Seeking a slice of paradise

After a whole day out at the shops, dinner was not simply for the hungry. 

It was for the weary.

Taste paradise seems always to have a ridiculously long queue and the fact that they close in between lunch and dinner service brings the rest of the crowds over to Paradise Dynasty.

And before you start to think this restaurant is nothing but a second best,

I'll have you think again by the end of this post.

I've tried the colorful xiao long baos once too many a time, 

I now only stick by the originals.

These little intricately wrapped parcels of minced meat and juicy soup goodness.

Goes perfectly with a dab of vinegar topped with fresh ginger slices.

There is a recommended way of enjoying this.

First, bite off the dumpling skin on top.

Let the steam escape.

Before you slurp up the soup.

And devour the rest.

At the risk of a burnt tongue,

I let the steamer sit for a bit before I attempt to take a delicate parcel

and pop the whole parcel in. 

Let the juices explode in my mouth.

That.

Is a slice of paradise reached :)

Spicy minced meat noodles is the Chinese answer to the bolognaise I'd like to think.

Firm pulled flour noodles boiled and drained before being topped with a generous amount of spicy minced meat sauce.

Does that not make a bolognaise?

I love them both. Chinese or Italian.

This bowl comes covered with generous greens of refreshing cucumber slices and freshly chopped spring onions.

This may get a little bit too oily for one.

Which is why I always opt to share.

So that I could add another item to the order list.

Now this.

The same firm pulled flour noodles.

With shabu thin slices of pork and chopped seaweed.

This time with a healthier and no less hearty soup base.

A signature milky pork bone broth.

I could never get enough.

Who said anything about second best?

And it just gets better with their weekday promotions. :)

WEEKDAY TREATS BY PARADISE DYNASTY

Enjoy $8 Signature Dynasty Xiao Long Bao with every order of 2 La Mian
*Valid Mon to Fri from 11am to 3pm, excluding eves of PH and PH. Other terms and conditions apply.

Signature Dynasty Xiao Long Bao + Choice of 1 Shanghai Dim Sum @ $15
*Valid Mon to Fri from 3pm to 5.30pm, excluding eves of PH and PH. Other terms and conditions apply.

To find out more, visit PARADISE DYNASTY at ION Orchard, #04-12A

http://ion.com.sg/en/ion-dining/758-paradise-dynasty

Ming Ren Restaurant Genting Hotel

Mountain view from Resort Hotel.

I was never one to bother about "the view"

Till I had my first taste of the mountain from the comfort of my room. 

Takes my breath away every morning. :)

So this was where Dad hurried off to with reservations once we checked ourselves in.

Ming Ren at Genting Hotel.

Double boiled herbal soup.

Appetizing.

Very appetizing.

Kung Pao Chicken.

It was a little too sweet for my liking.

Potato pork.

This was just like comfort food at home. 

You need rice for gravy like this.

Lots of rice.

Crunchy prawns on a bed of delightful greens.

Threadfin or ikan kurau.

This was fish with a hearty bite.

Lightly salted gravy with slivers of chinese black mushrooms and minced meat served on the side.

Dad likes the fish simple.

I take the sauce.

All of it. :)

Perfect for a post dinner chill out.

Preferably with a live soccer match.

I missed the simple times with you. :)

cheap and cheerful :)

Last night on Lembongan.

after our shot at that rickety old yellow bridge and exploration of Nusa Ceningan,

I wanted some good local food to complete my Bali experience.

It was also due to the fact that we were all ravenous after our awesome manta mola dives that we made our pitstop here instead of returning to our villa. 

We should've done that party at Jibaku.

Look how well it's publicized! :)

Ayam Goreng Bali style.

Generous gravy and veggies to boot.

Mie kuah.

We were so hungry that instant noodles tasted like heaven.

At night, the temperature drops a fair bit probably due to its proximity from the sea.

And this bowl of warm comfort was more than welcome.

Foo yong hai.

This was a curious egg battered pancake.

Filled with cabbage and minced pork.

Drizzled with a sweet chilli sauce.

Curious.

But I'd rather my egg foo yong anyday.

Same same but different.

Same curious batter but this time with pork.

Sweet and sour pork was a misnomer.

Bistick.

No beef.

This was pork.

In the same sauce as the ayam goreng.

This was brilliant with rice.

A little too salty but heck.

Diving is some serious exercise.

Tip:

Make an order for their otah made with fresh catch from the sea a day in advance.

And while you're at it,

grab a cup of ginger tea.

Homemade comfort in a cup. :)

Welcome to Warung 99.

Our version of the cheap and cheerful :)

firsts.

