Canele @ Paragon

All by the same chef, all with the same black theme, all the same rich goodness.
Fortunately for occasional sweet tooth, the availability of great pastries are just a departmental store escalator away. Tucked in a little nook in the basement of the uptown and posh Paragon, is Chef Pang's second (or is it 3rd?)Canele made available to the focus shopper and leisurely tai tai.

Getting a little bored of macaroons, we thought we would try something different. If you insist on variety, then make sure you come early because at 9pm, you don't really get that many choices as you would at his flagship at Robertson Quay. I for one, never get my L'armour here.. unless I am really lucky... or really really early. So we settled for a passionfruit macaroon and the Le Royale.

The minute we sat down and took a browse through the menu, we decide to give his other desserts a try. We took a leap of faith and went with the recommended - Nougatine - and a nice pot of peppermint tea to wash it all down.
The macaroon was good as expected, but I suppose that's an acquired taste opinion considering Q gave a face when I insisted she try it. She preferred the Le Royale, but after 2 delicate bites, I gave up. Way too rich for my liking. The crunchy biscuit base and the hazelnut feullitine was really nice but the combination of such plus chocolate mousse in tow, my choco-sweetness threshold was very quickly reached.

Apart from being a work of art, the nougatine wasn't too bad either. I'm sure Chef Pang makes his own ice-cream. The praline ice-cream had the perfect finish, not too sweet and just the right sticky texture and creaminess. The hazelnut nougatine and salty caramel was just the yummy icing on the dessert.
Canele still tops my list of to-go-dessert-fixers. I wonder how their newly-opened Raffles City branch is doing, with staples and soups joining their after-meal pals in their black menus jackets. Looks like Chef Pang is doing well and it always makes me happy to see talented chefs stay employed...That means my cravings get satisfied!!

Paragon, #B1-25

290 Orchard Road, Singapore 238859

Raffles City Shopping Centre, #B1-81/82

252 North Bridge Road, Singapore 179103

Bonta Updated

It's been awhile since we went back to Bonta. And we were really glad to see that they were starting to pack in the diners. I love their food, their excellent warm service and their Mojitos in Riedel glasses I have observed a neat record of overturning twice, and I would want for them to pack in the crowds to keep their doors open.

Having to make reservations is a hassle I am certainly prepared to live with in order to get my creamy yummy foie gras ravioli and lobster angel hair pasta.

We did away with the scallop appetisers this time, and went with the recommended freshly available tiger prawns, and a tenderloin steak. I of course insisted on my ravioli as well. I normally wouldn't request for the kitchen to potion our mains because the mains came out cold once and we didn't enjoy our dinner much. But C, our warm and ever smiling waiter promised, his way, it will definitely come out split conveniently for us and piping hot.

Well splitting the portions meant I got an extra ravioli and a generous serving of the yummy cheesy truffle sauce. So of course I was happy. It's absolutely heart-stopping and totally sinful, but I lurve it!

The tenderloin was a perfect pink, well done in our requested medium rare. Juicy and oozing with the flavours of char-grilled meats.

As expected, a regular visit to Bonta always leaves us sedated with pleasure and smiling because it's another enjoyable dinner. And no wonder, it still ranks as my top favourite restuarants when it comes to Italian.

ToMo Revisited - and It's still GOOD

Yes, we revisited. Just 4 days shy of returning from our wonderland of sushi and tuna bellies, we braved the danger of overkill and made reservations with Chef Tomas to celebrate Sis L's birthday and our 2nd wedding anniversary.


Dinner commenced with a refreshing light salad. I always fear offending the chef when I am here. So despite my meat-asaurus instincts, I forced myself to take a leaf. To my surprise, it's actually quite nice. With a tangy of refreshing vinaigrette, the rocket was quite appetising.

Next was a generous serving of salmon roe (ikura). Served cold, these little ball bearings burst to spill a cool oily-salty roe..Nice, but a little too hard-core for me. The rest liked it though, only sis L and I had to stop after 2 or 3 mouths.



The next sight was inviting - our yummy sashimi platter! After the educational trips to sushi bars in Japanese, I could at least identify a few of the fish and sashimi. The scallop and uni were obvious, the mackerel was also easy to identify, for obvious 'avoidance' reasons. The otoro, arkshell, white fish and yellow tail were thanks to the many "show-and-eat" sessions in Tokyo.

The king crab made an encore appearance tonight. Of course with B around, we always have entertainment.

The next dish was a grilled tiger prawn with a really nice dressing that I can't put my finger on. It kinda tastes like miso but yet it seem to also possess a distinct cheese taste. Either way, it was again too tempting to resist so I went for it. Don't know if it's because it's the tiger of prawns, but after 2 juicy bites, I had to grudgingly surrender it to hubby again. The tingling itch of my allergy was starting to creep up.

Then cousin J ordered some bamboo clams and sushi. He said he never really had cooked food at Tomas' because he loved his seat at the counter and his usual - "sushi parade"- he calls it. Where his sushi come out one by one on to the personal wooden platform after being 'dressed' by David, the sushi chef.

