Newly opened Wok and Barrel at Duxton Hill is barely two months old but its nasi lemak has been around for a couple of years. Chef cum restaurateur Shen Tan used to operate the famous Madam Tan’s Nasi Lemak stall in Maxwell Food Centre and had even been awarded the Makansutra Certificate. Shen is clearly very passionate about food as she gave up her high-flying career as an events director at Forbes magazine to pursue her interest by selling nasi lemak. Now that she has a much larger kitchen area in The Wok & Barrel, the food nazi insists on making almost every single thing from scratch.

Nasi Lemak ($1.90)

You know that Shen is serious about her food when she goes to great lengths and steams her nasi lemak with fresh coconut twice over a three-hour period everyday. The result is a very enticing and aromatic plate of nasi lemak, the type which is so fragrant that makes you want to eat the rice just on its own! The rice has a very fluffy texture which makes it easy to swallow. Also available on the menu, the nasi lemak rice set basically comes with 6 different types of meat like crispy pork slices and chicken drumstick, etc. For those who love a good spicy challenge, I recommend Shen’s homemade sambal belachan over her traditional nasi lemak chilli.

Otak Otak ($5.90)

I was getting all ready for a really spicy otak otak but later found out that this is not what Shen had intended hers to be. Midly spicy with a slight hint of sweetness best describes it. Instead of chunks of fish meat, Shen grills an entire fillet. The otak otak has a very nice soft texture and goes extremely well with the nasi lemak!

Crispy Chicken ($7.90)

Shen marinates the boneless chicken thigh for a good 24 hours before the breading and deep-frying! The chicken wasn’t crispy in a crispy crackling kind of way but it was very moist and tender with a crisp surface.

Lamb Char Siew ($29)

Albeit a little salty. the lamb char siew is one mouth-watering and addictive dish! Juicy and tender, wash it down with a glass of beer.. Perfect!

Bak Chor Mee Pasta ($19.90)

Clearly our favorite of all the dishes we tried, Shen got her inspiration for her bak chor mee pasta from local delights minced pork noodle and mee pok tah. Her handmade tagliatelle is nothing like the usual stuff. I find that it is similar to hor fun, except that it is thinner and smoother. Although it has been named bak chor mee pasta, it doesn’t taste anything like bak chor mee. Shen uses five-spice roast pork which is braised till it’s fork-tender. This spicy pasta left us wanting more!

Desiree Pizza ($11.90)

The desiree pizza struck me as pizza with a hollow, airy crust and in fact, it looked like roti prata minus the toppings of course. Shen means business when she uses kurobuta pork which is extremely flavorful and juicy, instead of the typical bacon. The pizza has a nice chewy centre and slightly crisp base.

Shendol Delight ($7.90) and Pulot Hitam Cake ($7.90)

As if the mains aren’t impressive enough, Shen continues to amaze us with her clever dessert creations. What happens when Shen reconstructs chendol? You get shendol delight, delighting you always. Gotta love the ultra smooth panna cotta that smells so richly of coconut milk. The gula melala is of the right sweetness. Served with a scoop of red bean ice cream, this is one delightful dessert! Shen’s pulot hitam cake is equally popular. It actually reminds me of sticky date pudding drizzled with gula melaka butterscotch. The cake is not that sweet when eaten on its own, so be sure to pair it with the rich and creamy coconut ice cream!

Many thanks to Shen for being such a great host and to Amanda from Word of Mouth Communications for the kind invitation!

The Wok & Barrel
13 Duxton Hill
Tel: 6220 0595

Opening Hours:
Tue to Sat
1130am – 10pm
Sun
1130am – 4pm
(Closed on Mondays)

Create Restaurants Co. Ltd, a well-established Japanese company with a portfolio of over 110 food concepts, has opened its very first restaurant outside of Japan and it is none other than… *drum roll* … Kobe’s and Yokohama’s premium seafood buffet restaurant, Fisherman’s Market! Located at The Central (Clarke Quay), the 10000 sq ft floor space is split over two floors. A la carte lunch is on the first floor while the buffet dinner is on the second 🙂

Let’s take a sneak peek at what’s on the second floor! This is just a section of the entire buffet line. In fact, buffet goers will be thrilled to know that the restaurant has a pretty extensive selection of more than 90 food dishes! The area is very spacious with a sitting capacity of 300. Overlooking the Singapore River, Fisherman’s Market looks set to be a very inviting place to catch up with friends over food and a couple of drinks given its contemporary chic ambience.

