15 minutes

"In the future, everybody will be famous for 15 minutes"

Andy Warhol in 1968

We discovered this cute space in Lasalle School of the Arts that I had blogged about before. We had gone there to catch a show but arrived early so happily settled ourselves in 15 minutes for a pre-show coffee.

I couldn't tell you if the food was any good cos we didn't have any but other tables seem to be enjoying their pizzas. They have live performances at night & have been told by my young friends that it is rather happening. Click on their cool website to find out more.

Do check this out if you are in the neighbourhood

15 minutes

La Salle College of the Arts

1 McNally Rd

Cirque Eloize ID

We just watched this brilliant show & I can't wait to recommend it to you.

I'm reluctant to call Cirque Eloize ID a circus performance cos it is unlike any I've seen. Like Cirque du Soleil there are no animals & both are based in Canada. But that is kind of where the similarity ends. This is a highly charged show with an urban setting. No glamorous costumes, the performers are in street clothes. Where Cirque du Soleil has haunting music, this here is rock, electronica & hip hop.

You get the usual contortionist, juggler, aerial acrobat, balancing chairs but done in a new & exciting way mixed with skates, stunt bicycles, skipping ropes & break dancing.

For me, the highlight has to be the finale trampoline act. The performance is done against a wall that is constantly changing with the video projection making it absolutely amazing. Catch the show while it is still in town, you won't regret it.

Baikohken

It's about time I blog about food.

I love noodles & being back in Singapore, I've been able to indulge in all my favorite noodle dishes. I just did a quick search of my blog & there were 28 entries with the word "noodles". Enough said. When I was in France & craved for ramen, I attempted to make my own. Not even close but then you know what they say, beggers can't be choosers.

This is hands down my favorite ramen place in Singapore. Since it's near my office, it's also one of my favorite lunch spots. Which might explain why I found myself like a homing pigeon, heading straight for this place when we were in the neighbourhood (we were hungry after our walk).

So being a quiet Saturday evening & armed with my camera, I was finally able to snap some pictures & share this with all of you.

The menu is straight forward. You choose from 3 soup bases - shoyu, shio or miso. Then you choose the toppings - butter/corn, char siew or vegetables. I've only ever had char siew but was told butter/corn is delicious. They also give you a choice of full size or half size. I love my ramen & even then, half size is enough for me.


Char siew ramen does not come with an egg so I usually order one. It's done perfectly with a soft yolk (unlike my own attempt which is sacrilegious). But you know what's the best part. The tender pieces of char siew that melts in your mouth. Over at Baikohken, they are extremely generous. I have never eaten a bowl of ramen where I finish the noodles first before the char siew. They usually give at least 5 thick pieces of meat. Not to mention, the soup is tasty & flavorful.


The restaurant is small & cosy so go early if you are planning a weekday lunch rendezvous. If not, expect to wait. There are tables upstairs but I much prefer to sit downstairs & watch the action in the kitchen.


My half size charsiew ramen costs $13.50 + $1 extra for the egg & you get an unlimited serving of tea. Now that's what I call a good deal.


Baikohken
7 North Canal Rd
(opposite OCBC Centre)

Rex Curry Puffs

Right across the road from Rex Cinema was where it all started for Old Chang Kee. We all know what happened to them - they are now an empire, sprouting all over the island, feeding the snack hungry masses. There is of course an Old Chang Kee at the entrance of Rex (see top picture of my previous post).

But I was interested in a coffee shop across the road called Selera's that is also famous for their curry puffs. Theirs are slightly cheaper than Old Chang Kee at only $1. They too have a variety of snacks - perfect for our 3 hour long movie.

Bunches of bananas for goreng pisang

They have mutton curry puffs too but I ordered the usual chicken. Very good. They are generous with the stuffing which is moist & not dry.

