Monday 30 April 2012

Bye bye Colin Goh's column...

Teh:

On Sunday, i read with disappointment that Colin Goh's sunday column on The Straits Times will be ending soon. I always look forward to his column. Before reading his latest column (and before knowing it was ending), i briefly thought Straits Times should give him the main column space. Yes i enjoy Sumiko Tan's column too but Colin Goh's is funnier. I will always be wondering what Baby Yazuki is doing...

Bye bye Colin Goh's column... RIP...

Tuesday 24 April 2012

Privé @ Keppel Bay

Teh:

Last week, i was at Privé with my colleagues. I decided to blog about this place not because the food was fantastic, more because i want to tell you why i didn't like it. As a food reviewer/blogger, there's no point in paining only a beautiful picture all the time. The truth must be told.


Privé - Fish and Chips
To be fair, i only had the Fish and Chips. I was disappointment to find the fish to be coated with a thick batter that was not crispy. There was minimum fish within the deceptive batter. But together with the fries and salad, it does make a filling meal at $19 (insert eyes bulging emoticon), only if you are into loads of carbo. A side note, the Fish and Chips came with vinegar. It tasted to me like watered down vinegar. I promptly asked for ketchup instead.




Privé - Eggs Benedict
My colleagues had the Eggs Benedict. They were beaming with joy. But at $16 a set of 2 eggs, 1 muffin (1 cut into 2), ham and bacon, it's a little too expensive for me. Granted the eggs were cooked perfectly, shaped wonderfully and practically a gastronomic wonder (because poached eggs are difficult to master despite the simplicity it eludes), i couldn't bring myself to order it nor have a taste of it when my colleague offered (so as not to deprive her). In the month of April 2012, DBS credit card holders will enjoy 1 for 1 promo on their Eggs Benedict or Eggs Royal (with smoked salmon instead of ham and bacon). 7 days left if you want to enjoy this promotion.

Perhaps people like going there for the view. Unfortunately i didn't take any pictures of the place where the yachts dock. It does make a scenic foreground/background for any romantic lazy afternoon.

Do you like the place?



Privé
Keppel Bay 2 Keppel Bay Vista
Singapore 098382

Monday 23 April 2012

Happy Call Pan - Grilled Mackerel and Popcorn

Teh:

My colleagues were nice enough to buy me a Happy Call Pan (HCP) for my birthday. My first attempt with the grilled salmon fillet was less than ideal because i felt "cheated" the oil drips out from the steam hole. It is not possible to flip the pan over and cook because the oil will drip out and land on the stove! Nevertheless, the crispy skin on the fillet made me want to try the pan out with various food.

While at Sheng Siong yesterday, i found frozen mackerel. They were cheap! 8 fishes (small to medium size) for $5 (800g). The idea of having grilled saba fish was a tempting! I decided to cook 4 pcs while they were still frozen. I didn't see the point of thawing them. Isn't this a good way to test how well the pan conducts heat and cook food at amazing speed? I proceeded to rub some salt all over the frozen fishes, drizzled some oil onto the pan (yes shame on me i didn't even bother to heat up the pan in the name to test its awesomeness), and placed the fishes in it. On medium heat, i cooked each side for 5 minutes. You can flip the fish (not the pan!) when one side is browned and crispy.

Happy Call Pan - Mackerel
Happy Call Pan - Mackerel (close up)
Verdict: Nice moist fish. 10 minutes in total for 4 frozen mackerel was enough. Although the skin was not as crispy as the salmon's, its understandable. There's a lot of fats in salmon but not as much in mackerel. Please note that even though there is no oil splatter, the oil fumes coming out from the steam-hole is still enough to make the kitchen feel oily. I guess its inevitable.


Just for fun, i made popcorn on the same day with HCP. I did not add any oil at all to the pan. The corn got popped in 5 minutes. I added some salt to the popcorn and gave it a shake in the closed pan. Relatively effortless. However this can be done in your normal average non-stick pan with a cover.

Happy Call Pan Popcorn

I will continue to experiment with the HCP!

Monday 16 April 2012

Absolute April

Teh: To my utmost horror, we haven't post anything in the month of April. Apologies to anyone who have been coming back here looking for signs of activities.

Congrats to Lim, 2nd time father! I helped him name his son, so to speak. He gave me 2 choices, i picked one, he picked the other. That's how his son's name came about - the name i didn't pick. lol.

I promise new and exciting recipes to come soon! I will be having access to a commercial kitchen. I'm sure a lot of goodies will come out from there. Plus, i have a new phone! Samsung Galaxy S2. It takes decent pictures! Watch this space for them!