Forget Chuck. Since I’m fast becoming a regular here, it is more appropriate for me to share on some of the staple dishes here which you can find on the menu! Unlike other conventional cafes, stepping into Eden Sanctuary really really feels like home. Everyone is well taken of at Chef Clement’s cosy dining room.

(:

Dinner last night started with the Tomato Basil Tartlet ($7.90). Though it looked like a typical canapé, it actually tasted better than what I had at Restaurant Week. Love the crispy savoury crust filled with a tomato based sauce on the inside. Magic of this finger delight is the fresh basil leave hidden beneath the layer of cheese.

These savoury tartlets are such delicate sweethearts. Complementary flavours of tomato, cheese, fennel, herbs and especially the refreshing tones of a lucky basil leave perked me up for what’s coming up!

Creamless Homestyle Pumpkin Soup ($4.00)

I wish mom was here. She always complains about cooking pumpkins. Well, I’ve tried creamy pumpkin soups and it wasn’t spectacular. So I’m particularly pleased with Eden Sanctuary’s clear broth version with herbs. I enjoyed every spoonful of pumpkin bumps, shreds or chucks. The texture is so inconsistently attractive, I’m hating how I am polishing off the bowl in just 5 minutes. Argh. It’s hard to flirt with a bowl of soup. They don’t last very long.

Fan of Shakespeare? I am especially when it come to his timeless tales of love and human fallacy. Remember Sir Andrew in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night who tried desperate to flirt with a maiden by the name of Maria and failed terrible? It is he who said “I am a great eater of beef, and I believe that does harm to my wit”. Well, he’s a meathead if he has never tried Balsamic Strawberry Beef ($9.90). Look at that chuck of wonderment.

Oops Sir Andrew, pardon me. Nay you wouldn’t enjoy this if you don’t fancy an unconventional twist to your meat. I had mine at medium with a slight tarty. sourish pinch on the tongue. It was lovely. Accompanied with a drizzle of savoury sauce, the strawberries set off a fruity refinement to an otherwise typical piece of meat.

I’m sorry sweethearts. When I get started on literature, I can’t stop. So in Twelfth Night, Shakespeare takes a amusing approach to expose the ways humans fall prey to pride, vanity and self-deception. So we are all fools of our own deception. I felt like a simpleton fool just like Sir Andrew more often than not. Fools that are easily pleased, easily contented, easily amused. So tell me. Is that good or bad?

Nevertheless, perhaps there’s really nothing to hide especially after savouring the next dish at Eden Sanctuary. I could smell it as Chef Clement was on his way to my table. Ginger Leek Peanut Butter Fish ($6.90). Odd combination isn’t it? But trust me. You should really try this. There’s just something graceful and clever about this down-to-earth dish that screams simplicity.

Each mouthful is a blast of flavours from the distinct taste of ginger, leek and peanut butter. Yet surprisingly with such powerful elements, I could still taste the flaky fishy fish tucked under the brownish garb! No wonder Chef Clement said that a fish should taste like a fish no matter how it is prepared. You get that? Say bye bye to tasteless meat!

By the way, it’s a must to get a pot of floral tea to accompany these delicate creations. It goes perfectly well with the food here. All in all, Eden Sanctuary offers simple, natural and light on the tummy meals. A week ago I was here for lunch and the Creamless Carbonara Pasta was awesome! Yup CREAMLESS! I could successfully finish a slice of cheese cake after that! Ah ah ah, nothing to be guilty about because Chef Clement made sure that it’s a balanced, healthy meal. I’m just a simply fool at Eden Sanctuary waiting for the next serving of his witty creation.

(:

Eden Sanctuary Floral Cafe
18 Cross Street #01-16
China Square Central
Tel : 6224 2298
Remember to call for reservations!

I did just that over the hotpot bar at Kichi Kichi.

(:

Thank you Sixth Sense and Kichi Kichi for the invitation. I had fun sitting on a high chair, customising my individual hotpot! It was a fuss-free hotpot experience.

Unlike the conventional hotpot elsewhere where everyone shares one large pot, everyone gets an individually controllable stove at Kichi Kichi. But similar to those hotpot outlets at Bugis, Kichi Kichi offers the all-you-can-eat concept. Big difference is, you don’t have to walk at all! Perfect for lazy folks like me. No time was wasted. I just gotta grab a good seat and be on stand-by mode while the conveyer belt conveniently dishes out a constant stream of fresh ingredients.

And guess what, the air-conditioning at Kichi Kichi also works perfectly.

