Attended the first day of Wine Fiesta 2016 today held at Clifford Square and this year’s theme “Rising Roots” focuses on eco-conscious wine makers producing wines naturally. The event also features more than 70 winemakers worldwide with more than 350 wine labels.
I was also invited for the special wine pairing segment featuring 4 labels from the exhibitors and awesome bites from Chef Dave of Burnt Ends.
First up was the Scallop and Zest pairing with CRFT Gruner Veltliner Longview Vineyard 2015. The scallops were definitely a great way to start the pairing being tangy and savoury at the same time. The white brought out the lovely flavours on it’s own, a fruity explosion.Kingfish and Miso in a sort of like taco wrap, definitely blew me off. The fish was so well done and so flavourful, I wished I had another serving of it! Paired with the Rose 2016 from BK Wines, gave a sweet note to wrap up the wrap-full of goodness.Jamaican Chicken next and it was SO FREAKIN’ GOOD! Love this chicken totally with a lovely lime tangy finish. Wine’s from Lucy M Noire de Florette 2016. A little more character which is prolly why paired with such a heavy flavoured dish.Burnt Onion and Bresaola Tart next and the tart was bursting with onion fragrance and flavours! The wine on the other hand from brought out the onion flavours so much more! Very yummy combo! Love how they name the wine for this one. Ochota Barrels Texture like the Sun 2016. However I reckon the Bresaola should be eaten first so as not to be overwhelmed by strong onion flavours. 😁
I would to thank The Straits Wine Company for their invite, totally enjoyed myself!
Event Dates: 21-23 Oct 2016
Venue: Clifford Square (Beside One Fullerton and Fullerton Bay Hotel)
Dress Code: Come in really thin and cooling clothes. Trust me I was swimming in my own sweat!
Parking: One Fullerton. Beware it’s $1.07 every 10mins. My parking came up to $22+!!
Was invited for a media tasting recently at this place which I believe many people have not heard of. I was however curious to find out how different it is from the Pulau Ubin cuisine from the ones I grew up with. Nah, I wasn’t from Pulau Ubin, just that my nanny’s brother lives there, and I stay with them during the school holidays. Yes he still lives there. ;P
When I arrived at Gumajia after closing the coffee bar, I was greeted with the group of bloggers there. Very family style, with kids some more, definitely my first time encountering this mix. The table was not big enough to accommodate everyone (we had more than 10 pax on a big round table), wasn’t really comfy but tried to blend in lah.
Check out some of the food that I’ve tried while some were wiped out and I don’t have the opportunity to savour them.
Frontage.Ubin La La Beehoon ($18). You must be wondering not another white beehoon… But this one has an awesome stock to begin with and tasted really good. Highly recommended,Crispy Been Jal ($12/$18). Totally caught us by surprise was this dish of crispy brinjal. Lightly seasoned and tossed fried with garlic and french beans. Another must order dish.Salted Egg Yolk Crab (Seasonal Price) – Crabs are fresh and juicy. Taste is really good on the sauce.Yuan Yang Kai Lan ($12/$18/$24). Taste like the usual kailan but a lot efforts. Applaud the chef going through so many procedures.Gu Ma Traditional Beancurd Soup ($28). $28 for soup… you must be wondering why so expensve, wait till you see the amount of ingredients inside in the pic below.Check out the amount of ingredients use! Soup is really rich and bursting with flavours!Assam Fish Head – $28. Freshness from the fish head was tasted. Very well balance of flavours!
XO Sauce Prawn Noodles ($36). Probably one of the best prawn noodle soups I’ve tasted! Rich broth served with fresh prawns. Yummy to the max.Fruity Enzyme Drink ($4.80) – Detoxify with this refreshing drink!Fruity Enzyme Jelly ($5.80). Taste like sour plum. 🙂Me and Gu Ma (Aunty)Rating: 5/5.
Taste: Love the taste and originality in flavours.
Portion: Large
Service: One particular staff was very friendly and helpful. The rest are pretty ok.
Ambience: Nothing avant garde. Typical tse char style.
Price: Listed on pics. No GST and srv
RTE: Mum will love this!
Location: 45 Tai Thong Crescent.
Hours: Daily 11am to 10,30pm (Mon-Fri 2.30pm to 5.30pm break)
Recently I was invited by my long time lovely friend Cathryn to another media tasting hosted by REINS International (S) Pte Ltd at their Prime Gyu-Kaku outlet at CHIJMES and was organised by TheAsiaMedia folks. To be honest, I have not been to CHIJMES ever since my media tasting at Lei Gardens, and it was great to be able to visit the place again after 6 years.
