Day 326 : Prickly Pear Cactus Salad

Cactus, its very mention summons ouch to the brain. And it also spells F.O. to evil spirits for the plant’s purported power to banish paranormal mafia. Other than keeping cacti as hardy houseplants who are supposedly immune to death (I said ‘supposedly’ because I managed to kill quite a few despite their reputation for thriving with little care), the succulents never made it to our dinner tables.

But we do consume aloe vera don’t we? Yes, but aloe vera is not actually a cactus. It is a succulent plant like echeveria, agave. yucca and a whole lot of other fleshy arid species but the category of cactus has specific identification traits such as having spines (NOT thorns), pressence of areoles, and complex flowering structures. So technically, Singaporeans never tasted cactus. Until now…

Fresh Prickly Pear Cactus, a.k.a. nopal cactus, on sale at NTUC City Square Mall. Oh so exotic!

I was out playing Aunty Lucy during lunchtime today and came across these huge green oval paddles in the fruits and vegetables section. I thought the aliens have finally landed.

Upon closer examination, I was amused to find that they were actually cactus pads! Is internal acupuncture an upcoming health fad? Should I be swallowing a porcupine next? Or sea urchin perhaps?

Health Benefits of Prickly Pear Cactus

Apparenty. treating Prickly Pear Cactus as a health aid isn’t wrong. Because I was going to eat it, I did extensive research on the web and found many sites hailing it as a food-cum-medicine super plant. The Mexicans have been using it for centuries as food and to treat a host of ailments from superficial to diabolical. Recent studies have further confirmed the plant’s ability to regulate blood sugar levels as well as bust bad cholesterol, making it invaluable in the complementary treatment of diabetes and high cholesterol.

Okay, I have to qualify that the health benefits I dug up do not constitute medical advice. One study I read that examined the effects of Prickly Pear Cactus on diabetic patients only had 10 subjects. That’s hardly a convincing study at all. But other studies, such as one published in the Journal of American Medical Association concluded that phytonutrients in the cactus has the ability to block inflammatory agents in the body that causes swellings and even hangover!

How Does it Taste?

All the health benefits of the cactus should convince Popeye to ditch spinach. But wait. Does it taste good? Personally, I find it rather lacking in flavour except for a mild lemony tinge. The flesh is quite slimy like that of okra. And hardened fibres resembling fish bones are found at the narrow part near where the cactus ear had been removed from the main plant so that posed an eating hazard hassle.

So would I eat it again? Yeah I would. Bodybuilding.com claimed that bodybuilders and athletes are including the cactus in their diet to speed post-workout recovery and reduce pain. The cactus has anti-inflammatory properties remember? But the green paddles don’t come cheap considering the yield in edible flesh after removing the tough outer skin.

After the creation of the Fish n Prick Salad (canned tuna with Prickly Pear Cactus and assorted garden harvests), I think I’ll try cooking it with chicken in a soup! Bon appet-prick!

Day 305 : A French Affair at 2fifteen Kitchen

When I think French cuisine, I think of snooty menus with hard to pronouce dishes and stuffy atmospheres where not a strand of hair is allowed to be out of place. So I was kinda apprenhensive when I received a meal invitation to 2fifteen Kitchen, a nouveau French eatery by Epicurean Concepts.

But I’m glad the unpretentious restaurant took the pain out of un dîner français (unlike how I’m trying so hard to be chi-chi by peppering my post with Googled French phrases. Heh heh).

2fifteen Kitchen is a short walk from Bouna Vista MRT Station and the restaurant’s name is as casual as it’s approach to French dining… it is located at unit #02-15 of Rochester Mall, hence the name 2fifteen.

“We put the unit number in the restaurant’s name so there’s no need to guess our address,” 2fifteen Kitchen’s Executive Chef Kenny Yeo shared. Likewise, the menu is well spelt out and listed in English so that diners need not second guess their orders. For a palate like mine which is untrained on French food, I instantly know what I’m getting; which is nice when compared to menus I had to wrestle with previously from other restaurants who insist on naming their dishes in French and I had to read the descriptions to know what they are. Sophistication shouldn’t come at the cost of convenience.

