Once Upon A Milkshake

First it was the heavy downpours, now it’s the scorching heat. The weather is just plain crazy sometimes. I’m more into food than liquids but at times like this, an icy cold drink sounds like heaven. Especially when it’s an ice cream milkshake! It was easy to decide what to get since there’s only 9 flavours available. Good for me since I can take ages to make up my mind (usually I want them ALL) when faced with many choices.

I’m declaring my love for girly Agent Strawberry!

She’s thick and creamy, and proudly made with 100% fresh strawberries ($3.30 for mini/210ml). I don’t doubt that claim as it’s clear that no artificial sweetener is used after a sip. All natural goodness in a cup! Not overly saccharine, the level of sweetness is just right.

Now you see why I love her?

Grumbling Raisins ($3.30) came close to stealing my heart too! I like a moderately intense rum flavouring in the classic rum & raisin ice cream and this one clinches that nicely with tiny bits of rum-soaked raisins.

Smooth, strong and rich, just what I like in a guy.

I only wish that the mini shakes are not so, well, mini. A few slurps and they are all gone. But hey, that’s always a good excuse to go for the regular sized 360ml ($5.50) shakes instead! Anyway, I couldn’t get the link between the milkshakes’ names and the shop concept. The names (hello, Spooky Mocha who’s a ghost?) sound quite silly to me actually.

Wacky names asides, judging by the milkshakes I tried, OUAM literally has a winning formula. Just hope this rising fad over milkshakes doesn’t die down like bubble teas/donuts *crossing my fingers and toes*

Happiness is just a milkshake away. It’s that easy!

 

Once Upon A Milkshake
32 Maxwell Road
#01-08 Maxwell Chambers
9823 3779

Botan Japanese Restaurant

I was already eyeing Botan when I was at next door neighbour Mont Calzone the other day. The lame friend made fun of its name and joked that service must be very fast since it’s “bo-tan” (“no wait” in Hokkien). While the waitresses were indeed efficient, waiting was still a must since the restaurant was absolutely packed during lunch!

At 1st sight, the Umaki Tamago ($8++) looked dry and I was ready to condemn it. But oh boy, how deceiving looks can be because this was really juicy! The tiny pieces of unagi was secondary to the sweet moist omelette yum. This is off the menu so do ask the waitress for it.

My obsession with soba is far from over! Soba & Sushi Set ($18++) seems like the best choice since I get variety in a set. Anyway, I find it hard to differentiate between the really good and average soba. As long as it’s adequately cooked and al dente, I’m happy!

I’m not a fan of sushi so you are not going to hear me raving about this.

Also included is the ubiquitous Chawanmushi which I thought was a tad too salty.

A rather skinny ebi tempura completes the set. See, quite a good assortment of food right?

There are many other bento sets on the menu such as the Tonkatsu Bento ($16++)…

… and the Salmon Fry Bento ($16++). I always think it’s a shame waste to deep-fry fresh fish but this was quite good. It had that light, golden, crispy batter and the salmon wasn’t dry at all.

Generally, the bento sets are very value for money as a set comes with sashimi, chawanmushi, simmered tofu, miso soup, rice and fruit. Phew, that’s a long mouthful! Go for dinner (less noisy) if crowds are not your thing and budget is not a consideration.

For me,  I don’t care about the noise. I just want that Umaki Tamago!

 

Botan Japanese Restaurant
36 Pekin Street
#01-01 Far East Square
6536 4404

Canele

Do you remember your 1st time at Canele? I still do. The Paragon outlet had just opened and I was so thrilled to try their pretty desserts! More than 2 years on, many cakes later, I’m still loving it. While I’m no stranger to the cakes, the homemade Chocolats is a 1st for me.

There’s a wide gamut of flavours ranging from the ordinary to the more exotic (tomato with thyme, anyone?). Here are my favourites:

Royale: A truffle version of Canele’s signature cake, Le Royale! Dark chocolate ganache with feullitine biscuit.

Irish Cream: Chocolate + Liqueur = Love. Enough said.

Sesame: I just have a thing for black sesame. Now, if it’s dark instead of milk chocolate, I’ll be even happier!

Basilic: This is interesting with strawberry puree, basil and balsamic vinegar. Weird combination, isn’t it? But somehow, it works.

A box of 16 pralines doesn’t come cheap at $46+. Definitely not an everyday treat. In less than 30mins, all 16 darlings are savoured and relished to my satisfaction!

I had a nose bleed the next morning.

 

Canele
#01-01A, Shaw Centre
6738 9020

D.O.M.V.S, the Italian Restaurant

Sheraton Hotel is celebrating its 24th anniversary and there’s a “Pay As You Wish” promotion going on till next Feb. The 5-course set dinner menu is priced at $100++ per person but under the promo, you get to pay as you wish! I think it’s quite a good deal.

