OMG! It's been more than a month since the last post. Such a loooooooooong hiatus indeed! My apologies for a bit of silence on this blog. So much has been happening and I am just more than delighted to be back online. A couple of days ago, we've visited the latest attraction in town at Marina Bay area, no less than the much anticipated Gardens by the Bay. I was awed and wowed by the grandeur of this man made creation. Undoubtedly, Singapore did another great job on this one. The visit to the gardens will not be complete without seeing the two conservatories where the highlights of the attractions are housed. While I've yet to fill your hunger with delish food posts, I'll leave you with picturesque scenes for now from these photo shots. Enjoy browsing as much as we did capturing them.
After countless calls to popular restaurants around the island, we ended up celebrating Mother's Day in The Line at Shangri-la Hotel along Orange Grove Rd. It was not my first choice as I heard mixed reviews about the buffet in this restaurant. However, those that I preferred were all fully booked and can hardly accomodate us. The restaurant was likewise full-packed when we arrived considering that we were booked on a second seating (1:30 pm - 3:00 pm). Oh well, this day must be really busy then for the celebration.
The restaurant is well lit hence; it doesn't have a claustrophobic ambiance. However, it's still not spacious enough. The alleys are quite narrow that it's relatively difficult to move around hopping for food.
As I passed by the meat carving station, my eyes caught this real big roasted lamb.
A number of appetizers to choose from..
One of my favorites, the noodle station.
Fresh fruits although most of them are a bit bland.
The station that was a sure hit with the kids.
The champagne that was served on that day..
This was my seafood plate. I didn't try the oysters but generally, everything was just ok. The shrimp was juicy and fresh.
This is what I enjoyed best - the desserts! The Line got a relatively wide array of selection to wash your appetite with sweets. Most of the baked goods are really nice. The texture and overall melange of flavors deliver well.
Overall, there's nothing extra special to shout about this buffet. I know it's considered one of the most popular buffets around town but it's not something that I will crave every now and then. It won't be a top of mind whenever I'm on a quest for a special place to dine. It was nice to try but relative to the price and the value of food you'll experience, this is definitely pricey. The mother's day lunch was valued at S$98++ per adult. If I would round up the worthy ones to try from the 16 culinary stations, that would be the noodle, cold seafood, dimsum and dessert stations. As for the rest, you can save the space for your other favorites.
The Line
Shangri-la Hotel
Lower Lobby, Tower Wing
22 Orange Grove Road, 258350, Singapore
(65) 6213 4275
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.
The ambiance inside the dining hall mimics the architecture and street decor of Malaysia in the 1970s. It elicits an old town feel a bit dimly lit. |
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...
For those who are missing the taste of Malaysian Street Hawker Fare, you may want to drop by at this place. As for me, it was just ok to have tried it.
Malaysian Food Street
8 Sentosa Gateway Singapore
Tel. No.: 6577 8888
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.
