Wednesday 24 April 2013

BUGIS JUNCTION YUMMILICIOUS FOOD TRAIL

This is OMY's second food trail and I'm thankful that I had the chance to experience different varieties of food. It's just way too exciting that I didn't even eat dinner the day before just to prepare myself for the food trail.
6 hours of feasting in 10 F&B outlets in Bugis Junction - Mission Accomplished.
So let me share with y'all what I've been eating for the whole day and what's recommended. 
请不要转台 "Do not change channel"

 P.S I think I'm a little slow because I didn't even know this shop existed at Bugis Junction, or probably because I usually don't travel up to 4th floor. It's just beside the cinema, so for those who are catching a movie and need some food, this is probably the best place. I love fries, and there's all sorts of fries to pair up with your meal. Looking at their dishes, it's really consistent with their shop name #ifyougetwhatImean

 Stop #2: Platypus Kitchen
Platypus Kitchen believes that "Quality Gourmet Food  Should be Affordable to Everyone".
To bring value-for-money dining experience for the customers, their dishes are priced below $20, at the same time there's also monthly lunch and dinner promotion available.
Interested to experience some gourmet style dining? Then this is definitely the right place for you.

Stop #3: Nanxiang Steamed Bun Restaurant
I've been to Shanghai and I totally love their xiaolongbao(小笼包Beside having that in Nanxiang Steamed Bun Restaurant, there's also "dalongbao(笼包)" which is actually commonly known as guantangbao(灌汤包) 
I love both and if I've to choose I'll probably choose the latter.
"SLURPPPPPPPP"

Stop #4: Siam Kitchen
Sawadeeka
After having a taste of western and chinese cruisine, it's time to move on for some Thai food. I believe most people would have heard/seen or even been to Siam Kitchen. It's my first time there because I've been very devoted to Ahloythai and I love how Siamese combined sour and spicy in almost every dish and yet you still can't get enough of it . Now I've even more selection of restaurant for Thai cruisine.
'Another bowl of Tom Yum Soup Puh-lease?

Stop #5: Kazokutei
I love Jap cruisine too, I think it's really awesome how I get to eat all my favourite cruisines.
Anyway, Kazokutei, another restaurant that I've never been to but their noodles served was really chewy! QQQQ I like. Another thing is, I'm very particular about Cha Soba and theirs is really quite unique, in the sense that it seems to be made using "flat noodles" and similiar to their udon, it's chewy as well.
I've tried the sushi and I think it's real fresh unlike those ready-made sushi.

At this point of time I'm already having mild food coma already, until I heard our next destination is DESSERT.
"I've enough of dessert. - said no one ever."

Stop #6: NYDC
"I'm a happy girl in a happy world, life's fantastic"
I have sweet tooth, undeniable and I totally go crazy even before I'm in NYDC. When we bypass NYDC during the food trail. I was like "EH got reserved tables, must be for us one right?!" and thankgod it is! I literally ate three slices of cheesecake excluding other varieties, which means it could easily been total up to five slices of cake?
But but, it's dessert ): It should be okay once in awhile right?

Food Coma
After eating dessert it feels like everything has ended but no, it's only halfway there
"Dragggg my body and continue further"

Stop #7: Fish & Co
I was motivated a little when I'm at Fish & Co because I love their fishhhhhh. I believed that I was a reincarnation of a cat. I'm in cat haven. They have changed their menu into "Fishing Magazine" isn't it cool or what? and many new items has been added to their menu. 
"Looks at the Grilled Fish with Ebiko and said I'll be back for you"

Stop #8: HonGuo
I was impressed at their red bowl, because it's so large it can fit my whole head. I've exams recently and it was fairly easy because I've eat their "Scholar Cross Bridge Vermicelli" 状元过桥米线 now I feel 10x smarter already! If you love Prawn coated with Salted Egg Yolk, then you die die must try Pumpkin Fries with Salted Egg Yolk. It's so addictive that I really wanted to grab a bowl of rice, but of course I didn't because I was too full for it.

Stop #9: Yummi Bites
Ever sick of Goreng Pisang (Fried Banana), then hop on to Yummi Bites for different assortments of fried food such as the commonly seen Fried Sweet Potato, Tapioca, Fried Nian Gao Original and the more exotic Durian Nian Gao Crispy Tofu, Cheese Ball, SnowBall(Ice-cream) and Curry Bomb(!)
I'm in for a treat.

Stop #10: MaggieMoo's
In such a hot and humid day, nothing is better than having a cup of your favourite soft ice-cream.
I've tried six of the flavours and I will vote for Red Velvet Cake and Dark Chocolate!

It really set a perfect ending to the food trail and I'm thankful that OMY provides me with the chance to experience different types of cruisines and through this event I've made many friends and they really made the whole trip full of fun and laughters. I hope we have many more opportunities to hang around for food again!

