Cafe Creatures

LONDON: The Breakfast Club

2012-02-22T12:56:00.001-08:00

Like much of its surroundings, The Breakfast Club looks considerably lackluckstre from the outside; but step in and you're immediately engulfed in its cool, laid back atmosphere. With the walls plastered with photos reminiscent of the all too familiar college student's bedroom and the hippie vibe that pervaded the place, it was a refreshing change from the typical clean cut, rustic-type cafes that I've become so accustomed to. Feeling pretty satisfied with my surroundings, I wasn't going to be too fussy about the food but even that turned out reasonably well. It wasn't surprising to see a line forming as we sat down at our table.

"When halloumi met salad wrap": halloumi, spinach, sundried tomato, houmous and reduced balsamic vinegar - with all my favourite things in one wrap, I couldn't resist.

Breakfast Burrito: Chorizo, Egg, Roasted Peppers, Guacamole and Cheddar

I've come to the slow realization that this blog has become a collection of ideas for the cafe that I would set up if I ever had the chance. In lieu of that I've decided to take note of little things that inspire me at each cafe, beginning with this one -

Note to self: If I had my own cafe, it would have a vibe as laid-back and unpretentious as The Breakfast Club, though probably with more space and light.

Breakfast Club, soho
33 D'Arblay Street
W1F 8EU

Tel: 020 7434 2571

OXFORD: Jamie's Italian

2012-02-14T19:04:00.000-08:00

In a wild moment of complete un-me-ness, I cancelled all my plans and booked a single ticket to Oxford to visit some friends for the weekend last friday night. I wasn't disappointed.

I always thought I belonged in the pulsing vibrance of the city but now I see the draw in the pervasive calm of a college campus. It's hard to say where I would have been happier, had I applied and gotten into Oxford. Anyhow, I've come to believe that it doesn't really matter which university you're at, or where in the world you are, as long as you're with the right people. And in a leap of faith for the world at large, I would say there are enough of "the right people" in the world to meet them wherever you go.

Fish Fillet baked in a bag with clams, mussels, fennel, chilli, anchovies and Sicilian cracked wheat

Amidst all the socializing and exploring, I found the time to visit Jamie's Italian along George Street. I have professed my love for Jamie's recipes countless times, but sometimes I fear his restaurants don't live up to his name. The black angel spaghetti was not as inky as I'd hoped, but enjoyable nonetheless. I was thoroughly impressed with the garnishing of my grilled seabass (below) - roasted vegetables are a rarity for me in my ovenless state. In fact I think I treasured the sweet peppers and caramelized onions more than the sea bass itself which, though fantastically grilled, was slightly too much on the bony side. I probably wouldn't go back a third time because of the extensive range of Italian restaurants in London but the novelty of eating in a Jamie Oliver restaurant certainly is worth a one time visit.

Anglesey Sea Bass: whole-roasted and served with crunchy sweet and sour vegetables

Black Angel Spaghetti

Oxford, St. John's College

Jamie's Italian, Oxford
24-26 George Street,
Oxford, OX1 2AE
Tel: 01865 83 83 83

Coconut Crusted Fish Fillet

2012-02-07T10:14:00.000-08:00

Coconut Crusted Fish Fillet

Memories of Second Year have coalesced into a stream of images - warm, blinding sun, crisp golden leaves and, just last saturday, dancing snowflakes and flying snowballs. Winter has me eating like some kind of starving carnivore and I need something healthy to balance out my chocolate cravings. This coconut crusted fish fillet recipe I found online was the perfect solution.

Coconut goes beautifully with banana bread but, being deprived of an oven in my apartment, I've resorted to using my left over desiccated coconut in my cooking instead. I call this recipe the "Rushing for Tutorials Coconut Crusted Fish" because I used to make them before my 2pm tutorials at Waterloo (and it was an excuse not to read any more cases).

for the crust: stir together shredded coconut, flour, curry powder, chilli powder, cumin, salt & pepper

If you don't have shredded coconut, you can use brown sugar instead

Crack an egg into a bowl

Spread the egg onto both sides of the fillet

You can put the coconut mix onto a plate and let it coat the fish, or you can be lazy like me and save washing by using a spoon

take a chunk of butter and melt it onto a hot pan with some olive oil (to prevent the butter from burning)

On medium heat, saute the fillets on both sides til crispy and golden brown

...and that's lunch!

Coconut Crusted Fish Fillet

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:
•                4 firm white fish fillets, such as whiting
•                1 cup shredded coconut
•                2/3 cup flour
•                1 teaspoon curry powder
•                1/2 teaspoon cumin
•                1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
•                1/2 teaspoon ground pepper (or to taste)
•                2 tablespoons butter
•                2 tablespoons olive oil
•                1 egg

For the Mango Salsa:
•                (I didn't do this for lack of time, but I'd have loved to.)
•                1 ripe mango, peeled and diced
•                1/4 cup chopped red onion
•                Juice of 1/2 lime
•                1/4 cup chopped red pepper
•                1 tablepoon vinegar
•                1 tablespoon sugar
•                1 tablespoon vegetable oil
•                2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
•                1/2 teaspoon curry powder
•                Salt and pepper taste

Preparation:
1.              Make mango salsa: Stir together the chopped mango, chopped onion, lime juice, chopped pepper, vinegar, sugar, vegetable oil, cilantro, curry powder, and salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
2.              Mix 1/3 cup flour, coconut, cumin, curry powder, salt and pepper together on a plate.
3.              In shallow bowl, whisk the egg with 1 tablespoon water. Place the remaining 1/3 cup flour on a second plate.
4.              Dredge the fillets first in the plain flour (shaking off excess), then in the egg mixture, and finely in the coconut mixture to coat both sides.
5.              Heat the olive oil and butter over medium high heat, then sauté the fillets until browned on both sides and cooked though on the inside, about 2-3 minutes per side.
Serve fillets warm with rice and mango salsa.

SINGAPORE: Loysel's Toy

2012-01-17T07:13:00.000-08:00

Winter's cold threatens to engulf us. I would complain about the 10 degree drop that happened overnight but then again, autumn temperatures have lingered on for far too long. My cappuccino addiction has come back with a vengeance - there's something comforting about a warm mug nestled between cold fingers. It's times like this that I long for the blistering heat of Singapore's sun and lazy afternoons spent at charmingly homey cafes.

Now that A Curious Teepee at Scape has closed down, there is one less place to get my fill of papa palheta coffee. Thankfully, Loysel's Toy is still alive and kicking. I wouldn't say the desserts are particularly exceptional, but the food is good and coffee is more than satisfying. I find myself inevitably drawn to places that exude a sense of lackadaisicalness and Loysel's Toy is one of them.

mushroom linguine

Beef sandwich: pan-fried strip steak, rocket, caramelized onions, dijon mustard

spinach and rocket leaves, finely sliced onions and sprigs of mint set the stage for bright, juicy watermelon, finished with pine nuts and crumbled feta cheese

rent a bicycle for $10/hr

Loysel's Toy
66 Kampong Bugis, Ture, #01-01
Singapore 338987
Tues to Fri 9am - 6pm
Sat and Sun 9am - 7.30pm

How To Bake Sticky Date Toffee Pudding

2012-01-04T23:13:00.000-08:00

Sticky date toffee pudding

I now trust Jamie Oliver whole-heartedly. Having successfully attempted his fluffy pancakes on the first try, I thought his recipe for sticky date pudding would be worth a try, and I was right. What I like about his recipes is that, for dessert anyway, they are somewhere in between Gwyneth (Paltrow)'s healthy recipes and Nigella (Lawson)'s over-buttered,sugar-stuffed ones.

I'm not quite sure how to describe sticky date toffee pudding. It's neither soft nor crumbly. It isn't intensely sweet but neither is it savoury. Like Jamie Oliver's recipes on the Gwyneth-Nigella spectrum, sticky date pudding is somewhere in the middle; but nonetheless elicits sheer pleasure at every bite.

