Wednesday 30 May 2012

Sweet And Savoury Rice Dumplings From Din Tai Fung

To celebrate the coming Dragon Boat Festival(端午节), Din Tai Fung(鼎泰丰) has introduce a new fragrant and succulent Rice Dumpling with Flavoured Pork(五香肉粽) as well as their popular Red Bean Rice Dumpling(豆沙粽) which will be available at all Din Tai Fung restaurants from 04 - 23 June 2012.

With just pork and Taiwan pearl rice as it's main ingredients, this new Din Tai Fung's "Rice Dumpling with Flavoured Pork" has do away with our local dumpling fillings such as "salted egg, mushroom, chestnuts and etc", emphasising the taste and texture of only two simple ingredients.

The flavoured pork is marinated for 2 hours using their secrete marinade before wrapping together with the pearl rice using Taiwan bamboo leaves which allowing the rice to adsorb the fragrance of the leaves and tender pork in order to create heavenly aroma and flavour in each bite.

Price:
~ S$5.50 per dumpling at Marina Bay Sands and Resorts World Sentosa;
~ S$5.30 per dumpling at all other Din Tai Fung outlets.


For your information, their popular Red Bean Rice Dumpling(豆沙粽) is specially air-flown from Taiwan. It is made using top grade Taiwan pearl rice together with generous filling of fragrant red bean paste in a pillow-shaped. As someone with sweet-tooth this is definitely one of the dessert to order for tea-time snack.

Price:
~ S$5.00 per dumpling at Marina Bay Sands and Resorts World Sentosa;
~ S$4.80 per dumpling at all other Din Tai Fung outlets.


DBS/POSB Card Members' Special

Between 04 - 30 June 2012, DBS/POSB Credit and Debit Cardmembers can enjoy a complimentary Red Bean Rice Dumpling with a minimum spending of S$70.00, while members of the public can enjoy a complimentary Red Bean Rice Dumpling with a minimum spending of S$80.00


Lastly I would like to thank Din Tai Fung and Leen from Touch Communications for the above.


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Saturday 26 May 2012

The Good Life iPhone App From Standard Chartered Bank

As one of the cardholders from Standard Chartered Bank, I am delighted to know that they have offers "The Good Life" exclusively to its credit and debit cardholders, with over 1,000 great deals, ranging from dining to shopping, travel and lifestyle, island-wide every day.

Simply locate the "The Good Life" iPhone Apps by Standard Chartered Bank from the App Store by doing a search through the search menu or look under the "Finance" Category. For your information this Apps is compatible with iPhone, iPod touch and iPad with iOS 4.0 or later.

From the App "Home" screen, you can browse in five different categories such as "Coupon, Deal, Nearest To Me(meaning deals or discounts nearest to your current location), Categories(dining, rest and relax, retail) and Search" according to your preference.

As you can see from the above, Coupons are valid for certain numbers of days shown on each link. And since it is only for one-time usage, redeem only when you are ready to use it together with your Standard Chartered Credit or Debit Card.

The Good Life iPhone app also makes it easy for cardholders to locate ongoing promotions at their favourite dining, retail and lifestyle establishments through their mobile phone instead of the monthly information booklet in hard-copy form.

Here with the new iPhone app, cardholders like me can search for deals which is available near my location or through category, merchant name or keyword as well as favourite the "stores or deals" by adding them to into my “Favourites” tab.

Cardholders can also share the deals and coupons with friends and family via Facebook, Twitter, Email or SMS(short message send).

On top of the above, the app’s new “I Free Monday” coupons also allow cardholders to receive a free item from outlets such as McDonalds where a Free a la carte Filet-O-Fish can be redeemed. Other partners include Swensen’s, Starbucks and Marble Slab Creamery – that’s 32 Happy Mondays till the end of the year. So keep a look out every "Monday" for the special deal.

Note:-
~ Some of the related photos used are credited to Standard Chartered Bank.



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Friday 25 May 2012

Hearty Meal With The Family @ Swensen's

Swensen's, a household name in Singapore has bought many memories to me and my family over the years. I remember during my school days, I used to visit Swensen's with my classmates to enjoy their ice-creams and food during weekends gathering where we often share the "Huge" Earthquake ice-cream together.

Recently, Swensen's has just revamped their menu with new and exciting treats such as Spiced King Prawns and Chips, Laksa Aglio Olio with King Prawns, Crabmeat Fried Rice and etc. Here we have ordered the "Laksa Aglio Olio with King Prawns" shown above as I am curious with this East And West fusion taste. The al dente pasta is infused with Laksa flavored pesto, chilli padi and served with succulent king prawns which gives us a Wow!

