Teh:
Lim and i went to Mac to try out their new Red Peri Scorcher. This new burger (before it was revealed) got my attention when i saw the advertisement that McSpicy won (according to a poll) the other Black Pepper McSpicy in the Spicy faceoff. There was a pretty lady in red with a chinese cooking ladle (those big scoop thingy chefs use at the zichar stalls) as the mysterious (for the spice) "contender". On the next night, i saw the advertisement revealing her spicy - Peri peri sauce! We decided to go for it! (Sorry Lim, not Sze Chuan Pepper as you hoped and deduced from the red wearing chinese lady with the chinese ladle.)
At first i was afraid the peri sauce may be too spicy for it. It is a spicy faceoff after all. The normal McSpicy can be a little too spicy for me at times. But the Red Peri Scorcher was not as fiery as it looked and sounded. Naturally, the peri sauce is a little sourish and appetizing. It was more like a spicy version of an orangey looking thousand island sauce. My attention was on the breaded deep fried chicken thigh in the burger. My first thought was, did they change the McSpicy patty? Or is it the same chicken thigh but without the McSpicy seasoning? Either way, i quite liked the chicken thigh. I thought it was a refreshing change from the usual (dubious) chicken patty (e.g. McChicken). Dubious because you don't know what goes inside those patties.
Conclusion: If you are comparing spiciness, the McSpicy is still the winner. But i won't mind eating the Red Peri Scorcher because the spiciness was just nice for me. Lim and I finished the meal by sharing a set of McWings. Yummy!
P/S: Nothing beats KFC's Zinger!
Friday, 17 May 2013
Thursday, 9 May 2013
Glutinous Rice Picture
Teh:
Here is the glutinous rice and ang gu kueh i packed for my colleagues the next day. The lighting in this picture made the food look funny =( But i assure you the glutinous rice, cai por and fried shallots were popular!
Maybe i should post the recipe next? Yes i think i will =) Good things are meant to be shared!
Here is the Glutinous rice i made yesterday.
Here is the glutinous rice and ang gu kueh i packed for my colleagues the next day. The lighting in this picture made the food look funny =( But i assure you the glutinous rice, cai por and fried shallots were popular!
Maybe i should post the recipe next? Yes i think i will =) Good things are meant to be shared!
Tuesday, 7 May 2013
Cooking or Assembling?
Teh:
We haven't had one of these random musing posts for a long time so i thought i should write one =)
Cooking or Assembling?
Of late, whenever i eat out, i feel like my food on the plate has been assembled rather than cooked. Do you get that feeling sometimes? Whether its fishball noodles, economic veg rice, char kway teow, fish and chips or whatever you are having, did the food feel tasteless? Like no thought was put into the preparation or cooking process. It's an assembly of ingredients and sauces. Even the food my mum cooks sometimes taste like an assembly (don't say i said that)! I know she is very busy and doesn't always have time to cook. I appreciate her tremendous effort in putting dinner on the table every night. Mummy is the BEST! Oops, i digressed.
