1 Caramel Dessert Boutique @ 1 Rochester Park

This was an interesting visit to an eatery!

The address says Level 2, 1 Rochester Park. It's located at one of the conserved 'black and white houses' or colonial building that some prefer to call it.

For your first time there, you might probably be like me, walk around the building trying to figure how to get to the 2nd level. You won't find any and soon realize that there's a staircase in the middle of the 1st floor restaurant called One Rochester. You would gingerly walk right in and see if that's the right place. It looks about right and walk upstairs.

When you are on the upper floor, you are further confused! You see a glass door and it says 'kitchen'. There's no entrance or any other doors that seems to lead you to 1 Caramel.



You get curious and sort of frustrated and decide to peep in the kitchen, and it's really a kitchen!

You see the fridges like the one above and below. Beautiful cakes, tempting delights, a place that negates all your work out! How do I get in? Should I just walk into the kitchen?



Just push the glass door that says 'kitchen' and walk in! It's the only entrance in!
They operate a truly open kitchen concept! You see how the food's being prepared! Walk in and beside these fridges is another glass door that leads you to the balcony of this black and white house! That's where the seating area is.

It's a very nice and cosy place whether day or night! Trees slightly covering your view of the Ministry of Education building opposite. It's like a nice hideaway and it's air-conditioned too!

I walked in the 'kitchen' and saw Yuen and Fen from SgDessert! Always a comfort to see some familiar faces. They told me to walk towards the glass door to the balcony and that was where I was greeted by two lovely ladies from the 1 Rochester PR Team. Nice folks and I was asked if I wanted any drinks.

It was after work and a day before my birthday. I look at the menu (which is available online with prices listed too) the Specialty Tea range. They have a tea called Happy Birthday Tea! It's as if the menu was printed for me! I ordered it! A mild black tea which with red berries and hint of vanilla. Perfect!

All day breakfast!

It was dinner time at nearly 7pm, but I am having Brunch!

This was the Traditional Eggs Benedict. Very delicious poached eggs on toasted English muffin with hollandaise sauce. This version I had included the Smoked Salmon.

Note: It's one place that you can come for ALL DAY BRUNCH! Brunch hours are from 11:30 am till 10:30 pm on weekdays and 11:30 till 4 pm on Saturdays and Sundays.



I like how they prepared the potatoes that was part of the egg. It was soft inside and there's a slight crispy feel to it.



This photo is to tempt you! If you like runny egg yolks, drool!
The fish roe was a nice touch! Love it when it pops in your mouth while you have the egg, salmon and muffin.

The Posh Platter

If you are here with your date or friends, try the platters.They have a few, refer to the menu.

This was the Posh Platter, which has smoked salmon tart with creme fraiche and ocean trout caviar, asparagus wrapped in basil and proscuitto, truffled brie and cherry tomatoes on a toasted brioche.



It was all beautifully plated and each piece seemed so delicately crafted. They all tasted very delicate and had unique flavors. The asparagus wrapped in basil and prosciutto was probably the one I liked the most.

Souffle

Love souffles? The few of us were tempted by them!

Souffles are meant to be eaten straight away! See what happens when food bloggers take more than the required time to take photos! The ice cream melts and the souffles flattens!




There have very unique flavors here. They have:
- Hazelnut souffle with chocolate ice cream
- Chocolate souffle with vanilla ice cream
- Miso souffle with yuzu ice cream
- Vanilla souffle with strawberry ice cream
- Passionfruit souffle with banana-passion sorbet



We tried 3 different ones and the Miso souffle was something really different and hey, it's worth a try if you are adventurous! Very Japanese influence in it. The yuzu ice cream was just so ideal!

A nice shot at last. This last souffle arrived in front of me and I got to take first shot of it! Look how tall and handsome it is!

Desserts

With a name like 1 Caramel, you know this place is a definite Desserts Heaven!

If you are alone, take a pick by looking at the menu or simply walking to the fridge and pick the one that calls out to you.

