Foodography: A Singapore Food Blog

If you’ve been following my blog, you might know that I have a love for the new wing of Plaza Singapura, what with 2 satisfying meals at Hoshino and Hifumi previously. Nana’s Green Tea is a newer-comer to the Japanese food scene in PS which I’ve been eyeing on so boy was I excited to finally have a good opportunity to taste their food.

Of course, what other more obvious way is there to start the tasting other than ordering their green teas? On the menu is a few pages featuring their extensive range of green teas. The drinks here come in “thin” and not-so-thin versions as well. Specially for the health-conscious, the “thin” lattes come without milk and sugar in them. Otherwise, you may also hop over to the next page of hojicha lattes which are slightly different from its matcha counterparts. (Pictured above is the matcha latte and hojicha latte. The former comes with red bean paste and mochi as toppings while the latter is topped with chocolate sauce on whipped cream.)

I’ve heard bloggers raving about the Salmon Carpaccio ($8.80) so I knew I had to get my teeth sinking into them. The tender slices of salmon are served as an appetizer which was a great start to our meal. Drizzled heavily with sesame sauce, it became an addictive plate of sashimi-like goodness.

I find it interesting that from green tea drinks and desserts to non-green tea food, Nana’s Green Tea serves them in quality and not just quantity. I find it even more pleasing that with such appetizing mains and sides they come with an affordable price tag.

The Salmon Udon with Cream Sauce ($14.80), unlike the usual udon, is one served in a creamy soup base, reminding me of the creamy carbonara. Yet, the cream sauce used here is thinner and healthier compared to the rich cream of spaghetti which can make us sick of it at times. Coupled with cooked salmon slices, corn and broccoli, the udon was rather light on the tastebuds and certainly not too thick to my liking. I’m even starting to prefer cream udons to plain ones.

Another well-liked dish we had that day would be the Chicken Cutlet Curry Don ($13.80). It’s thick, succulent slabs of chicken nicely breaded and fried, eaten together with thick Japanese curry was a warm comfort which had us going back to the bowl for more.

When it comes to green tea, I’ve slowly became a huge fan of their dessert versions. I’m happy to see the variety of desserts served here, from tall glasses of parfaits to small bowls of jelly with green tea. Of all, the parfaits appeared rather tempting to me so I went ahead with the  Matcha Shiratama Parfait ($11.80) and Banana Chocolate Parfait ($12.80). I liked how the scoop of green tea ice cream on the matcha parfait was not too sweet, considering that the layer of vanilla ice cream in the middle was sweet enough.

Furnished by wooden frames which separates one table from the next, an intimate, cosy corner is available for diners. You get to spend quality time with your family and friends and the food gets to be shared (since they are filling). Let’s not forget the fact that the food are at comfortable prices.

Special thanks to Nana’s Green Tea and Diana from Publicist PR for the invite.

The Atrium @ Orchard

60B Orchard Road

Plaza Singapura #03-80/82

Daily 11am – 10pm

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