Snapshots: What-I-Ate-CNY

This time, let’s have a special WIAW… it’s what -i-ate-Chinese New Year Special!! Thanks Jenn for hosting, especially since I post the funniest (asian) WIAWs. This WIAW has a complete lack of green, which is excusable on my own terms, since it’s Chinese New Year, and it’s a time for celebration and relaxation.

I started by Chinese New Year off with a slice of Red Velvet Cake from Lynn’s. It was moist and pretty yummy, considering I’m not a fan of Red Velvet Cake. I just had to get some red into the New Year, since red = prosperity… or something along those lines.

DAY 1
It’s my family tradition to have a humongous breakfast on the first day of Chinese New Year. So this year, my mother lovingly put together a feast of yam kueh, stir fried noodles, pau, siew mai and egg tarts. It was like a mini dim sum feast! All right, maybe it was a dim sum feast, not so mini by the looks of it.

We even had Cheng Tng, a sweet asian dessert made from a sweet soup filled with longans, gingko nuts, white fungues and many more wholesome ingredients.

I was caught up in the hustle and bustle of visiting and wishing my elders happy chinese new year, that I forgot to take photos of the delicious food we had at the various houses. We had popiah, and kong bak pau, as well as loads of sweet treats and chinese new year goodies like pineapple tarts and love letters. I can’t believe I don’t have a single photo of chinese new year goodies. I guess they disappear way too fast.

Despite all that food, I still found the time to snack on some old school biscuits I found at my grandparents’ house. Marie biscuits anyone?

Dinner is unpictured.. but we had a lovingly cooked meal of porridge and chinese dishes, as well as fried bee hoon, prepared by my grandmother.

Ah yes, you all know what mandarin oranges look like. Try freezing them! They were the perfect cold snack, not to mention much healthier than pineapple tarts or bakkwa (barbequed pork) 😛

Day 2
I started the day right with more yam kueh and chee cheong fun. Yam kueh is a steamed chinese cake made of cooked yam, flour, shallots, mini prawns and loads of other ingredients. I love it so much! Chee Cheong Fun is a steamed rice flour roll topped with your choice of sweet sauce or sesame oil. It’s delicious as well.

Lo Hei made quite a few appearances this year… In fact, I had SEVEN Lo Hei’s this year. For the non-chinese readers, Lo Hei is like a salad made of grated carrots, various pickled vegetables, crushed nuts, crackers, raw fish and pomelo/dried fruits. It is topped with plum sauce and a drizzle of oil, before everyone mixes it up together with chopsticks, while proclaiming well wishes and hopes & dreams for the new year ahead. This dish is often eaten as an appetizer, before a sumptous reunion dinner.

My family continued our yearly tradition of having Golden Mile Steamboat for dinner! Nothing beats a steaming hot bowl of rice, with your piping bowl of soup filled with your favorite ingredients.

We are proud to say that we do love their sweet and sour pork chop very much! Crispy, yet not oily, and coated in the thick sweet&sour sauce with some peas, onions and tomatoes. It was as good as the very first time we tried it.

CNY is also about new clothes, so here’s just one photo of the dress I wore on the first day! I love the rustic background which was taken near some old flats during visiting.

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR FROM THE CHAN SIBLINGS!

Hope you enjoyed this post!

Hawker Heritage: Pau (Steamed Buns)

Good morning to you all! I’m back again.

I’m on a roll.. 3 posts in 2 days? That’s a rarity.
Studying must be taking a toll on me :O Well, blogging about food is the perfect way for me to destress.

Since today is National Day in Singapore, its the perfect day to launch yet another series, Hawker Heritage, where I will share more about a hawker food so that you can learn about a unique Singaporean dish you have never heard of. This will be a fun read if you’re a foreigner, or.. if you’re reading this in the future, and this dish has been lost, at least you’ll get to know about it. Even if you are a local, it’ll be interesting to read about the history of a certain dish for a change! Basically, what I’m saying is…I’m sure this will be an enjoyable read for everyone. 😛

I think its extremely sad that we are losing our hawker heritage. With so many young adults only looking at office jobs, there is no one to take over our hawkers. That being said, it is not easy teaching someone else the tricks of the trade, especially is the hawker has been cooking for 30 years. Its difficult to pass on the “wok hei” to a new cook.. after so many years, the hawkers have developed some kind of intuition of when the food has been perfectly cooked. Its no longer a recipe, or a job, its become second nature to them.

Sure, you may say that there are up and coming young hawkers who are setting up stalls here and there, but these few are far from enough to replace the older generation of hawkers. I shudder at the thought of losing the delicious and affordable hawker food to commercially produced food, over-priced restaurants and… *gulp* run-of-the-mill food courts. The concepts in food courts may be similar to hawker centres, but there is absolutely no way the ambience and the food can match up to our mouthwatering hawker food.

If we ever lose our hawker heritage, (please let that not be so), may this series serve as a reminder of what we had, and what we will always love.