I shall not associate perspiration with hotpot anymore.
I shall not associate perspiration with hotpot anymore.
I shall not associate perspiration with hotpot anymore.

(: Hotpot is no longer a hot, stuffy affair.

Wanted something light, so I had the signature mushroom soup. It was delicious with all the interesting and fresh ingredients that I grabbed from the conveyor belt.

My favourite ingredient was the Sliced Wagyu Beef, $5 from the Premium Items section! Was greedy and took too many plate of beef. Thanks goodness Hungry Cow was there to help chow down his fellow mates. Nope this cow is not feeling even a tiny tinge of guilt for munching on his own kind. Thanks moo moo for your pleasant company!

Beef! Before! Look at the lean cut and marble fat. I think the whiteness of the fat which contrasts with the red meat and forms a marble-like pattern is so pretty. What you think? Is there anyone here who don’t love beef??

Beef! After! Swished and swirled this fine piece of meat over the hotpot and it was cooked in seconds! I took extra care to make sure I don’t overcook this baby! I love my beef medium. Ah look it’s so tender! MMm it went really well with the sightly nutty Kichi Kichi sesame sauce!

Speaking of sauces, it’s heartening that Kichi Kichi recognizes the importance of dipping sauces in the Asian culture! They have actually have a variety of eight sauces to suit all tastes:Kichi Kichi Chilli Sauce, Chilli Padi with Vinegar, Japanese Soya Sauce, Kichi Kichi Sesame Sauce, Vinegar and Ginger, Chilli Padi & Soya Sauce, Hoi Sin and Chilli Chin Chalok.

Me personal favourite would be the Kichi Kichi Sesame Sauce! It was savory But Hungry Cow thought that it’s too watered down! I think he’s a bigger fan of the Kichi Kichi Chili Sauce which was a perkier dip. Hehe.

Oops. Took a tiny dip into the sauce before I snapped this pic.

Well, homemade sauces are not the only special offerings at Kichi Kichi. A selection of a la carte items is also available at additional costs. They include premium dishes like Salmon Belly, Salmon Fillet, Fish Head, Oysters, Scallops, Cockles, Sliced Venison, Sliced Wagyu Beef, and tempting desserts like a Chocolate hotpot with assorted fruits, to a comprehensive list of non-alcoholic beverages, wine, sake and beer. I had a glass of white. Pretty smooth and it went perfectly with the Chocolate Hotpot with Cut Fruits ($5)!

To perk up the entire hotpot experience, there was a number of ‘Secret Recipes’ cruising the conveyor belt. Not bad. My girlfriend who can’t cook for nuts would find these recipes useful. Haha. Anyway ‘Secret Recipes’ definitely inject another level of fun while dining at Kichi Kichi. Totally appreciate how these simple instructions is so helpful in guiding me on the use of different ingredients in my pot to create a unique twist to some of familiar Asian dishes.

Food was decent. Service was good. Efficient staff cleared the empty plates regularly and were prompt to refill the soup. I really liked how I could customise my individual hotpot experience by selecting from a wide range of over 60 ingredients, 6 quality soup stocks and 8 homemade sauces!

Quality ingredients. Checked.
Efficient service. Checked.
Trendy ambience. Checked.
Comfort. Checked.

Omigosh. Steamboat will never be the same again! You won’t catch me fixing any steamboat cravings in those al-fresco bugis outlets anymore. Now I wish I have more time for lunch.

Weekday lunch at Kichi Kichi is pretty affordable. Between 11am to 5pm: Adults S$19.90++ | Students S$14.90++ | Kids 3-9 years: S$7.90++ | Kids below 3 years: Free.

Not bad, right? Ok rephrase. Now I wish I’m still a student.

By the way, I’m actually quite pleased that Kichi Kichi management is one of those that listens to feedbacks. I think they handled an unhappy diner tactfully after some constructive criticism were posted on Hungrygowhere.

Let’s see. Now we have hotpot and sushi on conveyor belts. Someone should start a dimsum conveyor belt restaurant! Yum yum.

(:

Kichi Kichi
180 Kitchener Road
#02-23/24 City Square Mall
Tel: +65 9170 1146
11am – 10pm

With so much excitement in the air, it didn’t felt like a frigid navy open house at all. It was more like some sort of a family carnival for everyone to participate and have some fun. Haha.

Look at that warship. AWESOME. But it didn’t looked ferocious enough over that beautiful background.

In fact, the entire place had a fun, carnival feel to it until some PIRATES came and terrorized everyone! hahahaa. They just suddenly came out of no where! And with MACHINE GUNS. Woah I was on a live movie set!