If you are here as a group, order the 1 Caramel Assiette to share! Probably the best way to try out everything! You get to choose from the menu 3, 4 or 5 desserts of your pick!
 



Presenting the 1 Caramel Baked Alaska!
Just oogle at this gorgeous little thing! A work of art don't you think?

The menu describes it as: "Combination of homemade chunky strawberry and vanilla Madagascar ice cream coated with rhum Italian meringue on top of a nutty chocolate brownie."

Are you tempted? It's for the sweet tooth!




Death by Chocolate.
We did not die, but this valrhona sofiato molten cake with dark chocolate sorbet was really fabulous. I especially liked the dark chocolate sorbet! That was something I could not resist. I finished it all off after 2 other diners sharing with me said they had enough!



The name's already a mouthful and it describes it all!
Raspberry lychee rose pannacotta, lychee-lemon compote.

It's something of a contrast to the other desserts. It's to me a very feminine dessert. Rose scented pudding, lychee. Ladies, tell me what you think after trying it.

In my mind, I thought of Crabtree and Evelyn or Laura Ashley! haha...




Tropical Vodka Trifle.
It's Pineapple gazpacho jelly, pineapple sponge cubes with crystallized baked almonds topped with coconut sorbet.





Earl Grey creme brulee
An unique creme brulee. Earl Grey infused custard dessert.
Earl or Lady Grey to me is an acquired taste. Either you like it or not. Probably my youngest sis kind of dessert, she's an Earl/Lady Grey tea person. I am sure if she's here, she would have enjoyed this.

To some of you, you remember this place as the cool dessert place at Handy Road. That was sometime back. They are now at Rochester area. I was told it is like a home coming as they started off here! They are located just minutes away from the Buona Vista MRT.

They also have customized cakes that you see on the first photo. Check out their website at http://www.1-caramel.com for more details.

I realized that the organization I work with is part of their Corporate Boast Program. That means when I show my staff pass, I get 10% off. A few organization around this area like the Biopolis are part of the program. If you work for A*Star or NUS, just present your staff pass for the discount! Ask your HR if your company is part of it.



1-Caramel Dessert Boutique
1 Rochester Park,
Level 2,
Singapore 139212

Tel: +65 67741302
Hours:
For cake collection: 11.30am -9.00pm
For dine in: Mon-Fri:1130am – 1030pm / Sat & Sun:10am -1030pm (Brunch is available till 4pm)

Alcove Asian Restaurant Bar @ NUS University Cultural Centre

Colleagues and I got curious recently and went 'all the way' to the NUS University Cultural Centre to have lunch! We heard there's a new 'zhi char' style food eating place in NUS.

It was a very hot and bright afternoon, it's no wonder no one sits at the outdoor seating area! The outdoor area is most probably for those who come for drinks at night. We don't know if anyone will go there except maybe during performance nights at the University Cultural Centre?




"Alcove. Asian Restaurant. Bar" has taken over from KR50. We notice something when we got there. It's another Pines Catering food outlet! The staff uniform has the Pines logo!

But we like the Filipino service staff here! They were so helpful and when we said we were cold (yes, the aircon was blowing so strong!) they offered us another table and came back to check if we were still cold 2 to 3 times after!




The place as you can see look quite modern. But looking at the menu, I was reminded of my student days in Melbourne! It's the kind of menu that has nice border, super simple with just the dishes and the price.

If you know what I mean, it's the kind of menu used in Malaysian / Vietnamese or Singapore restaurants in Melbourne that sells food to students!

This was the express lunch menu. ;-)




A colleague tried their congee and found it pretty decent. $5.50
It's a huge bowl and it was served very hot. Taste was OK and ingredients not too stingy too.




Another colleague had the beef stir fry with rice. $5.50
He's a big eater so he found it a bit too small the portion.




I also had the rice dishes from the menu. I picked Mongolian Pork Ribs and Rice. $5.50
I found the pork ribs rather tender and quite a few pieces too.

