Christmas Dinner : Ham

This is the last series of the Christmas Dinner 2006 pictures.

The only thing that was not prepared, but bought. Somethings are better bought. haha.



Leg of Ham. Yeah, it's a bit salty. But it was good.

Wishing all a very Happy Eat Year 2007.

Christmas Dinner: Pasta

Instead of the spaghetti or linguine that we usually prepare, we decided to try Barilla's Penne Rigate. Actually, we saw a whole selection of pasta, but we asked the kids to decide which one when we went shopping. Haha...



One secret ingredient we put in was the bacon strips from the turkey! Huh? From from the turkey turkey but when the turkey's being cooked, there was bacon on it. :-) It was chopped up finely and added into the Penne.

The pasta was a little overdone. oops, no longer al dente.

Christmas Dinner: Shepherds Pie

Home made Shepherd's Pie.

Sister and I made this. It's not that difficult to make. It's not those with the innards. It's a healthy and localised version of it. It also had a very very local twist. Guess what it is?



Singapore beer, Tiger Beer is used. haha... The mash potatoes on top is also made from scratch. Russet potatoes, boiled, mashed and mixed with butter and a tiny amount of salt. The filling is made from Weight Watchers mince (haha!!) and mix veg. Maybe the next time, we shall use meat chunks and leek. Maybe it will taste even better. :-)

Christmas Dinner: Entrees Water Biscuits

When you entertain people, there will be guests who will come early and those who comes late. As a gracious host, you can prepare these, they can help you too!



The ingredients can be really simple too. Depending on what you would like to serve and your budget. We had our 10 year old cousins helped us, this platter that you see is their creation.

You can get water wafers or biscuits from Cold Storage or Carrefour etc. We usually get Carr's. But this time, we found out the Rye Wafers that are really tasty in Carrefour, and it's on super specials at only $1!!! It taste superb for our toppings.

The toppings we had were: Black Peppercorn Smoked Salmon, Jap Cucumbers, Aust Cheese (Brie), Tartare Sauce, and a few cans of Ayam Brand Tuna mixes. Mix and match whatever combi you like.

Christmas Dinner: Fruit and Veg Salad

Here's something really simple. It's very easy yet so delicious. Also it does not contain dressing with ingredients that you dont understand.



If you want to know what's inside: 1 Green Apple, 1 Fuji Apple, 1 Red Capsicum, 1 Yellow Capcisum, 1 Green Capcisum, 3-4 sticks of celery, 1 carrot, 1 bag green seedless grapes, 1 punnet cherry tomatoes, 5-6 slices of sundried tomatoes, 1 lime, 4-5 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, 1 tiny bunch of english parsley.

Cut them all up, most of them into cubes. Sundried tomatoes and parsley and chopped up finely. Cherry tomatoes in halves, grapes whole and xapcicums in half rings. Tossed them into a mixing bowl, shake it well and store it in the fridge for a few hours, so you can serve them really cold. Do you realise the dressing is only olive oil and lime. It's very light!

Christmas Dinner: A ring of cold prawns.

If you are having friends over, this dish is superbly easy to make. But it's a bit time consuming. This is part of our Christmas Menu this year.

Buy as much prawns as you wish to serve. A quick boil in some salted water, and then peel the shells off, but leave the tail part on. Store them in the fridge until ready to serve. Serve with Thousand Island or what I usually prepare is Tartate Sauce mix with 1 teaspoon of curry powder. You can prepare them half a day or one day in advance and store in the fridge too! Delicious!



You can arrange them in tall glasses, a ring of prawns. But since we are preparing for 30 people, we put them in a big bowl, with the dips in the small bowl.

Christmas Dinner: Home Baked Turkey

Have you ordered Christmas Turkeys and found them really dry and not so tasty? Why not bake one yourself if you have a oven.

This is baked by my aunt. The stuffings are onions and leek. It's yummy! We had it for 25 Dec Family Christmas makan.



We have tried almost all the turkeys from Fairprice, Giant, Swensons etc. Well, they are prepared in advance and you receive them cold when you collect them. So, there's no way it can beat a home baked turkey.

Char Tar Hearts and Stars

These are some batches of Chao Tar Oatmeal Cookies sis and I made.

Instead of buying the yearly Marks and Spencer chocolates as gifts, we thought we will make something that people will love.

This is the batch that was "Char Tar" or burnt. haha...



We made 11 boxes of cookies, and we gave most of them to friends in church this morning.
Wishing everyone a Very Blessed Christmas Eve.

Sarawak Kolo Mee

Yesterday, our colleague was somewhere in Jurong East, and asked if we wanted to eat Sarawak Kolo Mee, he will 'ta pow' for us.

Of course we want to try. Kolo Mee is like a seasonal fad now. Everywhere there are Sarawak Laksa and Sarawak Kolo Mee stalls popping out.

This is the Jurong East stall, near the POSB. We have a resident Sarawakian in our office who can tell the authenticity of the food. He says this one taste authentic enough.



This is how it looks before the package is open.


To us, it taste quite good. But the next few hours, we were drinking lots of water. You get the hint! haha... But it's good. Similar to the ones I tried in Kuching.