Drip(ped) coffee. While you were waiting. 

Just because I was running late. :/

Hello rain. It's you I meet again.

Soup Broth Asia is the Asian counterpart to guys at The Soup Spoon just next door.

A menu of twelve different soup offerings with exact calorie counts for the weight conscious.

Each soup bowl serves about 500ml.

And just in case you were wondering,

The gourmet stock used in the soups at Soup Broth Asia is prepared using a unique method that takes at least eight hours.

Ingredients are cooked separately, and are then cooked with the gourmet stock. This cooking process preserves the nutritional value of the ingredients without sacrificing on taste.

Fujian style fish stew.

Don't bother looking at the pictures. They were hardly appetizing.

But look past that and into these glass bowls and you'll find something worth staying for.

This was good. Savoury.

Perhaps with the addition of pork slices.

The beancurd puffs were filling and just this bowl of soup was enough for a light meal.

All soups are served with a generous serving of white rice.

And there are options for add ons. A choice of vegetable and a drink for $3.80.

This was a good deal for a balanced diet.

Eat your greens!

These vegetables looked overfried.

Well fried indeed but still tasting good, albeit a little heavy handed on the salt and a tad oilier than I would've liked.

And I was glad for rice.

A recommended Pork Rib Tea, more familiar to most as Bak Kut Teh?

This was full on with the pepper.

I don't know about taste.

But no feedback is good feedback?

Oh and this was the only other place I've seen with instructions on the disposable chopsticks holder.

There were fold guidelines for making a chopstick rest.

Either we were terrible at following directions or there was just really no use for this except for novelty's sake.

And just for the record, no one else seemed to bother about the instructions.

Apologies for a terrible picture but they also do add-ons for a meat/ seafood at an additional charge.

These were wasabi mayo prawns.

For four prawns, the serving for the wasabi mayo could easily have been reduced by half and there would still be more than enough to go around.

The batter was light and crunchy enough to make these munchies addictive.

And the fruit cocktail at the side was a nice touch for colour.

So much for feeling fat and wanting a soupy dinner! :)

Still, this was perfect for a rainy day. I'd be back for more soups!

And this time round, with cash.

They only do cash payments and that's probably running in line with their casual quick dining concept.

Sorry you had to pick up the tab for dinner.

By now the rain had gone away and we had a good walk across the helix bridge, making it here in good time. :)

What one needs for an awesome Easter weekend.

Catch it if you haven't before the run ends April 22nd! :)

Rainy days please go away

:)

Zio Gigi in Florence

Searching on tripadvisor for dinner places (please take reviews with a pinch of salt. actually, maybe a gallon. depending on who writes them. just. try. reading. the. singapore. ones. the horrors! :p)

Zio Gigi was in the top twenties, located behind the musee duomo. It was a long walk to dinner. Maybe it just felt long because we were ravenous! And we had a cause to celebrate!

My almost twenty seventh birthday, their twenty eighth wedding anniversary. :)

Meat for mains. Dad is not the most adventurous when it comes to western food (in this case, Italian food). But with the many courses of a dinner order in Italy, if you order a meat, you basically just get meat. It is unlike the side salad and fries that we are very accustomed to back here at home.

Dad had to add on a side order of fries to feel like he ate a proper meal. Maybe that's his vegetable excuse. :) The meats were nicely grilled- check out the lovely char grilled lines. Not overcooked. The chicken was juicy and tender but the pork was a little dry, perhaps due to the lean quality of the meat.

Our first attempt at an order of gnocchi. It was. GOOD. Like crazily good. The potato gnocchi was cooked with just the right amount of bite. And the sauce was like molten gold. Not that I think molten gold might be appetizing at all but it was -that- kind of richness on your tongue once you take a bite of that baked goodness. Very filling. More excuses to share. :)

These tagliatelle ribbons were cooked al dente and tossed in a tomato based gravy of wild boar (!) meat. I know. How does that taste! It was. Meaty. There's no other suitable way of describing it. In the menu, it states that the wild boar meat is frozen meat. Nope, it did not taste frozen. It tasted like a cross between pork and beef and infused with tomato flavour for a tasty and juicy bite. Definitely for red meat lovers.

And this is what love looks like to me. :)

Happy anniversary.

A first in Italy and more in the years to come.

Once upon a time...

Once upon a time...

Mr Herbivore :)

meats. i mean, meets Ms Carnivore.

Falls in love

And then there was. Lil' Seafood-ivore. 

With a couple of tablespoons of dashi miso paste...

And some other additions

They came, they swam, they cooked.

A one pot bubbling dish for the family of Omnivores.

And they ate happily ever after.