Foodography: A Singapore Food Blog

Nov 21 2012

Travel

Bali 2012: Skies to seas

A recent 5-day field study trip to Bali, Indonesia:

That was my first overseas trip with my SLR as my travelling companion so I got pretty excited. I will let pictures speak for themselves – my favorite 36 shots out of 900 over of them.

Sanur Paradise Plaza Hotel was not next to a beach, but fab enough. The 4-star hotel had a cool swimming pool enclosed by lush greenery surrounded by bright orange towers.
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Dinner on the first day was at the Legong Restaurant where we had a first sight of the Balinese Legong Dance.

The mangroves near a beach.

Sanur Beach was bustling with locals on that particular holiday. Kids and teens were everywhere and the heat did not seem to get into them.

The Uluwatu Cliff was a sight to behold. It was surreal.

This man was at the bottom of the cliff, doing what he was doing for a living in the sea at low tide. Before that we saw how he slipped out of an opening at the top and disappeared within seconds. Then in minutes he was there. A tiny figure, but it was him alright.

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Staring out from the cliff – what I saw was not a horizon, but The Horizon.

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At the temple on another cliff.

That evening/night, we had dinner at Melasti Cafe by the beach at Jimbaran. Correction, we had barbecued seafood dinner on the beach. One of my most amazing dinners ever – I have probably not seen such a beautiful sunset in my life.

Bajra Sandhi Monument in the morning.

We spent nearly an entire afternoon at an orphanage. I could still remember their faces – happy in the most innocent way. They made friendship bands with us; we taught them English.

The next morning we were at the Singapadu Cultural Village for egg-painting, wood-carving and batik painting.

The rest of the afternoon was dedicated to the breathtaking Mount Batur in Kintamani. When we arrived we had Indonesian buffet with a great scenery across craters.
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A small group of us were driven down to the crater lake of Mount Batur to conduct surveys with the locals. It was incredibly peaceful down there. I would call it the beauty of the soundless. The lake area was full of plantations of tomatoes, chili and cabbage with scattered houses.

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The lake was a nice sky blue matching the sky and that was when nature touches you.

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Last attraction stop was the Bali Bombing site.

And as cliche as it can be, I shall end with a quote.

“We are torn between a nostalgia for the familiar and an urge for the foreign and strange. As often as not, we are homesick most for the places we have never known.” – Carson McCullers

Tagged bali, travel

Nov 19 2012

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Food

Sarang Korean Restaurant

I’ve always adored Orchard Central after realizing it houses many hidden gems for a foodie like me. Sarang is located on the 7th level of Orchard Central with an indoor and alfresco area which looked like a brilliant place to hang out especially at night (when you can admire the lights at the heart of Singapore while ordering a couple of cocktails). On the other hand, the air-conditioned section is cozier with wooden furnishings. Featuring modern Korean cuisine, Sarang has been a favorite spot for Korea lovers (plus several Korean stars).

Being indecisive about what to order, both of us opted for a set meal with courses perfect for two persons at $58. Despite the steep price, it’s a great option for newbies to have a little taste of everything in the Korean cuisine. First up we had fresh kimchi with mini sides which are always a great way to start a meal with.

The Japchae, or sweet potato noodles, are stir fried in generous amounts of sesame oil with mixed vegetables.

The texture of the Basak Bulgogi – beef gulgogi on a sizzling hot plate was a tad too hard for my liking but the entire dish was still a good formation with more mixed vegetables.

Haemul tteokboki – rice cakes in spicy sauce with seasonal vegetables. The rice cakes were the type that are soft and easily chewed. Compared to harder, more chewy ones, I think both are worthy to try – each has its own good side.

World star army stew.

Our dessert that day was the korean version of ice kacang with less ice and more fruits. Other than the red beans and fruits, it was rather bland and it definitely looked better than it tasted.

\\ Just recently, Sarang has revamped its menu to give more taste of Seoul. I guess this gives me a reason to be back to experience the cool vibe at Sarang while choosing from more varieties of stews and more.

