One weekend in JB - one HUGE feast

Check out that plate.

No wait, check out the remnants on the plate.

To whom does it belong you wonder eh?

haha... isn't the answer so darn obvious.

yes yes it's me all right. My plate. after what i'd call a HUGE feast fit for starving people. Except that hmmm we weren't a bunch of starved people.

Who's the we? That's me and the bunch of my beloved family of friends from Amplify Ministry, SJC Connectors and John 10:10. Yea, we were in Johor Bahru (JB), Malaysia for the weekend.

We were there to conduct a spirit-filled retreat for some of the confirmands there. The retreat was held at the Sacred Heart Church. It's an annual routine. We always always have a HUGE supper at the near by hawker centre (at Taman Sri Tebrau, around Jalan Keris) after the first day. and here you can see the lovely Lydia a.k.a Auntie Dee, or the one with the saccharine sweet singing voice (she's one of the singer in the music side) and her crayfish:



yep, Crayfish. Butter Crayfish to be specific. That was the highlight of the day!


Jules and Grace going ga-ga at the sight of the mountain of butter crayfish

I'm sure you can see how enthused we are about butter crayfish. It's really that good! And really really cheap. It's like half the price of what you have to pay back in Singapore! check out more crayfish shots:


can you see the roe? - this particular photo was taken by Clarence.

ahh... the one and only oily, fattening moutain of pure buttery crayfish... who can resist? I know I can't....



and here's the next highlight, oatmeal prawns:



Now, you see the oatmeal bits there? We finished almost all. Very very oily but heh, it's just comforting to know that oats is healthy, no? =p



Oh my oh my... look at that meat above. Delicious looking ya? Well it was superbly yummy as well. They're pork ribs without the bones i think. The marinade makes it so scrumptious. awesome


prawn paste chicken


sambal kangkong

and yes we had some prawn paste chicken and sambal kangkong to go with the crayfish, prawns and pork. Now, can you guess how much we paid for all that? there was about 9 of us at that table, so after splitting the cost, each person had to pay only about 23 ringgit. That's like about 10 SGD. Now, is that cheap or is that CHEAP?! i love JB! I love the food, the seafood... amazing.

Did I forget to mention that a total of 40 of us were there? For the retreat? And about 3/4 of us occupied like 4 tables at the place to feast. And here's one of the table:




They look happy don't they? Of course they would. Their food came first. The rest of us were practically drooling whilst waiting for our own food to come.

Anyway, here's some of their food:


sambal stingray


kai lan

There were alot more other food but we were all so busy eating and my hands were so oily that I didn't want to risk dirtying my camera.

On Sunday, we headed down to City Square for dinner before going home and I just had to eat the cakes at Secret Recipe.

For the uninitiated, Secret Recipe is known for their cheesecakes. It's a Malaysia company and they have outlets in Singapore too. My favourite is the chocolate banana cake. Chocolate and bananas are like husband and wife, they look and taste good together!

In case you're wondering why I had to have the cakes there instead of waiting till I come home to Singapore. Well, the reason is simple. When faced with food cheaper than what you pay in your home country, would you want to give up that opportunity to eat more for less? haha.. okay now i'm starting to sound really cheapskate. heh it's not my fault that i'm a student who ain't that rich (ahem, considering how much money goes into my food endeavours).

The cakes at Secret recipe costs about 5 ringgit a slice there, which is about 2.50 SGD but here, whoa, they are going for 5 SGD per slice. so now you get the equation? hope you do. haha. anyway here are the cakes:


chocolate banana cake


blueberry cheesecake

So I suggest that if you happen to be really free one fine day, why not just go across the causeway and drop by the nearest mall: City Square and stuff yourself crazy.. and do some shopping too? It'll be a great way to destress I would vouch. But of course, you would have to exercise if you want to keep your flabs at bay. I actually ran 8km after I got home from JB last night. Well it's partly because I have to train for my half marathon this sunday... and it so happens that running is a good way to burn those calories ya know. that's the secret. =)

Give me some Clarity anytime, anywhere!

Their famed chicken ballotine

Most of you might have read my previous post about Miss Clarity Cafe a few weeks ago.

And I know for a fact that alot of you actually went down to try out their food after hearing me rave about it - so much so that they were sold out before it was time to close!

How did I know? Well some of you actually told them about this blog o' mine and of course, the owners knew it could be none other than me (i mean, who else could be this crazy about their cafe than their biggest fan, no?).

