Fundamentally-flawed | Singapore Food Blog

Showing posts with label travelling. Show all posts

[BALI EATS]: Urchin Grill & Raw Bar does poncey with major appeal

On a weekday night during the off-peak season at Urchin, it's a silent, empty place of polished floorboards, stiff back chairs and mahogany wood stained atmosphere. Similar to other establishments winging the Seminyak stretch, the ill-fated predicament seems commonplace. A waiter appears and injects some life into the dry as dust persona, introducing us to the tasting menu we would be navigating. Albeit, alone in the expanse of the spacious dining room. Urchin defers from most other restaurants, no death-defying design stunts, devoid of tropical-vibe inducing paraphernalia.

I had no qualms, of course. Settling in prompting with a comp basket of sexy warm sourdough flanked by a small dish of Kombu butter that had seen too long a time in the freezer.

The KL Journal, Boutique Hotel - Come rest your bones with me

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With a twist of fate, visits to Kuala Lumpur are all but becoming regular events for me. With that, the Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs comes to mind. The KL Journal conveniently located in the heart of Bukit Bintang satisfies that physiological needs to the maximum of its capabilities, providing affordable luxuries with the added benefits of convenience where traversing the city is concerned.

Sugar & Spice: French Nougat from Taiwan

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Making Nougat isn't an easy process... I can personally vouch for this as looking back on pastry school a couple of years ago. I've witnessed many eager beavers making the mistake of adding the sugar syrup way too early in the game (of making French Montelimar nougat) resulting in the whipped egg whites being reduced to a soupy mess. It's finicky business where nougat is concerned and to be honest, not something that I can usually get my hands on due to its holiday gift connotations.

Thanks to the parents who recently came back from a trip to Taichung, I managed to score several renditions off the flagship stall of Sugar and Spice. The French Nougat (approximately $21.30) is a cracking snack, that exercises the jaws when consumed in larger amounts (*gulps* guilty as charged). Suitable sweet with a firm body that allows for easy removal from the wrapper and yet chewy innards perforated with toasted Californian almond nuts - these are so addictive and there's no stopping at one. Then again, I might have overkilled and performed a full-fledged rampage one the seal was broken; hence explaining the massive amount of ulcers I'm nursing right now.

{KL}: Burger investigations at #ieatburgers

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My indecent obsession with burgers continues across the causeway, where a recent trip up to Kuala Lumpur saw me conquering burger joints and attending the #ieatburgers event orgnised by friedchillies.

Let's start off with My Burger Lab located in Petaling Jaya. Well loved for its quirky menu and charcoal powder dyed buns, the place was teeming with life when I arrived on a late Friday evening. A persistent queue of hungry diners lining from wall to wall.

I had the Beautiful Mess ($18), beef patty, fried portobello, sunny side up, cheddar cheese. And honestly, it sure up the anty on the 'mess' factor, the pattys consisting of such grounded down meat mixture that its somewhat crisp exterior gave way to a sloppy mess halfway through. In fact, the fried portobellos assumed a more desirable texture than the beef patty itself, it's juicy squared off innards benefiting from the breaded and deep fried treatment. The sunny side up egg that crowns off this tethering stack bearing a slight resemblance to airport scrambled eggs with a ton of cream thrown in for the bulking. Not exactly the best burger it claims to be.

Moving on... the stars magically aligned to get me the privilege of participating in the I EAT BURGERS event in Kuala Lumpur on the 7th June just when I was there over the short weekend trip. A coincidence you may say? I believe it was destiny that brought us together.

Organised by the Fried Chillies , this fiesta brings 20 of the best burgers in Klang Valley together. Like an orgy of heart clotting transgressions... I descended very quickly to feed my vices.

These were some of the burgers stalls I sampled from that day (in no particular order of merit, click on the links for some lucid food pornography)

Burger Junkyard (Kota Damansara)
Kak Ana Green Apple Burger (Ampang)
Yazid Burger (Shah Alam)
Steam & Grill (Setiawalk Puchong)
Mustafa Jones (Taman Melawati)
Big Hug (Subang Jaya)
Smashies (Setapak)
Burger Om (Ampang)

Some of the memorable ones for me include the Chili Beef Concar-nay Burger and Buffalo Soldier Burger from Burger Junkyard; Kak Ana famous 'I Love You' Burger and Steam & Grill's Serunding Burger.

Of all, Burger Junkyard scored the highest in regards to the bun, the spongy butter brioche buns still retaining that slight savoury edge to enhance the sweeter fillings that were noticeably more innovative than its neighbouring stalls. The Buffalo Soldier burger is a grilled chicken burger smothered in buffalo hot sauce, glazed with cool sour cream and a celery infused cheddar. Nicely balanced with a good ratio of filling to bread. Steam and Grill's unorthodox methods of preparing the meats create an almost Malaysian stylised beef patty; the combination of steam and grill ensure a higher level of moisture is retained, resulting in a pulled beef texture filled with asian spices and marinades. Definitely a star in the making.