To the parents out there, do not belittle family gathering or the making of traditional recipes.. these little things define our childhood. Who doesn’t love popiah parties, making love-letters, or crafting delicious bak zhang with your family and friends? And to the children out there, be willing to learn and try new things, find out as much as you can about Singapore’s traditional food, and pass on the tradition to your kids. It would pain me to see Singapore lose our hawker heritage like how we are losing our ability to speak in dialects.

Enough of the gloom doom, let’s start today’s post with one of my favorite foods, PAU. (or Bao, Baozi)

Pau or chinese steamed buns, are buns filled with all kinds of fillings, and steamed in a huge wooden steamer. Nowadays, most people use the modern steamers which look like metal drawers. The fillings range from meat fillings, like barbequed pork (charsiew), to vegetable fillings, either turnips or mixed shredded veggies, to dessert like buns filled with red bean paste, yam paste or custard. There are so many variations, I couldn’t possibly list them all out!

This is a Tau Sar pau (red bean paste). As you can see, the fluffy white bun encases a sweet red bean filling. This was one of the best red bean paus I had.. you can even see the chunks of red bean, and a slight tinge of redness. Some commercially made paus barely resemble red beans, the filling looks more like a smooth black paste, and is overly sweetened.

My favorite part of eating a pau is tearing it in half and watching the steam rise out from the centre of your pau. Piping hot is the way to go! Everyone has their favorite pau, and my favorites would be yam pau, lian yong pau (lotus paste), and vegetable pau. Unfortunately, since I love these paus too much, I don’t have any photos of them, since they somehow find their way into my mouth way too quickly. All I have is the poorly taken photo of an average looking vegetable pau below.

For the health conscious, vegetable paus would appeal to you. Filled solely with cooked vegetables, you can get one of your five-a-day! There are even wholemeal options to healthify it even more. Since these buns are steamed, they can be considered relatively healthy too.

Paus were first created about 2000 years ago, believed to have been invented as a portable meal for soldiers in third century A.D, Now, paus are a delicacy enjoyed by all, in China, Another story goes that in Romance of the Three Kingdoms, mantou was also said to be associated with the famous strategist Zhu Ge Liang, 诸葛亮, who supposedly made ritual offerings of mantou stuffed with meat (meat pau) in place of human sacrifice. (Mantou is a steamed bun without any filling)

This variation is the Charsiew Pau (barbequed pork), and is loved by many for its slightly sweet taste which compliments the charred meaty goodness. The best pau would have a thin casing and loads of filling, such that it is almost spilling out.

Pau are commonly eaten for breakfast, and can be found at dimsum restaurants. These buns are about the size of a tennis ball, so two of them would make a substantial breakfast.

For the bigger eaters, there are even Da Paus (big pau) which are much larger, and are filled with meat. I love these paus as they are a meal in itself, sometimes even coming with an egg! The juices from the meat soak into the bun, without making the entire bun become soggy. Even Bruce Lee loved some good pau.

 as touted by Johor Bahru Hand made Pau, who also sells giant paus (inspired by Amy Yip’s.. uhm.. assets).

Everybody raves over Liu Sha Pau (salted egg yolk custard bun), which is fun to eat cause of the way the filling flows like a river of golden sand. Never bite straight into this or you risk burning your throat as the hot lava goodness rushes down. Honestly, I’m not too sure why everybody loves this, it was too rich for me, but as a foodie, I had to get some to see what the hype was all about.

Some of the good pau stalls in Singapore include TIong Bahru Pau, Teck Kee Pau, Commonwealth Pau and Tanjong Rhu Pau. Sadly, a common trend I have noticed is the shrinking of the paus, and the rise in prices. Some stalls even try to add their own twist, such as adding Lor Mai Kai (glutinous rice and meat) into a steamed bun casing.. which was not very popular, probably cause it was a carbo-overload. Call me old fashioned, but I still love the simple, traditional flavours the best.

You can find paus at most drink/snack/dimsum stalls in the food courts, or you could travel specially down to the above mentioned stalls to taste the real deal. If you’re lazy, the supermarket sells frozen paus which you can just steam at home. Of course, commercialised paus can’t beat the handmade versions, but they are a close enough substitute given their convenience.

As I end off, I just want to leave you with this visual:

Imagine holding a fluffy, steaming hot bun in your hand… you gently tear the bun into half, watching the steam rise from the centre of the bun, as the smell of the sweet sweet red bean wafts into your nose. Oh, nostalgia. You bring the bun to your mouth, and take a bite. The soft bun gives way to the generous red bean filling.. so smooth, so flavorful, and perfectly sweet. Before you know it, the sweet paste has made its way to your stomach, before you know it, you’re reaching for another, and another.. Savory? Sweet? They all stand no chance. 

Have I made you crave pau yet? 😉 I think I’ll go and steam some for breakfast.

WIAW: Mix and match

Good day everyone! Its my second round joining in the WIAW party, with the brilliant Jenn who’s hosting as always. I think WIAW is a brilliant way for bloggers to learn more about each other, even if its just by seeing what one another eats in a day. Kudos to Jenn for dreaming up such a fun event on the blogosphere.

