Cooking with Philips Airfryer

Hi Everyone!! A belated Merry Christmas and an impending happy new year to all of you!!
Time flies and in a few days time, it will be the end of year 2014 already. Been neglecting this blog because I was busy and through time, simply lost the urge to write. Even while I'm typing now, it feels so weird. Lol. That being said, I'm still active on my facebook, Maybe age is catching up haha, I've been pretty much into cooking as well as making desserts, mainly with my Philips airfryer, Aerogaz Slowcooker or 3 tier Playbear Steamer. Sometimes I post recipes too, therefore feel free to follow me. =)

 

Chicken Cordon Bleu with honey ginger apple glaze

Vanilla Soufflé

Blueberry Chessecake

Chocolate Lava cake

Chinese Herbal Chicken Soup

All the dishes above(except the soup, by Slowcooker) are prepared using Philips Airfryer. =D If you're interested for the recipe, can drop a comment. I've been trying to eat healthier and no doubt, the airfryer can really reduce the amount of oil used. Previously I've been plagued by very persistent and bad cough which always come at night. Thanks to the haze. I've spent alot on medical bills. During 1 gathering, my friend recommended me this ready packet of chinese herbal ingredients for making soup. It was really yummy and I've noticed drinking it really stops my cough! If you're interested to know then can leave a comment ya.

Lastly......taken from my facebook

"At the vet. Saw a male doggy who wanted to befriend her, Vickki immediately sat down and act 淑女, with her paws(hands) closed together infront of her. Imagine how shocked we are(it's super unlike her, we voiced out aloud at the same time) "

The things I love =D

Some of the food which I love to eat as a meal or as supper. =P And they're easily available from supermarkets and super easy and quick preparation. Sharing some stuff which I love. =)

Salmon Sashimi Salad 

Pack of ready-to-eat Vege/Salmon Sashimi/Tobiko/Japanese Sesame dressing

Served chilled

Absolutely divine.

Crabmeat & Ham Salad, accompanied by Lychees

Ready-to-eat Vege/Crabmeat/Ham/Japanese Sesame Dressing with

Canned Lychees at the side

Served chilled

Lychees serve as a pop of refreshing taste in between mouths of salad. 

Not all salads are boring. =)

Smoked duck breast with mandarin oranges (can make into salad too)

Ready-to-eat smoked duck breast/canned mandarin oranges

Pan-sear duck breast on either side until skin is crispy, drained dry mandarin oranges.

Super refreshing treat!

Lavender, Lychee black tea in my favorite floral ceramic and borosilicate glass teacup =)

This pretty teacup costs S$13 and I bought a pair online. =D Just looking at them makes me happy. 

Peach flower tea

I always have the habit of drinking tea after an oily meal, to soothe the stomach. 

It just soothes and relaxes your mind too. =)

I love this Self-Stiring Mug! Press the yellow button and it will just stir the drink by itself.

Bought this at S$7.90 online for my Milo Baby who loves to drink milo.

I can use it for my hot (packet)chrysanthemum and ginger tea too. No more annoying teaspoon in the cup, less hassle too!

 Previously was down with Bronchitis and my friend advised me to keep a flask by my bedside, so that whenever those killer coughs come in the middle of the night, an immediate cup of warm water will stop the cough instantly. Because if not, the cough will worsen until I may become breathless or even vomit. =X

The cap can be used as a cup too! So cute right. It's 500ml and I bought it at S$13.90 online. =P

Life can be so simple, yet so fulfilling, when you spend it the right way, with the right ones. 

Asian Kitchen at Bugis Plus

The Asian Kitchen at Bugis Plus (the old illuma)

This was really a very satisfying meal. The sauteed beans with salted egg yolk was so fragrant with the kind of wok-smell and it's texture was just right with that mere degree of crunch that doesnt bother you as raw. The braised meat rice/noodles were so yummy! It's absolutely scrumptious. Full of flavors, the meat were lean and tender. They're very inexpensive too, although the portions were reallllyyy small. Dearie actually ordered 1 more portion to get full. And I needed dessert to complete my meal. Hee. The mango sago was very very nice too, it's unlike the normal ones you have. Apart from sweet mango cubes, it's made of mango sherbet that wasnt too sweet. Generous sago with that dash of coconut milk makes it smell wonderful. 

