Since my tastebuds met Soup Restaurant's famous "Samsui Ginger Chicken", I've been continuoulsy haunted by its delicious, succulent taste. It's really so good that I can eat it as it is, without any rice. So imagine my delight when my colleagues and I visited the restaurant's branch in Clementi Mall a few days ago; it's absolute excitement! As we partake in the sumptuous lunch, all of us agreed that the chicken was indeed the star of the feast. The ginger sauce is a good condiment that perfectly blends with the chicken. It provides a characteristic note to its overall taste. Instead of a la carte choices, we tried one of their set menus and the foods were relatively good. This restaurant is definitely on my list for satisfying a craving for a great tasting chicken. 





Interested on a gastronomic journey of authentic popular Malaysian hawker fare? Look no further, Malaysian Food Street in Resorts World Sentosa promises just that to its patrons. This food haven was open to public not so long ago. I heard a number of raves about the place. Since we have a family visitor to bring around town, we decided to head over at Resorts World Sentosa last weekend. There, we had a chance to experience what this increasingly becoming popular food street has to offer. 

It houses the famous and heritage hawker brands of Malaysian origin such as these...

One of the stalls that really captured my wandering appetite was the Penang Lim Brother's Char Koay Teow. The queue was relatively long and the waiting time is 20 mins minimum. I patiently waited to have a taste of this.



It's generally oily and spicy. There's really not much deep taste into it though. I was expecting for a good smokey charater in the dish but it wasn't there.

Some other foods that you can try...

Happy Labor Day everyone! It's another long weekend and I'm spending it with much gusto. Short breaks such as this, is an opportunity to be had. It's actually a welcome respite from the usual busy weekdays. I had so much time to kill today that I thought of consuming it well in the kitchen. Hence, as usual, I rummaged through some cookbooks and my wandering eyes led me to Dave Lieberman's Dave's Dinners. As I perused his cookbook,  his Chocolate Cake recipe instantly caught my curiousity. He named it his Best Chocolate Cake Ever. Need he say more? Of course, that's more than enough reason to give it a whip. So here's how my take on his recipe turned out.

Overall, indeed it's chocolatey. However, I was expecting for a more decadent cake. It's moist but I was looking for something more. Maybe because I used a low fat yogurt instead of a full-fat one. Other than that, I still enjoyed a scrumptious nibble out of this cake.

What you need:

Cake:

3 large eggs

1 cup full fat yogurt

1 stick unsalted butter, melted

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour

3/4 cups unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

pinch salt

1 cup hot water

Ganache:

1 cup heavy cream

2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips (I used Hershey's)

How to make:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2. In a large bowl, beat the eggs and yogurt. Beat in the melted butter and vanilla. Gradually beat in the sugar until fully incorporated.

3. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder baking soda, and salt until homogenous.

4. Mix the dry ingredients into the previously prepared batter in two steps alternating with the hot water and end with the dry ingredients.

5. Divide the batter between two 9-inch non stick round cake pans. Bake for 25 mins, until set. Allow to cool completely.

6. Make the ganache. Bring the cream to a boil in a saucepan and remove from heat. Add the chocolate chips and whisk until dissolved into the cream and the mixture is creamy and thick. Allow to cool.

7. Put one layer of the cake onto a serving plate and pour half of the ganache on top of it. Cover with the other layer of cake and pour the remaining ganache on top. Smoothen the surface. Place in the refrigerator for at least an hour for it to set. Using a fork, make a swirl on top of the ganache before serving for an added appeal.

For the longest time, I've been planning to make a pavlova cake at home. But for some reasons, I can't seem to find a convincing recipe to work on. After much research and browsing, I've settled down on a Gale Gand's recipe. I was just actually looking for a good recipe for the meringue base as I have already planned my toppings. The original recipe calls for red wine vinegar but I substituted it with balsamic vinegar instead. There are a lot of variations available for this New Zealand and Australia's favorite dessert. However, the meringue base is key that's why it can't be compromised. Initially, it may seemed to be a bit tricky to make. But as soon as you get the hang of it, it's very easy to do.

1/2 cup egg whites, at room temperature (from 4 eggs)

1/8 tsp cream of tartar

1/8 tsp salt

1 cup granulated sugar

1 1/2 tsp cornstarch

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/4 cup heavy cream

2 tbsp light brown sugar

2 kiwi fruits, peeled and halved

12 strawberries, trimmed & halved

1. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Using an electric mixer, whip the egg whites, cream of tartar and salt in bowl until foamy. Add the granulated sugar, cornstarch, vinegar and vanilla. Continue whipping until it becomes stiff, smooth and glossy (about 8 mins).

3. Spoon the egg whites into an 8-inch non stick round baking pan. Smoothen the top and bake in the oven for 10 mins.

4. Reduce the heat to 300 degrees F and bake until the meringue has puffed up and cracked on the top and the surface is lightly browned (about 45 mins).

5. Turn off the oven, prop the oven door open, let the pavlova cool in the oven at least 30 mins to room temperature.

6. Whip the cream and brown sugar together until stiff. Spoon it in the center of the cooled pavlova and spread out to within 1/2-inch of the edge. Arrange the slices of kiwi and strawberries on top.

Hongkong is indeed a shopping paradise. It will definitely top the list of the shopping meccas in asia. I can easily claim it as my favorite go to place when it comes to shopping. It literally has everything. From the simplest and most sublime to the most classy and luxurious of all things, name it and they have it. In terms of trends and innovations in fashion, they were never too late. What's even amazing is that, anywhere you go in the island there's always something to look forward to that's related to shopping. Since our hotel is located in Kowloon area, the likes of Nathan Road, Mongkok and Canton Road were our shopping haven during our visit. But I'm sure there are so much more than these famous ones. If you have the luxury of time, it'll be worth exploring the different parts of the territory.

Ladies Market in Mongkok.. Lots of bric a bracs being sold here. Just don't forget to haggle big time when you intend to buy. 

The popular Milan Station (that sells mostly second hand designer leather goods) didn't escape my wandering eyes and neither was I able to resist to have a peek of what's inside. Unfortunately, I found the price still quite expensive. You'd rather buy brand new ones. Although there are a few new ones (unused) being sold, the designs are quite limited. 

This is Canton Road where designer labels such as Gucci, Prada, Coach, Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Marc Jacobs and what have you are located. Prices in Hongkong are relatively cheaper compared in Singapore. I checked the Mulberry store in Harbour City and the price of Mulberry Bayswater is almost SGD200 cheaper. They give 10% discount to tourists. 

We also visited the City Gate Outlets in Tung Chung. The selection of international brands housed inside the mall is extensive enough. That's where I found real good deals on Coach items. The discount ranges from 30% - 50%. In other brands, the choices are a bit limited. 

All in all, the shopping mileage in Hongkong is limitless. So make sure to allot a significant amount of time for your shopping needs.