Foodography: A Singapore Food Blog

I’m sure Chili’s is no foreign name to you. Well known for their nachos, molten cake and of course their burgers, it’s time to indulge in even more of their goodies! From the whole of next week starting from 24th June to 30th June, Chili’s has a ‘Burger Week Special’ with restaurant discounts, burger – eating challenges and social media giveaways. All these are in conjunction with Chili’s 4th anniversary. All of these would also be happening at each of their 4 outlets in Singapore at Tanglin Mall, Resorts World Sentosa, J-Cube and Central @ Clarke Quay.

The highlight would definitely be the Big Mouth Burger Day on 26th June, Wednesday. At the above mentioned outlets, all Chili’s Big Mouth Burgers (except Big Mouth Bites) will be priced at $8.88 (excluding GST). This is a more than 50% discount off their original prices!

Furthermore, Chili’s will be hosting a group of bloggers during on 26th June, 7pm at Chili’s at Central @ Clarke Quay to challenge selected contestants in creating their own mega Big Mouth Burger by choosing from a list of Big Mouth Burger ingredients. Contestants can cement their place in the Big Mouth Champ contest by participating in Chili’s online social media contests. An online selection will take place from now till 24 June. Both groups will get to judge each other’s creations and 1 winner from each team will be crowned the “Big Mouth Champ”. Winners will receive bragging rights and $250 worth of Chili’s vouchers. All participants will stand to receive Chili’s vouchers and goodies as well.

I am now picking 3 lucky readers to win $50 worth of Chili’s vouchers and 1 lucky reader to have a spot in the competition to create your own Big Mouth Burger!

1. To win Chili’s vouchers, simply leave a comment (next to the title of this post) and name me a Big Mouth Burger you would like to indulge in.

2. To win a spot for Big Mouth Champ, leave a comment and list all the Big Mouth Burgers that are up for a promotional price of $8.88 on Big Mouth Burger Day.

Deadline for the giveaway will be 21 June 2013 at 11.59pm.

Note: Do fill in both your name and email so that I can contact you. Comments will not be shown publicly. A random generator will be used to pick out the lucky winners. All winners will be notified by email latest by 22 June, 11.59pm.

Lastly, head over to both their facebook and twitter pages for more information!

https://www.facebook.com/ChilisSingapore
https://twitter.com/ChilisSingapore

Department of Caffeine, or D.O.C., is the new kid on the block for hippies and hipsters. It’s located on the no lesser than cool Duxton Hill of course. The decor is simple and fuss-free but at the same time having a cool enough vibe for everyone. Seats are also limited (as if you didn’t know already) but don’t worry because they take in reservations (plus point for a cafe!).

Generally, the coffee here is not bad.  We ordered the Caffe Latte ($5) and Iced Mocha ($6.50).

I was pretty reluctant to go for the 8hr Pulled Pork Sandwich ($15) at first, since I’ve not been very accepting of sandwiches. However this one pulled through my expectations with a good spiced up mixture of pulled pork, coleslaw and carrot – a burst of flavors. The sauce which the pork has been marinated in may be a tad salty but it was the x factor, I felt.

A highly raved item on the menu would be the Buttermilk Waffles w/ Vanilla Icecream & Rum Bananas ($12.50) which I obviously could not let slip of. You can actually choose from either rum bananas or blueberry compote to go with the waffles and ice cream but for me, rum bananas seem a whole lot more delectable. From the thick, crispy brown waffle to the soft rum bananas (my highlight for the day), I could continue on with a second serving.

There is an array of cakes and pastries at the counter but oddly enough none were appealing to me except for the Lavender & Honey Cake ($5). As I took a bite into it I was deeply surprised by the immense taste of lavender from those bits. Along with the fluffy textures of the sponge cake, it ended my lunch on a memorable note.

If I had to nitpick, it would be that the portion sizes were somewhat small – I didn’t feel full after the meal, just alright. I guess you can only get that much with that better quality.  That set aside, DOC is the place to go if you haven’t. I just love their all-roundedness for coffee, brunch and vibe.

15 Duxton Road

Weekdays 10.30am – 7.30pm

Weekends 9.30am – 7.30pm

Behold the revival of Taiwanese desserts in Singapore. It has been a while since Blackball started operations, so I’m sure their name wouldn’t have gone unheard. With 6 outlets in Singapore currently, it’s quick expansion over a short period of a year or so shows how much popularity they’ve gained. I hope for continuous expansion too, for the outlet at Bugis+ which I frequent seems to be overcrowding.

