Artisanal Afternoon–Tea Delights…….Singapore

Fretting what to offer your guests over an afternoon tea session? Here’s my suggestion that I have chanced upon a few days ago:

Fruit Egg Tarts: Banana Egg Tart & Durian Egg Tart

Egg custard is battered with fresh bananas, adorned with sliced bananas atop and half encased in a puff pastry crust which tastes slightly tart and not repulsive sweet. A refreshing fruity cum egg-creamy sensation!

For durian lovers, you can try the durian version. Fresh durian puree is added to compound with the egg custard, producing a good marriage redolent of durian as you bite a mouthpiece. A delectable durian delight!

SGD$1.60 per pc or SGD$5.50 for 4pcs

Wait, that’s not all. They have designed 2 new fruit-flavored pastries which resemble Teochew-style mooncakes encased in flaky crusts: Apricot and Tomato. The light-tan-colored flaky crust is crisp and the lotus paste filling is perfectly sweetened and moist with a dried apricot buried in the centre as the lead role. A new bespoke pastry!

Next, is the tomato flavor. I was expecting a tomato-based puree filling which you would have spread on top of a homemade pizza dough but I was wrong. And I am glad I was rightfully wrong! The crisp flaky crust is rose-pink-colored and contains lotus paste filling likewise. But this time round, you will find 2 preserved cherry tomatoes tucked inside. The preserved tomatoes taste sweet and piquant. Another bespoke pastry awaits you!

SGD$3.20 for a pair or SGD$1.80 per pc.

Currently, 8Tarts n Pastries have 4 outlets islandwide:

Causeway Point
1 Woodlands Square
#B1-K19
Singapore 738099
Tel: 68911008

Suntec City Mall
3 Temasek Boulevard
#B1-005B
Singapore 038983
Tel: 68357884

Tampines Mall
4 Tampines Central 5
#B1-K11
Singapore 529510
Tel: 67821972

Vivo City
1 Harbourfront Walk
#B2-K4
Singapore 098585
Tel: 62760915

Express Nyonya Fare in a Tingkat.......Singapore

TOP; Left to Right: Steamed Kai Lan, Assam Fish, Ayam Buah Keluak

BOTTOM; Left to Right: Beef Rendang, Chap Chye, Bakwan Kepeting Soup

Inquisitive pairs of eyes study our express Nyonya fare as we tuck into the warm tingkats (tiffin carriers). I used to be in their shoes whenever I walked past this open-concept eatery that has just started in a neighborhood mall. A 30-odd-seater Nyonya hash house outfitted with contemporary furnishings including a massive multi-purpose-counter occupying one third of the shop space serving as a cashier, menu billboard and kitchen. Pay and collect your food when you have chosen your Prix Fixe and you can also add on A la carte dishes if you want to; which we did for variety’s sake. The newly conceived dining concept reminisced the 1950-1960s when Singapore was still very eco-friendly and disposable lunchbox wasn’t brought into the dining scene yet.

  

Food here is kept warm in piping hot steamers with many tiers of storage drawers. Once your order is confirmed, the wait staff will use tongs to take out the pre-cooked tingkat-dishes. Prompt execution of service which saves both time and labor. In addition to walk-in throng, they cater to nearby office horde who desire to lunch-in with the tingkats.

  

At this moment, I personally feel that the dining concept is more inviting than the fare we have. The “Assam Fish” (Steamed fish in tamarind sauce) that arrives with our Prix Fixe unfortunately carries an unmentionable stench; the vegetables for “Chap Chye” (Nyonya-style Stewed Mixed Veg) & “Bakwan Kepeting Soup” (Clear Soup with Signature Meatballs & Bamboo Shoots) are uncouthly chopped which make it difficult for me to chew and enjoy without niggling about the soup spattering onto my top. Also pepper is dusted on our soups before our nods. (I am slightly allergic to pepper as it tends to irritate my throat) The “Ayam Buah Keluak” (Chicken with Buah Keluak, an Indonesian nut in tamarind sauce) comes drenched in an oleaginous gravy and each serving contains one and only precious Buah Keluak which can upset its avid fans. I wish the gravy could have more kick and I believe they are capable of doing better.