Enough of my misadventures with French food. Here’s more about the correction facility I went to that got me to re-like the taste of France. Food portions pictured have been reduced so I can sample more dishes.

The frills-free decor is pleasant and I like the bright lighting as I can see my food without having to shine my handphone over the plate to appreciate what I’ve been served.

This photo doesn’t show it but the slightly fan-shapped drinking glass is delightfully unique!

Started my dinner with the sinful Warm salad of Duck Foie Gras with Grape petite salad & Raspberry Vinaigrette. Worth every bit of the cholesterol!

Sautéed Escargots with walnut oil, assortment of herb butter & Garlic on toast. The soft, succulent snail meat with the fragant sauce is simply délicieux!

Lobster Bisque with Crab meat & Pistachio (front) and Pan-seared Hokkaido Sea Scallop, braised Cannellini Bean Lobster Bisque Foam (back).

The lobster bisque was thick and creamy and went really well with bread. The scallop, however, sat on the fire for a little too long I think as it was rubbery.

Grilled Angus Flank Steak, garlic Potatoes, shallot Confit in red wine sauce. Ordered this to be medium done but probably should’ve gone with medium rare as flank steak tend to get chewy when overdone.

Roasted Lamb Loin with Provencal Vegetables & Garlic herb crust.

Crispy Duck Confit from Périgord, Medley of Mesclun, Balsamic Vinaigrette. One of my fave dishes. Crispiness of the skin is perfect and the meat slides right off the bone. I would eat the bone too if I could!

The winner at 2fifteen Kitchen is the Prawn Cappellini in Aromatic Oil. Cappellini is also known as angel hair pasta and the texture resembles bee hoon. This is one of Chef Kenny’s special creation and it’s flavoured beautifully.

Trio crème Brulee Custard with Caramelised Sugar (espresso, classic and pumpkin). Can you see the grape-sized kiwi fruit on the plate? So cute!

Home-made Apple tart, Vanilla Ice Cream & Almonds. Love this too… the amazingly thin crust is so light and crispy.

Photo with 2fifteen Kitchen’s Executive Chef Kenny Yeo…. a really friendly and warm face of the restaurant who’s ever ready to give an insight into the dishes. Chef Kenny’s culinary flair is much sought in Singapore and Taiwan. He headed several restaurants here before spending a year coaching chefs in Taiwan.

Having tried a 5-course appetiser, soup, main, pasta and dessert meal at 2fifteen Kitchen, my appetite for French spreads was rekindled. Chef Kenny, the service staff’s Singaporean-ness and the simple chic of the restaurant made French dining so much more accessible without compromising on presentation and taste. Bon appétit!

2fifteen Kitchen @ Rochester Mall

Address : 35 Rochester Drive, #02-15, Rochester Mall

Reservation : +65 6659 8215

Website : http://epicurean.com.sg/2fifteen.html

Day 300 : A Cake That Blows Your Mind

Attended a friend’s birthday party at the luxurious Marina Bay Sands suite on level 52 that offered a breathtaking aerial view of Bay South where Gardens by the Bay has bloomed.

But the bigger attraction sat on a table grabbing astonished gasps and eyeballs. It was a totally swell cake!

Day 288 : Dinnpper

Juliana needed test rats for her culinary experiments and so my kitchen became her laboratory for the day as she served up a fruity brown rice, sticky sauced snow fish, drunken prawns (done with Bek Se Ju), beef-dunno-what, and Korean style fried leek with kimchi.

I’m writing this post so obviously her Frankenstein menu didn’t kill me. The dinner-supper was meant for 2, but it grew to 3 and God must’ve known we needed a fourth to finish the food and sent Anis our way. I was amazed by how the mouths just appeared to help finish up the volume of food. Juliana is known for her generosity and excesses in all her indulgence. The food was good, so it’s not that we needed more appetites to chow down, but the portions were simply too much.