I baked this for my birthday dinner on new year's eve and I have to say, there is nothing more satisfying than sharing something you've baked fresh out of the oven with a group of hungry friends.

How to bake it:

I baked this with the sole pack of pitted dates I brought back from waitrose in London. It's impossible to find pitted dates in Singapore so I'd recommend you buy some overseas if you study/are on holiday there.

1. chop 225g fresh, pitted dates

2. cover with 200ml water and a tsp of bicarbonate soda, allow time to soften.

3. measure out 170g self-raising flour, 1/4 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp mixed spice and 2 tbsp cocoa powder/ovaltine

4. cream together butter, caster sugar and 2 eggs

5. add the flour mixture to the butter-sugar-egg mixture

6. puree the softened dates after draining half the water and add to the mix

7. Pour into a buttered, oven-proof dish (or just a silicone one) and pop into oven for 30-25 mins at 180degrees.

What it should look like after 35 mins. (If you added ovaltine powder instead of cocoa powder, it'll be lighter)

For the toffee sauce:

1. melt 115g unsalted butter, 115g brown sugar and 140ml double cream on low heat in a pan

2. Stir on low heat for a few minutes until it thickens into a toffee colour

3. Pour half the toffee sauce onto a warm sticky date pudding

Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and drizzle with extra sauce

When it comes to sticky date toffee pudding, dinner is just the appetizer to dessert. It's a terribly unhealthy thought, I know, but then I proceed to convince myself that the sweet dates replace most of the butter and sugar in the recipe anyway so it can't be that bad, right?

Jamie Oliver’s Sticky Date Toffee Pudding

ingredients

• 225g fresh dates, stoned

• 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

• 85g unsalted softened butter

• 170g caster sugar

• 2 large free-range eggs

• 170g self-raising flour

• ¼ teaspoon ground mixed spice

• ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder

• 2 tablespoons natural yoghurt

for the toffee sauce

• 115g unsalted butter

• 115g light muscovado sugar

• 140ml double cream

method

You are going to love this pudding – it has a rich, fantastic flavour and the sauce is amazing. Fresh Medjool dates are best to use, but dried ones work well too.

Preheat your oven to 180ºC/350ºF/gas 4. Put the dates in a bowl with the bicarbonate of soda and cover with 200ml/7fl oz of boiling water. Leave to stand for a couple of minutes to soften, then drain. Whiz the dates in a food processor until you have a purée. Meanwhile, cream your butter and sugar until pale using a wooden spoon, and add the eggs, flour, mixed spice, cinnamon and cocoa powder. Mix together well, then fold in the yoghurt and your puréed dates. Pour into a buttered, ovenproof dish and bake in the preheated oven for 35 minutes.

While the pudding is cooking, make the toffee sauce by putting the butter, sugar and cream in a pan over a low heat until the sugar has dissolved and the sauce has thickened and darkened in colour. To serve, spoon out the pudding at the table and pour over the toffee sauce.

CHRISTMAS: Gingerbread Animals with Extra Christmassy Glaze

2012-01-01T03:12:00.000-08:00

Cinnamon and ginger have to be two of my favourite spices and I love that they go together so well. In the spirit of Christmas, I decided to try my hand at gingerbread animals. I bought the cookie cutters from Ikea last summer thinking I would make tiny animal shaped pancakes, but I think they work better as actual cookie cutters. No gingerbread men this christmas, but I think adorable little animals are a nice substitute.

I can't imagine why I haven't made gingerbread cookies before but despite the process, I think it was worth it. I found the icing recipe on foodgawker, then made it Singapore-humidity-compatible (with putting the cookies in the oven a second time) so I'm pretty proud of it.

Guess the animals: Reindeer, Bear, Squirrel, Hedgehog, Wolf and what I thought was a whale until my friend told me was a snail.

Recipe:

Gingerbread Cookies:

3 cups (390 grams) all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated white sugar

1 large egg

2/3 cup (160 ml) unsulphured molasses (To prevent molasses from sticking to the measuring cup, first spray the cup with a non stick vegetable spray.)

For the glaze:

1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar

1/2 cup (100 g) brown sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp cloves

2 egg whites

lemon juice

Gingerbread Cookies: In a large bowl, sift or whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, and spices.

In the bowl of your electric mixer, with the paddle attachment, (or with a hand mixer) beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and molasses and beat until well combined. Gradually add the flour mixture beating until incorporated.

Divide the dough in half, and wrap each half in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm (at least two hours or even overnight).

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a thickness of about 1/4 inch. Use a gingerbread cutter to cut out the cookies. With an offset spatula lift the cookies onto the baking sheet, placing about 1 inch (2.5 cm) apart. If you are hanging the cookies or using as gift tags, make a hole at the top of the cookies with a straw or end of a wooden skewer. (If cookies are a little soft, place the baking sheet (with the cookies) in the fridge for about 10 minutes. This will prevent the cookies from losing their shape.)

Bake for about 8 - 12 minutes depending on the size of the cookies. They are done when they are firm and the edges are just beginning to brown. Remove the cookies from the oven and cool on the baking sheet for about 1 minute, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. If desired, you can press raisins, currants, or candies into the dough for eyes and buttons while the cookies are still warm. Otherwise, confectioners frosting can be used to decorate the cookies. Store in an airtight container (and refrigerate if you are in Singapore.)

Gingerbread Icing (for Singaporeans)

To make the icing, combine sugar, cinnamon and cloves together and grind in a coffee grinder till you get the spice infused powdered sugar. (It has to be so fine you can sieve it, so no huge clumps.) Beat the egg white till foamy. Gradually beat in sugar mixture and lemon juice according to taste. Continue beating hard until the icing is firm enough to stand in straight points when spoon is lifted out of bowl.

Use a teaspoon and a chopstick to spread the icing on the cookies.

Put them in the oven for 4 minutes at 175 degrees till the icing is hardened.

Let them cool and then put them in the fridge before they get soft!

My Christmas Eve

2011-12-24T06:47:00.000-08:00

So not only has our living room been halved in size for renovations, our christmas tree has shrunken considerably. Despite the immediate instinct to complain about the lack of space, somehow a smaller home feels cosier and more christmassy. Who needs chestnuts roasting on an open fire or snowflakes falling poetically on your window pane when you have a table full of good, hearty food?

Mutant ham leg studded with cloves

And to balance the insanely huge ham with something nutritious:

Apple and walnut salad dressed with olive oil, walnut oil, honey and balsamic vinegar

Oregano lemon potato salad

medium rare argentinian beef

Mummy slicing the ham

homemade pineapple apple chutney to go with the ham

Prive log cake

fruit cake from a friend

SINGAPORE: Artichoke cafe + bar

2011-12-20T20:25:00.000-08:00

I was never much of a lamb person to begin with but I have to say, this is lamb at its pinnacle.

What draws me to Artichoke is the genuineness of it's food. They have no fixed menu - it changes according to what's fresh in the market. As comforting as familiar dishes can be, new flavours, or even a quirky combination of old ones, can be just as satisfyingly delicious.

Why stick to the same menu when you can experiment with all the different flavours of the season? That to me is what cooking is all about. Artichoke is, therefore, the very essence of what a restaurant should be: no fixed menu, just whatever the ingredients of the season inspire them to cook.

Beetroot tzatziki: garden beets, homemade yoghurt cheese, pistachio dukka & garlic breadcrumbs, $15

smoked carrot and walnut dip

I love dips. Whether it's hummus or some kind of butternut squash puree, the subtle blend of natural sweetness and mouth-watering savouriness in a healthy dollop of creamy dip is pure joy to me. These dips were refreshingly different and went beautifully with the freshly oven-toasted bread.

Moorish dips with delicious, oven toasted breads imported from Australia

Wagyu Beef - Persian mince meat skewer, grilled tomatoes, blistered pepper and dirty onions, 150 grams

As much as I try to resist it, I'm a dessert person through and through. Every mouthful of each one of the desserts below was a burst of sunshine on my taste buds.

their all-famous sticky date toffee pudding soaked in smoked milk custard and caramel

Definitely one of the best in Singapore, but my heart still belongs to the sticky date toffee pudding at Prive Bakery Cafe.

