IPPIN CAFE BAR - BETTER THAN MOM'S COOKING

*FOOD TASTING*

I am always fascinated with Japanese cuisine, the time and work they put in to creating each and every dish to ensure they come out the best. When I was invited to IPPIN CAFE & BAR, I was told that the dishes here are #BETTERTHANMOM 's Cooking. I had to come try it out myself!

IPPIN cafe & bar, they sell zakka items and also many imported Japanese snacks and wines for customer to purchase. They have a range of sake for customer to choose from. And if you can't finish your Sake in one dinner, you can always leave it here until your next visit. Very personalized service, very Japanese way of doing things, I love.

We started off with some appetizers, and we all know Japanese are particular about their diet, so we first had Crunchy & Fresh Veggie Sticks ($5). I love the green onion miso dip, it was a little savory but very appetizing to kick start the palete for the delicious food ahead.

Next is their Rice Ball with Fish Confit ($5) which contains a combination of 2 parts rice and 1 part barley - the japanese way of healthy home eating. The grains soaked up the fish confit - a balance of pufferfish, tuna, garlic. I could not stop popping them in my mouth.

Next up is my favourite dish of the day, and also a new item on the menu - Cold Yuzu Noodle -$15. Japanese love to have their sour and cold noodles in Summer Time! The noodles are tossed with a yuzu scented sour soya sauce to give a really refreshing kick!

The Beef Steak Set - $25 NETT allows you to try it with Wasabi Salt &/OR Garlic Soy. I say go for both together so that you can try them both out! It comes with Rice & Miso soup too!

Chicken & Egg on rice, also known as Oyakodon, the Oyakodon set - $15 NETT comes with delicious fluffy eggs and tender chicken cubes. They boil the chicken and onion with the Dashi(Stock) to ensure the flavour are infused strongly.

This last dish is a very homely dish that I would love to learn - Nikujaga - $5 is Ippin's version of Mom's taste of pork, vegetable & potato stew. every bite of this dish makes you want to head home and thank your mother for the countless delicious food she made. Very Homely, I like!

You can purchase some of the ingredients to bring home to cook your own homely dishes from IPPIN! Like the Yuzu Soya Sauce can be bought, or the garlic soya sauce. There is a wide range of japanese products imported at IPPIN, be sure to check them out if you are nearby!

All prices are NETT prices and they have FREE WIFI!

And if you download the SUGAR App, they have discounts waiting for you in there!

IPPIN CAFE BAR

18 Mohammed Sultan Road

Tel: +65 6733 4794 

OPS: Mon - Sat: 1100 - 1500 (Last order 1430), 1700 - 2300 (Last order 2200)

With Love, M♥

Hotel Clover - European classics with Asian Touches at Clover Gardens

Photo Credit: Google

Clover Garden

33 Jalan Sultan 

#01-02 S198965

Tel: 6297 0377

https://www.facebook.com/clovergarden33JlnSultan

I am glad to be invited to my first Festive Tasting for Christmas! I enjoy tasting the Festive Menu from Clover Garden located in Hotel Clover 33 Jalan Sultan. Clover Garden celebrated it's unique and immaculate concept with a grand opening on August 2014 at Hotel Clover, making it really new and I can't wait to try out the dishes created by Chef Shawn Yan which has inspirations from European Elegances with Asian touches.

Festive Salad - Consisting of Yellow Fin Tuna sashimi cubes, Compressed Watermelon and Beetroot, presented in a Mosiac Cube formation and completed with a generous scoop of black caviar. Refreshing to the taste bud, eat it in the order of presentation - Watermelon, Beetroot and then Tuna, pairing the Caviar with any one of them would bring another level of experience.

Soup - Warm up the festive mood with a bowl of Cream of Cauliflower, served with prosciutto crisp, poached egg and croutons. The egg, being poached at 65Degrees is deliberately made to be more done and less flowy, but nevertheless, when mixed in with the soup, it added a thicker and more flavoursome taste.