The meal was also thoughtfully made with considerations given to my palate’s fancy and for that, I’m very grateful although I balk whenever friends show me too much favour. It’s nice to catch up with friends over a homecooked meal and some wine once in a while

Day 276 : IKYU Sushi & Bar

When it comes to Japanese fine dine, three factors determine whether a dining experience gets the ichiban-oishii squeal or you wished you were on a kamikaze mission. The trinity that makes or breaks a Jap restaurant, to me, is Freshness, Authenticity, and Beauty (plating, presentation, decoration). I call it the FAB rating.

While the freshness of ingredients is expected of any restaurant regardless of cuisine and artistry in plating definitely whets the appetite further, authenticity can sometimes be a dirty word. By ‘authentic’, I mean the traditional taste of a dish. Not that tradition is bad, but if there are a gazillion places using the same heritage recipe, the marketing spiel could get kinda tired and stale.

Then once in a while, something like IKYU Sushi & Bar happens to redefine tradition and raises the stakes in competing for the eyes and stomachs of Singaporeans.

Snuggled amongst a plethora of avant-garde nouvelle restaurants and cafes in the retro-hip part of Tiong Bahru’s residential estate, IKYU can be found at No. 5, Yong Siak Street.

IKYU (pronounced as E-Q, 一休) means “take a break”. The restaurant is swarthed in a bold copper skin that befits an art gallery.

Interior of IKYU viewed from the main entrance. It can seat about 50 diners.

View of the IKYU from the restaurant’s restroom.

Retro taps at the restroom provided a link between the restaurant’s modern design with Tiong Bahru’s reputation for nostalgia.

Food is a little pricey considering the Smurf portion they come in but the taste and creativity patches the hole in the wallet.

Started the food tasting session with a refreshing sip of chilled Pear Sake.

Grilled Edamame flavoured with Truffle Oil – S$8.50.

Chef’s special creation of the day – Cream Cheese with Snapper’s Stomach (not in menu). Depending on the exotic fresh catch of the day that suppliers bring to the kitchen, diners can be surprised by special items not on the menu. Ask the staff for the day’s special and prepare to be delighted. This Snapper Stomach appetiser just blew my tastebuds away. Nice!

Wafu Marinated Salmon Carpaccio – S$16.50.

Deep fried SAKURA baby Prawn – S$8.50. Very fragrant and flavourful.

Blow Fish Tatsuta-Age with Sansyo – S$16.50 and Smoked Whale Salad (not in menu, you have to ask for it). So very exotic! My first time having Blow Fish meat and it’s pretty good.

Blow Fish (a.k.a. Puffer Fish) is well-known for sending adventurous diners to meet their maker. I’m surprised it is available here for I am under the impression that it can only be had in Japan.

Yup, I survived tasting the notoriously toxic delicacy to write this blog. Heh heh.

Breaded Oyster from Hiroshima – S$12.50.

Assorted Vegetables Wrapped in Pork – S$15.50.

Hirame (2 pcs) -S$10.50. First encounter with Flounder Nigiri and I love the taste plus texture.

Blue Fin Tuna O-Toro (2 pcs) – S$35.50. The meat kinda just slippery-melt in the mouth.

Kagoshima Wagyu Beef Sirloin (120g) – S$58.50. Juicy, tender and totally worth busting a diet plan over.

Grilled pair Quail Legs – S$5.50 each (Happy Hour menu). So who’s the man behind all these exotic salivates that fused classic Jap with some French / Italian twists?

No compromise. The Executive Chef behind IKYU is Executive Chef Takuma Seki. The former chef-de Cuisine of Hide Yamamoto at The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands is such a jovial and funny guy. His vision for IKYU is a new breed of Jap restaurant that takes tradition to the level of excitement.

For dessert, we had a platter of honeydew, persimmon and Kyoho grapes imported directly from Japan. A perfect sweet ending to a FAB dinner!

As a keepsake for the food tasting session, we were presented with this beautiful Zen-style thumbdrive. Love it!

Everything that we had tonight at IKYU tasted really good and unusual. Ingredients were fresh, the fusion flavours were delightfully unique, and aesthetic appeal from restaurant decor to food presentation were a sensory odyssey.