Freshly baked, luxuriously banana-ey banana cake

One thing I never tire of baking is banana bread. If I could steal the recipe for this one, I would.

Artichoke cafe + bar

161 Middle Road

Singapore 188978

Inside Sculpture Square

Prive Bakery Cafe

LONDON: Tiffany & Co. SKATE

2011-12-12T09:36:00.000-08:00

I won't lie, sometimes it's fun to indulge in a bit of blatant consumerism. Tiffany & Co's skating rink may not have been large but their skates were extraordinarily well-cushioned (coming from Nike) and the ice deliciously smooth to glide on. Walking over to Somerset House after my tort tutorial, it was a joy to see the place bathed in baby blue- from the light blue hues of the preciously sunlit sky to the happy bright blue of The Tiffany Shop.

The best time to get Tiffany & Co. mochas or Tiffany cupcakes is just before the end of one cycle of skaters (they rotate on an hourly basis) so you get a seat before the queue of post-skating customers line up.

mince pies!

Christmas is pervading the streets of london, right down to the reception downstairs. With extravagantly endowed Christmas trees and mesmerizingly sparkly fairy lights popping up everywhere, how can anyone be expected to get any serious work done?

Chloe and I outside the rink, enjoying a warm cup of coffee after an hour of skating.

I'll be home for Christmas in four days (:

LONDON: Japanese Special - Koya and Yoshino

2011-11-30T14:10:00.000-08:00

I have developed a certain predilection for Japanese food, and even more so because of the abundant sushi and ramen places back in Singapore. Then I come to London, land of rushing workaholics and sandwich eaters, and weeks can go by without my having a single piece of sushi or bowl of miso soup. Last week, however, Jinx visited from Singapore and we had the most intensely Japanese-foodie day.

First was sashimi lunch at Yoshino (see below), then we had an udon dinner at Koya. I've always loved my ramen, and udon's never really registered in my mind as something to order for some odd reason. Needless to say, Koya has changed my impression of udon. My hot udon came with a small side dish of a thick walnut miso paste, studded generously with walnuts, which went perfectly with my mushroomy udon. I couldn't have been happier on a cold winterish-autumn night.

Kinoko: mushrooms with walnut miso

Prawn tempura udon - with the beef from Marc's udon included.

I love poached egg.

Yoshino

What was supposed to be a quick lunch before ice-skating at winter wonderland (pictures on facebook) turned into a much longer affair when the dishes at Yoshino turned out to be surprisingly good. If you're ever struck with a serious sashimi craving and you're willing to splurge, I highly recommend the Chirashi Sushi platter - it comes with 7 varieties of sashimi, including my favourite yellowtail.

Curry Tempura Rice

It's always a good idea to order something as simple as curry and rice at a good restaurant because chances are, they're going to do it extremely well.

Fatty Tuna Sashimi

Wagyu Grill - this was fantastic.

California Spicy Tuna Rolls, California Organic Salmon Rolls,
Crispy Jumbo Tempura Prawn Rolls, Calamari Tempura Rolls

Koya

49 Frith Street

London W1D 4SG

Yoshino

3 Piccadilly Place

London W1J 0DB

Lunch & Dinner
Mon ~ Sat - 12:00 to 22:30

LONDON: Euphorium Bakery

2011-11-23T19:26:00.000-08:00

Banana tart with mashed banana filling (:

In my quest for a replacement guitar along Islington (don't ask, it's a long story), I chanced upon Euphorium Bakery. I came back the next day with Bong and we ended up having lunch and tea there. Turns out the Islington branch we went to was the main bakery that supplied all their other branches. In fact, the bread was so fresh and so intensely bready, I daresay it was comparable to the french bread I had in Paris.

Despite it's popularity with mothers and crying babies, the bakery turned out to be strangely conducive study-wise when I went back again on a friday afternoon. Somehow cafe sounds -of coffee being made, orders being taken and lilting conversation- fade into a placidly calming white noise when you're completely absorbed in something. I've come to find that the remedy to a mounting stress outbreak over seemingly indecipherable coursework is the simple joy to be found in a good sandwich or a satisfactory tart.

Our lunch...

pull-apart pork with apple sauce

apple, walnut, brie and grape sandwich

I don't care, someway somehow I'm going to make these work as the light fittings in my future house.

Bong's creative powers at work: potential new trademark for euphorium bakery?

...and tea after

Euphorium Bakery
202 Upper Street Islington
London N1 1RQ
t: 020 7704 6905

Opening Times:
Monday - Friday 7.00 am to 10.00 pm
Saturday/Sunday 8.00 am to 10.00 pm

AMSTERDAM: Chocolate Chocolate Chocolate

2011-11-10T16:25:00.000-08:00

I may have stopped eating potato chips and drinking soft drinks, but I could never give up chocolate. Whether it's coco powder in hot milk (or blended avocado and milk) and honey, or chocolate bits in my cereal or just chocolate cake, it pervades the segment of my life that revolves around food. We came across this stall set up in Albert Cuyp Market in Amsterdam in all it's happiness-inducing chocolatey glory and, though most of the trip was a rush to explore the city in the little time we had, we spent an abnormal amount of time here mulling over which chocolate pieces to get.

Truffles at Albert Cuyp Market

"I don't know which ones to get!" - Sue Wei

Last day in Amsterdam

Metropolitan Deli: Not particularly dutch a cafe, but we were drawn to it like moths to a flame. Before even stepping into the cafe, the familiar bittersweet smell of chocolate consumed our senses and resistance was futile.

Milk chocolate pistachio cake - so good we melted at the first bite

There were literally humongous chocolate blocks sitting on the counter and a fondue fountain behind it - no wonder it smelled so heavenly.

Autumn in Amsterdam

2011-11-08T20:25:00.000-08:00

Reading weeks should be extended. There isn't enough time to do essays and run around europe trying to absorb all of its quirky shops, eccentric people, famous artists and of course, ever present in our holiday plans, food. With my precious canon slowly dying (my charger was left in Singapore) I snapped sparingly and only at moments when I was happiest.

I have never wanted a dog more in my life after meeting this one

By the Van Gogh Museum

Suewei and her most ANTM pose: Tyra would be proud

LONDON markets: Camden Town

2011-10-31T11:47:00.000-07:00

Camden Town is misleading. On the very surface it looks like a hipster market for teen boppers (oh how I hate that phrase) and wannabe goths. But weave your way past the disturbing displays of punk/goth inspired paraphernalia, tattoo parlours and shops offering to pierce godknowswhat body part. Once you're past it all, you'll discover a world where the uniquely artsy fartsy and style-driven entrepreneurs thrive.

Germaine and I spent a good 5 hours rifling through clothes racks and vintage accessories before stopping for a late lunch at an Indian food stall (dal curry!) at Camden Lock market. Amidst all the exploring and shopping we'd forgotten to eat, so by the time we did, we were starving and all thought of food photography flew out the window. Talk about an indulgent day.

Vintage Clothes: loved the autumny yellow colour scheme of this rack

mummy-esque rings

I managed to snap this just before the seller waved me away with a huffy "no photos please!"

oh so tempting hot chocolate flavours

"I'm going to take a picture with all the good hearted people I meet." - Germaine

Remind you of anyone?

PARIS: the bits in between museum visits

2011-10-22T17:27:00.000-07:00

From the moment year 2 at KCL began, London has been a ceaseless stream of events; it's exhausting yet exhilarating, surreal and terrifying all at the same time. Time sped up when I moved from the peaceful, self-satisfied ease of Hampstead to the hustle and bustle that permeates King's Cross in a sleepless cycle of night and day.

Amidst it all, I haven't had the chance to pause and devote energy into cafecreatur-ing. Taking my heavy canon 500D out is a serious commitment whenever I leave the comfortable vicinity of King's Cross and I'm just not quite satisfied with the photos I take with my much smaller digital camera. I did, however, manage to dig up some photos from Paris that I'd long forgotten to post. As much as I love London, I do miss the french-infused charm that pervades every architecturally elegant street of Paris.

