Cook: One pot meal-easy and delicious!

One of my recent newly invented easy one pot meal.

Baked salmon with potatoes, broccoli and oyster mushroom

INGREDIENTS

These are the ingredients I used, can be switch to other vegetable as you wish. Amount also depends on your liking, no right or wrong, just preference :)

1. Potatoes

2. Broccoli

3. Slice cheese

4. Oyster Mushroom

5. Salmon

6. Mozzarella cheese

METHODS

1. Cut the potatoes and broccoli into bite sized.

2. Steam until soft

3. Place the potatoes and broccoli on aluminium foil.
4. Add a pinch of salt, black pepper to taste. Mix well.

5. Mix in some slice cheese / or any cheese of your liking or none

6. Top with oyster mushroom

Place oyster mushroom

7. Lastly place the slices of salmon on top.

8. Cover with mozzarella cheese

9. Bake for 20-30 mins until the cheese melted. Salmon should be cooked by then.
10. Serve hot and enjoy!

Done

Serve nicely on a plate

May add some cherry tomatoes or fruits at the side..

Kid's portion

Eat: Penang Hokkien Lor at Jurong West

I haven't been updating my blog for ages ...but recently I have found this gem and I felt compelled to introduce this to everyone. 

If you love Prawn Noodle and Lor Mee, you would fall in love with this as this is the combination of both. You definitely get the best from both world.

Very very tasty soup base, you can taste the yummy prawn noodle soup in a slightly thicken lor mee broth. Top with prawn, meat and fish cake, I have absolutely fall in love with this.

Hokkien Lor

Located at Block 493, Jurong West Street 41 Hawker Centre. This stall also sell prawn noodle, lor mee etc. But my thoughts are, nothing beat the Penang Hokkien Lor. 

If u stay nearby, give it a try. If u don't, drop by and give it a try. Must not  be missed!

Price: $3 for normal size, $4 for big bowl :)

Updated April 2017- There is a fire at the hawker centre and I have not found out where they moved to after the fire.

November 2017- There is a new hawker centre just a couple of blocks away housing some hawker stalls from Block 493 but this stall is not there.. *sob* anyone know where they move to, Kindly PM me

Cook: Cha Siew Pork Rib

Dear all,

Sorry for haven't updating for the longest time. Finally, school reopens and now I have more time for cooking again. Hopefully will have more successful recipes to share :)

Today I try out this recipe that I have bookmark for quite some time and it was a success. Everyone commented that it is very nice and many had second servings. This is where I got the recipe (Cha Siew Pork Rib) and I adapted it by using less sugar as our family prefer less sweet in most of our dishes.

Cha Siew Pork Rib

INGREDIENTS

(Serves 4 adults)

1. 1 kg pork rib ( I requested to cut into small slices)

2. 3 tablespoon of Hoisin Sauce ( I use Lee Kum Kee brand)

3. 3 tablespoon of light soy sauce

4. 3 tablespoon of oyster sauce

5. 4 tablespoon of dark soy sauce

6. 3 tablespoon of white sugar

7. 2 tablespoon of honey

METHODS

1. Wash the pork rib and marinate them with all the sauces stated above for at least 8 hours or overnight. ( I marinate early in the morning and put in fridge until dinner time)

Marinate pork rib in sauces

2. Remove marinated pork rib from fridge.

3. Heat up a cooking pan.

4. Add the pork ribs with all the sauces into the pan.

5. On medium to high heat, let the rib slowly cook in the sauces for about 20 minutes, turning every 5-10 minutes.

Slowly let the rib cook and absorb the sauce

6. Once the sauces thicken, turn down to low heat and let it simmer for another 10 minutes or so until it is cook.

7. Serve hot.

I serve mine with stir fry broccoli and deep fried potato/yam with a bowl of lotus root soup! Yummy!

Eat: Durian Ice Cream @ Daily Scoop, Singapore

This will be a super short post. Am sharing my favourite Ice Cream Joint so far. Daily scoop first attracts me with its very authentic durian ice cream, it is creamy, flavourful and best durian ice cream I ever tasted.

I have introduced it to my family and friends. Basically everyone loves it as well... 

Its real good!

There is only 4 branches in Singapore. So if you would like to try it, check them out at Clementi, Chip Bee Gardens (Holland Village), Sembawang or Singapore School of Arts.

For directions to exact location, check out their website: http://thedailyscoop.com.sg/#location

OPENING HOURS:
Mon - Thu: 11:00 - 21:00
Fri - Sat: 11:00 - 22:00
Sun: 14:00 - 21:00
Closed on selected public holidays

Other flavours which I think is good as well:

1. Minty Mint- white mint ice cream with chocolate chunks, very refreshing

2. Chocolate- great if you are a dark chocolate lover

3. Strawberry- this is my kids' favourite 

It is still my favourite ice-cream joint to date and probably for a long time more :)

Give it a try and let me know if you like it too!

