Oodles of Noodles

Sometimes, when given a choice between rice and noodles, I tend to get a tad fickle and take a pretty long time to decide.

But then there are days that I'm just craving for these long luscious slurps of smoothness. I'm a big pasta fan but when I'm not eating Italian, I like to have my noodles with bite. I used to really like noodles alot in the past but now, I'm pretty impartial about it.

Occasionally, if I hear that a certain noodle dish is good, I'd try it and then enjoy it.

Right now, there are two noodle places that I want to rave about. One's a spicy one, and one's covered in thick brown gravy.

Okay, first off, let me say that my tolerance for spicy food is pretty high so when Dot and I decided to lunch at Beppu Ramen last week, I was excited. I've heard so much about this ramen place - that you can choose your prefered level of spiciness. I nearly ordered 3. But Dot has eaten here and told me that number 2 is already pretty spicy. I had to trust her, and I'm so glad I did!

My ramen came, and lo and behold, it WAS spicy. Hmmm wasn't mind-blowing spicy, but since it was a really hot day, it was pretty much enough for me. I had the Oniyama Jigok (the one with the fried chicken). I like the texture of the ramen and the soup - I think it was made with miso. Whatever it is, I liked it, even though I was already sniffing halfway through. It makes me wonder how the number 8 would taste like!

Anyway, if you cannot take even the slightest hint of spice, then maybe this would interest you: Lor Mee



I seldom eat Lor Mee because I usually like my noodles light and easy on the tummy but man, when I'm at Golden Mile Food Centre (a.k.a. Beach Road Army Market), I have to get this.

I'm going to say this only once: this is by far the best Lor Mee I've ever eaten! It comes with fried lotus root pieces and fried wanton. There's just so much good stuff in this bowl! Love the generous portion and the meat is so tender. The sauce is just nice - not too thick. I like my Lor Mee with lots of vinegar! haha.. Gosh, this is one superb noodle that rocks my socks. :) Go try it!

__________________________________________________

Tong Ji Mian Shi
#01-100
Golden Mile Food Centre
505 Beach Road
Open: 6:30am to 9pm
___________________________________________________

Beppu Menkan Japanese Noodle Restaurant
#01-01 Far East Square,
Tel: 6438-0328
Open: Weekdays 11.30am to 3pm and 6 to 10pm,
Saturdays noon to 10.30pm and Sundays noon to 9pm),

Dad's Cedele Birthday Cake!

Dad turned 58 last Sunday and what better way to celebrate than with a cake from my favourite bakery depot!

Stop rolling your eyes! I can see you... I know what you're thinking. haha. It was indeed a good excuse to buy an entire cake from Cedele. Bro and I thought it'll be a nice gesture + I convinced him that the cake was delish!

Since I've been eating so much of their chocolate cakes, I told my bro to get the Carrot Walnut Cake. At $48, it was fairly reasonable, seeing how big the cake was!




That's why I love Cedele! Their cakes are huge and full of good stuff. Check out the carrots and walnuts man...



Everyone loved it. I think Dad liked it. Well he doesn't have much of a sweet tooth but he did have a slice! I totally dig the walnuts by the side. This is by far my most favourite carrot cake. I don't think I've tasted any better.

Speaking of cakes, I've also tried this other cake place at Katong but that's for another post.

Today, it's all about Dad's Cedele Birthday Cake! Thank you Cedele for baking such glorious cakes. I know for sure, that my birthday cake will be a Cedele too.

Or.. hahaha, anyone thinking what cake to get me for my birthday (coming soon. hahahaha :p) can get me a Cedele! Gosh, how thick can my skin get?

Nah, I'm simply kidding. I might be baking my own cake this year. Speaking of which, Cocoa & Butterscotch has something up our sleeves to celebrate our birthdays, but that's under wraps, for now!

Oh and Dad, if you're reading this (hopefully!), Happy Birthday once again! I love you! You're such an amazing cook and I wanna learn how to cook all those delicious Peranakan dishes! :)

Till next time, have a rocking yummy day ya'll!

Waraku

My friends around me are well aware of my sudden infatuation with all things Japanese, especially food.

A trip to Daiso always sees me going home with multiple bags of 'goodies' and I've been declaring openly how I crave for a good plate of omurice, hamburg meal or hayashi rice.

