The Beauty Of Pandan.......

In my recent combat with a few detestable cockroaches which have been audaciously invading and settling down at my workstation, I discovered a ‘secret weapon’ online to counterattack them. This 'secret weapon' is a natural insect-repellant; safe to sniff and conveniently available; also a tropical plant that has long, slender blade-like leaves. As the leaves age, the fragrance will grow stronger and permeates the surrounding. Every morning when I walk into my office, I feel as if I have entered Pandan Valley, sniffing the welcoming lovely fragrance that bars the entry of my little crawling enemies.

This secret weapon is none other than Pandan, a quintessential ingredient in making cakes, kueh, desserts and even principal dishes such as curry. She for sure holds an important supporting role in Southeast Asian cuisine. Her fragrance has mesmerized me and recalled my past infatuation with her. Years ago, I was having a tea-break at an eatery and I got to imbibe a cup of Pandan tea. The taste was forever etched on my memory since then; an unforgettable calming and soothing fragrant cuppa.

To brew and imbibe the perfect cuppa; boil some water first. When the water starts boiling, decoct a bunch of fresh, clean pandan leaves into the pot/kettle. The more pandan leaves you decoct, the stronger the aroma. The decoction is a pale-light-greenish-syrupy liquid enriched with the goodness of Pandan.

Next, infuse an English tea bag (preferably Lipton Brand) into a cup of the decoction and steep for 1-2 minutes. (Do not steep for too long or the tea will overpower the fragrance) Finally, add sugar for a refined taste and enjoy this calming & soothing cuppa as you sip.

My Antidote Meal

A beautiful and slim Hong Kong friend once shared with me that a hearty meal will cheer her up. It is hard for me to decipher her doing especially when I know where she is coming from; she’s very health-conscious unlike me. But I couldn’t agree less with her.

Lately, I have discovered a killer combo meal which can instantly lift up my spirits. I called it my antidote - ‘Ayam Penyet with Nasi (Smashed Fried Chicken with White Rice) & a bowl of Sayur Asam (Sour Soup)’.

The quintessential relish for this meal, Sambal Belacan sets to ‘ignite’ your Indonesian Courses. To neutralize its hot, fiery spiciness; add Kecap Manis, a dark-colored sweet soy sauce. The sambal belacan teams up well with the crispy smashed deep-fried battered chicken and her side companions: deep fried beancurd and tempeh (fermented soybean cake).

The accomplice, Sayur Asam (Sour soup) is made up of peanuts, corn, white melon, long beans, white cabbage and tamarind. This wholesome bowl of vegetable soup gave me a well-needed dosage of zest as I slurped and savored.

One mouthful was spicy, piquant and crisp-well-salted and the next mouthful was sweet and tart as I indulged alternately between these 2 killer-dishes. I felt high akin to popping ecstasy and for the next hour or more, I felt blur, distant from my blues; a new discovery of food therapy for my soul. I believe this combo meal will be a favorite of Tom Yum Goong’s fans out there. (To check out my antidote meal, please visit www.ayampenyetria.com/home.html)

.......my recent dining spree in Singapore

Very often at interviews, you will be asked the question: “so, tell me more about yourself”. Hence, I decided to write more about myself but in the food aspect… If you have been following my posted articles, you will know that any interesting or out-of-the-market dining concept will capture my hands to pen it down online. Plus, any out-of-the-shop food item/window display will produce the same urge on me. Don’t get me wrong, I am not in the F&B industry or some genius marketing director. I am just very passionate about food and anything that associates with it. Just as a chef who revels in the satisfied look of the customer after a polished-off meal, so do I; I feel tremendous joy and encouragement when people devour my articles.

I shall start off rattling on my recent dining spree with different people. First, I had a fantastic evening of Italian Fare with a bosom friend and it created a beautiful memory stored up at my ‘CPU’. The aforesaid Italian dining experience was one that integrated its simply chic interior, dear pricing, meticulous service, extravagant produce and bona fide culinary art into a good package deal. Keep it up, Procacci!

Next, I visited an authentic French restaurant with this same bosom friend of mine. However, I was very disappointed with their produce. Take for an example, their famous Foie Gras, it tasted as if the goose had very serious body odour…very obliging for me to bite and swallow despite it being buttery smooth and ready to melt on my palate. I must admit the culinary skill was relatively good but the mediocre produce spoiled the signature dishes we ordered and hurt my pocketbook in the bargain. Food and dining are very subjective topics and separate issues too. For this case, unfortunately, the produce did not pair up well with the culinary skills.

It may not be an expensive meal or some sublime-interior restaurants to enrich your dining experience…Take for instance, I just recently visited a small-sized and affordably priced Indonesian Restaurant situated within a neighborhood mall. The ‘Ayam Penyet with Nasi - Smashed Fried Chicken with White Rice’ and a bowl of ‘Sayur Asam - Sour Soup‘ was a killer combo meal for me which I will mention more in the next post. Good food, good pricing and good location if you don’t mind the nose-to-tail seating arrangement!

In another dining episode, I was invited to an authentic Turkish restaurant for dinner (owned and cooked by Turks). The online reviews are good and strongly recommend this mid-end restaurant to foodies…But, to my dismay, both my companion and I did not enjoy the food and service. First, the food came and filled up our midget table. The wait staff did not bother to advise us on their serving portion and the food was served as if offered to the farm animals. The presentation was horrendous compared to my colleague’s recent Turkish meal pictures and lastly, we are not used to their style of cooking. Strangely though, we looked around and saw a few families of expatriates, not Turks, scattered around us and heartily tucking in. I guess this is what they called, ‘Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder’ but for this scenario, “Savory lies in the palate of the beholder”.