If you’re at Blackball, it seems silly not to get the Blackball Signature ($4.90). Mostly found on every table at the outlets, a bowl of the signature consists of pearls, red bean, grass jelly, yam ball, yam, taro, sweet potato and sweet potato balls – basically a combination of every ingredient found on their menu put together into what have won many Singaporeans’ stomachs. You can choose to have it either hot, warm, cold or icy. (For me it’s a mandatory cold/icy.)

As for their drinks, perhaps you may want to think twice. I felt that the pearl milk tea I had was mediocre and not worth its price. I would get my favorite cup of Koi anytime.

Being a person who is more fond of chocolate cakes, ice cream and pies, I’m here to say that I’ve become a fan of the Blackball Signature. Unfortunately for my second visit there half of the ingredients were sold out and I could only make do with what they had left. So, advice is, get there as early as possible for the freshest and most abundant.

201 Victoria Street

Bugis+ #01-14

12pm – 11pm daily

Luxby – a chocolate discovery subscription service.

Thanks to David Tan, founder of Luxby for sharing about Luxby with me. Around 6 months ago, it originated from a trial box with truffles and pralines. However, due to high sensitivity to temperature and humidity, he decided to change them to chocolate bars for a higher resistance against those factors.

Luxby is now a full-fledged chocolate bar delivery service which delivers a box of premium chocolates to subscribers every month. It’s really nice to see such new services operating. Hassle-free and very much convenient for the chocolate lovers cum online shoppers.

What I loved about Luxby Chocolates is their choice of chocolates. Unlike the usual brands in Singapore, Luxby selects award-winning, boutique artisan chocolates hardly seen in Singapore from all over the world. Think Italy, France, USA, Belgium, Switzerland and more…

2 types of boxes are available – Box of 2 (2 chocolate bars) and Box of 3 (3 chocolate bars).

I had the box of 3 alongside with dear friend Amanda to help me taste them as well. Cafe Tasse’s milk chocolate from Belgium was a spot on for me. There were touches of salted caramel to every edge of the chocolate bar, which had me hooked to it. Adding on to my addiction were hazelnut bits. Crunchy.

Waialua’s Estate 70% cacao extra dark bars from USA came with a gradual tinge of sweetness from the flavor of berries. A lingering aftertaste stays in the mouth – not overwhelming but it satisfies. And lastly, Dolfin’s earl grey chocolate from Belgium is certainly good for earl grey lovers. With a scent of dark chocolate and tea, it was quite pleasant.

A premium option for gifting is on the way, featuring a better looking, hard cover and textured box with a pretty gift card and hand written message. Easily sent as surprises to your loved ones!

You can either subscribe to their monthly chocolates or simply buy the product “a la carte”. The notion of bringing the world of chocolates to your doorstep is certainly offered.

Find out more at their site www.luxby.sg

At the foot of the less visited side of Fort Canning Hills is a quiet area, now transformed into a party place for food. The Foodhills, is what I’ll call it.

At TFBB, the Xmas Special Sandwich ($11.5) is always here no matter the season. Of caramelized onions, salad, turkey breast, edam cheese and cranberry jelly in foccacia, their colors truly bring the christmas feel across. More than that, the combination of cranberry on turkey breast made the sandwich a little more than ordinary with a refreshing feel on your taste buds.

For the other main, I had a hard time choosing between eggs benedict and all the pancake flavors they had… In the end I ordered the Blueberry Pancakes ($11). Their pancakes, unlike the usual round and golden brown ones, were more old skool. They were a much darker shade of brown and had jagged edges. I would say they tasted as good as other ones. Among the fluffiness expect pops of whole blueberries embedded within. My only gripe is the insufficient maple syrup drizzled on the pancakes.

The Fabulous Baker Boy lives up to its name, so don’t forget to pick a few slices of cakes from the array. Even though it hardly looks a luscious red, the Red Velvet Cake ($8.5) is mostly spot on. The chocolate icing went incredibly well with the layers of red velvet surprisingly.

Last but not least…. Big Lub’s Carrot Cake ($8). Some comment that red velvet is their best but I beg to differ. Big Lub’s Carrot Cake was moist to my liking, sweet to the right amount and outlined with a copious serving of coconut shavings. Comparable to classic versions in Singapore.

That’s not all. TFBB serves a bigger mains menu for dinner on Fridays and Saturdays and also does customized birthday cakes and cupcakes. Other big names on the menu include pot pies, garlic fries, pastas and gourmet coffees. You can hardly get a seat on weekends especially so reservation is a must – as early as possible.

The Foothills

#01-15

70 River Valley Road

Tuesdays to Thursdays 11am to 6pm

Fridays  11am to 11pm

Saturdays 10am to 11pm

Sundays 10am to 5 pm