Our Taste of Life

Nigella Lawson wouldn't be called a domestic goddess for nothing. If you happen to try some of her recipes, you will be convinced that she's more than just a queen of the kitchen. This is why some of her creations are mainstays in my recipe bin. One of them is the Classic Vanilla Bundt Cake. It's a soft, moist and buttery sponge cake. It's my favourite, default base for some of my cakes like this Orange Blackberry Trifle. Actually, Nigella Lawson herself has a recipe for an Orange Blackberry Trifle. But for my version, I adapted the vanilla bundt cake recipe for a more tasty, richer trifle.
What you need: 225g butter, softened at room temp 1 1/3 cups caster sugar 6 eggs 1 1/2 cups plain flour 1/2 tsp baking soda 200ml natural yoghurt 4 tsp vanilla extract zest and juice of 1 orange fresh blackberries 300ml cream, whipped until soft peaks formed How to make: 1. Pre-heat the oven to 180C. 2. Sift flour and baking soda in a bowl. In an electric mixer, mix butter and suga…

Japanese Pork Cutlet fried to crispy perfection with tender meat inside is what best describes Saboten's version of Pork Tonkatsu. This is the primary reason why I personally think Saboten's Pork Tonkatsu is the best in the region. Although I've yet to try the other popular ones I'm happily settled on this brand whenever I crave for a Pork Tonkatsu. The bread crumbs is just right in texture and it complements well with the taste of the meat. It doesn't over power nor oily in after taste unlike the typical ones. The meat is very juicy hence, provides an enjoyable bite.It is best paired with a chilled cabbage salad drizzled with a sesame dressing. Saboten Special Set - for those who want to try different variations 
Tenderloin Set - see the nice golden brown color of the bread crumbs?
If this is not a completely satisfying meal, I don't know what is. 
Saboten  IMM Mall, 2 Jurong East St 21 #01-19, Jurong East, 609601

A hazy day in Jakarta...

The infamous traffic that made me panic whether I will make it to my return flight to Singapore or not. I prayed real hard and thank God I managed to reach the airport just in time for boarding!



After my experience from this trip, traffic in Jakarta is really beyond worse. It's highly unpredictable and terribly bad. I feel sad for the locals who have to endure two hours or more (on average) of traffic condition just to reach their destination on a daily basis. Too much waste of time and energy is an understatement for that.




A restaurant that has a catchy name - Deja Brew ( a play on the word deja vu). Some of the local foods that my colleagues made me try from this restaurant:

 Rawon Surabaya - similar to the peranakan dish Ayam Buah Keluak

Sop Buntut - close to Bulalo or Nilaga of the Philippines



Ayam Bawang - best enjoyed with a squeeze of lime juice




Nasi Goreng Seafood - I surrendered from the hotness of the chili padis that were incorporated into th…

Countless times we hear it being said that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. If that is the case, naturally, it must be complemented with real satisfying food choices. Be it at the comfort of our homes or restaurants, we all deserve to wake up into appetizing morning fix. Such is the promise of the breakfast offerings at Prive Cafe in Keppel Bay.  Prive's Ultimate Brekkie, $20 - 2 eggs (any style), pork sausage, maple-roasted bacon, roasted roma tomato, hashbrown, wholemeal toast, sauteed button mushrooms, salad greens
Breakfast of Champions, $11 - scrambled egg, choice of sausage or bacon and toast
Eggs Benedict, $16 - english muffins topped with ham, streaky bacon, poached eggs and hollandaise sauce. This is divine! No matter how sinful it is, you will be left with no choice but to succumb to the goodness of its every bite. I won't mind coming back just for this. It seemed to be popular among diners as we saw a lot of tables ordered this. 
Although it's a …

Barely two months since Tim Ho Wan Singapore opened to public, finally the crazy long lines had died down a bit. Hence, we had the chance to visit the restaurant and indulge into a complete dim sum delights last weekend. To all patrons, please take note. The four heavenly kings also known as the four must try dim sum delicacies  - Baked Bun with BBQ Pork, Vermicelli Roll with Pork Liver, Fried Carrot Cake and Steamed Egg Cake. We made sure that we tried them all. This is the most popular dim sum of the restaurant - Baked Bun with BBQ Pork. The main reason why a lot of people are willing to endure long queues. Surprisingly, the Singapore version is not exactly the same as the ones we've tasted in Hong Kong a few weeks ago. The bread crust is thinner, less crispy and smaller too. Even the color is more pale. You can refer to my previous post here to see the difference. It was real saddening to discover the taste gap. Fortunately, the Steamed Egg Cake is something to love. It'…

Hong Kong has a lot of shopping streets. But Mongkok can be considered the ultimate shopping place to go to. Personally, I call it the shoes haven. Specifically for sports shoes. All the popular brands are here and the prices are relatively cheaper compared to other neighboring countries, Singapore for instance. Aside from sports goods, the popular Ladies Market is also located in this area. All your bric a bracs and souvenir items can be bought here. A word of caution though, as with all other night markets and bazaars, you need to be more discriminating with the quality of the items you're getting. Bargaining is a must too!

Three looooooong, gruelling hours of waiting time to get a seat at Tim Ho Wan Plaza Singapura in Singapore is really an ordeal. Hence, in our recent trip to Hong Kong, a Tim Ho Wan food adventure is at the top of our must do list. Because we have kids to tag along, as much as I wanted to visit the 1-Michelin starred branch in Sham Shui Po (the original Mongkok branch is already closed), we ended up in the more convenient IFC Mall branch. Not to my surprise, a queue is still visible. Just about 2 hours less than the queue in Singapore. Again, worried that the kids may not be able to endure an hour long of waiting time, I just decided to order for a take out. 

Among all the choices, this is the only item that matters the most - the famous Pork Bun. This is what earned the Tim Ho Wan the fame and the much coveted Michelin star award. So much has been said about this goodie. My personal take on it - it's absolutely good! The texture and taste combination is definitely worth craving …