♥ the QUEEN and her BLING ♥ » Food

Birthday Dinner at Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ

Jacelyn — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 04:00:01 +0000

It’s my 27th birthday today! Boss brought me out for a sumptuous dinner at Gyu-Kaku last weekend. He made an absolute right choice!

Here’s my outfit breakdown! Just got a new hair color and decided to grow out my fringe. I braided my fringe to keep it away from my face. You know how annoying it can get. I love how it turns out.

We took their Warai set as recommended by their staff. It’s gonna be my new favorite eatery! The food is good, every dish is well-marinated and their staff are extremely friendly and attentive. They would walk around every table, making sure that everything is in place. They even took care of little details like shifting my glass when it got into my way. Absolutely 5-star service.

I love every dish! But if I had to choose, my favorite would be their Horenso salad, teriyaki chicken, lamb chop, kimchi and the sinful Gyu-Kaku ice cream! Super satisfying! You would be surprised that the atmosphere is non-smoky and non-greasy. We totally enjoyed ourselves, it’s worth every penny. *rubs tummy*

Lovely recommendation and treat from Boss! My personal chef for the day hee hee! Thank you my love!

Gyu-Kaku
81 Clemenceau Avenue
UE Square #01-18/19
Singapore 239917
www.gyu-kaku.com.sg

Ah Loy Thai Restaurant

Jacelyn — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 04:00:13 +0000

We had a food tasting session held at Ah Loy Thai located at Shaw Towers. Prior to that, I had misunderstood this as another restaurant named A-Roy Thai. What’s with the almost similar names? *confused*

Looking at this makes me hungry again. Here are some dishes to feast your eyes.

Thai iced tea is a must order for me whenever I dine at Thai restaurants. Extremely effective to reduce the spiciness!

Some of my favorite dishes!

Fried Butter Calamari

You gotta try this dish, the butter sauce is finger-licking good! Look at the big, fat and juicy squids! I feel like trying to cook this myself haha!

Tom Yum Seafood Soup
Very spicy and authentic. What’s Thai food without tom yum?

Thai Garlic Pork
Never liked garlic but I love pork, so I had to try this dish. The taste of garlic is not too overwhelming, iLike!

Lemon Steam Fish
I was like the only one whacking this dish cos I love fish! The meat was so fresh and the gravy has this amazing taste of lemon, really refreshing.

Thai Basil Pork
Stir-fried to perfection. But it’s a tad too oily though.

There were more dishes but I was so bloated from the previous event (another blog post soon) that I couldn’t sample each and every dish.

Hungry yet?

Thank you Ah Loy Thai and TheSampleStore for the invitation.

The restaurants at Shaw Towers are really worth going! Gonna pop by soon!

Ah Loy Thai Restaurant
No. 100 Beach Road
#01-39/40
Shaw Leisure Gallery, Shaw Tower
Singapore 189702

Homely Meal at ??? Oversea Restaurant

Jacelyn — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 04:00:28 +0000

After the ice cream making workshop, we headed for lunch at Oversea Restaurant which is just next to Tom’s Palette. It has taken over the previous food court.

Hungry me, Tiphanie and Verlyn waiting for our food. There were a total of 13 homemade dishes for us to sample! Oversea Restaurant is a Cantonese restaurant originally from Malaysia and even though the branch in Singapore has operated for merely 9 months, it has left a deep impression on me. The food was really awesome, one more option for me to bring my family here for a meal!

Without further ado, here are the yummy 13 dishes to feast your eyes!

???? Fried Chilli Fish Paste Roll
The sauce tasted somewhat like the one in chilli crabs, super tasty! I ate it with rice and it was sooo good lol. The fish paste roll is extremely soft and chewy.

?? ??? Wok Fried Wanton with Pineapple
Similar to sweet and sour pork, only that they replaced the pork with fried wantons which still retains the crispy texture upon serving.

???? Braised Eggplant with Diced Prawns
I don’t fancy eggplant due to it’s slimy texture. Though I’d prefer it to be cooked with sambal chilli.

????? Wok Fried Crispy Sliced Pork with Bitter Gourd
Was quite amused by the description “??” lol! The meat was so tender and juicy. I’ve eaten bitter gourd that are extremely BITTER but this one wasn’t.

????? Stir Fried String Beans with Minced Meat
I thought the string beans were ??? but I was told it wasn’t. Anyway, this dish reminds me of the one my mum always cook. Only difference is she would add dried shrimps instead of minced meat heh heh!

?????? Deep Fried Carp Fish
Tender on the inside and crispy on the outside! The gravy complements the entire dish perfectly.

?????? Steamed Chicken with Salted Fish
Extremely succulent and tender chicken thigh meat. I love how they added lots of shredded ginger and chilli. As the Chinese saying goes, ????????