Breakfast:

2 Weetbix topped with a cold banana, and soya milk. So simple and so delicious. I have a big appetite though, so I had two Jollipancakes to follow (below)

A Jollipancake is a thin pancake which is spread with peanut jam (crushed peanuts mixed to form a thick paste), and rolled up. The crunch of the crushed peanuts and sugar takes pancakes to a whole new level. I still prefer their normal traditional pancakes though, as you can see. But if you like western pancakes, then this would be a better bet.

Lunch:
I had hawker food for lunch today! I went to ABC Brickworks Market and Food Centre, which has loads of good food. Lunch for me was Handmade Fishball noodles which were spectacular. The soup was tasty, and the fishballs were springy and stuffed with ingredients, unlike their processed counterparts.

If you have absolutely no idea what I am talking about, should you ever come to Singapore, do get your hands on some fishballs. Fishballs are made of fish meat, which is ground up into a paste, so it does not have a texture like meat at all. Sometimes, spices like chopped red chillies and green onions are added for a flavor boost. My favorite kind is the FuZhou Fishball, where the fIshball is stuffed with minced meat. When you bite into it, the juices from the meat just ooze into your mouth, and its like a party for your taste buds. They may sound and look strange, but they are fun to eat (be careful not to stuff the entire ball into your mouth though, or the Heimlich maneuver may come in handy). While fishballs are considered simple fare, they are still a novelty since you probably will not be able to find them outside Asia.

Woah. that was an unexpected paragraph on fishballs. Haha, well moving on, here’s what I had for dessert!
I got these bowls of deliciousness from a stall called “Creo Desserts“. With stalls like Blackball, and Beanstalk taking Singapore by storm, I have to say, this is my kryptonite. Affordable, and in my opinion, better than Blackball and Beanstalk (*gasp*), these are just plain delightful. Crushed ice drenched in syrup, and topped with grass jelly, red beans, and taro balls (or taro for my foodie-in-crime)… the ideal dessert for a hot day in sunny Singapore.

Here’s a close up! Isn’t it pretty? 🙂

Dinner:
For my fellow health nuts, this should ring a bell. Sumo salad for dinner anyone? Here are the few variations I’ve had lately. I love how generous they are with the portions, literally stuffing the box with the salads of your choice.

Kumara/Sweet potato Couscous, Jamaican Chicken and Pumpkin with chickpeas. Eating the rainbow indeed! This was my favorite combination.

Chicken avocado salad, Couscous and Jamaican Chicken. Still loving the Jamaican Chicken.

Chicken Avocado Salad, Chickpeas, Couscous with Sausage, White bean and Kumara. I got greedy and mixed 4 types of salad together. Don’t follow my lead.. sometimes, less is more.

And, if you have leftovers, what better way than to add more veggies, and serve it up again the next day? The perfect way to get more greens into your diet. I’d say this WIAW has more greens than my previous WIAW 😀 Achievement unlocked!

Well, all good things come to an end, and this concludes my WIAW #2, I certainly hope you had fun reading 😀 or at least looking at the photos.

Have a brilliant day, may God bless you always.

Product Review: Sunnyhills Pineapple Cakes

Its a sunny yellow banana day… Sound familiar? Anyone else remember the hilarious commercial with the dancing cow advertising HL’s banana milk? Oh dear, looks like I’ve gone on a tangent before I’ve even started my review.

Well, I was blessed with the opportunity to try Sunnyhills Pineapple Cakes after winning a box of 10 Pineapple tarts in a giveaway by Palate. This box of 10 is worth SGD$25, and are individually wrapped. I was not paid to review this, and all thoughts and comments about this product are my own 🙂

Their shop is located in a quiet stretch of shops on Level 3 of Raffles Hotel, do look out for it cause its rather easy to miss!  Sunnyhills pride themselves in freshly baked pineapple cakes made with natural ingredients and red-yolk eggs. In fact, they recently became Halal-certified, so this could be a go to place for Hari Raya gifts!

Honestly, I have absolutely no idea why its called a Pineapple Cake, when it looks and tastes like a Pineapple Tart, with the buttery casing and all. For those of you who have no idea what a Pineapple tart is, it is a small pastry either topped with pineapple jam, or in some cases the pastry encases the jam, which is commonly eaten during Chinese New Year.

Each Pineapple Cake comes individually wrapped in paper, which allows for easy, mess-free consumption. I really liked their cardboard box which added a sort of down-to-earthy yet classy feel to the packaging. Since no preservatives are added, the pineapple cakes are good for 3 weeks at room temperature. My recommendation is to consume them as soon as possible as the quality does drop over time.

The pineapple jam is surrounded with a flaky, buttery crust.. a rather sturdy crust I must add, since it kept its rectangular shape. Unfortunately, I was disappointed. The crust was dry, and the pineapple filling did not fare much better, since it was dry and fibrous as well. One thing that I liked was that it wasn’t overly sweet, like many of the commercially made pineapple tarts.

Perhaps it was due to the lack of preservatives, and the fact that the box I received was already a week old… nonetheless, despite their not-so-spectacular pineapple cake, I would like to commend them for their excellent service.

