If one likes matcha and cream cheese, this cute little blocks of smooth, light cream cheese imbued with matcha will sure to please.
Country of origin: Japan
Where to get this: Cold Storage supermarkets
Sunday, August 18, 2019
Thursday, August 15, 2019
Noriten Seaweed Tempura Crisps
This snack get the thumbs-up from me because texture wise, the combined crispiness of seaweed and deep fried dough works. Taste wise, I like the spiciness of horseradish, which goes very well with the umami of the seaweed. I do wish I had gotten a second packet when I had first taken my first bite of this snack.
Country of origin: Japan
Where to get this: Well, I got this from a fair held at Yishun Northpoint
Tuesday, August 13, 2019
the ice-cream & cookie co. Chendol Ice-cream
Chendol ice-cream!!! At last!!! It is a wonder why no one comes up with this awesome creation sooner. Chendol is a beloved dessert that hits all the right notes with the creaminess and nutty flavour of coconut, the toasty flavour of caramel in the sweet gula melaka and smooth, gelatinous texture of the refreshing pandan jelly. And the creaminess is doubled in the ice-cream version. In fact, this dairy-free cold dessert is on par with its dairy counterparts when it comes to creaminess.
I absolutely love it. Now I can enjoy chendol anytime of the day without going out. Woot! Just found out that there is a new flavour, Odeh Odeh, I cannot wait to try it.
Update: I have finally tried Odeh Odeh and it is officially my favourite non-dairy ice-cream. Smooth, fragrant pandan ice cream paired with swirls of intensely flavoured gula melaka syrup and chewy coconut mochi, it is a winner in both taste and texture.
And I had tried their sandwiches. They are good! The toasty aroma of cookies works so well with the smooth creaminess of ice cream.
Country of Origin: Singapore (coconuts are from Thailand)
Where to get it: NTUC, Cold Storage Supermarkets and Redmart
Where to get it: NTUC, Cold Storage Supermarkets and Redmart
Friday, June 14, 2019
The Best Way to eat Chee Cheong Fun
The best way to eat our local delight, Chee Cheong Fun aka rice roll, at hawker centres is to go light and opt for soya sauce instead of sweet sauce!
With sweet sauce, its strong taste and viscous texture distract our senses from appreciating the subtle flavours and smoothness of the chee cheong fun.
When drizzled with light soya sauce instead, one can really feel the smooth texture of the rice crepe roll. Try it by asking to change the sauce and you will not go back to sweet sauce again. In fact, all restaurants serve their chee cheong fun with soya sauce. There is a good reason why.
In case you are curious, I like to eat my chee cheong fun at Soon Hong (Yishun) Eating House since the teh here is my favourite teh.
#cheecheongfunsoyasauce
Tuesday, June 11, 2019
Misato - Quality Japanese Cooked Food made with Love
It is a matter of time I will write this post since I had mentioned that I wanted to try the food at Misato after watching the viral video. And yes, I am glad that I finally do just that!
The restaurant is actually located at Centrepoint’s Gastro+ corner hidden at the left innermost corner of the building. It is no wonder it is a hidden gem, until the viral video, given its obscure location. Despite the flashy signboard, Gastro+ corner feels like a foodcourt filled with restaurants. The good part about here is that due to the efficient layout, it is very easy to spot the bling bling signboard of Misato when walking through the place. The setting of Misato is simplistic yet comfortable. Kind of what one expects from nice mid-range restaurants.
What makes this restaurant different are the gorgeous tableware from Japan and the unique menu featuring food made from scratch. In my personal opinion, the tableware used is considered as part of the dining experience in restaurants. In a fine dining restaurant, the tableware completes the chef’s creations and tells stories of what he/she wants to convey through his/her craft. In a mid-range restaurant, the heightened aesthetic value of the dishes engages the sense of sight and makes the dining experience more enjoyable. It also shows the extra mile the restaurant goes into presenting the dishes. Which is why I love gold flakes on desserts. With that said, I guess there is no doubt that I appreciate the lovely, exquisite Japanese tableware used in Misato. Time to whip out the camera!
The restaurant is actually located at Centrepoint’s Gastro+ corner hidden at the left innermost corner of the building. It is no wonder it is a hidden gem, until the viral video, given its obscure location. Despite the flashy signboard, Gastro+ corner feels like a foodcourt filled with restaurants. The good part about here is that due to the efficient layout, it is very easy to spot the bling bling signboard of Misato when walking through the place. The setting of Misato is simplistic yet comfortable. Kind of what one expects from nice mid-range restaurants.