All of us bloggers and media who were fortunate enough to get invited for the food tasting agree that this place is definitely worth coming back for seconds, or thirds. Definitely ichiban-oishii!

Day 243 : Diner en Blanc Drew a Blank

Singapore saw red over a white-themed picnic recently that resulted in a furore of nationalism. Suddenly, everyone’s united to stand by our Singaporean identity. Be it tau huay or cooking curry, food has became our cultural weapons.

You can criticise our government, we can protest National Service, but don’t insult with our cuisines!

The inaugural Diner en Blanc docked at Marina Bay Sands.

The controversial event in question was Diner en Blanc, an outdoor picnic concept originating from France where attendance is by-invite only. Apparently, more than 8,000 people applied to participate in Diner en Blanc but only 888 were picked.

I went because Juliana invited me. If not for her, I would not have known of its existence. But my attendance was reluctant right from the beginning, even before the whole food fight started. I wasn’t keen because I feel intimidated at chi-chi events or in the company of thoroughbred Singaporeans speaking English with rolled tongues. I find comfort in my LAHs, MEHs and HORs.

Ang moh Guanyin Ma. It was a parade of high fashion with guests coming in long flowing dresses, huge sun hats (at night) and constructed suits.

I have nothing against Diner en Blanc and what it represents (the picnic started in France 24 years ago as a gathering for friends and later spread to the rest of the world as a posh picnic party at exotic locations), to me, the rukus about the event’s organisers dissing local food as being too low-class for the event was the result of toxic public relations.

However, I do take issue with the PR company uninviting invited bloggers to the event on the pretext of not having enough space. I wasn’t an invited blogger but a couple of my prominent blogger friends were. It’s either the organisers are terrible planners to not foresee the space issue in the beginning or that they treat bloggers as second-class citizens. The ‘no space’ excuse sounded like a bull defecating. From what I saw, there was plenty of space for more tables at the event venue.

Dress in white, pay an al fresco restaurant to bring your own food, table, chairs and cutleries… and you get Diner en Blanc.

When I learnt about the disrespect Diner en Blanc showed my blogger friends, I told Juliana I no longer wanted to go. But she’d already paid for a bottle of champagne (S$85) and white wine (S$30).

Juliana tried getting a refund but it wasn’t allowed. Not wanting to loogi the hard earned cash, we decided to go anyway and see what’s the big deal about the exclusive picnic party.

Char siew baos tasted so good with champagne!

Juliana prepared a wonderful spread complete with delightfully floral table decorations. I felt really bad because I didn’t lift a finger to help with any preparation for the night picnic. I don’t share her enthusiasm and passion in couture dining. I prefer to keep things simple.

The organiser’s stance on the food to bring was that they must be made with care and discourages da-bao (packaged) food. Yet they held Diner en Blanc on a Thursday night at 6pm. Guests were actually encouraged to take half a day off work to prepare for the picnic. On top of that, there were many rules and regulations to follow. So mah-fan (cumbersome)!

Singapore is the first Asian country to host Diner en Blanc. Will it be a one time only event?

During the picnic, a live band serenaded guests with some entertainment and a moment where everyone lit up sparklers. That’s about it.

My camera ran out of juice so I didn’t take more photos than I wanted to but then again, there wasn’t much to remember about the event except the immense trouble Juliana went through to make the evening special. I guess that’s the spirit of Diner en Blanc, a celebration of friendship!

Day 209 : 心的作品

很久没有如此这般受宠若惊的感觉了。虽然纯粹只是好友关系，也不是深交很久，但可见这友人的心质细腻，关怀意识浓郁。

今天这友人为我做的泰式沙拉有虾、蟹肉、嫩牛肉、石榴果仁、黃花南芥菜 (wild rocket leaves)、爽口杂生菜，还有特制的酸辣泰式浆料，口味十足！

不敢想象为准备这顿健康午餐所需要花的时间、金钱与心思。我感到无比感动，也格外不好意思，因为我这块木头人不懂得回敬此情意。

受到的礼会太大反而更内疚于无力归还。

Day 200 : Insatiable

A bowl of Chicken Curry Noodles with added liver followed by a 6-piece McChicken Nugget Set Meal, upsized. Those were what I had for lunch today. It seems that the more I try to diet, the more I eat. My appetite lately has been an out-of-control free train speeding to wreck my waistline.