Ending the event with individual photo taking and group photos
 Shopping Buddies 
Bonding Session with the newly made friends as well as those whom we got much closer during the events!
Last but not least, a group photo to end this food trail.


I'll be adding links to individual restuaurant but I need some time since I just finished one out of my three papers recently only. Do keep a lookout!

Crossed = Linked.
#1 - Everything with Fries
#2 Platypus Kitchen
#3 Nanxiang Steamed Bun Restaurant
#4 Siam Kitchen
#5 Kazokutei
#6 NYDC
#7 Fish & Co
#8 HonGuo
#9 Yummi Bites
#10 MaggiMoo's

Tuesday 23 April 2013

Platypus Kitchen

Platypus Kitchen in Bugis Junction serves casual Mediterranean/Italian style bistro and they specializes in fresh handmade pastas, gourmet risottos and delicious main plates.
Platypus aims to provide customers with value-for-money dining experiences, therefore all dishes are priced under $20. Not only that, Platypus introduce monthly set lunch promotions (starting from $10.90) and set dinner promotions as well (starting from $16.90).

Introducing y'all their beverages first
Momo-Lychee Ale (Pinkish) $9.90
Larger beer flavoured with fresh peach and lychee nectar, then garnished with mint sprigs and
fresh lychees
Smith’s Ale (Greenish) $9.90
Larger beer infused with green apples
and lemons, then garnished with fresh apples, lemon and passion fruit
 I would prefer the lychee one even though I love apple because it tasted much sweeter and better.

Some side dishes to start the balls rolling
Truffle Fries $6.90
Thick cut French fries seasoned with white truffle oil tossed in Truffle salsa and topped with shaved truffles
I love the fries as well as truffles but it would be better if truffles could stick to the fries instead of dropping everywhere. It's more like eating fries and truffles separately even though Platypus Kitchen is very generous with their truffles.

Crab Cake $12.90
Three potato fritters stuffed with chunks of crab claw meat, deep fried and served with lemon
You can taste good quality crab claw meat (not those cheapo crab sticks) from the Crab Cake but it's a little too dry even with lemon.

Risotto balls $8.90
Mozzarella-stuffed balls of risotto, breaded in panko then deep fried and served over of rich pumpkin puree
Crispy on the outer layer and tasty risotto mixed with mozzarella inside, followed by coating it with pumpkin puree before stuffing one into your mouth. This combination is simply marvellous and it's my favourite side dishes! 

5 Recommended Main Dishes in Platypus Kitchen
Saffron & Caviar Risotto $19.90
Saffron infused risotto with char-grilled prawns and scallops then finished with sustainable caviar and fine herbs.
Paying less than $20 to enjoy premium Caviar, that's really a steal. I think all the ingredients blended in well with one another however Caviar is a little too salty, but I like (Y)



 Squid-ink Scallops Ragout $16.50
Squid-ink Tagliolini served with seared bay scallops in a light garlic-dashi sauce
I've never really liked squid-ink pasta because they tend to make your teeth all black and disgusting. However this pasta does not (!) I was really surprised, definitely worth the try. I like the scallops and pasta but I didn't really like how babytomato seems to be stealing the limelight.

Truffle Carbonara $16.50
Egg Tagliatelle with double-smoked bacon and mushrooms in a truffle egg-yolk sauce
Carbonara fan, this is for you! Pasta belongs to the flat kind and I think probably because of the bacon, the whole dish turned out to be quite salty. But I love how generous Platypus Kitchen is, look at the amount of truffles they give! 


Spicy ‘DIABLO’ Crab & Prawn $18.50
Egg Tagliolini with prawns and crab claw tossed in a spicy egg sauce
Spicy Diablo, not the Diablo 3 hor.
This dish my favourite main course! It has my favourite seafoods -crab and prawn, and the spicines is just right for me to enjoy some "shiokness" 

 Pressed Pork Belly $19.90
Melt in your mouth pork belly served with braised apples, garden vegetables and a honey & clove apple glaze.
Heard that it's one of their most popular dish in Platypus Kitchen. I was quite anticipating because it looked great when they pour the glaze over the pork belly. It didn't fail my expection because it turned out to be very tender like how the menu described as "melt in your mouth"

Last but not least, my favourite - Dessert!
Iced Sea Salt Caramel $8.90
Sea salt & caramel butter cream, chocolate peanut butter brittle, ganache and popping candy
It's unique because it's layered with popping candy that "pop" in your mouth for around 30seconds. It's really quite interesting and it reminds me of my childhood sweet, the leg-shaped lollipop with popping candy inside that you can coat with, it's exactly the same.

Platypus Kitchen showed us that "Gourmet Food Should Be Affordable". Bringing the finest handmade food to customers and charging them value-for-money prices, allow everyone to experience their food. I really like their concept. Who says gourmet food must be expensive, should really visit Platypus Kitchen.


