Celebrate CNY 2017 with Golden Peony [MEDIA INVITE]

Golden Peony

From 10 January to 11 February 2017, Golden Peony will celebrate CNY 2017 with their new and innovative dishes, being put together by Executive Chinese Chef Ku Keung and his team.

Fortune 3D Fiery Rooster Yu Sheng with Kanpachi,
Abalone, Salmon and Crispy Fish Skin

In welcoming the year of Fire Rooster, Chef Ku Keung and his team prepared the Jumbo Yu Sheng of Fortune 3D Fiery Rooster Yu Sheng with Kanpachi, Abalone, Salmon and Crispy Fish Skin (创意立体鱼生). Priced at the auspicious $888, this yu sheng can feed up to 30 pax and more. Definitely one of the dish to order when you have a big group coming to dine.

The Mid Section of Jumbo Yu Sheng

The combination of Kanpachi, Abalone and Salmon provided the natural freshness from the sea, while the crispy fish skin plus the fried golden pouch add to the crunchiness and texture of this dish. A very well-curated Yu Sheng and delicious indeed.

The Right Part of Jumbo Yu Sheng

The standard size of Yu Sheng also available. Priced from $68 for small (2 – 5 pax) and $128 for large (6 to 10 pax). Price will depends on additional ingredients you want to add to your treasure.

Fortune 3D Fiery Rooster Yu Sheng with
 Kanpachi, Abalone, Salmon and Crispy Fish Skin
Photo Credit: Conrad Centennial Singapore

Fortune Gold Flakes Yu Sheng, Kanpachi, Salmon and Crispy Fish Skin
Photo Credit : Conrad Centennial Singapore

Celebrate CNY 2017 with The Square @ Furama RiverFront [MEDIA INVITE]

CNY 2017 - The Square @ Furama

The Square @ Furama RiverFront will be celebrating Chinese New Year 2017 with its own signature buffet line up. The festive delights will be curated by award-winning Executive Chef William Lum and his team.

The highlights of the buffet that will be served during the Chinese New Year period will include dishes like:

Prosperity Salmon Yu Sheng

Prosperity Salmon Yu Sheng (富贵发财鱼生). The combination of vegetables and preserved fruits are well balanced. The sweet sauce is concocted well enough to wet your appetite without feeling overwhelming. Of course, not forgetting this dish also come with abundance auspicious meanings. Huat Ah!!

The Aftermath Version 

Double boiled Sakura Chicken with Winter Melon, Dried Scallop & Honshimeji Mushroom (干贝冬瓜鸡汤). Sakura chicken, known for its free of growth hormone provide a nice base to the soup. The winter melon, dried scallops and mushroom added to different layer of flavours and also nutrients in the soup. As it is double boiled, the soup base remain clear, light and good to warm up your stomach.

Double boiled Sakura Chicken with Winter Melon,
Dried Scallop & Honshimeji Mushroom

[CLOSED} Burp Kitchen & Bar – Gastropub & Live EPL [MEDIA INVITE]

Burp Kitchen & Bar @ Tanjong Katong

Burp Kitchen & Bar is the second outlet of Burp umbrella brand. I visited their first outlet in Bedok Reservoir and I still like for the wholesome meal that are served there. You can check out the review of the Bedok Reservoir outlet here.

For the Tanjong Katong outlet, the team up the ante on the entertainment factor here. Football lovers (like me), they are showing live EPL matches on wide projector. You can check out the Live matches they are showing on the FB page.

The view of the Bar and Projector screen

Melt Café – Eat, Drink and Be Merry 2016 [MEDIA INVITE]

Festive Goodies by Mandarin Oriental Singapore

December is a month where festivities just filled the air. A time where co-workers, friends and family gather and enjoy each other company, delicious food and cheer someone up with a little gift to show them that you care.

Two-Tone Truffle Roasted Turkey, with Traditional Christmas Stuffing

This year, Melt Café treat us to the preview of their offerings during this festive period.

Maple Glazed Semi-Boned Ham

Hand in Hand – One of The Best Xiao Long Bao and Jiaozi in Singapore

Hand in Hand Beijing Restaurant

In our search for the best Xiao Long Bao in Singapore, we manage to uncover this restaurant. From the review that we looked at, apparently they served pretty solid ('XLB') and Dumplings as well. We have visited this place a few times and we always satisfied with the food here. We are just in awe of the consistency and delicious flavours that they crunch out every time.