The mean gang snatched a hostage from the audience and that poor guy was man-handled all the way to this rectangular cut-off of a building that was supposed to be a pirate boat. I’m not going to share more until the event is over. Don’t want to be a spoiler.

But honestly, I was so entertained by this showcase! Military strategy was employed from the sky, into the sea and onto land. VERY EXCITING. This show is 100000x better than the last movie I watched – The Last Song. Yucks. Miley Cyrus. Ew.

Of course. That poor guy was rescued in the end. Pss by the way, the pirates are actually elite Naval Divers! Such great acting skills! Especially the diver that looked like a Taliban terrorist.

Well if you really want to know what happened during the show. Ok ok. Here’s Diana’s take. Erm this awesome Naval Sea Display is only available twice a day. So take note of the timings:

22 May: 10am and 3.30pm
23 May: 11.30am and 3.30pm

Yeah. You can’t expect elite Naval Divers to do this over and over again the entire day right? Lolx.

Hey remember the other time when I went on a clipper ride and got myself a super ugly tan? This time, I boarded a MACHO-ER vessel! A Frigate! And it has a name! Steadfast! My adorable Chuck was feeling a little shy to make friends with Steadfast because he feels extremely small next to this humongous vessel. But they got along fine eventually. Steadfast is very friendly and told Chuck stories of his high seas adventures. Then Pete got jealous. OK I don’t want to go into this so never mind.

Before we went on Steadfast, Diana and I took a magic pill.

She’s so pretty isn’t she? She’s damn cool and horny. I like.

Back to the warship. Humble as he is, Steadfast is actually a Formidable-class frigate. Ok Frigates are highly capable warships equipped with state-of-art combat systems that allow him to perform a wife spectrum of missions and deal with a range to threats in all dimensions of naval warfare. In short, he is very fierce. Haha.

Steadfast is armed with lots of vicious war tools. I got up close and personal with cold, hard harpoons and saw malicious missiles and torpedoes murdered deserving pirate vessels. Check out Diana’s blog for more pictures shots. I brought Pete’s 50mm girlfriend along and failed miserably to take good pictures inside.

Only good picture I got was this.

Major Tan Yong Chye, a hunky ex-CLEO bachelor told me pirates are a menace because they will steal from merchant ships! Can you imagine those evil pirates taking away a whole container of stuff you like without paying a single cent? Totally UNFAIR. Not like we can be pirates too right? So don’t you agree that they should be killed by torpedoes or missiles. Haha. Kidding. My priest would probably kill me if he saw what I just typed. I’m sorry Father. Was just thinking out loud.

Anyway the tour was awesome and very informative. If you are curious about the inside of Frigates, Landing Ships Tank, Missile Corvettes, Patrol Vessels and Mine Countermeasure Vessels, you can’t miss this event. But you need to ballot for a guided tour, ya? Just ballot for the tour at any information booth. If your ballot is successful, you will be notified by phone to collect the tickets.

If you are into thrilling stuff just like me, check out this map tailored for daredevils! You’ll love it.

You know, the tour reminded me of the tour I had up on an oil rig. But instead of engineers and riggers, I had the company of charming naval officers! Ok here’s one of them.

Name: Major Noel
Age: 30
Favourite colour: red, pink, pastel yellow, magenta, purple
Past time: buying kinky sunglasses and checking blogs owned by beauties like Clara, Diana and Feliza!
Background: He served at the Caribbean Gulf. Oops. I meant the Arabian Gulf.

Nice guy. Ok I made up all the facts above except for the name, age and background. Any questions from you? Just email me. I’ll pass you his contact. Hehe.

Moving on, the highlight of my frigate tour was the Combat Information Center. CIC for short. Sorry! Didn’t took any pictures here because it is super dark like a dark photography room. It was kinda romantic though. You should make your way here and witness the stimulation of a evil attack of a merchant ship by treacherous pirates!

I liked how technology and automation plays such crucial role in the navy. Wonder if Malaysia’s navy is as cool as this. Walking into the bridge of the ship is just like walking into the set of Starwars. Buttons and odd-looking objects were all over the place. Well the bridge of the ship actually controls everything and is usually the first area to be targeted when under attack. Scaryyy but isn’t that thrilling?

OH check out this high-tech microwave!

Well, the Navy Open House is only happening this weekend! So make time for this event if you want to check out what’s behind-the-scenes of Singapore’s modern maritime force, explore macho vessels or even try being a sailor for a day.