Pardon me while I continue raving about their homely cafe a bit more will ya?

I went back to the cafe to have lunch yesterday and was bowled over yet again.

These people never fail to please. Why do I say that? See for yourself my friends:



Sirloin steak


yes, I had my steak medium rare... Mmmmm!

Mind you, seldom do I make this claim: The food at Miss Clarity Cafe is of a standard that NO words need to be spoken when presented. I know of some places where the food looks pretty but medicore in taste. But the food at this cafe, oh boy, it's addictive. And don't you think my photos of the dishes speak volumes? You don't need to describe it, you just need to bite, savour and experience it!

psst... I tried their sirloin steak for the first time. To be honest, I'm not really much of a steak person but theirs was fantastic. I had mine medium rare and yes I had to chew quite a bit but hey it was worth it - the meat was fresh and delicious.


Bread and butter pudding - freshly baked on the day i went!

Ain't I so glad I discovered this lovely haunt. Well it was actually a recommendation from a friend. Since then, I've just been telling all my other friends about this amazing cafe.

You know what? This is by far, my most favourite cafe in town. That I can safely say. I really am impressed by how well they maintain the quality of their food.. oh and I love the variety they have. The chef creatively changes the presentation and side dishes regularly. So one day you can order the ballotine, and have it served with grilled potatoes, but come back another time, and you have mashed potatoes or broccoli with carrots. You get my drift.



Another must-try is their tiramisu and their mango island drink.

The tiramisu isn't overbearing at all. It has just the right amount of cake, and cream.

By the way, all their cakes and pastries are baked by a pastry chef who comes by a few times a week. So what you get is really good stuff. Trust me, you'll love me for recommending you the bread and butter pudding. It just calls out to you!


mango island - mango with vanilla ice-cream. perfect for a hot day!

Alrighty, now now, I think I didn't mention before, but the cafe is closed on Sundays. Heh I didn't know until I actually turned up one Sunday and found it closed.

Just to let you know, the cafe would be adding some new dishes to their menu really soon so don't forget to check it out again, even if you've gone there before. See, I told ya it's addictive. I think I'm officially a Miss Clarity Cafe addict, however corny that sounds. Go ask my friends. They can attest to that!

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Miss Clarity Cafe
5 Purvis Street (the lane directly opposite the new NLB at bras basah)
Tel: 6339-4803
Open 7am to 11pm
Closed on Sundays
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Sun Chips - The healthier munchie alternative

Do you love to munch on chips but always feel terribly guilty after finishing the entire bag?

Well, fret not, because now, you can simply munch your guilt away with Sun Chips!

Made from mulitgrains, Sun Chips has 30% less fat than ordinary potato chips....




and if you're thinking how bland it must taste, boy are you in for a surprise...

because,

it's actually as tasty as your normal 'fatty' potato chips and it comes in two great flavours: Harvest Cheddar and French Onion. Check out the delicious looking chips:



So what are you waiting for couch potato? Go grab a pack now! And eat your way to a healthier you without the extra calories.

*Available at Carrefour.

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okay, okay for those of you who are thinking what the hell am i doing? heh just felt like doing something different. trying out my copywriting skills.. haha

anywayz, no I wasn't paid to 'advertise' their chips at all, in case you're wondering. i just discovered this chips a few days ago when i was checking out the huge selection of chips at Carrefour. I didn't think it would taste much, but hey, it really quite good. Best thing was, it didn't feel too oily and no, there wasn't any guilt after munching on these chips.

chips aside, i realise i haven't been baking or cooking much. and it's all thanks to my new university life. I live about more than an hour away from campus and spend a great deal traveling to and fro everyday so by the time i get back, i'm too tired to do any baking. this sucks. but well, i'm planning this mini tea party with a few friends and I'll definitely take this opportunity to cook and bake loads, to make up for my short baking hiatus. haha. think scones, muffins, and tea? hahaa... i myself am looking forward to it. okay, time to go to school. laterz!

Carl's Jr

Have you heard people raving about the star above? What about the one below - the famous star:



Yes, you read it correctly, it says Famous Star with Cheese. And famous it is! Why so? Oh please, do I even need to spell it out? I should think this picture would suffice:



Now now now, is that a burger or is that a B-U-R-G-E-R?!

I have a confession to make - I am not a burger person and neither am I a fast food lover.

But

Carl's Jr. converted me.

This amazing American burger joint that recently appeared on this small little island of Singapore has already made waves; for me and for every other person I know.