Gyu-Kaku, meaning “Horn of the Bull” in Japanese provides the authentic Japanese Yakiniku (barbeque) dining experience where customers share premium cooked meats over a flaming charcoal grill while sipping on Japanese Sake, Shochu and frosty cold beers. Founded in 1996, this chain of restaurants is committed to provide fresh foodstuffs and to offer good food at reasonable prices with excellent ambience and services. In addition, the group looks into developing the best equipment for their restaurants especially the on-the-table smokeless roasters, which makes everyone a chef as soon as they sit down. Using the Down Draft System, customers will not leave the restaurant smelling like the restaurant!
Smokeless Roaster with the down draft system
Anyway, this media tasting is for us to try their new menu offering Kuroge Wagyu beef directly imported from Kagoshima, Japan. We were told the difference between these Japanese beef is that they are all farm based and do not run about like those in Australia, which they have been serving. Hence the marbling and meat is a lot more tender. And as usual, I’ll let the pictures do the talking:
FacadeGreeted by the lighted signageAmbienceHardwork from the kitchen staffTable utensilsDips for the meatAppetisers of Assorted Kimuchi ($3) being served. It’s basically the Japanese version of kimchi. Very nicely done with the right salt and spicy level.Calpis to cook me down from the Singapore heat!The on-the-table roaster. The staff changed a couple of times when it gets a little dirty.Directors welcoming us with a short little speech.Japanese Prime Wagyu from Kagoshima 80g ($35). Lovely marbling, I can imagine the taste already even before the eating starts!Director Yuki-san showing how it’s being done!Wagyu, in!Omg, look at the browning taking place…King! Japanese Prime Wagyu from Kagoshima 120g ($41). The marbling is just amazing…
Next up is the Fire! Karubi with Garlic Chilli Oil ($7), hand cut into thin slices
the chilli oil with very aromatic crispy garlic inside. Not spicy at all though.King! Harami ($9)Director Yuki-san was trying to show me which part of the cow is Harami… Pointed to the armpit and I assumed it was there until I researched that the meat is actually around the diaphragm area which is nice and tender. ;PLettuce and condiments to wrap the HaramiCutting into smaller piecesLook at the succulent meat!If you’re in the mood for some alcohol, try this Yuzu Mojito… Really good and refreshing!Shrimps in Garlic Butter ($5). all the juices soaked inside and you can request for toppings at only $1 like mozerella cheese, chopped leek, etc.Assorted Mushroom Foil with Butter ($8) – I use to make this when I was based overseas as well. The juices will be forced out of the mushrooms to give you a very nice broth at the bottom.Garlic Fried Rice ($4) Special request from us as we know Japanese fried rice has always been good and wanted to try their too. Really good, tossed in golden egg and topped with crunchy garlic slices.Seafood Chige Soup ($12). A little on the spicy side so if you don’t take too spicy, please request for less spicy. This pot is loaded with ingredients and lovely brothAburi! Wagyu Sushi ($8 for 2pcs) – Same wagyu cooked to perfection over sushi rice.Sweet Potato with Vanilla Ice Cream ($3.90) – First cook over the grill and let the butter meltThen in goes the damn awesome vanilla ice cream. A dessert you must eat very fast cos the ice cream melts faster in there!Matcha Ice Cream ($2.80) – Served with brown sugar syrup and soya bean powder dusted over. Lovely!Vanilla Ice Cream ($2.80) – Same syrup and soya bean powder. This vanilla ice cream is really of high quality. Vanilla pods can be seen in the ice cream.Signature Milk Pudding ($3.90) – Nice, smooth and creamy.Matcha Milk Pudding ($3.90) – Served with red bean.Bidding farewell to the directors, thanks for hosting us and the wonderful dishes we experienced!
Rating: 5/5. I kid you not.
Taste: I can only say, “WOW!” I think I can say this for the rest of the media invitees that we enjoyed every bit of it! Aesthetically and gastronomically satisfying!
Portion: Good Size
Service: Blardy good! Thank you front house and kitchen team for putting up such a goodnahgood performance!
Ambience: Comfy, great for groups or romantic dates. Guys can show off you can cook! 😉
Pricing: As you can see the prices here and on their website, very surprisingly affordable!
House of Peranakan Petit is the latest addition not only to the House of Peranakan Group of Restaurants (www.houseofperanakan.com.sg) but also to the ever so popular Tiong Bahru region. Located at Eng Hoon Street, this little (no puns intended) 30-seater modern Peranakan restaurant is set to bring heritage food to an area surrounded by hipster cafes.