181 Orchard Central

#07-01

Fridays & Saturdays 1200-2300

Sundays – Thursdays 1200-2200

Tagged korean, restaurant, singapore

Nov 10 2012

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Food

Dean & Deluca: All Day Breakfast

Dean & Deluca has finally reached the shores of Singapore 3 months ago, taking over a small but airy corner of Orchard Central. If unknown to you yet, they are a chain of upscale grocery stores first established in SoHo, then expanding to countries round the globe including Tokyo, Dubai, Taipei and Seoul.

There was a huge hype about it when it first opened. Despite only visiting the place about a few weeks after its opening, we were still greeted by a snaking queue and eventually managed to grab a table after an hour’s wait. The dining area was rather small, accommodating no more than 20 diners at one go. Next to the dining area is a stretch of retail area for specialty foods. Other than its size, I loved the clean and white space.

The menu offers breads, pastries, salads, burgers/sandwiches and their popular all day breakfast. I was taken aback by the so many choices I could make, but I picked a pastry, a savory item and a breakfast item.

The Sticky Bun ($3.4) was a great way to start the meal. Topped on a warm, cinnamon bun was nuts with a sticky sweet paste over it. Coupled with a Hot chocolate ($5.5) seemed like the perfect combination. Also, do not forget to try their coffee.

I saw the mac & cheese ($10) in the glass counter in an odd shape of a cuboid. For $10, it was a rather huge serving. Unfortunately, the cheese was too dry and insufficient to give mac and cheese its flavor. Hence it felt seemingly impossible to finish the entire block.

The most popular section of its menu would be the all day breakfast. Almost every table had either the french toast or pancakes as I made the observation almost immediately. I had the Berries and flapjacks ($18) which was a work of art. The pancakes were dense and very, very sweet, appearing to have been soaked in buttermilk. The mixed berries were added beautifully and even though my pancakes were not stacked neatly, I could not have asked for more. Others on the menu include caramelized french toast, eggs iberico and new york breakfast.

After a hearty meal, take a walk down the gourmet grocery section and you can expect to find sweets, chocolates, baking ingredients (like colored sugars), mugs and gift sets. Dean & Deluca remains on my bucket list and I will expect to find myself there again.

Orchard Central

181 Orchard Road

#04-22/23/24

1100 – 2200 daily

Tagged food, singapore, western

Nov 05 2012

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Food

Eat @ Taipei

Eat At Taipei is located at JCube, the recent place hyped about months back when it opened. It is right beside the popular, featured ice skating rink, giving the place a cool atmosphere. Dining at the “bar” where you can look directly at skaters while eating can be awkward, but I liked it.

I was pretty disappointed with their Pearl milk tea ($2.5). The pearls were a tad too hard for our liking. The milk tea was rather mediocre and it certainly brought down standards of the place a lot, considering that most diners there have it as a must-drink-since-we-are-having-taiwanese-meal.

Also we ordered a must-have taiwanese side: Crispy fried chicken chop ($7.5). The rendition here was not too bad but nothing much could go wrong with fried chicken unless the batter is messed up.

For mains, they offer a range of noodles, rice dishes and bento sets. We opted for Minced pork noodles ($7.5) and Fried fish fillet with egg and tomato ($13.9). I felt that the noodles were too dry and lacked enough sauce as accompaniment of the minced pork. Otherwise, they would make a rather good eat. Their minced pork is of the right consistency, making it a good side for rice and noodles.

For the rice set, I loved how the fried fish dipped completely in tomato sauce with fried egg pieces. It made a better impression than sweet and sour sauce. Set meals here are quite worth the money – they also come with veggie and fruit fix to give you a full, satisfying tummy.

Overall, the food here is a hit and miss. Some cannot be stomached, some are alright and some are plain nice. I believe that gave rise to mixed reviews on this place. I would contemplate on going back there again, although it’s a great spot for skaters watching – an idea which I have come to like.

