Littlecartnoodles said

Back in Singapore, I used to frequent a restaurant chain (3 outlets : Cuppage Terrace, International Building and Suntec) of the same name. They have this great Rijstaffel (Dutch for "rice table") lunch deal where, for less than S$20, you can order unlimited servings from a list of Indonesian dishes, like satay, tahu telor, gado-gado, beef rendang etc. The restaurant in Bali has the same logo as the ones in Singapore

Here's a great holiday destination that's not too far away and inexpensive. The linked post is full of great photos of the place. The Rice Table in Bali is 10x better then the ones we have here. So, would anybody like to go?

Link

Chubby Hubby is thrilled that the International Herald Tribune's food writer has called Singaporean chef Jereme Leung a "genius"

Wells writes: "It's been a long time since I got up from the table after dining in a restaurant and whispered to myself, ‘genius.’ … If there are revolutions in contemporary Chinese cooking, then it is the gifted, ambitious chefs such as Leung who will serve as the leaders. His food is not fusion, it is not confusion, it is not all about avocados and papayas with raw tuna. It's good, honest, Chinese fare that's been given a face-lift, an update, a new look with no sacrifice in flavor. In fact, it's more like an upgrade to first class."

Link

Chubby Hubby reviews Iggy's, a restaurant at the Regent Hotel.

Last week, a colleague and I had a wonderful lunch at Iggy’s. While we each ordered a 3 course lunch, Iggy gave us an equal number of extras. What was meant to be a small lunch became a 6 course feast. We started with a sesame tofu covered by a pumpkin puree. We then both had squid ink risotto with char-grilled baby squid. This was followed by mushroom cappuccinos. My colleague had for her main course a char-grilled seabass with truffle gnocchi, rosemary oil and aged balsamic (pictured at the top of this post). I had the homemade hamburger with over-easy egg, grilled onions and potato wedges. (I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, this is easily the best burger in town. The only problem is it is no more than 3 inches across. Considering, however, the number of other courses we’re expected to eat, anything bigger might kill us.)

Link

my little cyberspot writes out her chicken rice recipe, as well as gives some hints on cooking...

Instead of using water to cook the rice, use chicken stock, which you can buy in cartons. My loyalty lies with Swanson brand of chicken stock, which is salted. For great rice, use the proportion 1 cup of rice to 1.5 + cups of stock.

Link

Batjay, a Filipino engineer in Singapore, describes his bewilderment at the translations of the names of Chinese dishes:

BATJAY: dear gentle reader, bukod sa pagkain, ang isa sa paborito kong pastime ngayon ay ang pagbasa ng mga menu sa mga restaurant. di ko alam sa chinese pero natatawa ako sa english translation - por eksampol: "Buddha Jumps Over the Wall", "Trubenized Rib of Turtle with Korean Golden Ginseng", "Elegant Smiling Pork Chops with Sweet Hopping Tausi Beans", "Boiled, Grilled and Cleaned Chicken Intestine under Charcoal Fire that's Burning", "Ah Shui Pig Organ and Pig Stomach Soup 333" or words to that effect.

Link

Anthony notes the differences between food in Singapore and in Malaysia:

In Singapore, Gan Lao Mian refers to any sort of noodles that is not served together with soup. The soup is usually given in a seperate bowl. The "dry" noodles are usually prepared with soy sauce or oyster sauce for taste.

In Kuching, however, Kolo Mee is prepared very differently. The key is the condiment. Kolo Mee is usually prepared with a dash of pork lard and bits of fried garlic. The lard brings out the flavour of the garlic and enhances the taste.

Needless to say, Kolo Mee is both tastier and more unhealthy.

Link (with pictures)

Sausage has an opinion that:

Long John Silvers chicken pieces are getting smaller over the years.

Link

Makan Guru said ...

It was a lazy Friday, and my girl had wanted to try the infamous Foie Gras Burger for the longest time. So we decided what the hell, let’s take a 2 hour lunch and indulge ourselves. We met at the Visitors Centre of the Botanical Gardens where the home of the Foie Gras Burger resided Les Amis Café.

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Mini is a Singaporean Wannabe American in Boston. (Hope I got this right, Mini.). Together with her fiance, she has setup a wiki page on the best food in Singapore.

Makan means food in Malay. Singaporeans love to makan. Wiki is a software that allows users to freely create and edit Web page content using any Web browser. What happens when you combine the 2? You get Maki - The Makan Wiki :) Thanks to my fiance we now have a wiki page dedicated to where you can find the best Singaporean food.

Link

Chubby Hubby made this in response to a challenge posed by a new Flickr food photographers group, Friday Food Fiesta:

My wife and I had her dad over for a relaxed holiday lunch. The burger, topped with gruyere and a fried egg, is served over a toasted slice of walnut bread, bought from Canele.

Link

The Baker aka Rustic says

i'm quite the avid baker and chef. can't resist a good recipe and a totally smacking good meal. i bake on occasions or whenever i have the urge to. i'm a rather adventurous person in the kitchen and out. I adore food and hope to enrol into the Culinary Institute of America or Le Cordon Bleu someday.