Almost all my friends have tried their burgers and had only good words to say, hmmm or maybe it was mostly one word: H-U-G-E.

It is huge. Their portions are huge, their criss cut fries are huge...



and of course their burgers take the burger! They put the burger in its right place. You should know why I keep raving about the huge portion size? That's because at the rest of the fast food outlets here, the meals seem like an X-S to the portions I see being served at Carl's Jr.

Okay I know you're wondering about the price. Sure, it might be a little bit more pricey - about $2 more. BUT you get VALUE. You get a satisfying carbo-laden meal. I should think it best to consume such large sized burgers and fries only after a good run - Just like how I did! haha...

YES, I ran 10km yesterday morning at Sentosa as part of the New Balance Real Run event. It was Awesome. and of course, it gave me good reason to eat Carl's Jnr without feeling guilty!

Now, you've heard me sing praises of Carl's Jr., but there's just one thing I wish they could change... their red chilli cheese fries for instance:



Honestly, you won't think much just by this photo ya? That's because the fries are scrawny! And limp. and the sauce doesn't look too appetising does it? Hmmm okay okay, it tastes okay but I just prefer something which might look more presentable.

At Carl's Jr, the average price of a burger ranges from $4.20 to about $6. I can't remember the exact price but I should think it worth every cent. They have a huge selection of burgers and I will definitely go back to try out the other lovely gems.

Cheers and thanks to whoever that brought Carl's Jr (fourth largest burger chain in US) to Singapore... At least now I know that the burgers are really 'hot!' and not just hot because Paris Hilton ate them whilst washing a car and looking hot.

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Carl's Jr.
#01-202/203
6 Raffles Boulevard
Tel: 6720-2720

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Durian Day

This thorny fruit is by far one of my favourite indulgences.

Also known as the King of all fruits, the durian has its fair share of ardent fans and people who would rather be pricked by its thorns than actually place the 'fragrant' mellow yellow flesh into their mouths.

Naturally, most Westerners are quite adverse to it, for obvious reasons i suppose. The pungent smell of this unique fruit can be quite foreign to some. But i guess it's different when you have eaten it since young and basically grew up in an environment that treats it like a common must-have fruit! Think Goodwood Park's durian cream puffs or Emicake's durian cake. You get my drift I suppose?

Anyway what's the deal about this fabulous fruit you ask? Well try opening one:




now, tell me what do you see? For durian lovers like me, i see something almost lyrical. I can smell the durians right here, as i type these words. I can taste it in my mouth while i stare at the pictures.

durians just don't taste like fruit! i mean, the custard-like consistency begs for attention whenever I pick one seed up. It doesn't taste like mango, rambutan or apple for that matter. I guess one can categorise it under the 'exotic fruit' section.

Mind you, durians can double up as a weapon, given its thorny exterior but i really much prefer to open them and reveal their glory.

okay okay, i'm not really a durian fanatic but pardon my sudden thorny enthusiasm - i have a valid reason:

after sociology lecture, me, cherlyn, matt, jeremy and mark went to Toa Payoh to have durians. We actually planned this durian 'outing' last week. Been looking forward to today all week. and yes, we did enjoy ourselves tremendously. you can tell from matt and cherlyn's faces over here:



Pure ecstacy you say? I say 'aye'! and well here's cherlyn and me going 'bonkers' over our delicious durians:



look at our wide smiles... need I say more?

Dad's Soya Sauce Chicken

Remember the soya sauce pork I mentioned about in my post about the food cooked for my 21st birthday soiree? Yes, the delicious one cooked by my dad. I didn't have a photo of that. But I do have a photo of this lovely chicken version of it here.

I just had to post it up. And if you think it looks yummy, well it tastes even better. Think sweet and salty. That's the amazing thing about soya sauce. It goes well even with a honey base. Come to think of it, I have to start pestering my Dad to pass down his culinary secrets to me. He's such a great chef, it'll be a pity if I let it go to waste. But ahem, he's not exactly the most patient person around. I just hope I learn fast. I am keen on learning how to make ayam buah keluak and devil curry like he does! I need to master more asian recipes.....

Miss Clarity Cafe

Chicken Gordon Bleu

Have a look at that photo above.

What do you think it is?

Don't you think it looks vaguely interesting and delicious at the same time:



that's a closer shot. check out the ham and cheese. can you smell the aroma permeating through your computer screen?

If you thought that was good, try imagining what this would taste like:


Chicken Ballotine

have you guessed?