??????? Crispy Fish Fillet with Lemongrass and Grapefruit
Wish I had ate this but I didn’t get to try this dish at all :(

????? Yong Tau Foo with Deep Fried Beancurd Skin
I’ve always loved soups and this is no exception. It tasted really sweet, refreshing and all the essence is in the soup!

?????? ???? Sweet Potato with Beancurd Skin
You know sometimes when you cook potatoes it’s still hard on the inside. But the ones here were really soft and the gravy was fully absorbed by the potatoes. Super yummy!

????? Claypot Tomato Egg
Tomatoes, good for the skin! Look at that eggy goodness oh ma gawd~

????? Braised Beancurd with Meat Balls
Only managed to take a bite of the meat balls, they were really good!

????? Braised Pork Soft Ribs
Not sure if I got the name right. The soft ribs/bones literally melts in your mouth and the carrots and potatoes were really sweet.

????? Caramelized Char Siew
The legendary char siew, a must order if you visit Oversea Restaurant. Apparently, it’s so popular that you must call in advance to reserve it. The exterior is coated in malt candy and roasted to perfection, very different from the usual char siew we ate from hawker centres. The meat was extremely tender and nice, I don’t feel guilty eating it at all lol.

??? ???? Sesame Dumpling
Was quite surprised that it came in dry form. Look at the sugar glistening on the dumplings like pearls.

The total bill only comes up to about $203! That’s like only $20 per pax. Each dish only costs about $9.80 to $12.80, extremely affordable!

Spotted the char siew hanging near the entrance of the restaurant lol!

Thank you OverSea Restaurant and TheSampleStore for the invite!

Oversea Restaurant
No. 100 Beach Road
#01-27 to #01-37
Shaw Leisure Gallery, Shaw Tower
Singapore 189702
www.oversea.com.my

Ice Cream Making Workshop at Tom’s Palette

Jacelyn — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 04:00:03 +0000

Woohoo! I went back to Tom’s Palette for an ice cream workshop organized by Elfaine from TheSampleStore! I never knew ice cream making could be that easy. Anyway, Tom’s Palette had expanded to almost three times! It certainly looked much more impressive!

All the raw ingredients can be found easily from supermarkets. Here’s a step by step guide on making your own ice cream at home!

And it’s all done! When I first saw the ice cream, I was like WOAH! Darn proud of myself lol! After which, we headed over to Overseas Restaurant next door for a food tasting session. I’ll leave that for another entry.

Ok, I can’t wait to try out the recipe myself. Maybe I’ll try a milo version or something. Now go ahead and make your own ice cream!

Tom’s Palette
100 Beach Road #01-25
Shaw Leisure Gallery
Singapore 189702
www.tomspalette.com.sg

Tom Yum Kungfu at Circular Road

Jacelyn — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 04:00:02 +0000

Steamboat – one of my favorite, best eaten during rainy days (like NAO!). And BBQ + steamboat would be the perfect match! BFF was telling me how awesome Thai steamboat is, but I never got the chance to try it. Finally I did!

Overall, the food was awesome. I was pretty fascinated by the traditional way of cooking by using charcoal. The pork lard was then being placed on the dome-shaped grill which will melt and flow down to the soup broth. The meat and other items were barbecued on the grill. It was really fun to flip them around.

Went off to TCC and surprised Noi with a slice of cake and present for her birthday. Can’t wait for our next meet up!

Crab Goodness at Mellben Seafood

Jacelyn — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 04:00:51 +0000

Been hearing lots of rave about the famous crab bee hoon at Mellben Seafood and finally I got to try it! We went to the Toa Payoh branch, you wouldn’t miss it with its large signboard. We were there early and managed to get a seat. By 630pm, the place is fully filled with hungry customers!

For sides dishes, we ordered sambal kang kong and playboy chicken LOL! Don’t know why it’s called playboy chicken, but the sweet Thai chilli sauce complements the entire dish. Sambal kang kong was not spicy enough.

Crab bee hoon and butter crab! A must order if you ever come here. The crab soup is sweet, rich and milky. Extremely addictive! The butter and sweetness of the crab meat makes the soup very flavorful. My first time trying both dishes and I am hooked! Already went for the second time with my parents and they were extremely satisfied.

Awesome recommendation!

Mellben Seafood
Blk 211 Lorong 8 Toa Payoh, #01-11/15
Singapore 310211
Tel: 6353 3120

P/S: Pics by Nad and I

Ma Maison

Jacelyn — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 04:30:01 +0000

Boss and I went back to Ma Maison, where I celebrated my birthday this year with the girls. This time, we went to the branch at Bugis. It’s quietly tucked in a corner at level 2.

Narcissism alert! *snaps a picture*

Hungry but still must take a chio picture.

It’s extremely cosy to dine here as the decor is really pretty with English cottage style and dim lightings! Lomantic eh!

I didn’t dare to try the escargots the other time cos it looks very slimy and disgusting. Regretted my decision then cos this packs a punch! It’s extremely buttery and chewy. Nom nom nom…

Look at da meat! *slurps*

Boring pizza, but surprisingly yummy!

