Call it a love at first. That's how I will likened my first encounter with this steaming bowl of healthy greens, seafoods, noodles and tofu. What is there not to like about this dish? I can hardly think of any. I can vouch that this popular soup - Yong Tau Foo is among the must-try local dishes around Singapore. So widely known is the dish that it's nearly impossible not to find a kiosk in most hawker centres and Kopitiams offering it. It's usually eaten either as plain soup or added with your preferred noodles. It can also be opted with the soup on a separate bowl and the rest of the ingredients dry. For the type of soup, there are also different varieties to choose from. If you're like me who prefers to stick to its "healthy appeal", I normally go for the clear broth. Otherwise, there's curry or laksa for the more daring ones. Depending on your appetite or how indulgent you would be, a bowl would cost around S$5 -S$10. If it's less sophistication yet filling and healthy eating is what you're looking for, this is one simple dish that perfectly fits.
1) antipasti, salads, breads & cheese, sushi & sashimi
2) fresh, cold seafood
3) chinese & thai cuisine
4) indian cuisine
5) combined asian & western cuisine
6) roast specialties, pasta & noodles
7) desserts & sweets
While each station had something that's worth a try, there were also some dishes that were mere so-so. Some of the notable ones were tandoori chicken, chicken masala, naan, tomato soup with garlic bread, fresh seafood, smoked duck, roasted pork, barbecue ribs for the savoury dishes and chocolate fondue and waffle a-la mode for the desserts. Generally, it's a good buffet to try but it still leaves you craving for more. In terms of variety, it's extensive enough to deliver your money's worth . Quality wise, which pertains to taste and wow factor, it fell short of my expectations granted that it's very well hyped in the foodies' world.
This year's Chirstmas brought so much difference into our lives. It's a far cry from how we usually celebrate it. Read this previous post why it's so. Anyhow, celebrating it (sans the traditions we were born to) is still a must thus, the customary christmas decoration at home.
Christmas tree is the typical icon of the holiday season. It brings an unexplainable cheery ambiance especially at home. From an orange - gold themed Christmas tree back in the Philippines, I decided to go tradional (red - silver) this year for our Christmas tree in Singapore. I got most of the tree hangings at Ikea, IMM and the Warehouse Sale at Tampines. The tree was a steal at 50% off the original price. For this tree, I spent S$300 to complete the look albeit I think I'm still half way to what exactly I want it to look like. (Anyway, I'll just keep that idea for next year), my children are already ok with it.

It's exactly 4 days to go before Christmas! My goodness! time really flies so fast. It seemed like it's only yesterday since I started the countdown on our office board and it's now down to just 4 days. While my kids can no longer contain their excitement on Santa's gifts for this year, I still need to find time to shop for those "secret presents". There were 3 items on each of their lists and I do hope that stocks are not yet depleted in the shops. This is by far the least stressful christmas year for me. It's the first time ever that I didn't bother my self to shop around and get busy with party preppies and gift wrappings. This experience is both good and sad actually. It's good because it turned out to be a hassle free season and I managed to save a lot. But at the same time, it brings me sadness because I still missed the customary gift giving. After all, there's really no Christmas like home in the Philippines.
To further mark this very different Christmas in 2010, I am also not preparing a noche buena at home. It's a first since I got married and have children. I used to think about my food theme year on year but this time, my family and I are going for a Holiday Buffet (as to which Hotel? that's yet to be decided).
It's a bit bizaare that this humble table will be deserted on the eve of the Christmas day. How I wish it can be graced with wonderful aromas and flavorful bites. But I guess, that's how we will adapt this year under the circumstances. So, from my home to yours, "have a merry christmas everyone and a bountiful new year"! Let's enjoy the holiday in any way we can!.

The party season has officially started. How many parties have you been into lately? As for me, I've been to an office potluck party just recently and boy, was I fully stuffed with sinfully delicious homemade goodies that can be translated into a parade of international cuisines! Mainly attributed to the multiracial ambiance at work, we feasted on different cuisines from different countries. The experience was actually more than just a delight to the palate. It's beyond sharing different cultures through food. Here are some of the foods that we had. I wish I could have taken better, more stunning shots as well as the rest of the items we had, but I was too busy digging into each of them that I can hardly contain my enthusiasm in trying all the dishes. Besides, I only had my ever-reliable iPhone camera at hand. I'm so looking forward to post with my food shots taken through my new EOS. That'll be the bigger "facelift" happening on this blog soon!!

Hongkong : Kailan with Oyster Sauce


This is the dish that our team prepared. You can check the recipe here but we modified it a bit. Instead of using 3 x 250 ml all-purpose cream, we modified it to 2 x 250 ml and added with 1 can of classic condensed cream of mushroom soup.
Thailand : Mango Sticky Rice
Singapore : Localized Western Salad

Singapore / Malaysia : Curry Chicken
Singapore : Roti Jala
Singapore : Yellow Rice
Indonesia : Gado Gado


Mexico / Italy : Beef Lasagna

Italy : Tiramisu
We still had some French dishes from our French colleague; it's a pity I was not able to take a snapshot of those. Overall, it sure was a very filling and scrumptious lunch experience. On the other light, it's also inspiring to share each one's culinary skills and creations. 'til next potluck time! =)
Wasabi & Lemon Iced Tea
Straight from Japan, a colleague spotted and brought some samples of Kit Kat's new product innovation to the office. The chocolate that's positioned as a favorite "snacking item" now comes in more exciting flavors. Think of fruits, drinks and some classic savoury flavors infused into the wafer chocolate. Sounds odd, huh? Well, definitely not. Kit Kat has done it. And honestly, I was wowed by the product when I tasted it. Among those that I found really good from the range of flavors are the Cheesecake, Cheese and Green Tea. The Wasabi is a bit selective but acceptable too. Each flavor is being marketed as a specialty of a certain place in Japan. Say for instance Green Tea as Shizuoka edition and Cheesecake as Yokohama edition. These sweets are just perfect for the season and I do hope they will be made available world wide soon.
Upper Right: Fried Fish Skin - crunchy, fatty, sinful but enjoyable
Bottom: Soup - creamy, oily, non descript in taste
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...
I have a confession to make. I have been a deliquent blogger for the last couple of months. But I need not enumerate and rant all the causes for being so. I'd rather rejoice for finding the time to get back to the usual :-). I can already smell the scent of the festive season. The lights, ornaments and holiday trees have started to adorn the streets, different establishments and houses. Although I've yet to put up mine at home, I'm beginning to feel strongly the wind of merriment. Oh Christmas, I'm so glad you're finally here!
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.
After the September hiatus (last month was pretty tight for me), I'm finally back online. Incidentally, I'm welcoming the October with a new face for the blog. Just in time to mark the official start of the merry months (a.k.a. holiday season), I decided to dress up the blog anew. I hope you'll all like it. =)
And whenever the holiday season arrives, isn't food always the star of the feast? Timely, Singapore Culinary Journey 2010 gives us a good season sampler with its October Highlights. This might be a good jumpstart to excite our appetite.