Manhattan Bar presents a walk through Central Park
Arteastiq: New High Tea and Weekday Brunch Menu
[CNY'16] Szechuan Court @ Fairmont Hotel: Best Lunar New Year menu of 2016
Chinese New Year arrived in a torrent of auspicious dishes and mad tossing of yu sheng. I won't brag, but by the time Christmas arrived, I had already raked the sweet sour concoction 5 times at various establishments. Despite the many frivolous moments spent at the round table, I distinctively remember one restaurant which managed a record-setting taste triumphant attempt at every signature dish served up.
Peramakan @ the Keppel Club: Family Birthday Dinners
Birthday Weekend: Shin Yuu and frolicking in St Regis
It's been almost two weeks since my last posting. It seems as though I have an extremely tough time adhering to regiments. Darn. Just when I thought I had reached a regular stride. Blame it on the coming of Christmas; I'm left exhausted and honestly, just a teenie bit spiritless. Turns out this Christmas has become a record breaking uninspirational one for me. Thank goodness my birthday just falls a step ahead of this busy procession. My birthday weekend was a blast, thanks to my lovely girlfriends and dearest family.
Shin Yuu @ Greenwood Avenue was my choice for dinner. (turning around at this point, I kind of regret my choice) Tucked away in a serene neighborhood of shophouses housing tons of dining choices; I was surprised not to have discovered this till a while back when a young friend of mine mentioned it in his deep perplexing hunger after having to fast then gone through an operation.
We were given the private tatami seating area upon reservation. Extremely claustrophobic in my opinion, kind of tampered with my appetite.
With regards to dinner, there were extremely high points and very depressing trenches of misfortunes. Complimentary items were the stars of the show more often than not, with the tea pot soup and aburi special sushi leading the way. Some other items that you should fill up on is the sashimi. Not because, we're pretentious cheapos and chiong-ing the sashimi would guarantee our money's worth. *snorts* On hindsight, the Sashimi Moriawase was undeniably good. An assortment of Maguro(Tuna), Hiramasa (kingfish), Mekajiki (Swordfish) and Shake (salmon); these set a benchmark so high that caused an inevitable failure of most of the following dishes.
The Kani Kaarage (soft shell crab) was another my favourite dishes. Generous in portion and possessing a crispy light batter that remained crunchy throughout our long dinner. The Agedashi tofu, yum, Hotate Mentayaki, yum, the Wafu tenderloin steak, not so yum. The texture of the meat carrying a strange bite, possibly from an overloading of meat tenderizer.
The dishes right above and below this comment failed miserably, even more so as highlighted dishes by the establishment themselves. The Shin Yuu Special Sakana Chiizu (“Dory Fish topped with Cheese”) had a offensively cloying layer of bechamel like sauce draped over the fish. It could be an error on the chefs part, but most of the roux sauce carried the flavor of raw starch. The description of the dish below eludes me, yes, it was that unimpressionable. Prawns drenched in some kind of dashi stocked cooked egg. A terrible idea gone viral. Avoid this at all cause.
Shin Yuu meaning 'best friend' in japanese did not live to expectations. Thank goodness for real close friends who planned a St-Regis staycation.
From surprise birthday riesling toasts to un-refrigerated birthday cakes from Basilico Sweets; I appreciate all the effort put in by the girls. Transition into mid twenties has been plausibly calmer than expected. The night preceded in true party fashion with us girls let loose in Clarke Quay. We partied hard! Cheers to long standing friendships and many more trips to come. Love you all.
16 Greenwood Avenue
Hillcrest Park
Tel: 6763 4939
Opening Hours: Daily Lunch 12pm to 3pm (Adult - $36.90++, Child - $21.90++)
Daily Dinner 6pm to 1030pm (Adult - $49.90++, Child - $29.90++)
Birthday sunrises and coffee machines
I'm hoping you wouldn't notice the increment in the number above. But i'm very sure you would have by now.
