eevon.sg

After a busy day at work, I just want to stone amidst lush greenary and enjoy a simple dinner. I’ve been visiting this place quite often these days. Ever been to a garden in a cafe somewhere in China Square Central? Gotta thank 24seven for the tasting session which brought me to Eden Sanctuary. You can find blog entries about our exclusive Rainbow Cuisine tasting over at Diana, Amanda, Calvin, Justin and Veron’s blog. I gotta miss that entry because Chuck screwed up again. Oh Chuck. Why.

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.

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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.

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

No I’m not done with my Perth experience yet. How could it be over without a post on my visit to Cicerello’s, one of the most famous Fish n Chips restaurant in Perth and a mini-tour of Freemantle?

JS had a super bright idea that we get up super early for a mini tour around Freemantle before lunch at Cicerello’s. So yet another early, groggy morning for me. Thought that we were in some kind of odd dreamland as a gypsies and lots of random kids with painted faces crossed our path at Freemantle. The kids were adorable. Can’t wait for Winn to get me a blond nephew.

So we explored Freemantle, especially the area around Freo Market before heading over to Cicerello’s for lunch. I like markets. It’s so colourful and in Perth’s case. It’s spanking clean too. Totally different from the Ben Thanh Market at Ho Chi Minh. Hehe. I know I know. I’m going to talk about my trip to Saigon soon!

Freo Market is only open on Friday, Saturday, Sunday and there are lots of souvenirs, local products for sale which is pretty interesting. Stuff there ranges from boomerangs, postcards, super spicy homemade chili sauces to the didgeridoo, a wind instrument developed by Indigenous Australians of northern Australia. .

Best buy at Freo Market?

Tada! King crab leggies! JS bought some and made really good laksa to go with them. Ever heard of crab laksa? Sorry I meant delectable, home-cooked crab laksa. Well well my kindergarten bestie of 20-odd years whom I thought would mistook sugar for salt in the kitchen has morph into such a good cook! I’m so so proud of her!

Seafood is really fresh here since Perth is essentially a coastal city. And from what we saw that morning, Perth’s port, Fremantle, is truly a city in its own right. The bustling atmosphere of a city could be felt as we sipped coffee/hot chocolate at a quaint cafe to rest our feet and people-watched. Well, Freemantle or Freo is in fact, slightly older than Perth. It was fun wandering on the streets along preserved heritage buildings with my girls. Still, thank goodness we had iPhones and Google maps.

When you explore Freo, do make good use of the free public Fremantle buses to restaurants, Fremantle Art Gallery and fishing boat harbour near the Esplanade hotel. And as what I’ve mentioned earlier, no visit to Perth is complete with a simple fish & chip meal at Freemantle.

So here’s the Traditional Fish & Chips AUD$12.60 we got at Cicerello’s! Ah plain old fish & chips but one of the most authentic and freshest I’ve tasted. Nope not soggy. See how good it looks in the picture. It’s tasty even without chilli sauce!

Cicerello’s chips on the other hand was just average. I actually prefer Red Rooster’s chips! The taste of the chicken salt sprinkled so generously over the hot piping chips is unbeatable by far. You must try Red Rooster’s chips if you ever visit OZ!

We also had the Whole Grilled Flounder, AUD$24.00 which was served in an unusually cool manner. The fish laid really super flat on the chips. It was excellent especially with lemon squeezed on it. Was pleased with the mild sweet taste and flaky-firm texture of it’s pure white flesh.

Cicerello’s menu also offers freshly caught oysters, mussels, crabs and crayfish and either fried or grilled. Would had ordered more if not for our plans to grab some beer over at Little Creatures right after lunch. Yup Little Creatures! (:

Didn’t realised that flounders are so flat! Thought that flounders looked like chubby cute Flounder, the yellow and blue-colored fish in Disney’s Little Mermaid. Nah. Did a quick check and found that he is not a flounder, but a Juvenile Atlantic Blue Tang instead. Can’t believed I was ‘conned’ into believing that Flounder is a flounder.

Anyway, the pesky seagulls can be a nuisance sometimes so don’t feed them else they will really poop on you. I’m not joking! And never leave your food unattended because the seagulls are really quick to snap them off your plate.

Well, Cicerello’s is a good choice for a casual lunch with a noisy buzz. We sat at the al-fresco area which overlooked the fishing boat harbour. Perfect for family with kids. Just make sure they don’t fall over the deck.

The food was decent. Price was reasonable. Ambiance was too touristy for my liking. Then again, Cicerello’s is one of the most famous fish & chips restaurant in Perth. And that’s the bane of a popular eatery. Just got to live with it. I guess.