But never straying from the search of the best Ramly burger, I stumbled upon Kak Ana Green Apple and their 'I Love You' burger. From the moment the patties hit the grill to the stage where a slew of hot sauces and creamy white mayonnaise are showered over the top; this baby cries out to be picked up. A streamlined perfection assembly of chicken and beef patty separated by a fried egg and those signature green apple slices helping to cut through the absurd greasiness. Brilliance. I attacked this one like hungry pack of wolves.

Singapore... we could use an event like that now.. TOP 10 burger food festival perhaps?

The Best of Year 2012

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I hope it isn't too late to do a self reflective piece for the past year. This year has definitely been an epic one, filled with unexpected opportunities and in return, lots of hard work. Since most of it was spent overseas in Australia, most of my experiences were foreign and frighteningly new. Still, I lived and learnt. After all, that's life. At the end of it all, I return to Singapore, dauntless.

I had this depressing notion that new years day was nothing but an overrated day celebrated by fools around the world despite it being a mere continuation of life's mundane-ties. Then it came to pass that even story books should have chapters, the purpose of it's existence very much applicable to the essence of the new years day celebration. (view here). This time around, the change of location and point of view being predominant. No kidding, but its time to pick up the pace and focus on new goals and resolutions in the coming years. Entering a new phase of life.

My resolutions these year are a mash up of so many things that it almost appears like a disarray of false hope. But more importantly, for the new year, I pray that God grant me strength to manifest my big dreams and reward me with the courage to face new experiences.

What follows is a recap of the previous year. I hope that they inspire you to reflect on the richness of your year.

Single best thing that happened this past year?
Attending Pastry school @ Le Cordon Bleu (Sydney) with a follow up of a 7 month internship at Cheeky Chocolate where I worked with the most fantastic team in the world. Thanks Elicia, Yumi, Adele, Mia, Edwin and Andy for the many good experiences. Chef life just wouldn't have been the same with all those wild nights of drinking games. Tsk. (Read more about my experiences here)

single most challenging thing that happened?
Participating in the Callebaut Hunter Valley Entremet competition. Many weeks of trial and work finally led to a silver medal worthy piece. Never did saw it coming, but with the encouragement of my dearest Chef Andre, I pulled through.

What was an unexpected joy this past year?
My nga nga, who stuck with me relentlessly through my overwhelming negativity.

Pick three words to describe 2012
surreal, restorative, tough

Best dining experience in 2012
That would be dining in the Qantas first class lounge in Sydney terminal. A big thank you going out to Darryl who pulled a fast one to grant us access. Who would have thought we would be dining on lavish fare in slippers...

In what way(s) did you grow in your relationships with others?
catching up with many relationships that I have neglected over the past years and most importantly reuniting with the girls (you know who you are!)

What was biggest thing you learned this past year?
Once you decide on your occupation... you must immerse yourself in your work. You have to fall in love with your work. Never complain about your job. You must dedicate your life to mastering your skill. That's the secret of success... and is the key to being regarded honorably -- taken off "Jiro dreams of Sushi"

Lastly, Happy new year to all my readers. In this new year, eat sweet and stay sweet always!

I'll leave you with some shots of my works over at BakersWorld through the festive season... Stay tuned for my next post on the season of festive gorgings!

Log cakes designed by yours truly for the Xmas sales. Chocolate Banana logcake versus Mango, White Chocolate and Coconut log.

Chinese New Year cookies already up for grabs and available for corporate orders as well.

Dining out: Qantas Sydney First Class Lounge

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As December approaches and November fades into a faint image of its original self like something out of the movie the time travellers wife... I start to panic.

as Gerald Butler's character narrates in the latest movie 'Chasing Mavericks', "fear and panic are two separate emotions. Fear is healthy, panic is dangerous." and thus evoking torrent of thought bubbles through my head. Okay, maybe I should release the catch to the panic button.

Recollections of this past years ridiculous acts come crashing down on me. A collation of memories so vivid yet so distant from the current reality of my now imprisoned world. and ohh.. the upcoming holidays.. Christmas and Chinese New Year.. daunting celebrations for any pastry chef when the prospects of over-bearing orders weighs down heavily. I reckon my new year will be non-existent.

