No Pain, No Love

If you’re Singaporean, chances are you’ve probably been to Hong Kong, at least once a year. It’s less than four hours away. And the food is delish!

I know, I know. The shopping’s ace. It really is. But the food is achingly gorgeous, devastatingly yummy and blindingly spicy.

There are so many makan places I attacked with my over-ambitious appetite in cute little dresses and knee-high black patent leather boots.

The one place you MUST go is the Agnes b. café. It is the only Agnes b. eatery in the world. Why Hong Kong, you ask? Well, I honestly don’t know. Maybe it is recognized for being the true foodie place in Asia where experimental art meets tasty sophistication. Price tags not included. Who looks at how much stuff costs on the menu anyway? Who?

You sit at a table and order whatever you like and then get ushered out after card’ing a check which you don’t even look at. Well, that’s how I do it.

Anyhoo, back to the Agnes b. café which is properly known as “Le Pain Grille” or literally "Toasted Bread". The minute you enter the wooden doors, you are transported to a charming little place in Paris. The white French curtains held up by wooden rods create a surreal feel to the Parisienne furniture. The special items of the day are written vigorously on a chalk board that plays a mobile role throughout the room.

Order the mussels…they are amazingly fresh and soaked in a aromatic broth in a cream-coloured bowl. All cutlery is branded with “Le Pain Grille”. How cute is that? And the bruschetta is oh-so-lovely. Chopped tomatoes are rosy and heaped onto toasted baguette which is crispy, soft and crunchy in the mouth.

The most memorable part of the meal, of any meal, are the desserts. I tried a few of them including the hazelnut praline and blueberry cheesecake. Ahhh….what is life without sugar? And the different ways they can be eaten makes life that much sweeter.

I am so very impressed by this unassuming café simply because I never expected it to be that good. It’s like when I was on a search for the best apple tart in Singapore and I ruled the former DKNY Café with the winning recipe. The café has since moved to the Club 21 I-shop in Cathay Cineleisure.

Remember these three words when in Hong Kong – Le Pain Grille.

SUSHI, SMOOSHIE

I never used to like rice but with sushi, I temporarily convert my dislikes into do-able. The Japanese can do that to you. It's pretty funny how I used to be so picky about what went into my mouth and now, I've become adventurous all in the name of "passione"...the tireless pursuit for ultimate happiness in the simple things in life - medium rare beef steak (wagyu, no wagyu, what's the diff?), reverse California maki (best done in Akashi), and steamed custard bun nuked by sunset-orange salted egg (of course, only at Imperial Treasure).

I totally dig when Madonna alerts me with "Get ready to jump now, baby. Get ready to jump."

Sitting in a restaurant, not knowing what you ordered and having no idea why, is like jumping into a seemingly calm lake with your clothes on. You don't know what's in the water, you don't care. You only know one thing, there's no turning back. Like when I was in Amici @ Holland Village the other day, I was in my usual "just because I feel like it" mood. But I really wished I could have turned back and headed for the nearest roti prata mama shop. I actually stayed on with my friend where we were adequately tortured with aglio olio which tasted like soggy salted pretzels, and a pizza with limp yellow slices of Asian tomatoes on Asian cheese - all these at a self-professed AUTHENTIC ITALIAN restaurant. Seriously. Seriously.

I don't know why I'm ranting. I guess I felt conned. Aiyoh.

SCANDALOUS

I LOVE EATING. I LOVE EATING IN HONG KONG. It's sooooo fabulous-o. I don't see why people here aren't as fat as they should be. They are constantly chomping on some carb-central snack in a local joint for breakfast or slurping smoky noodles at a popular cha tien. Expect to get shoved walking from one cramped street to another even more crowded one. Personal space is ignored by the middle-aged auntie rushing on foot to her yum cha lunch with her mahjong friends. Or by the busy city taxi driver who is grabbing his first meal of the day when the sun's blasting in all her fury, and the maddening tourist crowd thickens.

Of course, I joined in the thick of the masticating action the second I stepped onto this very yummylicious city. Wanna see? Amazing eats at plebeian prices. Check it out, folks. Must-see, must-try, must-cry mum-mum for the change in your pocket. Really cheap lah. Cheep cheep.

Sweetened pear tea is hot stuff in a mug, with a must-bite into french-like toast with a squarish slab of oily butter and drenched in home-made maple syrup. Very rich, very me :) Personally, the girlie version of carb-infested snack-ness is the butter toast interlaced with well-behaved condensed milk (i.e. not dripping at the sides).

