Ebi you heard?

If you've been surrounding your taste buds with the might of the Samurai Burger,

Look out for the next burger change from Macdonald's coming up this Thursday, 7th of November.

Knock, knock.

Who's there?

Ebi.

Ebi-who?

Ebi you heard? I'm the shrimp they don't scrimp on! :)

Settling comfortably into a zone cordoned off for the bloggers' party at The Metropolis, I was excited to see directions for folding an origami style prawn. :)

It was a brilliant way to break the ice with each other, laughing at our inadequacies in reading origami directions, fiddling with scissors and paper bits.

And keeping our frazzled nerves cool was the very refreshing Tropical Tango McFizz- tasting like a mix of mango and orange.

And did you think I wouldn't succeed?

No origami ebi, no dinner. No origami ebi, no dinner...

How's that for motivational speak!

With great pride! :)

Notwithstanding the success of the origami activity,

everyone of us had our own ebi burger. 

The description that Sam (PR for Macdonalds Singapore) gave us was exactly what my tastebuds would put into words if they could speak.

A tasty combination of succulent whole shrimps in a golden breadcrumb patty, topped with thousand island sauce and crisp lettuce, in between lightly toasted sesame seed buns.

Every bite had the distinct taste of succulent shrimp.

And for double that pleasure, they're having an ebi double burger on the menu as well.

Little wonder that this is their best-selling burger from Japan!

No meal is ever complete without dessert.

Say hello to the new banana pie! :)

That same apple pie crust that has won over the hearts of many with a filling of ripened mashed bananas.

It's almost like the familiar favourite of goreng pisang but just not quite that.

Try it yourself.

Mark the date on your calendars.

Coming to you on 7th of November!

For a limited time only. :)

Many thanks to Janet from omy.sg for coordinating the event together with the PR and Marketing team from Macdonalds.

Happy Valley Seafood Theme Park Hotel RWG

Oh where oh where,

would you find

live seafood.

In tanks.

To pick at your fancy...

On top of a mountain? :)

These grass prawns.

Are scrambling all over each other.

EAT ME.

I'm superbly fresh.

I mean,

them.

Not I of course.

Claypot beancurd with seafood.

Big on ingredients.

And I mean for both the former and the latter.

Fried slices of garoupa.

Thick slices.

But these were battered.

I'd rather just have them plain and simple.

Plum sauce chicken.

This was a specialty

And rightfully so.

Satisfyingly huge portion.

Crispy battered skin on.

And they were skimping on the chicken either. :)

Sambal kangkong.

Oh my yum.

Perfectly fried.

Wok-hei-ed.

And no traces of skimpy washing of the vegetables.

Crunchy.

Savoury.

Sambal-ed.

If you take vegetables.

Make this a definite order.

And these babies? 

Sorry to be cruel.

But you died amidst a lot of fanfare. 

We loved you.

Very much.

Steamed with egg

And another 300grammes in superior stock.

Nothing superior about the stock, believe you me.

But these cost us barely a little more than SGD 10.

Seriously.

To lo chuay?

So the pinyin is terrible for hokkien.

But.

Where to find! 

And that was a pre concert feast.

Emil Chau was better than we all expected. 

A pure two and a half hours of his greatest hits, his new releases, his change in singing perspective.

Just soaking in the electrifying charge of his fans.

I'm a convert.

First concert of the year with the 'rents and our beloved family friends.

It's been a rough week for us but they made it all better.

<3 p="">

Makan Gathering @ High Society Mansion (Pacific Plaza)

It's been a rough week for me.

I definitely was not feeling the least bit Ms Congeniality.

But I guess it was time to take a break.

To see my friends.

And have a good mEAT-up session.

Thanks to MissTamChiak for accomodating three of us at such short notice. :)

For just $35 nett.

Minstrone soup.

Pretty interiors on the second level of High Society Mansion at Pacific Plaza.

We didn't take lamb, so between fish and pasta,

we settled happily on haddock.

Only to be sorely disappointed by the size and taste of thin dried flaky fish with encased in a salty batter.

Whip out the flash already.