To compensate for my weak-will at the dining table, I have to be strong-willed at increasing gym frequency and intensity as muscles torches fat. So far so good. Hopefully this strategy to increase my metabolic rate by building more muscle mass will convert my monster appetite into a second puberty.

Day 168 : Cook-Out

Instead of “eating out”, I always treat steamboat dinners as a “cook-out”. We didn’t plan to celebrate Father’s Day but since I’m home on weekends most of the time, we decided to have a family meal. I suggested this new PRC restaurant that served authentic Chinese cuisine as well as a hotpot buffet because I passed by it earlier in the week while helping an old lady locate SNEC’s Balestier Clinic.

Steamboat buffets have always been my gastronomic kryptonite and I’m glad we found this place near home to satisfy my craving. The restaurant is open from 5pm – 5am! So anytime I feel like a late-night cook-out session, I just need to take a 10-minute walk. And the best part is, the soups are gorgeous!

We ordered the tom yam and herbal soup bases and they tasted really good! My love for steamboats had me cooking all over town and I must say this counts amongst one of the best. I’m getting hungry from writing this post and recalling the steaming, delicious hot soup! Furthermore, the ingredients for going into the pot were fresh and replenishment was prompt. At S$19.80 per adult for an all-you-can-eat, this place is good-value-for-money if one looks past the sparse decor.

Can’t remember the name of the restaurant but it’s along Balestier Road, opposite the once-famous Loy Kee Chicken Rice shop. I look forward to going back and trying other soups.

Day 160 : A Grand Small Dinner Gathering

Glistening chandeliers like overhanging galactic flowers, rich rosewood married to oriental psychedelicness, and familiar Chinese evergreen classics sighing up nostalgic memories… Stepping into the Grand Shanghai Restaurant took us back to the elegant old-world opulence of the 大时代, a feast not only for the stomach, but the senses as well. Great ambience for a small dinner gathering with our family friend.

Day 147 : Big Food

Good food never ends in Thailand and my steamboat craving was vastly satisfied at MK Steamboat Restaurant at Terminal 21. I enjoyed the mall so much after yesterday’s visit, I came again today. Had wanted to just take some photos and leave but we ended up having lunch there because the mall’s ambience is simply terrific.

Steamboat is one of my biggest gastro-weakness and I’ve always found MK Steamboat’s ingredients to be fresh and the sauce tasty. And the price is reasonable too. Other than the lot of steamboat dishes (prawns, beef, veg, etc), we ordered a platter of roast duck as well and the bill came up to only 759bht (approx. S$32)! A-roy khrup!

Day 119 : Tang Hong Kong Gourmet

When I think of Hong Kong cafe-restaurants (茶餐厅), I think of instant noodles with luncheon meat and fried egg, baked rice, fancy tea-tails, and a whole lot of confused recipes passing off as fusion food (I think of them as ‘confusion food’).

So when I received a dinner invitation to sample the menu at Tang Hong Kong Gourmet, I was expecting confusion cuisine. But what me and my friends had was a great no-frills dining experience with Asian tastes not trying to pretend to be something else. In other words, good ‘ol traditional Cantonese and Asian fare that’s full on flavour and big on character!

Located along Neil Road, Tang HK Gourmet sits within one of the most historical parts of Singapore.

Walk this way to Tang-o with authentic Chinese home-cooked recipes that's been passed down for generations.

The ever cordial and smiley Benson Tong, chef and propreitor of Tang. Benson is quite a celebrity chef with a guest spot on 100.3FM's Mr Simple (好吃小计划) every Tuesday at 10:30pm and he's won the Successful Entrepreneur 2010, Singapore 100 Special Commendation 2008, and placings in TV cooking shows as well as competitions. With such credentials, I can't wait for him to start wok-ing on my dinner!

I'm in the company of big talents. Here's Eg Yik Fan with Benson. Yik Fan is the Chief Producer for Money Week (财经追击) and he was nominated for the Best Current Affairs Story (最佳时事报道) in this year's Star Awards (红星大奖 2012).

