Nasi Padang River Valley @ Zion Road

Wow, how fast time passes! We had this meal with our friend, Momo's childhood friend Julia before she delivered her baby and now the baby's over 1 month old! We know she likes to eat (like us) and when the baby comes out, she will not be able eat it for some time!

We picked her up and off we went to Zion Road. It has been some time since we came here, we did come a few times, but I did not bother to take photos because it seems that we always order the same old food! Anyway, this will be like an update.




4 of us ate 6 dishes. A bit of a glutton? Probably not, since the portions are not that big.




The Ayam Gulai. The non spicy version of curry. The sauce is every so tempting and you can 'sapu'/ wallop up a whole plate of rice with the sauce.

I have had Ayam Gulai since young, but I just realised that Wikipedia says this dish originated from Padang! 





The Beef Rendang. Another dish that has very tempting sauce to go with the rice. Not every piece of the beef was tender this time. The tender ones were pleasant to eat!




We ordered a Begedil for each person. Always reminding me of having croquette.
Momo who is more of a Japanese food lover says she prefer the Japanese version. haha.




The sambal sotong. Nice! Very nice, not rubbery, but tender.
The sauce has lots of onions which I love!




The Ayam Goreng. Just thought of having some fried chicken, so we ordered it.
This one we had was crispy on the outside and still not that dry inside.




The sweetish ala Thai chili sauce that goes with the chicken.
(I mixed my piece of chicken with all the different sauces!)




A bowl of Sayur Lodeh. Our only vegetable dish!
Not very special, but it's quite OK.




The makcik seems to know even before we asked.
The spicy, super spicy sambal belachan!




Also a bowl of curry sauce to pour over our rice.
A very satisfying lunch!

We were sitting beside a Malay family. As we were taking photos, they were smiling, probably thinking we must be tourists. How could we not talk to them? They looked so friendly people and spoke in halting Malay saying we are not tourists and about other stuff.

We asked them about food after all the funny chatter we had. We asked where else in Singapore can we taste similar food and where is their favourite. The couple with their little girl told us this shop's food is more Indonesian Padang style. If we want to try more Singapore Malay food, try Hj Maimunah, their other favourite.

It's amazing even if were speaking in halting Malay (and half of us did not understand it), when people talk about food, you can feel the deliciousness of what they are talking by looking at the way the face expression and smile!



Nasi Padang River Valley
55 Zion Road
Singapore 247780

db Bistro Moderne @ Marina Bay Sands Singapore

Daniel Boulud. We have all watched him on television. One of those few that's so calm, gentle and does not spew 'you know what' on television. The wife and I have wanted to dine at his restaurant here in Singapore but have not found the time to do it.

He was in town recently and came an email invite from Marina Bay Sands about an opportunity to have a meal cooked by the Chef himself. How could I decline? I applied for 1 day leave from work and had such an enjoyable lunch. It was even better when I later found out that Justin and Camemberu and I were sitting on the same table. Good food and friends make a meal extra delicious.



This is the man himself. Chef Daniel Boulud, the celebrity chef that has gained fame for "Daniel", his Michelin 3-Star restaurant in New York City.

Chef Daniel was in town last week and will be back in town together with other celebrity chefs for the Singapore Grand Prix. Hint: If you book your meals now at the restaurants in Marina Bay Sands, you might get to meet them when you dine at their restaurants.

We were at db Bistro Moderne to try out dishes from Boulud Sud in New York. They were Mediterranean themed dishes that Chef Daniel came out with when he went for a vacation. These dishes that we tried will be introduced in db Bistro Moderne as special add-ons to the main menu. Just ask the service staff when you dine there.

Talking about service staff, their staff here knows exactly what was being served. Try asking them how it is prepared and what's inside each dish. We were quite impressed.

Appetizers

A range of Mediterranean tapas like appetizers that we had. I kind of like what he has created. It's definitely nicer than what I had in Spain's Mediterranean Andalusia region. It's probably the ingredients he used here ;-)
 



Vitello Tonnato.
DB's version of the Italian cold dish. The sliced veal served medium rare with the creamy sauce is such a wonderful delight. A summer time Italian dish, it's just right for forever summer Singapore!





