Autumn in Amsterdam

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.