Selera Restaurant
15 MacKenzie Rd

Nasi Padang @ Kampong Glam

There are lots of nasi padang shops in that area but this came highly recommended. We liked it so much, we went back again the next weekend. X is a big fan. I've had better nasi padang but the food here is fresh, good quality & most of all, inexpensive. Both times, our meal of 5-6 different dishes didn't cost us more than S$20 (including drinks) in total.

You also can't beat this place for authenticity. The patrons are mostly malays & the ladies are all beautifully dressed - perhaps they had just come from the mosque. Reminds me of this place up in Harlem that we used to go for weekend brunch. Right after church it would be packed with everyone in their Sunday best - great people watching, reason enough to make the trek to Harlem. Anyway, I digressed but you get what I'm trying to say.

Perhaps it's for that reason, the place is perpetually packed. You just have to brave the crowds, find a table & then send someone to stand in line to order the food. Tell them how many in your party & they will scoop the portion accordingly.

The tantalising sweets are all self service.
Pick what you want & then pay at the cashier.

Beef rendang, eggplant (at the back) that I always order double portion

Sayor Lodeh & Fried Chicken (the non spicy dish for The Girl)

We don't eat with our hands but if you do, this kettle of water is for washing your hands after eating.


Hjh Maimunah
11 & 15 Jalan Pisang
6291 3132

Christmas Meal of the East

My parents are your typical Chinese folks. Yet come Christmas, my father always insisted on having a traditional Christmas lunch every year. Like most Chinese families of that time, we didn't own an oven nor did my mother know how to prepare turkey so we would inevitably head over to some hotel buffet & have ourselves our Sing Dan Dai Chan (Christmas feast in Cantonese). And inevitably, my mother would go home to cook herself a bowl of rice. I told you my parents are typical Chinese folks - they need their rice. Strange as it may sound, this was our family Christmas tradition.

My father has since passed on. I've moved abroad. My siblings work for the airlines so this family tradition died a natural death. Knowing that my mother would not appreciate the Christmas meal of the West since we didn't serve rice, we took her out to Christmas meal of the East.

I've blogged about Old Hong Kong for their wonderful dimsum, I've not talked about their Chinese dishes. They have some great value set meals & whenever we have guests in town, we would take them there. This restaurant has slowly become our favorite. The owner is Mr Li from Hong Kong whom we've come to know quite well. The food is good & service excellent. He adores The Girl & *Uncle* always gives her free dimsum & desserts. So it was a no brainer for us to head over there for our Sing Dan Dai Chan.

Turkey & mango salad

BTW we had a table next to the window which gave me lots of light, the reason why the pictures turned out so well.

Abalone with sea cucumber & mushroom
X couldn't understand the appeal of abalone so I happily ate his portion

Fried e-mien with oyster mushrooms

I missed taking photos of 2 other dishes which were actually our favorite - shark's fin with crab roe (I know it's not PC but I love shark's fin & their version is extremely yummy). The second is prawns done 2 ways - in wasabi mayonnaise & salted egg yolk (probably clogged up all my arteries but who cares).

This is what they call a pre-dessert
Dessicated coconut bunnies

Mango puree with Ice cream

How much do you think this meal cost ? 7 dishes with a complimentary glass of wine - $68++ per person. Now you know why we keep going back. And it got my mother's stamp of approval - she readily admitted that she much preferred this Christmas meal of the East.

Pho Bo @ Pho Hoa

Pho Bo has to be one of my favorite dishes of all time. So it's fitting that it should start off my posts on Vietnam. You can get Pho Bo all over Ho Chi Minh - from road side stalls to the more upmarket Pho 24 chain.

The hotel we stayed by the beach in Mui Ne does an awesome pho bo so guess what I had for breakfast every morning. X, of course, being the Frenchie that he is, cannot understand how anybody can eat soup noodles in the morning.

I can eat pho bo breakfast, lunch or dinner.

But the best pho bo that we had on this trip is at a restaurant called Pho Hoa. Our friends who live in Ho Chi Minh brought us there. It's one step above the hole in the wall places & the 2 storey restaurant is packed with locals & tourists. Judging from the smells, I knew I would be getting a good bowl of pho.