What makes this restaurant different are the gorgeous tableware from Japan and the unique menu featuring food made from scratch. In my personal opinion, the tableware used is considered as part of the dining experience in restaurants. In a fine dining restaurant, the tableware completes the chef’s creations and tells stories of what he/she wants to convey through his/her craft. In a mid-range restaurant, the heightened aesthetic value of the dishes engages the sense of sight and makes the dining experience more enjoyable. It also shows the extra mile the restaurant goes into presenting the dishes. Which is why I love gold flakes on desserts. With that said, I guess there is no doubt that I appreciate the lovely, exquisite Japanese tableware used in Misato. Time to whip out the camera!
Update: Back again here for the opening of this lovely restaurant's new location! And it's as good as ever.
While dining here provides a great opportunity to take photos, the focus is still on the food lovingly made. I am very impressed with how finely chopped their raw cabbage is. It is finer than the cabbage shredded by machine! With the cabbage strands this thin, the surface will be thoroughly coated with sauce when I dip them into plum sauce of the Cheese Korokke or mayonnaise, yielding very flavourful salad. And this meticulously prepared cabbage is just a side to the main star: the Cheese Korokke. Within the coat of crispy breadcrumbs is a thin layer of lightly seasoned mashed potato, peppered with small bits of ham and corn. And this sphere of potato holds a core of molten mozzarella cheese that transforms into strips of ribbons when one bits into it. Taste wise, it is subtle yet full of flavours. Texture wise, it is perfect. I love the combination of the stretchy quality of the cheese and the crispy exterior. A must order.
Okonomiyaki is another highlight of this restaurant. I have always maintained that a good okonomiyaki will have high cabbage to dough ratio. When savouring this Japanese pancake, I should be biting into a whole lot of fresh crunchy cabbage held together by a thin dough skin instead of a clump of flour. So I am happy to say that the okonomiyaki here meets my expectations. To top it off, the cabbage from Japan has a very mild sweetness and does not have that smell of overcooked cabbage that I always avoid. Using quality cabbage, topped with crispy pork belly bits, really helps to make this dish the king of okonomiyaki. But maybe next time, I will request for less yaki sauce on the top. While the sauce makes this pancake very flavourful and lots of it allows for pretty patterns made on top, plus the fact that I also love it at first mouthful, my tastebuds do feel overwhelmed on the second helping. This should not be an issue if sharing between lots of people though.
Zaru Soba is nicely presented on a bed of ice. I like the look of it and the coldness of the noodles served. The sauce is what defines this dish. It is literally bursting with umami. The sweetness of bonito fish is very pronounced in this sauce, making it a league above other sauces for soba.
Ebi wasabi donburi looks so tantalizing due to the dollops of ikura and flying fish roe stacked on top of each fresh prawn coated with crispy tempura batter and drizzled with horseradish sauce. A very flavourful dish saturated with umami. Also featured here is the awesome finely chopped cabbage that tastes great with the Japanese salad dressing.
My companion loves the nicely presented Chicken Karaage Don, and I give the thumbs up to the quality rice—I am super fussy about the rice. The fried chicken pieces are very succulent and juicy. Having tried chicken karaage from many establishments, I say the one here is very good, but unlike the okonomiyaki, is not the king of Chicken Karaage since it does not have a defining feature that makes it different.
Its Sanshoku Warabi Mochi is king of mochi though. Freshly made for the day, this is the first time I have tasted a mochi that is this refreshing. It is like cool spring water being moulded into mochi. The texture is soft, smooth and slightly chewy. I personally prefer the mochi coated with the mildest tasting soya bean powder since refreshing taste is most pronounced in this one. Goma coated mochi has this sweet, earthy flavour that actually accentuates the sweetness of the mochi. Matcha mochi, which is recommended to be tried last due to its strong flavour, features the exotic bitter flavour of premium matcha. What I like about the matcha used here is that the flavour is very pure and clean, unlike some matcha products that have hints of fishy smell. Use of premium matcha powder really makes a difference in this dessert with delicate taste.
The green tea here is exceptionally fragrant and smooth. I like the aroma of roasted rice in it. I recommend trying the green tea since it is like no others among competitors of similar price range. But take note that it is three dollars per pax.
Service ranges from decent to friendly. The service crew is without a doubt efficient. During my visit, in which the buffet option is scrapped off, I find that the waiting time is pretty reasonable, contrary to what I had read on other websites. So as long as I do not need to wait, I am all good with it.
Though the menu is not exactly extensive, I feel the variety is the winner here. There is surely something in the menu that one will fancy. So this place is great for gatherings to cater to various tastebuds. I do find myself wanting to try almost 80% of items on the menu. So I am definitely looking forward to go back to try the other dishes.