One thing you have to note is, I seemed to notice different Asian Kitchen outlets have different menus. So not all outlets serve the same dishes.

After our dinner, I went to buy a plushie for a dear friend who was hospitalized. She had to do a surgery too, poor thing. So I bought her this to cheer her up!! So cute righttttt~~~~ Still got a diaper one with a winter hood too!! Hope she get well soon!

Actually all along I dont really like plushies, I also dont know why. Can you imagine I dont own a single plushie? Lol. Okie I think I did have a Stitch before, which a guy friend bought for me. He probably thought all girls like it....but imagine my "zzz" face when I received the surprise gift. Haha. But it's a super cute Stitch because it talks and responds differently when you say different things to him! 

I bought Rilakkuma for my friend because I know she likes it. =D And dont know why.....suddenly....I feel Rilakkuma is really kinda cute too!! Casually mentioned it to dearie....and one day he came home and surprised me with Plushie too!!! 

This is much bigger than the one I bought for my friend, and it's body, hands and legs are filled with sand so they're bendable. So cute! It's super duper soft and comfy to hug! Just looking at it makes me happy. Haha. Ahhhh.........maybe it has to do with age, I also dont know why the suddenly change in me. =P

Thanks my dear!! Smuacks!!!!

Yakiyaki bo Japanese teppanyaki

Our orders: Steak(comes with bean sprouts), King prawn(comes with asparagus), foie gras, chawanmushi, hotate(scallop) fried rice.

Steak is very tender, we ordered medium rare and it was just perfect. However it's like abit under seasoned. Requested for black pepper sauce which came complimentary and was great. Too bad it was cold.

The king prawn(single) is really not worth the price(around $15 maybe), because it's really not that big. It's yummy though, succulent and fragrant when pan-fried with onions.

The foie gras was really thin and has too thick a batter. Hmmm....it was very crispy on the outside but I really prefer just simple pan-fried foie gras without a thick batter. However, for the price(around $15 maybe), it is really unbeatable.

The scallop fried rice is really value for money and comes highly recommended. 3 scallops came with it and it's only around $6 per bowl.

The veges were cooked just enough to be edible. Any shorter cooking time and they will be raw.

They were shorthanded for staff and the chefs all looked so busy. Kinda feel the dishes were being cooked in a hurry infront of us. However, service was still decent.

Total bill is around $75. Will vastly prefer Yakiyakibo to Sakae Teppanyaki, whose menu has became more unattractive and pricey.

Playbear 3 tier Steamer (electric lunch box)

I love this 3 tier steamer! Only $30, I bought from Qoo10.sg. (Currently the seller not selling anymore, dont know why. But you can easily find when you search "electric lunchboxes)

Can cook 3 dishes at 1 go. Easily whip up a healthy meal in 30mins or so. 

Like

You just add water at the most bottom tier and all 3 layers will be steamed. The light goes off

when it's done on it's own(note how much water you put). No worries of overheating or fire hazard.

Naturally, rice will occupy 1 tier. I love steamed egg, there goes another tier. And the last tier is usually vegetables. You can cook soup or porridge too. It can serve up to 2 pax if you're not super big eater. It's really minimal cleanup as you eat straight from the stainless steel containers. What's more, they all come with plastic lids. If you cant finish, simply cover them up and put in fridge. 

1) a) Canned baby mushrooms with oyster sauce and blackpepper  b) steamed egg

2) Baby scallops(frozen pack) with broccoli with oyster sauce

Egg toufu sze-chuan vege soup

Mushrooms with asparagus

Ah ya....I love steamed egg and canned mushrooms. Minimal effort as I dont need to dirty any chopping board and knife. 