Cicerello’s
Fisherman’s Wharf 44 Mews Road Fremantle 6160
Tel: (08) 9335 1911
Opening times for Fremantle
10.00am to late, 7 Days A Week

Despite having a weekend road trip planned out for Dunsbrough which is just a stone’s throw away from the Margaret River Wine Region, we still made an impromptu trip to Swan Valley because it’s simply too near to resist! It was my second visit to one of Australia’s oldest wine regions and also the closest premium wine region to a capital city in the world. The drive to Swan Valley from from Perth city took only about 30 minutes. How cool is that. Imagine taking a drive from Boon Lay to Tampines for an afternoon at a vineyard! Nah. Perhaps the next best thing in Singapore would be a visit to Tiger Beer brewery. I digressed.

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This time, instead of winery-hopping which was what I did previously, darling baby bro Terry and I decided to spend the entire afternoon chilling out and picking our brains at Edgecombe Brothers.

Honestly, it was a random pick. Lovebirds Gabby-Winn conveniently dropped us there since it was the only winery we managed to spot before they whizzed off to the Caversham Wildlife Park. Thanks guys. Thank goodness the Edgecombe Brothers cafe was perfect for a teen laden with assignments and a blogger who had lots of backlogged posts to complete. I’m happy that we’ve chanced upon a pleasant place to unwind and pore over stuff which requires significant amount of brain juice.

How about a bit of background on this beautiful land where brothers Don & Frank Edgecombe founded the family vineyard in the 1920s? From where we sat, a natural wetland called Lake Yakine (Nyungah for Tortoise Dreaming Lake) could be spotted. Apparently it is home to Long Neck Tortoises which can be seen sunning themselves or moving numbly through the water.

Too bad we were too lazy to budge from the comfy al-fresco set-up. The wine-tasting menu was more interesting at that point and I’m not Miley Cyrus in The Last Song.

Our wine list:
N/V Sparkling Chardonnay
2009 Chardonnay
2009 Semillon
2009 Chenin Blanc Late Harvest
Muscat

Wanted to try the Fortified Shiraz but it was unavailable. So anyway, Aki, the Marketing Manager at Edgecombe Brothers introduced each glass of wine and placed them respectively on a paper labelled with the name of the wine. But we were too absorbed in exchanging the glasses, commenting and trying to decide which bottle to purchase that we forgot to place the glasses back according to the labeling on the paper.

Shucks.

Didn’t took us long to realised that we had no idea which is which. Best thing was we had 4 whites on the table. rofl

Like most wineries, the small fee for wine tasting is redeemable upon purchase so we had planned to buy a bottle. And since we couldn’t make out which is which, we decided to just go with a bottle of Muscat because nothing could go wrong with a luscious dessert wine.

Indeed, not a single drop was wasted.

This richly colored wine by Edgecombe Brothers was made from very sweet Muscat grapes picked at semi raisin stage and matured in oak casks. Sounds good right? It was very aromatic and sweet! Lovely! Very different taste and texture from the sparkling lavender wine I got from Cape Lavender. I shall say that both are equally were fabulous.

While we enjoyed the Muscat, a special guest popped by for a dip.

A big fat fly!!! OMG I was told that Perth has serious fly problems in summer! But autumn? Then again, this fly died drowning in a glass filled with nectarious muscat. Such a sweet death.

Well the Edgecombe family still grows much of the fresh produce used in the cafe menu. They even pickle their own olives! We wanted some light bites to go with the wine. So here’s our small tasting plate!

I loved the olives because it wasn’t too salty unlike some other places but Terry thought that olives are weird. He preferred the chewy,well-textured bread which went well with olive oil, chutney and dukkah. To our pleasant surprise, we also received a complimentary plate of freshly-plucked table grapes that had a good flavor to it!

Then, I had a sudden craving for some subtle flavoured and textured cheese to accompanied the wine. So the camembert cheese joined our mini wine-party.

Though it was smooth and easy on the taste buds, this pretty wedge of cheese was a little bit too delicate for my liking. I recalled savoring a stronger version of the camembert at Pierside. Terry on the other hand, was pleased with the creamy texture and fresh grassy tones.

All in all, prices here are very reasonable, not only for the meals but the other produce for sale. We spent AUD38 for the wine, tasting plate and Camembert cheese. For a casual, enjoyable experience at a rustic winery cafe n with baby bro?

Priceless.

The serene view over the vineyard from the vine covered alfresco dining area was fabulous. It’s not often we get to enjoy bottle with panoramic views of the sun setting over acres of vines. A perfect finish to my decadent day out with sweetie pie Terry. We were glad that we choose to swish, swill and swallow instead of hugging a wombat.