To sum it up, my other dining scene was at a Nyonya family-style restaurant accessibly located at a neighborhood mall. Again, food was reasonably priced; décor carries a note of Peranakan heritage. We tried the traditional dishes such as ‘Ayam Buah Keluak – chicken pieces stewed with keluak nuts and spices’, ‘Chap Chye – a stewed dish of mixed vegetables’ and etc…Maybe because I have tried better home-cooked authentic Nyonya dishes, I still prefer my preceding dining experience! I guess it could be because a commercial kitchen does not have the luxury of time to stew the dishes over a longer period to produce a more potent aroma and flavour. Certain dishes still do require the patience and time to achieve peak delectable results. I am sure, for this case, the Babas & Bibiks will agree with me.

Overall, I feel strongly that food needs to be cooked with passion and sincerity, I am sure the taster can feel it somehow or other; I will for sure!

PS: I shall not mention the names of mediocre restaurants; so no recommendation on them!

If it’s your birthday today.......

How would you celebrate? Well, head down to any Fish & Co restaurant and order a fishy meal, followed by making a birthday song dedication. The wait staff will double up as a choir, gather around your dining table and be more than willing to sing you a birthday song using their loud, angelic voices. On top of that, upon flashing your identity card, you get a 10% discount off your entire bill + a complimentary dessert and fishy surprise.

For once, I see another benefit of carrying my identity card; it serves as a discount card too. How I wish that identity card of mine carries the same function as a cash card and I can shop for free on my birthday!

Or you may want to proceed to any Swensen’s outlet and flash your identity card to receive a complimentary “Firehouse Happy Birthday” ice-cream sundae set aflame. It has been an unspoken tradition of Swensen’s for years to encourage diners on their birthdays.

Remember it’s your birthday and lots of people out there want to be part of your celebration too. I applaud these restaurateurs for going the extra mile in their marketing promotions to make us, the customers, feel special. Perhaps, this is also what they want to achieve, brand loyalty!

If you know of any unique or extraordinary birthday promotions (for non-members), please do share with me/us!

*Abovementioned birthday promotions do not require membership!

Grape Juice in a Wine Bottle - 187ml

Vines Juice, an Australian Co has decided to embark its retail business in Fairprice Finest Stores, Singapore for a sprightly start.

Renowned Australian red & white vines are cultivated to produce high-nutrition-valued juices that are stringently processed under cold water high pressure to retain 85% of vitamins; which resulted in its natural sweetness and color. (For your info: the richer the color, the higher the content of flavonoids and antioxidants are stored.)

The White Grape Juice opens with a grapey aroma and hints of Gordo grapes aka Muscat grapes. Likewise for the Red Grape Juice, but with hints of Cabernet Sauvignon grapes that will remind you of the majestic vines ripening in clusters. Both juices carry a fragrant, lusciously sweet finish; delighting the palate and pair up well with exotic, spicy cuisine in my humble opinion.

You can also try converting it into a refreshing summer sparkling grape juice drink by mixing appropriate volume of iced soda water or adding vodka to concoct it into an impromptu cocktail to toast with your fellow epicureans.

Now you know how to live it up better and drink at your heart’s content, CHEERS!

I Feel Like Having Fried Chicken Today!

Yes, bone-licking-good fried chicken that urged me to swiftly grab my pocketbook and head down to City Plaza after work. Tucked away at a corner on the second floor, within meters, you can smell the enticing aroma emitting from Arnold’s flagship store.

The evening had barely reached 6 o’clock and hordes of hungry, half-filled diners were already seated down feasting on their prized chicken. I sat down promptly and obediently once my queue number was called. Not long, my 2-pc meal was served before my roving eyes.

Blistering hot, heavenly-seasoned and battered, crispy skin; tender-rich, scrumptious chicken meat which I could not resist moving all my ten fingers over them. For a split second, I suspected they were secretly rearing the fowl behind the kitchen and the crew was doubling up as farmers! Where on earth did they get their unbelievably fresh produce?

Shortly, I gave up some attention to the fries which whetted my appetite further with their lightly-salted buttery crunch and also, their perfect size and texture. They were neither too thin nor too thick unlike some fries 'in the market'. The supporting contorno, coleslaw was finely chopped and freshly concocted in their special in-house mayonnaise.

Bravo, superb dinner for me! You can topped off your meal with a classic banana split or a local ice-kachang delight. But I did not, instead I chose a household beverage, Milo topped with whipped cream. That evening, I reached home feeling bliss and re-charged for the next day as my desire was simply fulfilled…

      ( For more info, check out www.arnoldsfriedchicken.com/ )

Chef Daniele Devillanova’s Creation ……. Procacci, Singapore

“Wagyu Beef Carpaccio served with black Truffles & Rocket Salad” Paper-thin sliced raw Wagyu Beef teamed with fresh rocket leaves and premium black truffle shavings; drizzled with a dash of olive oil. An authentic antipasto that kick started my Italian gastronomy and I believed it wouldn’t have succeeded without the involvement of luxury ingredients.

A perfect serve of “Maltagliati with homemade Kurobuta Pork Sausages & Porcini Mushrooms in light cream.” A tasty and filling medley of pasta, pork and mushrooms buried in light creamy sauce; pasta is cooked in ‘Al dente’ style which explained its resilience.

A light, velvety-smooth “Panna Cotta Vanilla flavored with Berry Coulis” which cleared my throat and topped off my Italian Fare for that evening!

What’s more, I enjoyed the freemasonry of my lovely companion and some in-between schmooze with the Restaurant Manager and Chef Daniele.

Chef Daniele was sharing with me that he strongly believes food is not only served well (in terms of culinary & presentation), they must also feed us the right nutrition. I agreed wholeheartedly with him, because at the end of the day, we are what we eat, after all!

(For more info, visit http://www.procacci1885.it/)