I'm suffering from mid-20s crisis and the reality hits me like the hidden immensity of sunken icebergs.
G and I decided to bake a birthday cake (albeit a delayed one) to ease me into the 'upgrade'. The boy even threw in a Nespresso machine to sweeten the deal. as quoted in the latest express christmas episode of Modern Family, "everyday is December 16th.". we should impose that as a royal decree.
The cake, a royal spectacle of toppling and slip shod layers of thin crepe and vanilla bean custard, a mixture of creme patisserie and whipped cream. After the assembly, I sighed in deep acknowledgement and understanding of the cake's hefty price tag in bakeries and boutique patisseries. Sure enough, a dedicated crepe pan (*ka-ching*) would help a great deal. A controlled flame (something we're short of in the hostels) would certainly eliminate the prospects of missing finger prints. After 12 crepes and 2 fizzled attempts, we were ready to assemble the cake only to be met with runny creme pat, I can't even imagine the shame that ensues. Perhaps the recipe could use a little revision.
Anyhow, the cake was right up my alley. Peeling back the layers just like you would a rainbow kueh lapis cake. Right, now we've sparked off a new craving. Buggers.
Gâteau de Crêpes
batter from ”Joy of Cooking” and the pastry cream from ”Desserts,” by Pierre Herme and Dorie Greenspan.
For the crepe batter:
6 tablespoons butter
3 cups milk
6 eggs
1 1/2 cups flour
7 tablespoons sugar
Pinch salt
For the vanilla pastry cream:
2 cups milk
1 vanilla bean, halved and scraped
6 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup cornstarch, sifted
3 1/2 tablespoons butter
For assembly:
Corn oil
2 cups heavy cream
1 tablespoon sugar or more
3 tablespoons Kirsch
Confectioners’ sugar.
1. The day before, make the crepe batter and the pastry cream. Batter: In a small pan, cook the butter until brown like hazelnuts. Set aside. In another small pan, heat the milk until steaming; allow to cool for 10 minutes. In a mixer on medium-low speed, beat together the eggs, flour, sugar and salt. Slowly add the hot milk and browned butter. Pour into a container with a spout, cover and refrigerate overnight.
2. Pastry cream: Bring the milk with the vanilla bean (and scrapings) to a boil, then set aside for 10 minutes; remove bean. Fill a large bowl with ice and set aside a small bowl that can hold the finished pastry cream and be placed in this ice bath.
3. In a medium heavy-bottomed pan, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar and cornstarch. Gradually whisk in the hot milk, then place pan over high heat and bring to a boil, whisking vigorously for 1 to 2 minutes. Press the pastry cream through a fine-meshed sieve into the small bowl. Set the bowl in the ice bath and stir until the temperature reaches 140 degrees on an instant-read thermometer. Stir in the butter. When completely cool, cover and refrigerate.
4. Assemble the cake the next day: Bring the batter to room temperature. Place a nonstick or seasoned 9-inch crepe pan over medium heat. Swab the surface with the oil, then add about 3 tablespoons batter and swirl to cover the surface. Cook until the bottom just begins to brown, about 1 minute, then carefully lift an edge and flip the crepe with your fingers. Cook on the other side for no longer than 5 seconds. Flip the crepe onto a baking sheet lined with parchment. Repeat until you have 20 perfect crepes.
5. Pass the pastry cream through a sieve once more. Whip the heavy cream with the tablespoon sugar and the Kirsch. It won’t hold peaks. Fold it into the pastry cream.
6. Lay 1 crepe on a cake plate. Using an icing spatula, completely cover with a thin layer of pastry cream (about 1/4 cup). Cover with a crepe and repeat to make a stack of 20, with the best-looking crepe on top. Chill for at least 2 hours. Set out for 30 minutes before serving. If you have a blowtorch for creme brulee, sprinkle the top crepe with 2 tablespoons sugar and caramelize with the torch; otherwise, dust with confectioners’ sugar. Slice like a cake.