That's how crazy I am about Japanese stuff now. Well, I think I'm more excited about the food really.

I have every reason to! Been watching this 12 episode Japanese serial called Lunch no Joou (Lunch Queen) and ever since the moment I laid eyes on the food in the show, I've been salivating so bad that every thought of lunch leads me to omu rice.

Alas, I haven't found that amazing omurice place. But if you know of any, please do tell me! I've been hunting high and low. Most Japanese eateries here sell mostly dons and soba, and sushi etc.

Ohhh.. but one place has managed to satisfy one Japanese craving. It's a place that's familiar to most. Been hearing bout the restaurant from literally everyone I know.

Waraku is its name and I have to say that it didn't fail to impress me either.

Brought sis there on Thursday and really enjoyed it. Go ask my sister. She was pretty intrigued by the look on my face as I ate my meal.

She had the lunch set meal that included one Cha Soba and one Salmon Oyako-don:



It sure is filling and the soba was yummy - love the chewy texture...



What did I have?

Hahahaha.... the hamburg meal of course! Though I would have appreciated it if they have me some rice to go with the gravy but hey, I shan't complain because it was really really good!



Served with a generous amount of demi-glace sauce, the hamburg patty was really fresh and tender. Each mouthful was greeted with a satisfying smile. Oishii!

Throughout the entire meal, I was thinking of how good the sauce was and how it complemented the beef. Go watch Lunch Queen and you'll understand the root of my current obsession. hahaha..

Eat it with a soft runny yolk and you'll never want another processes beef patty again. Everything pales in comparison now.

Trust me on this, this hamburg is top notch. Do go try it before it's gone. It's on their limited edition Summer Special Menu.



What can I say. I'm simply speechless.

I've found THE amazing hamburg! now it's time to find that great omurice. Recommendations anyone??

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Waraku
#01-12 Starhub Center
51 Cuppage Road
Tel: 6721-1123
Open: 11:30am - 11pm ( Last order 10:30pm )
*They have outlets in East Coast, Marina Square and Clarke Quay (The Central)

Have Your Car and Eat It Too!

This blew me away.

Like totally.

And if you think that's like super cool, wait till you see the 'behind-the-scenes':



What can I say; you really can make anything out of cake and sugar!

Also, you got to check out Michelle's portfolio. She makes sugar art on a regular basis.

Amazing! I'm speechless!

The videos speak for themselves so I shan't say much; except this:

I wish I had a house made out of cake! So I can eat the door knob when I'm hungry, or even the tap...

Cakes with substance

Just a while ago, I posted about Cedele Depot's cakes and raved about them like mad.

I was sorry I didn't have pictures the other time and now, each time I visit them, I make it a point to snap some shots and as promised, here are the cakes, in all their glory.

Now you know why I think they have substance.

Seriously, if I could really choose any place to have cakes all my life, I'd definitely pick Cedele!

Yesterday I had their Apple Oat Cake (pictured above) and it tasted great with coffee. It did help that it was healthy - not sweet at all. My favourite part was the apple slices and the oat & walnut streusel on top. Crunchy and tasty, I love.

Seems like I cannot run away from Cedele. I have to go pass their shop everytime I'm near one. It's become so much of a habit that most of the time I do end up buying something.

Take the Old Fashioned Granny Apple Pie for instance. I was simply looking at the glorious offerings of scones and cakes when I chanced upon this beauty:



Looking good and yummy, I felt it calling out to me, so yes I had a slice. No regrets. Warm and chockful of apples, this pie gives you a warm feeling. It was as if my grandma made it for me. Awww...

And then there are those sins:



Like this Chocolate Truffle Cake. Super rich and super divine, this cake rocks my socks but I can't eat it all by myself. Have to share, unless I use it to replace a meal.

Cedele has a knack for exploring flavours and here are two cool cakes that I think deserve 2 thumbs up not only for their creativity but combination of flavours & textures:



Orange and Apricot cake. Love this one. You can actually taste both in a slice! See, they do mean what they say and say what they mean these Cedele peeps.

Okay this one might look standoffish because of its black colour but really, it tastes so good! It's Sesame Cake with Tahnini Frosting:



Loved the fact that they topped it with cranberries (my fav!)