Had to rushed off early for an important work event or I would have tried the rides on the small crafts! So if I were you, I’ll hop on the Fast Craft Utility from the welldocks of the Landing Ships Tank and check out the Navy’s ?Duck Tours? from the North Wharf.

(:

How to get there? Want more details? Here.

Have an incredible outing and remember to put on sunblock! I hope you get to spot the mysterious Submarine that may make an appearance in the waters of the base. Bah I know my weekend is gonna be super busy. Hope I have time to sort out all those lovely pictures from Perth and share some interesting places.

Nah he didn’t wore that. But I still love him!

(:

The event was graced by the attendance of VIPS from Starhub and Discovery Travel & Living. Was glad that Catherine, Walter and Jayden were here as well to savor this tasteful dinner! You guys were great company. Thanks Belinda and Audrey for the invite. I had so much fun and it’s a brilliant idea to showcase a tailor-made menu in relation to Ian recent travel adventure. I couldn’t agree more that travel and food goes hand-in-hand together.

While we chow down these variations of exotic cuisine, Ian shared snippets of Okinawa, Siberia, Cuba, Venezuela and Sri Lanka. I think the highlight of the day was him proudly stripping off his shirt to reveal a peachy sun burn he acquired in Bali prior to his visit to Singapore. How lovely.

He caught everyone’s attention. Mine especially.

Right, lets move on. Ah since the dishes meant to mimic the cuisine of places Ian features in his latest show Out of Bounds, I anticipated something out-of-the-ordinary. The dishes by Novus were decent but I presume that authentic exotic ingredients were unavailable and thus, everything served tasted like fusion cuisine with a dash of Singapore lurking in it somewhere.

First up was a variation of Pelmeni, Siberian meat dumplings.

These wanton-look-alikes were average but I could grasp the idea of remoteness and the unforgiving environment in Siberia via the edgy combination of sour cream, dicey minced chicken and smooth broth with chives. But if that harsh environment could not deter Ian from trekking across the wastelands of one of the world’s most isolated regions, I could not be bothered too. After all, this was the country what put the ‘cold’ into Cold War. Can’t wait to catch Ian on his epic journey to Siberia where he learns the art of throat-singing from young Tuvans, takes on their dads in a wrestling match, and spends the weekend with Yurt-dwelling sheepherders. I am so jealous.

Kakuluwo. Blue crab curry with coconut and rice.

A fusion dish with influence from a country that has just ended a thirty-year civil war which left thousands dead, the chunks of crab meat with aromatic spicy curry brought to mind of a violently attractive place. Imagine spots herds of elephants roaming wild in the jungles, awesome giant Buddhas or castles that float on the top of giant rocks. Well, here’s where Ian indulges in some of the most delicious food in the world, and hangs out with the spooky Devil Dancers of Kandy. Trust me. You wouldn’t want to miss that episode.

Mojito. This mocktail was enthused by Ian’s visit to Cuba! A refreshing concoction of lime, brown sugar and mint, the last thing that came to my mind when I tasted this Cuban drink was cigars.

Blame me for over-generalising this beautiful island that lies just 90 miles off the Florida coast. But for 50 years, Cuba has been a no-go zone. Boycotts, blockades and Bolsheviks have meant that most people harbour a fear and mistrust towards this country. You too? Not anymore I guess after Ian swore to change all these negativity. Expect to see him venture into the heartland of Cuba on a journey that takes him from the bubbling metropolis of Havana via Fidel Castro’s secret mountain hideout to Cuba’s buzzing music capital, Santiago Di Cuba. I’m looking forward to watch him go wacky with cowboys, boxers, dancers, musicians and a 90 year-old coconut collector who showed him how to climb a palm tree! Sigh. What a remarkable journey. I wish I’m Ian. AGAIN.

Then there was the Lamb Shwarma, a Syria inspired lamb dish. I could smell the grilled lamb before it was served.

Accompanied by pita bread with yoghurt and hummus, the essence of this dish was strong and dry. Pretty much sums up the ancient city of Damascus that has been consistently welcoming visitors for thousands of years but has parched and become a symbol of repression and aloofness today. I was told that Ian took part in an ancient Christian festival in Melula, and finally takes a train to Alleppo where he discovers the secrets of Islam’s Whirling Dervishes. Mythical and mysterious. That’s Syria in a nutshell.

Last dish inspired by Ian travels was Quesillo, a Venezuelan dessert.