Feel free to ask me if you have any queries. =)

Yay to lazy bums who wants to eat healthy. 

Nihon Mura Express @ Yewtee point.

(From my facebook) 

Happy lunchie at Nihon Mura Express @ Yewtee point. Everything is at $1.60! The more expensive ones like Hotate mentai, Salmon aburi is $1.60 for each sushi while most of the others are for a pair. Same for chawanmushi, handrolls and salmon sashimi(3pieces). Fresh. Not top quality but wayyyy better than Sakae Sushi.  (No hot udon though)

Customer Service is okie. =)

The Chambers at Far East Square

Sorry for the long absence. I'm IMPOSSIBLY BUSY! This will be a quick entry!

Had a treat from my lovely colleagues in view of their promotions and celebrations of milestone events. And the food were really good! I ate till my tummy felt like exploding. Lol. I've never been to Chambers and initially I thought they serve those middle-east or turkish cuisine? But as more dishes were served, I was quite confused. Ahh...Fusion. Classy word for chup-ba-lang, a.k.a Rojak.

Kebab. Very fragrant with a hint of spice. 

Wedges, nicely fried

Generally I dont like fried chicken of such nasi-brani style because usually the meat will be tough. But surprisingly no, the skin is sooooo crispy and the meat is tender and juicy. Weirdly, my colleagues said theirs were abit tough. I guess I was lucky maybe.

This is the clear winner, hands down. Everybody love this dish and some of us had more than 2 servings. The salmon was presumed to be grilled with just butter and some salt but the texture and flavour was just thumbs up without being overly oily or dry.

Love this too!! Just the presentation makes me salivate. I like it that although it's so obviously fried, it doesnt appear oily at all. Right amount of mustard. And the fries are cripsy too. Yums!

The only con I may have with the place is that it's fully alfresco, though with no sun. Ang mos probably love it though. Thank god that day was pretty windy so the atmosphere was great with us big groups chatting. =) Oh I saw a pool table too, probably not free though. =P I believe at night it will be more of a drinking place than a lunch place. 

The Chambers

45 Pekin Street
Singapore 048775

Did I mention I've changed a new handphone?? Hee! Can you even believe all the above pictures are RAW and UNEDITED pictures taken by my handphone? 100% ZERO Edit. Oh life is a breeze............saves me the trouble of adjusting for brightness, contrast and sharpness. The pictures are as true to life as it gets. =) Saves me much time in blogging.

Canadian Pizza Delivery

Wow, I was really impressed with their food. They came really piping hot! Not just warm. I didnt take note of the time as I was doing my stuff but it should be around 1 hour as promised. Minimum order for me is S$25 so I ordered the following side dishes. Not a fan of pizza because I dont like to spend on flour. HAHA.

Fat calamaris came hot and CRISPY. Nice and not chewy too. 

Really wasnt expecting this from a delivery. 

Clockwise: Moroccan Beef Meatballs/Baked Macaroni with basil sausages/Shepherd beef pie

The meatballs were really fantastic. Wonderful flavours, juicy tomatoe based with a robust aroma of spice(Moroccan spice I suppose) and just a bit spicy. 

The macaroni were slightly over-cooked at the top and were slightly hard and the bottom ones were kinda soggy. But I have to say I love the flavours and the cream base was well-balanced as I dont like too creamy ones which might be jelat, nor was the sauce too watery. Dont really like the sausages though, hard. Though it looks dry in the picture, inside was really juicy with the sauce. 

Shepherd pie, not nice. Too dry. Do not order.

I just love the flavours of the meat balls and macaroni. 

I was alittle shocked to realize no condiments and utensils are provided though.

Total summed up to S$28+, inclusive of S$3 delivery charge.

