When foreign friends come to Singapore, I'd usually take them to Glutton's Bay, Sentosa, Little India, Chinatown, Night Safari etc. But today was actually the first time I took one of them to the food center at Chinatown.
Came across the Lim Chee Guan Bah Kwa, which in my opinion, is tastier than the more widely available Bee Cheng Hiang that I grew up eating.
Since Rotem (from Israel) had been living in Singapore for a while, she's already tried most of the local Must-Eats. Still, I got to introduce her to the famous Tiong Bahru Bao, Hokkien Mee and Bak Kut Teh! The latter literally translates as "meat bone tea", and at its simplest, consists of meaty pork ribs simmered in a complex broth of herbs and spices (including star anise, cinnamon, cloves, dang gui, fennel seeds and garlic) for hours. Despite its name, there is in fact no tea in the dish itself; the name refers to a strong oolongChinese tea which is usually served alongside the soup in the belief that it dissolves the copious amount of fat consumed in this pork-laden dish. The next time we meet, we are going to try some non-hawker food.... The Clan Restaurant!!!! ^_^
I must have been away from Singapore too long that it was a delight when I discovered that you could dine amongst lush greenery in the middle of Bishan Park!
YS & I were famished by the time we got there so we picked the first restaurant we saw to dine at - Canopy Garden & Bar, an Australian style cafe.
I was excited by the whole alfresco dining amidst lush greenery concept and was (pleasantly) surprised to see that the place was rather empty. That gave us a great, quiet place to catch up on old times.
At first glance, I thought that the prices were quite expensive (mains are in the $40s). But I guess you're paying for the ambience more than anything else. Service was so-so here althoughother diners seemed to have had a bad experience.
I had the Smoked Duck pizza (homemade thin crust topped with smoked duck, pomodoro, mozzarella cheese, shredded apple, rocket salad and truffle mayo , SGD20/ USD16) which was very, very good! The crust was really thin and crunchy (low carb!) and the toppings were generous and flavorful. I don't suppose you can go wrong with apple, rocket and truffle mayo! :)
My back-up dish would have been the Prawns & Mango Salad (fresh prawns and sweet mango on a bed of mixed greens with cherry tomatoes and spicy mango basil dressing), which is supposedly pretty good too.
YS ordered the Carbonara pasta (fusilli tossed with sauteed bacon, onion, mushroom, and light cream sauce, SGD17 / USD 14) which was just so-so/ you could easily cook it at home.
I also noticed another restaurant right next door called The Green Room Cafe, a vegetarian restaurant which has pretty good reviews. It partners with Aramsa Spa at the same site and I was instantly reminded of Sonya's Garden in Tagaytay, Philippines.
There's also another Western Fusion Bistro by the name of The Cornerstone in the same cluster but I didn't get a chance to check it out.Reviewsdon't look too good though. All in all, it was such a pleasant evening that I'd love to be back again!
Had dim sum with the family and sis's Mom-in-law over the weekend. Dad's perennial favourite within the neighbourhood is Ho Yun Hong Kong Tim Sum - 419 F&B 豪运(香港)點心.
This is a place that provides great value for money as you can get a basket containing 3 items for just SGD$2.50. Actually most of their items sell for SGD$2.50. The service is fast and good, and there's no GST nor service charge!
The Siew Mai (steamed dumpling made of ground pork, chopped shrimp, Chinese black mushroom & scallion) was just so-so in my opinion, while the Har Gau (steamed shrimp dumpling) didn't make the cut as both its skin and the shrimp inside were too dry and hard.
What's Good: Try the piping hot Lean pork + Century Egg porridge ($2.50)! The fried prawn dumplings (4 for SGD$3) and Char Siew Chee Cheong Fun ($2.50) are also pretty good.
[Clockwise: Har Gau steamed prawn dumpling, Teh-C kosong without sugar, Fried prawn dumplings]
Address: Block 419, Tampines Street 41, #01-180, Tampines, 520419
Inspired by Sabbath Fridays in Israel, I won over the family to reserve Fridays just for us. :)
Menu for the evening:Pan fried fish with ginger, Chilli garlic prawns, Broccoli with minced shitake mushroom, Potato leaves with carrot & mushrooms, Chicken curry and Fuzhou Fishball & Wanton Soup!