The idea of serving Venezuelan caramel flan with fresh berries offered a double-edged take towards Venezuela’s provocative character. I mean the dish was pretty just like how Miss Venezuela always shines at Miss World Universe pageants but the mix of all these subtle sweet flavours  just burst over the seams; intriguing me even more. Thus it is not surprising that this is where Ian did more extraordinary stuff ie. witnessed one of South America’s biggest Christian festivals, journeys down river to meet indigenous tribes, hunts for a children’s ghetto orchestra, and finally ends up on Margarita Island – one of the world’s most notorious cocaine smuggling haunts.

Sounds like an awful load of work was put into filming this travel series.

(:

Food aside, I actually quite worried that I would utter gibberish when he was going to pop by our table, and hence, I decided to shut up. My gawd. He was always in TV. How on earth did I manage to even stand next to him? This is the guy who travelled everywhere and now he is just millimeters away from me. I thought I was dreaming again.

My dream turned in fantasy when he kindly obliged to give me a kiss! He’s such a good sport! I’m so glad that I managed to calm my nerves and boldly requested for a tiny little peck on my cheek.

That’s not all! I was given the chance to go on stage and play Pictionary with Ian! I was on his team! Awesome! Ian’s exuberant personality is so contagious.

The euphoria following this event gave me the motivation to keep on sharing my experiences with friends via this humble blog of mine. And come to think about it, my love affair with Ian started way back when dad signed up for cable TV and I hungrily pestered him to subscribe to Discovery Travel & Living. My rational was that if I can’t travel extensively at that point, might as well start doing research and join wacky travel hosts on their adventures. Never did I know, years later, Discovery Travel & Living would be a source of inspiration for my blog which have evolved over time to what it is today.

AND honestly if you are still reading this super long post, I can assume that you are either a hardcore Ian Wright fan or you are really keen to catch a breather yet still stuck in your apartment.

If I’m right, feel free to join Ian at Discovery Travel & Living. Simply catch his latest show Out of Bounds that is premiering on 20 May, 9pm!

He never disappoints!

Ooh one last thing before I forget. If you are on Twitter, you can follow @travelnliving for updates AND watch this space because I’m so gonna rave about my trip down under right after this.

I’m super EXCITED!! *JUMPS AROUND IN GLEE*

After watching on him doing crazy stuff with people all over the world right in my living room for years, I’m actually meeting the person who’s job is doing exactly what I want to do before I turn 40! Travelling here, there, everywhere! Difference is, he gets paid for doing that.

Back in high school, most of my lazy weekend afternoons were spent watching the Discovery Travel & Living Channel with mom and each time when Ian comes on screen trying out wacky stuff in foreign lands, I would solemnly advise mom to be prepared for the worst because in the near future, her daughter will be ‘missing’ for months doing stuff like that minus the on-screen telecast of course. I did promised to send her pictures, postcards and call whenever I can but you know moms, they get paranoid when daughters have zany plans of travelling alone. It’s worst when she don’t understand Facebook.

And that was like 5 years ago? I’ve tried to explore as far as I can but with time and moolah constraints, I’m still nowhere near a female version of Ian Wright. Well let’s see. 40? Another 16 more years to go. Loads of time left. Erm.. just need to figure out how to earn a huge long break and lots of moolah!

:S

Now take a deep breathe before I continue with utmost envy for what this man has done with his life which I totally wish to at least experience half of it.

In a span of 15 years, Ian practically travalled all over the world! I am like jumping up the wall now because I’m being reminded again that his adventures are all fully paid for! Can you imagine living that kind of life? He spent three months in Egypt, seven months traveling around India and Nepal, and six months traveling around Europe including Poland and Romania. I’m so jealous!! Check out the long list of countries he featured!

Jaws-dropping? Hold it.

I proudly announce that Ian’s latest show, Ian Wright: Out of Bounds is gonna premiere this May 20 on Discovery Travel & Living every Thursday at 9:00 pm! Goodness! With no new places to explore, Ian now turns his attention to the world’s most remote, unusual and least visited places in the world!

Let’s see. Okinawa, Syria, Venezuela, Cuba, Sri Lanka and Siberia. What? SIBERiA? Gosh. With this new TV series bringing him further than he’s ever been before, NO places are out of bounds for this lucky dude.

Did you just screamed awesomeness? I shrieked outrageous!

Haha. Here’s a sneak peek at Ian messing around in Siberia.

I can’t wait for Tuesday to come.

I’m not just full of envy for him. I also like his spirit. I admire his sincere take on bringing travel explorations to a deeper level by going beyond introducing glamourous attractions to simply doing exactly what the Romans do in Rome. For real. No kidding. This guy thrives on getting his hands dirty.