Foie gras may be a prized delicacy to many but to me, it’s just a product of man’s cruelty. Foie gras terrine was supposed to be the 1st course on the menu but Chef Carmine changed it to a mixed greens salad for us. A really boring starter it was, but I’ll gladly have this any day over that gross fatty liver.

I was expecting the asparagus soup to be the heavy cream type but surprisingly, it was a light broth-based soup with pan seared scallop and truffle foam. I guess the foam was just there for the sake of being there since it didn’t do anything to enhance the flavours. Still, I enjoyed this a lot. 

Chef Carmine kindly made another change to his menu by substituting the beef cannelloni pasta for a seafood one for us instead. I abandoned the pasta sheet as it was too thick and just scooped out the coarsely chopped prawns and scallops filling which was excellent!

The grilled Atlantic salmon with tempura style fried carrot and basil lemon sauce was something I can find in any other restaurant. Very forgettable.

Now, desserts was another matter. I simply adored the lemon creme mille-feuille with very tangy strawberry compote and a scoop of vanilla ice cream with plenty of tiny bean specks! The strong minty mint jelly cubes were superfluous as they totally rendered the tastebuds useless. Give them a miss.

I won’t disclose how much we paid but just out of curiosity, how much would you have paid?

 

D.O.M.V.S
GF, Sheraton Towers
6839 5622

Cafeteria il Lido

Cafeteria il Lido is not good. Neither is it very very very bad. The food is still edible, after all. It’s just somewhere I won’t come back again, for sure. Setting is very minimalist, and the menu is not helpful with no descriptions/photos. Luckily the waitress was friendly and knew the menu well.

Deep-fried Whitebait ($9.90++): Extremely crispy and crunchy but I suspect the ratio of batter to fish was probably 10:1. And it was oily. Not worth it!

I have no idea what possessed me to order the Soft Shell Crab ($9.90++) in a supposedly Italian cafe. Must be a moment of irrationality. On 1st sight, all those droplets of oil turned me off immediately. Even an amateur chef would know not to serve deep fried food that’s not well-drained!

Salmon Escallops ($12.90++) is just a fancy name for 2 generous pieces of salmon fillets served with ratatouille. The latter was good but the former was overcooked. And it sat on a pool of puke-green pesto oil which didn’t look the least bit appetising.

What’s with OILY food theme?

The Clams Aglio & Olio ($8.90++) was just average.

When I last checked HGW, Cafeteria il Lido scored an average of 3.1 (out of 10) based on 22 reviews. Frankly, that’s just pathetic! I wonder how long the business can be sustained if they don’t start churning out some better looking AND tasting food soon.

Time for some serious damage control, please.

 

Cafeteria il Lido
#B1-012 Suntec City
 6883 2341

Iggy’s

Iggy’s single handedly wiped out any residual dissatisfaction from Au Jardin’s luncheon. Since it’s one of the top restaurants in Asia, I have very high expectations of Iggy’s. And I wasn’t disappointed! Thanks to the chef, our 4 courses Table d’hote Lunch ($55++) unexpectedly turned into a gastronomic 6 courses!

Amuse bouche: Quail egg coated with black truffle. Wow, this was really good! Small in size, big on taste. But then again, anything truffle is divine~

Iggy’s Salad was a riot of colours. Mushroom, tomato, mango, avocado, mesclun, red onion and truffle tossed in hollandaise. Again, that truffle makes a world of difference! If not, it’s just prettily ordinary.

I love the gratinated hamachi with sesame-lime dressing! Paired with the radish and fine herb salad, the yellowtail was saporous with a capital S.

At this time of the year, Alba White Truffle (additional $36++ for 3 grams) is king! Whoa, this was heavenly on cappellini, parmesan and poultry jus. Simple concept, refined flavours.

The tomato tart loaded with parmigiano reggiano was very savoury with a lactic and vegetal aroma. And those bright red cherry tomatoes just burst in the mouth!

The only thing that didn’t shine was the slow-cooked red snapper with baby aubergine, gruyere, tomato confit and poultry jus. Freshness was its only merit, otherwise it was very average.

Marinated forest berries with campari jelly, blood orange sorbert was nothing but a delight! So refreshing and the tastebuds were reinvigorated in anticipation for the desserts to come.

I’ve been having a run of good luck with souffles recently. And the pina colada souffle is not going to break the good record! Make a hole in the middle, pour in the coconut ice cream and I was on my way to sugar heaven. Warm soft moist souffle with cold ice cream, yum. (ah, icing sugar. again!)