Will order again. =)

Menya Musashi at Vivocity

I'm generally not a ramen kinda person. I'm more inclined to savoring sashimi and sushi as I love varieties. Previously, I used to love Ajisen Ramen, especially their Tontoro ramen because I love the texture of their noodles, the awesome broth and the generous amount of crisp and lean tontoro meat. However, I always suffer a severe stomach pain everytime I ate it, and dearie experienced it too. After repeated visits and continuous stomachaches, we've decided to avoid it. Thinking back, I wonder if it's because of my affected gallbladder at that moment, where I had problems digesting the oil....though again....while ramens usually comes with robust, strong flavours of oily soup....I didnt think it was overly oily.....hmmm.....

Anyway, once I was at Vivocity and my friends and I tried out Menya Musashi.

Picture credits: h_e_l_l_o.blogspot.com

  

My friend had this, I avoided tasting because it was spicy.

Another friend had this. Dry version of...chicken maybe.

I had this; Smoked Duck Soup Ramen

Yummy!! I love smoked duck in any settings. Hee. Love the noodles, love the broth, thick and strong flavours beckoned to me. It does look kinda oily in the picture but I dont remember having any serious tummy upsets after consuming it. Hmm...just looking at it makes me hungry. Shall make a trip back to savor it soon. =) I kinda remembered the portion is kinda just nice for me, which might be small for most people but the price was rather friendly from the way I remembered. Service is normal, you'll pay at the counter after your meals. 

Menya Musashi
Raffles City
252 North Bridge Road
Tel: +65 6336 6500
Daily: 11.30am – 10pm
Nearest Station: City Hall

Ion Orchard
2 Orchard Turn, #B3-25
Tel: +65 6509 9394
Daily: 11.30am – 10pm
Nearest Station: Orchard

Vivocity
1 Harbourfront Walk #01-104
Tel: +65 6376 9519
Daily: 11.30am – 10pm
Nearest Station: Harbourfront

Movie Reivews: The legend of Hercules / Jack Ryan: the shadow recruit

Dearie just...somehow..."coerced" me into finishing 2 youtube videos featuring a couple of baby pandas playing for as long as 30minutes. No...actually it was like less than 10minutes but it actually felt that long. I was simply dumbstruck. He's usually not like that; he's more into funny talk shows like those by Kumar, David Letterman, Ellen Degeneres or some crappy comedians with weird slangs or else awesome vocals or magic shows in America's got talent. I think he's developing paternal instinct. I almost fainted when he went on to watch another video about some tiger chasing around a dog like the best of friends etc. Hmm..........

Anyway, these movie reviews are late because I got pretty sick the last few weeks. Currently on my 3rd course of antibiotics for my sorethroat and finally I'm able to speak like a female. And did I mention I was/am having this inhumane diet consisting of beehoon soup, fish slice soup, udon soup, whatever-soup etc without any fried, oily or spicy food for like a MONTH every since my operation of the removal of my gallbladder?! OMG it's god's love that I didnt go crazy! Anyway I couldnt bear it any longer just now and I ate Korean Char-grilled Chicken at BBQ Chicken and it was so nice! *wipes tears with hanky*

The chicken was marinated well and I love the fragrance of the spices and how tender the meat was. Although it was accompanied with no sauce, it was juicy without being dry nor oily. Thumbs up! However, the 2 sides I chose were disappointing. The mash wasnt smooth and were very dry without any sauce(I did asked but they said they dont serve any sauce for mash potato. *Dumb struck*) And the calamari wasnt fried well because it was SOAKING with oil and had a very soggy exterior. It was easy to bite though, not rubbery. The salad comes with thousand island sauce and was fine.

Yeah as expected I had a bad diarrhoea and slight tummy pain when I reached home. =( Sigh...oh well........but I'm fine after some rest.



Some movie reviews which came late.

Movie: Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit

Ratings: 7/10

Comments: Started off slowly........got better towards the end. But really, I was expecting more intrigue, actions, thrills as per fitting a undercover movie? You know we Asians have watched so many undercover movies produced by HK and our standards were set pretty darn high........so yep.....a let down if you compare with HK undercover movies.