Play: Taipei, Hualien and Yilan Travelogue 2015

I am officially moving all travel stories to another travel dedicated site, so if you are planning on a trip to Taiwan and wanted to see where we have been, check out my travelogue here:

Pre planning:
http://blessedlittletravelers.blogspot.sg/2015/09/taiwan-travelogue-september-2015-pre.html

Travel diary day to day:
http://blessedlittletravelers.blogspot.sg/2015/09/taiwan-travelogue-september-2015-day-1.html
http://blessedlittletravelers.blogspot.sg/2015/09/taiwan-travelogue-september-2015-day-2.html
http://blessedlittletravelers.blogspot.sg/2015/09/taiwan-travelogue-september-2015-day-3.html
http://blessedlittletravelers.blogspot.sg/2015/09/taiwan-travelogue-september-2015-day-4.html
http://blessedlittletravelers.blogspot.sg/2015/10/taiwan-travelogue-september-2015-day-5.html
http://blessedlittletravelers.blogspot.sg/2015/10/taiwan-travelogue-september-2015-day-6.html
http://blessedlittletravelers.blogspot.sg/2015/10/taiwan-travelogue-september-2015-day-7.html

Hotel reviews:

Motel in Yilan- http://blessedlittletravelers.blogspot.sg/2015/09/tian-xia-ju-motel-review-yilan-taiwan.html

Hotel in Ximending- http://blessedlittletravelers.blogspot.sg/2015/09/westgate-hotel-review-ximending-taipei.html

I have to confess that we did not do much in Taipei, so if you are looking for places to go Taipei then you will be disappointment. We however did quite a bit in Hualien and Yilan in the time that we had so can check them out :)

Eat: Bread Street Kitchen by Gordon Ramsey

I was totally blown away after dining at Gordon Ramsey Restaurant at Chelsea, London. So, when Gordon Ramsey opened its new establishment in Singapore, I definitely would want to patronise and give it a try.

Read about my "wow" experience at Gordon Ramsey Restaurant Chelsea here: http://eatplaycook22.blogspot.sg/2015/03/eat-gordon-ramsey-restaurant-chelsea.html

So, for hubby's birthday this year, I decided to surprise him with a treat at Bread Street Kitchen by Gordon Ramsey. It is only opened in June this year and reservation is recommended to avoid disappointment.

For reservation, you can booked on MBS official website: http://www.marinabaysands.com/restaurants/celebrity-chefs/bread-street-kitchen.html

I only make reservation one day earlier and the earliest slot for dinner is 8.30pm. We had a late lunch and nap before making our way to MBS. 

Service is impeccable and we were greeted cheerfully when we entered the restaurant. The restaurant features indoor and outdoor seating and we opted for indoor seating for the air con.

Nice view outside

We were offered an adult as well as a kid's menu which comes with a colouring book and a set of colour pencil. The kids are excited because the cover of the book feature Big Ben which is one of their "dream place" to visit. The colouring book is definitely useful to keep the kiddos occupied for a while.

Kid's Menu

Kid's menu which offers selection of Starter, Main Course and dessert

Favourite sights of London

Colouring book, yay!

After we placed the order, a complimentary bread basket is served as it is really nice. All bread is freshly made and tasted so good, and the butter that comes with it is super good too. We enjoyed it very much!

Complimentary bread basket

We ordered a starter from the kids menu but the sauce is pretty sticky, making it hard for the kids to eat on their own without creating a mess so we helped to cup up the chicken wings for the kids.

For main courses, we ordered black cod plus fish and chips to share. Fish is fresh and covered in crispy but not oily batter which is yummy. I particularly love the mashed peas because it had a tinge of mint taste which comes from the minced mint leaves mixed inside. 

Fish and Chips, $26

As for the black cod, it is a pretty normal dish. Nothing to "wow" about...

Black cod, $40

My happiest moment is when I saw this Moscato Italy sweet wine in the menu and I know I had to order it. I chanced upon this wonderfully sweet and yummy wine when I dine in Gordon Ramsey Restaurant in Chelsea and they definitely make a good choice of including it in the menu in Singapore, it was so good!

My favourite wine!

Though we were not wow-ed by the main courses, dessert definitely blown us away. I had Monkey Shoulder cheesecake which is very creamy and soft. It comes accompanied by raspberry sorbet and it was so good! This is a MUST TRY!

Monkey Shoulder Cheesecake with strawberry sorbet, $18

Hubby is very satisfied with his dessert as well. Chocolate and cheese cannoli with pistachios , very yummy indeed.

Ricotta and chocolate cannoli with blood orange, $19

When I  make the reservation, I requested to add a candle to the dessert we ordered as a mini cake for hubby's birthday celebration this year. Bread Kitchen Street surprises us with a complimentary Happy Birthday dessert plate, services is indeed very personalised and nice. They make a point to remember all the little things guest requested during reservation, thumbs up for their service.

Happy Birthday hubby. Hope you have a great year ahead!

Total damage is $150 for a starter, two main courses, two desserts and a glass of wine which I think is not too bad for a celebrity chef restaurant in MBS. 

I might not be back for their main courses but definitely will be back for their dessert and my favourite moscato! 