Chickpea & Eggplant
An elegant platter of Herb Falafel, Fresh Hummus, Babaganoush, Lavash.
I have to admit that falafel is not my favourite kind of food. But Catherine raves about it. She loves it.



But I love these Lavash (flat bread) that goes with the fresh hummus (chickpeas) and babaanoush (eggplant mash).  Look at the lavash, are you tempted?




Cured Anchovies.
On a nice kidney shaped platter, Shaved Fennel, Tomato and Crispy Socca was served. My favourite of all the shared dishes. Probably because I love cured anchovies. If you are an anchovies person, order this. The socca (thin unleavened crepe), tomato goes well with the salty anchovies.





Grilled Octopus
This ensemble of marcona almonds with grilled octopus topped arugula and Jerez Vinegar (Spanish Sherry Vinegar) was rather captivating as well. It had a strong smoky flavour to it. It's something I want others to prepare for me and not do it in my own kitchen.





Seared Spanish Mackerel.
A slightly charred mackerel that's served with Piquillo (Spanish chilli) Vinaigrette. 





Spiced Duck Kataifi
Duck wrapped in Kataifi (phyllo sheets that has been shredded till vermicelli like) and deep fried. So crispy and yet not that oily. With date chutney that's savoury and sweet to go with it, it's an enjoyment munching on the crispiness.

Mains

Daurade a la Plancha
This beautifully plated dish is a grilled bream looks a little petite. It was packed with flavour through and through. I took this photo because I like that plate!



I like how Chef Daniel will explains how he cooks the dish and a little history about it. It makes you appreciate the food so much more.

The Daurade (bream) was only seared on one side and it is left to cook through. The co-star was the Romesco Sauce. It's a sauce that originated from Catalonia Spain that made from different nuts, roasted tomatoes and red pepper. The sauce was really nice! I wonder how much time was used to make it! 



It's just so beautifully visually isn't it? It tasted gorgeous too.
The fish was crispy on the top and the bottom was a combination of softness and firm.


(Note: Just got to know that this dish is now available for the lunch menu if you visit them now)




Chef Daniel did cook for us!
Halfway through lunch then did I realise I was sitting in front of the semi frosted glass with the kitchen behind me. We started to 'peep' at the chefs in the kitchen. That's Chef Daniel cooking our next dish!




Tuscan Style Dry-Aged Ribeye
The last 'main' meal before desserts for us. The medium rare dry-aged ribeye was ooooo yummy!
As you expect from dry-aged meat, the flavour of the meat is concentrated. After aging, the natural enzymes break down and we have very tender meat.



I like the salsa verde on top of the meat and the stir fried crushed fava beans below. I was delighted with that anchovy on top! The whole dish just blends nicely.

Desserts

Grapefruit Givre
So pretty! That was what all of us said when this was served! Givre means frozen.

Chef Daniel when the dessert was served came out to introduce the dessert, told us that this was a creation by his pastry chef Ghaya Oliveria who hails from Tunisia.



How to eat it? Break the Sesame Halva top! Inside you will taste Rose Loukoum and Grapefruit Sorbet. You just got to try it!

I was just told it's now on permanently on the Lunch and Dinner menu.

Thanks to Justin, he found online a video showing how this is made.



Also served with the grapefruit, Moroccan Mint Tea to be served with the following Turkish Delight.



From Italy: Panforte Di Siena – A Italian fruit cake lookalike, made with Dark Chocolate Paste, Roasted Almonds, Ginger, Orange Peel, Lemon Peel, Cinnamon, Black Pepper.

I like the taste of this! It's an acquired taste, but I like it!




From Italy: Torrone. Italian meringue (what we usually call nougat) with roasted hazelnut.




From Greece: Bakiava – Phyllo layers with a mixture of green pistachios served with thick syrup.
It was so so sweet! I know you want to try it too right, despite it being so sweet. Greek desserts are usually very sweet!



If you have realised, I like serving plates etc. I saw the platter that the Turkish Delight was served on and since we were dining in Marina Bay Sands, I got naughty, and lined them up on 3 glasses. Familiar?