Movie: The Legend of Hercules

Ratings: 7/10

Comments: We actually didnt intend to watch this movie after watching the trailer....(I thought this Hercules wasnt as aesthetically pleasing as Kevin Sorbo, the Hercules in my childhood dreams, as in the television series, Hercules the legendary journey  :P I only watched a few episodes though, but they were wonderful and funny with many beauties heh). BUT we did catch the movie anyway because of some wonderful reviews at GV.com, saying that there wasnt a boring moment. And yes, I can kind of conclude there werent much of a moment where you'll fall asleep. That's because there were too many incredulous moments which knitted my eyebrows as the whole story was in complete opposite as what was being passed down in well...historical myths. 

And when a movie is titled, "The Legend of Hercules", naturally, you'll expect they make it right! Firstly, I was stunned by a pitiful and benevolent-looking Hera.............Can you even imagine Hera being given an image like a Chinese Guan Yin kind of god? Hell no, Hera was rumoured to be a green-eyed monster who constantly got jealous over his husband, Zeus's affairs. And it's almost her wish to kill all his flings, including his off-springs, ESPECIALLY Hercules because he was being born so strong and smart as well; He wasnt as giddily love-sick as being portrayed in the movie and he showed his wit when he cleaned the Augean stables in just 1 day(by breaking the dam of a river or something, dont quite remember), which was a task he was set to do among the 12 he was ordered. That's why I almost fell off my chair when Hera said she will benevolently grant Alcmene a privilege to sire a son of Zeus, the King of gods, to change the fate of kingdom.

WAHAHAHAHAHA!! That's like the joke of the year!! Hera allowing her hubby to bed another woman??? It doesnt even sound logical. But the funny thing is, I seems to be the only one feeling incredulous in my seat. Apparently not many people read Greek mythology. Zzzzzzz. And there comes the amusing part where the invisible Zeus somehow consummated with Alcmene (Mo ming qi miao) and dah-danggggg, Hercules was born. And it was all very.......ridiculous and amusing. The part where Hera spoke gently and softly to Hercules warning him of the dangers.... Lol .....it's more convincing when it would be like...ahh...while she was talking to Hercules, she whipped up her dagger to stab him in the heart. Yup that's right, Hera hates Hercules that much because he's the strongest man(ok, like half-man, a demi-god to be exact) to be born! He can strangle serpents to death when he was a baby and there in the show he was depicted to be a mere mortal with no amazing strength(before he called out to Zeus) And the part about the Nemean Lion was added to the script in poor taste....when we know it's the first of the 12 tasks which Hercules was being set out to accomplish....

All in all, I really never expect such a ...out turn of the plot...I guess usually people prefer plots as close as to the originals or what has been passed down. It's ok to edit here and there but it's just...ridiculous when the plot was written in a complete and absurd version. 

Alright, if you're not so much into the originality of the myth...then well it's actions and digital effects werent too bad. 

Why? It would be 10 times more interesting to produce a movie on how Hercules cleared his 12 labours!

Lovely Eggs Benedict at Robert Timms & Movie Reviews: The Four 2

Had a wonderful meal at Robert Timms some time back.

The Eggs Benedict which I had was simply so memorable that I have to blog about it.

Basically I swept everything off my plate of Eggs Benedict except the toasted tomatoe; nothing wrong with it I supposed, but I'm not one who takes raw tomatoe unless they're in my sandwich. The eggs were perfect with their runny yolks, the hollandaise sauce was just nice without being bland or overly thick or diluted, the shaved ham spells oh-so-good without being overly salty like some, and what I really really love was that the toast was hot! It was crisp on the outside and soft within and when the runny yolk runs over it, together with the fragrant ham, I was in total sublimity. Service was pretty good too. Oh and I think the menu is really extensive with the range of desserts too. Too bad the huge portions of the mains made us too full to be able to try(the desserts). Forget about Antoinette or Wild Honey already. Antoinette served me a huge garbage fly before with horrible service then and after, and Wild Honey is simply too busy and lofty to care much about you when you're waving your hand. Not to mention their food doesnt taste half as good, more of being over-hyped and over-priced too.