Their full menu can be found on the MBS website: http://www.marinabaysands.com/content/dam/singapore/marinabaysands/master/main/home/restaurants/celebrity-chefs/bread/BSK-Lunch-Dinner-Menu.pdf

Eat: MBS The Cheese & Chocolate Bar Buffet

This year for my mum's 60th birthday, I decided to give her a treat at MBS Cheese and Chocolate Bar. It is the first time we experience an all dessert buffet and I would give it 3 thumbs up!

The buffet starts daily from 8pm all the way up the midnight. It is wonderful as the timing gives you time to have a quick dinner before ascending to Level 55 at the all famous MBS and dine with an amazing view.

Tips: Personally I prefer city view more than sea view (it is so dark at night, one could hardly see the sea) so be sure to emphasise when booking. Window seat is definitely the best.

Dine with amazing view

Price is a bit steep ($48++ for adults, $24++ kids above 5 years old) as it is only a dessert and not a full buffet but the quality of the desserts plus the view definitely makes up for it. 

So, lets take a look at the view(that is the first thing I enjoyed after sitting down at the table rather than rushing for the food like usual for other buffet) and the food.

City View

It was a few weekend before the National Day and we are lucky to catch the fireworks display from above :)

Kids are super happy to see the fireworks

Do note reservation is essential to avoid disappointment of a good seat (there are plenty of empty table when I dine the other day so should have place but all the good view seats are taken up by people who reserve).

Before heading to the restaurant, one have to get a pass from Rise Restaurant at Level 1 and do note that not all the lifts goes up to Level 55 so do choose the one that does.

Upon reaching, you would already "wow" at the view. We waited for a short while before a polite and friendly waiter show us to our seat. Initially upon recommendation by the staff over the phone, I chose a "city cum ocean" view as suggested but DO NOT EVER CHOOSE THAT. Basically, you get a window seat that overlook partially of Garden at the Bay blocked by part of MBS building, a pitch dark ocean and the city view is all the way across 4-5 tables and you can hardly enjoy it. Definitely go for city view!

Luckily, our friendly waiter helped us changed it to the city view table and we are very grateful.

We started off with a hot drink that is served to us. All the hot drinks are served, you just order it and it gets send to your table. Selection of coffee (cappuccino, latte etc) , tea (from TWG) , warm milk and hot chocolate is available and included in the buffet price.

A cappuccino to the start of a beautiful night.

Selections of drinks that get send to your table

TWG Earl Grey

The buffet consists of two parts- chocolate and cheese as the name suggested.

Selection of chocolate buffet

All the desserts are beautifully crafted and they taste as good as they look.

The tarts are really yummy with praline and nuts!

I love the almonds coated with chocolate. It is sooo good!

They have some colourful chocolate selections that will definitely attract the kids... not me though, I rather have the beautiful and super yummy ones.. Hehe!

Some selections for the kids.

This is to goes with chocolate fondue..

Chocolate pudding and few more tarts

The chocolate tart is really nice too!

Pretty macaroon which my daughter adores. It is too sweet to my liking.

These strawberry dipped in chocolate is too pretty to be eaten!

The desserts are definitely super yummy and the definitely use quality ingredients to make. The strawberry tasted so fresh and sweet. I am indeed satisfied with the "sweets part"

Next up, lets look at the "salty part". I am not exactly a cheese person. I love Camembert cheese and some fruits cheese but other than that, I wasn't a big fan. I even went and borrow a book on different types of cheese before the buffet and I did see many of what is introduced being served. Give most of them a try and it is cool but it didn't attract me to have a second serving except my favourite Camembert cheese.

Selection of cheeses

More cheese selections

My favourite Camembert

Freshly made bread to goes with the cheese

Lastly, some of the selections I tried...

Pretty cakes and tarts I like

Creme brûlée, chocolate covered almond etc

Complimentary birthday cake

When I make the reservation, the staff make it a point to check if we are celebrating any special occasions and it is my mum's birthday celebration, so halfway through the buffet, the staff lined up and sing "Happy Birthday" to all the guests who is celebrating their birthday that day. My mum is so happy and I can see that she is indeed delighted to have her birthday celebrated at The Cheese & Chocolate Buffet. She loves the view, adores the food and she gets a cool birthday song sang by all as well :)

Our happy birthday lady. Happy 60th Birthday Mum!

We had a great night, enjoyed great views, had good food and drinks. Highly recommended for special occassions!

The Cheese & Chocolate Buffet

The Club at Marina Bay Sands
Hotel Tower 2, Level 55

Prices

Cheese & Chocolate:
Adults $48++ | Child $24++

Optional Wine Pairing:
Classic: $19++ Per Person
Dessert: $28++ Per Person

Black Ivory Coffee pairing: $60++

Opening hours:
Daily: 8:00pm - 12:00am

Contact:
+65 6688 8858

Information correct as of 1st October 2015.
Check our official website for any change in price: http://www.marinabaysands.com/restaurants/buffet/the-chocolate-bar.html