Did I mention that G and I made an impossibly early trip to Manly beach just cause I insisted on it being on my birthday wish list? What a sweetie pie.
Some photos after the jump.
Watching Sunrise from the Manly Ferry.
fabulous croque monsieur from three beans cafe @ Manly Beach
Dettol, Mopheads and a Birthday.
Lets be frank... the last time I was 'involved' in such an toilsome task was at the tender age of 12. And I don't recall even the slightest bit of manual labor that was entrusted into my clumsy hands. Thank goodness for that. So that was it, the end of my shifting resume. So when the apartment that Ben and Gwen were residing in, reached its seams, chock full of goodies and gizmos galore, it was evidently time for an upgrade. And a grand one at that too.
So pardon my rather random and short entries as we enter a cleaning phase. At this point, you can hear my arms whine just a little.
a sneak-peak into the rather barren villa. Don't worry, I'm pretty sure it will fill up at an alarming rate soon. Cheers.
On a more joyous note, I would like to wish my dearest babe a Happy Birthday! From halfway across the world, I wish you could feel my warmest embrace.
I love you.
An apple for a birthday girl
What did I do?
I baked myself a birthday cake.
and a mighty fine one it was...
Debating the various ideas I had for the special cake, the illuminated path of choice was pretty clear. Banana cake? That I had a penchant for but it was just too normal. Ice cream cake? nah.. too cold a season for that now. How about an apple spiced cake with dredges of toasted walnuts, brandy soaked raisins and cream cheese frosting? Now we're talking...
It's winning edge, the
and there is was, a cake that was clearly a symbol of everything I stood for. Beauty in imperfection. Character in its unfinished touches.
It wasn't anywhere near professional. Lopsided by a mile with a curtain of frosting barely touching the toes of the giant, too-tall cake. Patchy with a frequent crumb catastrophe showing, it was plainly rustic. But I didn't care. It was my cake. And it was delicious.
Sold the instant I sliced thru its moist innards to find a kaleidoscope of jewels.
It had now officially stolen my heart. Sorry my dearest carrot cake, it had been a pleasure having you on the pedestal. Please could you move down a notch?
That said, I'm a year older now. Probably could do being a year wiser, not that I doubt the development of my capacities but I guess maybe more so in the coming year? Only time will tell.
inspire me
" You want to make it?" she asked, smiling at me knowingly. I grabbed the stainless steel shaker of sugar and waved it back and forth over the brulee, coating the top with a thin, even layer of sugar. I wiped the edge of the ramekin with my index finger to remove any excess sugar, the way Mika had shown me earlier, to prevent any sugar from burning on the ramekin's white edge, which would make it look sloppy. She nodded approvingly and handed me the tank of propane. With a click of my finger, the torch switched on, and it's blue flame came blistering out. It felt serious and a little bit dangerous. Trying to keep my trepidation hidden, I tentatively moved the flaming wand evenly over the sugar, gradually transforming the layer of white grains into a bubbling , deep brown sheet of caramel. I turned off the torch and looked hopefully at Mika.
"Perfect," she said, placing the creme brulee on the platter's empty corner. "It's ready."
excerpt taken from Spiced by Dalia Jurgensen
Spiced ain't exactly your run-of-the-mill food novel, in fact, it's almost like Bill Buford's Heat mixed in with Sex in the city. Despite the not so rave reviews, I did enjoy this book for one simple reason, it spoke of the life of a pastry chef. Not entirely all about the hard facts and techinques of mastering the plate, but of the immense prospects. From one woman's job trudge thru restaurant pastry chef to dessert menu consulatant to caterer to free-lancing in Martha Stewart's test kitchen, it was all an entanglement of adventures, some misguided nonetheless but ever still educational.
I was thrilled, enchanted and sometimes disturbed by the tossing memoir of Dalia's pursuit of her dreams to become a chef after abandoning her office career. Life as a pastry chef, though fabled to be sweet, on the contrary is a rather stressful affair. That, the truth and hard knocks of life I'm waiting to experience as my own personal opportunity rolls in...