Yes, back to cooking. I love cooking. I love the whole thought process of it and the actual event itself. I enjoy thinking about what i'm craving for, what new recipes to try, how i can tweak things i already know how to make, how to make it taste and look better. I feel excited just thinking about going to the supermarket to pick the fresh ingredients and be surrounded by endless possibilities! (Do you know why fresh ingredients taste better? That's another story for another time) I think one of the BEST part of cooking is imagining how people's faces look like when they finally taste the food. "WOW SOoooo GOOD!" "How did you do this?" "When are you cooking this again?" Who isn't a sucker for compliments for the food they cooked? He/she is a liar ;)
Guess what i'm cooking tomorrow? Glutinous rice. You may be thinking it is such an easy dish. Initially i thought so too. Until i start thinking about how to make the dish better! I must fry my own peanuts because those bought outside just don't taste as good as freshly fried peanuts. I must fry my own shallots. Same reason as the peanuts. I suck at peeling shallots. It's going to be time consuming. I wish i had a microwave oven at home. They make speedy fried shallots. Almost effortless! But i don't so its back to the wok. I also must make my cai por! Because my family loves my cai por. I love my cai por on the glutinous rice. Cai por needs to be soaked and cooked. In order to serve it in time for lunch tomorrow, i have to start cooking it tonight and throw it into the slow cooker. It'll taste heavenly by tomorrow. Glutinous rice needs to be soaked overnight before i steam it in the morning. What else? We can't just be having glutinous rice right? So i made popiah filled with mango and nata de coco. I prepared those before hand on Sunday. Frozen and ready to be deep-fried tomorrow. I'm also toying with the idea of preparing a mixed vegetable dish. But i haven't had time to get the vegetables yet. Should i put garnish on the rice? Spring onion? Red cut chilli? So many decisions to make and things to do, just for the perfect dish! Or of course you can just buy cooked glutinous rice outside for $2 for the easy way out. Your pick.
So whats the big occasion tomorrow? My little nephew is coming to my house for lunch!
We haven't had one of these random musing posts for a long time so i thought i should write one =)
Cooking or Assembling?
Of late, whenever i eat out, i feel like my food on the plate has been assembled rather than cooked. Do you get that feeling sometimes? Whether its fishball noodles, economic veg rice, char kway teow, fish and chips or whatever you are having, did the food feel tasteless? Like no thought was put into the preparation or cooking process. It's an assembly of ingredients and sauces. Even the food my mum cooks sometimes taste like an assembly (don't say i said that)! I know she is very busy and doesn't always have time to cook. I appreciate her tremendous effort in putting dinner on the table every night. Mummy is the BEST! Oops, i digressed.
Yes, back to cooking. I love cooking. I love the whole thought process of it and the actual event itself. I enjoy thinking about what i'm craving for, what new recipes to try, how i can tweak things i already know how to make, how to make it taste and look better. I feel excited just thinking about going to the supermarket to pick the fresh ingredients and be surrounded by endless possibilities! (Do you know why fresh ingredients taste better? That's another story for another time) I think one of the BEST part of cooking is imagining how people's faces look like when they finally taste the food. "WOW SOoooo GOOD!" "How did you do this?" "When are you cooking this again?" Who isn't a sucker for compliments for the food they cooked? He/she is a liar ;)
Guess what i'm cooking tomorrow? Glutinous rice. You may be thinking it is such an easy dish. Initially i thought so too. Until i start thinking about how to make the dish better! I must fry my own peanuts because those bought outside just don't taste as good as freshly fried peanuts. I must fry my own shallots. Same reason as the peanuts. I suck at peeling shallots. It's going to be time consuming. I wish i had a microwave oven at home. They make speedy fried shallots. Almost effortless! But i don't so its back to the wok. I also must make my cai por! Because my family loves my cai por. I love my cai por on the glutinous rice. Cai por needs to be soaked and cooked. In order to serve it in time for lunch tomorrow, i have to start cooking it tonight and throw it into the slow cooker. It'll taste heavenly by tomorrow. Glutinous rice needs to be soaked overnight before i steam it in the morning. What else? We can't just be having glutinous rice right? So i made popiah filled with mango and nata de coco. I prepared those before hand on Sunday. Frozen and ready to be deep-fried tomorrow. I'm also toying with the idea of preparing a mixed vegetable dish. But i haven't had time to get the vegetables yet. Should i put garnish on the rice? Spring onion? Red cut chilli? So many decisions to make and things to do, just for the perfect dish! Or of course you can just buy cooked glutinous rice outside for $2 for the easy way out. Your pick.
So whats the big occasion tomorrow? My little nephew is coming to my house for lunch!
Wednesday, 24 April 2013
Huber's!
Teh:
I know! Where have i been right?!?! It has been a month since the last post! Shame on me!
