Sweet Treats at WOW! Blogger Party - Kotex New Product Launch

I recently attended an all female - bloggers only event at the posh Heaven's Loft restaurant in Orchard Central. The event was organized by Kotex and OMY for the former's launch of its breakthrough product - Luxe. It's a party definitely filled with mouthwatering sweet treats. An assortment of specialty cakes, fruit tarts, cup cakes, mousse, brownies, ice cream and other finger licking good savoury bites entertained the meandering palate of every guest. It was an afternoon of sugar rush which is just right for the high spirit ambiance at the launch party.

There was a "Design your own Cupcakes" table by Sweetest Moments that really hooked my interest. My daughter and I had a wonderful bonding time in creating our own cute little cupcake versions. Other than the design, there's nothing spectacular to rave about the taste. I was apparently craving for a more gooey, decadent mouthfeel rather than the crumbly, dry texture that it has. However, I would commend the level of sweetness as it's just right, not too sweet nor too bland.

My Daughter and I's creative outputs...

Heaven's Loft Sweet and Savoury Treats that rightfully fit an afternoon tea...

The mousse and fruit tarts are among my favorites. To have them for a sweet hankering tastebuds is utterly divine. These scrumptious banquet perfectly match the unveiling of another Asia's first. To know more about the details, continue reading via my other blog here.

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Popular Noodles in Singapore (the must try)

Just like its other asian neighbors, Singapore share the same eating habit for rice and noodles. The local diet is largely comprised of these two major staples with the latter as the most common choice for a meal. From its very affluent culinary pot, noodles definitely stands out as a food category. You normally see it in all forms and variations in the local food centres and Kopitiams. In fact, the range of choices is so diverse that sampling its taste equates to being a cultural attraction. It's typically slurpped and enjoyed piping hot either in soup or stir-fry. Many of these dishes are adaptations or inter-cultural fusions of the multiple ethnic groups who migrated to the country. This gave birth to the Chinese-Singaporean, Indian-Singaporean, Malay-Singaporean, Indo-Singaporean and other mix and matches of multi-racial cuisines. Likewise, by and large, this makes the noodle dishes in this country far from being lifeless and boring. As such, it is a culinary pride. Here are my top picks for the must try.

Prawn Hokkien Mee - a dish brought to Singapore by immigrants from Fujian (Hokkien) Province in China; it's rice vermicelli and round yellow noodles fried with prawns, cuttle fish and bits of pork fat; creamy, oily yet pleasingly tasty!



Char Kway Teow - "char kway teow" means stir-fried ricecake strips which generally refers to flat rice noodles; usually stir-fried in very high heat with chinese sausage, beaten egg, fish cakes, bean sprouts, green chives, chillies and some vegetables; tales had it that this is the most fatty noodle dish since it's fried in pork fat (no wonder it is very oily in mouthfeel) nonetheless, the wok taste is something to crave for

Mee Rebus - yellow egg noodles served in a thick, sweet-spicy curry like sauce made from fermented soy beans; usually served with hard boiled eggs, tofu bits, chopped spring onions and fried shallots; the sauce puts a characteristic taste into this dish; it's a mild curry note that blends well with the flavor of dried shrimps, peanuts and soy beans

Laksa - a noodle dish that's of Peranakan origin; made up of rice noodles in a rich, thick coconut curry gravy with shrimp, fish cakes, sometimes with tofu and bean sprouts; it can be considered the most adapted noodle dish in asia; there are just so many variations to try; if you're craving for something rich and spicy this is a good pick!

Fish Head Bee Hoon - a creamy noodle soup consisting of rice vermicelli, fried fish cake, tofu, vegetables and seaweed; normally prepared using fish broth and milk; this noodles is so comforting that I likened it to a typical rainy day soup

Mee Siam - also known as "siamese noodles"; a thin rice noodles in a sweet, sour and spicy sauce served with hard boiled egg; for the lover of fiery dishes, this is something you must have

Lor Mee - a noodle dish of Chinese origin; made up of flat yellow noodles, ngo hiang, fish cake, pork meat and hard boiled egg all soaked in a thick, starchy, soy sauce based gravy; (this is a reminiscent of Philippines Lomi noodles); it's something to enjoy for that plain, mildly tasty noodle character

Call these dishes the must try or the must sample; undoubtedly, the list of the best can even have more. But clearly, noodle hopping in Singapore is synonymous to a delectable heritage trail. And it's always a pleasure to partake.

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Makansutra Gluttons Bay

I'm beginning to embrace the fact that Singapore is really a "food obsessed" country. So much so that describing its culinary pot as overflowing with great dishes to be had is still a restrained statement. Food here comes from all walks of life (if that can be said). From the unassuming street shops and hawker centers, to the posh and classy five star restaurants established by no less than the creme de la creme of the culinary world, a myriad of taste sensations are waiting to be discovered. While my taste trek to the restaurants of top celebrity chefs at the now esteemed Marina Bay Sands is still yet to happen, I tracked down the unembellished yet genuinely rich food spot in the island-state, Makansutra. I was lucky enough to meet in person its founder at the recently concluded Food Festival 2010. Makansutra claims to celebrate the best of Asian food culture and lifestyle. Judging from what I've seen and experienced from my recent visit, it indeed lives up to what it calls for. This foodie place is no simple street eatery.

Compared to other homegrown food centres, Makansutra offers a more subtle and relaxing ambiance. It doesn't bear that typical noise of a hawker place. And since it's located within Marina bay area, diners are treated to a charming scene of the skyline and a bay view while devouring gastronomic meals. It's true, dining here transcends to discovering the food culture of asia. Popular dishes from asian countries like India, Malaysia, Indonesia, China and Singapore just to name a few are well represented here. As I hop from one food stall to the next, I am amazed at how make shifts kitchen via push carts were able to concoct wonderful dishes. This is certainly the place where no michelin star is needed to gauge the skills of the cook. Plain and simply, the foods are tasty. Here's a sneak peek of some of the options available..