Ajisen - Sashimi salmon

Ajisen - Sashimi Salmon



I did not get to try it, only manage to snap a picture of it! haha...

Ajisen - Fried Chicken

Ajisen - Fried Chicken

The fried chicken is very delicious. Very addictive too!

Ajisen - Tempura Prawns

To complement yesterday's meal, you can have Fried Tempura too.

Ajisen - Seafood Ramen

Seafood Ramen



If you like spicy food, try this.

Ajisen - Paiku Ramen

This series of food's at Ajisen eaten yesterday.
Ajisen's available in many countries. This is the branch at IMM.

PaiKu Ramen - Pork Rib Ramen.



I love the fried pork ribs. Simply delicious. Warning, it's salty and very addictive.

Desserts : Prego - Creme Brulee

Burnt Sugar anyone? Well, if you have a sweet tooth, Creme Brulee's for you.

Desserts : Prego - Chocolate Mousse with Ice Cream

Continuing with the desserts series, this is from Prego.

Chocolate Mousse with ice cream.

Desserts: Sun with Moon - Tofu Cheesecake

Desserts at Sun with Moon, Wheelock Place.

How interesting to see this tofu cheesecake comes in a cage with a paper crane folded.



Now, here's the cheesecake. The crane's preparing to fly away...


This Tofu cheesecake is very very good. I have tried it many times, and still come back to have it :-)

KR50 - Seafood Linguine - Oriental Duck Confit

We had 5 of us. We ordered 3 Linguine and 2 Duck Confit.

Seafood Linguine - $16

A colleague who ate this says its really good. The other do not like it.

Oriental Duck Confit - $22

The duck's prepared really well. I like the duck. Not everyone prepares duck well. They did. I would have preferred more veggies. I am not a mash person, so if there was a choice to have whole potatoes, I would be very happy.

Total Bill: $134.20 (incl of 10% Service Charge)

KR50 - Pumpkin Bisque - Vegan Broth

Here's the soup that we ordered. As it was the 2nd day, less than half the items on the menu was available. (sigh...)

The Pumpkin Bisque with Caviar - $6


The caviar is right below if you are wondering. :-p Smooth texture. A 4 out of 5.

The Vegan Soup with Enoki - $6


Colleague said, it soup we drink at home daily. Her mum's version better. :)

KR50 (University Cultural Centre) - KR Salad

KR50 - This is a new dining place in NUS. Yes, it might just be NUS' first fine dining place. It's situated at the University Cultural Centre.

We visited this place on her second day of opening - 8 Dec 06.
Food's not bad, the things I ordered was quite good! But some colleague says it is a tad to expensive for an eatery in NUS.

It's also a place that has a vegan menu.


Here's the interior.




KR Salad - Avocado with prunes and quail egg - $12

Thai Express - Mango Salad & Pineapple Rice

Thai Express - Mango Salad



There's papaya salad and mango salad. We were told mango is the more popular salad.


Thai Express - Pineapple Rice

Thai Express - Prawn Rolls

Thai Express - Prawn Rolls



Fried stuff usually can't go wrong. The prawns wrapped up in springroll skin.

Thai Express - Red Hot Chilli Fried Tofu

Does this scare you? A piece of Fried Tofu with Thai Chilli Sauce and lots of chilli flakes!



For this, either you like is so so so much, or you hate it so so so much. :)

Thai Express - Phad Thai

Thai Express - Phad Thai

Thai Express is like a Thai Fast Food Chain. The food's not bad at all. It's a place to catch a quick bite.



I always like Phad Thai. Phad Thai in Singapore's different from the street hawkers in Bangkok. I guess it's the noodles that is different. The Phad Thai in Singapore always have their noodles soft and cooked where in Bangkok, it's still a little hard. I wonder if that's people have observed?

Crystal Jade La Mian Xiao Long Bao - Fried La Mian

Crystal Jade La Mian Xiao Long Bao - Fried La Mian

If you like La Mian, why not try the fried version. It's really nice with bits of thin strips of meat and veggies.



We kind of always order this when we are eating here :-)

Crystal Jade La Mian Xiao Long Bao - Pork and Bean Curd Skin Sandwich

Crystal Jade La Mian Xiao Long Bao - Pork and Bean Curd Skin Sandwich

This is something unique. It's fatty, but delicious.



The skin is soft bao skin, and the rest of the ingredients come in another plate. You assemble them and eat! Very crispy bean curd skin!

Crystal Jade La Mian Xiao Long Bao - Long Beans with Minced Pork

Crystal Jade La Mian Xiao Long Bao - Long Beans with Minced Pork

This dish is my favourite, and also favourites of many diners here. You can see them in almost every table.



I love using the chopsticks to nibble on this dish.

Crystal Jade La Mian Xiao Long Bao - Cold Noodles, Cold Chicken, Century Eggs & Cucumbers

Crystal Jade La Mian Xiao Long Bao - Cold Noodles, Cold Chicken, Century Eggs & Cucumbers

I can't remember the exact name of the dish as printed in the menu, but it consists of the above plus lots and lots of chilli oil!