Hawt.

Fashion On Your Plate

Have you been to Brown Sugar? It was my first time last week. It's in Stardus Clubhouse. A frosted door claims its name to makan fame, which I easily walked pass unknowingly, ending up at the end of the corridor. I found myself in the communal bathroom. Where was the bistro anyway?

I backed up a number of steps and ah ha! Found the frosted door and the not-so-conspicuous Brown Sugar logo smiling at me. It's not a very big space but I quickly nestled myself against

the soft couch and comfy cushions. If not for my friends' arrival to the table, I would have taken a well-sought-after snooze. Very tired that evening, man.

We ordered a sea of stuff, much to my delight! And everything looked gorgeous! (best said with a posh British accent)

Each plate had an equally gorgeous title attached to them too...hmmmmmmm...

Deconstructed apple salad with walnuts, Wagyu beef burger with tossed salad, fresh cod with slim-wedge fries, aglio olio made friendly with pine nuts, molten lava with Varlhona chocolate meshed with vanilla ice-cream, pear tartin paired with honey & fig ice-cream....the list goes on.

I'm gonna check out the lamb the next time I sashay my way to this Mohamed Sultan 'do. If they do good lamb, they must be good. I couldn't help but compare them to Wild Rocket though. Similar genre of food and emphasis on presentation and tastes. Which one I prefer? Ssssssssh...Let me lamb it before I reveal this succulent secret.

They were all yummy-doodles and oh-so puh-ree-tee. A must-do for a cosy third date or a fun reunion with close friends or even a casual business lunch to feed the hungry client.

Fantasize with these pictures. Very gorgeous, very me ;D

The More I See You, The More I Love You

Soooooo death-defyingly Jill-o-licious is the sticky toffee pudding I just had at Highlanders @ Clarke Quay. Just had, as in a few hours ago! A girlfriend of ours is in town for a few weeks from Sydney. It's so fun to catch up after a long while. And you know girls, we talk and talk and talk about every nitty gritty thing. Hah :)

Anyhoo, the sweet-o-rama dessert engaged with chocolate chip cookie ice-cream and bordered with a mini sliver of almond biscotti was ab fab, y'all! It's sweet enough to make you drool for more, and yet not overly sweet to cause you a sugar crash the next day.

I dislike toffee on its own. The candy looks, tastes and smells synthetic, very manufactured. Ugh. But this toffee was so NOT! This glossy remake from butter, milk and molasses or plain sugar was rockin' with the malt whiskey that was generously seeped into the toffee cake mixture.

Complimented with chewy chocolate ice-cream that was D to the E to the L to the I to the C-I-O-U-S, it was mighty fine. This was one plate you couldn't pull away from me, at least not for long. When the pudding arrived, everyone around the table wanted a taste. So the white china did do its tour and was voted "very good" by four gregarious, cuteness central ladies. "Very Good" really means wah lau, why I didn't order this? Now I have to watch her finish it but I can only have one bite. Pai seh mah, not my dessert.

Not bad for a debut appearance.

Loosen Up My Buttons, Babe

Sweet Surrender. That’s my theme song, you know the one from Sarah McLachlan. Thought I’d share with you some of the mighty fine-looking candies I’ve laid my eyes upon, and was moved to stab a fork into.

Starbucks’ strawberry tart is something, isn’t it? It’s so worth the money and the calories. The strawberry chunks are pretty big, so it does offset the sugar loaded in the rockin’ pastry...I think...I hope. Can share one. Looks teeny but really packed with grub-a-licious, so delicious, yum-in-my-tum from the L-I-C-I-O-U-S.

Carrot cake from Toast. I just can’t rave enough about it. It’s the best in the country! Crammed with chockfuls of pineapple, walnuts and raisins smooshed into real carrots and moist cake, this is the best treat to a long day or to celebrate the end of a crazy diet. Slathered with true-blue cream cheese, you’d be tempted to inhale the whole cake.

A really simple yummy-doodle treat is almond beancurd with longans, which I LOVE at The Ship. They don’t serve it all the time, but when they do, you wish they could serve it in a bigger sundae cup! It’s so smooth-tasting, very refined really. It doesn’t taste synthetic at all which most jello tend to be. And it gives off an aromatic almond smell.

Ooooh….the curd just glides into your mouth and skis into your tummy through your throat. So light, you’ll have space for more desserts…happy days are here again :)

Sweet Dreams Are Made Of These...