We all know where this is

Amarino ice cream at the Louvre

In between Ralph Lauren's car collection at Musée des Arts Décoratifs (car fanatics, click here) and Musée d'Orsay, I found these two playing Catch in the gardens:

What better time than summer for our inner child to come out and play?

We found lebanese food at the Louvre!

Claire relishing her chocolate gelato

LONDON: Yashin Sushi

2011-09-29T17:22:00.001-07:00

Best. Sushi platter. Ever.

If you think about it, sushi is actually an incredibly lazy way of eating. Instead of taking a tiny portion of meat, vegetables and rice, arranging it onto your spoon, and then delivering it to your mouth, the entire mouthful has already been carefully and delicately composed into a bite sized nugget of perfection. It is such sheer Japenese-infused ingenuity that I simply cannot fathom how I ever balked at the thought of eating raw fish.
Ironically, my change of heart only came about in London. Then again, with personal growth comes a maturing taste palate and a new found open mindedness to different textures and flavours.

With it's tastefully done interiors and impeccably dressed wait staff, Yashin fits like a hand into a glove into High Street Kensington. I was spoiled for choice with their sashimi platter: trout, sea bass, yellowtail, parrot fish were laid out in 2 tempting rows of four amongst other sashimi, the names of which I can no longer recall. Luckily I didn't have to choose - everybody had a plate of their own.

Thanking my dinner hosts with a box of my favourite Pierre Herme macaroons, I went home happy; with a full stomach and reunited with the dslr I'd painfully sacrificed in the packing process.

The miso soup comes in a tea cup!

Test tube sake in ice: each test tube is a different type of sake.

Yashin

1A Argyll Road

High Street Kensington

W8 7DB

SINGAPORE: Jewel Coffee

2011-09-22T10:06:00.000-07:00

Either the cafe culture in Singapore is growing, or I'm starting to appreciate it more after London. Now that I'm back in London, I've come to realize that the city has changed me. I have a seemingly insatiable thirst for adventure that was never there before. I used to be satisfied with Orchard road, but now I have regular hankerings for Haji Lane or Ann Siang Hill - both streets have the charm of what I imagine olden day Singapore must have looked like and are peppered with cosy, sunny little eateries.

Maybe it's the influx of driving licenses amongst my friends (mine isn't counted since I'm only allowed to drive to 3 places), but (almost) every nook and cranny of Singapore is suddenly and refreshingly accessible.

It's always a pleasure to reconnect with an old friend, and Jewel Coffee was the perfect place to do it. For a cafe named for its coffee, Jewel Coffee had unexpectedly good food. What I loved most however, was the Flourless Orange Cake: see last picture

Bethy's Ribeye Hero Sandwich!

My house salad came with prune dressing, a refreshing alternative to the usual balsamic vinegar and olive oil

Flourless Orange Cake with Butterscotch Sauce: If only I had an oven here in London, I'd probably bake it on a regular basis.

The manager told us, with a self-satisfied smile, that he'd hired the waiter from -a well-known cafe that I won't mention here, just in case- who then bestowed Jewel Coffee with the secret recipe. The real draw for me was the way melts in your mouth in a sweet implosion of citrus and almond; it's no wonder most of the cake disappeared between the time I started brunch and the time I finished.

Jewel Coffee
1 Shenton Way
#01-07
Singapore 068803

Opening Hours
Mon - Fri:7:00 am-9:00 pm
Sat:8:00 am-5:00 pm

SINGAPORE: Privé Bakery Cafe

2011-09-13T02:50:00.000-07:00

Remember my post a month ago on Privé Restaurant? Since then, I've been back to Keppel Bay more times than I can remember - for the Bakery Cafe side of it. Over the course of these visits I've photographed its best dishes, notably the pan-seared skin salmon and my all time favourite eggs benedict.

The best beef, in my opinion, is wagyu beef. Before my self-imposed pact to eat more healthily, I used to order the NY Burger complete with knee-bucklingly flavourful wagyu beef and warm melted cheese. Then I'd head straight for the sticky date toffee pudding which is honestly my favourite in Singapore, even over Artichoke and Marmalade Pantry - though those at the latter two can be just as satisfying.

N.Y. Burger 200g Wagyu Patty. Melted English Cheddar. Crispy Onions. Aioli.

Crispy Skin Pan-Seared King Salmon 160g with Sauteed Vegetables, Mashed Potato & Dill Cream Sauce

Ramlee Burger 200g Wagyu Patty. Egg Sunny Side Up. Onions. Cucumbers. Curry Mayo.

Ice Lemon Tea

Eggs Benedict: 2 Poached Eggs, Honey Baked Ham, Streaky Bacons, Hollandaise Sauce, English Muffin & served with Arugula

After the horrific experience I had at Picnique (I'm not being a food snob; I would've preferred Macdonald's over this place), I treasure every bite of eggs benedict that Privé has to offer. With its golden yolk oozing elegantly from the centre, each egg is poached to perfection with a generous drizzling of hollandaise sauce that cascades down the toasted english muffin.

Lemon Meringue Pie

Freshly brewed gourmet cafe latte

Baked Chocolate Tart: Valrhona 55% Equatoriale Chocolate

Before I sound as though I'm being paid to do this review, I should warn you against the chicken wrap - its a tad bland despite the promise of grilled mango. For wraps and sandwiches, I highly recommend Toast at Takashimaya. Nonetheless, Privé still remains amongst my top favourite places to eat in Singapore.

Privé

No. 2 Keppel Bay Vista

Marina at Keppel Bay

Singapore 098382

For reservations:

+65 6776 0777

Toast

Ngee Ann City
Unit 02-11 Ngee Ann City
391 Orchard Road
Singapore 238872
telephone 6733 8489

Bailey's Irish Cream Cake

2011-09-07T06:28:00.000-07:00

If I were allowed only one type of alcohol for the rest of my life, I think it would be Baileys. I could have it with milk after breakfast, lunch and dinner (which actually did happen when I went to Pulau Joyo two days ago) and still never tire of its sweet creaminess.

Knowing that Carmen herself isn't immune to the temptation of Baileys, I decided to alter my favourite banana chiffon cake recipe and turn it into a Baileys birthday cake for her 20th. ( I also contemplated making Baileys tiramisu but her other friends beat me to it :( ) My only regret was that the taste of Baileys in my chiffon cake wasn't nearly strong enough. So in a sinful moment of inspiration I made a rare but conscious decision to slather baileys icing all over the cake.

Add 4 egg yolks

After whipping the egg whites til stiff peaks form, fold into the egg yolk mixture.

Pour the batter into two equal pans and bake for 25 minutes

Make bailey's icing (see instructions below) and slather on first half of the cake

Carefully put second cake layer on the first one and ice the top

Bailey's Cake Slice

P.S. Since we're on the topic of alcohol: There is a universal love for binge drinking that I can't quite understand. Sure, there's that surreal feeling you get when you're inebriated, or the deliriously happy world you and your friends recede into that allow you to defy all social norm and get away with it. But is it really worth all that excessive intake of poisonous, foul-tasting liquid? I don't know if it's the chemical taste of ethanol that lingers on your tongue or the fact that I turn an awful shade of lobster red after one too many shots, but alcohol just isn't my thing. (Okay, unless it's Baileys, Malibu, Moscato or a Peach Berlini.)

Bailey’s Irish Cream Cake

Ingredients

Egg yolk mixture:

- 4 egg yolks

- 80g cake flour

- 2 tbsp cocoa powder

- 50g sunflower oil

- 100g Baileys

- 1 tsp vanilla extract

Eggwhite mixture:

- 4 eggwhites

- 100g caster sugar

- pinch of salt

Method

· Eggyolk mixture: Mix all the ingredients in a mixing bowl with a balloon whisk until the mixture is smooth. Set aside.

· Eggwhite : With an electric mixer, whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form, adding the sugar slowly during the whipping.