Ah Loy Thai is now in Tampines Mall (!!!), tucked in an inconspicuous corner of Basement 1.
We had Pineapple fried rice & Phad Thai and the food wasn't as good as the original one at Shaw Towers. I thought the Phad Thai tasted rather dry and bland. Upon googling, it seems like the food quality at Shaw has also apparently fallen according to HGW. Guess that just means I've lost my #1 source of good Thai food in Singapore... Bangkok, I'll come visit soon!
Of the many things that left an impression on me in Israel, the deepest would be the observation of Sabbath. Which actually begins on a Friday evening and ends on Saturday evening, contrary to our typical Sabbath Sunday.
I arrived in Israel on 31 Aug (Friday) and to my surprise, everything started coming to a halt by late afternoon. The restaurant that Lior took me to started to empty out at around 3.30pm and we were one of the last to leave. As we exited, I noticed that every other shop in the mall was already closed, and the entire mall and its surroundings felt strangely quiet.
I was *delighted* to have a giant pistachio macaroon with raspberries and seared tuna mixed salad - a refreshing break from the typical Middle Eastern food I've been having for the last month.
Lior told me to have something light as we'll be having a big feast at his house, as was typical for Sabbath. Apparently *EVERYONE* in Israel goes home for dinner on Friday, so you can forget about meeting your friends, boyfriends, girlfriends... that's just the way it is. I personally found that really awesome.
[Clockwise]: 1. Challah - Jewish braided bread; 2. Chicken stuffed with Bacon; 3. Roast beef; 4. Salmon; 5. Potato pie with meat stuffing
Challah (also hallah) is a special Jewish braided bread eaten on Sabbath and holidays. According to Jewish tradition, the three Sabbath meals (Friday night, Sat lunch & Sun late afternoon) and two holiday meals (one at night and lunch the next day) each begin with two complete loaves of bread.
This "double loaf" (in Hebrew: lechem mishneh) commemorates the manna that fell from the heavens when the Israelites wandered in the desert for forty years after the Exodus from Egypt. The manna did not fall on Sabbath or holidays; instead, a double portion would fall the day before. Each single loaf is woven with six strands, so together, both loaves have twelve which represent each tribe of Israel.
Foodprinted on 31 September 2012, Friday
Interestingly, my last day in Israel was exactly one week later - which was again, a Friday. With everything shutting down (including the public transport system), Boaz generously invited us to his house - where I get a privileged taste of Sabbath Friday with another Israeli family.
Notice the lighting of the the Sabbath candles (and the Challah braided bread!). This is done on Friday nights to usher in the Sabbath by the woman of the household (in this case, Boaz's mother). After lighting the candles, the woman waves her hands over them, covers her eyes, and recites a blessing.
It is a tradition to light two candles for the two important Biblical references to Sabbath: "Remember the Sabbath" (Exodus 20:8) and "Observe the Sabbath" (Deuteronomy 5:12). Besides honoring Sabbath, there's the dual purpose of creating domestic tranquility (shalom bayit).
Boaz's dad makes some incredible delicious stuffed figs with his special (secret recipe) sauce and cheese!!!
But Boaz parents' had something to see to, so after we started Sabbath together, Boaz took Leslie and I to a pretty cool restaurant for dinner (restaurants/ cafes and hospitals are just about the only places open).
[Clockwise]: 1. Seafood served with rice; 2. Goat cheese ravioli in sage butter, toasted almonds, sprouts and saint-mor cheese; 3. Chilli chicken; 4. Boaz, his friend, Leslie & I!; 5. Apple tart with icecream; 6.Cheesecake
The time with Lior and Boaz's family touched me greatly, and I'm inspired to start Family Friday - getting the entire family to spend Friday evening together - once I get home. :)
What Taste of Israel is about: Taste of Israelis organized by a group of students representing Stand With Us, a non-profit dedicated to Israel advocacy and education. The goal is to combat extremism, anti-Semitism and promote peace in the Middle East.