3 options for the Entrée - Triple Textured Tasmanian Salmon, 48-Hour Sous Vide Beef Short Ribs OR Beer Brined Turkey Breast

The triple texture Tasmanian salmon served with the asian touches of Cold Soba, Nashi Pear Purée and grilled king oyster mushrooms. Diners should be excited to taste the crispy salmon skin and then moving on to the tender flesh of the cooked salmon and the slightly raw middle. The whole dish is light and delightful.

Beef Short Ribs with lardons and pearl onions, baby carrot, black truffle mash topped off with red wine reduction. Tender pieces of beef when paired with the red wine sauce, it is such a delight in every mouthful. The truffle mash that came with it was a clear bonus to up the whole game, Strong flavours of truffle infused mash potato made everything complete.

And a what's a Festive Dinner without a sweet ending to it - Traditional Christmas pudding freshly baked with a selection of dried fruits, cranberries and nuts, paired with homemade vanilla ice cream and whisky sauce. Mmmm hmmm... Homemade vanilla ice cream, you could see the pods in there!

The Clover Garden 4-Course Festive Menu is going at $42 Per Pax starting from 1st December 2014 to 10th January 2015. I personally feel that for the price, it is definitely worth it and Hotel Clover is away from the bustling town area which makes it a ideal place for a lovely catch-up with loved ones. So call them now to book your slots!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~

If you are not into the festive menu, Clover Garden has a simple yet impressive menu on it own! I love how chef Shawn manage to highlight European Classic with Asian Twist into the menu. He hopes that every diner will enjoy the traditional flavours with new interpretations and presentation. Every dish is a brand new adventure in my opinion!

Tuna Tempura ($12) - Tuna Sashimi wrapped in seaweed, dipped into batter and pan-fried to crisp lying on wasabi mayo and served with Alfonso Mango Salad. Freshness and very Japanese styled appetizer which I truly enjoyed, I love the innovative creation!

Pan Fried Crab Cakes ($11) - Hand-picked by the chef and finely shredded, the sweetness of crab meat matches perfectly with the bits of water chestnut. Seasoned with only black pepper and fresh red chillies, each golden brown crab patty is paired with the chef's special peanut sauce, it's feeling as thai as it it. Or maybe I could call it our own Krabby Patty? -hardcore spongebob fan-

Braised Lamb Shank ($22) - Resting on a bed of the Oh So Awesome and smooth Truffle mash, soaking up the natural jus and topped with vegetable fritters. The crunch of the vegetable fritters could elevate the texture of this dish. This Huge Lamb Shank can easily feed 2 ladies unless you have a big appetite! 

BBQ Baby Back Pork Ribs ($22) - Glazed with smokey BBQ sauce, served with truffle fries and garden salad. The baby back ribs are tender and could almost fall off the bone easily, Using my cutlery for this is a waste of flavour, I would rather use my hands if I could!

Duck Confit ($22) - Marinated overnight with Chinese 5 spice, baked to a perfect crisp on the outside and tenderness on the inside. Laid on a bed of the awesome truffle mash and red cabbage, paired with the lychee gastrique, this dish redefines the iconic French's favourite to a whole new level.  

Coconut Pannacotta ($10) - Made from fresh coconut juice, the silky smooth Pannacotta is lightly scented and laced with Gula Melaka. Served with a scoop of home-made vanilla ice cream and fresh berries, this dessert is simple, light and sweet all together.

Mocha Pot De Crème ($10) - Espresso infused Chocolate mousse served with fresh berries and home-made vanilla ice cream. Smooth and rich chocolate mousse is so sinful yet highly pleasurable. A Must Order for chocolate fans, just like myself!

---

Typing this out makes me salivate and want to go back to clover garden for more! I especially love the Baby back Rib, duck confit, Crab Cakes, Cream of cauliflower and the Coconut pannacotta and the mocha chocolate mousse. OMG, I am almost listing out everything I've tried! It is that good and the price is pretty affordable, so I suggest you make your bookings early to visit this new gem. 

With Love, M♥

[F.T] Azur Angus Beef Challenge - 29March2014 to 6April2014

This March, Crowne Plaza Changi Airport present The Tremendous Black Angus Buffet at Azur. It's an all-you-can-eat premium beef buffet experience with Black Angus important from the US and cooked to perfection by their skillful chefs. These Black Angus additions will invade the buffet chaffers and diners' tummies from

29 March - 6 April 2014 at $68++ Per Pax for Dinner Only.

Photo Credit: Celestialdelish.com

I was elated to have received this invite for the Beef-ed Up Tasting Session, Lets get started!