· Mix eggyolk and eggwhite mixture in 2 batches until blended well. Pour batter into 2 cake pans brushed with oil/butter. Put in the preheated oven at 170 degree C and bake for 20 minutes or until cooked.

Bailey’s Icing

125g butter

1 ½ cups icing sugar

1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cocoa powder

2 tbsp Bailey’s Irish Cream

Directions:

1. Cream together the butter, icing sugar, vanilla and Bailey’s.

2. Slather on a cool cake.

THAILAND: Phuket Part II

2011-08-30T19:24:00.000-07:00

Some say photography takes away from the appreciation of the present - you're too busy composing photos to really live in the moment. But who says you can't photograph and relish the moment at the same time? Photography captures an instant with a vivid clarity, drawing from your mind a flourish of specific smells, sounds and tastes, that memory alone would have struggled to retain.

The holiday high has faded and the memory of Thailand has begun to slip away down the relentless, running streams of time. If not for the photos, the memory of the meals we had would by now have amalgamated into a mass of seafood and glass noodles.

These photographs are of our last three meals in Phuket.

seafood thai glass noodles

Fresh, deep-fried calamari

Steamed red snapper

such gluttons we are.

Seafood dinner by Patong beach:

Home-cooked breakfast on the last morning, with a recipe hastily found on my iphone:

French toast and sweet thai mango

The view from the back of our tuktuk as we rushed to the airport:

In the end, we only made it onto the plane in time because the flight was delayed by half an hour. (Thank god for poor quality low-budget flights!)

SINGAPORE: Stellar at 1-Altitude

2011-08-27T20:22:00.000-07:00

The humungous dinner 10 of my friends and I had at Stellar was gratifyingly flavourful. Our table was situated right by a glorious floor-to-celing glass window on the 62nd floor of 1 Raffles Place. 1-Altitude being the highest alfresco bar in the world, the bird's eye view we were bestowed with was breath taking (see last picture).

Anyway, enough about the view; the food too, was rich with an interesting and beautiful fusion of flavours - my ravioli, for one, had paired porcini mushrooms and pistachio with beetroot. Despite the number of hits on the menu, there were a few unfortunate misses as well. The sushi was regrettably lackluster, a feeble attempt at giving the menu a "fusion" feel. Nonetheless, every other dish was exquisitely prepared with an amazing attention to garnishes so often looked over.

Crispy Iberico pork cheek and fresh crab meat, baby turnips and carrot oil $28

US prime sirloin (220g), $65

Truffled risotto, Poached Maine lobster, $48

Hand rolled black pepper gnocchi with scallops, mussel broth, burnt sage and coppa cracklings, $34

My dish - Ravioli in two styles: Porcini, feta and pistachio & Beetroot and ricotta, Beurre noisette, baby beets $34

Chocolate Seduction: I-Caramel cocoa signature with varying layers of hazelnut chocolate mousse and praline feulletine, valrhona orange sauce and warm chocolate almond lava cake, $16

Mille Feuille Symphony: Violet scented meringue, lavender baked shredded phyllo pastry, Manjari chocolate and lime cream, $16

Thanks to Marc for sourcing out the place and every one else at dinner who bore with me while I photographed their long-awaited food!

THAILAND: Past and Present

2011-08-23T10:21:00.000-07:00

After several trips to Thailand almost 4 years ago during my IB years, it was about time my friends and I visited the sun-drenched beaches and charmingly undeveloped streets of Phuket to relive those golden days.

Krabi, 2008: This is where it all began - the crazy antics of teenagers heady with fresh independence from their parents, the harmless made-up games with all too dramatic consequences and the thrill of clandestine rule-breaking.

Krabi, 2008

Where we stayed in Krabi - nothing compared to our resort but treasured all the same

Half of SJII 2009

Phuket, 2011: Things don't change much when you're 17 and when you're 20.

Patong Beach, taken post-jetski ride

The random and surprisingly good Thai place along Patong Beach:
I loved loved this place. It was the first place we saw the minute we were dropped off and one of the best places we ate at. Maybe it was the thrill of our first day in a new country but the food was authentic, the squid was fresh and the pad thai tasted phenomenal. My only regret is that we couldn't find mango sticky rice.

Pad Thai

The best jelly noodle vegetable soup I ever had: msg-free and rich with flavour

$2 pineapple shakes, how I miss you so

Thai green curry

Savoey Restaurant (for tourists):

Having had 3 Thai massages since touch down, it was time for all of us to satiate chris's appetite for cholesterol-intense seafood. I don't know why we decided to stop at Savoey Restaurant, an obvious tourist destination, but I think we were tired of looking for a genuine Thai seafood place after walking around for a bit, though we did find one a really good one for dinner. This place was slightly overpriced as far as food in Thailand goes but it was pretty good, sinful food.

Savoey Restaurant: huge fresh prawns

Stir fried shrimp glass noodles in an omelette

snapper grilled in butter and garlic sauce

The next morning(ish): We made breakfast since Matthew and Zhen abandoned us for the sea. After seeing their pictures, I think maybe learning to dive wouldn't have been such a bad idea. Then again, waking up at 11am to cook breakfast in your air-conditioned kitchenette is a pretty good trade-off.

I finally perfected the Unconventional Grilled Cheese Sandwich technique with the pan provided in the hotel's kitchenette (:

Weijin's food styling and photographing attempt!

Movenpick Resort at Bangtao Beach: the living room and balcony between the rooms

Phuket Town Night Market at 5.30pm:
We didn't eat any of it because we didn't want to spoil our dinner, but we wanted to.

Patong Beach:
There's something oddly soothing about the beach at sunset. A sense of calm seems to wash over the sunbathers as the sun sets in brilliant hues of pastel pinks and lemon yellows. As the heat of the sun succumbs to the cool velvet night, we walk along the shore, waiting for the rest to meet us for dinner after their day of diving.

Pierre Hermé Ligurian Lemon Cake

2011-08-13T21:45:00.000-07:00

Ligurian Lemon Cake with Meringue Frosting: photo taken by Juns

It's refreshing when you find you have far more in common with an old friend than you realize. On National Day, Juns came over with her Pierre Hermé dessert recipe book and we spent the afternoon baking his Ligurian Lemon Cake, interspersed with food photographing after every potentially picturesque step. Pierre Hermé uses 2/3 cup of mild Ligurian olive oil for the batter, hence the name. But, as we are not professional bakers with access to any exotic-sounding ingredients outside of Cold Storage, extra-virgin olive oil was used instead and it worked perfectly.

fresh out of the oven and flipped onto a plate

The secret behind resisting the food model? Bake another, behind-the-scenes cake with the left over batter and dig into that one instead when both come fresh out of the oven.

Haphazardly spreading meringue over the cake

Now comes the fun part - we used a blow torch to brown the meringue (another quirk that I love about these whipped egg whites we call meringue)

With the left over batter, we made tiny cupcakes:
To be baked for 6 minutes at 165°C

Pierre Hermé Ligurian Lemon Cake
Ingredients:
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 cup sugar
- Zest of 2 lemons, very finely chopped
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- 3 tablespoons whole milk, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 7 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and still warm
- 2/3 cup mild extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 pint fresh raspberries

Instructions:
- Center a rack in the oven and preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a 10-inch round cake or springform pan, dust with flour, and tap out any excess.
- Sift flour and baking powder and reserve.
- Place sugar and lemon zest in the bowl of a mixer and rub the ingredients together between your fingers until the sugar is moist, grainy, and very aromatic. Fit the bowl into the mixer with the whisk attachment in place, add the eggs and beat on medium-high speed until the mixture is pale and thick, about 3 minutes.
- Set the mixer on its lowest speed and beat in the milk. Add the sifted dry ingredients, beating only until they are incorporated, and then add the lemon juice, warm melted butter, and olive oil, again beating only until blended.
- Pour about one third of the batter into the prepared pan - it should be just enough batter to form a thin, even layer. Top with enough raspberries to cover the batter, then pour on the rest of the batter, using a rubber spatula to gently spread batter so that it runs down between the berries and just covers them. You’ll have a very thin layer of batter, and that’s the way it’s supposed to be.
- Bake the cake for 30 to 33 minutes (mine needed 40 minutes), or until it is golden and pulls away from the sides of the pan; a cake tester inserted into the center should come out clean. Remove the cake from the oven and immediately unmold it onto a cooling rack; invert so that cake is right side up and allow it cool to room temperature. Once cooled the cake is ready to serve or to decorate.

