I Want To Be Desert-ED

It is surprising to note that not many places in Singapore have a-ma-mazing desserts. How can?, you say. It's true mah. My family and close friends have been camping at the neighborhood ice-cream joint - Icekimo (8 Sin Ming Road#01-03 Sin Ming Centre). And for very good reason. Everyone related to me (except me) lurrrrve durians (yikes!). Icekimo has introduced the super durian waffle at less than six bucks. It's D24 durian,too (whatever that means). Man, WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE ANYWAY???

Sun with Moon (Wheelock Place, #03-15) also does a rockin' Green Tea Tiramisu which is both fluffy and seeped in alcohol. I'm a huge fan of matcha, so green tea with anything suits me just fine :) The portions at this restaurant chain is kinda small though. I have to admit I don't mind the teeny-weeni-ness of it all. But sometimes friends may not share the same views, as with most things in life.

Another heart-tugger is tofu cheesecake. At Sun, you can eat the WHOLE cheesecake and not feel jelak. In fact, you could eat two cakes and still feel on top of the world, instead of staring down your toilet. The healthy slice is presented in a "bird cage" of sorts, befitting the size that is morsel-ly. For the soft and light and "melt-in-your-mouth-but-not-in-your-hand" version, head to Miki Ojisan no Mise cakes in paper boxes sold within the Orchard Road area including Scotts Shopping Centre.

On the subject of light, there's a beautiful raspberry ensemble piled to hit the roof (of the restaurant) which I had the opportunity to get acquainted with quite intimately at The Universal (36 Duxton Hill). Crunchy with thinly slathered custard at each layer of yummy berries, it was simply sweet-ness. I could have it again and again and again. No sharing, please.

Love Notes

I’m in love. In love with a very special someone. Her name is Cambodia. I know. ALL my friends say I just can’t stop raving about it. Cambodia’s simply breathtaking. I just can’t get her off my mind. She’s made me drop all of my defenses and love again without apprehension, without looking forward to rejection, without false hope. I love her for all her humble and not-so-humble edible offerings every day and every night.

Particularly broth in any form. Khmer broth is addictive. Be forewarned. Best tasted in casual shorts and tees, with favorite flip flops. The most memorable sloppy slurps I experienced is with this bowl of locally made porridge. I had the opportunity to meet with the owner who ran a street joint that could hold 50-60 people easily. Palm-sized squares of white one-ply tissues are freely supplied at every table, as well as a small waste basket lays sturdy at each corner. So I guess one could rate the success of any food stall quite easily with the naked eye by the number of used tissues in the small bins and on the cement floor.

A bowl of the yummilicious “chok” saturated with cooked slices of chicken, pork, beef and chunks of vegetables can change your day from a so-so one to a very satisfied-with-a-toothy-smile night. All of which cost me US$1. The owner revealed that she boiled chicken and pork bones for a few hours every morning and added unidentified local spices into the whole mix. I could taste ginger, definitely pepper and a dash of salt.

But the broth is spectacular. Spectacularly a-ma-ma-zing. Absolutely unforgettable. Hence my love affair continues. I might just move over to this unforbidden city for a few months. And add more savory memories to the already overflowing ones. I’m in love. Can’t you tell?

Feels Like Home @ HOUSE

I HAVE DECIDED- I'm 30, so I shall just speak my mind and not go into great lengths to beat around the bush, so they say. So here's the deal, I eat like a freak at a rapid pace, and can be seen in a million places in a split milisecond. At such lightning speed that I'm living by, so should my blogs be. Swift, to the point, and very pretty xoxo

Presenting HOUSE on 8D Dempsey Hill - The menu's adorable and pretty extensive. I found Mexican, American, Italian and something-something influences which sometimes can't be seen, only tasted. My favorite is the peanut butter cake with such a gooey, crunchy texture to it, it should be slathered on everything you put your lips to.

Vintage plates, eclectic furniture, spacious surroundings, sleek bar, Turkish bath (jaw-dropper), and the romantic night sky can make for some serious merry-making with exquisite booze, velvety desserts and honest-to-goodness food. Like truffle oil fries (mmmmm...), tuna salad which smells Asian and lovin' it, dip-sters in adorable campy tin cans with toasty bread, tender medium rare steak slices which have been generously marinated and seasoned to break out into a scrumptious symphony of spicy flavors....really, you should be here.

I'm parked here almost the whole of next week. I'd be able to read off the menu in my sleep by then. The only thing missing here is a 1000-thread count bed fitted with gilded Cavalli sheets, Cleopatra pillows and a purring hairy-tailed feline in bed with me. Purrrrr....

How's that for swift-ness?...Haiyah, give me some time lah. Still a little chong hey (long-winded)

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.

Maa-Maa

I did it. I DID LES AMIS. The one in Au Jardin. The building is beautiful and very British, might I say. The servers look spiffy and smiley. I was there on a week day, I think Thursday night not too long ago. It was my first time at Les Amis. I know. I suck. But not anymore!


And to think I've waited all this time to revel in artistic gourmet. Poetic licence was lent to the menu. Romance was in the air. And it pretty much stopped there.


The table d'hote served was maa-maa, and the dinner companion was worse. No, I was NOT on a date. Let's just focus on the food shall we?


The amuse bouche was this weird-tasting egg shell cupping some egg thingey with potato broth. Hah? Eewness Central. It was not cold, neither was it hot. It was "just is". *confused* I didn't see any meaning or purpose in the broken shell dairy "nog"? Haiyah, don't know lah.

The crab meat was lovely. I had two slightly different interpretations of it. The temperature was perfect heat, if such a term existed. And yummy-doodles.

By the way, I soooooo forgot my digicam so I was using my laoya (a.k.a. lousy) cell phone to take pictures. Sorry...very boho, I know. I'm a really busy girl, okay!


I was seated facing the gardens. It was a gorgeous evening - balmy and cool. Both elements I didn't experience cause I was sitting inside. Alamak, I'm very Singaporean. Must have air con. I also noticed that Botanic Gardens gets super dark really early in the evening. So why do people still visit the place after 5 p.m.? You can't really see anything, and Cafe Les Amis closes fairly early. You're obviously not there for dinner - they're usually dressed casually.

So, what's the..Ohhhhhhhhhh..........Eew. Moving forward, please.



The wagyu beef carpaccio is ooh-la-la...really the STAR of the evening that brightened up my whole dinner. The King George which I ordered was not too bad. A little heavy for my liking. You know, I'm girly like that. But for a guy, I think they'd slurp it up in a few swift moves with the Cuteness Central knives. The broth generally for all the dishes were yumsies-daisies.

But I did have a sad moment - the desserts were so blah. Ugh. I had three. And they were so not hip, hot and happening. In fact, the additional dessert I ordered was not taken seriously at first. The server, in full official regalia (not tux lah, more like pretty suit) actually reminded me that it would be chargeable. DUH.


It's Les Amis. The minute you sit your cute butt down on one of those plush chairs in Au Jardin, you're so not counting the dollars anymore. And I definitely wasn't. So, hello? When you're in a posh restaurant, you are posh. So behave like it. I felt like a child been asked to show my bank acocunt balance just to prove I could spend a few more dollars after I've already racked up some hundred of 'dem.

If Les Amis @ Shaw Centre wasn't filled, I would have been dining my heart out and lovin' it. But that of course is a pure assumption based on feeling. The feeling that i'm meeting my friend in less than an hour for dinner. And I just can't wait to soup-size myself.

I'm not even going to show you dessert pictures cause they're just not worth it. The only thing that kept me going during dinner was the view.

Sigh.

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.