Since it was my first time to Raffles Hotel, Little Ms Blur here ended up at the back door of the shop. Yet, the shopkeepers gamely led me in from the back, all the while smiling, and not the slightest bit annoyed that I had entered their work space. They offered me a cuppa tea and a tart to try before I collected my box, but I politely declined since I had to rush off elsewhere. The two lovely ladies efficiently gathered my goods, while chattering away about how the pineapple cakes were made, and how soon to consume them. Their amiable service was much appreciated, and I definitely felt more than welcome in their cosy little shop.

If you plan on giving them a try, do take time to sit down in their shop and enjoy the laid back vibe and eclectic furniture as you have your tea and cake.

For those of you who are more health-conscious, the nutrition facts are quite a shocker. Despite the short ingredient list, and the all-natural ingredients, one pineapple cake along will set you back 205 calories. That is one very calorie dense pineapple tart!

Great service, but not so great food? It pains me to give them a bad rating, but its all about the food isn’t it? I would like to give them a raving rating like all the other food bloggers out there, but I have to be honest. Their pineapple tart/cakes were not up to standard. Nonetheless, I’m willing to give them another go, hopefully when its fresh, so I can taste it at its best! But for now, Sunnyhills loses out to L.E Confectionery’s golf ball sized pineapple tarts for sure. Buy it or fly by it? I’d go with fly by it. Its not worth 205 calories.

Rating: 4/10

Mmmm…marche

Ahh, marche. Its been ages since I have been to Marche. I have fond memories of Marche from my childhood. We were frequent visitors to the Marche Outlet at Heeren. I remember the dim lighting, the sound of food being freshly prepared, the smells of all kinds of delectable goodies wafting from different directions.. If you faced the left, you could smell rosti being fried, the symphony of sizzles making you hungrier by the minute. On the toher side, you could smell the sweet crepes, slathered with rich chocolate and mounds of ice cream, any child’s dream. My favorite thing about Marche, however, was their playground. The cold metal structures were simple and not very inviting, to be honest, but the childhood friends I played with led me to associate that place with fun times and good food. Fun, friends, and food… Marche was my heaven.

Finally after so many years, I am back at Marche. This time, at the 313 Somerset branch (no playground here, unfortunately). The restaurant is now more brightly lit, with staff dressed in adorable uniforms, and cute decoration strung from every corner.

Upon entering the dining area, I was greeted with a beautiful sight of mountains of food piled high at each counter, there were fruits, vegetables, drinks, freshly baked bread, everything I could dream of. It was a feast for the eyes, for which I give Marche brownie points for creating such a welcoming and homely atmosphere that would whet one’s appetite.

Don’t skim through these photos too quickly.. you should enjoy this insiders’ view of Marche if you have yet to go there. Turns out, photography is not allowed in their premises, so these photos are exclusively for you. (One of their staff members stopped me from taking photographs, so the sneak peeks will end soon) I do not blame them for not allowing photography though, their concept is one worth learning from.

I really adore their decor, it is so fitting for the occasion. It gives one the idea of fresh, homecooked goodness in a chill atmosphere. Almost like a farmers’ market, your mother’s kitchen and a cosy cafe all nestled into a brilliant package.

Even the dining area is adorable, it reminds me of Goldilocks and the three Bears. Maybe they purchased their furniture from the same shop? Okay, I kid. Let’s move on to the food, after all, that’s what matters.

In case you did not know, they follow a credit card system here. Upon entering, each person is given a card, to pay for their food at various counters. (Think high class food court) At the end of your meal, you will be charged for whatever you “swiped” your card for. Now that I think of it, this is a clever concept since you’ll enjoy your food better without having to handover your beloved cash to get your food..until you leave the place that is.

Here’s what I tried,

Rosti with Cheese Sausage ($6.20 + $6.90)

How could I not try their famous rosti? Shredded potato fried to perfection, each bite yielding a crispy web of mouthwatering goodness. Coupled with sour cream, this is a match made in heaven. The sausage was a last minute addition, although on hindsight, it wasn’t worth the extra cost. The sausage was hot and cheesy, but just like any cheese sausage you will find elsewhere. 

I would definitely recommend their rosti. If you intend to try other dishes, just share a plate of rosti without any add-ons. You’ll thank me for it.

Strawberry and Nutella Crepe ($8.20)

Desserts, sweet desserts. A thin layer of crepe smothered in nutella, and generously topped with fresh strawberries, and a sprinkle of icing sugar. Kudos to them for making the crepes fresh! The crepe was good, not outstanding though, but enough to satisfy a sweet tooth.

Mushroom and Cheese Crepe ($13.20)

I never knew that Marche had savoury crepes, and I am so glad that I discovered this gem. The portion was humongous, just the way I like it. The crepe is prepared right before your eyes, with generous helpings of shredded lettuce/cabbage topped with mounds of mushrooms and cheese. All this served with their special cream sauce, and a side salad. I would think this dish is pretty healthy.

They also sell smoked salmon/roasted vegetables/smoked duck/chicken crepes, so if you love your meat, you have many other options available.

