I'm BACK!!!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR everyone! Hubby and I started the new year with a bang. Well, not exactly... we were in Paris and needing to take the flight back early next morning, we decided to spend the night in our little hotel room facing the Eiffel Tower of course.

Yes! We usher in the new year with Macarons and Isaphans from Laduree and Pierre Hermes. Not forgetting a mini bottle of champagne and mini croissant.

Our greatest find in Paris would be MACARONS. Gorgeous delicious little ones.

From a tea salon at Laduree to hard to find boutique of Pierre Hermes, we are proud to say we found it! And through walking along the streets of Paris.

My verdicit? Totally in love with Pierre Hermes. Hit and miss with Laduree. The unique flavours that Pierre Hermes carry is amazing- from white truffles to chestnuts- Texture of it has a crisp outer shell with very moist innards. Laduree is much sweeter and lesser innards.

What won me over, however was the way staff handled the macarons. I arrived on busy days- New Year's Eve and the day before that to both boutiques. The queues were long. I saw staff at Laduree handled macarons roughly- one staff broke 2 macarons in front of me. Same situation at Pierre Hermes, but all staff handled pastries gently.

On the flight back to Singapore, many Singaporeans were sighted carrying the famous LV paper bags... I proudly went up the plane with my Pierre Hermes paper back filled with treats!

Other treats in Paris include my all time favourite Chestnut filled Crepes. Wonderful  aroma filled the air of the streets of Paris- or in our case, we had ours near to the Lourve Museum and along the streets of St Michel.

Our last stop of our trip was Paris. All in all, we went to Copenhagen, Berlin, Dusseldorf, Koln (Cologne), Zurich and Bern for a stop over on our way to Interlaken, Geneva and to the full of surprises Paris.

We had the most amazing time ever- the only negative was when we had to cancel our trip to Amsterdam due to the snow storm-well we did pray for snow and boy did God deliver!

So back to work for me... but no fear, I have more food posts up my sleeves...and of course an update of our never ending kitchen renovations....

Greetings from Germany!

Hallo! Greetings from snowy and cold Germany. Hubby and I are finally on our long awaited honeymoon. We travelled to Demark, Copenhagan last Tuesday and have been around Germany since last Friday. It started snowing on the first day we arrived- which we were told that it is quite uncommon in Europe to snow that much in December. Oh well, we totally enjoyed every minute of the snow. Too bad it was too soft to make a snowman.

In Europe, we had a great time tasting and trying out different kinds of food.

First stop- Illum ( a big shopping centre) on Stöget, Copehengan. We are not sure what it is called but it has mazapan at the bottom, soft meringue on the top and then covered with dark chocolate. Our friend told us that is a popular chocolate snack during Christmas time.

The magic occurred when we walked along the streets of Danmark. SNOW! Lots of snow. So much that we had to take refuge in a quint little cafe which we enjoyed a huge hot mocha while watching the snow falls.

We went to the Tivoli markets. A huge Christmas surprise with lots of fun rides. Not that we went on any rides but just took in all the wonderful sights and lights! It was soooo sooo beautiful and magical. The top photo shows a hot wine drine glögg which is spiced red wine with silvered almonds and sultanas. It was a very drink in cold snowy weather. The little snacks tasted like cinnamon spiced mini donuts. Again, Lone told us that it is a traditional Christmas snack eaten with cranberry sauce.

A visit to Danmark will not be complete without our experience at a hotdog stand.

 

This hotdog has chopped onions, mustard, gerkins and crispy shallots on it. Very warming to the tummy.

                                         

            

                                         

Can't leave Denmark without DANISHES and pastries!! The bottom one is really special. It is sort of like a puff pastry but has sugar sprinkled on it with some forms of seeds. Very delish.

Next stop

BERLIN!

Breakfast to fill our tummy up.

 

                                          

Honestly, I have no idea what I was eating because it says special musli! No harm trying right? It was very oaty with lots of cinnamon.

Hubby had a toasted sandwich with lots of mozerella cheese, pear and some cranberry sauce.

More Christmas markets- we were on the hunt for some WURST.

This was the basic one with nothing on it. We added mustard and some tomato sauce on the side stand.

