May 22, 2013

To my Darling and Sweet Sofie,

It's been seven years since I witnessed your many firsts - first cry, first embrace, first crawl, and first walk and so on and so forth. How could time passed by so fast?!!

 

Thank you for being the lovable daughter that you are. Your countless “I Love You and I miss You” are forever engraved in my heart. Thank you for appreciating my baked goodies and for always inspiring me to be a better Mom.

Enjoy your birthday and cherish the memories that this day will bring. Not all little girls are blessed to become a Princess on their special day. Jesus is so good that He made your wish possible.
 

I am truly grateful whenever you tell me that I am the best Mom in the world. Now, it's my turn to say - Happy Birthday to the most caring and loving daughter in the whole wide world!!

Love,

Mommy

Chicken Rice is arguably considered one of Singapore's national dishes. So popular is the dish that it's impossible not to find it in every corner of the city-state. Sellers have different versions and ways of preparing it to create a certain distinction and selling point. With competition increasingly becoming more tough, it is indeed a challenge to make ones version most noticeable. In general, there are two types of chicken that can be tried - Roasted and Steamed. Depending on your personal preference, you can have it either way. But have you ever explored the different breeds of chicken used in the dish? Or are you even aware that there are many chicken varieties to consider?  

Yes, there are more than just one chicken variety in the supermarket. The use of each is highly dependent on the particular dish you wanted to cook and the manner it is to be prepared. But perhaps, the most interesting of all is Kampong Chicken (synonymous to Native or Free Range Chicken in other countries). Kampong is a Malay word for village. So to put it simply, it is a chicken that is raised in a village. As a food, Kampong Chicken is regarded as premium and thus, commands a higher price in the market. It is believed to have  better flavour compared to the conventionally farmed chickens. To validate this claim and let our taste buds discover the difference, we've visited some popular restaurants known for serving good Chicken Rice in Singapore - Boon Tong Kee and Five Star.

Boon Tong Kee is a long heralded brand for Chicken Rice. Being one of the pioneers, it gained a loyal following from the locals. The restaurant serves the typical farmed chicken for their Chicken Rice Dish.   

Roasted Chicken Boon Tong Kee version - mildly salted, oily, with acidic after taste, dry and flaky in texture

Steamed Chicken Boon Tong Kee version - very strong skin note, bloody, with acidic after taste, soft in texture

Five Star is another well established brand that uses Kampong Chicken in their dish. From the signage in front of the restaurant, it looks like they are really capitalizing on that unique selling point.

Steamed Chicken Five Star version - juicy and tender meat, very lingering after taste, less skin note, not bloody at all

Across all attributes, it's clearly noted that Kampong Chicken is a better type of chicken compared to the typical farmed raised, be it roasted or steamed. So the next time you crave for your favourite Chicken Rice, you know that there is something more to it that makes it more appetizing apart from the sauce that goes with it and the fat or broth used in the rice. Before savouring hefty servings of it, make sure that you have selected the right kind of chicken.

 Our surf and turf themed meals

Orange Baked Salmon with Dill and Pan Roasted Sirloin Steak -  

 Steamed Fresh Prawns and Orange Baked Salmon with Dill

Berry Banana Chocolate Parfait for dessert

 

To prepare  the Orange Baked Salmon with Dill, drizzle some extra virgin olive oil on the salmon (skin side down), season with sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, minced garlic, top with dill and orange slices. Transfer to an oven-proof dish and bake for 15 - 20 minutes at 200 C.

 

For the Sirloin Steak, pan fry it on  2 tbsps extra virgin olive oil with 2 cloves of garlic and 3 sprigs of fresh rosemary at 3 minutes per side if you want it well done. Cover and allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving.

 

The Stir-fry Vegetables is a pretty straight forward dish. Sauté the vegetables - snow peas, baby carrots, Portobello mushrooms and cherry tomatoes with garlic and onion in olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Add some alfalfa sprouts for an added flavour and crunch.

 

For the dessert, alternately layer banana slices, chocolate ice cream, double dutch ice cream and top it with fresh blue berries and strawberries. Drizzle some chocolate syrup and add chocolate wafer sticks like Kit Kat.

 

It took me about 45 minutes to prepare this entire meal. As Rachel Ray normally puts it, a meal is never more than 30 minutes away. In my case, I only required a couple of minutes more . :-)



Celebrating Mother's Day with a great family, good food and superb ambiance is definitely second to none. I couldn't ask for anything more. Sky On 57 is the perfect place for dreamy moment such as this. I've long heard about Chef Justin Quek's restaurant and although there were conflicting reviews about it, I think it's worth to give it a try. Hence, it was my top of mind choice for a place to dine on Mother's Day.

The breakfast spread at the restaurant features a combined buffet and specialty food concepts. There were the usual buffet stations for breakfast such as breads, fruits, salads, congees, cereals and a lot more. But the interesting ones were those special a la carte choices which are divided into Western and Asian Concepts. We had four of the most popular ones, and all were just a fitting choice for a gastronomic satisfaction. I wouldn't say that the dishes were extremely superb but rather, generally acceptable.

Aside from good food, I guess this is exactly what this restaurant is all about - relaxing ambiance and a stunning view. It was already my third time to visit the roof top of the Marina Bay Sands Hotel, but the view never ceases to amaze and calm. With the addition of Gardens by the Bay, this place undoubtedly provides a 360 degree experience of panoramic beauty.  

Happy Mother's Day to all the wonderful moms in the world! How did you celebrate this special day with your loved ones? Mine, was a 2-day affair of good food enjoyment with my family. We started it off with a dinner by the river side at Clarke Quay in Jumbo Seafood Restaurant. It's been years since I last dined in this restaurant and it's good to re-live gastronomical memories from this place known for serving one of the best (if not the best) Chili Crabs in Singapore.

We were seated outside just beside the river, so the ambiance at that night was really nice. I got this beautiful bouquet of flowers from the husband and it adorned the table romantically.

After much careful thought and selection, we opted to try the special set menu for Mother's Day and Father's Day. Since we are a small family, we settled for Set Menu A which consisted of the following:  

Everything that's part of the menu was nice. The Braised Pumpkin Broth with Seafood was a star. After tasting the Chili Crab again for the nth time, I would generally conclude that Jumbo Seafood's version is still by far the best, most subtle, simple yet succulent chili crab for me. The overall taste of the sauce is straightforward with less complex profiles and that makes it more appealing and appetizing. Although, I've been hearing mix reviews about this restaurant, personally I would commend it for all that it has to offer. From its food repertoire to its good service and ambiance, it's indeed great to be back!