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.

Adobo had truly evolved through the years from being the unofficial national food of the Philippines. With millions of Filipinos all over the world, it's now being prepared by hundred and one ways. This is a classic dish that has gone through being a quintessential or local to being glo-cal. Ask a typical filipino housewife who cooks this dish of a standard recipe and really there's none to share. Simply because every household had developed its own version to follow.

For all Filipinos living in a foreign a land, I'm sure cooking this dish every once in a while will somehow connects us all back to our roots. In essence, it can be deemed any Filipino's comfort, nostalgic food. And since the ingredients of the dish are no difficult to procure it can be prepared anywhere else.

The most popular choice of meat for Adobo is pork belly. It has the tasty duo of meat and fat that provides a pleasing mouthfeel, texture and flavor to the dish. In terms of preparation and cooking method, there are different ways to consider. One, is the all-in stewing where the meat is no longer marinated nor fried. Just add all ingredients in a pot and boil the meat to tenderness. The other involves marinating the meat for at least 30 minutes then boiling. The last, includes frying after the meat has been boiled to softness. This is what I consider the most "sinful" version of the dish. It's rich, fatty mouthfeel to high heavens. But the browning of the meat and the caramelized, fried note add an exciting kick to the overall taste of this version of adobo. At home, I usually opt for the second type. I normally just marinate and boil. I skip the frying part unless I'm really craving for a rich and very tasty adobo.

How do you normally prepare your noodle dish? Do you opt for the use of the wet and fresh type or the fried, dried and pre-packed one? I recently found a good brand of the latter in the supermarket -Hong Kong Yee Foo Mee. This is the flat egg noodles that is the counterpart in Chinese of Linguine Pasta. Just like any other noodle, it can be prepared either in soup or dry. Recently, the dinner at home became another one of those days where I simply can't figure out what to stir in the kitchen. A close examine of the pantry lead me to this dish. Again, this is another quick fix meal. No sophistication in ingredients neither any complexity in the preparation. My kids enjoyed the smooth texture of the flat noodles. Likewise, it blended well with the taste of kangkong and dried shrimps. For more variety in taste, mushrooms can be added if you like.


What you need:

There's always something to look forward to when dining at Seafood Restaurants and indulging in a typical Chinese set meal. Be it the complete satisfaction from the whole repertoire or from the food itself, we are normally filled with a good munch of gastronomic proportions. Unlike other cuisines though, I'm still intrigued why dining in a Chinese Restaurant or in this case a Seafood Restaurant, equates to almost always having a whole set of meal. A la carte choice is hardly a second alternative. But come to think of it, that's maybe what a typical chinese dining experience is all about. Needless to say, just like any other set meals, the choice of food that will comprise of the set is key. One wrong choice might end up to satiation otherwise, ruin the entire dining experience. Fortunately, my first West Coast Seafood encounter proved to be a satisfying one.


It's an 8 course meal that started with appealing soup, mix seafood appetizers and the must try roasted pecking duck rolled in an egg wrap. Then on to the more filling dishes of crispy fried fish, cereal cray fish, stir-fried vegetables with mushrooms, a noodle dish and capped with a thick, oily, sweet yet pleasingly tasty dessert. Overall, this was one good set meal to remember.

Just for the name alone - Coco Exotic, I'm already intrigued what this popular cake of a local bakeshop has to offer. It was recommended by a colleague many times over. Then, finally my palate found its way to sample a nibble. Rich yet far from overwhelming, chocolatey, medium sweet with a playful texture in mouthfeel, this is how I will describe the exotic element of this cake. This heavenly goodie is made up of layers of chocolate chiffon, mousse, cookies with a wafer like crunch and ganache. It's finished with a few chocolate carvings and red berry on top. It's not supremely to die for dessert or sweets but it's sure is one delectable, luscious treat in its own right. The interplay of the overall taste of the cake with an enjoyable texture or bite made it no less one hot item in the glass shelf.

How does food usually entice you? Is it through the aroma, taste or overall appearance? The popular idiomatic expression explain it all right, "beauty is in the eye of the beholder". But does this apply to food as well? It's true that people look at things at different angle. And when it comes to food, the differences likewise, won't matter. As we normally coin it "to each his own". The featured dish in this post talks about that. It's so rich in color and appeal that it actually exudes an element of freshness, varying textures and a myriad of taste. Beyond it's vibrant beauty, it has the perfect melding of sweet and savoury. The marriage of the caramelized - wok notes of spices with the inherent sweetness of the vegetables and nuts, brings a harmonious sensory union. What's more, the interplay of the different textures from the medium-softness of the eggs to the crispy-crunch of cashew nuts is another enjoyable tang. Add to that, since it's a vegetable dish, it's healthy too. Thus far, don't you think this is a dish that's a sure bliss to the palate?

What you need:
2 tbsp butter, 1 small chayote (cut into cubes), 1 med size carrots (cut into cubes), 1 tetra pack whole corn kernels (drained), 5 cloves garlic (chopped), 1 med size onion (julienned), 1 cup toasted or baked cashew nuts, 1 small tray (15 pcs) quail eggs (hard boiled), salt & pepper to taste, 2 tsp corn flour dissolve in 1 1/2 cups of water

How to make:
Melt butter in a wok. Saute onion and garlic until fragrant. Add in chayote and carrots, stir-fry until tender. Add in corn kernels and corn flour mixture. Cook for 2 - 3 minutes. Season with salt & pepper. Add in hard boiled quail eggs and cashew nuts. Mix well for 1 minute. Serve.