Oh, let me marvel a little longer at the sheer size of this beauty. I would say it is about the size of 3-4 popiahs. It was definitely filling and I have no complaints about that! The cream sauce was nothing to rave about, I felt that it barely did anything for the crepe. Plus, why add the unnecessary oily (check out those yellow globules!) sauce to an otherwise wholesome meal? If you really need sauce, help yourself to some sauce available at the central counter.

As I already mentioned, the crepe was generously filled, and I had more than enough filling with each bite. It took me a good half hour to polish this off on my own. For the little ladies who can’t eat much, I suggest you share this with your fellow ladies who lunch. I liked how the fresh vegetables provided a nice crunch to the melty cheese, and sauteed mushrooms. Even though the crepe base was probably similar, I prefer the savory crepe to the sweet crepe. Please do try their savory crepes! Its one of the most value for money items in Marche 🙂

Marche is a great place to go for a meal, especially since they make up for the cost with the hearty portions. Remember to go after 12pm though, because they aren’t ready before that. I went around 11am and had to wait around for about an hour until they had set up. They should get ready beforehand though, since they stated that they were open at 11am, so they ought to be ready for business.

That’s all for now, so happy feasting, my fellow foodies!

Rating: 7/10 (+1 for ambience)

HEALTHY IN A HURRY: Pesto Pasta and Garlic Roasted Carrots

Starving? Now, wait just a minute before you reach out for that pack of crisps or that bar of chocolate. This delicious recipe comes together in mere minutes, and the only cooking you’ll be doing is boiling the pasta. So put all that processed junk food down, and whip up something that your body will thank you for.

Pesto Pasta and Garlic Roasted Carrots

Here’s what you’ll need:

For the pesto pasta

1 serving of cooked pasta

1 tbsp of pesto (more or less to your liking)

Garlic powder

Parmesan Cheese

For the garlic roasted carrots

Garlic powder

1 carrot (sliced into carrot coins)

Ground basil

Olive oil

 

Instructions:

For the pesto pasta

1) Put the cooked pasta and pesto in a heated pan and give it a good ol’ stir

2) Sprinkle some garlic powder and parmesan cheese for extra flavor.

3) Plate it, and dig in 🙂

For the garlic roasted carrots

1) Steam the carrot ‘coins’ for about 10 minutes

2) Pat dry the carrots, and coat in olive oil, basil and garlic powder

3) Roast the carrots in a small toaster oven for about 5-10 minutes

-Serve the carrots along with the pesto pasta, and top with more parmesan cheese (if you like).

 

Switch things up!

-Feel free to add other toppings like cherry tomatoes, mushrooms, spinach etc.

NOW DIG IN TO YOUR HEALTHY AND SCRUMPDILLYUMPTIOUS MEAL.

What’s best about this recipe is that you can just tweak it to suit your tastes (notice how I didn’t give specific measurements?) That’s what cooking is about! Experimenting with flavors that you love.

The sharpness of the cheese and garlic pairs perfectly with the crunchy carrots and al dente pasta, is a sure fire way to get your taste buds tingling.

Hope you enjoy this meal as much as I did.

Churrosity worth your curiosity?

You follow the tantalizing smell of cinnamon, visions of freshly made churros coated generously with sweet specks of cinnamon sugar running through your mind… all those fond childhood memories come rushing back at you. And then you see it, a small store amidst the hustle and bustle of Holland Village, Churrosity. 

You hurry across the street, only one thing on your mind, churros, pronto. You order one original churro, (why mess with a divine creation?), fork out $2.50 (Money isn’t an issue when it comes to food), only to be handed a barely warm churro, half the size of what you’re normally given.

Disappointment begins to set in.. still the smell of cinnamon sugar gets to you, and you take a bite of sugary, mouthwatering goodness… wait what? The churro is not what you expected, in fact it doesn’t even come close to what you expected. It doesn’t dissolve into a million delicious pieces forming delectable little rainbows to dance with your tastebuds, its nothing like that. So much for freshly made churros. Its even on the verge of being tough, oh, how i miss the sweet churro I used to know.

Although it looks good, as you can see in the picture, the churros from Churrosity, don’t taste as good as it looks. Its a far cry from the churros I used to buy at funfairs, and make shift carnivals. Hopefully they’ll start to fry their churros fresh, rather than keeping them warm in the little metal case. That, and they have got to increase the size of their churros! Only about 20cm for $2.50? I’d rather buy a curry puff or a frosty.

If I had to sum all that up into one line, no animosity intended, I’m sad to say Churrosity is not worth your curiosity. 

Rating: 4/10

A thousand layers of happiness? Featuring First Love Patisserie’s Mille Crepe.

My apologies, its been ages since I last posted. But I have been so caught up with school and CCA, I simply could not find the time to write a review. (I had no trouble trying out new places of course, so my list of places to be reviewed is piling up!)

Fret not, you guys are in for a treat today! Today’s post is all about the trendy thousand layer Mille Crepe. Some call it the thousand layer cake, others call it a mille crepe.. I call it.. literally-layers-of-crepe-and-cream cake.

The crepe sure is a beauty, don’t you think? Its like an atas version of kueh lapis. I certainly respect the chefs cause it must be hard work having to prepare hundreds of cakes layer by layer daily.