So a group of us bloggers and influencers are invited a couple of nights ago to sample some of their signature dishes and boy, they were awesome! Check out the pics below with comments and if you’re on instagram, check out hashtags #houseofperanakan and #houseofperanakanpetit for pics and comments by our foodie friends! You can also read the review for their main branch at Frankel Avenue here –> http://eatwithroy.com/2014/11/17/house-of-peranakan-cuisine-frankel-avenue-singapore/
Ambience
FrontageComing through the doorPetit it may be, but very cozy, painted in Peranakan green.From the opposite side
Appetizers
Ginger Lemongrass or Pandan Tea ($5) – Very refreshing drinks to go with your food. Try the Lychee Tea (Not in pic) too on your second round like I did!Cnodiments of sambal chilli and cinchalok to make your food tastier.Ngoh Hiang ($12) – Very juicy minced pork, prawns, turnip, water chestnut and onions combi to make this dish a popular starter dish as well as takeaway to stock up at your home’s freezer!Bob’s Pork Bun ($10 for 2pcs) – Another special dish for House of Peranakan Petit which is aka kong bak pau. The pork belly was so soaked up in the braised sauce that after the first bite, all of us fell in love with it! I was hoping for more actually! ;POtak Otak ($12) – This deep dish otak otak consist of more than 20 secret ingredients which Uncle Bob refuse to divulge even if I guessed correctly 10. Amazing dish!
Mains
Ayam Buah Keluak ($18) – Definitely one of the signature dishes here and a must-order for Peranakan food. A very tedious dish because of all tthe cleaning of the Indonesian black nut, digging out the insides of the nut, filling it back with the fillings fried with rempah of 7 ingredients which takes half a day to fry. General consensus was that this dish is a lot more tasty and flavourful than most places. Definitely a must-order here.Scallops Lemak ($28) – This is currently only available at this outlet and was definitely a hit with the foodies. Fresh Japanese scallops cooked to perfection and douse in creamy peranakan lemak style. As mentioned on my instagram, I wallop the lettuce below as well cos they were soaked in the amazing sauce!Sambal Fish ($16) – Fresh Selar fish fried till crispy with slit sides for rempah stuffings. The chilli sauce on top was so good that we were hoping House of Peranakan will bottle them and retail soon!Babi Assam ($16) – An unique dish of pork belly with belimbing (sour fruit), beanpaste and spices, probably only available in House of Peranakan restaurants in Singapore. This dish apparently caught the attention of New Zealand’s Masterchef winner, Brett McGregor and he came all the way to Singapore just to learn from Bob, the boss of House of Peranakan! Love the tangy taste with the spices all in play. Yummy!
Dessert
Gula Melaka Sago Pudding ($6.50) – Picture this… crafted exclusive coconut ice cream over soft and fragrant sago pudding, drizzled over with rich gula melaka. Continue to salivate…Durian Chendol ($8.50) is also served with the crafted coconut ice cream and gula melaka sauce with a serving of lovely durian paste! Yums!Pulut Hitam ($4.50) – Presented in coconut milk art and cooked to perfection. Hands are not mine but nice right? (Hands credit @msoinkee)Ubi Kayu ($6) – Lovely tender tapioca balls coated with grated coconut and the right amount of sugar. I realised this is not very sweet which is awesome! No the hands are still not mine.
Rating: 5/5.
Taste: Authentic Peranakan food at it’s best.
Portion: Average.
Service: Excellent service.
Ambience: Felt really at home. That’s when food taste it’s best.
==> SHOW THIS PAGE AND QUOTE PROMO CODE “PETIT BAGUS” TO GET 10% OFF DINE-IN FOOD BILL. NOT VALID WITH OTHER PROMOTIONS. NOT VALID ON PUBLIC HOLIDAYS AND EVE OF PUBLIC HOLIDAYS. VALID TILL 30 APRIL 2015! <==
Recently another media invite to The Manhattan FISH MARKET (MFM) at their latest location at Kallang Wave by Ninemer PR PL (Thanks Ying Ying!). My second time to this unusual mall beside Singapore’s brand new Sports Hub. The restaurant is located on the outside of the mall, but pretty nearby the MRT station, hence it isn’t really hard to find. Arrived earlier than the rest of the media, I managed to capture some pics of this new outlet.
FrontageYes I was very early and punctual as usual. ;PInteresting signage pole.Cute signs on the walls.
MFM will be launching their new menu today, 12 November 2014, of 43 new items, in all their 16 outlets Singapore-wide! A very massive change but innovative at the same time. Check out the pics below with my comments.