As for new year resolutions... it's time to brainstorm a few. Not that I think I need any adjustments from the previous years except for a relocation. One thing's for sure, its time to pick up the pace. Adventure racing, holidays to Bali with the girlies, business proposals in the pipelines and maybe more self-exploratory backpacking trips. Let's not get ahead of myself though, as far as we know the month of November will disappear in a flurry of meetups and December in a sweet ripple of cream and sugar. It's safe to say that today will be a quiet and simple friday night. So let's take this day to tally the feeding session that led up to my arrival in town.

flight delays... ahh..a turf i'm rather familiar with. Sorry dar for dragging you into the murky waters with my shadow of bad luck. An incessant pursuer. Thank goodness with some strings pulled, we managed to get ourselves into the Qantas first class lounge. A real upgrade given that we were homebound on a budget airline.

preflight gluttony, I wasn't sure of what I was getting myself into. But within minutes of stepping into the lounge, met with a cold gush of fragrance laden air, I was intimidated. These people that we see lounging around with their expensive hand carriages and state of the art hand held technologies, are willing to spend thousands of dollars just for a plane ticket. In some instances, not only for themselves but for their 6 year old daughter still innocently cradling a bunny stuff toy. And here we're only talking about taking a plane, a mode of transport we deem so trivial; that we use it as the biggest avenue for budget cuts when it comes to making travel plans. Golly... Thank goodness for the lovely hostess from Singapore, a personal friend of our chef acquaintance who made us feel so at home.

Presenting us with a menu each and the authority to order anything we please. It was like setting a bunch of monkeys loose in the streets. We went at it like ravenous rabbits. Add Neil Perry to the equation and we knew we were in good hands.

Not to mention, the enchanting views of Sydney City across the tarmac naturally enhanced our appetites. Gorgeousness when paired with the radiance of the setting sun.

For starters we had the Sashimi of Bluefin Tuna with organic soy dressing. This was absolutely delicious. The complexity of the dressing covering up for any inadequacies in terms of freshness of the fish.

Then we went on to devour another pretty dish. The Shaw river buffalo Mozzarella with spring greens and lemon oil. With such delicate flavors on the plate, the creaminess of the handmade mozzarella really stood out. The crispness of the zucchini flowers reinforcing it's richness.

My favorite dish of the night had to be the salt and pepper squid with green chili sauce. Fried to perfection, the batter stuck to the firm yet juicy flesh of the squid. Paired with the spicy Thai inspired chili sauce and a dollop of aioli for the nudge of sour tang, it was just a symphony of bright notes on the palate. An excellent dish.

Mains were the Tasmanian Salmon, caper, lemon and anchovy butter with pancetta crisps and leeks for me. Paired with a glass of Heemskerk Riesling 2001 from Tasmania. And the Lamb Cutlets with rosemary and Parmesan crumb for the boy. These were mediocre albeit for the sides that were thoroughly engaging. The leeks were cooked beautifully and I wished I had a whole plate of that to chow down on. Whereas the classic slaw that came with his dish had top notch seasoning in the works.

As we sat by the couches, the lights being dimmed to a pale amplitude, we waited for our delayed plane to begin boarding in silent contemplation. I pondered. I reckon this will be the first and last time I ever step into a first class lounge. Not because I don't think I'll ever be able to afford it. Besides, what are the odds being a pastry chef and all? And even so in some parallel universe I do earn a fortune, I would never bear the investment of throwing it all on a first class ticket whilst I can instead spend more on a luxury hotel stay or even an out of this world adventurous experience. Priorities my dear...

Still, it was a surreal experience not to be forgotten.

Note: Some of the photos in this post are courtesy of Fabian Brimfield of Fly me Funky. Thank you very much for the wonderful shots.

Everything has changed

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Something happened today that rattled a nostalgic bone of mine.

Most of you would not know this, but I regret not writing a post/diary entry or any form of written recount of the stories that occurred back during my 8 month stint in the army. Yes I know it might have been years ago, but still, the experience, the hardships, the friendships fostered, these were beautiful and worth remembering in every right. So with the passing of my very first overseas study experience, I shall enumerate it's unfolding. Burn the candle on both ends till its done, lest my procrastination habits kick in.

I'm bringing in the coffee on this one. it's going to be a long night.

So it started off with a very innocent request to the parents to study patisserie in Le Cordon Bleu whilst in my third year of university. Back then, it was a struggle, we're not even talking about keeping the grades up but my hopes were sinking like a dead weight to the bottom of the sea. Working thru the dark period and the other middle eastern drama that ensued afterwards, I finally earned my keeps to an entirely new experience.
Flashing back to the first moment i stepped out of Sydney airport, the cold winter air slapping me across the face. I never felt so alive before, the past few years of self inflicted pain, like a load, shoved off my shoulders. I took my a breath of liberty. My first.