Look at me, I'm a happy girl because I've gotten Bachelor's Banquet from Nicholas Lin(Owner of Platypus Kitchen) and signed by him tooooooo! -Fangirl mode- I love cooking and I'm thankful how generous he is to gift us his book! Thank You!
Bugis Junction #03-29

For More Informations about Platypus Kitchen,
Instagram @platypuskitchen
Twitter @platypuskitchen

xoxo

Everything With Fries

 Everything with Fries at Bugis Juniction, it's their fourth branch and their newest one. Located at 4th floor right beside cinema, it's one good dining place for anyone who wants to chill before or after a movie.

It's my first time eating Everything with Fries. 
At first I thought it might be something like Best Fries Forever but it's more than that.
Serving all their main course with fries and that's probably the reason behind the name #ifyougetwhatimean
There's five different flavours of Fries to choose from.
Original, Curry, Salt & Vinegar, Sour Cream and Onion, Garlic and herbs
 However if you aren't much a fan of fries it's alright there's also sides like colesaw.

Upon arrival, I've ordered English Breakfast Tea since it's early in the morning.
Looking exquisite, however the taste of the tea turns out to be so-so only

Introducing - The One Egg Soup $6.90
Like it's name, it's made using only one egg and it's really surprisingly nice.
Thick, creamy and the fried egg white added a little crisp to the soup.
It will be perfect if their soup is less oily #SLUUUURPS

Skinny Wings $6.90
Crispy on the outside and tender inside, meat does not stick to the bone. It's called skinny wings because the size is almost half of the original wings. Anyway it's a little too oily and salty for me.

Char-Grilled Char Siew $15.90
Handrolled pork belly roulade, char-grilled with garlic sauce
Meat is tender and juicy with minimal fats in it, paired up with garlic sauce, it's marvellous and a definitely must try for pork belly lovers.

Wild NZ King Salmon $18.90
Crispy crumbs over melt-in-the-mouth salmon
At first look, it might give us the impression that the salmon would be crispy and hard, instead it's super soft and melts in your mouth. It's semi-cooked premium salmon and that's why it's so soft and pairing up with the sauce, it's one of the softest salmon I've eaten in my life.
It's my favourite out of the many dishes I've tried in EwF

Char-grilled Beef Karubi $21.90
I am not a fan of Beef, in fact I don't really eat it.
Not really because of religious reason but it's more of being selective when it comes to Beef.
But this beef is tender and the mushroom sauce added more flavors to it. It's super chewy and I love that it's boneless (I dislike boney stuffs) so it's very easy to consume without spending  much effort in cutting the Beef.

Tandoori Chicken Sandwich $11.90
Char-flamed whole chicken leg with EwF's tandoori marinade
Meat is tender and juicy, great choice to sandwich it with bread to lessen the flavors of the sauce.

Grilled Pork Chop $13.90
Meat is a little too tough, didn't really like this one

Steak with Tulang $25.90
Tulang refers to bone marrow, it looks a little like Bamboo Rice but it tasted like a mixture of Jelly+Fats. I didn't like it at all because it tasted like eating fats ._. 
However the ribeye steak served with red wine enriched steak sauce was great and my favourite part of this dish is actually their sauteed mushrooms(!)
It's not in the menu because it's seasonal so try it before they are goneeeeee.
EwF at Bugis Junction has an "open door" concept so it's probably noisy during weekends where everyone is queueing for tickets at Cinema. However their food is great and affordable, so I think it's worth to try. I really wanted to try their Nutella Tart which we didn't get to try.
I'll probably be back again for their dishes, and will review if I've tried one!

Bugis Junction 
200 Victoria Street #04-05
Singapore 188021
Tel: 63380135

Daily: 11am - 10pm
Fri-Sat /Eve of PH: 12pm-10.30pm

Thursday 18 April 2013

[REVIEW] LIESE BUBBLE HAIR COLOR - JEWEL PINK

I was quite elated to receive Liese's New Bubble Hair Color - Jewel Pink. Don't go 'woah' because it's not literally pink, it's more of brownish with ting of pinkyness in it which actually isn't that obvious. I took it up because I think it's actually quite bright like my previous hair color or rather more brighter because of the pink in it. I love brown that are bright, it makes one look more cheerful! The perfect hair color I want!
 And here's the product delivered to me two weeks ago, two bottles of Liese's Jewel Pink, Pink Hairband and Pink Roses. How sweet are they!
So basically, what you see is what you get.
It should include(Anti-Clockwise From Top):
 1. Instructions for Use
2. Rinse-off Treatment
3. Gloves
4. Foamer Cap
5. Solution 1
6. Solution 2
 However, I would recommend you get yourself ready for the D.I.Y
1. Change into clothing you don't mind staining and wrap a towel or cape around your neck.
2. It is not necessary to divide your hairs into section because you are just going to 'wash' your hair
3. To make it easier to remove any mixture that gets onto the skin, apply a thin layer of oil-based skin cream to the hairline including ears, forehead and neckline etc.
4. If mixture gets onto skin or drips, wipe off immediately with damp cotto pad or tissue paper as the longer the mixture stained your skin, the harder irt is to remove.
 Opps, a little bit messy around here, but my room is even messier than my hair for sure.
I'm totally in love with the outcome, though boyf said it looks the same as my old color, but I was really happy when Joyce asked if I've dye my hair recently because it looks exceptionally brown and even brighter than before. Okay my day is set!

