We recently spent our holyweek vacation in the Philippines. Since we have very limited time to spread among the places and sights we want to visit, we made sure that Tagaytay topped our list. We did miss the homey ambiance and relaxing weather in this scenic place. (How I wish we could stay longer). Since it's almost past lunch time when we arrived there, we immediately thought of Buon Giorno for a place to dine. It was in 2007 when I first tried this Italian restaurant. Back then, it's increasingly getting popular for its good food. Now fast forward to 2011, I was not too sure of the level of satisfaction it brought me upon dining. Some of the foods lost its appeal particularly the pastas. Fortunately, the salad and pizza still delivered well.



New York Pizza

When I first saw the mouthwatering food photo shots of Todai's offering (the new international seafood restaurant in Marina Bay Sands) from the news paper, I know from that instance that I was more than allured to visit the place. After a few visits from the other restaurants featuring seafood buffet such as Mandarin Oriental's Melt The World Cafe and Ritz Carlton's Green House and still left half-way satisfied, I am definitely on a hunt for something better. Hence, it was really good news when I heard about Todai's opening.

Todai in Singapore is the first franchise established in South East Asia. And it's addition to the Singapore food scene is undoubtedly another luscious gastronomic serving to the already spoiled Singapore diners. This up-scale "all you can eat" seafood and sushi restaurant offers a wide repertoire of scrumptious dishes. From the appetizers to the main course and desserts, the selection is really enormous albeit less if I would compare it to Marina Bay Sands Hotel's - The Rise Restaurant. Quality wise, the appetizer section and the sushi counter are your best bet to try. Some sushis are explosive and robust in taste dimensions. For the cold seafood choices, the snow crab legs and oysters are the stars of the whole feast. In the dessert area, the notable ones are the creme brulee and the free flow korean strawberries. Most of the sweets have mild sweetness level thus, generally enjoyable down to the throat. The fire oven pizzas are also good to munch. What is even more pleasing in this buffet set up is the inclusion of the free drinks. Yes, drinks are likewise included in the buffet. Among the choices are fruit juices, softdrinks, teas and the popular UCC coffee. There are really so much more to talk about on this dining experience but overall, I must agree on what was written on its paper mat, dining at Todai is simply impeccable. The S$58++ price tag for the lunch buffet goes a long way. Incidentally, they also claim a "no MSG" pride as well as Sushi Rice HACCP program and Sushi Holding Time approval from the US. On the whole though, it's still inferior to The Rise Restaurant. The later still tops the list of my best buffets in the island.

Situated in the busy basement level of Paragon Shopping Centre is a restaurant that has a very interesting name - Grandma's. Looking at the facade and the ambiance of the resto, I already expected for foods that were cooked home-style. True enough, as I perused the menu my eyes feasted on popular local favorites such as nasi lemak, curry, sambal, rendang, kway teow, claypot dishes and a whole lot more. If you gone tired of indulging on local cuisine in a warm and humid open-air dining set-up, then this is a better alternative.

McDonald's MAKE IT 1 -FOR -1 promo yesterday, definitely created a pandemonium in all of its branches. Long queues were all over. The one day only promo was part of the "Make it Better" advocacy of the popular food chain. Likewise, to coincide with the new campaign, new food items were launched in the store. One of which is the Teppanyaki Chicken McGrill Burger. I was so intrigued with the nice food shot at the menu display that I did not restrain myself from trying it. On its packaging the burger was described as "Whole chicken thigh meat delicately seasoned in teppanyaki marinade, cooked to tender perfection and served with tomato, gourmet lettuce and home-style chargrill sauce between a sourdough bun".

Personally, I find it mildly flavored and is just right. It's not overpowering nor overwhelming for a burger. The sweetness of the marinade is also optimum hence, I don't find it satiating. The freshness of the lettuce and tomatoes is a must though. Overall, this type of burger is acceptable.

I've been in a quest for the best tasting Bak Kut Teh in the island for a long time now. Unfortunately, right at this point it still remains to be a mission. While I'm yet to accomplish that desire, I've already had a number of servings in some Kopitiams. The very first time I had it, I was instantly reminded of my grandmother's bulalo soup back home. Apparently, hers is not the typical version of Bulalo Filipinos are accustomed to. She usually adds chinese herbs into it. Hence, it was so familiar when I slurped my first try of Bak Kut Teh. The taste is just so similar.

When I attended the Singapore Food Festival last year, Bak Kut Teh was one of the featured dishes of Chinese origin. It was said to mean "meat bone tea". The version that's commonly found in Singapore is of Teochew roots. It's light in color and tends to be peppery. Here's a recipe that was shared with us during the Food Festival via the cook book give away - Culinary Treasures of Singapore (Singapore Chinese Dialect Food).

I'm just about to try this recipe too. I've had experience of using the pre-packed Bak Kut Teh mix that can be bought in the supermarket. However, I was not happy with the outcome. Hence, for heritage foods such as this, traditional way of cooking could be better than a short cut.

