Amalfi Party at Fortuna Terrazza

When I found out that Fortuna, the place of my favourite pizzas, was going to host a special party at the soon-to-be-opened Italian Amalfi Brunch Cafe, I immediately sign up for it. The promise of free flow of the best pizzas, a variety of wines and cocktails, gelato is too tempting to resist. And there's a DJ to keeping the night exciting.

This is an Amalfi themed party where attendees are welcomed to dress in Italian Amalfi style. So yes, lots of us are dressed in to the nines in yellow or Mediterranean prints. So it is quite a sight to see a queue of the hippest crowd, dressed in bright cheery Almalfi style, outside the cafe with bright yellow signage and peppy decor. And passerbys are asking what event is it and want to join. So yes, it sure feels very cool to be part of this queue.

The interior of the place reminds one of a quaint, peppy, idyllic, cheerful European cafe near the coast. Yellow walls, yellow plush chairs, yellow and white checkered tables, whimsical yellow and white semicircle canopies over the bar counter, picturesque gouache paintings and pops of greenery.

The pizzas are served fresh out of the oven, and yes, they are good. With a first look at the pizza with big round crust, my friend comments on the preference for thin crust pizza. I immediately say the crust here is very fluffy and airy, which is totally different from the heavy thick crust we grew up eating. In fact, it is lighter than thin crust. And it is best to eat the pizza with this fluffy crust that is packed with the sweetness of wheat, the tang from the fermentation process and the hint of lovely char from the wood-firing cooking. And my friend actually finishes up the crust with the pizzas.

There are lots of wines, beer, prosecco, aperol spritz and of course, limoncello spritz, which is my favourite drink of the night. I do get very happy at the later part of the night and have lots of fun dancing with the newly met gorgeous ladies at the event.

Needless to say, I'm so looking forward to going to this hot new cafe for a good brunch when it officially opens in October.

Yoghurt Gelato and Lemon Gelato with options to add chocolate sauce, pistachio sauce or Amarena Cherry.

DJ of the night who belts out awesome beats to dance to. As the night goes on, lots of us are having a great time dancing to the beats.

As one of the first few attendees to get in, I get to take a picture of the place before it get real crowded.

Photo from Fortuna Terrazza’s instagram video. Look at the queue!

Ladies dressed for the occasion.

Thoughts: Absolute Fun with the hippest crowd!

Shochu High Tea Party - Lovely Pastries and Shochu

Another awesome collaboration between Tarte by Cheryl Koh, Old Moon Spirits and The Other Me comes in the form of “Shochu High Tea Party”!

This time, I’m being pampered with a selection of specially crafted high tea desserts, which is only available for this event. And once again, I’m blown away by how unique and delicious these delectable desserts are. And I got to meet Cheryl Koh, the master behind these desserts!

To make things even better, I get to enjoy a curated range of shochu, courtesy of Old Moon Spirits. The shochu, on rocks, is so refreshing and easy to drink.

Finally, I got a special prize from The Other Me 😉  And while at there, I got a bottle of delicious-smelling lavender & vanilla massage oil.

A lovely mix of savoury and sweet desserts, that is like no other desserts I have ever tried. This kind of events is a must-experience for anyone who loves desserts or food or exclusivity.

Tomato Sorbet topped with drops of basil oil gets the “wow” from me at first spoonful. This dessert presents tomato in a form that I have never tried before. The sorbet speaks of Italian summer with the distinctive sweetness and hints of refreshing tanginess of tomatoes. There is a secret element in the sorbet that adds a lovely intensity to the taste. The texture is so unique in which there is a slight gluey feel layered onto the sorbet. I love it actually.

mimi shochu, made from a blend of Tamaakane and Beniharuka sweet potatoes, is super refreshing. And each subsequent sip gets better and sweeter. I love its cute bottle!

Focaccia with Prosciutto looks ordinary but the taste is on another level. The focaccia is super fluffy and is packed with the sweetness of baked wheat. And this sweetness juxtaposes perfectly with the savoury meatiness of prosciutto ham and the cream with a hint of tangy taste.

Marco, made from Japanese purple sweet potatoes, has this beautiful floral aroma that I fall in love with it at first sip. I love the bottle, of course!

Mushroom & Truffle Pie is full of earthy goodness.

Ga, the result of an amazing blend of different sweet potatoes, black koji and aged sake, features an interesting light umami in the taste.

Yam & Lotus Tart is different from the usual Orh Nee dessert in which the yam paste here has a more pronounced milky taste. And this how I love it.

Cherry Madeleine is like the best Madeleine. The savoury glaze and hint of cherry tart sweetness make this taste so complex and awesome.

Chocolate Macadamia Tart is full of crunchy goodness.