Daniel, Leroy and Calvin were also present at the pre-opening! Yup, all of us were armed with our cameras! 😀

Seafood freshly flown in from South Asia, Australia, North America and around the world!

Prawns, crabs, mussels and oysters are some of the usual fresh seafood offerings at buffets. Oysters are always my favorite of the lot! I don’t believe in adding Tobasco sauce; just a light squeeze of lemon and the oysters are good to go 🙂

Sushi and Sashimi that are freshly prepared

Personally, I felt that the sashimi could have done better if the slices of raw fish were firmer and more chilled. However, I did enjoy chewing on the succulent slices of octopus. The emphasis is clearly on authenticity and freshness, as native Itamae (Sushi chefs) are at hand to prepare the sushi which were wiped out as quickly as they were replenished.

Vongole Bianco spaghetti

Out of the four different pastas available, we only got to try Vongole Bianco at the pre-opening. To my dismay, the spaghetti was clearly undercooked.

Marinara Pizza

As if the chilled seafood selection wasn’t enough, I even went for the Marinara Pizza! The Maple Honey and Margherita pizzas were equally popular with the other diners. The chef even urged me to grab a slice of the pizza that was fresh from the oven!

Black Pepper Crab

To be honest, as much as I love my black pepper crabs, I gave them a miss after hearing that there wasn’t much meat. For those who don’t mind the effort required in breaking the shells can go for the chili crabs, which are touted as one of the specialities at Fisherman’s Market.

Cheese Fondue – with boiled potato cubes, broccoli and croutons

I was completely blown away by this prepare-to-order cheese fondue! Rich and creamy in taste, it went perfectly well with the croutons, boiled potato and even broccoli! I even had to refrain myself from ordering another set in fear that I wouldn’t be able to fit into my wedding gown 🙁

Teppanyaki – Sausage and Salmon

There is also a cook-to-order live station for the teppanyaki selection. Both the sausage and salmon were nicely done but slightly on the salty side. Chewy Charles had a second round of sausage to go with his beer. Give that man a Tiger! 😛

DIY Ice Cream – Choose your favorite toppings!

When I was busy eating… oh wait, I mean taking photos… Chewy Charles came back with this ice cream! I suppose this Do It Yourself Dessert thing is becoming the latest fad at buffets? And it’s very popular with both kids and adults alike!

Little dessert treats!

Take a nibble here and there! Apart from the chocolate fondue fountain that never fails to get everyone excited, there’s also chocolate banana crepe, creme brulee, tapioca coconut and tiramisu.

From now till 31st July 2011, as part of its opening special, Fisherman’s Market offers 10% off your total bill.

Thanks to Amanda from Word of Mouth Communications Pte Ltd for the invitation and to all the wonderful people at Fisherman’s Market.

Fisherman’s Market
6 Eu Tong Sen Street
#01-15 & #02-17
The Central
Singapore 059817
Tel: 6221 3177

Pricing:
Mon to Thu: Adult $39.90++ / Child (below 12) $22.90++
Fri to Sun: Adult $49.90++ / Child (below 12) $27.90++

I was invited to an exclusive preview of Singapore’s first smoked beer, Archipelago Hickory Smoked IPA. The preview session took place at Smokey’s BBQ along Joo Chiat Road.

The Archipelago Hickory Smoked IPA is a unique hybrid of beer styles, the popular English India Pale Ale & the German smoked Rauchbier styles. This innovative hybrid idea was made even more interesting with a collaboration between Archipelago and Smokey’s BBQ. Hickory wood chips were used by Smokey’s BBQ, an authentic smokehouse restaurant, to smoke the malt to create this limited edition Hickory Smoked IPA.