Ian had me at hello when he said:

“ Comforts don’t interest me. The sort of trips I go on are all about living cheap and getting dirty which is how I like it.”

I’m sold. Getting dirty never sounded sexier. That quote from him basically sums up my travel philosophy. Sure, comfort is great but nothing beats going off track to check out real conditions on the ground where I can mess around with real people with stories to share.

Ian had my utmost respect when he questioned the effects of tourism on underdeveloped countries in an interview with Time Asia. I remember discussing this social concern during a sociology class in uni. It’s tough to force people to ignore tourism dollars when it comes knocking. So the best way to highlight this issue is through influential TV personalities like Ian. Rock on, Ian! You’re my favourite travel icon.

I love you!

You know, I’m actually going to tell him that personally over dinner.

*giggles*

Can someone please tell me that I’m not dreaming? I still can’t believe how I got myself invited to this exclusive event! I’m having dinner with Ian Wright on Tuesday! I’m dreaming! Am I?

No I’m not! It’s for real!

There you go. Popeye’s super amazing buttermilk biscuits and crispy chicken!

We ordered 2 sets of the Turf ‘N’ surf Couple Meal. That’s the promo going on now at $18.80 for 4 chicken, 2 buttermilk biscuits, 6 popcorn shrimp, 1 regular mashed potato, 1 regular corn and 2 regular sjora juice. You can have the choice of New Orleans Spicy or Louisiana Mild for the chicken flavors but the staff don’t really care. You should let them know and not wait for them to ask. Yes the service is awful. Will come to that shortly.

I was quite happy to know that they did not ran out of biscuit this time! Months ago when I visited the Changi T3 branch, they ran out of this soft, crumbly and buttery biscuit! Yeah it’s so weird that they can ran out of such signature stuff. Oh well. We were given raspberry jam to go with it but I think it is best eaten warm with some maple syrup! What you think? Ah and the chicken! I loooove Popeye’s chicken because it is so crispy yet not too dry. The skin is much better, fresher, and it seems like it used better spices than KFC’s!

Erm did you asked if there are any cons about Popeye’s chicken? Well unfortunately yes. The birdies were miserly pieces of lean chicken. 8 pieces of chicken and 4 biscuits were in that box! I do think that 8 pieces of KFC’s chicken would not have fitted into that box.

If you are not a fan of Popeyes light-weight crispy chicken, I shall assure that you’ll fall in love with the mashed potatoes. Popeyes mashed potatoes have the richest gravy with small chicken bits in it! The gravy is so full of punch and blended extremely well with the smooth mashed potatoes.

Stank said that 7-11 BBQ flavoured mashed potatoes’ (only available in certain outlets) could help satisfy cravings for Popeyes mashed potatoes because the gravy tasted somewhat similar. I shall verify that.

I shall briefly introduce the other side dishes we had that evening.

Hello, popcorn shrimp. You looked ravishing but we are sorry that we found nothing spectacular about you. In fact, you were a tad too dry and tasteless.

Hello, Cajun Fries. Though we loved you and anticipated your coming, we grieved at the first bite because the evil counter/kitchen staff served you cold.

Hello, Sjora juice. You were included in the couple set. I had one of your kind at Yoshinoya recently and frankly, I hated him. Your mango cousin was too thick. But surprisingly, your pineapple-ish and mango-peachy flavours were pretty ok this time round. Touted as a healthier and all-natural alternative to soda, I’m proud of you and thought that you did went well with biscuits. Alas, you do not mix well with the fried chicken.

I shall stick with Coke.

So now you know. Popeyes is just great for its chicken and mashed potatoes. The cajun fried would had been as good as Long John Silver’s if it was not served cold.

By the way, if you were to take MRT to City Hall and walked from there to Popeyes at Flyer, it’s really a hassle. The location is pretty out of the way. And honestly, I have no idea why the service at Popeye’s is freaking bad! We had the same crappy experience with the service staff at Flyer and Changi! I actually had to clean my own table because the cleaner was no where to be seen and there wasn’t any vacant table in sight so yeah. It’s either that they are horrendously understaffed which probably explains their unfriendly dead-pan face over the counter, or HR sucked at hiring/training.

Sigh. On account of the to-die-for chicken, mashed potatoes and biscuits, Popeyes shall remained one of my favorite fast food. But I really hope the management there could get their act together. Hello? Are you listening?