On the other hand, dearie said his sea bass was kinda bland. Mummy said her fish and chips is good with too big a portion that she cant finish.

Sometimes, I really wonder people care more about the quality of the food or care more about the prestige which is tagged to the restaurant. Maybe different people have different palettes, yeap, but people like these do exists(I'm not saying you are, I'm saying there are people like that). Like they feel it's extremely ATAS to go Antoinette or Wild Honey to have brunch. You know~ Or Les Amis or Brasserie Les Saveurs at St Regis for dinner. And then they raved about the restaurants like it was really out of the world and then finished with "Oh you really need to try!!" Like...........really? Are they simply making the point to illustrate the fact that they patronized before OR do they really like the food? Like so what? ....I've tried all of them before and they are really not impressive in terms of the execution of the food. The only impressive thing is the price~ Other than the posh environment...*shrugged*....there is nothing much memorable. I did remember the service at Brasserie Les Saveurs for our Vday dinner in 2012 was okay lah(slightly better than normal restaurants loh). But Les Amis was downright rude when we had our 3rd wedding anniversary dinner there.

Hmm.....I think service at Itacho Sushi is simply the best(of late)....they can be so busy and a little slow in their service yes....but for the past 2 visits, me and my friends stayed till really late after our meals to bitch. It was already near 10+pm and we had also footed our bills, and the kind waitresses still continue to replenish our green tea like there is no tomorrow. I've lost count of the times because we really talked ALOT and drank ALOT(thirsty mah...hee)....though of course I thanked the servers prettily each and every time. I wished to let them know I really appreciate their initiative. We didnt even need to prompt them to refill. *Thumbs up*

Movie title: The Four II

Ratings: 4/5

Comments: I think the digital effects were all pretty nice and pleasing to the eyes. The story was okie too. But of course expect another part 3. I thought part 2 was not bad as compared to part 1 but dearie felt part 1 was better. But seriously the female lead Liu Yi Fei cant act at all. OMG, when she was acting the part where she recalled how her whole family was massacred and both feet broken by her enemies, there's simply no tears in her eyes. *Faint* Thank god for her sweet face and demeanor else I really...zzzz.....

Supreme Tastes Jiang Nan Cuisine 小江南

My pictures have been siting in my lappy(automatically transferred via dropbox from my Note 2) for the longest time. Time to blog about them and then delete.

Mediocre food are everywhere and pretty common, even in restaurants. I seldom blog about food nowadays unless it's a special 6 courses or more meal and above for a special event. But I felt I have to dedicate an entry to this one. Because good chinese food in Singapore is pretty rare.

Supreme Tastes Jiang Nan Cuisine 小江南 at Marina Square

(Pic credits: http://www.acg-interior.com.sg)

It's not as well-known and common like Ding Tai Feng and Crystal Jade, however my friends and I were pleasantly surprised with the quality of the food. It made me even happier when the prices were very friendly because it was a set meal for 2 pax.

It consists of a soup and ramen each for 2 pax, plus 2 sides dishes, where 1 of them is their Xiao Long Bao. Generally it's 2 choose 1 for most of them, while the ramen has more choices. We chose 西洋菜汤, 酸辣面, 杂酱面 , sweet pork ribs and their original Xiao Long Bao. The most bottom right pic is our additional order....I think it's some spicy dumplings(forgotten, as I didnt try this because I was avoiding spicy food at that time).

What surprised me was that EVERY single dish of the set meal were delicious. Which usually is not the case. Especially love the 杂酱面 and the fantastic pork ribs which were oh-so-tender. I dont feel their dishes are inferior to the other chinese restaurants. Dont quite remember how much was the set for 2 but it was pretty affordable as compared to the other well-known chinese restaurants. And when the standard did not compromise, we're definitely encouraged for repeated visits.