Thoughts: Astounded Again by the Awesome Pastries and Drinks

Marco Shochu - Amazingly Floral Japanese Spirit

I found a new favourite spirit from Old Moon Spirits!

The bottle of Macro Shochu is so beautiful, speaking of florals and pastel dreams. And its aroma reflects the visuals of the bottle, being full of floral aroma, with hints of rose. Made in Kagoshima and made with Japanese purple sweet potato, this tastes so smooth and sweet. I love this so much. In fact, I'm going to get a second bottle.

This drink can be enjoyed on the rocks, neat or with warm water, and I have tried em all. When on rocks, the drink is refreshing with hints of that lovely floral aroma. When drinking this on neat, the floral aroma intensifies and becomes sweeter. This is my favourite way of sipping this Shochu. When mixed one to one ratio with 70 degrees water, it becomes smoother and easier to drink.

Borderless Butter - Yummy Butter Making Fun

Since I love to spread lots of butter over breads, croissants, pancakes and regularly use butter as dipping sauce, I can say I love butter. And I always buy any butter that I find interesting when shopping at gourmet stores and supermarkets. So when I find out about Butter Making at Borderless Butter, I straightaway click on the link and book a session without hesitation.

It proves to be a fruitful experience. It is fun to churn out the butter from scratch and feels incredibly gratifying to create something that I always enjoy eating. And also very rewarding when I fall in love with the taste of the butters that I have customised by adding a variety of ingredients.

The workshop, located in the quaint neighborhood of Joo Chiat, has that whimsical, artistic, idyllic vibe that makes the experience feel unique and relaxing.

My first butter creation is Ma Ma Mia! And like its namesake, this butter is supposed to taste bombastic. And it does, due to the pepper flakes I add, with a dash of salt. It tastes great. Though after I’m done with this butter, I’m thinking that maybe adding a drop of honey will deepen the complexity of the taste and bind together the savoury and spicy flavours.

Umami Cream tastes exactly as it is named. The main ingredient added is finely cubed Shitake mushrooms, whose earthy flavour is perked up by the intense briny sweetness of seaweed sauce. And the texture is rendered varied and exciting. A sprinkle of salt for extra savoury taste and a scattering of brown sugar for a touch of richness and caramel goodness. This tastes absolutely amazing. So good that I realise how much a bit of sweetness does to harmonise the flavours. Thus I want to add some to Ma Ma Mia!

Bottles for making of butter.

Pouring cultured cream into the shaker bottle (screw-on cap type). After closing the cap, I just keeping shaking while keeping an ear on the sounds the cream makes. At first, there is swishing sounds. Then the cream turns into whipped cream consistency, and there is no more sound. Keep going at it until the fats separate from the liquid to form butter. At this point, the swishing sounds can be heard again! Kind of amazing, if you ask me.

Butter after draining off the buttermilk, which actually tastes good too! Then it’s off to the ice bath to wash off any remaining liquid. Followed by squeezing the butter dry, which determines the shelf life of the butter.

Array of ingredients from salt, brown sugar, caramel, honey, mustard, soy sauce, pepper flakes, kimchi, seaweed to mushroom. The possibilities are endless.

Mixing in progress ...

Umami Cream - Mixed with Mushroom, Seaweed Sauce, Brown Sugar and a pinch of Salt

Ma Ma Mia! - Mixed with Pepper Flakes, a dash of Salt and a dot of Mustard

Thoughts: Awesome, Delicious and Fulfilling Experience

180B Joo Chiat Road Level 3

Fortuna - Hearty, Excellent Italian Classics with a Twist

I always know I will be back at Fortuna after two outings here because the pizzas here are the best and so unique in texture and taste. In addition, unique and delicious toppings are added that make the special trip here special. To seal the deal, Fortuna's specialty chilli oil. So here I am ready to enjoy a pizza influenced by our local delight: Chilli Crab!

Before I talk about the pizza, I got to first say that this trattoria is like hottest spot in town because the place is totally full before 6pm. When seated at the inner part of restaurant, with soft yellow lights and cosy interior, away from the view of the afternoon scenery outside, I feel like I’m spending an evening at the most popular hotspot in town, which is so cool.

And the service staff, especially Aminah, are friendly, helpful and full of smiles. Definitely my favourite place to go for pizzas.

Singapore Tribute is loaded with lots of goodies such as Chilli Crab Sauce, Flor di Latte (Mozzarella cheese actually), Parsley, Chilli, Lemon Zest, Basil and … yes, chucks of succulent crab meat. Amid the myriad of complex flavours, the mild briny sweetness of crab is light on the tongue yet distinctive. It’s not easy to make crab works on a pizza, but Fortuna did it! The pizza tastes even better when eaten with fluffy charred crust, which further balances the flavours and also adds the sweetness of wheat and char to the taste. This is Italian goodness infused with local familiarity, and it works. So satisfying and so awesome.