P.S. Juns is not to be confused with Jun, a friend I met in London and mentioned in my Ginger and White post.

Mexican Fajitas

2011-08-11T01:08:00.000-07:00

There's only one place I go to for Mexican food in Singapore because, not only is it good, it's 20 minutes away for me and most of my friends and that's Cha Cha Cha at holland village. Sadly however, they've reduced their portion sizes - especially apparent in terms of their guacamole servings - and charge a lot more for a dissatisfying extra portion. It was about time I took matters into my own hands and made my own fajitas, because when it comes down to the important things, like the sour cream to guacamole ratio or how many red peppers you want in your wrap, nobody knows you better than you know yourself.

Fajitas are like angmoh popiahs, and I adore popiah. Last week I had Fajitas twice in three days. I made them with my friends first - a simple recipe with grilled chicken, panfried peppers, caramelized onions with home-made hummus and guacamole. Two days later, my mum one upped us and used an actual grill and a hot plate for the peppers, onions and marinated pork. Not that I'm complaining of course.

My attempt with friends' help: dinner for 3

home-made hummus and guacamole, oven-baked chicken

oven-baked chicken marinated in greek yogurt with curry powder, chilli flakes, a dash of honey, salt and pepper

My mum's attempt: dinner for 6

Grilling the peppers and chopped onions

Grilled Pork

Guacamole: mashed avocado with lemon juice (optional: chilli flakes)

Shredded Romaine Lettuce

Salsa: diced tomatoes, onions and chopped red chilli tossed in olive oil and seasoned with pepper

Caramelized onions and grilled red pepper on a sizzling hot plate

wrap-style

I suppose 15 years of cooking for a family of 6 fussy eaters teaches you a thing or two about how to make sure nobody leaves the table unsatisfied.

Important tip! Heat the wraps individually on a pan and drizzle some shredded cheddar on top until it melts. Then pile all your favourite things in and fold taco style. These may not make for great pictures, but they taste a million times better than microwaves wraps.

pan-heated and taco-style

Cha Cha Cha

32 Lorong Mambong

Holland Village

Singapore

Tel: +65 6462 1650

SINGAPORE: Breakfast at Hediard

2011-08-08T20:39:00.000-07:00

There's something alluring about the silent stillness of the night that draws me in, away from the abyss of sleep. As a result, I sleep late and rarely wake up to meet friends for breakfast. This time however, the food and, of course, company at Hediard was definitely worth having to drag myself out of bed at normal waking hours.

I ordered the Hediard Breakfast set with brioche, a soft boiled egg and coffee, $19

Straight off the menu:

Hediard breakfast set

- Madeleine blend coffee, chocolate or hediard blend tea

- orange juice freshly squeezed

- choice of either croissant, brioche or pain au chocolat

- hediard country style toasted bread and butter

- One 30 gr jar of home made jam and one 30 gr jar of honey

What surprised me the most was the authenticity of the place. Stepping into Hediard along Tanglin Road was like stepping into a bakery-cafe in Paris - except this one is 20 minutes from home, air-conditioned and doesn't have Paris' charismatic peach coloured buildings and cobblestoned paths outside.

The brioche here was startlingly fresh, soft and warm. It was a hundred times better than any I'd had at La Pain Quotidien in London and a close match to the one I had once from the Harrods bakery.

Madeleine blend coffee

Spoiled by the espresso machine at home and papapahelta cappuccinos, I didn't appreciate the Madeleine blend coffee here. Carmen-the-coffee-guru, however, assured me that this was exactly how coffee all over Paris tasted like and she much preferred Ya Kun Kaya Toast's coffee. Either way, you can't deny that the place is an honest to goodness paris bakery-cafe.

Carmen's order: Hediard Breakfast set with a croissant, a hard boiled egg and coffee

Ian's order: his first ever Eggs Benedict - poached egg on toast with Parma ham, shaved parmesan and hollandaise sauce, $16

honey and apricot jam in tiny take-home jars

Hediard Boutique and Cafe-Restaurant

123-125 Tanglin Rd,

Tudor Court (next to Tanglin Mall)

247921 Singapore

Information & Reservations:

T. 6333 6683, Everyday, 9.00am-8.00pm

"Chiffon" Blueberry Lemon Cake

2011-08-07T09:04:00.000-07:00

Sometimes you can do everything right, but one tiny, fatal mistake can ruin everything and anything you try to do to salvage the situation just worsens it. In other words, I let the egg yolk contaminate the egg white when I was trying to make chiffon cake.

Chiffon cake is essentially sponge cake and to achieve this consistency, you have to fold whipped egg whites into the mixture. I find whipped egg whites one of the most fascinating things about baking. If separated perfectly from their egg yolks, the gooey pale yellow egg white mixture can be whipped into a lusciously soft cream entirely puffed up with air. This is the idea behind meringues, souffles and alas, what was supposed to be my chiffon cake.

In the end, my egg whites didn't stiffen because they were contaminated so when I mixed them into the batter, the whole thing was just a liquid mess. In a desperate effort to salvage my cake, I added a cup of flour, thus sealing my fate. Dramatics aside, the one good thing that came out of baking this cake was the time I spent with my friends throwing ingredients into the batter.

separate the egg white and egg yolks: you can't see it in the picture, but this is where it all went wrong :(

pour in the greek yogurt

whip the egg whites until they form stiff peaks - though they should be stiffer than this

fresh out of the oven and pre-popped from its silicone mould

SINGAPORE: Privé Restaurant

2011-07-29T01:41:00.000-07:00

If I were filthy rich and could choose to live anywhere in Singapore, I'd probably want to stay on a boat at Keppel Bay. Then I could live off Privé's food and become a fat but happy boatwife.
Privé is split into three: the waterfront bar, the bakery cafe and the restaurant. The ingenuity and skill behind each dish at the restaurant is indisputable, but I have to say that what gives every dish that extra layer of intensely subtle flavour is where you eat it. Being at Keppel Bay, Privé's tables are placed so every diner has a breathtaking view of the water and the pristine boats that skim its glittering surface. As if the mouthwatering food isn't enough, it's really because Privé takes me far away, both literally and metaphorically, from the burning heat of Singapore's roads and looming buildings that I'm drawn back every time.

Willow Mushrooms

with Truffle Poached Egg, Parma Ham & Shaved Aged Parmesan Cheese

I'm a mushroom person through and through, especially when it comes to truffles. Truffle oil is one of those magical ingredients that make anything and everything taste absolutely heavenly. A small bottle of it cost me £5 at Waitrose, but I put it on everything from pasta to scrambled eggs and I swear it practically makes my day.
Of course, when I saw the word "truffle" on the menu at Privé, it was an easy choice to make. The starter was everything starters should be - delicate yet flavourful and light enough to trigger your cravings for the main dishes.

Large Grilled Asparagus

with Sauce Hollandaise

Potato Gratin

Sautéed Mushrooms

French Young Quail

with Porcini Mushrooms, Streaky Bacon, Parsnip Purée & Jus de Poulet

I'm not much of a meat eater, but the quail I ordered was amazingly tender and bursting with glorious smoky flavour. The accompanying parsnip purée melted like butter in my mouth. In fact, I actually thought it was overly buttered mash potato until the waitress told us it was parsnip purée.

Josper Grilled Steaks:

The reason for the sudden urge to re-visit Privé is that their kitchen has recently been bestowed with a brand new Josper grill. What makes the Josper grill so exceptional is that it's completely enclosed with thick walls so that steak or vegetables being grilled retain their natural, juicy flavour and still manage to cook in half the time. It is, in the words of Jancis Robinson (a wine reviewer for the FT), "the hottest indoor barbecue available".

