TCC - The Connoisseur Concerto @ Orchard Ion

Amused by the number of friends that own the TCC card. 50% off the payment once again. This time round, I decided to look at the main course instead of the pasta. Can't imagine myself having to eat a big plate of pasta again. Looking through the menu, my friend realised that TCC does not have many dishes with the icon "Chef recommendations" and many of the "NEW" items have existed long ago. Our guess is that they do not update and reprint their menu. And this will also mean that they do not have new dishes for a long time.  

After pondering, the sides of the main dishes caught my attention - onion-roasted potatoes, lotus root slices and broccolini. So my choice for the day was Pan-seared Chicken Breast with Shogayaki Sauce. 

Found the Shogayaki sauce too salty for my tongue - does not like it. The chicken breast was not well marinated but the edamame cream proved to be special. Luckily the sides did not fail me. The lotus root slices are crunchy and the potatoes are soft. Good!

Pan-seared Chicken Breast

We ordered the Shrooms Bite as snack to share. It is definitely cooked when ordered as they were served real hot. So be mindful and do not put the entire piece into your mouth. The pastry was puffy and the mushrooms are great. 

Shrooms Bites

Complete the meal with my drink. This round, I ordered the Honey Citrus Fizz. It is soda that is mixed with orange, mango and honey. A fruity and thirst-quenching drink, feel so great after eating the salty sauce. 

Honey Citrus Fizz

ION Orchard
2 Orchard Turn #B2-49 

Homecook Japanese Chicken Curry Rice

Cooking day when I decided to take a break from work. As sis has some leftover japanese curry cubes, I decided to cook Japanese Curry Rice. Simple recipe to follow:

Ingredients:

1/2 tablespoon  olive oil

1/2 onions, diced - you can add more if you like onions, original recipe recommends 2 medium onions

2 medium potatoes, cubed

1 carrots, cubed - original recipe mentioned 2

Some Rice cakes (optional)

Chicken, pork or beef, cubed - I just prepared the quantity that I think we will finish - original recipe says 250g

700ml water

60g curry roux brick, mild

60g curry roux brick, hot

Ingredients - Carrot, Potato, Rice Cakes

Chicken 

Directions:

1. Heat the pot for a while and add olive oil and fry the onions until they are fragrant (2 minutes or so)

2. Add the potatoes, carrots, rice cakes and meat and continue to stir fry until the meat is cooked (about 5 minutes)

3. Add water and bring the mixture to a boil before cooking it on medium heat for about 20 minutes or when the meat is tender.

4. Remove the pot from the flame and add the curry roux bricks and stir until the curry is well mixed.

5. Stew the curry over low heat until it thickens (about 15-20 minutes)

And after an hour or so, here's our very own Japanese Chicken Curry Rice. Yummy!

Our very own Japanese Chicken Curry Rice

Basically, you can add in other ingredients that you like and create your own version of curry rice. For example, eggplants, broccoli, or even seafood. But do take note about the cooking time just in case some ingredients get cooked faster than the others. Manage your timing well and you can really enjoy cooking and of course, the end product - your yummy food!

Brunch @ W39 Bistro & Bakery

Read about W39 Bistro & Bakery over the internet but find it too far to visit just to have brunch. Not sure if it was a blessing or bad luck that I need to work on Sunday at Clementi area. I just have to say that fate brought me to this cozy home-style bistro.

The place is not very big and was pretty crowded when I reached. Luckily I got a table quick enough. Here's the breakfast menu that is available only on weekends and public holidays, from opening till 3pm. The hearty breakfast grabbed my attention. 

Breakfast menu

While waiting for my food, I took a photo of this cakes & pastries corner of the shop. Cakes, my favourite but as I was alone, my stomach could not afford extra space to have one. I shall be back to try out their cakes, they look good!

Cakes & Pastries Corner

Here's my Hearty Breakfast which consists of Eggs, Mushrooms, Tomatos, Bacon, Sausage, Greens and Toast. A big portion, totally worth the price. Let me start off with the Toast. It is evenly toasted - soft and easy to chew. The butter and jam complemented it well though it tasted great alone or with the egg yolk. As for the tomato, it was well grilled but a pity, there was only one tomato on the plate. The sauteed mushrooms was great. I loved the bacon the most. They tasted great. Unfortunately, the egg yolks were a bit well done but overall, this breakfast was fantastic. Oh, I think you can decide on the type of eggs you like - I saw someone ordering scrambled eggs.  