I love CANDY. I LOVE CANDY.
Anything that’s saccharine-sweet and smells extravagantly lovely, I naturally gravitate towards. Naturally.

One of my favorite yummy-doo-dum-dums, out of a gazillion million desserts which have toured my almost-30-year-old, well-used and weather-resistant intestines, is the most princessy cupcakes which seriously melts in your mouth and instantly makes you very happy. VERY HAPPY.

Sugar never looked so good. These cupcakes from Carnival & Co are so awesome, I kept ordering the regular and mini ones. A lot of them for myself, and some for family and friends. Alamak, eat until whole box finish lah (5 Big Pieces). I’m so happy my friends really enjoyed them, that almost all of them ordered more boxes for the Christmas season. The cupcake designs are so puh-ree-tee. Great as alternatives to birthday cakes! No more messy knifes and weirdly-sized slices of crumbling cake. Cupcakes are so now, you gotta have them for at least ONE birthday this year. Then you’ll get it!

And the other woo-hoo chomping favorite is the carrot walnut cake from Toast @ Ngee Ann City. Truly one of the best in the country. With Cedele Depot @ Wheelock Place running in tandem for the top spot. The cream cheese is wonderfully smooth, and unbelievably gorgeous with the main cake made of shredded carrots and embedded walnut chunks. The type of cream cheese makes all of the difference, as the temperature used to store these cakes. Very important lah. One of the grossest cakes I’ve ever tasted are at Coffee Bean’s. They taste old and the cheese on the carrot cake is eewness central. You can tell immediately by the stale-looking color. Maybe it was a one-off incident which I experienced with a friend who really didn’t mind forking her way through the eeky carb-mess.

But I just love chocolate. CHOCOLATE is the Champion of all desserts, folks! So I crown this the week of chocolaty pleasures. This means intense chocolate-blogging for a limited time only.

Come back every day before you get hit with sugar crash = chocolate feeding time.

Until then, feel the tiara, says Love Princess.

Chinatown Blues

Mediocre. Is what I would use on Chinatown, our Chinatown. It was a little drizzly and wet the night I was there with LG. I even bumped into a friend of mine who announced my name pretty loudly, but you know, no one really turned around or cared to find out which human-ling of the so-so-crowd belonged to the name. Whatever. *pair of interlocked V ‘s on forehead*

To the left already, a la Beyonce.

Aside from lacklustre atmosphere, wet furniture and a one-off appearance of cheesy trishaws transporting clueless tourist couples to wherever at rip-off prices in disco renditions of nineties’ pop hits, the food fare was BOR(E)-RING. Really, people. Ugh, ugh, ugh. *stomping silver Gucci python pump heels*

I went all the way there, in my favorite gold Roberto Cavalli drawstring tote, and cute Topshop Unique dress which I vacuumed-packed from Oxford Circus, to ingest fumes from the long line of standalone food stalls. AND. Swiftly chopstick my way from the plasticky plate of char kway teow (fried broad noodles in dark sauce), into my hungarian mouth. (I’m not really Hungarian, but what else could you call someone who’s hungry? Hun or Hungry-let? Duh.)

The color looked right and the taste was sufficiently balanced between the sweetness of the dark sauce and saltiness of the MSG. But the absence of lab cheong (Chinese sausage) was deeply felt and sadly missed. The school-canteen-like dish was drab-looking and depressing. Sad-o-rama.

The seafood selection looked happier and cheery but I wasn’t craving for crustaceans and friends. But I did check out the ah balling with LG.

Read her blog on : http://ladyglam.blogs.friendster.com/ladyglam/

Ah Balling refers to stuffed rice glutinous balls in hot soup. The store here was (wo)man-ned by two little old ladies who were struggling to get the orders right. It can be quite a challenge, folks! There were a bunch of stuffings and soup flavors which you, as a willing makan-ster, could choose from which promotes consumer empowerment. And extreme work stress for our senior-citizen aunties :( The price though is almost free! Two bucks for 6 balls…S-I-X…Cheap-o-rama. Yasui ne! Murah Lah. We shared a bowl of green tea, peanut and black sesame balls in ginger soup. The ginger concoction was heavily hinted with white sugar and some ginger oomph. Not very happening.