Portions are OK to last till 4 pm before you need to snack. ;-)




Another colleague had the Claypot Noodle $5.
We all think hers is the most 'worth' it. Portions are bigger than ours, she said it was delicious too, and the food stays hot because it's a claypot.


NUS Staff and Student producing identification gets discounts too. They serve plain water FOC too. So we thought it's a place we can come back. We want to try their a la carte dishes one of these days.


Alcove. Asian Restaurant. Bar.
University Cultural Centre, NUS.
50 Kent Ridge Crescent,
Singapore 119279.

Burger King Tendergrill @ NUS Deck Canteen

Since I am doing all burger posts these few days, I might as well blog about this burger craze today.
I am sure most people would have seen the $1 Tendergrill advertisement by Burger King.

Colleagues and I decided to join the queue today!

Time is precious and why waste it by queuing for burgers?

Well, if you have been working hard the whole morning, giving presentations (I was) or sitting the whole morning, it's ok! You deserve doing something totally different and enjoy it as well. Your eyes needs rest, you need to laugh and chat with your colleagues or friends. It really brings sanity back.

But if you have already been wasting time the whole day, then don't waste your time queuing. You can't afford too because you have not been a good steward of time ;-p





Colleagues and I went to the nearest Burger King outlet that we know of. The Burger King at Singapore's 1st Eco-Food Court! At the Deck Canteen, NUS.

BK is on the 2nd floor, but the queue went all the way to the 1st floor!




People do know how to queue. No fights here, they are a civilized lot here!

In fact, as you queue, you notice there are students or academics reading (academic) papers!
No wonder in today's newspaper, NUS is ranked 27th in the world and 3rd in Asia! (read the news here)




So many people? No, not everyone was in the queue for Burger King. The rest of the stalls also have queues. If you visit this canteen like colleagues and I sometimes do, the queues here are always long.

But the longest queue for the day was at Burger King. You add around 20 minutes more to your normal waiting time if you queue at Burger King today.




Finally at the upper floor.
When you are at this canteen, you can tell which faculty the students are from! It's as easy as ABC!

(A)rts, (B)usiness and (C)omputing students hang out here and you can tell by their dressing!
No prize for guessing where the nerdy ones belong to!




Hmm. Why is the girl scratching her head? (She must be an Arts student!)
There was only 1 burger to order for the day! Tendergrill.





One of the early birds who got his burger.
He seems to be really enjoying it. He was on that pose for some time!
Some more he is 'kiao-kar-ing'! (crossing-his-legs)




Colleague and I finally got our burgers.



Wow, the burger today had a big piece of meat! It's protruding out of the bun!
It was well worth the $1. The only complaint was that it was not warm enough. The kitchen staff must be rushing like mad today, cutting a few seconds off the grilling over the flame timing?

I had this burger few weeks ago with normal queuing and waiting time, it is nice and warm. Today's version is definitely a rush job.




Overall, it was a fun and a bit silly queuing for the $1 burger. But colleagues and I had a good time!

Try the burger another day when it's not so busy. You will enjoy it more.

Authentic Korean Cuisine @ NUS Business/School of Computing Canteen.

Those working in NUS/NUH/Science Parks will be happy with this new discovery. A new Korean food stall has replaced the chicken rice stall at the NUS Business / School of Computing Canteen.

The name of the stall is simply "Authentic Korean Cuisine". It opened this week and many people have been trying it and giving it a thumbs up. It seems they are only offering part of the menu now as they sort out opening headaches.

One thing we noticed is that they are Korean ladies and teenagers manning the stall. You know in many so called 'korean' stalls, when you order beef bulgogi, the person will shout 'niu rou' or when you order daeji bulgogi they will shout to the kitchen 'zhu rou'. Well here, they read out the orders in Korean to the Korean 'aunties' in the kitchen. They also mumble some Korean that we don't understand. Colleagues and I think it's quite authentic (for now!)

Another thing we like about this new stall is their prices.

***

Over the last few days, colleagues and I have been eating from this stall. This Bibim bap was quite nice and it only costs $3.50. There are some meat hidden below the egg by the way. You scoop your own spicy sauce over it from the table.