Nicely breaded and deep fried tonkatsu.

Comes with a Winnie the Pooh honey pot, with their homemade sauce. Very salty though!

Complimentary green tea ice cream.

Mango fruit tart! Still prefer the one from Fruit Paradise.

Lookbook of the day…

Top, pants, bag & belt: TheBlogShop
Necklace: Tangem
Bangle: Diva
Heels: Image-Turn

Depressing to see my hair. Need to get a new hair color and hair cut soon.

Nakhon Kitchen – Authentic & Affordable Thai Food

Jacelyn — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 04:30:22 +0000

I’ve visited this Thai restaurant for three times and finally got to blog about it. Tucked at the corner of Bedok North Ave 3, you can find really authentic and affordable Thai food right here. Extremely glad that it’s just a few bus stops away from my home. Can have a quick fix anytime if I crave for Thai food hee hee!

Recently, I went with Nadia again. There’s always a queue but the turn over is pretty fast. The waiter will take your order while queuing and food is served almost as soon as you get a seat. That, I am really impressed.

We ordered Thai iced tea and Fanta orange!

Thai Mango Salad ($5)

A nice appetizer to whet your appetite. The mixture of sauce, green mango and yummy cashew nuts made the entire dish extremely refreshing and tasty.

Pineapple Rice ($6)

Best pineapple rice I have ever eaten. The pork floss and raisins added that extra sweetness to the rice.

Thick Tom Yum Seafood Soup ($6)

Too hot to handle but shiok! Extremely spicy and they were pretty generous with the ingredients. Another version is the clear soup which I have never tried before.

Stir Fried Kai Lan ($6)

So-so only.

Kang Kong Belachan ($6)

Average only, could be the garlic that turns me off (I hate garlic). Still prefer the local version with lots of belachan!

Stir Fried Minced Pork with Basil and Chili ($6)

This dish packs a flavorful, spicy punch. Very very addictive!

Deep Fried Squid with Thai Chili Sauce ($10)

The Thai chili sauce is slightly sweet and mildly spicy, but the squid is not crispy enough. Can do better.

Mango Sticky Rice ($4)

Ending the meal with this delicious dessert. The glutinous rice is served warm, mango is extremely sweet and nicely drizzled with thick coconut milk.

You will be glad to know that they don’t charge GST nor service charge. Will definitely be back to try the highly-raved Grouper with Thai Chili Sauce.

Nakhon Kitchen
Blk 136 Bedok North Ave 3
#01-166, Singapore
Tel: (65) 6245 5548

The Fun of Baking

Jacelyn — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 04:00:03 +0000

We girls had a baking session during Easter! Fidel is the most pro baker amongst us, so we went to her house to havoc. Managed to buy the necessities except that we chose ready-made fondants lol! A very wrong decision made, you will know why later.

Found a vanilla cupcake recipe online and tried baking them. Not too bad for amateurs! A tad too sweet though.

The colorful fondants! I suggested to put some flour to prevent it from sticking but it tasted quite bad after that. My bad!

Ready-made icing. Hahhaa we were damn lazy and noob lah!

Our finished products! Look damn kiddish but we had fun! It was a great bonding session with the girls! I think the fondants taste quite horrible, self-made ones are still the best.

Pics credit to Nadia and Esther.

I wanted to learn more in depth baking skills, so I went for a baking class at Yishun with Claudia and Athena.

First up, baking the vanilla and chocolate cupcakes!

Next, making of the buttercream. The hardest task ever. A lot of attention must be paid to create a firm and creamy texture. It was worth it!

Making lemon curd for the frosting.

And finally, decorating session!

My finally creations! Look damn cui but tasted good hokay! Even boss also praised me.

Am gonna buying a new oven, a small one though. But good enough for me to bake more stuff!

Japanese DIY Candy Kits by Kracie and Meiji

Jacelyn — Tue, 24 May 2011 04:00:00 +0000

Japanese have the most bizarre inventions. Remember the Konapun Fake Food Making videos I posted a couple of months ago? All thanks to Nadia who managed to find the edible versions from Kracie, I think the both of us had spent more than $100 to buy these candies. We have almost collected all but are still looking for the pizza version. If anyone found it, PLEASE INFORM US!

Apart from Kracie, I managed to find the DIY candies from Meiji. Not that fantastic but was still fun to make. Since Nadia had posted what she bought, I decided to show what I bought too! Check out the following videos!

Ramen

Ice Cream

DIY Candy

Donuts

Crepes

Sushi

Bento

Gummyland

Cupcakes. This is the only set that requires baking.

Taiyaki

Neru Neru Neru Ne

Oh yeah that’s a lot of candies there. In fact, I’ve already tried the Ice cream and Neru Neru. Ice cream was yummy but Neru Neru is way too sweet. It’s as if you are eating the entire packet of sugar.

Nadia and I might post up some videos soon. Do look out for it!