Part of the Dining Area

Surprisingly, this restaurant is not located in Geylang or Chinatown. Hand In Hand is located in Jalan Besar, a few shops down opposite the Berseh Food Centre. If you are walking pass, you will notice the restaurant is decked in red with a very traditional Chinese theme decorations.

Xiao Long Bao

Xiao Long Bao ($7.80 for 8 pcs). The white skin of the XLB has the right smoothness, springiness and thickness. When you lift up the XLB, you can see the fillings dangling from your chopstick. Though the skin of the dumpling is thin, the skin and juice of the XLB are not easily break or leaked out, unlike the other popular franchise XLB place. The filling is soft, juicy, but not explosive. I find the proportion is just right and eating it with the julienne ginger and black vinegar just simply enhanced the flavours further.

Xiao Long Bao - Up Close

Xiao Long Bao - Check out the fillings
Hand Model Credit: LittleDevil_98

The Landmark – A Gathering Place [MEDIA INVITE]

The Landmark

The Landmark is the main restaurant for Village Hotel Bugis (formerly known as Landmark Village Hotel). It served buffet breakfast, lunch and dinner; as well as ala carte menu. The Landmark is a Halal Certified Restaurant serving Western, Asian, Indian and Mediterranean cuisines.

When you enter The Landmark, you will be greeted with the huge photo of Celebrity Chef Bob, who is the Ambassador of The Landmark. However, the Main Chef or known as the 'PRINCIPAL' is also a well-known Celebrity Chef Amri Azim. A renowned Malay Chef, skilled in French Cooking.

Cold Seafood Station

The selections of the buffet include: Salads, Pizzas, Pastas, Snacks, Cooked Dishes, Kebab, Roast Beef, Chilli Crab, Cold Seafood, Tulang Soup, Naan, Indian Dishes, Local desserts and drinks.

Pizza and Snacks Station

Melt Café – Taste of Japan [MEDIA INVITE]

Melt Café, Mandarin Oriental Singapore

Melt Café, the main dining destination of Mandarin Oriental Singapore is having a Japanese Food Fair promotion. Known for its highlights in Seafood and other culinary extravagance, the dining experience here will featured by Japanese centric menu from 26 November to 4 December 2016.

Salmon & Smoked Salmon

The highlights of the Taste of Japan are:

Sashimi. I had salmon, tuna, yellowtail, octopus with a touch of salmon roe. All the sashimi are fresh, generous in the size of the cuts and enjoyable with the special of soy sauce. There is also salmon belly, which is a must have for Japanese food lover.

Sashimi Moriawase

[CLOSED] Montreux Jazz Café - Where Good Food, Drinks and Jazz Mingle [MEDIA INVITE]

Montreux Jazz Café ('MJC') is a product inspired from Montreux Jazz Festival by one of the Festival founder Claude Nobs. With his chef background and his passion for gastronomy and hospitality that leads to the birth of MJC on June 2008 in Geneva.

Part of Fine Dining Area

Private Dining Room

On 7^th October 2016, the MJC Singapore ('MJCS') officially open its door. Located in Pan Pacific Orchard, MJCS is a venue for global citizen to experience the vision of Claude Nobs. To ensure the quality of the food at all MJC venue are up to the founder expectation, MJCS Executive Chef Derek Ang, spend several weeks in Geneva under the tutelage of Claude Nobs.

The Bar

[CLOSED] IZY Dining & Bar – A New Concept and Menu [ MEDIA INVITE]

IZY

IZY Dining & Bar is a modern Izakaya located in the buzzing dining destination Club Street. IZY served quality Japanese – American food and drinks such as sake, highball and umeshu.

When the word Japanese - American was mentioned, the first thing that come to my mind was Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto. In the Iron Chef show, he wowed the judges and audiences by blending Japanese and American ingredients and culture, with Japanese cooking technique. His plating is just so exquisite, you will not be able to resist his creation.

Part of the Dining Area - Counter Seats

The kitchen in IZY is helmed by Chefs Masaaki and Rinato. IZY Roll ($16) is one of the signature roll here. Shrimp and Asparagus Tempura are rolled with sushi rice, topped with spicy crab mayo and avocado spread on top then torched. You will feel the crisp, crunchy texture wrapped with moist sushi rice. The mayo has nice spicy kicked to it, filled with brainy flavour as well. Yum Yum.