I think a colleague is now addicted to this as she has taken the same in 3 straight days! LOL



It came with a bowl of soup (which we notice varies by the day) and some kimchi and peanuts/anchovies.

***

This was the Daeji Bulgogi (Spicy Marinated Pork) that one colleague tried. (I also tried it another day). They were quite generous with the meat. The pork had been well marinated and it was spicy. It also has lots of onions (my favourite) but some of you who hate onions, too bad lah...

You actually finish your rice before the meat. This only costs $4 with a stainless steel bowl of rice and the kimchi and peanut/anchovies side dish.

***

Another colleague tried their Beef Bulgogi. A few of us tried the beef and we liked it. But the colleague who ate this was the fussy eater. He said the meat is too marinated so the flavour is too strong for him. 

So, if you like your beef and you like well marinated meat, maybe this is for you. If you like light tasting food, we would suggest you try the yong tau foo stall next door. :-p

The beef bulgogi costs $4.50 with rice and side dishes.

***

Another colleague tried the Ginseng Chicken Soup. (on another day) The chicken piece was quite big. The flavour according to my colleague is nicer than Kim's Family Food (For Kim's you need to add your own salt, but the ones here salt is already added).

The chicken had glutinous rice stuffed in the cavity of the chicken. It looks quite a filling meal. It costs only $4.50 with a bowl of rice and the side dishes.

***

So far, we think this place is good. We just hope it's not the opening bonus that we are getting what we see now. We hope their quantity and quality stays. It seems most things are under $5 here, probably the most affordable Korean cuisines around from a real korean kitchen.

I think Science Park folks will be taking the free shuttle buses into NUS now. It's still the university break, so there are lots of seating places. We see NUS staff and students forming a snaking queue now.


Authentic Korean Cuisine
NUS Business/School of Computing Canteen,
National University of Singapore. 
15 Computing Drive
Singapore 117418

Kopitiam @ NUH : Cheapest chicken feet in town!

Today deciding where to eat for lunch, one colleague said: "Chicken Feet". Immediately we know where we are going!

The Dim Sum stall at Kopitiam NUH - Kent Ridge Wing actually has very delicious chicken feet. But take note that 90% of the time it is nice, the other 10%, depends on your luck! Really! We love it most of the time, but there was once, maybe the cook poured too much vinegar in it, it taste so sour!



Actually, today we only ordered 5 steamer trays of it.
To quote colleague who likes it very much. The chicken feet is soft enough, but not soft until 'nuah nuah' in hokkien. It still has a bit of chewiness to it.



There was once we ordered 10 of it. Our lunch gang has 6 persons usually.

Price? $2 per bamboo steamer tray.
To get it cheaper, apply for the Kopitiam NUH Staff Card, you get 20% off! So it's $1.60!
Now, that's cheap and delicious phoenix claws!

Ayam Penyet @ NUH Kopitiam - Kent Ridge Wing

People do go to hospital not because they are sick, but because they are hungry! haha..

Colleagues and I, we do go to NUH to have food. There are 3 main places to have food in NUH. The NUH Staff Canteen, NUH Kopitiam Foodcourt at the Main Building, NUH Kopitiam Foodcourt at Kent Ridge Wing. Wait! There's another place, but the food is too healthy, and too expensive. Check yourself a room at NUH and you can eat their well balanced nutritional food! haha..

This is the Malay Stall selling Ayam Penyet at the Kent Ridge Wing Kopitiam.
3 of us ordered the same thing because a colleague said it was good. Yes, not bad, except for the accompanying soup which is a tad too salty.



Behind the pieces of chicken are 1 piece of fried tauhu and 1 piece of fried tempeh. The chilli is very very spicy. Even I tak boleh tahan!

By the way, penyet means flattened. Piak! Flat liao...

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

Western Food - Arts Canteen at NUS

Chicken Cutlet with Extra Egg, Arts Canteen, National University of Singapore.



I love runny eggs, do you?