Recipes Bistro by SHATEC @ Treasury Building May 20, 2013
Posted by gurkhason in food, singapore.add a comment
<Media Tasting>
Tucked at the corner of the Treasury Building along the High Street is Recipes, a bistro that is run by the students of Shatec. If you have not already know what Shatec is, they are a well established training institue specialising in hospitality and tourism industries.
As a pioneer in this industry for the past 30 years, Shatec will celebrate its 30 years as a leading hospitality and tourism institute; with more than 30,000 graduates and amongst them many illustrious Shatec alumni currently holding coveted positions in the industry, some as executive chef , celebrity chef and even owner of world-renowned restaurants in both Singapore and abroad.
An exclusive anniversary dinner set menu is specially created by well-known chef and served at Recipes only on 7 & 14 June.
Slow-Cooked Pork Belly with Apple Salsa
created by Chef Randy Chow, Class of 1986
Chef Randy Chow is one of the celebrated Chef and alumni of Shatec. Currently holding Senior Faculty and Operations Manager of At-Sunrice Global Chef Academy. He boasts an illustrious career serving as Chef in hotels, cafe and even hospitals! The starter highlights the pork belly which is done to such tenderness that will delight those who loves roast pork. The apple salsa is a good complement because it helps to cleanse your palate after chewing on the pork belly. Its sour taste also helps to prepare the stomach for digestion! How wonderfully thoughout this starter is!
Mushroom Coffee with Cinnamon Roll with Prawn Paste
created by Chef Eric Teo, Class of 1986
Most people will know Chef Eric Teo as he is the celebrity chef. I first acquainted him as he stared at the Mediacorp Chef Apprentice (名厨实习生) a reality (cooking) show as well as Love on the Plate (名厨出走记). And I am not showing any favouritism by saying I simply love this mushroom soup so much. Coincidentally, my friend just had soup in a cup recently and I had this mushroom coffee soup. I don’t know about the coffee taste, but the soup is velvety, and oozing with mushroom flavour. I feel as though I am drinking hot chocolate actually.
Sous Vide Chicken Breast in Smoked Oil, Fig Glazed Foie Gras, Caramelised Endive, Manchego Espuma, Thyme Jus
created by Chef Tony Khoo, Class of 1986
Chef Tony Khoo is probably one of the most illustrious alumni of Shatec. For those who know, he has many accolades to boot and even published his own cook book. It is very daring to serve chicken breast as not many people (besides those on diet or sports person needing a lot of protein) like it as the meat is usually dry and tough. To the amazement of all the diners, the chicken was very tender and moist. Definitely doesn’t feel like you are eating breast meat at all! This likely is because the sous vide method is used to cook meat evenly and retaining the juiciness. I get a very Christmassy feeling having this main course perhaps because of the entire presentation and also the taste of the herbs used. Hence I feel that it is very apt for this dish to be part of this celebratory anniversary menu.
These are the accompaniment of the main course. But boy! They are almost stealing the thunder. I love the doneness of the vegetables especially the juicy tomato. Once you bite into it, it is squirting with all the Vitamin C and its sweet goodness. And of course the foie gras, such a big chunky piece! The entire combination here is as good as having another starter as the portion is very big. Seriously, only Chef Tony Khoo can pull this off!
Fondant Au Chocolat
created by Chef Pang Kok Keong, Class of 1993
This delightful dessert is created by Chef Pang who incidentally is the owner of Antoinette, a chic cafe with several joints in Singapore. This dessert though not exquisite but is delightful on its own way. The outer layer of the cake is crusty while the inside is served warm and moist. Although the chocolate is not a molten but it certainly does alleviate the chocolate taste. The vanilla flavoured ice-cream balance the heavy taste chocolate while hints of the pistachio adds a special crunch to end the meal with great delight.
Only for limited two days for dinner only on 7 June and 14 June. If you want to try out the above creations by the Chefs, I suggest you should call for reservations. Recipes also served very valuable lunch (with the option of semi-buffet) and dinner. It is frequently crowded during the lunch time because the food is good. Doesn’t matter that it has changed name a few times (previously known as The Petals and changed name to Charcoal).
Recipes Bistro by SHATEC
100 High Street #01-03
The Treasury
Singapore 179434
Tel: +65
Monday to Saturday: 9am to 10pm (closed on Sundays and Public Holidays)
A for Antoinette @ Mandarin Gallery May 14, 2013
Posted by gurkhason in cafe, food.1 comment so far
A for Antoinette. I wish I could start an A-Z food blog, that would be really interesting to find restaurants, cafes, bistro, bar, pubs and start blogging about them. OK set then, that should be my ambitious blog project! This going to make my blogging to be more focus, fun and meaningful.
Back to Antoinette. Each time I passed by, I felt that the restaurant is very upclass with its very posh furniture. It also look sophisticated and very girly at the same time. So I would imagine Audrey Hepburn sipping tea and having breakfast there.