Oh, we can't forget the sauerkaut and wurst with a bowl of champinons and bread.

The hubby is happy.

The next day, we explored the Berlin City. Took the S and U bahns (Trains) and ended up in a huge shopping centre. We spent 2 hrs wondering around the food area! Finally we settled in the food court and I had fish soup.

Salads with lots of dressings and a hot main meal with pork steak. One thing for sure, the Germans were generous with their dressings. The pork steak was really tender.

                                  

Back to the food area, we zoned in quickly at the dessert section filled with rows and rows of sweets! This one has lots of pumkin seeds and tasted like bikenstich.

We headed to a small village to be with our friends Haz and Hanno. Then we went to Köln and visited a big catheral. Happens to have another Christmas Market just right outside the Dom. It seems that is the biggest one in Germany too.

                                      

We were told that we had to try curry wurst-which turns out....

to be cut up wurst topped with curry sauce! Not very impressive but interesting!

Next to the wurst stall is a stall that sells Solvanish food. It's toasted bread with different toppings include goats cheese, tomato puree and olive tapanade.

We proceeded our long walk by the Rhine river and ended up in a Chocolate museum. Really facinating stuff.

Also proof that chocolate is good for us!

Lots of chocolate treats!

This was dark chocolate mousse.

My personal favourite: Hot chocolate with baileys!

                                                       

What is more special is authentic Black Forest Cake that Haz made for us!

                                       

                                        

And one of our main reasons to be in Germany: Welcome little Hanna! The new addition to our friend's family!

                                    

Waroona, Western Australia

Waroona is a little town situated 1hr 30 minutes away, south of Western Australia. AR being the sweet guy that he is, decided that we needed to get away for a few days just to recharge ourselves. While the recent trip to SG/KL was excellent, it was jam packed with activities and appointments that we barely had a rest. Thus, this trip was suppose to be a relaxing one.

1) Blue Wren Park



AR found this quint little Bed and Breakfast place. Our hosts, Geoff and Carol welcomed us with a delicious Devonshire tea. I have a soft spot for English tea like that. It's so heart warming! The scones were delicious and the tea warmed us up immediately. Everything was homemade and fresh in this place.


2) Lake Clifton Tavern



After a short rest, we headed to Lake Clifton Tavern for dinner. Thursdays are $10 steak nights so no prices for guessing what AR had. This place is owned by Geoff's son and served fairly decent price meals. I had the corn beef + baked potato. Now, the corn beef was abit too salty for my liking (but corn beef is suppose to be salty...) but I love love love the gigantic potato with cheese sauce! The steak was reasonable, nothing special but it was a good meal .

3) Preston Tea



We headed to town the next day. Well, the town consists of one street but it was fairly busy. We stopped by this tea place and had lots of fun smelling the different sorts of tea available. Too bad they didn't offer a tea service. I bought the French Earl Grey and AR wanted the Rosie Wong-which is a blend of flowers and herbs.

4) Hundt's Gallery



I can't stop raving about this place. It is a show room for small art pieces with a cafe attached to it. We had lunch there and almost didn't want to leave. AR had the vegetable lasgna-simply divine. It was chocked full of sweet potato, eggplant, tomatoes, mushrooms and cheese! I had the sweet potato and pumpkin soup which was just lovely for a cold wintery day (idea for lunch one day!). My only complain was that the mocha had more chocolate than coffee in it.

5) Thrombolites

We drove to Lake Clifton and admired the view of Thrombolites.



"Thrombolites are a particular form of microbialite (rock-like structure built by micro-organisms) that have a clotted internal structure. The word thrombolite is derived from the same root as thrombosis which means clot."

Amazing stuff huh?

The only thing was that the tide was high so we could barely spot any thrombolites! LOL



A HUGE HUGE bonus though, we saw kangaroos hopping around!

6) The Cream Shed



Our highlight! We watched cows being milked and cream being made! Look at the tiny calf! Even more amazing was Frank-the farmer. He was wearing bright RED shorts on a cold winter day!!!



The calfs were so adorable! We were given a chance to help out in the farm which was really nice of Frank. He has owned the property for 35 years! Look at the view he wakes up to every day.