Pho is all about the broth. Which is why I have never tried to make it myself. The broth needs to have depth which is where a lot of places fall short.

You can order pho with raw beef fillet, flank, tripe, tendon or beef balls. Me, well I always order one with all of the above.


Each table had plates of bananas, puff pastry, cut limes, leaf like packages (which I never found what was inside) and of course a big plate of leaves.


And a plate of you tiao or yau char kwai - particularly useful in dunking & soaking up the flavorful broth. The pho I had there is probably one of the best I've ever had - meaty, flavorful broth with tender pieces of beef - yumm, I could eat this everyday.

Now you see why I wouldn't attempt to make it myself.

Pho Hoa
260C Pasteur

Not so humble meal

Despite the name, nothing about My Humble House is humble. Even when we made reservations, we were told that no children under 10 were allowed (at least not during the weekdays). Then there is the dress code of no shorts & bermudas which I don't have a problem with. Fine dining is anything but humble.

The dining room is beautifully decorated with high back chairs, opulent lights & chic table settings. Our New York friends loved the many photo op in the restaurant.

I admit I have put off going there despite rave reviews from friends only because everytime I was back in Singapore, I'd rather go for the local stuff. Trying out contemporary chinese cuisine does not come close to my cravings for mee siam, char kway teow, laksa etc.

But now that I'm back & have satisfied my cravings many times over. It's time to venture beyond the old favorites. You all know how much I love the New Majestic Restaurant, so when our friends were in town, it was the perfect time to finally check out this often featured restaurant.

Trio of dimsum

I usually like to order the tasting menu cos we get to try the chef's specials. All the menu items have whimsical names like someone is singing behind the mountains, pearls of spring rain, flights of fantasy etc.

King Prawn in a delicious curry sauce
which had us all raving

Chicken cutlet in a thai sauce

Handspun noodles with preserved vegetables & shredded meat
The broth smelt wonderful but so bland that X hardly touched his

The best part of the meal came last, pastry packet filled with red bean with vanilla ice cream.

We had a wonderful dining experience. The room is beautiful, the service excellent & the food well presentated but I couldn't help feeling a tad disappointed. It might be because I went with high expectations but a couple of low points on the meal eg. the bland noodles, the green apple reduction on the beef tenderloin (not pictured) was too sweet & overpowering. I wanted to be wowed but that didn't happen.

In the meantime, I want to check out Jing & Jaan by Andre.

Seafood Paradise @ The Singapore Flyer

One Sunday afternoon, we found ourselves at the Singapore Flyer. Not because we wanted to go there. I was trying to go to Marina Barrage but headed in the wrong direction & found ourselves right at the Singapore Flyer. But we did something else instead, to find out, read my next post.

Since we were there, we decided to have lunch at Seafood Paradise, a sister restaurant of Taste Paradise. I'd always gotten not just good but outstanding food & service when I'm at one of their outlets. This was no exception. We arrived at noon explaining that we needed to be done by 12.40. No problem. No questions asked. They delivered.

Considering how good the food & service was, I was surprised at how empty the place was - for Sunday lunch. What a shame. Looking at the pictures, you're going to think this is going to be expensive but no.

The ubiquitous seafood tank but theirs were done beautifully. Did you see that Alaskan king crab ?

Because we were in a hurry, I ordered the set menu & this was what we got for $50+ which was more than enough for 3A1C.

Chicken Feet & Conch Soup
which we loved

This is one of my favorite vegetable dishes of all time
Spinach with 3 types of eggs - eggs, salted eggs & century eggs

Prawn balls with salted egg yolk

There was one more dish I forgot to take a photo off - fried fish fillets which was originally fish head curry on the menu but for the sake of our out of town guest, I changed it to stir fried fish fillet instead.

Good value for money.

Seafood Paradise @ Singapore Flyer
30 Raffles Avenue #01-01
Singapore Flyer