Can you feel it in your mouth? Yes? No? Want more? Sure....


Chicken baked rice

Now... you are so gonna hate me for doing this aren't you?

But please, have patience and enjoy the food porn while you can...


spicy wings

All right all right, I had better stop being so evasive about these gorgeous dishes. Sorry, but I was simply in a playful mood. haha...

Anyway, yes, I discovered this gem of a cafe recently through a friend's recommendation.

Miss Clarity Cafe is THE latest hot spot in town where you can dine at prices so reasonable your jaws might drop. Plus, they have free wi-fi and they don't mind if you chill out and study there with your laptops.

They serve a range of western and asian cuisine. Opened in June this year, Miss Clarity Cafe is run by a family who's quite adept in the F&B business. The chef himself used to work at Raffles Grill. Impressive eh? The amazing thing is that they don't even have service charge. But trust me, you'd def. wanna leave them a tip because they have such a personable way of serving.

The time I was there, I ended up chatting with Nora, the lady boss and her chef son and even her waiters - who were actually her nephews.

Why name it Miss Clarity you ask? Well that's the name of one of Nora's niece.

Okay I think I've digressed enough. Back to the food!

Yes yes, that which you saw at the top of the blog, that's Chicken Gordon Bleu, breaded chicken stuffed with ham and cheese. Can you guess how much it costs?

You wouldn't believe it if i told you.

It set me back only by a mere $5.50. Without svc charge too mind you! I mean, given the neat presentation and quality of the food, you would have expected to pay at least about $12 won't you?

But you see, that's the wondrous thing about this cafe. They don't aim to suck your pockets dry. All they want to give you is a satisfying meal which actually tastes and looks good.

If you do decide to drop by, don't leave without trying their Chicken Ballotine. It's chicken stuffed with mushrooms. It tastes great. Oh, and yes, their baked rice. You saw the amount of chicken in their baked rice didn't you? Yes, that wasn't a photo trick - there really was that much of chicken in that dish. It was yummy!

As for dessert, don't fret, they have some amazing stuff that will leave you speechless:



The chocolate fondue costs only $10. and their bread pudding:



It costs only $2.80. I didn't try the pudding but my friends who did, well they loved it so much that they keep going back for more!

I do think that this cafe wouldn't be seeing the last of me. I know that for a fact!

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Miss Clarity Cafe
5 Purvis Street
Tel: 6339-4803
Open 7am to 11pm

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Media Mention

Some of us local food bloggers (or floggers for that matter) got mentioned in an article about the food blogging community this tuesday in Strait's Times Digital Life.

Seems like we're making a mark in the blogging community, no?

My... it's been four months since I started this food blog. Time zooms by ya? But not to worry, I promise to continue whetting your appetites and try to hypnotise you people to lick your screens.

Yum Cha Restaurant

Singapore is known for being the 'buffet' island. Everywhere you go, there's bound to be plenty of buffets offered at various restaurants.

What are buffets for, really?

Are they here so we can stuff ourselves crazy, give my tummy a hard time and then spend more time in the toilet trying to expunge the unforgivable amount of food just consumed?

Most of the time, we tend to think more of making our trip worth it, eating your worth basically.

Alas, it's all wrong. Buffets are here to give you more variety. Meaning, you can try different dishes at a seating, maybe at a much smaller portion.

Before you fall asleep reading on my discourse on buffets, i'll simply go on about a buffet I went recently.

A dim sum buffet to be exact:


clockwise from top left: xiao long bao, chee cheong fun, tau sar pau, and some 'muah chee' like balls stuffed with black sesame paste.


clockwise from top left: siew mai, chicken wrapped with dried beancurd skin, har gao and some crystal dumpling stuffed with chives

As you can see, there certainly was variety... and we ate more than what you see in the pictures. Didn't take a pic of the yummy mango pudding, and authentic gui ling gao (herbal jelly)

I do think that one shouldn't eat too much buffet dinners. I think it best to left the buffets to mid-day or morning.

This dim sum buffet I had was actually brunch to me.

It was a breakfast buffet promotion that Yum Cha Restaurant was having. It costs about $9.80++ for an adult to have a filling 'breakfast' cum 'lunch' from 8am to 11am, Mondays to Fridays. Weekends and Pub Hols, you have to pay about $13.80++. It's pretty worth it I think. And the quality of the dim sum wasn't too bad. My only gripe was that the 'carts' took a really time to get to our table because we were sitting at the corner of the restaurant.