Ribeye Cap 75 USDA Prime Angus (10oz/280g) Considered The Holy Grail of steaks by enthusiasts and the best part of the Ribeye. Extremely marbled and as tender as a Filet Mignon, but with the full flavour of a Ribeye.

Double Rib Lamb Rack 58 Australia, Hormone-free, Clover Pasture-fed (12oz/340g) Thick, juicy, tender and flavourful, with a fine texture that melts in your mouth.

Premium Black Angus Tenderloin 58 Tasmania, Hormone-free, Grass-Fed (8oz/225g) Succulent with fine-textured marbling from pasture-fed, hormone- and antibiotic-free Black Angus cows.

Privé

No. 2 Keppel Bay Vista

Marina at Keppel Bay

Singapore 098382

For reservations:

+65 6776 0777

Banana Mango Bread

2011-07-26T03:56:00.000-07:00

I'm terribly addicted to banana bread. It's moist and crumbly, the banana negates any need for butter and it doesn't line every afterthought with guilt. Whenever my supply of banana bread runs out, it isn't long before I buy another bunch of bananas, wait for them to become sweet and overripe, then think of ways to twist my original recipe for the next batch.

When you're trying to be healthy, the ease of baking a simple banana bread is deceptive. I've tried so many variations - using plain yogurt and canola oil instead of butter, using half as much sugar and even using no oil or butter at all. In the end, I've conceded to the fact that any decent banana bread needs some oil and at least 1/2 a cup of sugar (though the canola oil and yogurt method actually works astoundingly well). Something my mother always says came to me as I was writing this: "if you want people to eat your cake, you have to add butter and sugar." Hopefully one day I'll prove her wrong!

bananas, pre-mashed

raw sugar, egg, canola oil: the sin that any respectably good cake cannot live without

plain flour, wholemeal flour, rolled oats & cinnamon

fresh out of the oven!

Banana Mango Bread Recipe

Ingredients

3 large ripe bananas

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 egg

2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup wholemeal flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon fresh ginger, blended/finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 ripe mango, sliced into chunks

Method

Preheat the oven to 176 degrees C. Lightly grease and flour a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan.

In a large mixing bowl, mash the bananas well. Add the sugar, oil, ginger and vanilla extract, and whisk briskly to incorporate.

Sift in the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Use a wooden spoon to mix until the wet and dry ingredients are just combined. Fold in mango chunks.

Bake for 45 minutes. The top should be lightly browned and a knife inserted through the center should come out clean, or with just a few crumbs.

Remove from the oven and let cool for 20 minutes before transferring out of a pan and onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Spinach & Cheese Muffins

2011-07-24T09:16:00.000-07:00

Within walking distance of my campus at Waterloo is a cosy, friendly little cafe by the name of Konditor & Cook. Its counters are peppered with tempting, homemade-esque cakes and delightfully fat muffins exploding over their paper liners. I was inspired to attempt these muffins after trying Konditor & Cook's savoury spinach muffins. These were much too bland (an anomaly with Konditor & Cook), so I decided to make my own and stir my favourite ingredient into the batter - cheese.

I couldn't resist sprinkling these with extra cheese before popping them into the oven

Treat these more like decadent bread than moist breakfast muffins and they would go perfectly with creamy soup for lunch.

Spinach & Cheese Muffins Recipe

Adapted from The Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook

 Ingredients:
Canola oil
1 tbsp curry powder
Small red onion, finely chopped
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup wholemeal flour and rolled oats (blended together until fine)
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella
1 cup milk
1 egg
1/4 baby spinach, roughly chopped (I used 180g frozen spinach)

Directions:
1.              Preheat oven to 170°C. Meanwhile fry the onion with canola oil until cooked. Set aside.
2.              In a large bowl stir together flour, rolled oats, baking powder, curry powder and cheese. In a separate bowl, whisk the milk and egg together, then slowly pour into the flour mixture and beat with a hand mixer until too thick to mix.
3.              Stir in the onion and spinach with a wooden spoon until evenly dispersed.
4.              Spoon batter into muffin tins lined with paper liners. Fill about two thirds full. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Place the muffins on a wire rack to cool.

Grilled Cheese Sandwich, the unconventional way

2011-07-21T03:02:00.000-07:00

I honestly think toast is one of the world's greatest discoveries. So simple yet so versatile, a mere two slices of toast can turn a dubious mass of sloshy filling into a perfectly delicious sandwich. On lazy mornings when I find myself waking up at 11, the best brunch food is a grilled mushroom cheese sandwich.

Though I burned my finger trying to place the mushroom-cheese wrapped egg package neatly onto the first bread slice, I think it was worth the pain. At Jose's request, I've put up pictures of the whole process, sans my attempt to fold the egg and put it on top of the first bread slice.

1. Chop the mushrooms

2. Brown the mushrooms in butter/olive oil, season with salt and pepper to taste

3. Prepare the other ingredients: 1 egg (whisked) seasoned with cracked black pepper & salt, buttered multi- grain bread and shredded cheese

4. Pour the whisked egg into a non-stick pan and spread around to cover the entire pan

5. Pile mushrooms and shredded cheese on top. Feel free to put more cheese than this; I realize now I put in a very measly amount.

6. Fold the egg into a square shape and lift it onto a slice of bread, buttered side down. (Try not to burn yourself while attempting this like I did.) Cover with second piece of bread and cook over medium heat until both sides are golden brown.

7. Cut in half, and there you have it - grilled mushroom cheese sandwich (:

Enjoy!

Grilled Cheese Sandwich Recipe

Adapted from The Healthy Foodie

2 slices multigrain bread
About ½ tbsp butter

50g cheddar cheese, shredded
125g sliced mixed mushrooms (I used shitake and white button)
1 egg
Salt and pepper

Instructions

Brown the mushrooms in a skillet over medium-high heat; season with salt and pepper to taste.
Whisk and cook the egg into a very thin omelet in a large non-stick pan. Sprinkle salt and pepper to taste.
When omelet is cooked, pile the mushrooms in the center. Add grated cheese.
Fold the edges over the mushrooms and cheese to form a square pocket, about the same size as your slices of bread.
Spread a very thin layer of butter on each slice of bread. Put one slice buttered slice down in your non-stick pan and carefully place your omelette on top of it. Cover with the second slice of bread.
Cover and cook over medium heat for about 3 minutes or until bread is golden brown, then flip and cook for an extra 2-3 minutes.
Cut in half and watch cheese ooze!

SINGAPORE: Akashi

2011-07-19T22:45:00.000-07:00

I sorely miss Japanese food. My sole source of quality sushi in London is Atari-ya and even then it's exhausting to get to - buried amongst masses of people swarming around Bond Street. Thankfully, the Akashi I visited at Orchard Parade Hotel is conveniently situated just before the heart of Orchard Road where the shopping crowd amalgamates. Though it's not as well priced as Sushi Tei, each exquisitely composed, freshly prepared bite of sushi is worth every cent - especially if you've been away from Asia for 6 entire months.

You cannot go to Akashi without ordering their Spider Maki

Agedashi tofu

tamago sushi

Jinx's main: beef set (the name of which we've now forgotten)

P.S. My love for Japanese food is seriously lacking in the sashimi department. I like it (a recent discovery thanks to Atari-ya), but not so much as to feel an overwhelming need to order it every Japanese restaurant. Either way, if you're a sashimi fan, I would highly recommend you try it at Akashi.