Hopefully you are as intrigued by the many layers of crepe as I am, because I went crazy with food shots, so prepare yourselves for a visual feast.

The brochure, filled with hilarious spelling errors and grammatical mistakes. You ready to see more “devine” photos of this cake? 😛

I’m pleased to announce that First Love Patisserie’s Mille Crepe looks just like what is shown on the brochure/box, so thumbs up for no false advertising!

Look at the meticulously layered cake… visually stunning in every way.

Before I tried it, I always imagined the Mille Crepe to taste like a creamy, yet light cake. While I was a tad disappointed to realise that it was literally just layers of crepe and cream, the lightness of the cream definitely lived up to what I had fantasized it to be.

You can definitely taste the quality of the ingredients, and the fact that they use real vanilla beans in the cream helps to bring out the flavor even better. If you look very carefully at the photos, you can see specs of vanilla bean dotting the layers of cream. 

This is the less photographed side of the Mille Crepe.. what can I say? I like to show both sides of the picture 🙂

The Mille Crepes are sold in slices, with each slice gingerly placed on a thin sheet of aluminium foil. You could order the whole cake, of course, but I think it would be hard to slice it as deftly as they do. With so many fragile layers of crepe, I recommend leaving the slicing to the professionals.

A close up of the back.

Side view. I still can’t get over how beautiful a Mille Crepe is. Food is an art, we really ought to put more effort into our food presentation.

Here’s what one layer of crepe looks like. Thin, spongy and sweet, with a smooth layer of vanilla cream. Yum.

Cross section of the cake. See the specks of vanilla bean?

On hindsight, the cream filling is reminiscent of Beard Papa’s cream puff. And the crepe layers are like softened pastry, so this could be aptly described as a deconstructed Beard Papa Cream Puff  reconstructed in a cake. Phew, try saying that 10 times!

Personally, I like the cake frozen, cause it tastes more like an ice-cream cake (I adore ice cream cakes), and the firmness of the cake made it easier to eat. However, my foodie-in-crime preferred it cool, with its softer, melt in the mouth texture. Like everything in life, its based on personal preference, so there is no right or wrong way to eat the Mille Crepe.

Despite having been singing praises thus far, I must say that it is rather expensive at $6.50 a slice… but you should try it at least once. Just so you can level-up in the foodie world.

Oh, and one more thing, despite seeming like its from Japan (Hokkaido Thousand Layer Cake).. First Love Patisserie is actually a Jakarta brand. They sell other flavours like Cookies and Cream, and Strawberries too. Do give them a shot, and let me know how you find it!

Location: ION Orchard, 2 Orchard Turn, #B4, Orchard, 238801

Rating: 7/10

A taste of Singapore

Credits

Singapore is a food lover’s paradise.. there’s no doubt about that. Being a multi-racial society, we are a melting pot of tastes and cultures. We have all kinds of food available in Singapore, Chinese, Malay, Indian, Western, Japanese.. the list is endless. What’s even better is that this stunning variety of food is offered nearly everywhere, at hawker centres, food courts and malls. It is extremely rare to see such a wide array of food so easily accessible to everyone.

I think food defines us as Singaporeans, and today’s post is dedicated to my list of Top 10 must-tries in Singapore.

Going on a holiday and being away from your familiar food can be rather daunting and exhilarating at the same time. Well, in order to enhance your Singapore experience if you happen to travel here, I’ve compiled a list of must tries in Singapore if you happen to be visiting. I deliberately did not include ‘atas’ restaurants and cafes in my list, despite their rising popularity in Singapore, as I feel that our local hawker fare is what makes us uniquely Singaporean. Well, that and the fact that I didn’t want to make it harder on myself to choose just 10 types of food from the smorgasbord of food available here.

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So, without further ado, here is Foogo’s Top 10 Must-Tries in Singapore:

I listed them by the type of food, rather than a particular stall since we have so many amazing hawkers around, and the best version would be subjective to your personal tastes and preferences. I did, however, take the liberty to name a few hawkers for you to choose from. Enjoy!

1. Chicken Rice

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Funny thing is, I don’t have a photo of chicken rice, despite the countless times that I have eaten this local dish. I suppose I don’t exactly find it very picturesque. My tastebuds think otherwise though. Chicken rice is essentially boiled or roasted chicken with fragrant rice. A word to the health conscious, the rice tastes so good because it is cooked in chicken fat. Nonetheless, this is a dish you have to try!

As simple as it sounds, this dish is not just about the chicken and the rice. The side dishes also play an important role in creating the perfect chicken rice meal, and it is often a combination of good quality ingredients, and well defined flavors that differentiates the best chicken rice from the rest. What side dishes, you may ask? The chili sauce, the ginger, the soup and sometimes the gravy poured over the chicken.

Every stall offers different side dishes, and have added their own unique touches to this common dish.

• Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice

Maxwell Road Food Centre

1 Kadayanallur Street, #01-10, S069184

11am to 8pm, closed on Mondays.

-The highlight of this dish is the powerful gravy that is poured over the chicken. It is bursting with flavor and complements the tender chicken extremely well. I love their chilli and ginger as well which gives a nice kick to the chicken rice.