Hearty Breakfast

If you are thinking of going in a group, I reckon that you call to make reservation before popping by. This is to avoid disappointment. Will be back to try out their mains and especially the CAKES!

39 Jalan Mas Puteh, (Off West Coast Road)
Singapore 12863

Cafe Siem Reap by IndoChine @ Holland Village

Another Birthday, another gathering. This round, we headed to Holland Village as per the Birthday girl's instruction. As she IS always the earliest, she decided to just chillax at Cafe Siem Reap by IndoChine. They have this 1-for-1 beer promotion and I guess this really attracts her. 

Besides the beer, we had a fair share of Vietnamese food at this cafe. As weird as it seems, Cafe Siem Reap selling Vietnamese food. And with the food, I missed my days in Ho Chi Minh. The days without my phone, the days where I could rest and relax, eat and drink. Those days are coming, I can see the lights at the end of the year-long journey.

As Random A is a vegetarian, we order the Goi Cuon Chay - Vegetarian Fresh Rice Paper Rolls as the starters while waiting for the rest of the people to join us. Rice Paper Rolls with beer, great combination. The food was served promptly and I think I took more time trying to get the attention of the service crews to take order. How irony was that.  Anyway, the fresh rice paper rolls was nice. I seldom see this dish in Singapore and the last time I ate it was in HCM itself. This roll was filled with with lettuce, bean sprouts, chives, mint leaves and rice vermicelli accompanied with a traditional Siêm Rêap sauce. Refreshing taste with the mint lingering around the mouth. DO remember to dip the sauce as it will bring out the flavour - a little spicy but nice. Otherwise, the roll is quite bland. For those who do not just want vegetables, there is also the rice paper roll with prawns. 

Goi Cuon Chay - Vegetarian Fresh Rice

I need meat and thus, I went on to order the Com Suon - Vietnamese Pork Chop with Rice Steamed jasmine rice served with special marinated pork chop and a sunny side up egg, accompanied with a sweet Siêm Rêap fish sauce. 

The jasmine rice is really great and it went well with the pork chop. The pork chop was well marinated. The fish sauce was a great creation and it brought back memories. The portion was just nice and I enjoyed this dish alot. 

Com Suon - Vietnamese Pork Chop with Rice

Next up was the Banh Xeo - Vietnamese Pancakes - bean sprouts, onion, carrot, black mushroom and yellow beans, stuffed in a crispy Vietnamese pancake served with fresh lettuce, full - flavoured mint and coriander leaves coated in a traditional tangy sauce. That's the description in the menu with no mention of meat but hey there, there was minced meat. If you like vegetables, do try this. While the vegetables was fresh, the pancake neturalised the taste. 

Banh Xeo - Vietnamese Pancakes

Last dish of the day is definitely dessert - Sticky Rice with Mango. It is actually Sticky rice with coconut milk and fresh mango.

The sticky rice is just nice, not too dry and the coconut milk complements it. The fresh mango is really fresh and sweet. Loved it.

Sticky Rice with Mango

Not a crowded place but I reckoned could be that it was a Monday night. The service crew should improve on their service and be more attentive. Otherwise, this is a great place to hang out.

Holland Village,
44 Lorong Mambong

Apollo Fresh Cockle Fried Kway Teow @ Marine Parade Food Centre

A trip to the east for a healthy evening - cycling trip at East Coast Park for a prelude with my Bali-trip-mates. After the hour of cycling, we decided to walk to Marine Parade Food Centre for dinner. 

The food centre is pretty crowded and most of the stalls are still open. So many choices and guess what, I ended up choosing a sinful dish - Fried Kway Teow. Had been thinking of eating it since a lunch date and finally I got to eat it. 

The only Fried Kway Teow stall that I noticed and there was only one person in the queue. Got in the queue behind her and within minutes, order was taken and the dish was presented to me. Self Service like all other stalls, I obediently took the plate and walked to my table.  

A very basic dish with the very traditional ingredients like cockles, bean sprouts and sausage. The kway teow was not too dry like those I ate before - it is more 'watery' but great. Unlike some stalls, there was no fishcake. Though greasy, you will not grew tired of it. Definitely worth the indulgence in this "high-calorie'' local delight, especially after the cycling exercise. 