Man... Cedele should come up with like a loyalty programme! :)

I do hear sounds of unison from Cedele fans!

Sweet Stone Parad'Ice

Waffles fall into the type of food category that hardly anyone gets bored of.

It carries a smell of nostalgia that most people would love to recall. I'm one of them.

Though in my household, waffles didn't make a regular appearance, it brings warmth when I think of them hot and fresh out of the waffle iron.

I'm like that. I have a thing for smells especially that associated to butter. I think butter is really God's miracle creation.

That unforgettable thick and creamy rich aromatic whiff that sinks in as you bite into a waffle or a butter cake or even in a bread and butter pudding. Sometimes, I think it's better than chocolate. sometimes :)

So anyway, I like waffles and I like them crisp on the outside, chewy on the inside and I think I've just found one particular one I really dig. They were featured recently in the Lifestyle section of The Sunday Times. I visited them a while ago but didn't have time to post about it. But I shall, now. Because I think I have to share my wonderful experience with you!

Located at Golden Mile Food Centre at Beach Road, this cosy little stall is tucked in between a Western food stall and another hmm stall which I cannot remember! I think drink stall. Heh. I chanced upon it by accident and I think they've only been opened for 3 months.

Sweet Stone Parad'ice they're called and they sell Belgian 'Liege' waffles with chocolate dips, gelato and chocolate fondue. Here's a snapshot of their waffles dipped in rich chocolate:



It was phenomenal! I fell in love with their waffles and theirs are the kinds that lingers in your memory even after you've left the place.

I tried their coffee and super lemon gelato:



I'd have to be honest and say that their gelato are pretty ordinary. Well I liked the lemon one because it was really citrus-y and sour. Though I heard comments from other customers who had trouble eating it because it was too sour for their tastebuds. Heh. But there was another gelato flavour - Speculoos I think. Yes, I totally loved that. It's a flavour derived from a spice biscuit. I think it's German or Dutch. Can't remember.



The store is owned by two gentlemen who decided to be entrepreneurial and just go with this idea and guess what? It worked really well and they now have a loyalty programme. How cool is that?

I think they should start selling hot chocolate next :)




If you love waffles as much as me, please do head down and have a taste for yourself.

____________________________________________

Sweet Stone Parad'ice
#01-67/76 Golden Mile Food Centre
505 Beach Road
Opens: 11:30am to 9:30pm, Closed on Mondays and Wednesdays.

Me Cocoa, She Butterscotch

Morning!

We would like to introduce ourselves properly once and for all :)

Hi, I'm Cocoa, the one on the left and I'm the sporty one. I love the sun, sand and sea. In my free time, I run, blade, cycle and most of the time, when I'm not doing anything, I'm chilling out with my best friend Butterscotch. As you would have guessed, I not only bake, but write as well. I love to write! It's my biggest passion, and baking comes after it.

Hi, I'm Butterscotch! As you can see, I'm a tad shorter than Cocoa. I don't run as much as her but I play tennis and I skateboard. Am a rocker chick at heart, though you can't really tell. I'm a freelance graphic designer and I got influenced by Cocoa and am excited to be baking and working alongside with her!

Together, we make up Cocoa & Butterscotch, a girlie partnership that will make the world a happier yummier place.

We bake, we design, we write, and we will put a smile to your faces with our favourite things!

Cocoa & Butterscotch is really an establishment that caters to your homely needs. We girls won't sell what we don't like. Our products are all natural, with no preservatives and all ingredients are of the best quality.

We welcome all feedback too!

Oh, and in case you were wondering why we are named Cocoa & Butterscotch...hmm we don't really have a reason. Both of us were brainstorming one day and decided on something that sounded tasty and sounded as if they could be eaten together! hahhahaa

And so... there you have it! The story behind Cocoa & Butterscotch.

This marks the beginning of an exciting journey and we're so glad to have you with us.

Hope on board ya'll! :o)

Cocoa & Butterscotch

Surprise surprise!!!

Today I officially launch what Dot and I have been working on for the past month -

Cocoa & Butterscotch - our quirky idea of an online bakery.

Well it's going to be more than a bakery. We will cater to events as well (think weddings, birthdays etc) but more on that later.