I’ve never been a fan of french toast and this is not going to change my mind. Home-made maple ice cream was so-s0 but the chocolate cylinder was very exquisite though!

To cap off the wonderful experience was the personalised menus which the waiter presented to us at the end of the meal. Wow, talk about thoughtful service!

I’m hooked, line and sinker.

 

Iggy’s
1 Cuscaden Road
#03-00 The Regent
 6732 2234

Au Jardin

Am I the only one unimpressed by Au Jardin or what?

1. Imagine my disappointment when the menu presented was totally different from the online menu (which is far more interesting), sigh.

2. Point 1 wouldn’t matter if the food itself was good. Since it’s under the Les Amis group, I expected the food to be above average but found it wanting instead.  Blame me and my high expectations.

3. If there’s one thing I hate dislike more than subpar food, it’s being rushed through a meal. I think the waiters were rushing the dishes as it was getting close to their closing time, double sigh.

I’m disillusioned.

Friday Luncheon ($45++) kicked off with a amuse bouche of bonito jelly emulsion, scallops and fish roe topped with seaweed. I thought this was a rather awkward combination as the natural sweetness of the scallops was overwhelmed by the salty essence.

I applaud the chef for his presentation of the crispy fried egg with filo crust topped with avruga caviar. Lovely in the looks department! Now, if only it scored in the taste department as well.

I got all excited at the sight of that runny yolk! So I wasn’t prepared for the anticlimax that followed. Bland, bland, bland. It’s just another ordinary egg to me, albeit a fanciful one.

Finally, something I can say I truly like! Compared to the previous 2 dishes, ragout of Boston lobster with orange-vanilla foam was outstanding. I adored the succulent lobster and that hint of citrusy aftertaste. Brilliant.

My pan roasted baby threadfin with stewed split peas flavoured with dried seafood was so humdrum that I’m going to label it as “boring”. Definitely Probably something I can replicate at home. Speaking of which, I actually do have a bag of split peas in my pantry. Guess it’s time to start experimenting soon!

The consensus at the table: Papillote of Japanese pumpkin with vanilla ice cream was the nicest part of the whole meal! I’m partial to anything pumpkin so I did enjoy the pairing of the sweet sweet pumpkin with crispy paper-thin wafer.

Luncheon ended with a cup of tea and les mignardises.

I’m confused now. On one hand, the food didn’t impress enough to make me eager to be back. On the other hand, I think Au Jardin really has the potential to wow and blow me away. Reckon it’s just not my lucky day today?

I’m ambivalent about Au Jardin.

 

Au Jardin
1 Cluny Road
Singapore Botanic Gardens
6466 8812

Bistro Du Vin

Tell me, do bistros in Paris look like Bistro Du Vin? Warm red walls (coincidentally it’s the colour of my room too!), tiled floors, wooden chairs and marble top tables, checkered napkins etc create that so-not-Singapore feel. I love the quaint decor and that casual, unassuming atmosphere which doesn’t make me feel under-dressed wearing my Birkenstocks.

I’m charmed.

Alas, if only I’m as charmed by the food too. The 3 course set lunch ($30++) started with a salad with sautéed prawns and champagne dressing. Delicious.. Until I mistook a mustard grain for an insect and had it sent back to the kitchen, i.e. never to be seen again.

Silly me.

The only good thing I can recall about the pan fried parrot fish is that it was fresh. That’s all. The ginger sauce was so light that it didn’t impart a much needed flavour to the bland fish. The potatoes on the side did make an impact though, but not in a good way as they were extremely salty! Go easy on the salt, chef.

I quit eating chicken/red meat a year ago so I didn’t try the roasted roulade of chicken in natural jus but it was lavished with praises.

Sad to say, desserts were unremarkable as well. I don’t like tarts usually and only 1 tart has impressed me so far. The peach tart had a strange cheesy taste to it but when asked, the waiter said that it’s almond based and no cheese was added.

Egg custard with caramel was smooth and not too sweet but it was mediocre at best. That said, I must admit that pudding-like desserts are never my favourite so it’s hard for me to like it.

Average seems to be the general theme here. Before I write this bistro off completely though, I think it’s fair to give it another try with the ala carte menu. At the very least, I can have the feeling of being transported to Paris for an hour or two!

Bistro Du Vin
#02-12 Shaw Centre
6733 7763

Akashi

I’m missing Jap Japanese food. It’s been approximately 23 days since my last Jap meal. That’s a long hiatus for me! (Thanks to a reader, I just realised that “Jap” is an ethnic slur to some. Sorry!)