• Sin Kee/Xin Ji Famous Chicken Rice

Mei Chin Food Centre, 159 Mei Chin Road, #02-22, S140159,

11am to 8pm, closed on Mondays

-Equally tender and robust chicken, the strength of this stall is their chilli which is sweet, spicy and sour all at the same time. I love it!

2. Nasi Lemak

Credits to the Pleasure Monger.

Coconut rice served with fried chicken, otah, cucumbers, ikan bilis, fried egg, fried fish (you choose what to add.. but there’s usually fried egg and fried chicken wings) and of course the most important sweet sambal chilli! This is a Malay dish that is very popular for breakfast, lunch or dinner in Singapore. Of course, I only have one recommendation, cause I love love love their sambal chilli… do check them out!

• Selera Rasa Nasi Lemak

No. 2 Adam Road Food Centre

I have been a loyal customer of their nasi lemak for many years now, and I will never grow tired of their delicious Sambal chilli which is delightfully sweet and spicy at the same time. I could just eat it with the rice. Ah, one thing to note though, their rice is not always consistent and you might get some undercooked grains, or parts that aren’t well mixed with the coconut milk. Nonetheless, they do have one of  the best Nasi Lemak’s in Singapore.

3. Roti Prata

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Essentially a fried flour-based pancake. Doesn’t sound very appetizing? Well, when you receive a plate of freshly made plain Roti Prata, served with some curry and sugar, you’ll understand why I included this in my must try list of Singapore food. Sometimes simple is the way to go. I love to eat this fuss free meal with both curry and sugar, at the same time! Most people choose either curry or sugar to dip their prata in, but I find that eating both at the same time creates a really unique flavor. The sweet crunchy sugar complements the smooth spicy gravy so well, making your roti prata even more enjoyable.

You can order your roti prata in different variations too, egg, banana, chocolate, and even tissue prata which is served in a cone!

While most Indian hawker stalls sell Roti Prata, if you want to try the very best roti prata..

• Casuarina Curry Restaurant

136 Casuarina Road, S9579524)

A casual restaurant with an open kitchen so you can watch them make your prata! I love their banana prata which is HUGE. It’s actually a dessert prata, but I like to order it as my main course. Do order a Milo Dinosaur (milo topped with extra milo powder) as well, as that’s often the go-to drink to pair with prata.

• Mr and Mrs Mohgan’s Super Crispy Roti Prata

7 Crane Road, Poh Ho Restaurant

6.30am-1.30pm

Closed Tue/Wed 3rd week of the month

A nice place for breakfast in a local coffeeshop.. what makes this place unique is that they have 3 types of curry for you to choose from! (Dhal, Fish or Mutton)

4. Kaya Toast and Soft boiled eggs

Kaya Toast, Kopi and soft boiled eggs.. now that’s local breakfast for you! Kaya is a coconut jam, often freshly made by the better coffee shops like Yakun and Chin Mee Chin. The sweet kaya, rich butter and crispy toast combine to form a mouthwatering and extremely affordable breakfast.

• Ya Kun Kaya Toast18 China Street

Probably the pioneers of kaya toast, Ya kun has managed to uphold their standard as one of the best kaya toast makers in Singapore. There are many outlets all over Singapore, but do head down to their first outlet if you have the chance!

• Chin Mee Chin Confectionary

204 East Coast Road

The kaya toast here is served on round buns rather than the usual toast.. but it is still equally delicious. The kaya here is deliciously eggy and sweet.

5. Chilli/black pepper crab

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Another local delight! I like to dip freshly fried mantous into the chilli crab gravy.

Just one place to reccomend.. my all time favorite JUMBO SEAFOOD RESTAURANT

• Jumbo Seafood Restaurant

East Coast Seafood Centre
Blk 1206 East Coast Parkway #01-07/08, East Coast Seafood Centre, Singapore 449883
Tel:             6442-3435      , Fax: 6444-5373 

Mon – Sat	:	5pm – 11.45pm (last order at 11.15pm)
Sun & P.H.	:	12pm – 12am (last order at 11.15pm)

They have a few outlets, but this is my favorite outlet cause it is by the sea, so the ambiance is pretty amazing. If I’m not wrong, this is their biggest outlet as well.

6. Dim Sum

Rather like a chinese version of Spanish Tapas, you can choose from many small individual portions of food served in small bamboo baskets or plates. The items range from dumplings, to paus (steamed bun with fillings) and even to heartier fare like noodles.

• Swee Choon Dim Sum Restaurant

183/185/187/189/191 Jalan Besar, Singapore 208882

Opening hours: 6pm – 10am, closed on tuesdays

I suggest that you go to this alleyway eatery at night since they are sold out for most items in the morning. Plus, the lively atmosphere at night will definitely enhance your experience. Not sure what to order? Check out my review on Swee Choon.

• Red Star Restaurant

54 Chin Swee Road, Singapore 160054

This is probably Singapore’s largest dim sum restaurant. With servers pushing around carts of dim sum, and the noisy atmosphere from the perpetual crowd, the ambiance here is hard to beat. Have fun trying to flag down the push cart women in a bid to get your dim sum.