{S$5.00 Top Up} With additional $5.00 top-up to any Main Course, we can enjoy additional soup of day which I always look forward to, a complimentary hot/cold beverage plus a scoop of ice-cream of our choice to end the meal.

For starter we order Ocean Crunch Salad with served with fresh greens topped with fish bites, calamari, breaded shrimps and refreshing pineapple BBQ dressing.

This Black Pepper Seafood Pasta is one of my mum's favourite pasta from Swensen's. She loves the taste and fragrant of their black pepper sauce which is not too spicy, salty or neither overpowering the overall taste of the dish. I would recommend this if you are a fan of black pepper sauce.

Although Chicken Baked Rice is always on my ordering list, but that day I have a craving of trying their Beef Stroganoff Baked Rice which served in chunky beef slices that saute in onion and brown sauce. Although the sauce is a bit too rich and salty towards my liking but overall it still quiet a good try. 

My boy's Fish Nuggets with Star Munchy And Sweetcorn kid's meal set which he often order serve with either cold Milo or Apple juice. A plus point for kid's meal is although it is deep-fried but for the few occasions that we ordered it is always nicely done without drip/trace of oil on the nuggets or munchy.

*Note:
All photos in this post is taken with my iphone as this is a leisure family meal.


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Thursday 24 May 2012

Feet Haven Reflexology @ East Coast Road

Take a moment to rest your feet with a soothing massage can be a powerful brief solution to loosen the nerves in the leg. Recently I have visited "Feet Haven Reflexology" which is a premier foot reflexology spa located at 136 East Coast Road (about 5 - 7 minutes walk away from the new 112 Katong Shopping Mall). And since my brother and his friend are regular customers who shared good feedback about their services, I decided to join them for a session too.

{Luxurious Ambiance} Feet Haven has established in April 2011 and customers can choose from its many services such as Foot, Shoulder and Neck or Body massage to cater for individual needs and preferences. Upon entering the shop, I am captured by its luxurious ambiance, calming fragrance and soothing music as well as their friendly greeters. And the place give me a very smooth and relaxing feeling which I am comfortable with.

{Plus Points} There are also some cards with words like ‘I like it hard’,’ Soft touches’,’ moderate please’, ‘Silence is golden,’ ‘I don’t mind small talk’’ extended to customers where we could pick  our preference for the level of strength and whether we wish to be disturbed during the massage. And on top of that,  all customers also gets to enjoy free flow of hot tea or Pineapple juice of their choice during the massage session.

{Skillful Masseurs} From a glance and a friendly chat with the person in-charge, it is said the company has a hire local and senior policy, where seniors and locals are given priority when recruiting masseurs and these masseurs are very experience in their skills which received much praises and good feedback from customers. I, myself has experience the before and after effect from this foot reflexology massage as I could feel the different and changes in my body, as in my gastric and aching problem shows improvement after the session.

Feet Haven Reflexology
136 East Coast Road
#01-01 Singapore 428821
Telephone: 6344 7311
Website: www.feethaven.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/FeetHaven

Opening Hours:
Sunday to Thursday: 12 noon - 10.00pm;
Friday to Saturday: 12 noon - 11.00pm

Prices:
Feet Haven Basic Foot: S$28.00 / 45 minutes session
Feet Haven Shiok Basic Blend: S$38.00 / 60 minutes session
For more other prices, discount or packages, please refer to their website for more details.


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Tuesday 15 May 2012

Tastes Of Penang At Sentosa

Tastes of Penang is the first of Sentosa's 40th anniversary food events to be held by the sea. And for the ongoing 11 days event, patrons can enjoy buffet spread and live cooking stations of Penang hawker favourites and scrumptious home-style dishes such as Char Mui(fried porridge), Char Hum(fried cockles), Nasi Kander and etc by a team of expert Penang chefs, who cook these authentic dishes that are not commonly found in Singapore.


TASTES OF PENANG AT SENTOSA


For appetizer, we start off with "Fruit Rojak" which consists chunks of fresh fruits such as pineapple and rose apple together with cucumber, stuffed beancurd puff and etc mixed with their special spicy sauce and generous amount of crashed peanuts. Just a note, this Penang style fruit rojak does not contain the usually "shrimp paste" like we we had in Singapore.

At the buffet spread you can find two different flavour of Char Hum(fried cockles) such as the Penang sweet version vs the Singapore spicy choice.