IZY Roll

Zaffron Kitchen – Refined Indian Cuisine

Zaffron Kitchen @ East Coast Road

Zaffron Kitchen at East Coast Road is a Modern Indian Restaurant that has been serving refined Indian Cuisine since 2011. They have been 'crowned' the BIB GOURMAND by the Michelin Guide Singapore.

Be Naan The Wiser

The Wall of Fame

The décor of the restaurant is so modern, it can be mistaken for any bistro. You will notice that it is an Indian restaurant when you see the Tandoori oven at the entrance.

Open Kitchen - View from Outdoor

Part of the Dining Area

Kushiya – Japanese Style Grilled Food [MEDIA INVITE]

Kushiya @ Westgate

Kushiya is a home grown Japanese food kiosk located in Westgate Shopping Centre. Kushiya specialised in Japanese-style charcoal grilled skewers and Donburi.

The Menu

One thing that I catch my attention at first is the word charcoal grilled skewers. One of my favourite dish, especially when we are dining in Izakaya. A proper grill master will treat the meat with such care and attention, infused the skewers with smoky aroma while sealing the natural juice inside the meat or vegetables.

Beef Ribeye Kushiyaki and Chicken Leg with Scallion

Mushroom with Bacon, Asparagus with Bacon, and Capsicum

Kinsa Sushi – Xmas Set Showcase [MEDIA INVITE]

Kinsa Mosaic Set

Kinsa Sushi, the home grown sushi restaurant is welcoming the Christmas season by enhancing the popularity of Purple Rice Maki.

During the Tang and Sung Dynasties, purple rice was reserved only for the Emperors and inner circle as it believe in the health benefits of consuming the purple rice. With these benefits in mind, Kinsa Sushi brought to you the enjoyment of this purple rice in their menu.

Black Beauty

Black Beauty ($15.80). The purple rice has similar texture of the brown rice. It has the al-dente texture and slightly chewy as well. The creamy mayonnaise, three types of roe and the crispy fish use make the combination of flavour and texture of this maki unique and enjoyable at the same time. Best part, it is also healthy. Yum.

Black Beauty

New Ubin Seafood – A Truly Singaporean Culinary Experience

 Fine de Clair Orh Luak

New Ubin Seafood is a casual, laid back and family friendly restaurant serving Singaporean Cuisine. The origin of New Ubin Seafood can be traced back to Pulau Ubin itself. After the government acquisition of Pulau Ubin, New Ubin Seafood move through different locations and finally settled down in the rustic setting of Sin Ming Road.

New Ubin Seafood - Great Wall of Ubin

We were introduced to New Ubin Seafood by our church friends Daniel and Michelle a few years back, and totally got hooked on the heart attack fried rice (fried rice cooked with beef drippings and fats) that was served with their US Black Angus Ribeye Steak. We got a bit overdose by it and only recently returned after hearing that they are going to move to the West. Yes, they are uprooting to the Hillview Ave and their last day of operation in Sing Ming is 06 November 2016. So we decided to have one last visit before it makes its' journey to the West.

Through the years, the cuisine of New Ubin Seafood has evolved. To make it simple, they basically served delicious cuisine that you can find in Singapore, no hold bars. Acknowledged by Michelin Guide Singapore under their Bib Gourmand category or known as Inspector's favourite for good value, they must be doing something right.

Part of the Dining Area - Air conditioned

A must order of course is their US Black Angus Ribeye Steak ($13 for 100 grams). Grilled to medium rare, it is served with the heart attack fried rice. The steak sliced to bite size, to make it easy for diners to use their chopstick to pick up their food. It has a good charred to seal in the juice in the beef, succulent and beautifully cooked to medium rare. Though it is ribeye cut, the steak itself is very lean. I personally just ate the steak with sea salt and caramelised onion, the dijon mustard that are also served at the side somehow seems to decimate the flavour of the beef.

US Black Angus Ribeye Steak

The crispy potato wedges is well-seasoned with cayenne. Fried rice is good especially with the combination of their wok hei and beef fats. However it does not feel the same compare to the last time. I guess, the wow factor was lost on me.

Heart Attack Fried Rice