My Experience with Liese's Jewel Pink
Jewel Pink is really a very nice color, in fact I love all their bright color series!
For ladies who intend to get it, remember if you have shoulder length hair or up to bra- length hair you probably only need one bottle, however if your hair is thick or super long you probably need one half or two to fully cover it. You can even share with someone but do not keep it overnight, it will literally spoil

I've actually purchased Liese's Bubble Hair Color before but that was few years ago because at that point of time my hair wasn't really those that 'eat color' so every color I dye literally looks black on me unless under the sun. After trying out Etude House's one that spoilt my hair, I've decided to go salon instead. However after this attempt, I can finally dye my hair using Liese Hair Bubble Color without going back to salon. It's a much cheaper alternative for me and I like the outcome of it. It only require you to do 'shampooing' motion to your hair and it will cover every part of your hair, you don't even have to worry about missing any spot.
Trust me, "It's so easy even my ahma know hows to use Liese's Bubble Hair Color" except that she don't need it because she has this perfect natural white-gold hair color right now.
Love my hair nowwwww /flickhairs
Check out Liese's Facebook Page for more updates!

Wednesday 17 April 2013

[RECIPE] HAPPY TOGETHER 3 - BANANA BISCUIT CAKE

Remembered that in OsteoMilk Post I said I will be updating recipe, and now I'm back to demonstrate how to make Banana Biscuit Cake with OsteoMilk.
All you need is 3 ingredients to give you the perfect breakfast(dessert) depending on when you're having it.

It's actually adapted from Happy Together 3 Episode 282, where their guests are Girls' Generation, Kim Wansun, Baek Jiyoung. I personally found it really interesting how she actually made a cake with only minimal ingredient, in fact it didn't take as long as three hours like stated in the show, just that you need to leave it in the fridge for hours to let the cake absorb the moisture. However, I'm only doing the Banana Cake without Whipped Cream, it's more for breakfast or light dessert.

Banana Biscuit Cake
Ingredients: Each Banana Biscuit Cake
Marie Biscuit/Digestive Biscuits (3)
Banana (2/3)
OsteoMilk (1)
(1 Satchel of OsteoMilk can be used for more than 5-6 Banana Cakes)
Whipped Cream (Optional)

Step 1: Prepare a bowl of lukewarm water (150ml) and dissolve the satchel of OsteoMilk.
Step 2: Once OsteoMilk completely dissolved, dip Marie Biscuits in it for approximately 30 seconds.
Step 3: Transfer soaked Marie Biscuits into plate
and layered it with sliced banana.
Step 4: Repeat Step 3 for one more time, forming second layer
(You can form three or four layers, it's fine as long as it doesn't toppled)
Step 5: Cover it with another soaked Marie Biscuit
(Do no layer with banana this time)
Step 6: Scoop two spoon of the remaining OsteoMilk over each Banana Biscuit Cake
(It's okay if you see it dripped all over the plate, it will all be soaked into the Marie Biscuit after chilling)
Step 7: Chill it for approximately 1.5 hours
(I normally chill it overnight)
Step 8: Serve while chilled
 
Oh and people might ask why do I want to use OsteoMilk. It's because OsteoMilk keeps you pretty inside out because of its collagen where normal milk doesn't provide and it's less fattening too :P
I didn't add whipped cream(fattening) and it's much easier this way. However if you intend to make it as Birthday cake  then go ahead. Just follow the instructions and layered the top and sides with whipped cream.
You can watch the full video HERE, it's Episode 282 Part 5

It's really simple how it's done and it's unbelievable how it tasted like cake because it has absorbed all the milk during chilling and banana rocks! You can actually make more because there will still be quite a bit of OsteoMilk leftover(I drank it) It doesn't really matter as long as you got enough Marie Biscuits and Banana
I'll be experimenting how it works with both banana and strawberry, seems cool too.
If you're interested in trying out OsteoMilk, you can read up my previous post HERE, where you can redeem a free sample pack of OsteoMilk and OsteoSoy.

Stay Tune - I'll be updating another recipe using OsteoSoy this time!