Roti Prata

Prawn Roll

Sambal Kangkong

BBQ Chicken

Cereal Prawn

Yang Chow Fried Rice

Nasi Goreng Ikan Bilis

Good food and good ambiance at an affordable price, this is simply a makan place to be!

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Win PHILIPS Cooking Tools

It's been a while now since we relocated to a new home and I still haven't completed my culinary tools for the kitchen yet. Day in and day out, my children's cravings for baked goods had been lingering through my mind. They've been urging me real hard to finally get a new mixer and new baking pans so they can be reunited to their favorite home treats. I think the long wait for them is over. I was once again reminded of this pending task when I stumbled upon this online contest where SIS Sugar is giving away lots of great kitchen prizes. Quality home appliances from PHILIPS are at stake.

From now until 27 August, those who are musically inclined and gifted with talents for compositions will have a chance to participate on an online jingle contest. Click on the thumbnail below for the contest mechanics and the specific prizes to be won. This is one good opportunity to let your creative juices flow abundantly. What's more, you get the chance to bring home great rewards for doing so.

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Let's SWEETS - A Brand New Dessert Buffet Concept

For someone who's used to the abundance of sweet treats back in the Philippines, I can't help but crave for the customary rich and indulgent sweet delights every once in a while. That's why, it's satisfying to discover that Singapore has its own exciting range of baked goods and sweets as well. Among the ones notable for good products are Bakerzin, Bread Talk, Four Leaves and Bengawan Solo. Recently, another new establishment was born to conquer the tastebuds of many sweets afficionados. Let's Sweets, claimed to be the first and the latest dessert buffet restaurant in the island is opening today. It promises to offer a sugar rush experience out of an extensive selection of more than 40 scrumptious desserts. Being the newest addition to the growing family of Japan Foods Holding Ltd., the brain child behind Ajisen Ramen among others, it's expected to delight food enthusiasts with the signature touch of the intricacy and dainty of a Japanese creation with contemporary French inspiration. The banner products that the dessert house will showcase include the following:

Gateur Opera, Mousse aux Orange, Mousse aux Cassis and Baked Cheese Cake

Chocolate Almond Pizza
Chocolate Banana Crepe

Cream Puffs with Chocolate Sauce

Mixed Berries Crepe

Gelee de Fraise, Gelee de Mangue, Gelee de Citron and Blue Jelly

I am already drooling as I make this post. #02-49 Bugis Junction is the place for this sugar rush experience. It's open from 11:30 am - 4:30 pm and 5:30 pm - 10:00 pm.

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TIP IT!

GSS might have officially ended however, it won't be left unnoticed that great bargains still exist in abundance. And if you're still not over with the savings you got, here's yet another venue to steal some more. TIP-IT!, a shopping website that offers up to 90% off restaurants, bars, spas, clubs and shops in the country is currently running a promo with a chance to win an iPod Shuffle and other amazing prices. Just click on the thumbnail below to know more about the details. I browsed through the site and it sure is a great resource for new places to eat, shop and experience fun.

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NOVUS FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY SESSION

I was privileged enough to be given the chance of joining a select group of people to a Food Photography Session spearheaded by NOVUS Restaurant-Bar-Cafe Courtyard in cooperation with CASIO and FOOD & TRAVEL magazine. The Food Photography workshop was facilitated by no less than the most sought-after Food Photographer in town, Mr. Calvin Tan. The event walked us through the bits and pieces of "Fine Dining Etiquette" and an Introduction to Food Photography. It's definitely a day filled with new discoveries and learnings in so far as bringing out the best in foods is concerned.

NOVUS generously shared the dos and don'ts in Fine Dining. From the table arrangement to the use of utensils down to the standard manner of eating the different types of food, we were once again reminded and informed of things we normally forget when dining. It was a good practical dining arts 101.

On Food Photography, Calvin emphasized on the important elements of taking food photos. Foremost among them are texture, color and sharpness. In terms of lighting, daylight still proved to be the best source for nice shots. In taking the actual shot, it's essential to note that the food must be viewed in 3-dimensional form. Otherwise, unidimensional shots might just look plain and boring. Also, some aspects like shadows, background and other effects can be used to lift the overall appearance of the shot. These will undoubtedly make the food come to life. Similar to Food Styling, mild disorder and glare is allowed. Let the food shine in itself and always create something different.


We were given three dishes (prepared by Novus' Executive Chef Stephan Zoisl) to shoot. Below are some of the photos I've taken with the Casio Camera provided in the session.

A 3-course lunch was served in the event. I opted for the Black Angus Beef for the main course and boy, was I glad it didn't disappoint. The bite delivered the right juicy, succulent character of the angus beef. The pear textures and mustard-wasabi jus gave an interesting kick and twist to the overall taste of the dish. The appetizer Lassi Au Foie Gras was acceptable too. The melding of sour, salty-savoury and creamy mouthfeel provided a characteristic rich taste. Those who have low threshold for creamy stuff might find it a bit satiating though. Anyway, since it's a foie gras, I guess that's something to be expected.

I couldn't agree more that any photo can actually make or break any food item. In any dining opportunity, without a doubt, our choice of food is highly dependent on the photos printed on the menu. In the case of food readings, this also holds true. Suffice it to say, the food shots at the very least must give justice to all the work of art done on the food. It should speak of the experience waiting to be discovered from it. To put it simply, the photo must be able to deliver that kind of a love at first sight on the food.

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