As good as I recalled the sashimi, the sushi reiterated the memories. G and I are definitely coming back to try out the sushi parade, that's for sure.


Tomo Fine Dinning
6 Raffles Boulevard #02-03
Marina Square
Singapore 039594
Tel: 6338 4486

Reee-Li-Sh That Thought


Call me a silly goose for having occasional cravings for a good solid burger and crispy french fries but every once in a while, a girl must have her good beef patty fix. I wonder how convenient that is, considering just days ago, I had read on Chubby Hubby's that his pal Willin Low from Wild Rocket and Wild Oats had opened a higher-class burger joint along Bukit Timah.


I'll say, smart move on the location. Where better to open a burger shop then a place flocking with...ahem..expats with just that penchant for this 'cuisine'. To drive that message home further, he even recommends the perfect beer to go with his different burgers. Beer and Burgers...hmm, need we say more?


I was rebellious though, I ordered the curry chicken burger but refused to go for any beer other then the pink killer. I'm no beer gal, I shamelessly admit I only like cocktails and fruity mixers. So any beer with a sweet, fruitier taste, I like. This one's got grapefruit. Hubby, went with the safe recommended Sapporo with his order of the Ramley burger.


Our burgers came with the requested side of home-made onion rings and french fries to share.
The onion rings are superb. I hate those kinds of onion rings that are stringy un-bitable and literal 'onion' rings. Fortunately these were nothing like that. They were crispy and lightly battered, and tasted really good and enjoyable.

The burgers took about 10 mins to be served and probably a look at the meat patty will explain
why. A definite full-inch thick, this was one solid chicken patty not to mess with! Got substance that's for sure. The bread was lightly toasted and the vegetables were crispy and definitely fresh. The curry-mayonnaise dressing was sufficient to provide the flavour although I wouldn't have minded a sloppy one where the curry just oozes out with every bite.


Hubby's Ramley was fairly predictable. The patty came wrapped in a swathing omelet blanket dressed decently in thai-sweet chili sauce. The patty was just how we like our meats - medium rare.


With a 11/2 inch patty, we really had to get our hands dirty and messy for this one. Now that's what I'm talking about. Juicy and messy!



The french fries were decent too. I much prefer skinny and crispy fries but as long as they are well fried and adequately salted, they taste good too.


Hubby waiting patiently for me to finish my trigger-happy moment.

So when we were done and licking our fingers clean, we discussed our take on this new venture. We both came to the same conclusion. It's a definite good burger. The meat is prime, the sides were essential and came out fulfilling all expectations. BUT. Here comes the key question - will I come back again?

If its for a regular burger fix, probably not. $20 is a rather extravagant price to pay. But if it's a really good kick-XX burger I am craving for, I'll say.. go for it. We'll probably be back. Not too soon, but we'll probably be back.

Relish
#02-01 Cluny Court (next to Serene Centre)
501 Bukit Timah Road
Singapore 259760
Tel: 67631547

Save that Macaron!

To be honest, I was rather excited when Macaroon first opened their dining doors last year. I had heard quite a bit about Chef Pang’s cooking and his bizarre ideas for the interesting and fusion. So why did I wait so long to brave beyond the quiet white doors?

Well for starters, I had the impression they were a dessert theme restaurant. So the first time, E and I went after dinner. By then, it was seriously too late to correct the mistake. So it was Canele’s for our sugar rush and digestive teas.

The second time round, I was distracted by Bonta – my all time favourite Italian restaurant who introduced me to my discovered love for foie gras and truffle and great warm service. So again, we sheepishly avoided the overzealous waiters and zipped, hopefully unnoticed, into Canele’s again at the end of the night.

So finally, one Thursday evening, we were determined, we were going in…
Regrettably, I found out that they were struggling to stay open. Business wasn’t good (we were the only patrons the entire night) and the place really felt cold and unfriendly because of the dim and spartan interior.




So, by the end of last year, they will decide the fate of macaroon.

Hardcore Foodies out there, and people who like ambience and nice dining places to frequent on lazy quiet nights; do help to show your support to Chef Pang and the gang. The food is good!
Help the cause to keep good food on their menus, visit Macaroon today.


Between my dining companion and I, we shared a Mentaiko pasta and two main courses – Braised Veal Cheeks and the Duck Breast in a Chocolate sauce.

The Mentaiko Pasta was a very generous portion. Served with fresh greens, the pasta was moist and the mentaiko, sufficient. Because June had previously made this wonderful Italian-Jap creation for us, we already knew what to expect and anticipations was met. For most people who have never heard of mentaiko (a type of roe), let alone mentaiko pasta, you must give this a try. It's not something for the faint-hearted and its not overly greasy or heavy. Although, if you nibble like baby chicks, you might want to order to share.



The veal cheek and duck breast, are probably more heard of dishes.