7) Dinner at The Mediterranean Restaurant



Fine Dining at the Mediterranean was a lovely treat at the end of the day. Lovely warm ambiance greeted us as we entered th restaurant. We were guided to our seats which was near the "fire place".

We started off with their bread + pesto butter. I do wish they could cut the bread in smaller pieces. As the bread was on the tough side, it was difficult to tear/use butter knife to cut it. The pesto taste was subtle.

Main courses of AR's lamb shanks and my duck. We agreed that our meals were tasty but it did not blow us away. One thing I was impressed was their presentation. They served AR's sweet potato mashed in a sesame coated puff pastry casing. Something that I will definately try in my little kitchen soon.

The dessert was chocolate pudding with pistachio center. The molten chocolate pudding was a delightful way to end the meal. Again, it was good but not amazing.

Something did irk me at the restaurant. They kept placing cold jugs of water on their grand piano! Why would did do that to such a beautiful piece of instrument?

8) Breakfast at the Blue Wren Park



Ah. I enjoyed waking up to a full set of breakfast and not having to do any washing up. We ate our breakie with a lovely view of the park. Fresh fruits, yogurt, 4 different sorts of cereal/muesli, toasts... seriously pampered.

9) Good hosts


Geoff and Carol are such lovely people. We wanted to purchase a small wedding certificate holder but they refused our money and offered that as a gift instead! They were really attentative throughout our stay and we had great conversation with them. From sparkling juice to chocolates in our room and even a mini tea service there...seriously... we felt pampered. Will definately be back when we need a short break.

Thank you Geoff and Carol!

Singapore Part 2

Uploading the photos makes me hungry. Each meal is associated with an incident or a memory. Food bonds people.

1) Qiu Lian Ban Mien.



For as long as I can remember, I have been a fan of ban mien. The good old days of 3 girls sharing 2 gigantic bowls of handmade noodles are still fresh in my mind. Friends bonded over the noodles, jokes made, teasing began and we always leave with a full stomach.

I'm a big fan of the soup base and will often finish the soup before the noodles. Well, actually, I don't usually have the stomach space to eat the noodles because I'm full from the soup! Ok fine, and I like to add 2 portions of chili. YUM. The generous amount of fried anchovies, mince meat and vegetables helped too.

For S$3.50 a bowl, it's good value for money for sure. Hey gang, when is our next ban mien meeting?

Qiu Lian Ban Mien
S11 Food Court
Bishan Street 13


2) Thye Hong Hokkien Mee



My mother and I decided to go on a shopping trip and ended up at Wisma Atria, Orchard. Food republic is my favorite food court now. I really dig their old style decor. About 2 years ago, I heard about this famous fried hokkien mee stall but each time I was at the foodcourt, the queue turned me off. Surprisingly, the queue was pretty short that day and we quickly ordered a plate to share. We ordered poh piah as well since it was located next door.

The poh piah was nothing to shout about. Mediocre. The hokkien mee, well, that is another story. My mother was actually not feeling well and did not have much appetite. Not the case for this meal though. I barely finished biting my portion of poh piah when I realised that more than 1/2 of the plate of hokkien mee was gone!! Mum then gave me a sheepish smile and said.... "It's really tasty!"

So that's the verdict for u. =)

3) Wei Heong Yuen Dessert Store



I miss my grandma. I bet if I enter her into the "cutest grandma" contest, she will win first prize.

One of my things I look forward to always is to head out with her. Our favorite hangout? Chinatown of course! From browsing gold jewelery to visiting herb shops, we always have a ball of a time.

Grandma's favorite dessert is a bowl of almond paste. Smooth stuff. I decided to try Or Nee or yam paste, as I have never tasted store bought one before (despite making it previously). Well, I think the almond paste still wins hands down. I find store bought Or Nee abit too oily for my liking.

The water chestnut cake is another specialty of the store. It's not too sweet and I do like the crunchy texture of the chestnuts. Really good for cooling down after a long and hot walk. I attempted this before but failed. Tasting that made me want to try again.

The highlight for me though was their Cantonese rice dumplings. It's HUGE! Look at the filling! Oh boy, i counted 3-4 mini mushrooms and at least 3 roasted chestnuts inside too. Not to mention the tender pork meat... arghhhhhh.... I want some now!