Link

[caleb ] It should be illegal to visit this blog on an empty stomach. Checkout the stuff she churns out from her oven. Is she single? I hope so, you'll never stray with a baker for a wife. Haha.

Fat Fingers is impressing us with her fingers, baking mouth-watering Egg Tarts (recipe included).

I let my girl friend tried it today and she said it's good. She's very particular about food..so if she says it's good.. It's good! And my family loves it too! Yahoo!

Link

Chubby Hubby is a little surprised about the new dress code at a neighborhood restaurant and even more shocked by the alleged rude behaviour by the owner's wife.

Last night, our friends went to La Fiandra, only to be insulted and shocked beyond belief. According to them, after having been seated, the owner’s wife surprised them by informing them that there was now a dress code at the restaurant, and if they wanted to be served, since the husband was wearing a t-shirt, shorts and tevas, she would prefer it if they could sit out in the courtyard. Our friends apologized for not knowing about the "new" dress code but asked if this time—and seeing as they were regular patrons—might eat inside. To their amazement, according to them, the owner’s wife rather rudely informed them that when dining in her restaurant, she would like them "to follow her rules".

Link

shopfront at night

Makanguru said

Forget NYDC, these guys are now Sillypores new king of cheesecakes. People have been known to travel from the ends of the world (ok Boon Lay but that’s still freaking far to me) to this little hideaway in Siglap. After all, it is a unique establishment, with no other outlets anywhere else. (East side rulez man!)

Link to full review

[Caleb: The Cheesecake Cafe is indeed as awesome as Makanguru indicates in his review. I've already stopped eating cakes from any other place. In fact I'm there at least twice a week at night having a cup of coffee and a slice of choc cheesecake with a pal. Do go check them out. No, I'm not being paid to say this!]

r.ang wonders about the people behind the branding of a can of longans:

my sister went and bought a can of longan as a treat for both of us. although we sure didnt expect this brand to be on the shelves.... dont you sometimes wonder, what was exactly going through the person's mind when coming up with the brand?.

[jseng: er..balls?]

Link

mb said

mrsbudak gives us the lowdown on Singapore supermarkets. Perfect for those of you trying to get in touch with your inner Auntie or Uncle.

You are new to Singapore (or you are new to cooking). You want groceries. You want Cheap And Good groceries. Where do you look?

As a part-time housewife, I feel qualified to give advice on shopping for groceries...

Since I run a vegetarian kitchen, I buy veggies (and fruits) a lot. And because NTUC and Cold Storage are the two supermarkets I patronise most, I'll be comparing the two.

Link

Chubby Hubby notes that the Thai government is investing to promote Thai food internationally and asks why Singapore isn't investing enough into our own culinary arts.

We need to invest in promoting our greatest chefs, people like Sam Leong, Jereme Leung, and Justin Quek. We need to empower these chefs and others like them with PR and marketing skills. We need to document our food histories (because we have no one Singapore cuisine) and set-up proper culinary education facilities. We need to invest in R&D to refine our own cuisines and our food products... We need to invest in an organization empowered to help develop and enable our culinary arts.

Bangkok Post article
Chubby Hubby's Post

[Edited by fembot]

[caleb] Not to be outdone, Malaysia is also setting up a food technology research centre to come up with the best mee goreng and other local hawker fare under a plan to become a food haven. They will work with selected hawkers to produce the best recipes for this food and later sell the recipes statewide. The best recipes would be “protected” and hawkers paid “royalty” for use of their recipes (no, I am NOT joking, this is not some wacky malaysian joke).

The Star article

Popagandhi whets the appetite with a tantalising review of Gorkha Grill in Chinatown:

Ever since last December’s venture to Darjeeling, to soak up the fresh Himalayan air and even fresher tea, I’ve had an urgent craving for Nepalese food - a craving that led me to seek out Gorkha Grill today, of which I’ve heard much about. The particular craving was for momo, a Nepalese version of the jiaozi, or gyoza, but made with minced chicken and seasoned with Nepalese herbs, rather than with pork, as in the Chinese and Japanese versions.

Readers on a diet should avoid the link below at all costs.

Link

Little Cart Noodles has some advice for Singaporeans ordering food in Hong Kong:

Regarding "terminology", this is what I tell all Singaporeans or Malaysians who come to HK : NEVER, EVER SAY "TA POW" WHEN YOU WANT YOUR FOOD TO GO.

Here, "ta pow" means wrapping a dead body in a sheet. The correct term for "takeaway" is "leng chow" or "lor chow", literally "to take away".

Link

faith rants during an IM conversation:

so your brand image u dun care liao lah? after spending all that money driving into ppl head and creating an image of baker’s inn… quaint and nice. u go and do a “bakerzin”?? what the heck is a Bakerzin? some magazine? some baking tin? some Chic and A LA MODE dessert that no one ever heard of???

Link