It was fun focusing all our cameras on the pork knuckle sharing dish. :)

That also meant,

*slaps hand away.

everyone just had to wait for the photo madness to be over before eating.

Crabmeat ceasar salad.

The seafood taste was too strong to be enjoyed.

And serving us the heart of the lettuce stalk?

Dear Chef,

It was an oversight right?

I'd like to think.

Yay brussel sprouts.

And mash and gravy.

But the cajun chicken tasted dry and tough.

And where's my cajun spices anyway?

Salted prawns.

It seems.

I took a scallop instead.

Juicy but not tenderly so.

Pasta tasted reminiscent of mee siam more than laksa.

Duck confit.

The carrot puree was key for our table's discussion.

My grip was in the skin though.

Where's the crisp? :(

And duck that tasted like KFC's originals.

So says my dining companions.

Oxtail stew.

Oh I totally mopped this one up with the bread. :)

Yummy delish!

And I scream, you scream, the girls all scream for dessert!

Cupcakes. Topped with cream.

Lots of cream.

And if it wasn't chantilly cream, I'd not want to pile on the fats for this.

These cupcakes were unique with that dollop of cream with various tastes and addition of nuts.

These things should come with placards.

Or maybe not.

We had our fairshare tasting and guessing.

Noisette cake slice.

Aside from tasting frozen, this was decadent.

The macarons were an ultimate sweet treat to end off the night.

It wasn't the food but the company.

I had awesome table mates.

And we even had goodiebags to bring home.

Hello 1kg of Huiji honey, kaya and coffee.

I had a good Saturday night out.

Thanks @misstamchiak and @dashtaz.

To more makan gatherings! :)

Restaurant Week Singapore 2012

A week long gastronomic affair with over 100 participating restaurants offering lunch and dinner at $25*+++ and $35*+++ respectively for this week only.

Organised by diningcity.com, they have an online booking system where reservations, changes and cancellations are to be done solely online.

For every booking made, there'll be a reservation code generated and sent to your email inbox.

A few days prior to your reservation, an email reminder would be automatically sent.

Cancellations made within 24 hours may be liable for a cancellation charge imposed by the restaurant.

That's only fair since they would be preparing ingredients for the special restaurant week menu offered during this period.

Dummy's guide to the online system unnecessary. :)

Nestled behind Jumbo with ample parking space.

Hello Roadhouse.

Their normal daily menu at the restaurant side with indoor seating.

White washed walls,

minimalist but their cosy lighting and cushioned seats along the side of the wall gives a sense of indiscriminate comfort.

Just across from them you'd find Hacienda, their bar and bistro side with chill out style alfresco seating.

That's also where the washrooms are located.

Special menu for the $35+++ dinner for restaurant week.

It was easy.

Two of us and two choices of each.

We'll have everything on the menu please.

This was the first dish to arrive and look at that beauty. :)

Bacon rind is a perfectly edible ziplock for juices.

My case in point.

The juicy chicken encased within crisp bacon rind.

The bit of green jalepenos did wonders to open up an appetite and reduce the effects of sticky sweet honey glaze.

Prawn tostadas.

This was a mouthful of flavours.

The sweetness and light heat of the mango salsa, creamy guacamole and diced prawn with crunch with a melted topping of strong gorgonzola cheese

on a lightly toasted soft tortilla triangle.

Once you pop, you can't stop.

Seated by the windows,

you watch as the darkness of night slowly creeps up on you.

A perfect night out for a slow dinner to be enjoyed.

Why people would chop up wagyu to be used in a patty I fail to comprehend.

170g was the size of a toddler's fist.

For what it lacked in width, it made up in height.

The green apple slices were smothered to death by cinnamon powder, it left a terribly bitter aftertaste that marred the entire eating experience.

The caramelized onions were a caramel color but it did not have the sweet charred taste I was expecting.

Now the thing that me about these tiny gourmet burgers is that they are too tall and too small to be taken in both hands in eaten heartily.

So I was of course, resigned to using the utensils and attempting to deconstruct and eat it with pairings of whichever portions dependent on what can be speared together.

But those fries were a treat.

Tossed in truffle oil?

Crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside.