Fresh Cockle Fried Kway Teow

Marine Parade Food Centre
#01-174

S(he)Brews Cafe @ Queenstown Community Centre

Around the old town in Queenstown for work and decided to head to s(he)Brews cafe at Queenstown Community Centre for lunch. I got to know about this cafe through a friend's Facebook. 

A small cafe I have to say, sitting at the corner of the Community Centre - Seats are limited. I arrived at around one plus on Tuesday and the place wasn't packed. I think the words 'Savour LIFE' painted on the words. 

S(he)Brews

We got to order our food from the counter and when the food is ready, they will shout out the order and a number from the receipt. You really need to listen hard if you are seated far from the corner or if the place is crowded or noisy. I wondered if they will soon issue a buzzer for the collection of food. 

I looked at the set menu and I chose the Nonya Laksa with a cup of Long Black. At the price of $8.90, I got the main course, a hot drink and a dessert of the day. If you choose to have the cold drink, the price is at $7.90. The ala carte for the main course is set at $5.60. So I guess it is more worth to get the set. 

This is the first time I ordered Long Black and I like the after-taste bitterness. A nice cup of hot coffee on a rainy day. 

Long Black

The Nonya Laksa is awesome too. The cafe is generous in their portion. In a bowl of Laksa, there are mussels, prawns, half of half-boiled egg, tau pok, fishcakes and fishballs. Totally worth the price we paid for it. The gravy was not very spicy and the ingredients are fresh. And though I mentioned it is a self service cafe, I guess there wasn't a big crowd that a service crew 'served' the laksa to my table. Totally love his ''extra-mile'' service. 

Nonya Laksa

I collected the dessert - Lemon Square - from the counter after my food. Half the size of what they sell  off the shelf but the size is just nice as a after lunch dessert. The crust at the bottom was a bit hard but overall, this Lemon Square is nice. Lingering lemon taste after the Laksa gave me a refreshing feeling.

Lemon Square

I have to say, everything is self service in this cafe. From the ordering of food, to collection to taking the utensils and finally the return of the utensils. That's the reason why we do not need to pay service charge. I don't mind, do you?

365 Commonwealth Avenue
Queenstown Community Centre

Seoul Hotpot at Harbourfront Centre

Affordable Korean fare, you can try out Seoul Garden Hotpot. It is not the usual Seoul Garden's buffet-style steamboat plus grilled spread. The place serves Korean fare ranging from Bibimbap, Korean Hotpot, hotplates and side dishes. For each main dish you order, you can top-up to make it a set meal.

For dinner, just top up $5 and you would get an additional White Fungus sweet soup, a side dish (mid-joint wings/Fried Oyster mushrooms/Cold Tofu/Chicken Nuggets) and Pickle-of-the-day. You can check out the 

Menu here. 

We proceeded with our orders and here's how the dishes arrived. 

First, we were served the White Fungus Sweet Soup which I thought was supposedly the desserts as it was served cold. My friends and I were puzzled over it but we just went ahead to have a taste of the soup. It tasted quite nice but to start a meal with this was not my desired choice. It would have be great if it was served last so that we can 'wash down' the dinner. 

White Fungus sweet soup

Next came the marinated sliced chicken. We ordered this hotplate dish to share and to try out their hotplate. This dish was delicious - Chicken was tender and the mushrooms went well with the dish.

Marinated Sliced Chicken

Then came the Pickles of the day. Spicy side dish and it really opened up our appetite. Not refillable though. 

Pickles 

Then they served the side dish that came with the side: The Korean Cold Tofu was normal - The seaweed went soggy with the sauce but it was refreshing to eat something cold since we were having hotpot.

The fried oyster mushrooms was not up to my expectation. A bit oily and not that crispy. It came in quite a big piece and I thought they could have cut it into smaller size for easy biting.

Cold Tofu

Fried Oyster Mushrooms

The last to arrive was actually our main dish. We úpgrade' our plain rice to Kimgaru Rice at an additional $1. This seaweed flavoured rice was nice and it really complemented the Hotpot.  

Kimgaru Rice

Finally, here's my main course for the night - Premium Seafood hotpot - scallops, clams and mock abalone slices. You can choose from two soup base - Kimchi or Miso. I chose the Miso Soup Base as I had too much Kimchi for the past month. 

This Hotpot was nice. It was really served hot and they were generous in the portion. For the price of $15.90, we could actually had fresh scallops and clams. The hotpot was totally worth the price. The miso soup was not salty that you need to gaggle cups of water after drinking it.  