Right now, I'm here to announce our first ever bake sale!


*Click to enlarge or visit our site.

We're pretty excited about this new venture. But due to our current work/school situation, we might not be able to cater to every single request so please do understand.

Do feel free to email us for quotations or if you have any questions. Dot is a freelance graphic designer, and I, a freelance writer and together, we hope to be able to lend our services to those looking to customise an event and give it personality.

Now here's a quick question - you've seen the two girls in our logo.

Which one's me and which one's Dot? Oh, they really are named Cocoa and Butterscotch by the way.

Again, refer to our site for more information and details, or check out our even more detailed poster here.

Oh, and thanks so much to ALL of you who dropped me emails, sms-es and comments! I will reply them all asap.

You're all so sweet :) Love ya'll!

________________________________

*NOTE* - The bake sale ends 20 June 2007, so any orders placed after that will not be entertained! (this is due to overwhelming response, so bear with me... )

To be like Nigella?

Afternoon, world!

Some of you reading this might be checking out this food blog o' mine for the first time. If you're one of them, here's a warm welcome and a cuppa hot chocolate and warm scone for you. It's virtual though, so I don't think you can taste it. Just imagine for now, ya? :0)

Yes, you read what I said in The Sunday Times interview - from that Cedele Depot blueberry almond slice I could eat for the rest of my life, to my last meal (Dad's ayam buah keluak, durians, warm scones, a kickass tiramisu and a cuppa hot chocolate!) and my ambition to be the Nigella Lawson or Jamie Oliver of Singapore.

You can say I have big dreams! Indeed, there are plenty of castles in the clouds for me right now.

But first up, let me just thank all of you beloved readers - past and present. Thank you for all your support since this lil' blog started in 2005. For those who've been buying my baked goods, thank you for trusting me! hahaa....

And while I'm at it, I might as well plug my July Bake Sale. I'm consolidating all orders and you can collect them in July.

Everything will be revealed later tonight in another post! Still finalising details :)

Stay tuned ya'll!

Blueberry Goodness

I was to bake something pretty, something photogenic yesterday. Due to a lack of time, I decided to go with my nutella cupcakes and blueberry muffins.

Actually, the blueberry muffins were kind of a last minute thing. That's because a punnet was going at $2.95! I bought 2 punnets and went home feeling excited. Excited because it's been quite a while since I've baked blueberry muffins. Blueberries don't go cheap here in Singapore so I always wait till the prices drop - like now :)

The muffins were filled with so much blueberry goodness that I couldn't help eating them once they came out of the oven. There's nothing like warm blueberry muffins on a hot Thursday afternoon I tell ya.



Check out the moist juices and violet hue! Lovely...

I used a different recipe this time, one which called for a crumble topping. That's why there are so many brown bits on my muffin crowns.

Some of the berries burst, resulting in a volcanic looking muffin:



But I still think they are pretty nonetheless!

I didn't bother taking photos of my nutella cupcakes because I think they've gotten enough limelight :p

Here's my muffins and the cupcakes all in a box, waiting to be photographed with me...




I won't say much about the reason for the photos. Haha, all will be revealed in due time! Sooner than expected, trust me.

_______________________________________________

Blueberry Muffins
From Williams-Sonoma Muffins

For the topping:
¼ cup (1½ oz/ 45g) all-purpose (plain) flour
2 tablespoons each granulated sugar and firmly packed light brown sugar
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces.

For the muffins:
7 tablespoons (3½ oz/ 105g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
¾ cup (6oz/185g) granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2¼ cups (11½ oz/ 360g) all-purpose (plain)flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup (8 fl oz/ 250ml) milk
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract (essence)
1½ cups (6 oz/ 185g) fresh blueberries or frozen unsweetened blueberries, unthawed.


Preheat the oven to 375 Fahrenheit (190 degree celcius) . Grease 12 standard muffin cups with butter or butter-flavoured nonstick cooking spray

To make the topping, stir together the flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Using a pastry cutter or your fingers, cut or rub the butter into the dry ingredients just until coarse crumbs form. Alternatively, combine the dry ingredients and the butter in a food processor and pulse just until coarse crumbs form.

To make the muffins, in a bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each edition until blended into the butter mixture.