Top 3 recommended dishes by Mediacorp Channel 8's food variety show, Buzzing Cashier. Best thing is, the prices won't leave the wallet hungry after we are full.

Any 茶餐厅 experience would not be complete without an order special beverages and tea. We ordered the Plum drink, Home-Boiled Sugar Cane drink and Chrysanthemum with Wolfberry tea. The drinks were full of flavour and didn't taste like some watered down syrupy disasters.

Best way to start a dinner is with soup to 'lubricate' the appetite. This Pork Ribs with Buddha's Hand Fruit tastes as wonderful as it is exotic. Never had soup made from the fruit before as it is not commonly sold in the markets.

Black Chicken Herbal Soup... simply superb with just the right herbal note without being overpoweringly bitter.

Tang Special Spicy Coconut Prawn.

Steam Fishhead with Chili and Garlic Sauce. Fish is fresh and cooked just right so the meat is slippery and soft. But the sauce was a little too strong for my preference.

I call this the black orgasm! I'm a HUGE fan of Vinegared Pork Trotters and Tang's version is pure culinary rhapsody. Very seldom do I get to taste this dish done to perfection. The vinegaric sourness and sweetness of this dish were in harmony with the meaty flavour and the pork was cotton. And I've never eaten old ginger cooked till so soft. Two thumbs up!

Roast Duck. Meat was firm and moist.

Stir-Fried Dou Miao (pea shoots) with Oyster Sauce. Love the generous sprinkling of fried garlic bits that brings out the crispness of greens when eaten together with the veggie.

Another of my fave at Tang... Pear with White Fungus Dessert, Red Dates and Apricot Kernels.

There were still many salivicous-sounding dishes I didn’t get to taste during the dinner. A big thank you to Benson for inviting me and graciously extending the food tasting session to my 3 friends.

It’s so very, very rare that I get a food tasting invite where I can bring friends and order anything we desired on the menu. This just shows the generosity of the chef and judging from what we had, Tang Hong Kong Gourmet definitely doesn’t skim on taste and great service! Will definitely go back again as a paying customer

Day 116 : Seki Japanese Restaurant & Bar

Arigatou to a food tasting invite by Seki Japanese Restaurant & Bar, I got a chance to let my tastebuds flirt with the deadly and the unusual. To be exact, I had my first sampling of Fugu and traditional Jap favourites given a modern twist.

If you have not yet heard of Fugu‘s (puffer fish) badass reputation for causing death by paralysis when ingested, now you know. Chefs preparing fresh Fugu sashimi need special licenses issued by the Japanese government that permit them to serve the dish and there are only a handful of such chefs in the world. To get a taste of potential death, diners have to sign an indemnity form before Fugu-ing.

A food tasting session where my life was at stake. You can imagine my excitement and anticipation of coming to Seki. And I survived to bring you this review…

Seki Japanese Restaurant & Bar is housed within Rendezvous Hotel at a district where art meets heritage. Within close proximity are the historical Cathay Building and National Museum, and new homes of modern art - School of The Arts, and Singapore Art Museum. Such a conducive setting to complement Seki's fusion culinary creations.

Entrance of Seki with bold contemporary lines and a hint of tradition.

Keith, the propreitor of Seki. He's got such a humble and personable demeanour.

An open kitchen concept allows diners to watch sushi and sashimi theatre.

I was dazzled by the elegant sparkle of Seki's glass crystal lampshades like a moth to a flame.

Seki's extensive bar menu boast a host of exquisite and exotic fruit Sakes. But they don't come cheap. The most expensive bottle costs over S$200.

We got a taste of Seki's signature concoction, Yoghurt Sake.

Juliana looks abnormal in normal clothes. She's one fashion junkie that is in a class of her own. Always a visual surprise meeting her during events.

Chef preparing our sushi platter. This is the only Jap drama I will ever be interested in. Heh heh.

We had dried Fugu and not the fresh version so there's no risk of ending up on Seki's floor. Tastes kinda like fish jerky but softer.