This is a cold dish, everything in it is cold. Cold Chicken is especially delicious! The cucumber salad goes superbly well with the century eggs and chicken.

Crystal Jade La Mian Xiao Long Bao - Rice Crackers

Crystal Jade La Mian Xiao Long Bao - Rice Crackers with Salsa Kind of Sauce.



This is something quite light. Rice crackers with tomato-ish sauce with tofu and some mince. Actually, if you are ordering some la-mian, you can put the sauce on the la-mian, and you get spaghetti!

Crystal Jade La Mian Xiao Long Bao - Xiao Long Bao

New Series - Crystal Jade La Mian Xiao Long Bao
This is taken at the Holland Village branch at 241/241A Holland Ave.

Last nite, my sis came back from UK for a short break.

Here's the food that we ate, 5 persons.



What's a Xiao Long Bao restaurant without Xiao Long Bao.

Dian Xiao Er - Mix Veggies

This is the 2nd Veg Dish in the set meal that we ordered.

Dian Xiao Er - Lotus Root Soup

Dian Xiao Er - Lotus Root Soup

This is also part of the set meal. The portion is smaller than if you order it as ala-carte.



Still, the soup is not bad. But I prefer soup from Crystal Jade Dining In :-)

Dian Xiao Er - Mix Veg with Gingko and Macadamia Nuts

Dian Xiao Er - Mix Veg with Gingko and Macadamia Nuts

Seldom do people add lotus root inside mix veg. This turns out quite nice!



Lovely, oh so lovely!

Dian Xiao Er - Mongolian Pork Ribs

Dian Xiao Er - Mongolian Pork Ribs

This is part of the set meal, but they have ala-carte for this as well.




I would say that it has an unusual name. If you are wondering how it taste like, the most prominent taste is black pepper + sweet + savoury. Thumbs up for its unique taste.

Dian Xiao Er - Herbal Roast Duck

Welcome to this new series. This time it's food from Dian Xiao Er.

They have branches in both Marina Sq and Vivo City. The pictures here are from Vivo City. As usual, the pictures in this blog are taken so that you can see for yourself how it looks and not the "official version" from their website. The dishes in this series are all part of a set meal that we ordred.

The shop front at Vivo City.




This is the famed Herbal Roast Duck from this restaurant.


Well, it is actually quite nice actually. Heard that people queue up just to eat this duck. The duck has crispy skin, the meat is moist inside, and a very pleasant, not too overpowering herbal taste.

Crystal Jade Dining In - Mango Pudding

Crystal Jade Dining In - Mango Pudding

If you love mango pudding, you absolutely must try this version here. As you know, most puddings are just the pudding.

But this version has:
1. Pudding made of mango
2. Pieces of the mango fruit itself inside the mango
3. Mango Juice with Sago
4. Bits of pomelo sacs
5. A piece of mint leaf
6. A cherry on top



We were actually quite full, but our little cousin loves mango pudding, so we thought, make her happy and order one. Guess what? When it arrived, each of us took a bite each and it was all gone!

Crystal Jade Dining In - Ee-fu noodles with roasted port, preserved sausage and vegetable

Crystal Jade Dining In - Ee-fu noodles with roasted pork, preserved sausage and vegetable - $20

This dish is actually quite delicious. I like it very much



Do you all enjoy looking at the photos? Drop some comments to let me know if anyone's visiting :-)

Crystal Jade Dining In - White Fish with Fig in Citrus Sauce

Crystal Jade Dining In - White Fish with Fig in Citrus Sauce

If you like fish, you might want to try this dish. I feel like I am eating Fish with Jam, but my sis and little cousin likes it.



The fish's does not have the fishy smell, there are many pieces of figs. Real orange pieces are cut up and used as ingredients to make this fish dish quite delicious.

Crystal Jade Dining In - WaterCrest and Pork Soup

Crystal Jade Dining In - WaterCrest and Pork Soup

I love the soups at any Crystal Jade. It's second best to mummy's soup.



This is the water crest and pork soup. Sometimes they serve in individual bowls like this, the other time I went, they served in a big pot. (But that was Apple and Pork Soup, even more delicious!)

Crystal Jade Dining In - Baked Local Spinach with Egg in Casserole

Crystal Jade Dining In - Baked Local Spinach with Egg in Casserole - $16

This is what the people there said is special. Hmmm. It's not bad. It looks like a huge creme brule to me.



The veg are all inside, covered in egg and baked in the oven to crisp the top. Maybe they used a blow torch.

Crystal Jade Dining In - Beef with Mushroom

This is a new restaurnat in Vivo City. If you enjoy chinese fine dining, you should visit this place. The food's superb, their concept is on 'fresh, healthy and nutritious'. The presentation is excellent too!


Crystal Jade Dining In - Beef with Mushroom



The beef is medium done and the different mushroom complements the dish so nicely.


For this first post on this series, maybe I should show something extra and some tips as well.


Look at the plate and bowl. Very zen.


If you have never been a place with displays 2 pairs of chopsticks. Just to let you know, the black pair is for you to take food from the main plates. The silver pair is for you to eat with. ie put food in your mouth. Now you know :-)