Premium Seafood Hotpot

The generous portion definitely justifies the price. What's more, it is halal-certified. So we can meet anyone there for a feast. 

1 Maritime Square #02-03/04
HarbourFront Centre

L'Espresso High Tea Buffet @ Goodwood Park

It was just a random gathering with a friend whom I have not met for quite some time. Not knowing where to go, she suggested L'Espresso High Tea Buffet @ Goodwood Park. Not a bad idea for a chit chat and chillax gathering. We can eat and catch up with each other's life, a great way to bond over food. 

At L'Espresso High Tea Buffet, each diner is entitled to two choices of beverages. The variety of choices was not that bad and the list consists of teas — black, green, herbal, and fruit teas — coffees and espresso-based drinks, hot chocolate, hot milk, and also iced beverages like iced mocha and iced lemon tea.

Since it was high tea, I decided to choose TEA for my first drink - Rosehips with Hibiscus Flowers tea. A special tea with lingering taste of sourness. A refreshing hot drink to start off my High Tea. Look at the cups - the prints is so pretty. 

Rosehip with Hibiscus Flowers Tea 

I wasn't expecting much from a High Tea Buffet but was totally surprised with the wide variety of pastries and sandwiches they've got there. I guess if you do not like bread, this buffet is certainly a no-no for you. 

The long food counter started off with the Croissants, Sandwiches and Canapes. Here are some of the variety I got for myself. 

The croissants is very crispy and soft, totally a must try for this buffet.The chicken crepes was nice too. Despite being a cold dish, the chicken was tender. The salmon canapes was marvelous - Salmon being fresh and the beetroot mousse totally complements the whole taste.

Assorted Croissant, sandwich... 

For salmon lovers, the Smoked salmon is a must try as well. I ate it with the mini bagel. More of the canapes which they name it  open faced sandwich. The toppings of salmon, prawn and tuna were really fresh. 

More of the food

Scones came into different flavour and I got the plain scones to go with the jam. The scone is not too buttery nor is it too dry. The texture of the scone was great and is perfect with some butter or jam. The baked pork meatloaf went well with the french loaf. A hot dish that was kept warm throughout the buffet. 

Scones

Hot savouries was next. The fried finger food was a change from eating bread and flour. The crispy chicken was like the popcorn chicken from KFC (quoted from my friend after she ate it). The fried finger food was just normal. 

Finger Food

If you love cakes, I think you will love this buffet. There are quite a number of varieties to choose from. Here are those that I took to try out. The size of the cakes was totally just nice that I can actually tried most of the cakes on the trays. 

The white chocolate dome cake was special. Sweet on the outer layer and when you ate it, the cake was actually coffee taste. I think coffee lovers will love this. I think there is this cherry cake that you can eat bites of cherries in every bites - giving you a crunchy feel when eating it. The cheese brownie was quite special and the cheese taste was not that strong. There was also this Earl Grey cake where the Earl Grey taste will linger around your tongue after you ate it. The green tea lime cake was refreshing and nice. 

Cakes

Last but not least, here comes the chocolate fondue and fruits to end off the day. 

Chocolate Fondue

After all the eating, we ordered a Ice Mocha to end off the buffet. A worthy buffet if you are into bread and cakes.

L’Espresso
Goodwood Park Hotel
22 Scotts Road

Prata Wala

Prata -  a local delight that is one of my favourite breakfast choice and normally, I will just go for plain prata with just curry. 

Was at Tiong bahru Plaza today for lunch and decided to pop by Prata Wala as I have cravings for Prata. Ordered the Curry Chicken Prata Set that comes with a bowl of curry chicken and 2 pieces of prata. 

We need to order our food from the counter and was given a buzzer. When the buzzer buzz, we need to collect our orders from the counter again -  Fully self-service. 

The pratas was crispy and hot. No wonder the name of the shop is Prata Wala. The prata really tastes good and I realised that they only prepare the prata when an order is placed. The curry is not like the normal curry sauce that I normally had at coffee shop. The curry is thick and not that spicy. Totally match the prata. However, I am a bit disappointed with the chicken. The meat was tough and not tender at all. I guess that could be chicken is not their specialty? 

Curry Chicken Prata Set

I guess if I was to revisit the place, I will probably opt for mutton set instead.