Accompanied with lemon wedges, cocktail sauce and hot sauce. This Alaskan Snow Crab legs are sweet but not juicy enough IMO, dip it in the cocktail sauce or the Hot Sauce for a different experience! I would recommend oyster lovers to dive into their unlimited flow of Oysters too!

Alaskan Snow Crab Leg 

The sirloin is pan seared to a beautiful Medium-Rare, and to avoid over oiliness, the fats are trimmed off after. The sirloin is then thinly sliced, tossed in sesame sauce with red radish, lotus root and edamame. The Balance of crunchiness and tenderness was delightful with the flavour of the sesame sauce. It's a MUST TRY!

Sesame Black Angus Beef Salad with Red Radish

 On the first look, this Sliced Black Angus Short Rib tossed in Azur's homemade black pepper sauce might look like the chinese Zi Char style of Pai Gu Wang(Pork Ribs), But upon the first bite, it's is far from that. 

I love how the short ribs are not too thick and they are evenly cooked, and I like how it is chewy but not to the extend of making my jaws ache, you get what I mean?

Wok Fried Black Angus Short Ribs with Black Pepper

Potato pasta tossed in black truffle paste sauce and topped with shaved parmesan cheese, I'm not a fan of Gnocchi, therefore this dish did not stand out to me.

Truffle Gnocchi with Parmesan Cheese 

This Beef Cheek dish was a Crowd Favourite! The Root vegetables consist of baby carrot, turnip, parsnip and celeriac but the star of the dish, the beef cheeks, were melt in the mouth goodness. Nothing else to say, Just enjoy it!

Braised Beef Cheek with Root Vegetables

Resting on a bed of forest mushroom consisting of portobello, champignon and trumpet mushrooms and Potato slices, The Beef Steak with the sauce, Mmmm. I predict there to be a queue for it at the chaffers.

Grilled Black Angus Beef Steak with Forest Mushroom Ragout

The Bahia rice soaked up the flavours of the Mussels, prawns and Squid, Delightful Carbs. 

The Paella

Mini French Pastries & Chef’s Selection of Desserts Bar

Note: Actual Serving Portions may vary as photos here are taken at the food tasting session.

The Tremendous Black Angus Instagram Challenge

Diners can stand a chance to win an Azur return dining voucher worth $200 by just posting a photo posing with the Tremendous Black Angus Instagram Challenge sign which will be available in-restaurant throughout The Tremendous Black Angus Buffet promotion.

Challenge participants will need to hashtag their photos with #tremendousblackangus and tag @cpchangiairport. The winner will be revealed on the Crowne Plaza Changi Airport Instagram account @cpchangiairport on 7 April 2014.

Buffet & Beef Lovers, for the price tag of $68++, This is a buffet you must not miss!! Mark your Calendars, 29 March 2014 to 6 April 2014, 6.30 - 10.30pm ONLY!

And what's More, There's even a challenge for all diners to take part in to win Vouchers worth $200, I would say it's a damn Wu Hua(Worth It) Experience!

With Love, M♥

[F.T] fRoZ Bakery - Quality in the Heartlands

It's always great to see young entrepreneurs coming out to start their own business or to continue their family's business. It is a rare sight to see a whole family dealing with a business all together and I find it exceptionally heart warming to watch them work together. This little Bakery is a hot spot for everyone around the neighbourhood and they even have customers from the other side of the country coming just to get their muffins!

Located at Blk 476 Tampines Street 44, fRoZ Bakery choose to use Butter over Margarine & Real Fruit Flavour instead of using essence makes it a much more healthy option. No wonder it is a favourite among their customers. They also offer a wide variety of beverages from Teas to Coffees, flavours such as chocolate to Himalayan Tea to Iced Yuzu, I would be spoilt for choices if I were you!