For the meal, these wine were paired with the dishes.
Cuvee Daniel Champagne
Chateau la Rouvière Bandol Rosé 2007
Bodegas Naia, Naiades, Rueda 2007
Querciabella, Chianti Classico, Tuscany 2007




db Bistro Moderne
Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands
Galleria Level, B1-60
2 Bayfront Avenue,
Singapore 018956

Tel: +65 6688 8525
Hours:
Weekday Lunch: 12:00 PM to 2:30 PM (Mon-Fri)
Weekend Brunch: 11:00 AM to 2:30 PM (Sat, Sun)
Dinner 5:30 PM to 10:00 PM (Sun, Mon), 10:30 PM (Tue-Sat)

Singapore Restaurant Week 2011 - October Edition (9 to 16 October 2011)

Singapore Restaurant Week 2011, the October Edition runs from 9 to 16 October 2011. Singapore Restaurant Week is now a bi-annual event. If you missed out on booking all the restaurants you wanted last March, try to get the deals this time. I managed to book 2 restaurants last March and enjoyed my meals at the restaurants.

I read that the March Edition had 24000 bookings! Organiser DiningCity.com has worked hard and got 87 restaurants on board for the October Edition. New restaurants include: Au Jardin, Bistro du Vin, Buyan Russian Haute Cuisine & Caviar Bar, Bronte, Casa Tartufo, Da Luca Italian Restaurant, Eco Gourmet Café, Le Tonkin, Gaia, Lucas restaurant @ Klapsons, La Cicala, The Lighthouse, Table At 7, Town Restaurant, Trattoria Lafiandra, and The Lounge (Hollandse Club) among others.

Thanks to the creativity of DiningCity Singapore and their PR folks from Sixth Sense Communications, I had the opportunity to try out some of the offerings that Singapore Restaurant Week 2011 will offer last week.

It was very interesting as we had our 3 meal course in 3 different restaurants! Thanks to one of the sponsors BMW Asia, we were chauffeured restaurant to restaurant in the sleek BMWs. (If you are a BMW customer, 9 October 2011, Sunday has been wholly set aside only for BMW owners!)

Starter:

Garibaldi Italian Restaurant and Bar

Chef Roberto prepared the starter, Capesante Al Caviale E Crema Di Zucca Tartufata for us.
In English, it's Sea Scallops with Cauliflower Puree Smoked Caviar and Truffle Pumpkin Soup.



It was really delicious. Look how just nicely the scallops had been seared. Those caviar popping salty essence in your mouth. The Truffle Pumpkin Soup was something rather different too. Do you want to try it as well? You know which restaurant to book!

Culina paired the dish with Torres Fransola Sauvignon Blanc 2008.

Main:

Novus Restaurant and Bar.

To get to Novus from Garibaldi, we all hopped into BMWs. A long line of it waiting for us.



Novus is such a nice, classy place to dine at. I love the high ceiling and the overall architecture of the building. The restaurant itself reminds me of my university days! I had breakfast and dinner in a proper dining room that had high ceilings and the design of the windows and doors were so similar! It was also when all of us had to observe the way we eat. The only difference was we had to queue to get our food, usually an Asian or Western selection.

Back to Novus. For the mains at Novus, Austrian Chef Stephan Zoisl who has worked with several Michelin Star restaurants, prepared two mains to choose from.

It was a difficult choice to choose between the two mains. Fellow diner, Brad and I decided to share our mains.



The Duck Confit - smoked to order. Boneless crisp duck leg confit smoked with hickory wood. Seasonal wild mushroom, potato gratin and circle of herbs. How could you resist that?



The other selection was Berkshire Porkbelly Meets Saffron Risotto. Thin sliced pork belly on creamy saffron risotto. There was this piece of pork crackers that was just so enticing and it's topped with parmesa, chargrilled capcisum, garden cress, red radish and Joselito ham. Chef Sous Vide the porkbelly ;-)

Culina paired the dishes with Ruffino Lodola Nuova, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano 2007

The dish above will be served as part of the Novus Restaurant Week menu. Ahem, you know which other restaurant to book. If you are a mushroom lover, Novus has a new menu starting this week that features seasonal mushrooms!