My only regret was that we did not order the home grown asparagus and famous Muscat ice cream. Only found that Edgecombe Brothers is renowned for their home grown asparagus and ice cream after the trip.

Aki! Why you didn’t you tell me!

Edgecombe Brothers Winery and Cafe
Cnr Gnangara & West Swan Road
Henleybrook WA6055
Open 10 am – 5pm 7days a week

How many of you grew up reading Archie and friends? Let me tell you, dining at OverEasy feels like an experience at Chocklit Shoppe, the soda shop at Riverdale frequented by Archie’s gang! Of course, Riverdale is a fictitious town. Interestingly according to wiki, when readers were asking “where is Riverdale located?”, the editor replied that “Riverdale is more of a state of mind than an actual physical location. It could be anywhere that kind people live and just have fun, like Archie and his friends. It could be in the Midwest, or along the Eastern Seaboard, or even a town in Canada, Mexico, or England.”

Where kind people can stuff themselves with fine American food and just have fun? I suspect Riverdale’s favourite deli has a franchise right in the heart of Singapore. Check the plush comfy seatings. Nice.

We shared the OverEasy Festive 3-course Dinner ($48++ person). For starters, we went with the potato and leek soup instead of a salad. Good choice because the soup was thick and creamy just the way I like it.

Mains, it’s either the Roasted Turkey Breast with Gravy or Roasted Beef in Beef Jus. Thanks to Cheryl, we managed to tried a bit of both and both are just as good! Can’t decide.

That’s the turkey served with the best mash potato I’ve ever tasted. Yes it’s even better than the Malaysia’s KFC version. OverEasy’s mash potato are fluffier, richer and creamier. SINFUL. I was telling Ken and Cheryl that I can finish a XXL tub of this perfect, lump-free, creamy mash potato. This is the best mash I’ve tasted so far. Turkey was fine but lack the gamey flavor. Liked the chivey gravy and cranberry jam!

Tasted the beef too. My favourite meat!!! Yay it was a little pink just the way I like my meat; medium. Prefer the juicy, medium rare slices of oven-roasted beef to the tad dry turkey. But I may be a little bias because this is my favourite meat. Hehe but it did had a better bite!

Our desert was the moist and juicy Apple Cobble! The diced apples were tender, warm and its golden brown crust was perfectly baked! It was a hit right away! I think there was a slight fragrant taste of cinnamon. It actually beats the truffle dessert I had at Pierside. Will definitely be back for this baby.

On top of the 3-course dinner, we got The Burger of the Month (Turkey Burger) that costs $21++. Burger was ok but the house fries was so addictive!

We ordered 3 very unique drinks to complement dinner. Guess what they are. Winner gets a drink!

It’s easy right? Just guess lah.

You know what’s tough, trying to stay on a diet at OverEasy IS  tough. But as Cheryl said “when the going gets tough, the tough gets easy”. Yeahh go easy on your diet! Just let it go when you’re at OverEasy.

OverEasy
1 Fullerton Road
#01-06 One Fullerton
Tel: +65 6423 0701

Pronounced as shay-DOO-vruh, chef-d’oeuvre in French simply means masterpiece. Yes as the title of this blog post suggests that every item at Pierside is a masterpiece by chef Robin Ho, one of Singapore’s finest culinary chefs who is also the Group Executive Chef of The Marmalade Group.

Located at One Fullerton which houses a variety of F&B outlets ranging from affordable chic cafes to fine-dining alfresco destinations serving Chinese, Italian, and other cuisines around the world, Pierside has tough competitors. Then again, all outlets has distinctive styles and caters to different crowd and mood. It may not be so hard after all.

So that evening, I was a happy happy girl in this chic and minimalist styled restaurant. The atmosphere is so tasteful that even the menu is well-designed. Look it’s made from imported denim! Prettyyyy

I was here with Ken for tasting. Thanks Fulvia and Carrie for the invitation.

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Well, we tried 6 dishes in total excluding Pierside’s homemade bread.

We started with the Smoked Camembert and Manuka Honey on dark rye. I’ve never tasted Camembert and it’s now officially my favourite cheese! The smoked Camembert was soft with a fragrant aroma and earthy flavor. It went so well with the honey and crusty dark rye that I’ve died and gone to heaven.

YES that killed me! That piece of cheese (which looked a little like bits of salted fish) totally rawks with the layer of honey it was resting on and it was accompanied by Christmas Jones Cocktail. A sweet blend of strawberries, pineapple and vodka topped with lemon-lime soda, I thought that it is a rather refreshing festive cocktail. I had fun stirring the peppermint walking canes which made the drink mintier as it melts.