Just when you think that it's impossible for your pot to hold excitement and fear at the same time, it runneth over...
Aside from my pot full of emotions regarding pastry, the week had been rather smooth flowing with highlights in a dramatic neon yellow by my my ride on the Singapore flyer and the twin's 50th Birthday celebration at the Screening Room.
Since I'm rather beat from all the crab guzzling action tonight ( no i don't eat crab really), I'm going to let the photos do the talking.
us on the Singapore flyer. oh yeh... the haze was such a spoiler. not forgetting the rude china couple and their inquisitive child who couldn't stop stepping on my toes.
one more time!
Preceeding birthday dinner held at the Screening Room @ Ann Siang. A happy birthday going out to my dearest mum and aunt... May both of you live thru many more joyous gatherings and birthdays!
the 'hip' roof top bar where we held our cake-cutting. All smiles everywhere...
Before I forget, I would like to post a major thanks to Sara, events manager for Screening Room for making all the arrangements and to the lovely staff for being so patient with our rowdy group! Your efforts are well appreciated!
happybirthdaydear
Key to My Heart
Key To My Heart
by Amanda Marie
I had closed the door upon my heart
and wouldn't let anyone in
I had trusted and loved only to be hurt
but that would never happen again
I locked the door and
tossed the key as
hard and as far as I could
My heart was closed for good
Then you came into my life and
made me change my mind
just when I thought that
tiny key was impossible to find
that is when you held out your hand
and proved me wrong
inside your palm was the
Key to My Heart
You had it all along
Happy Birthday to you my darling babe...
Busy as a bee
With the christmas season just round the corner, life has been pretty undulating. here's a sneak peek into the hustling of my life for the past 2 weeks
Cupcake baking frenzy.. for orders of course!
Christmas dinner prep-ing. Think Huge turkeys.. homemade stuffing with gravy, cranberry sauce and apple sauce..
Food Tasting sessions with HGW at Mykii ( watch out for my review soon!)
and... the Grand Tuanqi Christmas Dinner Party at my house, with everything made from scratch by my dearest Auntie Nora and yours truly...
the guests during the gift exchange.
Rules of the game are that the budget for the gift is >$10. Yet still many choose to break the rule. DARN.. think my gift was super cheapskate. hehe. It was still a whole load of fun though with many 'jokes' made alone the way. Imagine a bride-wannabe actually recieving a brides cake topper/figurine as a gift. HILARIOUS!!!
Since dinner was over at my house, I had the honor of composing and preparing the christmas meal for around 20 guests (the final count reached 22 though). Here it goes
Starters
Crabmeat Cocktail Salad
Roasted Pumpkin and Thyme Soup with Gruyere
Mains
Christmas Turkey with Traditional Bacon and Pork Stuffing
served with cranberry sauce, apple sauce and gravy
Chicken Sausages with Spicy Tomato Relish
Christmas Basmati Rice
cooked in a mixture of Warm Spices, Apricots and Cashew Nuts
Sides
Glazed Carrots with Thyme and Garlic
Roast Potatoes with Garlic and Rosemary
Desserts
Vanilla Bean Cheesecake with Blueberry Toppings
Warm Chocolate Brownie
served with a scoop of vanilla icecream
Roasted Turkey under the carving knife
and tada!!! personally I thought that the event was a success with satisfactory food! hehe. I was really pleased with all the food especially the pumpkin soup and the chicken sausage with tomato relish. And upon personal discovery.. i realised that I too loved feeding the crowd. haha. interesting..
the vanilla bean cheesecake with blueberry toppings. Yet another birthday cake for all the December babies of the group. Me included...
and finally a group photo before we launched into a never-ending chorus of christmas songs and fellowship tunes. Simply one of those nights which you wished didn't end... Thanks to all for making this occasion possible. And Praise to the Lord for blessing our congregation.