Sorry readers and spam bots, i have been MIA. I'm back!
My boss recently said he went to this place that sells meat. "Raw meat?" I asked. He replied "Yes! You choose the meat you want and they'll cook it for you on the spot." In the end we managed to figure out its Huber's. And so off we went to Huber's for some fresh meat to be cooked on the spot.
You can choose the steak you want (from the display fridge), minimum 200g, add another 45% to it's cost for the addition of fries and salad, that will be the amount you need to pay for your cooked steak. But you know what? Neither of us had steak =( I should have tried it. But i only went into the store to look at the steaks (raw, but looking juicy with all the marbling) after i placed my order for a beef burger. Maybe next time.
I ordered the Beef burger ($15.00 excluding GST) that came with gruyère cheese, bacon and caramelised onions. For the portion and quality, i would say it is value for money. But my little disappointment was the fact that the patty was overcooked. It was abit tough and dry. Maybe it's my fault for not specifying the doneness i wanted it to be.
My boss had the Oxtail with pan-fried parmesan risotto ($13.80 excluding GST). It's the special for the month of April. The tomato based oxtail stew was nice, tender and big in size (there were 2!) but not the risotto. Initially i thought the risotto was a very bad tasting hashbrown :x Bad hashbrown? Is there even such a thing? Yup you can imagine.
The next time we go back, i want to try the steak!
Do take note they close at 7pm.
I know! Where have i been right?!?! It has been a month since the last post! Shame on me!
Sorry readers and spam bots, i have been MIA. I'm back!
My boss recently said he went to this place that sells meat. "Raw meat?" I asked. He replied "Yes! You choose the meat you want and they'll cook it for you on the spot." In the end we managed to figure out its Huber's. And so off we went to Huber's for some fresh meat to be cooked on the spot.
You can choose the steak you want (from the display fridge), minimum 200g, add another 45% to it's cost for the addition of fries and salad, that will be the amount you need to pay for your cooked steak. But you know what? Neither of us had steak =( I should have tried it. But i only went into the store to look at the steaks (raw, but looking juicy with all the marbling) after i placed my order for a beef burger. Maybe next time.
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| Huber's - Beef Burger |
I ordered the Beef burger ($15.00 excluding GST) that came with gruyère cheese, bacon and caramelised onions. For the portion and quality, i would say it is value for money. But my little disappointment was the fact that the patty was overcooked. It was abit tough and dry. Maybe it's my fault for not specifying the doneness i wanted it to be.
 |
| Oxtail with pan-fried parmesan risotto |
My boss had the Oxtail with pan-fried parmesan risotto ($13.80 excluding GST). It's the special for the month of April. The tomato based oxtail stew was nice, tender and big in size (there were 2!) but not the risotto. Initially i thought the risotto was a very bad tasting hashbrown :x Bad hashbrown? Is there even such a thing? Yup you can imagine.
The next time we go back, i want to try the steak!
Do take note they close at 7pm.
| Huber's Butchery & Bistro @ Dempsey 18A Dempsey Road Singapore 249677 Tel: 6737 1588 Fax: 6737 1488 Mail: info@hubersbutchery.com.sg
(Free Parking Available)
Business hours at the bistro & hot counter: Mon: Closed Tues to Fri: 1100 to 1900 Sat, Sun & Public Holiday: 0930 to 1900 Business hours at the butchery: Mon to Fri: 0930 to 2000 Sat, Sun & Public Holiday: 0930 to 1900 Closed on Christmas Day, New Year's Day and Lunar New Year. |
Tuesday, 26 March 2013
King Louis Grill and Bar
Teh:
We had a lunch outing at King Louis Grill and Bar recently. We took advantage of the weekday set lunch and are pleasantly surprised by the big servings. Most of us had problem finishing the food. It really was a pity to waste them. I think next time we have to share a set. Here are some of the stuff we tried.