But I must qualify: the beef cheek is probably one of the softest veal cheeks I have ever had. The meat was so soft but yet firm and springy to the chew. And every piece tears away from the chunk so easily.


The duck breast, was a little on the dry side. But the novel way of serving the bird with roast hazelnuts and chocolate sauce more then made up for that over-sight. Kind of queer having chocolate with duck (a quip remark from an unapologetic chocolate fanatic..) but the chocolate wasn't an overbearing sweet milk chocolate but a light chocolate flavour to compliment. Quite yummy and interesting I would say.


Ironically, we didnt stay for dessert. Maybe also cos I didn't observe any macaroons within the dessert selection. Given my penchant for macaroons, I would probably opt for dessert next door where you can get your hands on a range of exquisite and tasty cakes as well and a selection of freshly brewed tea to slide dinner down just beautifully.

Macaron
11 Unity Street, #01-09
Robertson Walk
Tel: 62357277
Closed on Mondays

New Year's Eve @ Le Papillon

New Year's Eve was really nice and simple this year. June told us that Anderson Ho was having a special menu for the evening and asked if we would like to support him for dinner. The thought of a quiet evening ushering in the New Year with loved ones and great food sounded absolutely appealing. No crowds, no cover, no 1-hour-long queues out of carparks after countdown...sounds good.


Dinner was an unabashed interesting seven-course meal. Each course reading off unique and demanding of attention. I was looking forward to the evening. During our last visit to Le Papillon Chef Anderson left only beautiful memories with his Rigatoni Pasta, Foie gras with apple reduction, escargot and dessert to name just a few. I was excited to see more and after the first course, it was clearly the case I would be.


Our amuse bouche was a warm smoked salmon with cucumber-yogurt cream. Unlike the usual smoked salmon out of the packet, his was a generous chunky slice of salmon, lightly smoked to provide the smoky flavour but not too much to shield how fresh the fish was. The yogurt and cucumber provided the right light balance to the rich oiliness.

Next was our seafood appetiser. I was abit iffy about it initially because I couldn't take prawns and I really didn't want to have to miss out on something that has pumpkin! Well I allowed myself half a prawn till I felt the allergy creep in to hubby's benefit. The scallop center piece was fresh and juicy with a crisp prosciutto ham to add a little more dept to flavour. The butternut squash puree was yummy, sweet and smooth as expected. Quite enjoyed though I couldn't eat much.

Soup was next on the menu. A duck consomme with a foie gras salad. The foie gras was served before the light broth was poured to skirt and complete the dish. The soup was tasty yet light to neutralize the greasy duck liver. Seared lightly, a light tease and the crisp skin would give way easily to a smooth fatty bite of goodness.

On a personal note, the meal just got better. I was pretty stuffed before the hearty main course arrived. But a look at the black Angus beef tenderloin and it was heck it all! The meat was unbelievably soft. The knife cut through the medium rare meat like hot butter. And the tenderloin was done well - medium rare, and tasted every bit like sheer beefy goodness. And I thought only Wagyu could achieve such soft juiciness. The truffle infused bed of mash potato was also invitingly good to a full stomach.

Next, was probably my favourite dish (and hence self-permission to post 2 pictures of!) from the whole dinner.

Actually I honestly don't know why it's my favourite. The ingredients are simple and its definitely not one of the main courses. No cooking was needed to evaluate based on cooking expertise. But I fell in love with this cheese mid-dinner snack and find myself reminiscing about this yummy combination every now and then so often. Chef Ho stacked three wafer biscuits artistically on top of each other, using just enough a dollop of truffle-mascarphone cheese to hold the structure together at each wafer intersection. He finishes off with truffle oil drizzling and toasted hazelnuts. Deceptive...how a simple pairing of the basic crispy wafer and creamy cheese oozing with truffle flavour could be so utterly enjoyable.

And for dessert, the decadence kills us all...before the new year starts!!
Its a peanut parfait on a rice crisp crunch accompained by Varlhona chocolate ice cream.
A little too rich for me, although everything was good.

Finally, the last of the sweets came and left, selection of coffee or tea made and mid-night was still another sleepy hour and half to go. The pub next door played good old retro music loud enough to provide some for us at the comforts of our tables. Rounds of wine later, we ushered in the 2008 with family and loved ones.

Happy New Year everyone! May 2008 be better for some of us, Great for the rest!!

Merry Belated Christmas Everyone!!

Our little reindeer red dog carrying his towel..opps, sorry, 'sleigh' full of pressies!!!

Plenty of food, contributed so generously by everyone =)


Clem deftly craving the Christmas Ham which Charissa baked. Yums!

The ham craved and served. Every bit as yummy as it looks. Juicy!

Clem and Yan playing a fooool...hee hee

The Zee Monster loves meat!!

Second craving challenge!

I luurrrvvveee red meat!

So...Another year is come and gone.

Many things we are glad they are finally over.

Other things, we are too sad they have ended too quickly.

Either ways, we look forward to a new beginning, we look forward.

Merry Christmas everyone!! And a blessed New Year.!!