Episode 2 in our Jap dinner... 3-Kind Sashimi Moriawase.

The choice seafood ingredients are imported directly from Tsukiji Market in Tokyo every Tuesday and Thursday.

Mega drool!!!

Episode 3... Sushi Moriawase and California Roll with a special Uni Sushi for the leading lady, Juliana.

Seki's Kamo Salad (Black Pepper Smoked Duck and Cabbage topped with Deep-Fried Springroll Skin).

Cheese Chawanmushi with Foie Gras. Yummers!

Soft and tender Gyu Shioyaki (charcoal-grilled beef in black pepper) with special mayonnaise mustard sauce.

Clicklicious cake bought specially by Juliana for a surprise birthday celebration for photographer extraordinaire...

... Darren Chin!

When it comes to Japanese cuisine, my expectations are generally higher. That’s the reason why I seldom eat bentos or Jap food at foodcourts because the finesse in flavour and texture is generally lost. Not that I have a snobby palate but I think Jap food is something that can be done wrong very, very easily.

With Seki, I am delighted by the freshness of the raw seafood and find the touches of reinvention to traditional favourites such as the Chawanmushi rather refreshing. Price-wise, it’s between the mid to high range with affordable meal sets under S$30. Personally, I think Seki provides a great setting for an intimate dining experience where it’s menu and Sake selection will definitely be conversation pieces.

Seki Japanese Restaurant & Bar

Address : Rendezvous Hotel, 9 Bras Basah Road, #01-02, Singapore 189559

Reservations : (+65) 6336 3806 / 6336 3807

Day 092 : Good Food on April Fools’

Started the second quarter of 2012 with a family dinner at Nihon Mura Japanese Restaurants Balestier Road outlet and the staff played a April Fools’ on us. They forgot to process our orders and we were left sitting there for ages. Food’s good though and the Deep-Fried Salmon Fishhead was pure ecstasy in the mouth.

Day 078 : A 5-Minutes Nutritious Snack

When the year began, the folks at Yit Hong sent some of their convenient and delicious bottled Yifon mushrooms my way along with a calendar featuring mouth-watering recipes from one of Singapore’s top chefs, Eric Teo.

Being a toad at the bottom of a well, I had no idea who’s he until I Googled and realised his Kitchen God status in Singapore’s culinary arena. Chef Teo is the first Singaporean to be named President of the Singapore Chef’s Association (does that mean previous presidents were non-Singaporeans? How come a Singaporean association used foreigners to call the shots? *Puzzled*) and had led a local team to win top medals in the IKA 2000 Culinary Olympics and several other prestigious cooking competitions.

Working with Yi Hong’s range of canned and bottled foods, Chef Teo custom-created 12 simple to follow recipes that had me drooling each time I checked the day of the month. So today, I decided to try out the simplest recipe that can be served as a nutritious dish at meal times or eaten alone as a snack. And the best thing was, it took me less than 10 minutes to prepare!

Of course with my clumsy fingers, my version looked nothing as beautiful as Chef Teo’s. I couldn’t get the silken tofu out in one pristine piece from its packaging so I decided to mash it up and spread it on the plate. Here’s how to make this simple vegetarian dish that’s high in protein and fibre. I’ve modified his recipe slightly to suit my preference.

INGREDIENTS :

1 Bottle Yifon Teatree Mushrooms (or Yifon Spicy Nameko Mushrooms)

1 Block of Silken Tofu

2 Stalks Spring Onions (sliced)

Chilli, Chinese Parsley and Sesame Seeds (optional)

1 Teaspoon Sesame Oil

METHOD :

1. Cut Tofu into small pieces and spread on a small plate.

2. Drained the Yifon Mushrooms and spread on tofu. Steam for 5 minutes.

3. After steaming, water will seep from the tofu onto the plate. Scoop off the excess fluids, drizzle sesame oil on the dish and garnish with spring onions, sliced chilli and parsley.

The dish takes it taste mainly from the Yifon mushrooms used so choose the flavoured ones (Yifon Bottled Mushrooms come with 6 choices). Try the recipe today and have fun eating healthy!