First we have Char Hum (fried cockles) with sweet sauce from Penang which is something new to me as I have never eaten cockles prepared in such manner before. The sauce is quiet tasty and it blends well with the fresh cockles to brings out it's flavour. Moreover these cockles are all opened so as to make it more convenience for everyone to consume.

Although the "sweet" version taste good with the extra nutty flavour from the crashed peanuts but we still preferred the "spicy" version where deep-fried pork lard and curry leaves are added to enhance the flavour.

Lok Bak or also known as "Ngo Hiang" (which we are more familiar) is made with mixture of minced and chunk of meat together with five-spice powder instead of minced meat, prawn, water chestnut, yam or etc that we used to eat in Singapore.

Char Mui (fried porridge) is one of the "unique" dish which is hard to find in Penang nowadays. This dish is made with some prawns, meats, dried cuttlefish, black soy sauce together with porridge and etc. The mixture is then "stir-fry" until thicken and fully absorbed the flavour from the cuttlefish and the rest of the ingredients before loading it with lots of chives (ku chai) and serve hot. Emmm perhaps I can try to replicate this at home.

Penang Bak Kut Teh  has a fragrant Chinese herbal broth that goes together with some Pork ribs, Pork Belly and black mushrooms . Each mouthful of the soup leaves your mouth lingering with the aroma from the nourishing herbs like dang gui and yuzhu. Personally I enjoyed the taste of this soup which is not very peppery as compared to some that I have tried.

Penang Hokkien Mee (Prawn Noodle Soup) has a flavorsome broth which simmer with pork ribs, prawn shells, prawn heads and etc. The bowl of noodle soup usually consists of prawn, sliced pork, kang kong(Chinese spinach), hard-boiled egg and yellow noodle served with generous amount of broth and topped with some crispy deep-fried pork lard.

Penang Char Kway Teow is a "must try" because it is individually fried upon order to maintain the taste and quality of each serving. We simply love this especially it's fragrant "wok hei" plus the thin rice smooth noodles which infused the flavour of the cockles, prawn and egg, definitely this has won our votes for second helping.

Nasi Kandar is a popular northern Malaysian dish which originates from Penang. It consists of steamed rice which served with a variety of curries and side dishes. Although I prefer to have individual dishes separated from the rice but the idea of eating this in a new way indeed surprised me with his unique combination of flavours when everything is mixed up before consuming. Somehow or rather it gives me a thought like eating "bibimbap" using different ingredients.

Above are some of the side dishes for the Nasi Kandar where you can see:- Sambal Fish, Udang Sambal, Spicy Cabbage, Curry Brinjal and etc.

Penang Assam Laksa has a bit different taste which is a little more spicy and sourish than those sold in Singapore. No wonder the Chef suggest that I should only eat this as the last dish so that it would not affect the taste apart from the rest of the dishes.



DESSERT AND BEVERAGE



Chendol is a very delicate and fragrant dessert which served with shaved ice and drizzled of Gula Melaka(coconut sweet) syrup and coconut milk. According to the chef, the Chendol strips used are imported from Penang instead of the usual darker colour chendol strips used in Singapore. Over the taste is quite but I would prefer less coconut milk so that I could enjoy the unique taste of the gula melaka syrup.

So excited to spot "Durian Pengat" at their dessert counter and I find this year's pengat is much better and stronger in taste compared to what I had last year during "The Ultimate Crab & Durian Buffet @ Sentosa Boardwalk".

Nothing fancy about these Assorted Nonya Kueh so you can left this out if you are too full for any dessert.

This is my favourite cooling drinks which I often grab from my market fruits' stall. To me, nothing beats some cold fresh coconut juice to quench your thirst during warm weather. And also this works well for the body while we gets to enjoy the spicy and strong flavour from the Penang food. Other than the refreshing juice, there are also some wobble jelly in it which makes you go "crazy" to scoop more and more, perhaps you might even go for a second order as this is definitely a refreshing drink.

For more photos related to the "Tastes of Penang At Sentosa" you can click on the facebook link HERE. Lastly I would like to thank Lisa from Sentosa Leisure Group for the tasting invites.


TASTES OF PENANG
Date: 10 - 20 May 2012
Time: 6pm - 11pm (Mon- Thu), 4pm to 11pm (Fri - Sun)
Venue: Tastes of Asia, Level 2 (near Beach Station)

Price: S$42.90++ per adult; S$19.90++ per child (5 to 11 years old)
(Includes admission to Images of Singapore and complimentary parking at Beach Station. Sentosa Island Admission charges apply.)