JCUBE

2 Jurong East Central

#03-03/18

1200 – 2200

Tagged food, singapore, taiwanese

Nov 01 2012

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Food

Smoulder: Mini Molten Mixtures

Craving for lava cakes but you do not have the feeling to dine at a restaurant?

Now you can takeaway mini lava cakes from Smoulder. Giving themselves the name of “Softcore Bakers”, the people behind Smoulder aimed to create lava cakes that were convenient, affordable and small. There are currently 9 main flavors of mini lava cakes, together with special flavors on special occasions and even newer flavors in the making.

This would mean a lot to a fan of lava cakes like me. Now, I can have them on any day of the week without much hassle. I like that the cakes were rather moist. Although it was difficult to achieve a flowy lava core after takeaway home, the now creamy core is still as delectable after reheating.

Intense dark chocolate (top): Despite dark chocolate not being my favorite type of chocolate, I found it alright. Except that it is a tad too intense for dark chocolate.

White chocolate raspberry (middle): This was strawberry shortcake sweet, with even real raspberry bits in it!

White chocolate pistachio (bottom): One of my favorites among the flavors I tried. The pistachio and white chocolate mixture is of consistency with a powering pistachio taste.

Signature dark chocolate (left): This was my favorite and also their most popular lava cake. It was especially good as a lava cake flavor as the bitterness of the dark chocolate cannot be felt.

White chocolate lemon (right): An exotic flavor for a molten cake. Since the cake was mini, it was rather refreshing as a break between the sweeter ones.

Milk chocolate rum and raisin: A more neutral flavor is given as the lesser content of chocolate mixes with raisins soaked in rum. Pleasant, but not a very good rendition for rum and raisin.

The Softcore Bakers call their lava cakes “Bite-sized Pleasures”. It is indeed easily finished with 2-5 normal bites, which gives space to try even more flavors together. Yet, they do not come as affordable as expected. A mini cake costs $3.2 and the cakes come at 3 for $9 and 9 for $25. The verdict is that certain flavors excel, while some are just alright. I would not mind trying new flavors though.

China Square Food Centre

51 Telok Ayer Street

#01-04

Weekdays 0800 – 2000

Saturdays 1100 – 15o0

Tagged cakes, dessert, food, singapore

Oct 28 2012

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Food

L’etoile Cafe

Reading reviews after reviews of L’etoile Cafe got me so excited to hunt it down. There is this joy that cannot be explained when you find a new place on your own, just based on a digital map of grids and grids. But anyways, L’etoile is pretty much accessible from Farrer Park, just a couple of streets away. Being there on a weekday afternoon, I had almost the entire cafe to myself and my eating companion. No wonder it is a favorite hangout for local stars.

The cafe consists of two storeys, with the first storey being more structured like a cafe and the second storey almost a fairytale-like corner with all sorts of furniture. Many would associate L’etoile cafe with their pretty wall decor of bird cages and tree branches, all beautifully painted by hand. A corner re-enacts the scene of a child’s playroom; another by the windows with lace curtains gives it a classic French environment.

L’etoile is a Japanese-French indie cafe serving coffees and simple western dishes. There is an all-day breakfast menu much to patrons’ liking including the usual big breakfast ($14.9) and eggs benedict ($12.9). The Banana nutella toast I had was a simple affair but nothing could go wrong with nutella and sliced bananas on toast. Not a thing seemed out of place and it made for a sinful yet fulfilling breakfast.

Of course, coffees are a must have at indie cafes. I had a cup of latte which came with a piece of old school biscuit. Despite the fact that the coffee was not hot enough for my liking, it was rather a good cup of latte, taste wise. By night, wine is also served, making it a romantic hole. I imagine star and moon gazing through the french windows with laced curtains – I wonder if it is as effective realistically.

Besides the food, L’etoile cafe is also a lifestyle store with all sorts of cute/quirky items which you can choose to purchase. And also, reading while dining in l’etoile seemed to be something that everyone did. The place was a great spot to do so.