Living in Australia strangely made me a very independent individual. I fed myself when I was hungry (not too difficult when you have all the leftover bakes from school), clothed myself warmly for the winter, got around to places (public transport is pretty convenient in sydney too) and found myself jobs just to earn my keeps. let's see, I started off being a waitress at a small cafe in Balmain, that stint lasted for about 7 months, Loved the wraps and the lebanese themed specials. Then I juggled the job of pastry cook at a dessert bar specialising in dessert pizzas in the form of cinnamon scroll like delights stuffed with a myriad of ingredients including brownie, streusel, bananas, chocolate sauce and apple pie mixture. Following an unanticipated closing down of the business, I moved on to become a dishwasher at a nearby cafe/restaurant near my area of residence. Needless to say, I smelt of food everyday, the stench of sweat coupled with splatters of grease on my black shirt following me into the soft sheets of my bed. From there, I was promoted to kitchen hand where I started to deal with food preparation, slicing, dicing, marination and gradually moved up to the pass where I got to take charge of the sauces and garnish stations for breakfast. That deserves an honorable mention, I feel, as I listen to the sweet rambling of my classmates going on and on about their tiresome part time work at patisseries; I on the other hand was busting it out in a proper cuisine kitchen. My fingers burnt and swollen from handling the hot cast iron pans on the grill. Battle scars as we call them... The day the chef called in a new dishwasher to handle my old job, I smiled whilst passing on words of advice as he scurried around like a headless chicken; the boiling hot pans and oily dishes piled up to dizzy heights. I had gone somewhere...

School on the other hand seemed the opposite spectrum of what the real world is like. Slow paced and extremely laidback.. i mostly took the time to absorb whatever I could while fooling around with whatever I could lay my hands on. making taiwanese meat pies out of quiches and curry chicken to go along with the fresh baguettes from our ovens; I was known to most of my chefs as 'the girl who would always does something different'; not sure whether that's a good thing or bad thing, i mostly like to believe its the former.

The terms flew by like the wind.. basic, intermediate and then superior. With the final judgement of our original gateau, it was off to the working world. Out of God's blessing, I landed myself a job in Cheeky Chocolate at North Strathfield. Lucky since I was competing with many of my graduating classmates for the job. But the serious work only ensued after my participation in the Hunter Valley Callebaut Chocolate Entremet competition. After weeks of hard work, tormenting sessions of brainstorming, trials and tears of befuddlement; the D-day had finally arrived. All the anticipation and nervousness just disappeared on the day of the event, plating up completed like a breeze. Perhaps it was the venue, the proximity of hunter valley from our work benches in Sydney that made any form of regrets or hopes for last minute adjustments almost impossible that somehow put my mind at ease. The prospect of an imminent ending bestowed in my heart. At the end of the day, I emerged a silver medalist. A huge feat considering I was a total noob in the scene and it was an open competition with many of my peers having been in the pastry scene for much longer than I have.
A million thanks goes out to my mentor and head chef Andre Sandison for his constant guidance and gentle prodding in the process of research and development. Thank you for not letting go of your expectations towards me.

Life in Cheeky Chocolate was another out of this world experience. Whilst I happily sunk myself into a comfortable pace of learning at work, a sudden turn of events left us handicapped in numbers. Yumi, I and Adele struggled to keep the place afloat. we hit rock bottom when a new head chef entered our midst and stirred up chaos in the kitchen, abolishing certain production rituals whilst creating non-sensical others. With a demonic temper to boot and a not so domineering idea of a menu in tow, it wasn't long before he was given the boot. Despite his short term of stay, the damages had been done.... we had lost another in the midst of the friction caused between the boss and our dearest apprentice. There I was left to pick up the broken pieces of the shop. It was a miracle I found a team in time to help me speed up the recuperation process. Till date, I hold this as a proudest achievement. Not that I got any recognition out of it (maybe an article in the strathfield good food guide), but still, silently I recognize my capabilities when put to the pressure test.

With all that done. you would wonder why in the world would I return to singapore given that my basic pay in Australia was at least double the amount I would receive here. That's where I left out a part of the story. The part that tugs at my heart string and releases butterflies into the cavities of my vacant heart. G. Had it not been for him, I wouldn't have had a blast in school. G rubbed my swollen ankles before bedtime, listening to my tales of braving the cockroach infested backalley while dragging the trashbags to the main bins. G kept me warm thru those cold nights. G nurtured me back to health after a bout of flu which put me through a series of vomiting spells on the way home from work, G accompanied me to the beach at sunrise just because I wanted to. I only joined the hunter valley competition because G was taking part in the chocolate showpiece event. G laughed at my lame jokes and silly antics and made me feel much less of a dork than I am. G and I went to beautiful places to enjoy spell binding moments together. G helped me pull through my experience at Cheeky, giving advice and listening to my complaints all in symphony.

And to sum it all up, G is my reason.

windows of Sydney

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Sydney as I left it.

Pictures like windows into the streets and hearts of the city. walking around with a film rangefinder. One can't help but feel excited by the notion of perhaps capturing a perfect titillating scene at the turn of a bend or in a split second. This is what I got. Sydney in its reckless moments, in periods of silent stillness, an epitome of jarring split personalities.

Honestly, I miss all that.