I easily finish this all by myself.

The pistachio mousse in dessert, Coppa Al Pistacchio, adds an earthy depth to the light vanilla gelato, yielding this rich, heavy intense taste. The Amarena Cherry is the magic here. Its tangy juices cuts through the richness to inject a burst of excitement to the dense richness and ties everything together. It elevates the dessert from nice to fantastic. I actually hope there is more of the cherries.

Thoughts: Fantastico cibo italiano!

7 Craig Road

Beautiful Gift from a Handsome Chef

I totally love this gift set, a trio of sake packaged in Aladdin Bottles, from a very handsome chef 💖

Unique Nigori Sake, which is cloudy form.

Yuzu Sake is like that tangy alcoholic drink, whic is so exciting in taste.

Clear sake that is clean in taste with bitter notes.

Ikkoten Omakase - Unique, Varied, Awesome Surprises

I'm always excited to visit Ikkoten and so here I am again! This restaurant is one of my favourites among favourites for the reason that Chef Brandon will ensure every visit is full of awesome surprises. He has like a treasure trove of rare Japanese cooking techniques that he will use to prepare the dishes to cater to my preference for unique, one-of-a-kind experiences. The perks of being a regular here 😊

This time, every dish is a "Wow" and the highlights of the dinner are never-tried-before Tofu Sauce, Smoked Sashimi and Special Hotpot with Wagyu. Who could have thought that Tofu Sauce and Smoked Sashimi actually exist and taste so awesome?

A meal here definitely turns my day from a good one to a fantastic one. This restaurant is one of those where the awesome experience gets even better with each repeated visit.

Japanese Persimmon, drizzled with tofu sauce and sprinkled with pine nuts, makes my eyes widen in pleasant surprise because it doesn’t feel like fruit. It is more like a savoury snack packed with floral sweetness of fruits. Amazing that the earthy savoury tofu sauce and nutty goodness of pine nuts can totally transform this fruit. And the persimmon is of perfect texture: slightly firm and absolutely juicy.

By the way, I scoop up every bit of the tofu sauce since it is so good.

Silky smooth Cold Chawamushi with Edamame Puree surprises me with the unexpected light touch of that lovely umami tempered with a hint of vegetal freshness. Now then I know edamame and egg custard is a match made in heaven.

Smoked Shima Aji tastes so magical, so complex and so briny sweet! The first bite is unbelievably amazing because it’s like nothing I had tasted before. The smoked hay aroma, fruity, earthy sweetness of carrot sauce and the pungency of ginger flower do their magic to transform the Shima Aji to the best Shima Aji I ever have.

Clean taste of flounder sashimi is accentuated by the vegetal pungency of shiso oil and the beautiful purple shiso foam made from flowers. When paired with spongy Japanese Yam Stem, the sweetness of flounder accentuated by the unique refreshing pungency of the stem. And it’s getting best of both worlds when savoured with both shiso foam and Japanese Yam stem.

Tempura Amadai is definitely another highlight of the night. Its meat is so creamy and its deep fried skin with scales is so crispy. The smoothness and umami of nori butter adds a splash of intensity to the taste of the fish. And the strands of Iapanese seaweed are crunchy and refreshing, thus refreshing the palates between bites of the briny sweet fish.

Spinach Ohitashi is such welcomed dish that comes after the rich Amadai dish because it is refreshing, tempered with doses of briny sweetness. The sweet crab meat goes perfectly with the gelatinous tangy yuzu jelly. I love this too.

Since I want to try Wagyu in a different style, Chef Brandon prepared something special for me: Wagyu Hotpot! The A5 Wagyu, dipped in umami-rich broth served boiling hot in claypot, tastes so meaty and incredibly sweet. It’s so different from other Japanese hotpot due to all the goodies added to the broth, making the meat tastes even sweeter, and the slightly thicker cut of meat, yielding a lovely creamy good bite in the texture. Such warm, comforting and luxurious dish.

The Handroll is meaty and delicious.

The Hotate is plump and sweet.

The squid has a good smooth, crunchy core and milky briny sweetness.

Chutoro is so buttery good. It’s melt-in-your-mouth goodness.

Smoked Hamachi is intense and unique in taste. A must-try here.

Yuzu miso to refresh the palates.

Negitoro, with truffle and a layer of lux from the gold dust sprinkled, is so sinfully good! Lots of creamy briny sweetness, made complex by the intense earthy aroma of truffle, does wonders for the palates.

Sweet Kyoho Grape sorbet tgat interestingly tastes like Hichew Candy.

Goma Mochi has the prefect texture with slight chewiness and pillowy soft feel.

Thoughts: One of the Best and Most Special Meals!

86 Telok Ayer Street