Crafted from a combination of three American hops – Centennial, Chinook & Tomahawk – the final product is an amber pour that delivers an underlying aroma of grapefruit. The brew leaves a tinge of smoke aftertaste on the palate and scents of smoky essences, which is the result of a smoking procedure performed on the barley Malt at the initial stages of the brewing process.

Indeed, the smokey flavour was very distinctive and paired extremely well with any smoked meats. Very appealing and innovative!

Happy beer drinkers at the event

It was nice chilling out after a long day at work

We would like to thank Mr Alfred Tay, Social Media & Interactive Manager of Asia Pacific Breweries (Singapore) Pte Ltd for the invitation.

Feeling stressed lately? Soft! softserve ice cream has a special ability and can zap those stress bubbles away! It’s not surprising given that Soft! uses only premium Japanese cream, is low in fat, and has a wide enough variety of quality toppings for you to choose from. With 40 over concoctions, who’s not excited about Soft! ice cream?

Trixie, Public Relations Manager of Soft! invited Chewy Charles and I to try some of the ice cream flavors. I almost went wild looking through the menu on the website! I really adore the drawings! Cute and colorful! 😀

We were waiting in anticipation and TA-DAH…! Zara Mango ($3.90) was first on the list. True to what we were being told, the softserve ice cream had a very light, smooth and creamy texture. The highlight is its mango puree! The pulp of mango is very thick and sweet! It’s a nice idea to use dried cranberry chunks instead of raisins because of its unique tanginess. We kept nodding our heads in approval as we shoved spoonfuls of this ice cream into our mouths 😛

If you like black sesame paste dessert, you gotta try Sesame Way ($3.50) which is an awesome combination of sesame paste and red bean paste! I would say that the taste of sesame paste is very rich and much more distinct. Sponge cake was not available that day so we had Pebbles cereal as an alternative.

It’s not difficult to figure out why the Lic Kat ($3.90) is also the Lover’s Fave! See that stick of Kit Kat? You and your lover should each start eating from one side of the Kit Kat and see where it will lead you to. Hehe! 😛 Horlicks powder and Nestum Cereal prove to be a nice combination for an ice cream topping for it is dry and flaky; good contrast to the smooth ice cream! You can even choose to mix the toppings with the sticky butterscotch!

Frankly speaking, I didn’t quite take to the Straits Chendol ($3.50). I suppose I found it difficult to accept that there is such an ice cream version! Trixie told us that this is more popular among the older generation. Guess what? When I showed my mum (not that she’s very old la) all the ice cream photos, she said she would be keen to try this because she likes the green chendol jelly! As for me, I liked the gula melaka syrup drizzled all over the ice cream 🙂

Trixie probably wanted to save the best for last. The Maldon Seasalt Special ($3.90) really blew Chewy Charles and I away! We were completely blown away, I repeat. Blown blown blown. The Maldon Organic Seasalt is such a mind-blowing ice cream topping. The saltiness that hits the back of your throat while you savour all that sweetness is a really interesting experience. With the sweet butterscotch and salty Ritz cracker crumbs, the sweet-salty equation is definitely a balanced one!

We are glad to hear that this Best Newcomer Ice Cream is well-received by the younger generation! *Waves* 😛 We love it too!

Many thanks to Trixie Khong, Public Relations Manager of Soft! for the kind invitation and for hosting the session.

We really wanna share the good stuff with our readers so here are TEN Complimentary Happiness passes up for grabs! Each pass entitles you to one free Soft! softserve ice cream of your choice!
If you would like to try any of the flavors featured above (or from the menu), email me at foodoshoot@gmail.com with the subject header: Soft! Icecream ZAPS! with your name, contact number and address.
First FIVE readers will receive two passes each!