160 Owen Road

Tuesday – Friday 1100 to 2200

Saturday – Sunday 0900 to 2200

Tagged Cafe, food, singapore, western

Oct 22 2012

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Food

The Coastal Settlement

It took me a long time to figure that I need a food therapy on both the extreme ends of Singapore, which seem to be abundant with food spots. After looking up reviews on the place, together with recommendations from my dear friends, I finally made the move down to The Coastal Settlement – a lonesome cafe sitting atop a barren piece of land among the lush of Changi.

Surprised was I to find that The Coastal Settlement – or what they call themselves as TCS, was bustling with the Sunday brunchers. This was despite the rain and inaccessibility.
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The menu did offer a wide variety. We had Truffle fries ($15) for appetizers – one of my favorite foods after my maiden encounter with it at Barracks Cafe @ Dempsey. The version over here was thicker and crispier.

My plate of Fettucine bolognese ($24) was huge with a generous serving of cheese of bolognese. Texture wise, I would prefer a spaghetti version compared to the fettucine. I get the idea of an attempt of a special rendition but unfortunately it did not pull off very well. Still, nothing could have gone wrong with bolognese.

The Cod and chips ($26) was rather normal – akin to missing a key to something.

On the other hand, the desserts were much more delightful. Accompanied by a scoop of chocolate ice cream, strawberries and bananas, the Waffles ($14) were thick and dense, especially suited for cake-lovers.

The Sea salt caramel cheesecake ($12) was my hit of the day. The styling of “spewed” caramel won my eyes over first. After that the awesome slice of cake won over my stomach. Let me mention also that their dessert accompaniments were well prepared – with a shout out for their nuts.

There are several distinct areas of the cafe which all boast different styles to them. The front and back of the cafe is of antique theme and sandwiched in between is the bar area and comfy sitting next to it. Then there is the outdoor dining – a myriad of colors and “scenery”. Each table tells a different dining experience – I knew that from hopping the tables myself. At the rear end outdoors I found childhood memories as well.

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With the above average prices of food from a casual eatery, it may be wise to think of making the money worthwhile. Yet I would not mind paying for a pleasant mix of food and atmosphere. That is the love-hate relationship we often have with food. Recently I have been choosing to love than to hate. I shall end this post with my favorite shot of the alfresco area.

200 Netheravon Road

Singapore 508529

Tuesday to Sunday: 1030 – 0000

Tagged east, food, fusion, singapore, western

Oct 17 2012

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Food

Mun Ting Xiang Tea Hut

Located in the now less frequented Toa Payoh entertainment centre, Mun Ting Xiang Tea House specializes in simple Taiwanese bites, snacks and meals. Despite the oldness of the eatery and location, it felt cosy and warm enough for a simple yet fulfilling meal between two friends. I have heard that the place have undergone renovation before but did not change much. Even on a weekend, the customers came in a slow stream. Perhaps that is what I partly fancy about this place as well.

Milk teas, fruit juices, shakes and coffees are on the drinks menu. It is highly recommended to opt for their traditional taiwanese milk teas which are a tad different from the commercialized bubble milk tea but equally enjoyable. Chocolate milk tea ($4.8) on the left and the wheat milk tea ($4.8) on the right.

Just some plain o’ chicken wings which I felt were normal but had a homely feeling of home-cooked fare. They were especially soft and tender.

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The Special Golden Pillow ($4.5) was a hidden gem. The crispy crust of the covering was my favorite. Hidden beneath was a warm mixture of mushrooms and meat held in a creamy suspension. It indeed ‘warms’ people up.

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Although the food here is not incredibly impressive, the comfort prices have more than made up for them. Other popular snacks like the vermicelli and fried chicken are also available and all of them are under $10 on the menu. This is the place to go if you’re on a budget yet having the need to satisfy your cravings of Taiwanese street snacks.

