Sim Lim Square is not just about gadgets at bargain prices but good food too.


Sim Lim Square Food Court
1, Rochor Canal Road, Basement 1