Sherra's Taste of Life

LAM's Noodles

December 07, 2010

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Christmas that's Uniquely Philippines'

Christmas is the most celebrated occasion in the Philippines. It's usually characterized by long preparation and weeks of celebration. If there's one festivity that can be observed lavishly in this country, undoubtedly it is Christmas. The ambiance during this time of the year is simply the happiest. This will be our first Christmas outside the Philippines. Hence, I'm beginning to miss a number of time-honoured means of celebrating it. Here are the 10 things that I definitely missed the most...

1. Christmas Bazaars (especially St. James the Great bazaar) - Touted as the king of all bazaars, this Ayala Alabang's annual bazaar is the must see for us. We never fail in visiting it every year. In fact, we even tried to be a concessionaire of Crafts & Novelties for two consecutive years. I will definitely miss the usual knick-knacks that can be found there which are likewise good gift items.

2. Starbucks Christmas Drinks + Annual Planner Promo - My customary drink at Starbucks during the yuletide season is the "Toffee Nut Latte". Fortunately, I can still enjoy a cup here in Singapore sans the planner. Getting the much coveted planner for the coffee aficionados became an annual tradition for my husband and I. Luckily, we can manage to get each every year. (We were really that loyal a customer).

3. 9 Morning Masses - With the arrival of the children, I was actually restricted from attending an early morning mass. I used to do this when I was still single and somehow, I'm missing this tradition.

4. Christmas Carols - In the Philippines, as early as September, we can hear Christmas Songs all over the country. I missed hearing them frequently. It's nearly December and I hardly hear any in our current location.

5. Well lighted and beautifully adorned houses - Back home, we love roaming around villages and exclusive estates just to view houses with adorable Christmas decorations. The sights bring us absolute delight. It made us feel the Christmas spirit more.

6. Distinctive Filipino Christmas Foods i.e. Native Delicacies such as Puto Bumbong and Bibingka - One of my favourite places for Christmas shopping is The Landmark in Makati. I love their Christmas decor items. Whenever I make a shopping trip there with my husband, we usually stop by Via Mare for Bibingka and Puto Bumbong. These delicacies have become Christmas food icons in the Philippines. I dearly missed them!

7. Early Christmas Bonus a.k.a. early Christmas Shopping (need I say more??!)

8. Christmas Party - Christmas in the Philippines is synonymous to parties, parties and more parties with of course food galore!!

9. Cool Weather Ambiance - Tagaytay used to be a 20 minute drive from home. I'm terribly missing its cool weather and calming scenery especially during the Christmas season since it's the coldest period. I missed wearing jackets and warmers.

10. Exchange Gifts - Apparently, it's only now that I realized how generous and thoughtful we, Filipinos are. No matter how small or big, we love to give gifts. The excitement and happiness we received from doing so is just second to none.

It's 35 days to go before Christmas. And as the day nears, more and more I'm won over by the thought that there's really no Christmas like in the Philippines...

November 20, 2010

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Food Reviews

COOKIE MAN

November 14, 2010

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Restaurant Reviews

MARINA BAY for an unforgettable Food, Nightscape and Fun

Marina Bay is currently the hottest spot in Singapore to unwind, dine, relax and have fun. So much are going on in this area. I was more than delighted to have made the right choice to celebrate my birthday in this sparkling place. On the whole, I indeed had a grand time.

My day started with a lunch buffet experience at Ritz Carlton Millenia. Inspired by some good reviews of the hotel's Green House Restaurant for its Asian Seafood Buffet, I decided to try it with my husband. Ritz Carlton for many years, has been well recognized for its high quality service. Rightfully so, the hotel delivers what it's been known of. Two thumbs up for the kind of service we received from its staff. The ambiance was likewise very private which was notable. Unfortunately, the same level of quality was hardly translated to the food. As I hopped from one food station to the next, more and more I was convinced that the element of freshness was not there. In terms of variety, the selection was enough. But quality wise, it's way below my expectations. Unfortunately, I don't think there will be a second time for us.

For our next stop, we headed to Sands Sky Park, the highest observation deck in Singapore at the moment. If you want to view the entire Lion City at your own pace, this is a good venue for that. Breathtaking, relaxing and astounding sceneries await visitors. It would be best to come in late afternoon to have both day and night views. I can't wait to spend the New year's Eve here. We're already booking soon!

To complete our Marina Bay experience, we tried the iLight Cruise - Asia's first Light Art Festival. It's a very calming outdoor acitivity to appreciate the beauty of Marina Bay's nightscape. It's a 30 minute boat ride filled with stunning 25 light art creations of international artists from all over the globe. This art technology was a sheer beauty at night!

We capped our night with a dinner experience at the RISE restaurant in Marina Bay Sands Hotel.

Overall ambiance, service, food selection and quality, all these got a pleasing nod from me. I specifically liked the cold seafood station and the dessert section. It was by far, another best buffet experience in the island. A classic ambrosial culinary treat is what RISE meant for me now and boy was I glad we stumbled upon it on my special day.

November 05, 2010

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Food Events

SINGAPORE CULINARY JOURNEY 2010 - OCTOBER Highlights

October 01, 2010

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Food Events

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

August 22, 2010

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Food Reviews

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.

August 16, 2010

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Food Reviews

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..