On the other hand, though KFC chicken sucks in comparison to Popeye’s, I gotta give the Colonel Harland Sanders credit for the commendable service staff, decent popcorn chicken, am porridge, egg tarts! and coleslaw. Actually, for the coleslaw, my compliment only applies to the JB KFCs. SG KFCs serve soggy, pathetic coleslaws! Bluek.

Ok I’m done complaining.

(:

Oh there’s this fried chicken place that is not a franchise outlet. Arnold’s Fried Chicken. Have yet to visit and try the fried birdies there. Will do so soon!

They were hovering, spinning and doing somersaults in the pitch-black sky that was void of clouds that night.

Ok you got me. That’s not a UFO. It’s an electronic kite with colourful LED lights! Woah remote-controlled kites. How techie is that? Pretty much but the mood was quite romantic as these beautifully lit flying objects were dancing in the air with soulful music playing over the background.

Caught the show from a quiet spot on the field with him. We were hypnotised by the smooth gliding movement of the kite. Sweet. I really love Clarke Quay on weekdays!

OMG I realised that I love such cheap thrills! Then again in a sense, I think short-lived enjoyment or satisfaction is not so bad after all? This way, I can quickly move on to the next pleasure! Supper! Lots of sinful food housed in the five blocks of restored warehouses house vied for my attention. You get what I mean. I better run more rounds this week.

(:

And so, I was very pleased to let my mind roam freely while I stared blankly at the chef cooking my food before my eyes. He’s a shy chap. Hope I did not frightened him. I was ogling at the food. Not him.

I was lucky. It was dinner time but I was the only one at the counter! Usually it would be so crowded. Surprisingly, it wasn’t awkward at all as I sat alone at the teppan counter. Instead, it felt like I had a personal chef that evening, showering me with dishes of freshly stir-fried food. The setting at the counter was perfect for anyone who wanted to indulge in a casual dinner. As I was enjoying my teppan meal, there was a long queue for Sakae sushi booth seats.

I hate queues.

Advice: jump the queue by requesting to sit at the teppan corner. Then, on top of a teppan meal, simply order sushi as side dishes to satisfy your strong sushi cravings.

Sakae Teppanyaki set meals are pretty decent. At a reasonable price of $19.99 I had the beef dinner set that came with salad, seafood teppan chawanmushi, salmon, garlic rice and Miso soup. I couldn’t finish everything. The portions were generous for 1 pax.

I enjoyed the garlic-ky rice and loved the even more garlic-ky teppan beef covered with delectable teriyaki sauce. However, the best dish was tied between the Seafood Teppan Chawanmushi and Mixed mushrooms.

The Chawanmushi was housed in the bowl-shaped onion. Very cute! Waited patiently as the egg steamed on the griddle. I simply couldn’t wait for it to be ready!! The moment my personal chef served the Chawanmushi, I immediately scooped the perfectly steamed egg out from the onion husk and crushed the tender chunks in my mouth. It was sweeter than usual because of the onion! OMG I’m such a garlic and onion lover!

(:

I could smell the mushrooms when it was still half-cooked and the hard-to-describe-peppery-sweet aroma was tantalising. Don’t you agree that mushrooms smell wonderful? I liked how spongy and flavoursome these mushrooms were. This is one dish where I don’t mind having more! Honestly, I rather have more mushrooms and do without the salmon.

Here’s the menu if you want to find more on Sakae Teppanyaki offerings. I shall try the lobster dinner set at my next visit! Probably with more fans of teppanyaki, they can start training chefs to do some entertaining stunts for us at the teppan counter. How about stacking onion slices to produce a flaming onion volcano or flexing some muscles performing wild spatula and knife stunts! It’ll be so cool!

Sakae Sushi
Lot 1 21 Choa Chu Kang Avenue 4
#03-10 Lot 1 Shoppers’
Other outlets with Sakae Teppanyaki

Ok so Pizza Hut?  Here’s the reason why I was there that evening.

I was there to taste the Soft Shell Crabbiatta. Does it looked crabby to you?

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They named this dish the Soft Shell Crabbiatta because it is a combination of crab with Arabbiatta sauce! Basically, Arrabbiata sauce is a light marinara that is has an extra spicy flavor simply by adding hot peppers to the sauce. Pizza Hut’s latest offering has a piquant taste and is pretty delightful on my taste buds. I enjoyed the soft shell crab with the earthier, smoky sauce. No doubt that the Crabbiatta sauce is tangy and luscious but the pasta kinda lacked texture and was a little too soft. Nevertheless, it’s a quirky twist to how pasta should taste like. Just imagine Singapore chili crab cooked in the Italian way.

