Long Absence

Hello everyone!  Happy New Year!  

I haven't been blogging for quite some time and it feels like this is my first time writing a blog.  My 2012 was a topsy-turvy ride, some great and wonderful while some are not meant to be remembered things I just rather forget.  Hopefully my 2013 will be a year full of fun, laughter, love and maybe...just maybe I'll get to have my sweet bundle of joy!  Oh the things we hope for!  "Hope" my favorite word this year.

First off on my chatter is My KL Food Jaunts.

This has been long brewing in my draft box and I thought I should start with it.  KL has become one of our (hubby & I) favorite food stop.  The food are awesome and affordable.  

My favorite stops are:

LOT 10 Hutong 
Lot 10 Shopping Centre
Lower Ground Floor
50 Jalan Sultan Ismail

Hubby & I always go for Kum Leen Kee Hokkien Mee.  But this time he decided to try the Char Kway Teow below.  Just make sure you come early before the lunch time crowd or during weekends as the queue can get really long.  

Tarbush (Middle Eastern Restaurant)

http://www.tarbush.com.my/

Tarbush has become one of our favorite restaurant.  I can't even remember how we came to know about it. Hubby & I, we get our hommus, tabouleh & baba ganoush fix here.  I can just eat appetizers and I'm a happy camper.  I love that they serve their flat bread nice and warm.  We always go to the one in Starhill Gallery as the service and ambiance is better than the one along Bukit Bintang.   

We love the Biryani Lamb and we also get some Mix Grill platter of Shish Tawook, Shish Kebab, Lamb Cubes and Grill Arayes to share.  

BISOU Cupcakes

Of course when I'm in KL I always drop by Bisou, my sweet stop. Located at Level 3 Suria KLCC. 

Love the Red Velvet,Classic Chocolate Cupcake & Vanilla Cupcake with Lemon Frosting.  http://www.bisou.com.my/index.htm  

Up next...BEN'S a new favorite!  Until my next blog.  Cheers!

Missing in Action

I would say that I've been eaten up in my own world,  got all caught up with life which is called "job", plus over 3 months without a maid and a demanding and irritatingly sweet hubby.  I got swallowed whole and have been spitted out feeling overly tired and grouchy. But one thing remained constant that makes me happy and warm all over...food!


I have so much to share!  Yummy and scrumptious food during my more than 3 months of absence in cyberspace.  Do they still call it cyberspace?  Anyway, I will try my best to post a few before the month ends and  should be able to find time during my long awaited one week holiday with the hubby.   I hope to get some R & R, get recharged and hopefully get lots of sleep.  And oh, will get lots of bubble bath time too!


Here's a glimpse of what's coming up on my blog...soon!

Brekkie at Antoinette's

Back at Maison Kayser!

My KL Food Trips!  

My visit at PAUL'S 

Lot's more to come just don't have the time!  

Dim Sum Cravings

A few weeks back, I was craving for dim sum and so I ask hubby to take me out to eat. Crystal Jade is good enough for me but hubby insists that I should try the dim sum at Canton Paradise at 112 Katong Mall. 

 Here's what we feast on...

We had the Sample Platter of their bestseller  Crackling Pork Belly & BBQ Pork Belly with Honey Sauce.   Heaven on a platter!  The Crackling Pork Belly just melts in your mouth & the skin is so crispy.  I have to stop and let it linger a bit on my palette.  The BBQ Pork Belly is just as good!  Caramelised smoky BBQ goodness.  

Of course we also had some of our favorites like Har Gau (Shrimp Dumplings).

My all time favorite Char Siew Sou did not disappoint.  The pastry is flaky, melts in your mouth while the BBQ Pork filling is moist, tasty & not overly sweet.  Just perfect!

These Baked Buns with BBQ Pork is their take on Tim Ho Wan's Baked BBQ Buns in Hong Kong which I have also tried.  Canton Paradise take on these famed buns are just okay to me, it taste good but Tim Ho Wan is still the best.   

I can't seem to recall the name of these pastries but I think its some sort of like a mini   Chicken Pie with mushrooms.  My hubby loved it but I'll remain loyal to my Char Siew Sou.

Another favorite of mine is the Fried Beancurd Skin Roll with Shrimp.  My hubby always say that I love the black vinegar dip more than the rolls itself!  

Now these Deep Fried Prawn with Mango Rolls are just delish!  The combination of prawn and the sweetness of mango is just wonderful!   

Another favorite of mine are Wontons in Hot & Spicy Sauce.  I can eat bowls of these!

Yet another favorite dim sum is the Steamed Rice in Lotus Leaf (Lo Ma Gai).  It was pretty good but kinda filling though the portion is just nice for one person.  


Didn't get the chance to try the sweet desserts because obviously we are stuffed to the gills!  Overall it was a satisfying visit...the answer to my dim sum cravings & I will definitely go back!   