For a moment I forgot about my first love for soggy fries. :)

Mayonnaise and chilli in squeeze bottles.

Yum!

The use of an artificial light from a Galaxy SII with an unccoperative light crew.

He was suitably embarrassed holding onto the flash light in the cosy restaurant only indulging me in my pictorials because he wouldn't be able to touch this plate otherwise.

Then I realised perhaps my SIII's camera flash would suffice.

The mushrooms were full on with their earthy woody taste.

It overpowered the taste of the steak.

We asked for a medium but it was almost well done but we were too hungry to bother.

This was an ample grammage of meat for a hungry man.

Thick cut and full on juices.

It might have been the comparison with the wagyu beef patty but this was lacking in that beefy taste a carnivore would be looking for.

Sticky date pudding served warm and topped with a generous helping of walnuts covered in butterscotch sauce and a side of vanilla ice cream.

I knew I love you before I sank my spoon into you already.

The vanilla ice cream evident with speckles of vanilla bean in the picture was a disappointment since it did not taste redolent of its essence.

valrhona caramelia chocolate mousse
when served together with the sticky date pudding,

this looked like a sad piece of cake.

and it was.

it didn't live up to its name.

While the chocolate sponge was good,

that which was called a mousse...

tasted like salted caramel which would not be bad thing save for the oily aftertaste left lingering in your mouth.

More misses than hits.

But the service was good. Attentive waitstaff made sure the plates were cleared and water continuously refilled without being intrusive.

Still a good venue for dinner.

But perhaps let's just stick with the regular menu options.

This was a first time participation for Roadhouse in Restaurant Week so I hope they'll work on the menu hey.

Sebastian Mix Fusion Cuisine

You've got to give credit to a chef who has a stall sign of his own namesake.

Psychedelic lines inspired by the colored parallels from paul smith,

flanked by a logo of his own caricature.

Wasabi prawns.

The sauce could be tweaked.

Taste of wasabi was not evident.

Perhaps wasabi powder/ paste instead of what's currently used?

And i even know what goes into the batter.

A tad salty but still a good choice while waiting for the mains to arrive. ;)

Now this, was a culinary genius in fusion cuisine.

Prawn and lala vongole.

Who needs mussels.

Honestly.

These clams were small yet plentiful.

A couple of prawns.

 But the best was yet to be.

-The broth-

It was simply lipsmackingly delicious.

Thick with clam juice.

The taste of the sea never was so satisfying.

Spiced with the addition of chilli flakes,

This was a dangerous appetite opener.

Tread with caution.

But heck,

It's a selfish dish.

Don't bother sharing.

Slurp it all up anyway.

Beef and mushroom stroganoff with japanese rice.

The addition of white and black roasted sesame seeds was subtle yet spoke volumes of a fusion menu.

The sauce was a good balance of savoury thickened with cream.

Additions of capsicums and mixed mushrooms

countered the heaviness of red meat with cream.

Ample strips of striploin were used for this dish.

(pun totally intended :))

And i could finish up the entire portion of rice.

Thanks or no thanks, really, to the sauce.

And just on a side note,

He had an experimental day of wagyu beef (marbling score of 4/5) with rice.

6 slabs of meat all sold out in a day.

That's an affirmative definitely to be tested on the repeat.

And I'm sure he'd oblige if you made an advanced request. :)

The steady stream of customers till closing was heartening.

And pretty impressive especially since there was a western stall just a couple of stores away.

Then again, if the food was good.

Competition is always welcome. :)

Don't mistake this for pride.

It's Confidence.

Tucked away in a coffeeshop on everton park.

Drop in on the boss.

He's quietly humble.

And loves his food.

If he says that the lala broth tastes like prawn soup, feel free to disagree.

Tell him it tastes like clam broth!

Or buy him prawn noodles.

I'm doing that next time round.

Try it for yourself.

And if I hadn't said so,

I'll definitely be back for more. :)

Coming home to this baby put a smile on my face.

I love playing with you.

but not after my bath please?

7 years old, 49 in dog years.

You're a ripe old age but still every bit of that energetic sweetheart i've grown accustomed to.

:)

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! :)