Not sure if Pizza Hut Malaysia has this dish but Singapore branches are serving this until 30 April only. It cost $16.90 for a Soft Shell Crabbiatta with a soup of a day and a choice of cooler drinks. I like set meals. It saves me the trouble of making choices. Heh.

Tried Pizza Hut’s zesty fruit delight. Green Harmony ($4.50) was a mix of green apple and passion fruit. Had to take teeny-weeny bites at the mint leaf so my drink can be flavoursome. Felt a little sorry for the mint leaf because most people just ignored them. They were either left swirling around the glass while we stir, looking for bits of Aloe vera or they sank right to the bottom of the glass, forgotten of the role they should play in accentuating the flavour of the drink.

Next, Baked Beef Balls ($5.80)!!! I actually think this tasted on par with IKEA’s meatballs, minus the scrumptious brown sauce and lingonberry jam. Liked that the beef balls were beefy enough. Certainly didn’t felt like I was biting into chucks of flour.

The dish that shone that evening was the Chicken Riblets $5.80. Do not be deceived by it’s uncouth look. Yeah it looked macho and chunky but I was impressed. It was as if I never knew chicken had ribs before this.

Honestly, these whole muscle pieces took me by  surprise at the first bite. Didn’t expect it to be that tasty. It was amazing that the flesh beneath that crispy outer layer was moist, tender and succulent. Had no idea what magical concoction they used to marinate these ribs but it certainly worked on me. Would make a point to order this in all my future visits to Pizza Hut!

Shared the Beef Lasagna ($9.20) with Calvin because I just can’t resist juicy ground beef layered between sheets of thin dough. Its gets even harder when it is baked to perfection with a thick layer mozzarella cheese. As expected, the taste was decent enough.

I used to fix my lasagna cravings at Pizza Hut back in secondary school days. So yeah. I enjoyed reminiscing the familiarity of this dish.

Well of course, a visit to Pizza Hut is never complete without a slice of piping hot pizza.

On a sightly related topic, it came to me that if I ever was to be a pasta, I would like to be a penne. Yeah that cylinder-shaped pasta. It has a very practical design. How the hollow center allows it to hold some sauce and the angular ends makes it easier to scoop? I also like the ridges which gives it a chewy ruffles-like texture.

The point is, I need to be more practical. Like a penne.

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Organised by DiningCity.com Singapore, Restaurant Week is actually a highly successful event, a culinary event in countries such as The Netherlands, Austria, Belgium and USA. Thus, the launch of Restaurant Week in Singapore instead of anywhere else in Asia sorta amplifies and establishes Singapore’s position as the food capital of Asia. Gotta give credit to this tiny island for beating Shanghai for winning this launch.

After the event, I am officially a fan of Veuve Clicquot! It was lively, delicate yet powerful. Moet & Chandon, Cape Mentelle and Terrazas was also served to my pleasure.

Photo credit to Glenn!

Not to mention those exquisite canapés I sampled from four of the participating restaurants: Julien BOMPARD, Garibaldi Italian Restaurant & Bar, The Song of India and Tatsuya Japanese Restaurant. The event was tastefully done.

This one-week culinary event is a darling for lucky peeps who managed to book limited seats! They can enjoy a special three-course meal at affordable fixed prices of S$35++ for a three-course dinner and S$25++ for a three-course lunch during the Singapore Restaurant Week from 22 to 28 March 2010. Just the perfect opportunity to taste a varied range of unique dining experiences at a wide selection of choice restaurants.

That’s the guys from Tatsuya. Oh when you book your reservations, do check if the particular restaurant is a DiningCity Star Awarded restaurant. If yes, you may be charged a fixed supplement of S$15 for lunch and S$20 for dinner. Also check the menu to see if you like the offerings.

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Bookings can ONLY be made online via www.restaurantweek.sg. You gotta hurry if you are interested because the last time I checked, empty tables are fast filling up. There are in total 58 participating restaurants. Unfortunately, Julien BOMPARD and Tatsuya Japanese Restaurant have NO MORE SEATS! 18,000 seats gone so fast! It’s just been a day! Must be those American Express Cardmembers. Yup American Express actually offers early booking privileges to their Cardmembers! Jealous.

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Not that I’m going to sign up for an American Express card anytime soon. So next year, I shall set my alarm clocks to be the first to reserve some Restaurant Week tables!

*Pete was resting at home so I had to grab pictures from Kyle. Thanks Kyle!*