My Thoughts: Great Choice for Gatherings!
Nearest car park: Centrepoint’s car park or Cuppage Plaza’s car park
Nearest MRT: Somerset
176 Orchard Road #01-33E
The Centrepoint (Gastro+)
Singapore
Contact No: 6235 2822
While dining here provides a great opportunity to take photos, the focus is still on the food lovingly made. I am very impressed with how finely chopped their raw cabbage is. It is finer than the cabbage shredded by machine! With the cabbage strands this thin, the surface will be thoroughly coated with sauce when I dip them into plum sauce of the Cheese Korokke or mayonnaise, yielding very flavourful salad. And this meticulously prepared cabbage is just a side to the main star: the Cheese Korokke. Within the coat of crispy breadcrumbs is a thin layer of lightly seasoned mashed potato, peppered with small bits of ham and corn. And this sphere of potato holds a core of molten mozzarella cheese that transforms into strips of ribbons when one bits into it. Taste wise, it is subtle yet full of flavours. Texture wise, it is perfect. I love the combination of the stretchy quality of the cheese and the crispy exterior. A must order.
Ebi wasabi donburi looks so tantalizing due to the dollops of ikura and flying fish roe stacked on top of each fresh prawn coated with crispy tempura batter and drizzled with horseradish sauce. A very flavourful dish saturated with umami. Also featured here is the awesome finely chopped cabbage that tastes great with the Japanese salad dressing.
My companion loves the nicely presented Chicken Karaage Don, and I give the thumbs up to the quality rice—I am super fussy about the rice. The fried chicken pieces are very succulent and juicy. Having tried chicken karaage from many establishments, I say the one here is very good, but unlike the okonomiyaki, is not the king of Chicken Karaage since it does not have a defining feature that makes it different.
Its Sanshoku Warabi Mochi is king of mochi though. Freshly made for the day, this is the first time I have tasted a mochi that is this refreshing. It is like cool spring water being moulded into mochi. The texture is soft, smooth and slightly chewy. I personally prefer the mochi coated with the mildest tasting soya bean powder since refreshing taste is most pronounced in this one. Goma coated mochi has this sweet, earthy flavour that actually accentuates the sweetness of the mochi. Matcha mochi, which is recommended to be tried last due to its strong flavour, features the exotic bitter flavour of premium matcha. What I like about the matcha used here is that the flavour is very pure and clean, unlike some matcha products that have hints of fishy smell. Use of premium matcha powder really makes a difference in this dessert with delicate taste.
The green tea here is exceptionally fragrant and smooth. I like the aroma of roasted rice in it. I recommend trying the green tea since it is like no others among competitors of similar price range. But take note that it is three dollars per pax.
Service ranges from decent to friendly. The service crew is without a doubt efficient. During my visit, in which the buffet option is scrapped off, I find that the waiting time is pretty reasonable, contrary to what I had read on other websites. So as long as I do not need to wait, I am all good with it.
Though the menu is not exactly extensive, I feel the variety is the winner here. There is surely something in the menu that one will fancy. So this place is great for gatherings to cater to various tastebuds. I do find myself wanting to try almost 80% of items on the menu. So I am definitely looking forward to go back to try the other dishes.
My Thoughts: Great Choice for Gatherings!
Nearest car park: Centrepoint’s car park or Cuppage Plaza’s car park
Nearest MRT: Somerset
176 Orchard Road #01-33E
The Centrepoint (Gastro+)
Singapore
Contact No: 6235 2822
Friday, May 24, 2019
Calbee Granola Rich Strawberry 4 times
Who would have thought that Calbee, the famous snack manufacturers, would come out with a healthy cereal product? Imagine my surprise when I see packets of Calbee Granola stacked onto the shelves at Choco Express. Coupled with the fact that freeze-dried strawberries, my favourite fruit, are added, I naturally feel inclined to check it out. After seeing several wholesome ingredients, such as oats, rye flour, brown rice flour, wheat bran, in the ingredient list, with no colour additives, I immediately buy a pack. Okay, I admit, the packaging also looks too pretty to resist.
This cereal is bursting with flavours of grains, held together by the caramel sweetness. And the strawberries give extra kick to the taste. Good to eat even on its own!
Where to get this: Choco Express
Country of Origin: Japan
This cereal is bursting with flavours of grains, held together by the caramel sweetness. And the strawberries give extra kick to the taste. Good to eat even on its own!
Where to get this: Choco Express
Country of Origin: Japan
Thursday, May 9, 2019
Joie - Surprises and Indulgence
This restaurant is no longer in operation.