Every year, each new batch of student leaders take on a new project to help shape Israel's image abroad. This year, the winning idea was to use food, which readily connects with people all over the world, as the way to introduce Israel. I thought it was a brilliant idea as food not only reflects a culture's past, it also reflects how people view their lives.
6 food bloggers from different parts of the world were invited to Israel to experience their gastronomic adventure of a lifetime!
Top: Taste of Israel student organizers, Bottom: The 6 food bloggers! [From L-R: Paco, Leslie, Carey, Joelen, Me, Amy]
My fellow bloggers:
Participants of this 5-day gastronomic adventure were chosen based on the popularity and quality of their blogs and had to have a minimum of 100,000 followers. My fellow bloggers included CareyJones (NYC) of Serious Eats, AmySherman (SF) of cookingwithamy.com, Joelen(Chicago) of whatscookinchicago.com, Paco (Spain) - the Futuro Bloguero of lazyblog.net/ and my comrade, Leslie Tay (Singapore) of ieatishootipost.sg.
Well my newest blog obviously doesn't have 100,000 followers but how about the same amount of friends? (lol) Being both an avid traveller and foodie, I was invited to be part of the group via a serendipitous encounter in the U.S so there! I was to cover the trip from a travel & food angle! :)
I didn't know what to expect since I had no itinerary (Let go, Let flow! is the new mantra) and the closest I've gotten to anything Jewish are the Israeli global villagers I know, 2 Jewish friends and Kosher salt. But whoa, boy was I in for an adventure! :) The amazing welcome dinner at Liliyot:
I met the other bloggers over a welcome dinner at Liliyot, a unique restaurant that integrates social project into its activities (the first of its kind in Israel). It provides youth at risk/ high school drop-outs with culinary training and offers them the prospect of a career in the food services industry. That's it, that's what business is about - creating value and impacting lives.
The Liliyot Restaurant is owned by the Liliyot Group, a group of entrepreneurs who believe that allowing people to earn their living honorably while learning life skills is the way to create real change. The group also owns Liliyot Bakery and Liliyot Bistro.
[Bottom L-R] 1. Crispy rice “Bird’s nest” with salmon roe and asparagus; 2. Eggplant steak with roasted mushrooms, greens and sweet pea puree
This is my first time having a gastronomic adventure of Kosher food and I must say that Liliyot presents the modern Israeli kosher kitchen at its best, with the highest quality ingredients of meat, fresh fish and vegetables and fine olive oil, adorned with beautiful presentation.
The Starters:
[Clockwise] 1. Veal and leek tortellini in a shitake and beef fumet; 2. Salmon sashimi with cucumber and melon relish, soy pudding and herbs; 3. Sirloin tataki with roasted pumpkin, lemon cream and cucumber-tapioca relish; 4. Chef taking time off to sit with us, talk and gather feedback
Meats & Fish:
[Clockwise] 1. Grilled chicken liver with bananas, vanilla caramel, parsley and rice curls; 2. Salmon sashimi with cucumber and melon relish, soy pudding and herbs; 3. Mediterranean sea bream on red; 4. Grilled rib-eye steak with carrots, asparagus and “butter” potatoes.
Desserts!
[Clockwise] 1. Chocolate, nougat and espresso crunch with bitter chocolate sorbet; 2. Fresh fruit sorbet home made at Liliyot; 3. Italian zabaglione on “forgotten cookie” with seasonal sour fruit
The amazing feast coupled with friendly, attentive service with a strong social cause warrants a visit!
Amazing hospitality
Back at the hotel, I was amazed by the generosity of Taste of Israel's hospitality. I got a suite with fresh fruits, dates, cookies, wine and sparkling water laid out in front of me in the living room just as I entered. This alone would be quite a feast after traveling through the Middle East for the past month!
The suite also enjoyed a panoramic view of the ocean (I love water! - oceans, lakes, streams) and I was instantly reminded of my life back in Santa Monica. I had chosen to live a few blocks from the famous beach to experience the joys from the ocean that I wouldn't be able to get back home.
Naturally, I couldn't resist hitting the beach, walking on the fine sands, soaking in the sun and the fun/ life/ energy that was abound. The broad boardwalk and long beaches really reminded me of Santa Monica, USA where I had spent a few years working. Ahhhhhhhhhh, memories...