Canton Paradise
112 East Coast Road
B1-15 Katong Mall
Opening Hours
Mon-Fri 11:00am to 9:30pm
Sat-Sun & PH 10:30am to 9:30pm

I Love Chirashi Sushi

Besides  pretty cakes, pastries & chocolates...I also love Japanese food!

The fatty tuna, salmon roe, those crispy ebi tempura & soft shell crabs, the wonderful tonkatsu, cold soba oh I could go on & on!  But one of my favorite is Chirashi Sushi, I call it my one bowl of goodness.  Everything I want is in one bowl & I love the vibrant colors...it makes me happy!

The 11 Kinds Chirashi Sushi at Tampopo Grand in Takashimaya is a bit pricey but worth your money.  You'll know you are paying for quality stuff!  The uni taste wonderful by the way among other things.

I also want to share this Eggplant with two kinds of Miso paste.  It was the first time I had it hubby ordered it as it looks interesting.  It was a bit salty for me but the miso flavors (I think its black & white miso paste) compliments the roasted eggplant, also from Tampopo Grand.

I had this bowl of Chirashi Sushi at Hoshigaoka Japanese Restaurant in Isetan Scotts.  My Chirashi Sushi comes with a set of tempura, a bowl udon soup & green tea ice cream.  Hubby had his favorite cold soba noodles with tempura, some sushi, miso soup & green tea ice cream.  Set Lunch from $9.80++.

Here are a few places I go to whenever I get some sudden Japanese food cravings:

"Itacho Sushi" at Ion Orchard.  You can also check out the one at Bugis Junction.  There's a long queue most of the time but what we usually do is go there early before lunch starts or later like around 3pm.  

"Tampopo Restaurant" at Liang Court.  Always crowded & long queue at times.  We have been here a few times & they have a wide range of Japanese favorites on their menu.

"Ramen Santouka" at The Central if you got that ramen craving.  It's apparently the best ramen in Singapore.   You have to go if you are a Ramen connoisseur!  I will definitely blog about this one day.

"Tarafuku Japanese Buffet" is a cluster of Tampopo Group.  If you are looking for quality Japanese buffet head to the Basement of 313 Somerset.   

"Saboten" at Parco Marina Bay if you are craving for some good Tonkatsu.   Yummy in your tummies!

"Shimbashi Soba" at Paragon when soba cravings kick in!  The desserts here are pretty amazing too.  

料理を楽しむ!  生を楽しむ!  

Enjoy Food!  Enjoy Life!

A Visit to A l’Etoile d’Or by David Lebovitz

We're going to see each other again Paris...


The Candy and Confections of A'Etoile d'Or in Paris from David Lebovitz on Vimeo.

A Hodgepodge of Sweets

Who doesn't love pretty cakes, yummy pastries & sinful chocolates?  Let me show you a collection of all the good stuff I have tried in the past year of which added inches on my waistline & made my sweet life even sweeter!

Octa Hotel Cafe - Is an imaginary hotel located in the imaginary 8th District of Paris which is actually located inside Parco Marina Bay. Octa Hotel first opened 1989 in Fukuoka, Japan.  Love the ambience, the Parisian cozy cafe feel to it, from the pretty chairs & wallpapers to the lovely dessert plates. It is a place worth checking out! We shared Gateau Au Fromage (Cheesecake) which was pretty good but I wish it has a thicker crust. We also had the signature Blueberry Pie which was not overly sweet, lovely flaky crust & the generous fresh cream topping!

http://www.octahotel.com/news/octa-hotel-singapore/

1-Caramel - I had a sweet craving whilst waiting for our movie to start.  This cozy cafe at that time was then located in between Cathay Picturehouse & Plaza Singapura. We shared a slice of Mango Mascarpone which was refreshingly light & tangy & the Chocolate Praline Tart (not really sure if I got the name right) just simply answered my sweet craving.  Overall it was a pleasant treat!  You can get your sweet treats at 1-Caramel Espresso Bar located at 1 Raffles Place OUB Centre or at 1-Caramel Dessert Boutique located at the 2nd floor of 1 Rochester Park.  http://www.1-caramel.com/

Korean Food Cravings

After watching Anthony Bourdain's Layover show "Los Angeles" it gave me a sudden craving for Korean food. My cravings almost always gets pumped up whenever I watch my fave food shows.  So I told my husband, next weekend we are going to feast on Korean food.  Here's what we had...

Octupus Stir Fry on Rice was delish but I wish there's more of them!  It just hits the spot, I love the flavor and not overly spicy.   

The Banchan (side dishes) are served buffet style so you can take as much as like.  We went a tad bit early for lunch and so the banchan buffet was not really what a buffet banchan feast would look like.  Either they are not expecting a lot of customers that day or it may have always been like that.  I was a bit disappointed.  But I'm happy for as long as there are loads of kimchi!

We also had Spicy Pork Stir Fry which was pack with Korean chili sauce goodness!  I love this dish so much that I plan to try and make it at home.   I'm still looking for recipes and will blog about it for sure!