7. Popiah

I’d describe this as the healthy asian version of a burrito. A chockful of ingredients (veggies like lettuce, cooked radishes, turnips, carrots, bean sprouts even shrimp, crabmeat and tofu at times…) are wrapped up in a thin paper like crepe to form a popiah. Sauces like chilli and sweet sauce are spread on the popiah skin before adding the filling, and you can customise your order by choosing from the variety of toppings available (ground peanuts, mashed eggs, fried pork lard, chinese sausage..)

Popiah can be found in most hawker centres, but for a good popiah, I’d recommend the following places.

• Old Long House Popiah 

Blk 22, Lorong 7 Toa Payoh, #01-03

Toa Payoh Food Centre

6am – 5pm, Closed on Mon and Tue

The popiah skin here is sturdy enough to hold the generous fillings together so that they won’t fall out on the arduous journey from the plate to your drooling mouth.

• My Cosy Corner 

587 Bukit Timah Road, Coronation Plaza, #02-02

Opening hours: Mon-sat 10am – 7.30pm, Sun: 11am-3pm

If you can take spicy food, ask for extra chilli for an added oomph! It can really numb your tongue.

• Good Chance Popiah

149 Silat Avenue, #01-58, Singapore 160149

Opening hours: Lunch- 11am to 2.30pm, Dinner – 6pm to 9.30pm, Closed on Mondays

For the fun of it, if you want to have a go at rolling your own popiah, do head down to Good Chance Popiah to put your nimble hands to the test. Simple, homely fare in a cosy old restaurant, just sit back, relax and roll some popiah!

8. Char Kway Teow

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Ooh, that looks appetizing. A piping hot plate of brown slop which vaguely resembles earthworms and squished slugs. Delicious. Kidding aside, despite its looks, Char Kway Teow tastes pretty amazing. Kway teow (flat rice noodles aka the flattened slugs) and egg noodles (the earthworms) are fried together with a unique blend of sauces, eggs, beansprouts, chinese sausage and cockles to create a dish of gastronomic proportions. Each plate is often cooked to order, so you are assured of a steaming plate of noodles. This is one dish that tastes better than it looks.

• Outram Park Char Kway Teow

Hong Lim Market and Food Centre, Blk 531A, Stall 02-17

Opening Hours: Mon-Sat: 6am-4.30pm, Closed on Sundays and Public Holidays

This is my personal favorite because the char kway teow is slightly on the sweeter side. The portions here are slightly smaller than usual though, so a lone plate may not suffice.

• Meng Kee Char Kway Teow

Blk 22, Havelock Road, Beo Crescent

Opening Hours: Mon – Sat: 10.30am to 7pm, Sunday: 10.30am – 4pm

What makes this plate of Char Kway Teow stand out is the smoothness of the kway teow which makes it even more palatable than usual.

9. Tau Huay

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The traditional tau hway (soya beancurd) can be eaten hot or cold, and is served in a sweet syrup. If you like, you can dip freshly fried dough fritters (you tiao) into your tau huay for a unique experience of savory meets sweet.

• Rochor Beancurd

432 Balestier Road, Public Mansions, #01-436

Opening Hours: Mon – Sun : 9am- 12am

I love their hot tau huay with a fresh you tiao to go with it. Their soya bean drinks and sides (other fried doughy goods) are good as well.

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Lately, there has been a craze for this new modern version of soya beancurd. It is more like a soy pudding, and is only eaten cold. The texture is extremely smooth, and it is much lighter than the traditional beancurd. Honestly, it is hard to differentiate a good version of this beancurd from another because they are mostly factory made unlike the traditional beancurd. I decided not to recommend a particular stall since they taste quite the same to me, just head down to any hawker centre, and you’re bound to see a stall selling this in various flavours. (durian, strawberry, almond, coffee, chocolate..)

Call me boring, but I’ll still choose the traditional beancurd over these factory made ones.

10. Durian

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Last, but definitely not the least… THE KING OF FRUITS! Presenting, the almighty Durian. I am sure you’ve heard of this famous or infamous fruit, the spiky fruit that you either hate or love. To the haters, the smell is probably the worst part of eating durian.  I used to hate durian, but I have grown to love the rich, creamy taste of durian. There are various kinds of durians available, but I recommend D24 and Mao Shan Wang as they tend to be fleshier and creamier than most. Mao Shan Wang has a sweet note to it, while D24 has a hint of bitterness.

A quick tip before I end this post.. wash your hands and gargle your mouth with water that has been washed down a durian husk. It helps to get rid of the strong odor. I’d love to hear about your first experience with durian, so do leave a comment below if you happen to try it in Singapore.

I don’t have a particular stall to recommend, so just look out for a makeshift kiosk with the spiky fruit on display and try your luck!

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Finally, I hope that you have an amazing food and fun-filled experience in Singapore! There are so many more types of food for you to try, but if I wrote everything down, I would not need to sleep for days. My suggestion? Just follow the queues. If the queues are long, the food SHOULD be good.

Happy holidays!