For reservations, call 6279 1767 or email carla_cardona@sentosa.com.sg.


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Friday 4 May 2012

Seafood Galore at Plaza Brasserie

For this coming Mother's Day you can make your mum feel special by treating her a sumptuous seafood spread on either lunch/dinner at Plaza Brasserie (Park Royal, Beach Road) from 12 - 13 May 2012. And on top of the wide range of buffet spread, each mum also gets to enjoy a complimentary glass of cocktail or mocktail on the two mentioned dates.


SEAFOOD GALORE


Good News! For your information, Plaza Brasserie's popular Seafood Galore buffet is back from 01 May to 30 June 2012 in conjunction for the celebration of Mother's and Father's day. And to whet your appetite, Savour Executive Chef, Jackson Goh's signature dishes such as deep-fried prawns with garlic sauce, claypot braised fish head, alongside an array of fresh oysters, shellfish, chilli crab and baked whole salmon will be on the ordering menu on top of the usual buffet spread.

From Mondays to Thursdays:-
pair your selection of fresh fish with a preferred sauce and allow their chefs to whip up your dish.

Sweet and Sour fish is always one of the popular dishes among kids and adults due to its crispy deep-fried texture plus sweet and savoury sauce which makes it a great pair.

Cantonese Style Steamed Fish with Soy Sauce is definitely something on your ordering list for mum and dad to enjoy.

But out of the 3 "fish" dishes we had that day, I personally preferred the Braised Fish Head With Yam which consists of most of my favourite ingredients such as Yam, Chestnut, Button Mushrooms and etc. And I am sure both mum and dad or anyone in the family would loves this dish to bits.

As From Fridays to Sundays:-
You can indulge in the 'Crustacean Selections', ranging from bamboo clams to juicy crabs prepared in your favourite choice of sauce.

This Cereal Prawns is sure to be on the "Must" order list where you can find dish, you can find big and fresh succulent prawns hiding below a pool of crispy and fragrant fried cereal. Each prawn taste so juicy and crunchy especially with the combination of those delicious fried cereal.  

Although I am not a fan of "shellfish" but this Stir-fried Bamboo Clam and Lala has indeed bought up my attention with its natural sea flavours, sweetness and some extra spices to lighten up this dish.



PREVIEW OF WHAT'S ON THE BUFFET SPREAD


Bread and Salad Counters:- I guess most of you would prefers to start off the buffet by having some refreshing salads, bread or cheese before the main course comes into picture. 

Like all other buffet spread, this one at Plaza Brasserie also consists of both hot and cold stations where you get to enjoy their signature "Soft Shell Crab with Tobiko Mayo", "Braised Sea Cucumber". "Chicken Rice", "Fruit Rojak", "Fresh Seafood on Ice" and etc.

Dessert Counter:-  Provide a range of Western and Local dessert such as Mango Pudding, Mini Pancakes,  Chocolate Mousse(Must Try!), Fresh Cut Fruits and Daily Tong Shui like; Cheng Tng, Sesame Tang Yuan, Tau Suan and etc.


WHAT'S ON MY PLATE!




At the Chef's cooking station, you pick up your desire choice of freshly made Roti Prata from the wide varieties such as Chocolate, Durian, Egg, Onion, Plain and etc. But if you love Durian like me, you must try their Durian Prata which consists of "real" durian pulp in between those flashy skin.

Something Extra!

CARROT CAKE
(Not included in the buffet spread)


This is something extra apart from the buffet spread that we are having. Indeed Park Royal has a very unique Carrot Cake that is rich and moist in taste plus it is full of grated carrot and toasted nuts in between each layer of smooth and silky sweet cream cheese frosting.{Must Try!}


SEAFOOD GALORE @ PLAZA BRASSERIE


Mondays to Sundays (excluding the following dates)
Dinner Adult: S$52.00++            Child: S$31.00++(4 to 12 years old)


Mother's Day Special
12 and 13 May 2012
Lunch
Adult: S$58.00++          Child: S$35.00++(4 to 12 years old)
Dinner 
Adult: S$58.00++          Child: S$35.00++(4 to 12 years old)


Father's Day Special
16 and 17 June 2012
High Tea
Adult: S$42.00++           Child: S$25.00++(4 to 12 years old)
Dinner
Adult: S$55.00++           Child S$33.00++(4 to 12 years old)

For enquiries and reservations, please call 6505 5710 or email fb.prsin@parkroyalhotels.com


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Latest Kitchen Updates @ Cuisine Paradise


Click on the above photos or HERE for more kitchen pantry ideas.