A bowl of edamame was served when the waitress handed the menu to us. Because I was so hungry, I didn’t bother asking whether it’s complimentary (like bread in european restaurants) or charged (think peanuts in chinese restaurants). Eat first, ask later. And no surprise, it turned out to be the latter. Not too expensive at $2++.

I’ve got a thing for soba lately. Especially chilled green tea soba, the star of my Nigiri Chasoba Set ($16++ for lunch/$20++ for dinner). I cracked the cute little raw quail egg into the dipping sauce and was slurping away before you can say “itadakimasu” (let’s eat in Japanese)!

Maguro, sake, ebi and tamago are the selected nigiri sushi which comes with the set. The tuna was so fishy that I had to heap lots of wasabi on it to mask its strong taste. Otherwise, the rest of the sushi was pretty good.

Nabeyaki Udon ($14++ for lunch/$18++ for dinner) has a very sweet broth that’s addictive.

I don’t understand why there’s a discrepancy between lunch and dinner prices since the food quality is essentially the same. It’s like blatantly taking advantage of the 9 to 5 office workers who can only afford the time for dinner. Lucky for me I haven’t fall into that category. Yet.

I’ll only go for lunch! Never dinner.

Akashi
#B2-07/08/09 VivoCity
6376 9972

1 Caramel

2nd food bloggers’ gathering of the month was sweet. Literally. 1 Caramel, the latest patisserie in town, was chosen as the place of honour to indulge our sweet tooth.

9 desserts. 8 foodies. 6 cameras. 1 passion.

I don’t like shortcakes. But this Shortberry Shortcake ($8.90++) has changed my mind. Yes, it’s that good. Usually the sight of stark white cream in shortcakes turns me off but this rendition uses strawberry creme instead. You may think that ultimately it’s still cream but the colour and flavour matter to the fussy me. The contrasting texture between the soft vanilla genoise and crisp puff pastry flakes is another plus.

Conclusion: I like unconventional shortcakes!

Forget dryness when it comes to the Hazelnut Pear Torta ($6.90++). This cake was extremely moist (in a good way!) and despite its dense look, it wasn’t overly rich or heavy. Nor were the caramelized pear slices too sweet.

I like.

The petite Red Miso Souffle ($12.90++) scored big on originality and creativity. I wouldn’t have thought that salty miso would complement the sourish yuzu ice cream so well. This was interesting but it’s a pity the portion was so small. Ah, and there’s that annoying icing sugar on it again.

Midori ($7.90++) is one of the latest creations with a strong Japanese influence to it. The matcha sponge and azuki bean compote layer are common enought but what differentiates this from other green tea cakes is the yuzu infused bavarois. Very distinctive and light in texture.

Lychee Rose ($7.90++) is a misnomer. I think it should just be named “Lychee” since the strong fruity taste overwhelmed the rose infused mousse and Valrhona ivory chocolate glaze. It’s lucky that I’m a fruit (and not “bundung”) lover so the cake was still acceptable for my palate.

As a general rule, I don’t like/eat cheesecakes or cheese tarts. The Peanut Butter Cheese Tart ($6.90++) is not likely to change my mind anytime soon. This is seriously for hardcore P.B. lovers! It was so rich that I felt like I was eating P.B. straight from the jar. The law of diminishing returns definitely applies here. You will either love it or hate it.

I’m still sitting on the fence.

Compared to the above cakes, the Chocolate Praline Cake ($7.90++) came across as prosaic. Any self-respecting patisserie will have some sort of signature chocolate cake and this is it for 1 Caramel. It’s a safe choice since it’s quite hard to go wrong with chocolate mousse and crunchy hazelnut praline feuilletine.

Just very average.

My 3 criteria for brownies? 1. Nutty. 2. Fudgy. 3. Moist. I’m not sorry to say that the Brownie Almond Cake failed my last 2 tests. For just $4.50++, the thick slice was value for money though.

I’ve saved the worst for the last. One bite of the Carrot Walnut Cake ($5++) with cream cheese frosting was more than enough. I’m not a fan of carrot cakes to begin with and this just reinforced my stand.

Dryness to the max is what this is.

If you haven’t noticed it by now, I’d ranked the cakes in order of my preference. No prize guessing which one is my favourite! Unless you totally hate sweets (an unfathomable concept to me), it’s more likely than not you will find something you like since there are more than 20 cakes to choose from daily!

I’m high on sugar.

Here are my sweetest foodie friends (Hi! Nice meeting you guys!):

Angeline & Janelle from Sistafood;

Elaine from Divine Essentials;

Fen & Yuan from Indulgence After Workout;

Harris from The Simplest Aphrodisiac;

and Michelle from Never Trust a Scrawny Foodie.

1 Caramel
6 Handy Road
#01-01 The Luxe
6338 3282