Update: Looking havk at this post, I realised how good it is to be a solo diner. I can try whatever I want when dining solo.
The interior is of classic posh style with armchairs, chandeliers and black tables. So this is definitely a great choice for casual dates if want to impress. At parts of the restaurant, there are full glass panels that overlook the lush garden surrounding the restaurant. So request for a table in these areas if in the mood to enjoy beautiful scenery.
Refreshers, in the form of passion fruit drinks, are the first to come onto the table. Sweet and refreshing, they go pretty well with the baked udon and soba that look like uncooked spaghetti. Seasoned with parmesan cheese and herbs, the baked udon and soba make for quite addictive treats while waiting for the courses to be served.
I cannot wait to try Chef’s Selection of Assorted Platter when it arrives on my table because the trio of dainty, pretty morsels look so good. Recommended to start with the carrot piece at the centre, I carefully use a knife to nudge it onto fork while expecting it to taste like fresh, crunchy, mildly sweet carrot. After I pop it into my mouth, I am blown away by its taste and texture. It feels like salmon and paired with sea grapes, a kind of algae, I taste the umami of salmon! The dollop of cream on top adds extra savoury flavours to this creation, which is all good. Next to sink my teeth into is the rice cracker with dots of wasabi cream and fruit puree that are not only for aesthetic reasons, but also to incorporate some kicks to taste of the cracker. Raspberry sphere is an interesting creation in which the combination of slightly tangy raspberry juice and nutty pistachio works pretty well.
We know that cheese goes very well with mushrooms, and the appetizer of Gratinated Champignon with Morzarella just enforces this notion. The meaty flavours of the buttons mushroom and cheesy goodness of mozzarella hit a wide range on the taste spectrum.
Baby Root Vegetables Garden looks so pretty with edible flowers perching on top of the vegetables, and the taste matches up to its look. Mashed potato with truffle is the winner there. I had tried chawamushi with truffle, fries with truffle, but mashed potato with truffle is the best.
I am expecting Infusion with Cepes and Truffles to be good since it is hard to go wrong with mushrooms and truffles, the two ingredients that are packed with earthy flavours. And this soup meets my expectations. Pumpkin Velouté has the sweet earthy taste of pumpkin, just that it is less bombastic in terms of taste as compared to Infusion with Cepes and Truffles. It can be a crowd pleaser though.
Duo Ravioli Platter is impressively presented with a fancy glass lid put over the dish. When the lid is taken off, I am greeted by the sight of a pretty garden. I love the look of this dish. The filling of pumpkin ravioli tends towards the sweet side due to the use of quality pumpkin, but I find that when eaten on its own, it is a tad too sweet for main course. It tastes good when drenched in the accompanying savoury sauce though. Also helps that the dumpling skin is thin and smooth. Spinach ravioli is more nuanced in taste, so I prefer this instead.
I get to try the wild rice of my companion’s Wild Rice with Eggplant Terrine. I absolutely love its strong aroma of rice husk and the slightly chewy texture. I think the rice was cooked in broth since each grain is so flavourful. Wild rice is now one of my favourite rice variety.
The yoghurt in Yoghurt Pudding is pretty ordinary in terms of taste, but its texture is thicker and creamier, which is how I like it. The real star of this dessert is actually the mix of crunchy puffed rice and wheat flakes, whose texture gives the oomph to the yoghurt. In fact, the mix alone elevates the yoghurt pudding to awesome status.
Warm Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Ice-cream is a must-order. The dark chocolate cake is bursting with intense flavours. Baked to perfection, it has crust-like top and bottom that we enjoy munching on, and its irresistibly decadent molten filling flows out at a light stab into the cake. This reminds us of our favourite lava cake at Jewels Artisan. So savouring this dessert is like reliving a lovely dream.
Hawaiian Blue, a refreshing concoction of lychee and blueberry, may be saccharine sweet, but I enjoy sipping on it since I like lychee, and this drink happens to have strong flavours of lychee.
The service here is great. The service crew is very friendly and helps to make us feel very at ease despite the mismatch between the place’s posh setting and our very casual outfits.
You will most probably be wondering what my companion think of the food here. Well, he loves the food here, praising it to no end. And he admits that it feels like he is just enjoying exquisitely prepared great food, not vegetarian food in particular. He thinks that this is the best vegetarian restaurant, and I do agree with him.
My Thoughts: The Place I'll bring my loved ones to so as to prove that vegetarian food is delicious!