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| Cream of Mushroom |
All set lunches comes with a drink, soup of the day and ice cream. There are the usual array of soft drinks to choose from, ice lemon tea, hot coffee or tea. This cream of mushroom is packed full with bits of mushrooms. While my colleagues liked it, i think they were not aware that the soup lacks mushroom flavour. You may be wondering how can it lack mushroom flavour if it is full of mushrooms? Well, you will need to have had a real decent bowl of mushroom soup chocked full of flavour before you can tell that real thing from the "fake". The real flavour come from within. It is strong and lingering. Nevertheless, i think it is a good attempt at making a cream of mushroom soup. I drank every last bit of it.
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| Roast Beef |
I picked the Roast Beef ($14.90++) for my set lunch. It came with 2 decent sized sirloin steak. Yes 2 pieces! Amazing. Most places only serve one. There were also boiled potatoes, coleslaw, asparagus and a garden green. The beef was moist and tender. Value for money.
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| Baby Ribs |
My colleague had the Baby Ribs ($13.90++, i think). Do not be fooled by the name. It should be called Giant Ribs for its sheer size! This dish came with roasted potatoes, coleslaw and garden green. 3 people ordered this. 2 girls and a guy. Only the man could finish this! Unfortunately the meat was not tender enough. The girls had a hard time trying to eat with the fork and knife. The guy was smarter. He used his hands and teeth! lol. I had a taste of it. If it were roasted for a longer time, i will pick this the next time. I love pork!
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| Beer Batter Fish and Chips |
Someone order Fish and Chips. If my memory serves me correctly, they used Stella Artois beer for the batter. The portion is again, generous. While i did not try the fish and it's batter, my colleague told me it was quite salty. Maybe too much salt was added.
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| Grilled Salmon |
Lastly, a colleague ordered the grill salmon. The salmon given was big! For this size, it will cost you over $20 if you order elsewhere. I think its $13.90++ for the set lunch. The salmon came with a mix of stir fried vegetables and mushroom. I cannot remember if this came with any potatoes but there is a piece of it at the top right corner of this photo. lol. My colleague praised the texture of the salmon to the type she likes. I think it is not too dry. Cooked just right. But because my mum cooks salmon at home frequently, salmon is not something i will order when i'm eating out.
I didn't take any picture of the strawberry (?) ice cream. It was a cross between an ice cream and a sorbert. Go figure. You can skip it to save some calories.
Here is a picture of the view you will be treated to at King Louis. I quite like the place. The food is value for money. Try to share the set lunch with someone if you are a small eater. I think we will be back again.
King Louis Bar and Grill
1 Harbourfront Walk
#03-07A Vivocity
Tel : 6276 0862
Opening hours: Daily from 12pm to 11pm.
Monday, 18 March 2013
Tom Yum Kungfu (Visit 2)
Teh:
In order to satisfy my Thai Steamboat craving (after the unsatisfying trip to MooJaa), i made a trip down to Tom Yum Kungfu (16 Circular Road) on a weekday. Please sms your reservation (highly encouraged) to this no. 9375 5736 with your name, time of arrival, no. of pax, preference for outside or inside seating. I recommend sitting outside as it can be really smokey and stuffy inside once the place gets packed. Please note they are close on Sundays.
My friend and i ordered the $38 set (came with marinated pork, pork belly, scallops, prawns, fish cake, tang hoon, xiao bai cai, golden mushroom, white cabbage, beancurd skin) and an additional packet of thai tom yum instant noodles ($1.80). The seasoning really gave the soup stock a different dimension! This serving is makes a satisfying meal for 2 hungry women. Just like my first visit, the pork is tender is well marinate, the prawns are big and fresh. We added the instant noodle seasoning to the normal soup and it instantly became tom yum soup! The chilli sauce goes very well with the cooked food. It was spicy and slightly sourish, a real treat for the taste buds. We finished the meal by cooking the instant noodles in the soup. It was most excellent! Look at the pictures i took!