The green tea ah balling was mochi-like. The paste was clumpy even in hot soup and tasted blasé. As for the black sesame, LG, you comment since you ate ALL of them! And for the peanut ones, mmmmmmmmm, they punctuated the end of my dinner with a sweet and happy ending. Melt-in-your-mouth fluidity and crunchy texture cradled in gooey rice sold me to these things for life.

Come on now, get ballsy in the new year. *wink*

I Was Bait

The best Curry Fish Head I’ve set my eyes upon is discreetly simmering in an aromatic area of Singapore that is well-acquainted with me; Nam Kee’s chicken rice, Dino’s swiss roll, icekimo’s chempedak dessert and The Roti Prata House’s milk-injected-dough prata.

Follow the inviting smells and you would be in Upper Thomson – A nostalgic street especially since I’ve been fed paranormal doeses of siu bak, char siew and steamed chicken at Nam Kee’s ever since I was knee-high. My parents would drive us kids there almost every Saturday. I was reminiscing about this place with friends just the other day. They too have patronized this family joint for years, and watched three generations manage the business, and 2-3 restaurant renovations.

However, the hot and spicy focus right now is Hooked on Heads. What’s that? It does sound dodgy, doesn’t it? Hahahah! I passed by this restaurant at Sin Ming Plaza many times but never ventured to go in. Thought it was “Hooked on Beads”. Hello. Wake up and feel the tiara, Love Princess.

My daddy insisted we give it a go. I was so hesitant. FYI - My parents love processed foods…twinkies, Gardenia’s cream buns, random coconut-based kueh-kueh at the railway station…just plain gross lah. My mum *shaking head* text’d me when I was in London saying that I MUST try the custard tartlets sold in Selfridges. In the FROZEN section. Eewness Central!

But that’s not the point. Hah! Moving forward, I was bowled over by the fish head curry. REALLY GOOD. It’s not jelak-y (translation = won’t get sick of the taste), unexpected lightness to the gravy, and smooth-textured. Very shiok-a-rama. Want to know the secret to a great-tasting and refreshing curry dish? It’s in the milk. Apparently they add half of the normal dose of coconut milk, and the rest of the mixture consists of regular milk = you absorb only half the calories! The fish is majorly fresh too. And adequately spiced with green parsley and limber tomatoes. Ooooooh. The spiciness is happening lah.

I was seen constantly scooping with my stainless steel spoon deep into the tasty gravy claypot. I really can’t rave enough of it. And big GOLD STARS for daddy! He got it right (finally) this time.

People, it’s extremely affordable. Not bluffing. It’s the perfect place to share a yumster meal with the extended family and friends.

Until the next bite, too-dles.

My Green Loves - The Last Instalment

One of the many good surprises I had in the last hours of 2006 lies in this four-lettered word : Aiwo (Raffles City Shopping Centre).

Extremely tasty and not a busy sight at all, the New Year’s Eve lunch I had was outstanding. The Omega-3 lunch plan was yummy-doodles. I’ll let the pictures do the talkin’.

The main course I had was a medley of mushrooms, cauliflower and broccoli tossed and marinated tandoori-style. Very Indian. I like! And it seemed as though I might not get to see the white of the plate after a good thirty minutes of active fork-stabbing, teeth-crunching exercises.

What kept me going was the upcoming surprise which would complete the trilogy experience :)

Voila! The dessert left me lingering for more – chocolate and green tea parfait with berries reduction. Smooth, rich and sexy. I savored every spoonful from expresso-dessert cup to willingly-parted lips. Again and again. I would like to think that the sweetness and chocolate ingredient ingested (rather quickly) could be attributed to a sugarless sugar substitute. And that all the calories were sucked out of the unforgettable sweet before it landed in front of me on the dining table by the kitchen angels. Uh-huh...

Truth or dare, folks?

For those who prefer meat and veggies sharing the leading role on the table, Aiwo also offers generous portions of salmon and chicken for your masticating enjoyment.

And the sinless = guiltless chocolate cake is also irresistibly available.

Come on, take a go at it. Who knows, you might lose everything (unwanted double chin, useless fat cells, bloated silhouette), and gain nothing except the check (a.k.a. bill).

My Green Loves

I need to detox. And I figured the best way to do it is overdo the daily water drill, and set up regular dates with sweet-looking, fresh-smelling, totally healthy vegetables. Yes, sirree…people, veggies are totally delish. I love this country for allowing the epidemic spread of yong tau foo in almost every food court I walk into.