In another bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture in 2 increments, alternating with the milk and vanilla. Stir just until evenly moistened. The batter will be slightly lumpy. Using a large rubber spatula, gently fold in the blueberries just until evenly distributed, no more than a few strokes. Take care not to break up the fruit. Do not overmix.
Spoon the batter into each muffin cup, filling it level with the rim of the cup. Sprinkle each muffin with some topping.

Bake until golden, dry, and springy to the touch, 20-25 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin should come out clean. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool for 5 minutes. Unmold the muffins. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Makes 12 muffins.

Ohsho Japanese Eatery

During the holidays, I face the same questions from everyone I meet.

It's always, "So, what are you gonna do during the hols?"

Like hmmmm...

That's really not a difficult question but somehow, I find it hard to answer. Because I have so many things to do during holidays. I should be free but I shomehow manage to occupy my time so much so that I end up sleeping at weird hours. But that's acceptable because I'm not required to wake up at a specific time I guess!

So, now that I have time to think properly, what would my answer be?

First thing that comes to mind:

EAT.

Try out new eateries, savour their food, blog about it and savour it somemore, and find new ones to tickle my tastebuds etc.

It's that simple really.

Trust me on this, it's a plan I have and a plan I intend to keep.

Dot and I recently visited Ohsho at Cuppage. I've only eaten their gyozas when I was temping at Starhub Centre near by.

So that night when we decided to dine at Ohsho, we ordered quite a bit of food, including the not so japanese looking 'funky karaage' (that's what they called it!)

It's actually just fried chicken karaage and fries. But the fries remind me so much of Primary school where they sold these thick cut fries in small bags, doused a deep red in tomato or chilli sauce. Those of you who went to CHIJ Katong Primary would know what I'm referring to :)

Then there's the gyozas...

It's eaten with this vinegar cm chilli sauce that brings the tasty levels up three notches. Yum yum...

They're pan-fried by the way and they are so delicious! The skin of the right thickness and there's this crisp crackle when you bite into it because of that slightly charred skin. Super.



Ahhh I love this. Both of us really couldn't decide what mains to have so we looked around and saw this man on our left eating this eggy looking dome shaped thing that looked like it had rice swimming in a bowl of thick starchy soup. It's called tenshinhan apparently.



Really think it looks cute. Reminds me of mui fan (rice with gravy), japanese style. It was yummy and fun to eat.

Though I think the ramen at Ohsho is quite famous, there wasn't any chance of us forcing it into our already stuffed stomaches so we stopped here.

But we'll be back in due time, to try their ramen! That's for sure :)

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Ohsho Singapore
#01-10 Cuppage Plaza
5 Koek Road
Tel: 6735 7068

Open: Mon-Sun, 11.30am-2am, 12pm-12am

Delicious Weekender

My weekend has been busy busy busy.

My ministry (Amplify) had our prep camp for the coming YISS (14-17 June) and I was heading the F&B team. Tiring but fulfilling nonetheless. Slept for a total of 4 hours throughout the weekend!

But I'm wellrested now. Slept damn early last night. And speaking of weekends, I have something cool to share with you.

My recent online discovery is an online bakeshop that sells homemade cakes. Known as the Delicious Weekender, this homely cake business is the brainchild of a daughter who's eager to let everyone have a taste of her mum's baked goodness.

They sell anything from fruit cake to brownies, sugee cake and marble cake.

I had a chance to try out their fruit cake and I kinda like it.

Flavourful and packed with fruits, it wasn't too sweet. But I think it could have more liquer. Hehe..

There's also their gingerbread cake. It looked really good with its deep dark brown.

Love the subtle taste of molasses and slight hint of ginger. The texture was just nice - not too heavy. Good to have with tea.

Their marble cake was delicious and light.

The thing about their cakes is that they're not really sweet, which is cool. It allows the natural flavours to come through.

Marble cakes though easy to make, is hard to get right and though I like the taste, I think the texture could be better. It was more on the dry side. Marble cakes should be moist at most.

But if it's any consolation, I loved the mix of vanilla and chocolate in the marble cake :)

Thanks Jaya for the cakes and good luck with your cake business venture! :)

Order their cakes at Delicious Weekender.
Or email deliciousweekender@gmail.com.