Akashi
1 Tanglin Road,
#01-01A Orchard Parade Hotel
Singapore
67324438

Rainy Days and Apple & Pumpkin Soup

2011-07-16T11:22:00.000-07:00

It rained the whole of yesterday, making Singapore uncharacteristically cool. For the first time in a long time, I lay awake under the covers listening to the comforting sound of raindrops smashing against the pavement. It being such a chilly day, I decided to make warm apple and pumpkin soup for dinner.

the raw ingredients: pumpkin, tart apples, onion and garlic

toasted almonds

Apple and pumpkin soup garnished with a swirl of cream and toasted almonds

Apple Pumpkin Soup Recipe 

Ingredients 

2 onions

1 clove garlic, chopped

2 apples, diced

½ pumpkin

olive oil

low-fat milk

curry powder

1 tsp. nutmeg

white pepper

salt

Method 

1. Preheat large soup pot. Drizzle with olive oil. Add diced onion and garlic and sauté until onions are translucent.

2. Add pumpkin, apples, nutmeg and curry powder then fill with enough water to cover 3/4 of the ingredients. Simmer for 20 minutes over medium heat.

3. Let it cool, then use a submersible blender to blend soup until it is smooth. You can also use your blender to blend the soup in batches.

4. Add milk (or cream) to thin out the soup and add salt and pepper to taste. Then reheat before serving and garnish with sliced almonds, pumpkin seeds, dried apple slices or hazelnuts.

Rainy days and broken butterfly wings: I freaked out when I saw its silhouette in the dark but it turned out that Zhen, being the animal saviour that he is, found a butterfly that had injured its wing in the rain so he brought it in to shelter it.

SINGAPORE: Fluffy Banana Pancakes

2011-07-10T09:30:00.000-07:00

After 6 months in London, I'm finally back home. In between seeing my friends again and exercising the europe weight off, I've been passing time in the kitchen - cooking, not (just) eating. I'm determined to take full advantage of the well-worn oven and trusty kitchenaid mixer sitting sturdily on the kitchen counter before I leave them behind again in September.

With a solitary banana which was ripening all too fast in the fridge and a bored best friend, I'd decided to make banana pancakes one evening before dinner. I'd only intended to eat one but we each ended up eating 3 (slathered generously with my mum's homemade jam), so our light, pre-dinner breakfast snack turned into dinner.

I haven't made pancakes before but these were ridiculously easy to make, especially with the kitchenaid to whip the egg whites, so we made them perfect on the first try. Scroll down for the recipe!

I love how such unappetizing-looking batter solidifies into beautiful fluffy pancakes within minutes.

banana pancakes and honey at sunset

Fluffy Banana Pancakes

modified from Jamie Oliver's USA stylie pancakes recipe

• 3 large eggs

• 115g/4oz plain flour

• 1 heaped teaspoon baking powder

• 140ml/5fl oz milk

• 2 ripe bananas (I only used 1 but 2 would've been perfect)

• a pinch of salt

• 2 teaspoons cinnamon

First separate the eggs, putting the whites into one bowl and the yolks into another. Add the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and milk to the yolks and mix to a smooth thick batter. Mash the bananas with a fork and mix them in. Whisk the whites with the salt until they form stiff peaks. Fold into the batter – it is now ready to use.

Heat a good non-stick pan on a medium heat. Pour some of your batter into the pan and fry for a couple of minutes until it starts to look golden and firm. Flip the pancake over. Continue frying until both sides are golden.

PARIS: Bretteau Jean-Marie

2011-07-07T23:05:00.000-07:00

6 equal pieces for 6 equally hungry people

Remember this post, when I mentioned that there were two bakeries we frequented for breakfast? Bretteau Jean-Marie is the other one. For reasons I don't understand, neither of these bakeries have proper signs with their names on them. (I had to do some research before I discovered the name of this one.) It seems as if all the bakeries are either "Artisan Boulanger" or "Boulangeries-patisseries". It's as though they accept the fact that they're practically indistinguishable from the thousands of amazing bakeries in Paris. Yet, somehow it's weirdly comforting to know that they're content to submerge themselves in anonymity as long as they get their regular flow of happy customers.

Each time we visited Bretteau Jean-Marie, we were served by a sulky, no-nonsense lady in a white apron whose frosty exterior belied her freshly baked breads and cakes. But in the end, much like the chinese restaurants at Bayswater in London, what's a sour face when the food is so good that you know you'll come back for more?

Artisan Boulanger (no.2) is a 5 minute walk from my hotel along Le Motte Picquet.

such vultures we are.

Bretteau Jean-Marie:

31 Avenue La Motte Picquet

75007

Paris

GIVERNY: Monet's Garden

2011-07-05T00:47:00.000-07:00

I love the idea of garnishing food with freshly grown herbs from the garden. Whether it's basil, terragon or curry leaves, it feels so natural. I imagine we've been doing this from the very beginning. It's basic instinct: if it smells good, eat it. I found having a salad sprinkled with flowers thoroughly refreshing. Salade Monet was the sole dish that redeemed the mediocre, i'm-relying-on-the-naivete-of-tourists menu at one of the few restaurants at Monet's Garden.

Salade Monet: mixed salad, old style tomatoes, mixed flowers: borage, pansy and nasturtium, mixed herbs (chive, chervil, parsley, tarragon, pesto)

I snapped this while on a 5km trek from Monet's Garden to the train station that would take us back to Paris

PARIS: Pierre Hermé

2011-07-01T02:54:00.000-07:00

The perfect macaroon is crunchy on the surface and lightly chewy on the inside before your teeth sink into the luxuriously thick ganache sandwiched in between. Pierre Hermé's maracoons embody this with such flawless precision that if I lived in Paris, I'd probably have these every day.

Because I can be very particular about my food (and because I'm usually on a student budget in London), I tell myself never to order anything I can make myself exactly the way I like at home. I've tried making macaroons myself but, lacking the proper piping equipment, I couldn't get my macaroons to form perfect circles. So despite the fact that they tasted pretty good, I ended up with awkwardly shaped blobs within which to slather the ganache. In light of this, I fully appreciate every macaroon I can get my hands on.

This is what Paris is made of.

Sorbet Celeste - Fruit de la Passion, Rhubarbe & Fraise

pistachio macaroons

PARIS: Jean Paul Hévin

2011-06-29T02:54:00.000-07:00

There is a cafe culture so inherent in Parisians, especially apparent during the warm summer afternoons, that it would be sacrilegious not to reserve some time to yourself to immerse in it for an hour or two.

Having spoiled my lunch by choosing to sit in one of these cafes, read and have a cappuccino and pain au chocolat for breakfast, I couldn't appreciate my meal at Jean Paul Hevin the way my breakfast-starved family did. (Not that I regretted this. Being on my own, even for awhile, is vital for maintaining my sense of sanity.)

For a chocolatier, Jean Paul Hevin does a surprisingly good lunch. The light, creamy parmesan sauce on the ravioli picked up the dryness of the slightly overcooked salmon and the curry chicken was perfectly tender.

salmon and spinach ravioli with parmesan

croque monsieur

Is this the best dessert menu or what?

Now brace yourself for what my family ordered for dessert. How we are all not impossibly fat eludes me.

Chocolat Passion

Pyramide

Longchamp

Ecaudor

Jean-Paul Hévin shop and Chocolate Bar

231 rue Saint-Honoré

75001 Paris

Tel : +33 (0)1 55 35 35 96

PARIS: Thai Pacific

2011-06-26T03:45:00.000-07:00

I desperately miss Thailand. It may have been the company, or the memories that arose from doing CAS (creativity, action and service) hours with my IB classmates, but food was definitely a distinct portion of the trips I made to Krabi and Chiang Mai in my IB years. So every time I have Thai food, my mind is inundated with a flood of these memories - memories that lace my meal with sheer joy interwoven with pangs of nostalgia.

We went to Thai Pacific on a night after we'd taken a Segway tour (don't judge me - it was mum's idea) around Paris. It had been freezing that night and we'd been standing on the Segway for 3 or 4 hours straight, so Thai Pacific came as a warm relief amidst the harsh, biting winds of Paris. It turned out to be surprisingly good; so good in fact, that we came back a second time just before we left, and this time I brought my camera along with me.

Pineapple salad

Beef curry

my favourite: tom yum soup

Tamarind prawns - half eaten because I took this photo too late

Krabi, 2008

Thai Pacific:
110 Boulevard Grenelle,
75015 Paris, France
+33 1 45 78 87 88 ‎