Nearest car park: Orchard Central's car park
Nearest MRT: Somerset
181 Orchard Road
#12-01, Orchard Central
Singapore
Contact No: 6838 6966
The interior is of classic posh style with armchairs, chandeliers and black tables. So this is definitely a great choice for casual dates if want to impress. At parts of the restaurant, there are full glass panels that overlook the lush garden surrounding the restaurant. So request for a table in these areas if in the mood to enjoy beautiful scenery.
Refreshers, in the form of passion fruit drinks, are the first to come onto the table. Sweet and refreshing, they go pretty well with the baked udon and soba that look like uncooked spaghetti. Seasoned with parmesan cheese and herbs, the baked udon and soba make for quite addictive treats while waiting for the courses to be served.
I cannot wait to try Chef’s Selection of Assorted Platter when it arrives on my table because the trio of dainty, pretty morsels look so good. Recommended to start with the carrot piece at the centre, I carefully use a knife to nudge it onto fork while expecting it to taste like fresh, crunchy, mildly sweet carrot. After I pop it into my mouth, I am blown away by its taste and texture. It feels like salmon and paired with sea grapes, a kind of algae, I taste the umami of salmon! The dollop of cream on top adds extra savoury flavours to this creation, which is all good. Next to sink my teeth into is the rice cracker with dots of wasabi cream and fruit puree that are not only for aesthetic reasons, but also to incorporate some kicks to taste of the cracker. Raspberry sphere is an interesting creation in which the combination of slightly tangy raspberry juice and nutty pistachio works pretty well.
We know that cheese goes very well with mushrooms, and the appetizer of Gratinated Champignon with Morzarella just enforces this notion. The meaty flavours of the buttons mushroom and cheesy goodness of mozzarella hit a wide range on the taste spectrum.
Baby Root Vegetables Garden looks so pretty with edible flowers perching on top of the vegetables, and the taste matches up to its look. Mashed potato with truffle is the winner there. I had tried chawamushi with truffle, fries with truffle, but mashed potato with truffle is the best.
I am expecting Infusion with Cepes and Truffles to be good since it is hard to go wrong with mushrooms and truffles, the two ingredients that are packed with earthy flavours. And this soup meets my expectations. Pumpkin Velouté has the sweet earthy taste of pumpkin, just that it is less bombastic in terms of taste as compared to Infusion with Cepes and Truffles. It can be a crowd pleaser though.
Duo Ravioli Platter is impressively presented with a fancy glass lid put over the dish. When the lid is taken off, I am greeted by the sight of a pretty garden. I love the look of this dish. The filling of pumpkin ravioli tends towards the sweet side due to the use of quality pumpkin, but I find that when eaten on its own, it is a tad too sweet for main course. It tastes good when drenched in the accompanying savoury sauce though. Also helps that the dumpling skin is thin and smooth. Spinach ravioli is more nuanced in taste, so I prefer this instead.
I get to try the wild rice of my companion’s Wild Rice with Eggplant Terrine. I absolutely love its strong aroma of rice husk and the slightly chewy texture. I think the rice was cooked in broth since each grain is so flavourful. Wild rice is now one of my favourite rice variety.
The yoghurt in Yoghurt Pudding is pretty ordinary in terms of taste, but its texture is thicker and creamier, which is how I like it. The real star of this dessert is actually the mix of crunchy puffed rice and wheat flakes, whose texture gives the oomph to the yoghurt. In fact, the mix alone elevates the yoghurt pudding to awesome status.
Warm Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Ice-cream is a must-order. The dark chocolate cake is bursting with intense flavours. Baked to perfection, it has crust-like top and bottom that we enjoy munching on, and its irresistibly decadent molten filling flows out at a light stab into the cake. This reminds us of our favourite lava cake at Jewels Artisan. So savouring this dessert is like reliving a lovely dream.
Hawaiian Blue, a refreshing concoction of lychee and blueberry, may be saccharine sweet, but I enjoy sipping on it since I like lychee, and this drink happens to have strong flavours of lychee.
The service here is great. The service crew is very friendly and helps to make us feel very at ease despite the mismatch between the place’s posh setting and our very casual outfits.
You will most probably be wondering what my companion think of the food here. Well, he loves the food here, praising it to no end. And he admits that it feels like he is just enjoying exquisitely prepared great food, not vegetarian food in particular. He thinks that this is the best vegetarian restaurant, and I do agree with him.
My Thoughts: The Place I'll bring my loved ones to so as to prove that vegetarian food is delicious!
Nearest car park: Orchard Central's car park
Nearest MRT: Somerset
181 Orchard Road
#12-01, Orchard Central
Singapore
Contact No: 6838 6966
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