Not to miss out a piece of action, I asked two of my (girl)friends for breakfast at Antoinette at Mandarin Gallery. The place has got very few seating so although we are probably #3 in the queue but we waited for a good 40 minutes before we were showed to a seat that was rather uncomfortable. We put up for a while and hesistated with our orders until another group of guest left and went and we changed to a better seat.
Antoinette Big Breakfast ($22)
Pastry
Hot Chocolate
After 40 minutes of queuing, I have turned a very hungry man. So I ordered the Antoinette Big Breakfast which comes with choice of egg (pay extra for poached), grilled bacon and sausage and Pain de Mie toast. You can see this breakfast is B.I.G. indeed because it comes with the pastry and hot chocolate (or orange juice). It is a very satisfying breakfast.
Burger Antoinette
My friend had the Burger Antoinette, which comes with the delectable pan-fried apple and chicken leg patty, pommery mustard mayonnaise, butter lettuce, onion chutney, plump tomato, chips and petit salad with house dressing. I have tried the pan-fried apple and chicken leg patty which is flavourful and juicy. I would have gladly exchanged my order with this. The chips were special also, I wonder if they are “home-made”.
Brittany Savoury Crepe
This savoury crepe is a nice order that has the crepe and savoury served seperately. Inside is a pot of seafood delight of scallop, prawns and mussels sauteed with white wine and cream, perfumed with aromatics. The crepe is pictured below with some green leaves. I couldn’t really appreciate this crepe because it is quite messy to eat this.
My overall experience at Antoinette is pleasant. It is quite relaxing inside but I still grudge the long wait at the queue; but well; when one is willing one can’t complain much. The food taste pretty dainty to me and isn’t too pricey as I thought it will be considering the ambience and the setting of the restaurant. My next visit, I probably go to the flagship store at Penhas Road (off Lavender Street) for a different experience.
Antoinette @ Mandarin Gallery
333A Orchard Road
#02-33/34 Mandarin Gallery
Singapore 238897
Tel: +65 6781-1820
Open Daily: 11am to 10pm
Saveur French Casual Dining @ Purvis Street (Bugis) May 8, 2013
Posted by gurkhason in food, photos.1 comment so far
Saveur boast a french casual dining concept to bring affordable French food to the masses. It has been very succesful in doing so as after its debut for more than one year, you can still see a noticeable queue forming outside its restaurant at Purvis Street, despite the fact that it has since opened a new outlet at Far East Plaza. As they don’t take reservations, therefore be prepared to queue at least 30 minutes; or more if you have a party bigger than 4.
Mushroom Cappuccino $4.90
There’s no doubt this is a cappuccino as it is served on a cup instead of a bowl. You can even see bubbles on top of the soup. Not sure if it is made that way as in one stage such “molecular dining” is very trendy amongst the chef. But you still consume from a spoon rather than drinking from the cup. Mushroom soup is rich in taste and something worth ordering.
Duck Salad $5.90
The duck salad surprises me with the uniform coat of Saveur homemade lemon vinaigrette dressing on the green leafy mesclun. For the price, it is definitely very value for money. The shredded duck confit is a tad dry but goes well with the greens. I love the quail eggs which were done with a runny egg yolk. The cherry tomatoes and orange segment adds more flavour to the salad. A very lovely salad good to share or have it on its own.
Confit of Duck $10.90
If there is any reason why their long queue even after opening for more than 1 year must be their confit of duck. For that price, you can taste a duck as good as (or even better) than what a high-end french restaurant can offer you. My friend his girlfriend both love it. The meat is surprisingly tender and tasty while maintaining the slight crisp at the skin. The duck leg is resting on a bed of potato gratin that you can taste little bits of potatoes, giving it some texture along the taste. I hold a high opinion of this confit of duck and will recommend my friends if they visit Saveur.
Chicken Roulade $9.90
I had a chicken roulade served with creamy basmati rice. The roulade of chicken thigh is stuffed with foie gras-infused chicken farce which has quite a unique taste. I like the rich creamy basmati rice with a grainy texture. Apparently you can order a separate basmati rice at $2.
Texture of Citrus $6.90
This Texture of Citrus’ highlight the blood orange jelly with orange granite which has a soft and smooth texture. You can also taste some freeze-dried pineapples, citrus segments & lime zest which is very sour, but not too sour to dislike it. Some crispy bits of feuilletine is sprinkled across the dessert to give it some crunch. Very creative and well thought out dessert but could do with simplifying the presentation.
Panna Cotta $6.90
The final dessert; which taste very different from the texture of citrus; is the pistachio-flavoured cooked cream panna cotta. This dessert boost a very rich and unique creamy taste. Once you dig into it, there’s a lot of the ground and caramelised pistachio enhancing the flavour of the cream. Really yummy.
With a very good experience this dinner, I will definitely come again. Maybe for a change I should visit their branch in Far East Plaza and see if it is up to its standard of Purvis Street (Bugis) outlet.