4) Indochine Empress Place




Oh alright. What's a trip without drinks right? AR and I wanted to check out a band that was playing at Indochine, hence we organized drinks with the lovely Peggy, Ruth and Rane.

The food suxs. Enough said.

However, the drinks were ok. Alright, so Peggy's order was horrible but the rest were fine! I can't remember what we ordered though (alcohol dulls memory) but the highlight wasn't the drinks or food really. It was the music and chilling out that we did that mattered.

And the photos.. ah..we took LOTs of photos that night.

5) Pasta Waraku



I heard so much about this fusion place and did not even bat an eyelid when my friends suggested we dine there.

I think the idea is fantastic. What can go wrong with jap sauce and pasta right? I had the unagi and egg which was fantastic. The chicken was nice too. The carbonara was a little too... creamy! Ok, maybe it's just me. The only thing was that I felt that the pasta was a tad overcooked.

I can't say the same for their gratin though. Essentially, it's just baked pasta! The prawn tasted rubbery as well. According to Peggy, the gratin tasted nicer at the Marina square branch. hmm...


Pasta Waraku
The Central
Clarky Quay



Coming up next:

Part 3- the goodbyes!

Singapore Part 1

Where has all the time gone? I'm back for about a week and am freezing! Technically still on holidays at the moment but it certainly feels odd to be on the computer and not doing any thesis-related work.

AR brought me on a trip to Waroona a couple of days back and it was an enjoyable break. Photos later. =)


First up, a walk down the memory lane on my recent SG trip...

1) Crystal Jade La Mien Xiao Long Bao



Personally, I think this chain of restaurant is over rated. I found the skin of their xiao long bao tougher and thicker than the ones in Din Tang Fung and Lao Beijing. They weren't generous with the filling as well. The Sour Spicy noodles was more salty than spicy. We shared a bowl and couldn't finish it. I do like the texture of the noodles, it's the broth that I hate! The mushroom pastry was ok but not fantastic.

Ngee Ann City
4th Level.

2) Flutes at the Fort Restaurant




We were invited to be part of Flutes at the Fort cocktail party and boy was I glad that we made it. That day coincided with our "parents meeting session" and to be really honest, I was glad to have the glass of champers after that meeting.

What can surpass freshly pan fried foe gras, roast meat, oysters, waygu beef and champers of Moet and Chandron? It was an experience for sure. My first time tasting foe gras and waygu beef and I can see what the fuss is about. Melt in your mouth foe gras and tender beef. Luxury to the max.


The service was excellent. Staff made sure that our glasses stayed full. There was a excited buzz around the place and we had the chef coming over to our table twice to say hi. Love the colonial style decor as well.

3) Equinox, Swisshotel, Raffles City



I had the pleasure and honor to meet up with Evan from Evan's Kitchen Ramblings. We arranged for high tea at Equinox and boy did we feel like "Tai tais". Amazing views on the 70th floor of the hotel!

A good range of food available but their selection was disappointing. International high tea with a focus on Asian food. While their sushi and salad items were terrific, I wouldn't say the same for their vegetable curry, which tasted off. The waiter tried to explain to me that it was "Indian curry" and therefore it should taste slightly sour? Well, I think I can tell the difference between the sourness of tomatoes and sourness from spolit/off coconut milk/cream?

Besides, is it true that Indian curries are sour?

I was also disappointed by the pratas. They were the frozen sort. Hello, in sunny Singapore and they serve frozen pratas? I don't mean to sound like a snob here but you don't pay S$35 to have frozen pratas...


I'm a fan of their little dim sum pieces though. Lots of choices and quite tasty.

As for their desserts selection, the fondue was a pleasant surprise! They provided dark, milk and white chocolate which I thought was thoughtful. The chocolate was a little too watery for my liking but it is still chocolate fondue. Oreo in chocolate> Double sinfulness but worth a go. They had a great ice-cream topping selections as well. Dessert shooters were something that I have not tried before. The lychee/rose one was delicious.



I had lots of fun with Evan though. We went around taking photographs, chit chatting and just admiring the lovely Singapore view. A friend found and cherished.


Part 2 coming up very soon!