Tiong Bahru Plaza,
302 Tiong Bahru Road
#01-12

Hin Fried Hor Fun @ Ghim Moh Food Centre

Back to Ghim Moh Food Centre for lunch as I was around Bouna Vista area and did not want to eat at Star Vista. As it was during the lunch hour, I decided to follow the crowd as I did not have any cravings. Definitely not a soup dish as it was a hot day after all. Indeed, I saw this queue in front of Hin Fried Hor Fun stall. 

The queue

I joined the queue and decided to order the Fish Fried Hor Fun as I do not take beef. Basically this is a stall that is run by two men, one cooking and the other taking orders. The Hor Fun, the ingredients and the sauce are prepared separately. The Hor Fun was fried over a heated work. I waited a while for them to cook the fish. However, the sauce is precooked before hand and was kept warm at the side. It is spooned over the hor fun and fish when I ordered it. 

The stall owner was quite generous in their quantity. The Hor Fun was infused with the ''wok hei'' smell. The fish was tender and fresh. The combination of the sauce, hor fun and fish was great. It would be great if they would give more vegetables. Otherwise, I really enjoyed this Hor Fun.

Fish fried Hor Fun

Ghim Moh Food Centre
Blk 20 Ghim Moh Road
#01-44

ME time @ Forty Hands

Just want to spend the day by myself, just to relax and do nothing. Decided to head to Tiong Bahru Estate where there are a couple of coffee houses 'hidden' there. It is just a a 10 – 15 minutes walk away from Tiong Bahru MRT. Initially, I wanted to visit Flock Cafe at Moh Guan Terrance but unfortunately, they are closed for spring cleaning today. Headed down to the next street at Yong Siak Street for more choices. 

In the end, I ended up at Forty Hands again. It wasn't my first time visiting the place. The cafe is considerably small, probably sit up to 40 people. It's often crowded during the weekend. Though today is a weekday, there is still a small crowd. 

As usual, I ordered a cup of Flat White. It was introduced to me during my Melbourne trip by my sister and I fall in love with this coffee. In Forty Hands, we need to order our item(s) from the counter and they will serve you at your table. So grab a seat before you order. 

Flat White

With no friends with me, I have more time to appreciate the surroundings. Forty Hands is actually quite noisy and the the ambience wasn’t quite there for ME time. I took time to drink my Flat White and this time, I noticed the nice prints that was left behind by the coffee inside the cup. Nice piece of art. It is really nice to appreciate a cup of coffee by myself. 

Prints left behind

I noticed the Brunch menu that is placed on the table and 'Salmon Hash' captured my attention. I guess I will be back soon to try out their Brunch. And I guess, that will be braving and beating the crowds to grab a seat. Maybe I will revisit on a Friday (hopefully with less crowd) before my project ends.

Brunch Menu

Forty Hands
78 Yong Siak Street
#01-12

TCC - The Connoisseur Concerto @ Vivocity

We just want a place to drink, chillax and dinner. Roaming around Vivocity and decided to go to TCC as BFF J has 50% discount as August is her Birthday Month. 

There was a queue but there were still plenty of outdoor seats. We observed the service crews walking up and down but not intending to let lead us to the available tables. We waited for nearly 15 minutes before someone came up to us to lead us the way.

As we were still waiting for some others, we decided to order drinks first. There's quite a huge selection of drinks to select from. I wanted something cold and picked Yuzu Raspberry Blitz (Pic: second from left). It was quite refreshing

Our Drinks

I do not remember when was the last time I visited TCC @ Vivocity. Neither do I recall visiting TCC in recent months for a decent meal. Normally, I visited the place for snacks and drinks. We ordered the pasta and to my surprise, the portion of the pasta was really huge. Totally worth the price especially when we had the 50% off. 

I ordered the Tabiko Scallop Pasta. The Scallops were fresh, sweet and juicy. The Japanese soy dressing gave the dish flavour while the tobiko gave us the crunchy feeling when we bit on it. 

BFF S ordered the Algio Olio. The service crew asked if she wanted extra spicy. Seriously, I tried this pasta before and the normal spicy has already proven its spiciness. I wondered how spicy it will get if she had ordered EXTRA spicy.

Top: Seafood Aglio Olio
Bottom: Tabiko Scallop Pasta

For a table of 6, we spent a total of $98 due to the 50% discount. Really love this promotion for card member on their birthday month.  And guess what, you need to spend $80 in order to apply for a free membership and today, TCC welcomed another member to its family.