450 Lorong 6 Toa Payoh

#01-03/04

Toa Payoh Entertainment Centre

Tagged food, singapore, taiwanese

Oct 13 2012

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Food

The Marmalade Pantry II

I had fell in love with the Marmalade Pantry after my maiden visit to grab some cakes. You can read that post here. Since then, I’ve made another two visits to the Pantry, one for lunch and the other for dinner. Of course, I’m more than delighted to conclude that not only do they serve great desserts, their mains are equally competitive.

Hot Chocolate ($7)

The Spaghetti Carbonara with poached eggs ($24) is one of the more popular choices for main courses and it’s not hard to understand how. Presentation wise, it has already won over stomachs with its sleek classiness. I like that the cream sauce is much more fluid which is surprisingly better for the carbonara.

I also had the Pork & fennel seed sausage lasagna ($24) as to which I felt was a tad to0 dry within the layers and especially the mushrooms.

The Sticky date and toffee pudding ($14) reminds me of Plain Jane who shot to fame. Lightly drizzled with caramel, it is accompanied by a sweeter vanilla scoop of ice-cream. Though a simpler creation that wouldn’t seem much, you would still be able to be preoccupied with it. Perhaps a light way to end off a heavy meal.

The cinnamon spiced apple cake with cream cheese frosting ($7) felt somewhat like a carrot cake. Although there may be better renditions, it was a good attempt by the marmalade pantry that would make it rank above average.

Chocolate lovers can fret not as there is the Old fashioned chocolate fudge cake ($7). It’s name gives an apt description of itself – so don’t expect to find thick and rich chocolate cakes.

Other ‘hot’ items on the menu include steak and eggs, the mexican chicken salad and of course my favorite sea salt caramel cheesecake. The Marmalade Pantry is a place I wouldn’t mind going again and again: accessibility and elegance of the location appeals, high quality of main courses tempts, contenders of cupcakes, tarts and cakes make you hungry again.

2 Orchard Turn

ION Orchard

#03-22

10 am to 10 pm daily

// Also: today’s the first anniversary of my food blog. So far I’m enjoying the process. And relishing every moment of morsels in my mouth. Even though I can only be considered an amateur on casual mode half of the time, my blog is definitely growing. None of these would have been possible without you people and I would especially like to send my kisses to all followers, viewers, commenters, hosts and close ones who have eaten with me in one way or another.

Cheers to another year of eating. Come and eat with me.

Tagged food, singapore, western

Oct 05 2012

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Food

Creamier: Waffles and ice-cream!

I love how there seem to be ever new trends in the local food scene. Increasingly, small yet comfortable parlors of food are being opened below the blocks of housing estates. Sometimes I can’t stop wishing for a magical row of them to appear at the void deck of my flat and they shall magically change themes every week. But that’s my wishful thinking.

A single scoop of ice cream comes at $2.9 while a double scoop at $4.9. If you order the premium flavors they’re at $3.9 and $6.5 respectively. I tried both the sea salt gula melaka and banana chocolate flavors on Belgian waffles – the flavors were combinations of my favorite ingredients. Perhaps some would find the sea salt gula melaka really salty but for a sea salt lover like me it was quite something to brag about. Creamier has got a collection of unique flavors that’ll make me tempted again: lime mojito, pineapple chili sorbet, rum and raisin, earl grey lavender and so much more.

Other sidekicks on the menu would be coffee and light bites like the quiche I had too. Somehow it made a good end after my indulgence of ice cream. It’s pretty nice that the residents in the area can simply takeaway pints of ice cream and waffles back home to enjoy.

Essentially, the thing about Creamier is the ice cream…. with waffles. Yes, their crispy waffles can steal the show.

Also, I found the space cosy and comforting, especially as I went on a Sunday morning when all you need is a dessert moment. You’ll find that Creamier draws all kinds of people from the estates with patrons frequently bustling in and out – both young and old, and especially families. Creamier is rather much accessible too – I can see myself dropping by soon.

Blk 128 Toa Payoh Lorong 1

#01-835

Tuesday – Thursday: 1200 – 2200
Friday – Saturday: 1200 – 2300
Sunday: 1200 – 2200

Tagged dessert, food, ice cream, singapore, waffle

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