Saturday 31 December 2011

Seletar Hills Restaurant

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Found the receipt to this post, So I updated the price.
But the dishes at this restaurant are really good. There are some must tries and some if you feel like eating them.
Stir fried long beans with beef $9. Home classic. This is really good as the long beans are cooked and crunchy. The meat sauce is a little spicy for those who are intolerant to spicy food.
干炒牛河 Stir fried beef hor fun $9. My favourite. This is a must order. The taste is awesome. The ‘wok’ taste is there, and it taste really good. Generous portions of meat. Makes me feel like eating another one right now.
Salt and Pepper Chicken $12. Details are foggy. Remembered it to be spicy and good. It taste really good and awesome!!!!!
 
Stir fried venison $16. Venison is overcooked perhaps. A little tough on the bite. Taste is good though.
Sweet and sour pork $12. Yummilicious good. Not the best I have tried so I won’t really recommend sweet and sour pork critics. If you aren’t looking for the best, you can order this.
Fried rice $8. I’m not a fan, but the rest of the diners rave about the dish.
 
Now the desserts
Mango pudding looking like a sunflower $3.80, 50% promo for diners. My favourite. There were mango chunks inside and it taste really good.
Sea coconut and almond jelly $3.80, 50% promos for diners. Not bad. Simple dish.
 
 
Chendol $3.80, my mother’s favourite. Good in her opinion.
 

Towel $1.50/pax

Chinese tea $1.50/pax

Tung Po Pork, no picture $10.00

Fried buns $0.40 /pax

PRICES ARE GST INCLUSIVE AND NO SERVICE CHARGE

Friday 30 December 2011

Café Oliv at East Coast Road

Got a $9.90 deal coupon which includes soup of the day, a drink (top up for drinks like hazelnut latte with ice cream), entree and a dessert.. The offer was worthwhile cuz we were too full by the time we finished our food... And the food we ordered was awesome!!!

As seen in the collage in the bottom left, is Yohan's beef stew with pilaf rice... Everything was great... For a non rice fan, the rice was very good... Really fragrant and tasted awesome!!! And the photo is the collage bottom right, was my order, black pepper pesto chicken... Chicken was really really good.. It had char-grilled taste... Unlike Aston's which was always missing the char-grilled taste... The bad part would be the baby potatoes. It was slightly undercook for me... Yohan felt it was ok though... So up to personal preference I guess?

Dessert was worthwhile if it came in the set, but not so worthwhile as an ala carte purchase... I wouldn't recommend the mud pie cuz it had some kinda funny artificial taste though...

3.5/5

Monday 19 December 2011

Yunnan Roast Duck and Thai Prawn Balls

Another great monday night dinner with the family.... Rachel didn't make it home for dinner today though... We had my cousin, Jarren coming over for dinner but his palates are still that of a 13 year old kid... Doesn't like Duck or Thai cooking... Think he was the o Lu one suffering at today's dinner table.. Hahaha... But Yohan rushed home to eat the awesome dinner which I'm so happy for..

The star tonight was supposedly the duck, but easy to eat Prawn balls took the table though... Hahaha... The Duck wasn't as crispy as Peking Duck, but it was tender and juicy and flavorful.... Of course I will share the recipe.. :) sorry I didn't photograph the entire progress of cooking the duck though.... Maybe one day I'll make a video of it... :) it's too bad my sister couldn't make it tonight because I know she loves Duck.... :) Quacky was awesomely beautiful... The drumsticks nearly got burnt, so I wrapped it with aluminium foil... The secret was probably patience and alot of care to cook it..... But here goes the recipe

Roast Duck Yunnan Style

Ingredients
1 duck (remove head, neck and webbed feet)
1 bunch of spring onions
2 gloves of garlic
1 tbsp bean paste
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp MSG
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 pinch black pepper
2 tbsp rice wine
2 tsp salt
1/2 pint (250ml) chicken stock
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp water

Directions
1. Wash and dry the duck
2. Clean as finely slice the spring onions. Peel and crush the clove oF garlic. Mix together with the bean paste, cinnamon, MSG, sugar, pepper, rice wine, salt, and the chicken stock. Transfer everything into a sauce pan and cook on a high heat for 2 minutes
3. Stuff the mixture into the duck and secure with a smaller skewer or a couple of wooden toothpicks
4. Mix together the soy sauce, honey and water and brush onto the duck.
5. Place the duck in a roasting tin, cover with a tight fitting lid and place in the middle shelf in the oven. Roast the duck in gas mark 7 (450 degree F or 225 degree C) for approximately 50 minutes. Remove the lid and continue to roast the duck, braising it every now and then, until nice and crispy.
6. Remove the duck from the roasting tin, carve and serve with Hoisin sauce

Tod Mun Goong (Deep-fried Thai Prawn Balls)
From Women’s Weekly beginners Thai
 
Ingredients
1kg king prawns, cooked
5 green onions, chopped finely
2 cloves garlic, crushed
4 fresh small thai chilli, seeded, chopped finely
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
1 tbsp cornflour
2 tsp fish sauce
1/4 cup coarsely chopped coriander
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
vegetable oil, for deep frying
1/3 cup sweet chilli sauce
 
Directions
1. Shell and devein prawns; cut in half, blend or process prawn halves, pulsing, until chopped coarsely. Place in large bowl with onion, garlic, chilli, ginger, cornflour, sauce and coriander, mix well
2. using hands, roll rounded tablespoons of prawn mixture into balls.Roll prawn balls in combined breadcrumbs; place, in single layer, on plastic-wrap-lined tray. Cover, refrigerate 30 mins
4. Heat oil in wok or saucepan, deep-fry prawn balls, in batches, until lightly browned and cooked through. Serve with sweet chilli sauce.
 