  

The “Hee Peow Soup” (Clear Soup with Fish Maw) is already sold out at 7pm on a Thursday evening; much to my disappointment. The second better choice, “Bakwan Kepeting Soup” tastes as good as my grandma’s cauldron. The secret, I guess, is the sprinkling of deep-fried minced garlic bits onto the soup which enhances the flavor, together with the homemade meatballs adding punch to its texture. The blanched “Kai Lan” is kept simple using their in-house sauce to drizzle atop but it tastes crunchily-delectable. The “Beef Rendang” (Beef in dried curry sauce), my fave of all tingkats consists of beef cubes smothered in a seasoned gravy which is definitely commendable.

  

There is still plenty of room for them to work on their food which should be accentuated while the dining concept continues to play a secondary role to its potential success. I hope my second visit, if affinity comes, will leave a deep impact to nod my head for the third one.

  

Where to locate: Tampines Mall, Tingkat Nyonya Express Dining, 4 Tampines Central 5, #B1-K21, Singapore 529510, Tel: 67838140

  

When to go: 11.30am – 9pm daily

  

What’s best liked: All Nyonya Fare are served in tingkats except the drinks; no more waiting for the Chef to heat up his wok

  

What’s least liked: Curious shoppers-by tend to stare at your tingkats, no desserts for the sweet tooth.

  

What’s the Price: SGD 8.90 for 1 Meat Choice + 1 Veg Choice + 1 Soup Choice & Steamed Rice or SGD 9.90 for 1 Seafood Choice + 1 Veg Choice + 1 Soup Choice & Steamed Rice. Add $1 for a drink if you order the Prix Fixe; A la carte dishes from SGD2.90-4.90

PS: The abovementioned eatery is not the same as posted on 20.09.11 under
       "my Dining Spree!"

“Super Cooler”…….Singapore

Fresh coconut strips atop a serving of coconut juice settling down on a base of wheatgrass concentrate. A novel cooling drink which puts my mind wandering that I am strolling along a white sandy beach in Ko Samui Island with my new romance and occasional balmy breezes blowing across our blushed faces on a hot languorous afternoon. The feeling is akin to the effects of drinking this Super Cooler; cooling and lovingly sweet at the same time. An innovative concoction between 2 different characteristic liquids; the coconut juice reminds you of the vast sea and the wheatgrass concentrate, the lush farm. As you muddle using the straw/spoon, you will agree it is indeed a Superb Cooler and makes an awesome dessert-drink as you sip the sweetness and savor the toothsome strips.

Where to locate: “Simpang Bedok”; Enak Enak Hongkong Tea House Pte Ltd, 342 Bedok Road (Bedok Shopping Complex) Singapore 469520, Tel: 62461211; Alfresco Dining

Who goes there: Late night supper-getters, local artistes, rich neighborhood

Price: SGD3.00 per serving

My 5Ss of Flavors

As the Lion City grows more affluent, people will inevitably hanker after the 5Cs commonly known as credit card, car, condominium, cash and country card membership. But for me, I desire only the 5Ss of flavors in my meals, and to me that is a luxury already. The 5Ss flavors consist of Sweet, Salty, Sour, Spicy and Smack, a distinctive flavor.

Being an avid lover of good food, I am constantly on the radar for awesome food news which eventually I will share with you all on my blog. A close friend just returned from Vietnam and passed me some local delights. One of which is this dish of 5Ss flavored, dried and sliced plums with a note of plummy smack. This is my first time tasting such delectable preserved fruits! I can’t even find something on par with it in Singapore…to my dismay.

If you happen to be in Da Lat City of Vietnam, do pay the night market a visit and discover more edible treasures! (If you also happen to know me, please bring me back a caddy of these 5Ss preserved plums!)