Dessert:

Boathouse

The chef had prepared for us Savarin of Caramelized Apples with Vanilla Ice Cream.

Thanks to the organisers, we were all seated on the rooftop (or where Prel.ude is.) The view was wonderful, there was absolute clear skies last week and we could see the beautiful Singapore skyline and upcoming F1 track all litted!

Culina paired this dessert with Torres Riesling Vendimia Tardive 2008.

How to book?

All 87 restaurants will offer exclusive three-course dinners at an irresistible price of S$35++ and three-course lunches at S$25++ (Note: Some restaurants may charge a supplement of S$15 for lunch and S$20 for dinner, thus the set lunch or dinner may cost $40++ and $55++ respectively. Terms and conditions apply).

All bookings can be made online from 21 September 2011 at www.restaurantweek.sg

American Express Cardmembers (excluding DBS and UOB issued American Express Cards)  enjoy exclusive pre-booking privileges from 14 September 2011.

Subscribers to the DiningCity.com newsletter enjoy pre-booking privileges from 19 September 2011. To sign up for the newsletter, just log onto www.diningcity.com/singapore.

Michaelangelo's @ Chip Bee Gardens

This was a birthday dinner Momo and I had with the in-laws. This place was chosen because it was near to our home and also our in-law's home. It was also a place that we know have consistently had decent meals.

The ambiance was nice and we sat at the in-door section of the restaurant. We realised the MIL was also dressed up for dinner. The lights were really romantic (in other words dim) and as not to disturb other diners, the photos were taken without flash.



The aubergine dip, balsamic vinegar and olive oil that goes with the bread.


The roll. OK roll. I thought they had some sun dried tomato ones previously?




The Caesar Salad that we shared. Their version here has no croutons, they had Grissini Italian breadsticks instead. The egg was poached with a runny yolk. The menu says it's their secret dressing.




We also shared a Mozzarella Di Bufala con Prosciutto.
It's a simple dish, but Momo and I order this whenever we have a chance anywhere. Their version looks pretty like a flower!




Momo had the Capellini Citron - slipper lobster in butter, shallots, white wine, lemon juice with creme fraiche. It was quite nice.



MIL had the Rosticciana. A slab of pork ribs. Yummy!
It was too soft but still slipped off the bones easily.




The ribs came with roast corn and baked potatoes.



FIL had the Frutti di Mare. Momo guessed her dad will order this because he likes to have all in one! Slipper lobster tail, scallops, prawns, calamari, barramundi and mussels. There was a choice of sauces and Dad had it with white wine and liked it!



For me, I had the Pesce Fritto e Patate - Fish and Chips!
Fillet of silver jacket deep fried served with shoe string fries sprinkled with truffle oil. The fish was nice but a little too salty. I wish they were more generous with the truffle oil sprinkled on the fries.

It was a nice birthday dinner, both the people and the food.

Michaelangelo's
Blk 44 Jalan Merah Saga
#01-60 Chip Bee Gardens Holland Village
Singapore 278116

Tel: 6475 9069
Website: www.michelangelos.com.sg

Win up to $20 off shipping chargers with Citi Globeshopper

Do you have a Citibank credit card? Have you heard of Citi Globeshopper?

Citi Globeshopper is a service provided by Citibank to allow their credit card holders to shop online on UK and US websites more conveniently. You get a US and UK delivery address when you register for the service.

You are probably like me, having different account with different online providers offering similar service that gives you an overseas address to send the goods too.  These providers will then send your goods back to you in Singapore.

I was recently invited to attend a session explaining to me why Citi Globeshopper is different from other providers of similar service. These were what I got to know:

• Citi Globeshopper is managed by Borderlinx.
• Citi Globeshopper have a concierge service that's FREE. If you encountered a site that does not allow Singapore credit cards for example, the concierge service can shop and pay for you. Other companies charge around 5% of the total value of the merchandise for this service.
• Citi Globeshopper has FREE shipping insurance. Other companies charge up to 3% of the total value of the merchandise.
• Consolidation period of 30 days. This means, you can order from multiple sites and get them delivered to your UK or US address. They hold it for you for FREE. When all your goods from different online merchants have arrived, you can then initiate one delivery to save on shipping costs.
• The standard delivery takes 3 - 5 days, while others takes between 4 - 8 days. Delivery is handled by DHL.