My changes to recipe:
-I didn’t cook the prawns so that it would hold better and the balls would have a bouncier texture.
-I used IQF prawns because 1kg of king prawns isn’t exactly worthwhile for making prawn balls given how expensive prawn balls are. IQF praen balls costed $7.50 per 500g pack from ang mo supermarket at Punggol. I bought 2 packs for it.
-I added more than a quarter cup of coriander like 1/2 a cup? And i chopped it more finely.
-I hand chopped the prawns instead of blending it to improve the texture
-Added 2 tbsp of thai red curry paste.
-Mixed in 1/4 cup of bread crumbs
-Mixed bread crumbs for dipping with curry powder
-Crushed the garlic with garlic press.
 
The prawn balls dish was an awesome hit!

Sunday 18 December 2011

Happy Birthday Dawn!

Its’ one of My Bowen student, Dawn’s, birthday.. As a birthday present, I made her something I haven’t made in 2 years! cupcakes!!!

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The first classic that always finishes up really fast, Cookie Monster!!!! IMG_0085

Who doesn’t like Cookies and cReam really? Remember the first time Oreo was introduced to you? open, Dunk and bite! Well, no milk here, but you can dunk it in the cookies and cream vanilla butter cream frosting..IMG_0086

IMG_0087 A little something for the curious younsters. Alcohol based cupcakes. Bailey’s hazelnut in everybite. Literally. In the cake, in the cream cheese frosting. Not in the hazelnut praline though.. But for Bailey’s lover, this is one to finish up!! Gulp Gulp…

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Bailey Praline cupcake… Gulp…

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Next Alcohol cupcake, Malibu Rum Coconut cupcakes. Think these ones would be perfect if you were at cafe del mar? By the beach, drinking Pina Colada and eating a Malibu Rum Coconut cupcake. SmileIMG_0091IMG_0092IMG_0093IMG_0094IMG_0095IMG_0096

The chocolate chip cupcake was not as simple as it sounds. Its Chocolate overload. Its like a chocolate chip cookie, but a cupcake version and with rich chocolate ganache, its death by chocolate. Chocolate in every single bite. Only for chocolate lovers. My cousin Jarren had three at one go!!! And chocolate loving husband literally ate it at every tea time and breakfast the past two days!

 

Happy Birthday Dawn!

Saturday 17 December 2011

Hokkaido Japanese Restaurant at Turf City

Yohan and I had a chance to spend a Saturday at our favourite Jap buffet restaurant.... It's super value for money...

Hokkaido Japanese Restaurant Pte Ltd
200 Turf Club Road #01-20
Singapore 287994
Tel: 64672638
Closed every Tuesday except eve of public holiday and public holiday

Lunch 11.30-3pm
Last order 2.15pm
adult $28.90+ child $18.90+ no gst

Dinner 6-10pm
Last order 9.30pm
adult $33.90+ child $21.90+ no gst

Friday 16 December 2011

Free American Tourister Luggage (worth $160)

Maybank family and friends card couldn't have gotten better! On top of the random 10% cash rebates at leading supermarkets like NTUC and cold storage (offer just ended though) 5% cash rebate at popular and the usual supermarkets, they recently just sent me a voucher for a free luggage! And it's not some cheapo luggage! It's American Tourister. Probably under samsonite since it has a warranty card from samsonite... Features include
-lightweight
-spinner wheels
-combi TSA lock
-expandable
-3 year warranty!!

It's so awesome.. TSA lock is an American security approved lock hereby the american sercurities can open your luggage without damaging your bag!!!

Downside of it was the wheels was so smooth I wish there was a brake cuz I brought it home on MRT!

Sunday 11 December 2011

Ten Dollar Club Family KTV Karaoke

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Thanks to recommendation by Jiali, we didn’t have to spend 20++ per person at K-box. Yes. This is the $10 per person KTV that allows you to sing for maximum of 5 hours. Trade off would be

1. You must sign up for a 5 year membership for the deal if you are not a SAFRA member

2. You need to adhere to the time slot for singing. (See flyer)

3. Sometimes must pay plus plus and $0.50 per person for the towel

4. Location is not most accessible

5. Song request system not very user friendly

Other than that, its cheap and good!

Benefits include:

1. Membership is $5 for 5 years!

2. $10 with free flow drinks

3. Air-con (duh?)

4. $10 to sing till you lose your voice in 5 hours

5. Much cheaper than K-box or partyworld!