The first half of year 2010 has been very good to me. I've been blessed with wonderful opportunities and new experiences. There were just too many to be thankful for. Among the significant ones was the wonderful recognition by the Singapore Blog Awards 2010. To be included in the list of the 10 finests in the Best Food Blog category is already a price to behold. I was elated, honored and humbled all at the same time. Tomorrow is the long awaited awards night. Whoever will grab the prices and the winning trophy, my heartfelt congratulations is sent in advance. Personally, winning is beyond my expectation now. No matter what, I think I've already walked away with a good many recollections. Now and again, I will take on my blogging journey the bits and pieces I've earned out of this acknowledgment. I am encouraged more than ever to do better if not best, to dream big and share more. Thank you to everyone who supported Our Taste of Life, from here and beyond.

I've been invited to Media Conferences / Food Events / Product Launches a number of times. But for some reasons, I always decline. Until the invite to the Singapore Food Festival 2010 came, I finally yielded. For one, although I've been running a food blog for 3 years now, I still hardly consider myself part of the media. But this particular event caught my interest completely. I simply cannot resist. Singapore holds this annual food festival since 1994. By doing so, indeed, the country lives up to what it is known for, being a steaming pot of gastronomic experiences. And on July 16 to 25, we will all continue to explore, taste and celebrate. This year's theme focuses on "heritage, authenticity, time honored dishes and familial recipes". Rightfully so, the festival will parade the treasures of Singapore Chinese Dialect Foods namely Cantonese, Hakka, Hainanese, Hokkien and TeoChew.

I was more than honored to be introduced to these five distinguished cuisines that shaped the eclectic food fare of Singapore to what it is today, by no less than the culinary "guru" of the country, Makansutra himself Mr. K. F. Seetoh. He walked me through the different food booths and generously shared the cultural significance of these Chinese Dialect Cuisines to the food culture of Singapore. Now and again, I was reminded that "every food does tell a story". Must I emphasize too that it's genuinely good and worthwhile one.

One of the simplest japanese noodles to make is Yaki Udon. It involves a very basic cooking method of stir-frying. In minutes time you're guaranteed to savor a smooth, wok-fried rich, noodle dish. Little did I know that this noodles in fact, can still be made simpler and faster (absolutely perfect for people on the go). Some people, like me, who are always in a morning run yet still tied up with family responsibilities (specifically of providing good eats for the loved ones), are always on a look for convenient yet satisfying meals. Lucky Me! I found another noodle dish to include in my culinary bin. Shrimps Broccoli Yaki Udon made a very fitting alternative. This was the kids' another enjoyable morning fix last week.

What you need: 500 g prepacked udon noodles, 500 g shrimps (shell removed and deveined), 1 medium bunch of broccoli flowers (cut in individual florets), 4 cloves garlic (chopped), 1 medium sized shallot (chopped), a pinch of black pepper mill, 2 tbsps canola oil, 1/4 cup tempura & noodles soy sauce, 4 - 5 cups water

How to make: Boil water in a pot. Blanch shrimps until it turns pink. Set aside. Blanch broccoli in the same water for 1 min and set aside. Add udon noodles into the water and cook for 3 - 4 minutes. Drain and set the noodles aside. In a heated wok, saute onion and garlic in canola oil until fragrant. Add in noodles, shrimps and broccoli. Season with tempura soy sauce and black pepper mill. Stir-fry for 1 - 2 minutes. Enjoy!

Although the word Adobo which originally means seasoning or marinate, originated from Spanish, in Asia this is synonymous to no less Philippine Cuisine. This dish has gone a long way from the quintessential process of stewing the meat in vinegar and soy sauce. Now, there are numerous adaptations as shown in the Adobo Book of Nancy Reyes-Lumen. Apart from the typical chicken or pork, there's also a seafood version. If you prefer to have adobo the faster way, you can substitute the meat with Squid. Thus, for seafood enthusiasts, this is for you to try. However, as squid is also a bit tricky to cook, there are options on wether you want it cook fast or longer as long as the texture doesn't turn out to be tough. For the former, normally the soy sauce, vinegar and spices are stewed first before the squid is added. After the squid is cooked which will only take about a couple of seconds - few minutes, the fire is turned off. For the later option, all ingredients are combined together in a pot and stewed for 45 minutes to an hour. Recently, I was introduced by a visiting aunt to a new way of cooking the dish. I was intrigued by her method of cooking so I asked her to show me. Actually, the dish turned out to be good as well.

What you need: 1 kg squid (cleaned well), 1 med sized onion (chopped), 5 cloves garlic (chopped), 1/4 cup dark or standard soy sauce, 1/4 cup vinegar, 2-3 tbsp canola oil, salt and pepper to taste, 1 1/2 - 2 cups of water

How to make: Saute onion and garlic in canola oil until fragrant. Add in squid, soy sauce and pepper. Saute for 2 - 3 minutes (this will lessen or remove the fishy / animalic smell from the squid). Add water and cover the pot. Cook for 5 minutes. Add in vinegar and continue cooking for 10 minutes or more until the squid is cooked with just the right texture.



For those who have cooked adobo many times, you might hint that this method of cooking will not give a well cooked vinegar note since it's added in the last part. It might be argued further, that it's not given enough time to achieve the right balance of sourness, hence, it might come out too sharp. Well, surprisingly it did not. So, now I have another way of cooking adobong pusit.