During the session, we had some fun drawing and doing a 'pitch' on what is Citi Globeshopper with other participants. Our group got the best pitch, well that's because we stuck a real Citibank credit card on the board!

There's something that's quite fun going on now till 30 September 2011 that also helps you save on shipping costs if you use the Citi Globeshopper service. It's an online game that allows you to win some credits to offset your shipping charges.

Go to Citibank Singapore's Facebook Page at:  www.facebook.com/CitibankSG



You will be able to see that there's a game there that allows you to win up to S$20 off shipping charges. The game is quite addictive and I have played it many times.



So far my highest score for the game allows me to redeem $9 off my shipping costs.
Try it!

Do note that you do need a Citibank credit card to use this service.

If you still do not have it, you can apply it for a new card online at: http://www.citibank.com.sg/gcb/forms/credit_cards/instant_card.htm?eOfferCode=SGCTPWAIC1

Haagen-Dazs Ice Cream Mooncakes

How can you resist anything ice cream? You all should know I am a sucker for all things ice cream! It's the time of the year where you can get Häagen-Dazs ice cream in the form of mooncakes again.

I remember my first Häagen-Daz ice cream mooncake was eaten about 10 years ago! The very first time I wanted to buy it, it was sold out! So I got it the next year!

On Tuesday night, sis and I did something 'naughty', we met up after work to enjoy two ice cream mooncakes before going home for mum's home cooked dinner! Shh, we did not tell mum about it! We still ate dinner as usual after we got home. Someone told me, it's good to be adults eh? Having ice cream before dinner!

You most probably have been tempted by the brochures of these mooncakes. We have tasted it and taken real photos of it. Here's how it looks, the real deal. We had it at the Holland Village branch.

You can either bring it home or dine-in. We chose to dine-in.
There are 4 flavours: Chocolate & Vanilla, Cookies & Cream, Strawberry and Coffee & Macadamia Nut.



This was the Strawberry Ice Cream Mooncake. We chose it because it's pink! Bright and cheerful.




Pardon my cutting poor cutting. It was really hard frozen!

The outer layer is white chocolate with strawberry paste. Inside, there's strawberry ice cream with bits of strawberries in it. It's a little sweetish and sourish at the same time, how real strawberries ice cream should taste. The yolk centre was a ball of mango sorbet. There was also biscuit like base that's slighty salty. A nice combi of taste in your mouth.

Sis preferred this to the chocolate. She thinks the mango and strawberry is both fruity so it goes better than the chocolate one we had.




This was the Chocolate and Vanilla Ice Cream Mooncake.
It's rock hard frozen as you can see. Ice particles were forming!




Here's how it looks inside. The outer was a coating of dark chocolate. Inside it was mostly chocolate ice cream, with the bottom layer vanilla ice cream. The centre was a ball of mango sorbet.

I like the sweetish mix of vanilla and chocolate ice cream. The slightly sweetish and sourish mango sorbet gives it a slightly different taste just like how salted eggs in usual baked mooncakes gives it a different taste.

Sis thinks other wise. She said it's ice cream, and she would have preferred something more similar. I think it's nice. I might be bias because I like all things ice cream and chocolate!

Well, what do you think? Which camp are you on?
Head down to the nearest Häagen-Dazs outlet near you from now till 12 September 2011 to try it.


The prices:

• Each of the above costs $18.


• There are also gift sets on sale. A set of 4 pieces costs $58+ (Classic Gift Set). A set of 2 pieces costs $32+ (Petite Gift Set).


• There are also Dine-In Creations that are nicely plated mooncakes with fruits or other scoops of ice cream. Those costs either $18++ or $20++

The above that we had was the Petite Gift Set that we chose to dine in.
The ice cream was courtesy of a voucher that we redeemed.