Please do take note that this promotion is only on until the 9th of September. So hurry ya? haha...

oh, yes, and this is how the place looked like:

I love yellow walls. They're the same hue as my room!

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Yum Cha Restaurant
20 Trengganu Street
#02-01 (Off Temple Street)
Tel: 6372-1717
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Croquette

freshly cooked croquette

Amplify ministry, of which I'm a member of, played host to the first combined SACCRE youth rally last saturday and i was roped in to cook something as part the refreshments.

It's almost natural for me to suggest brownies.

BUT...

Someone else was already going to bake that.

So I decided, why not try cooking something savoury this time? Besides I had this croquette recipe I've been wanting to try out.

And so, I did!

I know you're now wondering how it turned out. Well, what do you think?


cross-section of croquette

The croquettes were a big hit! So much so that they were wiped out pretty fast. Some of my friends didn't have a chance to try them. I'll definitely make more next time!

Anyway I do like the way my croquettes turned out. And it's all thanks to Alice Lim, of whom the recipe belongs to. Remember about my post of my involvement in publishing a cookbook during my mass comm. days? Yes, it was entitled, "Generation to Generation - A Heritage of Recipes. It's basically a compilation of recipes by some church-goers of thie Paya Lebar Methodist Church that we assisted. I haven't had a chance to try out any recipes from the book, until now. And I got to admit that the success of these croquettes just makes me want to go back to the book and try the rest of the recipes!

I'm sure you're also wondering how croquettes are made.

It's quite simple really. Let me show you how:


Croquette making: step 1 (make a hole/depression in potato mixture)

Think of it as something akin to those chocolate Kinder surprise eggs. You have a chocolate 'shell' and a toy 'centre' yea? Well croquettes are actually made of potatoes and filled with savoury 'insides', which in this case, happens to be pork. I'm sure you can substitute them as you which, especially if you're not supposed to eat pork. It's quite flexible. I'm even thinking of stuffing them with cheese the next time I make them!


Step 2: Put in filling


Step 3: Wrap potato mixture over filling, into an oblong shape


Here's how the filling looks like: pork, prawns, onions, etc.


Prepared croquettes, waiting to be coated in breadcrumbs and fried!


Time to fry them croquettes.


Fried croquettes, waiting around for their fellow 'men' to be cooked!


Lovely golden brown croquettes all packed up, ready to go...

Now, I think it best to cook the croquettes just before you serve. That ensures the crispy-ness of the outer 'shell'. But of course, if like me, you're strapped for time, then you can make them before hand, but preferably on the same day. Good thing about these croquettes is, you can prepare them a day ahead but fry them only on the day you'll be serving them.

Croquettes reminds me of 'bergedel', this other similar Malay food that uses potatoes too. But I do believe croquettes originated from France, at least that's what the Wikipedia entry on Croquettes states. It was introduced to the Netherlands in the 20th century and has since become a popular snack. You know it's popular when McDonald's sells them in the form of McKrokets - a burger with a large disk-shaped croquette in place of the normal meat patty!

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Croquette

500g potatoes, steamed, skinned & mashed
2 tbsp butter
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
6 tbsp rice flour, dry-fry till light for 5 min
3 tsp condensed milk
1 egg yolk
150g breadcrumbs

Filling:
300g minced pork
2 tbsp butter
1 large onion, chopped
150g prawns, chopped
2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp nutmeg powder
2 tbsp cornflour
2 tbsp water
salt to taste

Mix the cornflour and water together and set aside

Add the butter, salt, pepper, milk, yolk and rice flour to the mashed potatoes and mix well. Set aside.

Prepare the croquette filling: Heat the remaining butter and fry the onions till soft. Add the pork and prawns and fry till it is almost dry, then add sugar, salt and nutmeg. Add the cornflour mixture to thicken. Set aside and leave to cool

Take some of the potato mixture, approximately the size of an egg and make a hole in it. Then put in 1 tbsp of the filling and wrap the potato mixture over into an oblong shape. Repeat until all the potato mixture and filling is used up.

Coat each croquette lightly with egg white, roll in breadcrumbs, and deep-fry. If your frying pan is large enough, 4 croquettes can be fried at a time.

Note: Croquettes may be kept in an airtight box in the refridgerator for up to 4 days without frying.

*The baker: I think it best to boil the potatoes rather than steam them - it's alot faster.
The recipe didn't state its yield but I doubled the recipe and got about 50 croquettes. So I guess this recipe makes about 25.

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