You can tell how pleased I was with these 2 goodies from Pierside’s Santa Bar Menu! This festive season, Santa’s Bar is available at Pierside from Mondays to Saturdays with DJ Matt Wainwright spinning every Fridays and Saturdays. That’s the best time to unwind to the beat and chow down festive inspired bar snacks and drinks. Must try the Smoked Camembert!

We also tried 3 dishes from the Truffle Menu ($180++ per person). First up it the chilled capellinni, yellow mushrooms with shaved truffle and soft quail’s egg. We were impressed by the bouncy texture of this very thin, rod-shaped paste that was a just slightly thinner than vermicelli. You know how soggy pasta always ruins a spaghetti dinner? Well, this one is perfectly al dente!

We were kinda shocked after tasting the dish because it looked so simple, yet the taste was so amazing. On my first bite, the paste gave of a really light, cool and refreshing feel. Then the mushrooms. Apparently yellow mushrooms highly prized for their exquisite flavor, color, and texture. It gave the otherwise tame paste a wild flavor with a hint of pepper.

Although Quail eggs are considered as a delicacy, I’ve never had anything special for it. The last time I had eggs from this edible game species, was bro’s birthday at New Lucky Restaurant. We had Chinese-style fried hard boiled Quail eggs that looked like cheese fried fish balls. Although Chef Robin’s version looked less exotic, it was wayyyy tastier because somehow, the gooey yolk was so flavoursome.

All in all, the chilled capellinni, yellow mushrooms with shaved truffle and soft quail’s egg was an unpretentious, full-toned entrée. How he managed to infuse such complex flavours into dainty dish? I have no idea. Nevertheless, I shall appreciate Chef Robin’s culinary skills by making sure nothing’s left on the plate.

Next from the Truffle Menu is the braised 300 day grain fed beef cheeks with artichoke barigoule, fried parsnips, truffle mash and Madeira sauce. That’s from the New Year’s Eve Dinner Menu. OK barigoule is actually a traditional Provençal dish of braised artichokes in a warm and slightly tangy white-wine broth. The artichoke barigoule beautifully dresses up the braised beef with a rich earthy flavor. Goodness. The beef cheeks were so tender the meat was like butter and  melted in my mouth.

Please pardon me for this really bad picture. I was so enthralled by the alluring piece of meat (my favourite meat) that I almost forgot to take a picture of it. Anyway the lighting was quite dim in the restaurant that I couldn’t really get a good shot of it. The heavy black mini pot (it was quite heavy really! ) made it harder to get the beef visibly in the picture. Yes JH it’s really time for me to invest in a flash! My pictures does not justice to the artfully crafted dishes at Pierside.

Oh if you’re wondering what’s Madeira sauce, it is a rich peppery sauce which is traditionally made with a Madeira wine. It is one among a group of traditional French sauces which are known as brown sauces and is typically served with meats like roast beef and chicken. On the other hand, Madeira wine is not just any other wine. This wine has been made in Portugal since the 1400s and has a particular distinct flavor because of the way in which it is fermented and handled. 

As for the pan roasted maine scallops with caramelised belgium endive tarte tartin, preserved meyer lemon salt and micro basil, it’s from the New Year’s Eve Dinner Menu ($108++ per person inclusive of a glass of Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label Brut NV). Well, I thought that it was a nice fusion of Japanese and French cuisine. The scallop was sweet and juicy. Got my taste buds going with the zesty dressing that was like a mix of miso and vinegar. Then there was the Tarte Tatin, a delicious French favorite, an upside-down apple tart! Can you see it?

Last but not least, it’s the caramelised fine apple tarte tartin with almond dragee and white truffle ice cream (also from the truffle Menu). Loved the almonds but I’m not too fond of apples. The ice cream had a distinct hint of truffle but I got a little overwhelmed by the pricey fungi that day so this exquisite dessert didn’t quite worked for me.

An evening at Pierside spoilt me with delights and of course, truffles truffles and more truffles. Haha. Btw I will be back to try the Sunday brunch (Adults $40++ Kids $15++)! Heard that it’s really good. Since when weekend brunch on the waterfront ever sounds bad? I’m so keen to get cooked-to-order eggs, pasta and risotto for brunch! Not to mention the huge variety of bread: organic sour dough, brioche, waholemeal, ciabatta, lavosh & grisinni with homemade jams, dips, olive oil and butter. Yes I haven got started on the soups, salad, short orders and sweets.

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I’ll blog about the brunch. I promise.

Pierside
Unit 01-01 One Fullerton
1 Fullerton Road
Singapore 049214
Tel: 6438 0400