WELCOME SHOT & STARTERS
Our menu for that day, the star dishes from the 43 new items on the new menu.Welcome drink of Happiness Infusion ($6.00). Very nice concoction of predominantly earl grey tea base infused with lemongrass.My Lemon Grass drink is here. The taste is a little different from the usual Thai ones. Acquired taste. 🙂MFM staff serving us the first starter of Oyster Roulette.Oyster Roulette ($7.95) – is actually a game for the patrons. One of the oyster shooters are actually more spicy that the others. So see who has better luck that night!Ocean Gems ($5.95) – Starter of shrimps and scallions mixed in a tangy dressing which one look I thought was Thai dressing but it is sweet and not spicy. Pretty ok starter.Onion Glory ($7.95) – Another starter which will change the way you think about onions… especially for those who hates them. Crispy battered onions which resembles petals dipped in the special Onion Glory dip (creamy texture like mayonnaise/tartar sauce). Very appetizing dish!My second drink of Citrus Mint ($5.50) – A very refreshing concoction of fresh mint leaves and freshly squeezed lemon juice. Love this drink!Media from many places
MAIN COURSES
Curry Hill Seafood With Slipper Lobster ($16.95) – MFM’s first ever curry entree inspired by Murray Hill in Manhattan and the Murray curry has a really nice balance between the spices and creaminess. Not too spicy and very suitable for children learning to take curry. The seafood inside was fresh but the slipper lobster was a little overcooked to my liking. Nevertheless, MFM have taken note and will balance the cooking timing for the assortment of seafood inside. Served with toasted baguette and tempura veggies. A must try!Fishy Chicky Bang Bang ($13.95) – This is a new creation of Surf n’ Turf with a piece of dory and chicken fillet sandwiched and sealed with cheddar cheese. When I cut the piece of awesomeness, cheese just flowed out… just like lava cheese on your main dish! Very yummy and one of their star dishes!Check out the cheese flowing out… Yums!Egg’s nest made from deep fried spaghetti… Too hard for eating, but I ate half. ;PServing staff preparing the next entree… Yes, real flames! A twist to conventional baked rice!Tada! Flaming Cheeesy Baked Rice ($15.95) – Yes the extra ‘e’ is on purpose! A big piece of flamed grilled dory fillet with spices of coriander and rosemary herb rice, this dish literally flames up in front of your eyes! Really very nice entree and great to entice kids to like fish!Ocean Perch Perfect ($15.95) – Grilled Perch on buttered rice and some spicy chilli sauce on top. Not that spicy actually and quite yummy! Think my mum would love this one.
DESSERT
Strawberry Flamin-Go $4.95 (Right) and Super Fruit Crumble $4.95 (Left) – Between these 2 desserts, I prefer the left one more. Just feel that the mango cubes and custard didn’t gel that nicely with the chocolate sauce at the bottom of the cup. I believe the marshmallows were suppose to be flamed on top but it was alright without. The Super Fruit Crumble was really nice, double scoop ice cream with apple sauce and the crunchy crumbles and dried cranberries adds to the lovely taste. That’s something I would have had a second helping!Ended the tasting session with a latte, the 2 dots on top indicates it’s from an automatic coffee machine, which most restaurants are using.
OVERALL REVIEW:
MFM’s efforts in revamping their menu is really gonna be a stunner to all their customers. In a very good way of course. The new menu offers very exciting and tantalizing entrees and desserts, which some I would wanna try but wasn’t in the list they served. I reckon they had to present their best few items for the media to try, and 43 items is just too much for us to take in one night. 😉 Put it this way, I am so gonna bring my mother to one of their outlets one of these nights and order the grilled fish or grilled platter dishes which I believe she will love. Well done MFM! No wonder these guys are the Parents World Best Family Friendly Restaurant Award winner 2014 and Best Brand in Product Branding in 2008 under Western Food Cuisine By Brand Laureate SMEs Chapters Awards! Check out their latest promotional video here:
So last week, I was asked by a friend to go for some food tasting at Canton-i located at ION Orchard. I was pretty excited ‘cos it was my first time to ION since it’s opening dunno when. 😛 It was raining super heavily that day and I was late for half an hour. But was warmly greeted by the Ops Mgr there together with some media people. The Ops Mgr asked us what do we want to try, I told her that we’ll leave it to her to select the famous dishes for us.
Shot from outside the restaurantCashier CounterVery beautiful fabric for the walls
As we proceeded to the VIP section, we felt the place ambience was really nice and comfy.
The first items to come were the drinks. I was told that 2 of their drinks are pretty hot selling.
Lemon Grass Drink – Extremely refreshing!Dragon Fruit Drink. Very very refreshing and lumps of the dragon fruit bits can be tasted with every sip.
Then comes the food!!! Yummy!
3 Combinations of Roast Meat ($23.80) – Excellent + Succullent. All very well roasted and the duck is specially roasted in imported Apple wood. Love it!See for yourself…Fried Chives With Dried Prawns & Crispy Cuttlefish – All time favourites with all ages. The taste is really exquisite. Try it to know.
Ginger Juice Milk Pudding – Texture is just right. Soft and slightly curdy but melts in your mouth. That’s the way this milk pudding should be made.
Before we left, I had to shoot the row of roasted meats for me to remember! ;P
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