Olio Cafe new dishes!

Initially wanted to eat at Canton Paradise, Compass Point.  But was so pissed that they just left us queuing when there are ample ready tables while mastering the art of acting busy and blind.

Still glad anyway. Went Olio Cafe and had a great meal! Standard Chartered credit cards has 15% off despite a Sat. Very worth it at S$40 for 2 in today's and Singapore's standard. The cod was just a tad oily. All in all, good texture, flavors and portions! :) Good service too. 

Btw, why they removed Crayfish and crabmeat pasta(tomato-baesd) from the menu?? So sad!! =(

Seared Cod fish

Seared seabass with lobster ravioli in lobster bisque

Chocolate Lava cake with ice-cream

5th Wedding Anniversary dinner at Absinthe, Boat Quay

Hubby bought me to Absinthe at Boat Quay for our.....*think and count by fingers...*....5th Wedding Anniversary dinner. =)

On the way to dinner - New fringe + hair colour

At all times. Either his phone or mine. 

I love the decor and ambiance of the place. It has a rustic charm to it, making it warm and cozy. At the same time, it was classy and opulent with the plush sofas and dim orange lightings which were glowy but yet not overly warm or dark. The music was just slightly louder and upbeat than what I preferred but it was still acceptable. However, it was pretty crowded on that friday night and it was kinda noisy with all the chattering around us. 

It's not until I cruised by the website at http://www.absinthe.sg/home.html then I realized they have private rooms. Gorgeous, I would say. You can drop by the website to see their decor. 

We had the following dinner menu.

At first glance, I was overjoyed, for the menu includes all our or rather my, favorite food. Like lobster bisque, foie gras, cod fish, creme brulee. And the price seemed too good to be true for a 7 course dinner! I'm a lover of french food, that's why dearie usually bring me to french restaurants on my birthdays or anniversaries. =)



My Review: 

Complimentary Bread

Very hard and stale. It seemed like they were being toasted overboard just to warm them up and even dipping it into the lobster bisque couldnt soften them enough. 

Carpaccio of Yellowtail Kingfish 

Beautifully presented. It's my first time tasting Yellowtail. It was okay, with no fishy smell, although I will prefer to have more marination, preferably more acidity.

Lobster Bisque with Cognac
We didnt really taste any Cognac but all it mattered was the flavorful soup which has the perfect texture. Quite a generous portion but will love more anytime.






Foie Gras w/ Morello Cherries
Saltish. Comes with a mini pancake. Haha. Pretty cute, hmm but the pancake was soggy and cold while the foie gras was warm. Foie gras was sadly kinda mushy...







Roasted black cod with prawn risotto
As it's my main, actually I expected my cod to be bigger, but it's still filling since it's a risotto. However, I didnt taste any prawn at all. Just 30sec lesser and the cod might be raw. Nice flavors overall.







Creme Brulee with Yuzu Sorbet
This is really the disappointment of the night. It was way too mushy, so much so I suspect it was undercooked. Unable to finish at all. 








Petit Fours
When I thought nothing can be worse than it's Creme Brulee, I was astounded to be served these, as Petit Fours.
In my mind, I was thinking, "Seriously?"
(Tea was included as 1 course, wasnt pictured)



A couple of minor hits and huge misses...while some people may feel main courses are of vaster importance than desserts....but do not forget desserts may make or break a degustation experience, simply because it's probably the dish which you remembered the best as it was last served to your palate.

To sum up, the prices might not be as friendly as it seemed from the start. Oh and if you're wondering why the assortment of cheeses were missing from the supposed dinner menu, I might enlighten you that it's extremely misleading on Absinthe's side as they're only included at a supplement of S$20. 