*This is definitely a case of fastest fingers first!*
Here’s the list of winners! You will be hearing from me shortly!
1) Joyce Teh
2) Vicki Huang
3) Tan Ying Xia
4) Yap Xue Ying
5) Serene Seah

Thanks ladies! 😀

Soft! Softserve Icecream
Downtown East #01-23
(beside Wild Wild Wet)
Hougang Mall #B1-K17
(beside Ya Kun)

Opening Hours:
Mon to Sun
10am to 10pm (11pm on Sat)

“A little daily makes a difference. A little difference makes your day.”
Inspired by how a pescetarian diet (a healthy diet that consists of fish and no other animal meats) has benefited them and their loved ones, Christina and her husband Xing, took the first step to start Dann’s Daily Pescetarian Cafe, named after their son, Dann. The philosophy at Dann’s Daily is to provide an experience that is beneficial to customers. Their inspiration is driven by simple ingredients, fuss-free cooking with care and passion. Ingredients are of the finest quality, nothing more, and nothing less. I really must salute Christina for coming up with all these delicious and healthy dishes!

Light and wholesome, the Triangle Toasties are bound to impress. Organic wholemeal bread was lightly toasted, resulting in a nice crusty texture. Tuna with lettuce? Yes. But tuna with avocado? The Tuna Avocado ($4.50) sure was a nice change from the tuna with lettuce that my mum usually prepares for breakfast. The slices of avocado had a very smooth and creamy texture. Apart from this, Chewy Charles and I also enjoyed eating the Otah Japanese Cucumber ($5) very much. The winning combination of fresh and chunky Mackerel, together with slices of crunch Japanese cucumber is highly recommended.

A Set Meal at Dann’s Daily comes with Organic Brown & Wild Rice with Sprouts and Curry of the Day ($10). The rice grains were very solid and had a very nice bite to it, unlike white rice which is sticky and starchy. Curry of the Day was Vegetable & Tofu Curry. Other than tofu, there was also tao pok, tao kee and diced carrots. The curry was watery but it had none of those oiliness. I didn’t feel guilty dribbling some of that curry onto my rice 😛

Chewy Charles and I were a little puzzled at the color of the Fish Soup ($8). If milk was not added, we would be expecting a clear broth. Xing came up with this recipe and told us that the stock was made using vegetables and was left to simmer overnight. That explains the the color of the soup. You can have my word that the broth was very rich and full-bodied. Just one sip of this fish soup can bring the dead back to life. Haha.

Moving on, it was time for desserts! Dann’s Daily showed us that it is possible to still be able to enjoy sweet treats while eating healthily at the same time. Nothing can go wrong when you pair chocolate with banana. The moist and dense Banana Steamed Cupcake ($3) was drizzled with delicious chocolate sauce. Surprisingly, it was not overly sweet.

The Gula Melaka Steamed Cupcake ($3) would be a good alternative if you prefer something lighter. Not as moist and dense as the banana cupcake, this on the other hand was stickier and chewier. No fret, there’s really something to keep everyone happy 🙂

Do you heart Latte ($4)? Hehe 😛 Alkaline water had been used to make this cup of latte that was rich and frothy.

What in the world is a Teeccino you ask? A first in Singapore, the Teeccino is a great caffeine-free alternative to coffee. Dann’s Daily is the only café in Singapore offering this. Teeccino boasts of a rich full-bodied, complex flavour that is slightly sweet and nutty from dates, figs and almonds. A guaranteed hit with coffee fans and non-coffee fans alike. I was lucky enough to try the Teeccino Mocha Latte ($5). Although I couldn’t quite put a word to how it exactly tasted like after my first sip, the subsequent sips had a nutty fragrance.

For something refreshing on a hot and humid day, the Pear Calamansi ($6.50) is a lifesaver! No sugar is added into this natural fruit juice. A special juicer is used at Dann’s Daily and you get a high concentration of pulp in your fruit juice!

Here’s a lovely photo of Christina and Xing, together with Dann. Thank you for the invitation and for sharing your knowledge about healthy eating with us!