Singapore rocks! If you’re a fan of this soupy or dry dish, you’d realize that the assortment of healthy edible items are growing as is my rising euphoria. What exactly am I talking about? YONG TAU FOO. There’s usually a showcase of taupok (fried beancurd) stuffed with fish, spinach-topped beancurd, mock crab sticks and full-sized sotong (cuttlefish), amongst dozens of other yummy-doodles, paraded au naturel before your eyes. No camera tricks, or colorings, or mouldy smells.

Usually accompanied by a selection of Asian noodles, you can even choose to have the individual goodies served ampang-style or dunked in laksa (coconut-based and spicy) broth. Most importantly, the serving bowl is HUGE. Very important lah, especially since I adore steaming broth. Woo-hoo. And spice-infused smells are equally integral to the overall makan experience.

One of my favorite stalls is the one at Wisma’s newly-renovated food court on the top floor. The “buffet-style” bar is so pretty! The broth could definitely be improved but for a few local dollars, it’s almost free, I can’t complain! It would be nice though if there were white truffle oil-infused noodles to up the flavor-ante at super-hero heights with these mouthwatering grubbers. Hmmmmm...

Ah well, until such a time, I am belly content :)

I Just Can't Get You Out Of My Head

Yum Cha. Truly, it’s all that I think about. Well, besides other things. Where do you go for yum cha in all its greatness? Try London. Yauatcha, specifically. The pictures speak for themselves. Yum-ness Central.

Yup, I’m truly at a lost for words. Exactly what do you say about greatness except eat it? I had a mind-blowing experience at possibly the best yum cha in U.K. MIND-BLOWING. Fresh and flavorful and of the optimum temperature and unbelievably clean-tasting, you know what I mean; extremely fitting for Love Princess’ regal palate. Roll out the bling bling carpet, folks, and definitely be caught by paparazzi having lunch at this snazzy joint. Ideally in your new pair of peep-toe Louboutins.

This is the only Chinese restaurant with a Michelin star in U.K. Impressive. Very impressive.

(Still not the place for first dates, in my regal opinion. Yum cha is too plebeian a meal for any sizzling love affair to be cultivated to desired effect.)

Steak On This

I just had an epiphany…a burger is never just a burger. Your life can revolve around this carbo-laden rotund edible. For example, if I’m treating myself to one of ‘dem things, I’d work out in the morning, indulge in a scrumptious slab of beef, pile on the shredded coleslaw and maybe steal a Cajun potato wedge or two, then go vegan till my next burger craving or till I’m sick of legume shakes. No regrets, Scooby-dooby’s.

Apparently GQ reinforced this revelation of mine and even expounded on it by coming up with the top 20 burgers in U.S. This caused Gail, who’s Oprah’s colleague and best friend, to hit the road across interstate borders for the single purpose of engulfing in the majesty of the not-so-humble all-beef patty and entourage.

Ten thousand miles away, can Asia fire up the grill and serve up juicy, tender, flavored burgers? And throw some chunky fries on the side; slather some mayo’d coleslaw and dollops of spicy mustard for kicks?

A resounding, “Yes, Sir!”. Right here in Singapore. My favorite’s got to be Überburger’s blue tiger prawns sandwiched between freshly-made high-fibred buns. (Do you know they bake a variety of buns every two hours?)

The seafood patty gives oomph and crunch to every bite. Chopped ginger and cucumbers are refreshing additions to the patty mix. Shiok-a-doodles!

Yeah, burgers aren’t just a guy’s thing anymore. We girls love the concept of a hearty burger – glam version only please. Because what men can do, we girls make it look better. *wink*

The photo, courtesy of Überburger, features the bread winner a.k.a. 101 - wagyu beef with champagne truffle sauce. Wanna see what the blue tiger prawn burger looks like? Why not try it yourself, and send me the pictures? I might just put it up :)

I Hit The Jackpot

This. Is. Divine. If you haven’t yet sunk your pearlies into the steamed custard bun at Imperial Treasures Nan Bei, here’s a close-up of the molten gem. Ooooh. No one, absolutely nobody, does this anywhere else, guys and dolls. I am after all nicknamed, Dim Sum Dolly. I should know better. *wink* It’s out-of-this-world fanta-bulous-o.

The custard’s flowing sweetness is complemented by the fused salted egg, intimately hugged by a smaller-than-palm-sized dough cushion. This melting genius is very much in demand, and highly addictive. Be forewarned, not recommended for first dates as possessing piping hot bun in mouth may be messy, resulting in the only hot buns you’ll have a relationship with for a while.