Going "green and healthy" should be the current mantra in every home. I guess the rationale for doing so need not be elaborated. With the fast-paced lifestyles we all live today, in fact, it's almost beyond necessary. This has been the clamor in the food business anywhere in the world since the increase in rate in the occurence of hypertension, obesity and other unwanted diseases due to poor eating habits, was made known. Hence, it's definitely a good breather if we can have something on the dining table sans the element of guilty pleasure.

It's for that reason that this dish came out through our dining table. Think of something that can be prepared as easy as counting one, two and three. Preparing this dish is just as simple as that really.

300 grams medium sized prawns (trimmed)

2 - 3 tbsps minced garlic

1/2 cup oyster sauce dissolved in 1 cup water

2 tbsps olive oil

1 big stalk of broccoli flower (cut into individual florets)

1 pack of spinach (cut into 2 inches length)

1. Blanch spinach and broccoli flowers in boiling water for 1 minute. Immediately soak in iced water while preparing the sauce.

2. Add oil in a heated wok. Saute garlic until fragrant. Add in shrimps and saute until they turn pink. Add oyster sauce mixture and stir well. Allow to simmer for 2 - 3 minutes.

3. Drain the blanched vegetables and transfer to a serving plate. Pour over the sauted shrimps with oyster sauce.

It's been a while since a post on home made goodies or a dish recipe has been uploaded here. It's not because I'm no longer cooking at home nor have given up my enthusiasm on it (for that's certainly next to impossibility), but rather current circumstances prevented me from doing so. Hence, I'm glad to be able to share another recipe of one of my favorites again. Actually, this Cinnamon Bread Pudding recipe is not new in this blog. I've already posted it 2 years ago. However, I haven't made it since then much less since we relocated to Singapore. Also, I made some modifications on the recipe for a bigger serving and I used a different kind of bread.

Bread Pudding is usually prepared using stale breads. Personally though, I preferred the ones that are at least 1-2 days old. I don't fancy much the texture of the very old ones. To add more dimensions to the taste, other ingredients maybe added to it such as spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, etc.), flavors (vanilla, almond etc.) fruits and nuts. For this recipe (in the absence of "pandesal" type of bread in the Lion city), I used a combination of butter roll and hotdog buns. Texture wise, it came out acceptable.


Ingredients:

5 cups bread (broken into smaller pieces)
8 whole eggs
1 large can sweetened condensed milk
1 large can evaporated milk
1 tsp cinnamon powder
2/3 cup melted butter
1/3 cup granulated sugar

How to prepare:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 175 C.
2. Cream butter and sugar. Spread onto the bottom of a square baking pan. Set aside.
3. Mix in a bowl eggs, condensed milk, evaporated milk and cinnamon powder. Pour over the mixture to the bread in another container and soak for at least 30 minutes.
4. Add the soaked bread into the baking pan with the creamed butter. Put in the oven and bake for 45 minutes or until the crust turns golden brown.
5. Allow to cool and cut into single servings.

Meet the "Lumpiang Sariwa" (Fresh Spring Roll) of Singapore, locally known as POPIAH. Sweet, generally tasty and can be made spicy. That's the overall melange of flavors that can be found in this filling yet enjoyable snack item. I usually grabbed a piece of my favorite at Takashimaya's food court. It's a simple food to prepare but its key of acceptability lies heavily on the wrapper and the sauce used. The filling can be as varied as you can imagine. The usual ones are turnips, carrots, garlic, bean sprouts, egg, dried shrimps, fried tofu, chinese sausage, ground peanuts, fried pork and lettuce leaves. Normally, the preferred types of sauces/pastes are first spread onto the wrapper then filled with the necessary fillings. Afterwhich, it's rolled and cut into bite size pieces. I wonder if there are other variations though that can make this spring roll even more enticing. Perhaps, that's something to look forward to in any next taste trek around.

It's good to be back home in SG after the recent festivity. We spent the Chinese New Year vacation in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It was a nice experience to say the least exploring the capital city of the country that's well known for that genuine Asian claim - "Truly Asia". 4 days were actually not enough to explore this throbbing yet still a bit calm, distinctively historical yet fast growing metropolitan.

KL is not very far from Singapore. The usual options to go there is either to travel by land or air. If time is too limited for travel, the 50-minute plane ride is the right choice. For the more budget friendly route, a 5-hour bus ride is also not so bad to take. For the latter option, Aeroline is your best bet especially the double decker one. It's very spacious, travels on-time, service is good and the basic necessities (like toilet, individual entertainment screen, reclining seat) are all on board to comfort you during the long travel. It actually felt like riding a plane on the road. I won't have any second thoughts taking it again the next time.

Apart from the popular Genting Highlands, there are so much more to see, enjoy and experience around the city of Kuala Lumpur. These are just some of my top picks.

1. Petaling Street (China Town) and Bukit Bintang - definitely the shopping districts to be! Petaling Street is home to a wide array of goods. Leather items, clothing, accessories, and other bric a bracs can be found here. If you don't mind buying fake brands at very affordable prices, this must be the place for you. However, if you prefer adding more value to your money's worth, Bukit Bintang is just nearby. It's a shopping strip that houses upscale shopping centers (e.g. Pavilion, Lot 10), bars and cafes. The ambiance here is tourist friendly.