Dann’s Daily Pescetarian Cafe
20 Eastwood Road
#01-06 Eastwood Centre
(opposite Bedok Food Centre)
Singapore 486442
Tel: 6449 1355

Opening Hours:
Tue to Sun
9am – 9pm
(Closed on Mondays)

I love steamed buns and to be precise, I love Xiao Long Baos (XLBs). I have heard so much about Nanxiang Steamed Bun Restaurant
and was thrilled when I was invited to try out a range of Nanxiang’s Shanghainese delights earlier this month.

Nanxiang’s Jelly Fish with Spicy Vinegar ($6.80) is distinctly different from the jelly fish appetizers from other places. It is exceptionally crunchy because the chef uses the head of the the jellyfish. A highly recommended appetizer while you wait for the other dishes in anticipation 😛

I was a little hesitant to try the “Yuan Yang” Duck Tongue ($8) at first but then again if you are a real foodie, you need to be adventurous once in a while yeah? 😉 I preferred the duck tongue in wine sauce as it was lighter as an appetizer as compared to the one in braised sauce. Duck tongue tastes like chicken feet, but firmer.

Can you believe that the Fresh Pork Filling Steamed Bun ($6) is merely a dollar a piece? The preparation that goes into making the stock of the steamed bun is not a simple one. (Please don’t ask me because it’s supposed to be secret! :P). The steamed buns are truly Shanghainese style as they are richer in flavour due to the addition of spices.

For slightly more variety, you can always try the Crab Roe & Pork Filling Steamed Bun ($11.80- 6 pieces) and Spicy Crabmeat & Pork Filling Steamed Bun ($11.80- 6 pieces). These two are equally good! I would probably go wild if Nanxiang offers XLB buffet!

What comes to mind when someone mentions Nanxiang? It’s definitely the King Sized Nanxiang Crab Roe Steamed Soup Bun ($6.80) for me! The experience of drinking the soup right out of a straw is also very novel! The warm soup was so tasty that it was hard to stop slurping everything up once I got started. There were tiny bits of crab meat and crab roe in the soup too. Just refrain from attempting to eat the bun as the skin is made thick enough to hold the soup. You probably wouldn’t like it, so take my advice and just drink this.

This is something I would definitely crave for on a rainy day, the Vermicelli with Crab Roe ($12.80) is slightly more watery than starchy, with delicious chunks of crab roe that make this dish a whole lot more delectable.

Best eaten while it’s hot, the “Hua Niang” Steamed Cod Fish ($13) tasted wonderfully sweet with a soft melt-in-the-mouth texture.

It’s pretty interesting that fruits such as orange, lime and pineapple were used in the preparation of the Braised Pork Belly Ribs ($12). A supposedly ‘heavy’ dish as such now has wonderful citrusy flavours that are easier on the palate.

The Steamed Egg with Clams ($6) reminded me of chawanmushi, which is my absolute favorite. Smooth and silky, it’s very easy to swallow. The clams were a bit on the puny side though.

This plate of Shanghai Vegetable Rice ($7) probably looks and sounds boring to most but it’s actually quite yummy! The addition of small chunks of meat provided a nice complement to the vegetables.

The Salt & Pepper Cashew Nut Pastry ($3.30- 2 pieces) is one of the many Shanghai Dim Sum items available at Nanxiang. I like its flaky texture. This tasted a little like Beh Teh Soh (water chestnut biscuits) to me!

This is my first time eating an ‘alcoholic’ chinese dessert. Loved the chewy rice balls in the Glutinous Rice Ball in Sweet Wine ($4).

I enjoyed the Yam Pastry with Sesame ($5.20- 4 pieces) for its nice crispy texture. It actually tasted a little like the sweet ham cheem peng which is one of my favorite snacks!

Thanks to Leroy from FoodNews and Nanxiang for the kind invitation!

Nanxiang Steamed Bun Restaurant
68 Orchard Road
#02-01
Plaza Singapura
Tel: 6337 7446

Opening Hours:
Mon to Fri
11.30am – 3pm (Lunch)
6pm – 10pm (Dinner)
Sat, Sun & Public Holiday
11am – 10pm