In order to satisfy my Thai Steamboat craving (after the unsatisfying trip to MooJaa), i made a trip down to Tom Yum Kungfu (16 Circular Road) on a weekday. Please sms your reservation (highly encouraged) to this no. 9375 5736 with your name, time of arrival, no. of pax, preference for outside or inside seating. I recommend sitting outside as it can be really smokey and stuffy inside once the place gets packed. Please note they are close on Sundays.
My friend and i ordered the $38 set (came with marinated pork, pork belly, scallops, prawns, fish cake, tang hoon, xiao bai cai, golden mushroom, white cabbage, beancurd skin) and an additional packet of thai tom yum instant noodles ($1.80). The seasoning really gave the soup stock a different dimension! This serving is makes a satisfying meal for 2 hungry women. Just like my first visit, the pork is tender is well marinate, the prawns are big and fresh. We added the instant noodle seasoning to the normal soup and it instantly became tom yum soup! The chilli sauce goes very well with the cooked food. It was spicy and slightly sourish, a real treat for the taste buds. We finished the meal by cooking the instant noodles in the soup. It was most excellent! Look at the pictures i took!
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| Outside seating area |
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| Tom Yum Kungfu Steamboat menu |
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| Tom Yum Kungfu side menu |
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| Tom Yum Kungfu Steamboat |
Tuesday, 12 March 2013
Singourmet - Singapore Curry Sauce
Teh:
During one of my shopping trips to Singapore Food Industries, i can given a free pack of Singourmet Singapore Curry Sauce because i spent over $50 (or $60 i can't remember).
I decided to follow the instructions closely and not add any other stuff to see how the original taste like. When i read the instructions, i was puzzled. 60g of potatoes and 80g of chicken (or other meat) are to be added to this mix. In case you were wondering, 60g of potato is how much 1 medium sized potato weighs. 1 chicken drumstick will surely exceed 80g worth of meat. Now, looking back at the serving size, it says 3-4 pax. One word - W.E.I.R.D.
I followed my own good common sense and used 4 medium sized potatoes (cut into 2) and 4 drumsticks because i wanted to serve 4 pax! I first browned the meat and the potato. Next i added the curry sauce and some water. I did not add any other seasoning except for some soy sauce. I let the curry simmer until the potatoes and chicken are cooked.
During one of my shopping trips to Singapore Food Industries, i can given a free pack of Singourmet Singapore Curry Sauce because i spent over $50 (or $60 i can't remember).
 |
| Singourmet Singapore Curry Sauce |
I decided to follow the instructions closely and not add any other stuff to see how the original taste like. When i read the instructions, i was puzzled. 60g of potatoes and 80g of chicken (or other meat) are to be added to this mix. In case you were wondering, 60g of potato is how much 1 medium sized potato weighs. 1 chicken drumstick will surely exceed 80g worth of meat. Now, looking back at the serving size, it says 3-4 pax. One word - W.E.I.R.D.
I followed my own good common sense and used 4 medium sized potatoes (cut into 2) and 4 drumsticks because i wanted to serve 4 pax! I first browned the meat and the potato. Next i added the curry sauce and some water. I did not add any other seasoning except for some soy sauce. I let the curry simmer until the potatoes and chicken are cooked.
Although the package also says "Ready in 10 minutes", it is not true unless your chicken and potatoes are already cooked. Please give allowance for cooking time. 30 minutes more like it.
Conclusion: The curry was oily but it was ok after i scooped the red oil out. It's taste is acceptable and the sauce is relatively thick if you do not add too much water. However it is of course in no way comparable to those sold outside. But i suppose if you are staying overseas long term, it can be a substitute for the real thing. If you are looking to fix a quick meal, it is pretty effortless. There is no need to add coconut milk unlike some other brands. Since i have not tried any other curry mix, i am unable to compare the taste. My search for the perfect curry mix will continue!
What's your preferred brand?
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