The flavours range from Chocolatey Goodness to Natural fruits flavour. I especially liked the Banana Walnut Muffin, Recommended to be eaten warm. The owner said that they only use Del-monte Bananas for this and they would not compromise for any other bananas, If Del-monte Bananas are not available, they would not produce this muffin at all! Talk about quality control!

fRoZ Bakery offers Cheesecakes & Brownies too! The Cheesecakes are all the same just with different toppings which I was a little disappointed. I would love it if they could infuse maybe their fruit flavours or infuse the flavours of their toppings Into the cheesecake itself instead! The cheesecake itself is pretty sweet in my opinion and with the additional Hershey Chocolate Chips, it might get too sweet for anyone.

The Brownies on the other hand are less sweet and they have the common flavours like nuts & mint brownies which I feel that are a little better than the cheesecakes, I recommend the mint brownie if you like mint, the flavour of mint with the chocolatey brownie is good.

fRoZ Bakery offers so many flavours that you will be spoilt for choices! From Triple Chocolate, Chocolate Hazelnut, Apple Lemon with Cinnamon, Banana Walnut, Wild Blueberry Muffins and many more!

Cheesecake options such as New York Miniature, Double Cookies & Cream, Strawberry 'n White Chocolate Miniature cheesecake etc, Prepare your sweet tooth for a journey here.

Some Deals that you must not miss when you have stepped upon fRoZ Bakery..

     

With Pricing ranging from $1.30 - $1.70 for muffins and $3.50 - $3.80 for Cheesecakes and $1.70 - $1.90 for Brownies, I would say this is pretty much an affordable fare for the neighbourhood. Only downside would be that some of the muffins are too dry for my liking and the owner stands firm that using Margarine over butter is the right choice which is also why the muffins are dryer. Oh well, we can't question the baker's opinions on his creations can we? :)

fRoZ Bakery

Blk 476 Tampines Street 44

#01-175B Singapore 520476

Tel: 9427 7594

Website: www.frozbakery.com

With Love, M♥

[F.T] Ramen Kagetsu Arashi - Bringing in the Top Selling Ramen to our shores.

You might have seen this Ramen Shop in Singapore for some time already but I'm here to share with you that they have a New Outlet at The Cathay! And this time, they have something impressive to bring to you from Japan!

Established in 1992, The year I was born *coughs*, Ramen Kagetsu Arashi is one of the largest Ramen Chain in Japan with over 290 worldwide! Now that they have opened their new outlet in The Cathay, they have introduced 2 new items. The Ginjiro Ramen ($13.90) and the Itameshi Dry Curry Rice ($12.90) both were equally exciting and I couldn't wait to dig in.

Ramen Kagetsu Arashi offers not only the usual chives, chilli powder and shoyu to add flavour, they offer a wider variety of japanese condiments and even Freshly pressed garlic to add that oomph into the already delectable broth. Of course, I would recommend you to try the broth on its own first. The Tonkotsu-based Broth (made by simmering pork bones over long hours to extract the natural sweetness) is fortified with the addition of umami-rich ingredients, Dried Bonito (Katsuoboshi) and Kelp (Kombu). And you noticed that they served the Ginjiro Ramen with a Hard Boiled Egg, reason being that they think that it would benefit the broth more, I have no complains to that.

Another Hot Sizzling New Item is the Itameshi Dry Curry Rice ($12.90). Fragrant japanese rice resting on top a bed of beautiful fluffy egg, topped with a slice of butter, sliced sausages & Scallion, the staff will pour the sauce over the rice and will mix everything together, reminding me of the Korean Bibimbap. The fragrant of the final product is wonderful, with hints of the curry and yet not too spicy, I'm sure the kids will enjoy it too, just becareful of the heat from the pan!

I could not give a miss to any Gyoza in Japanese Restaurants, I just cant. The Gyoza at Ramen Kagetsu Arashi is just nice with the crispy base accompanied with the soft chewy skin on top due to the skin being specially imported from Japan. The fillings are a well mixture of meat & vegetables, dip it in our special concoction, Vinegar, Layu & Shoyu.

My Recommendation: Try this range of fruit juice from MoutainFresh, all are pretty interesting and delicious.

Ramen Kagetsu Arashi

The Cathay

2 Handy Road #B1-01/02/03

Singapore 229223

Tel: +65 673630

With Love, M♥