Maison Kayser - Boulangerie & Patisserie

When I saw this bakery from a far, I can almost tell that I'll be spending some money on good bread.  Since childhood I have always been a huge fan of breads and pastries.  Growing up around my grandfather's bakery, the smell of freshly baked bread is home.  So whenever I see a bakery or just passing along one I always end up checking what they have and more often than not, walk away with a bag of bread.

Hubby and I came about Maison Kayser on our way for brekkie at Wild Honey.  Maison Kaiser is located at the basement of the new Scotts Square Mall just right next to Fairprice Finest supermarket.  We came really early to avoid the crowd at Wild Honey as it's almost always have a long queue.  Unfortunately, we are not that early and the waiting time was 30 minutes!  So, we decided to have croissants and coffee instead at Maison Kayser and I'm so glad we did!  

All breads are freshly baked on location and since we came early some are still baking in the oven!  If only I can try them all!  I'll definitely be coming back.  

Oh My Crab Bee Hoon!

This has been brewing in my draft box for weeks and imagine if this is real food stored in my draft box it'll start to smell already!  Eeek!   Anyway, I only had Crab Bee Hoon twice at the same restaurant and really I've got nothing to compare it with.  So, note to self -- to try other Crab Bee Hoon!  I hope this post will also help me find other yummy Crab Bee Hoon to try through the help of my not so many readers or followers.  

Just our luck we got a female crab with lots of roe! The gravy is not too thick and just perfect for the bee hoon. If you don't want to get your hands dirty, this is not for you.  I'm lucky I have a husband who does all the cracking and shelling for me...haha!

The best part is when the bee hoon get all soaked up and absorbed the yummy goodness of the gravy.  Slurp away!

Pique Nique - All Day Breakfast

I finally get to try Pique Nique! 


Whenever hubby & I are in town I always keep in mind to either have breakfast or lunch at Pique Nique but more often we kinda end up having a grub somewhere else.  So finally one weekend, we decided to have a quick bite to eat before heading home.  

We came at such weird timing I think it was close to 4pm...I was torn between having breakfast (after all they serve all day breakfast) or just try those that I know are yummy based on what I read on reviews & whatnot. Unfortunately, the popular mac & cheese was no longer available for the day...ugggh!  I was so looking forward to it.

So I decided to try the French Toast with salty caramel sauce which was delish by the way, while hubby had the Hottest Dogg (pork sausage, hot meat sauce, relish, shredded cheddar cheese & homemade bun).  My French Toast was surprisingly very good!  I love the soft homemade bread it's very light & fluffy.  I would definitely have it next time. 

Momofuku - Thanksgiving Croissants

Just want to share this video from Serious Eats...I wish I'm in NYC right now so I can try one of these yummy croissants!!!  

Bak Chor Mee

I love Bak Chor Mee!   I always order mine with extra dash of black vinegar and slices of liver.   Like Wanton Mee, you can most likely get it at any hawker centres, kopitiams or food courts.  Bak Chor Mee comes in many variants and I've tried a couple of the best ones as well.   There are a lot of good stalls around its just a matter of finding one!

I got my bowl of goodness at a Kopitiam in Tampines One.  I had it for brunch with my hubby on one of those lazy Sunday trip to the supermarket.  But more often my hubby would drive me to the one at Seng Kee at 316 Changi Rd. which I think is the best I ever had.  We were just there last night but not for the Bak Chor Mee!  We came to eat Crab Bee Hoon and the wonderful Fish Maw soup which I'm going to post real soon!

Have a great weekend everyone!  

Wanton Mee Please!

It's been a while since my last post and as usual I've got a lot to share that's been brewing in my drafts folder. Anyway, I hope my writing streak will continue on and will try my best to post at least 4 entries a month. I've got a lot of time this weekend to post as much as I can.

Let me start off with a favorite "Wanton Mee". There are a lot of places that sells wanton mee in Singapore, it's everywhere and finding the best is kinda hard to pin point.  Almost everyone has their own favorite hawker! Each has it's own signature taste and different ways of serving it. Hubby & I tried quite a few places and mostly all of them never disappoint.  How can you not love these bowls of goodness!

We had our wanton mee fix at the Old Airport Road Food Centre.  Please note that there are 3 wonton mee stalls there and two of them are just right next to each other.  One is called Hua Kee Hougang Wanton Mee and the other Cho Kee Noodle.  Both have queues but Hua Kee seems to have the most queue.  We tried Cho Kee's noodles instead because when we are hungry, we have no patience to wait and queue.    

I thought I'd be disappointed but I was wrong.  At first glance it looks like the char siew pork is a tad bit dry but once you mix everything up the wonderful sauce underneath made a lot of difference.   It was perfect!  

The deep fried wantons are so crispy beyond imagination.  You see, some wantons I've tried the skin tend to be a bit hard.  These wantons are just wonderful,  it melts in your mouth!

I would love to go back and try the other stall's Wanton Mee. I'm very keen on finding out the difference between the two.    Wait for my Wanton Mee, Part Two!