Saveur @ Bugis
5 Purvis Street
Talib Court #01-04
Singapore 188584
Tel: +65 6333-3121
Monday to Saturday: 12pm to 2.15pm, 6pm to 9.30pm
Sunday: 6pm to 9pm
Braised Claypot Crab with Superior Broth and Pumpkin @ Boxing Crab May 7, 2013
Posted by gurkhason in food.1 comment so far
[Media Cover]
A dish as good as this braised claypot crab with superior broth and pumpkin deserved an entry of its own. This has to be one of the best and memorable crab dish that I had. The Boxing Crab is the original creator of this dish which is both tasty and devilish.
Photo credit: The Boxing Crab
For friends that knows me well, I am not exactly a crab lover. My fetish for crab is really about mopping out the sauce or gravy of the dish. That’s why I am never a fan of black pepper or salted egg yolk crabs. My love is for chilli crab, butter crab, or cheese crabs… the more gravy the better it is.
This pumkin crab meets exactly my standards. The crab is basically swimming in the thick, yet smooth broth. There is no kidding about it being a superior broth because it is slow cooked for 7 hours before being presented to the diner. The broth taste peppery and slightly spicy. Because the chef used some curry leave to lift the flavour, hence this pumpkin broth has a tinge of curry flavour. Best goes with the deep fried buns that comes together with the crab, it is also good with rice, noodles, or anything at all. Maybe I suggest other similar dishes (Prawns? Chicken?) with this superior broth and pumpkin.
PROMOTION
For a limited period only in the month of May, The Boxing Crab is offering a 1-for-1 crab promotion. So take the opportunity to impress your mother this coming Mother’s Day of your good choice and savour this superior crab dish.
Check out my other post on the Mother’s Day Menu at Boxing Crab.
The Boxing Crab
80 Siloso Beach, Sentosa
Singapore 098969
Tel: +65 6274 7760
Open daily, 11.00am to 11.00pm
Zi Zai Vegetarian 自在齋 @ Tampines May 6, 2013
Posted by gurkhason in food, photos.add a comment
Once in a while you get sick of indulging in meat and seafood, it is a nice change to head for a vegetarian menu instead. Zi Zai Vegetarian @ Tampines can do exactly that. It is popular not only with vegetarians, even those living near the neighbourhood will also visit the store for some as good as non-vegetarian zhi char. On weekday nights and weekend, it will be packed with guest. You probably have to wait some time for a table if you have a bigger than 5 in your party.
Yam ring is one of the “must-order” dish because it is my mum’s favourite. The yam ring is crispy on the outside and filled with lots of yam inside. At the core of the ring are stir fried vegetarian sweet and sour pork with the usual fan fare of carrots, capsicum and cashew nuts. Quite frankly, the yam ring is as good as it gets and if you just like the yam, it doesn’t really matter if it is vegetarian or not.
This Special Crispy Tofu is our first time order despite our numerous visit to Zi Zai Vegetarian store. The outside is crispy to a crunch while the inside is soft tofu that is filled with finely diced mushroom. All of us like this dish on first bite. Definitely something which we will order again.
Cereal Vegetarian Prawns, for some reason is my sister favourite, though she probably like the real prawns but she just devours this each time we order. Quite frankly the vegetarian prawns doesn’t even taste like prawns at all but who doesn’t love this fried cerals with sugar, curry leaves and chilli. Most of the cereals are gone just as the prawns does.
Stir Fried Kang Kong is another vegetable dish that is amongst my family favourite, although admittedly I never really like kang kong beyond having it at zhi char store. The vegetables are well cooked; unlike my mother who tends to overcook it all the time. They are fresh and tender. You can actually know if the kang kong are too “old” from the texture of the stem which usually is not as crunchy as the younger more tender ones. Done to the right level of spiciness, and not too oily, this kang kong is one of the better ones, even if compared to the non-vegetarian version (which usually fried with sambal prawns).
We ordered another Claypot Tofu despite already having the Crispy Tofu because my nephew likes tofu dishes. I like the starchy gravy and how the dish remains hot throughout the whole dinner because the claypot retains the heat. The tofu is very soft and well cooked together with carrots, mushrooms and capsicum.
Last but not least, we also had the Fried Omelette with Mushrooms. This dish is like the fried oyster omlette except that it used mushrooms instead of oyster. The mushroom does have a soft, silky texture just like oysters. The omelette is done so well that it is eggy and yet with the right crispiness on the outside. I just can’t stop tucking into this. Maybe because I am a big fan of eggs in the first place.
Quite frankly, one cannot really tell these are vegetarian dishes. In fact by just tasting it, it is hard to discern the taste unless you are really a food taster. All the dishes are very value of money. I cannot remember the prices because I eat there often to care about it. But in my next visit, I will surely remember to put them in here for all my food blog readers.
So if you stay in the neighbourhood, do try Zi Zai Vegetarian and share your thoughts.
Zi Zai Vegetarian 自在齋
Blk 801 Tampines Avenue 8
#01-281
Singapore 520801
Tel: +65 6781-1820
Open Daily: 7am to 11pm