Then frankly speaking, shouldnt they put it at the end of the menu as an option instead of within the menu where it looks like it's included as one course? Thank god we're not raw cheese lovers. Therefore, instead of 7 courses, it's actually 5 courses excluding the cheese platter and the pathetic petit fours/tea. I would say the prices are okie considering the portions of the courses, instead of overly amazing. 

Service is very very slow. Yes we all know french food, fine dining etc are supposed to be savored s-l-o-w-l-y but it's still tooooo slow. We need to wait at least 10-15minutes for the next course and that includes billing etc. When I feedback to the coquettish french waitress that whether their Creme Brulee is supposed to be like that(i.e, that mushy), because I suspected it was undercooked, she looked flustered and said she will check with the chef but somehow she didnt came back. I also didnt ask further but merely left the dessert alone. On our way out, they said their byes and she apologized for the Creme Brulee. Zzzz.

Very centrally located so it's very accessible. But parking of cars might be tricky on weekends unless valet parking(not always available). $10 though. Ouch~

All in all, 
Food:6/10
Service: 6/10
Ambiance: 8/10
Price:7/10
Overall: 6.5/10

Love ya darling. Happy 5th Wedding Anniversary!! =D


Side note: I missed The French Kitchen so much....too bad it had closed down. :~(  So very sad. They win hands down in every aspect, no matter it's flavors  portions, service. Will try Chef Jean Charles Dubois's new creations at Balzac soon.... =)

You definitely got to read this: Ammonia found in McDonald's Foods: Chef Oliver Wins Lawsuit

http://www.vaticancrimes.us/2013/08/red-alert-mcdonalds-poisons-children.html

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 7, 2013

Alert: Ammonia found in McDonald's Foods: Chef Oliver Wins Lawsuit

 9:25 AM  666 - USA

McDonald’s Burgers “Unfit for human consumption”

Hamburger chef Jamie Oliver has won his long-fought battle against one of the largest fast food chains in the world – McDonalds. After Oliver showed how McDonald’s hamburgers are made, the franchise finally announced that it will change its recipe, and yet there was barely a peep about this in the mainstream, corporate media.

Oliver repeatedly explained to the public, over several years – in documentaries, television shows and interviews – that the fatty parts of beef are “washed” in ammonium hydroxide and used in the filling of the burger. Before this process, according to the presenter, the food is deemed unfit for human consumption. According to the chef and hamburger enthusiast, Jamie Oliver, who has undertaken a war against the fast food industry, “Basically, we’re taking a product that would be sold in the cheapest way for dogs, and after this process, is being given to human beings.”

Besides the low quality of the meat, the ammonium hydroxide is harmful to health. Oliver famously coined this the “the pink slime process.”

“Why would any sensible human being put meat filled with ammonia in the mouths of their children?” Oliver asked.

In one of his colorful demonstrations, Oliver demonstrates to children how nuggets are made. After selecting the best parts of the chicken, the remains (fat, skin and internal organs) are processed for these fried foods.

In the United States, however, Burger King and Taco Bell had already abandoned the use of ammonia in their products. The food industry uses ammonium hydroxide as an anti-microbial agent in meats, which has allowed McDonald’s to use otherwise “inedible meat.”

Most disturbing of all is the horrifying fact that because ammonium hydroxide is considered part of the “component in a production procedure” by the USDA, consumers may not know when the chemical is in their food.

SOURCE

Watch the "PINK SLIME PROCESS" video:

About Ammonia 
According to Wikipedia, Ammonia or azane is a compound of nitrogen and hydrogen with the formula NH3. It is a colourless gas with a characteristic pungent smell. Ammonia contributes significantly to the nutritional needs of terrestrial organisms by serving as a precursor to food and fertilizers. Ammonia, either directly or indirectly, is also a building-block for the synthesis of many pharmaceuticals and is used in many commercial cleaning products. Although in wide use, ammonia is both caustic and hazardous. The global production of ammonia for 2012 is anticipated to be 198 million tonnes,[7] a 35% increase over the estimated 2006 global output of 146.5 million tonnes.[8]