Sashimi from Cold Storage Takashimaya

I can't remember the last time I felt drunk with happiness after a meal.
This was crazy satisfying.

Have a omega-3-filled weekend, folks!

Mother's Day Luncheon

After stuffing my face with sweet and savoury treats over high tea the previous day, I was all ready to take on Mother's Day lunch back at our place. 

Given that people fill up really easily these days (effects of aging), a simple spread was prepared. 

To kick things off, a tuna, sweet corn and cucumber salad, which, quite frankly, was a clear-out-the-kitchen-cabinet salad. 

It has been a hot and muddy May so we kept things light with another side dish, roasted brocolini and peppers.

KW has been trying to perfect ribs, which explains why he has been doing it so often. We experienced the Meatwave, on top of the heatwave that afternoon. 

When it comes to meat, there are very few things more satisfying than picking up a bone with your fingers and going at it with little care for civility.

I might be biased but these ribs were finger-licking good and they sure stuck to my ribs throughout the rest of the day. 

Oh, almost forgot - we had some foie gras and rosemary crackers too.

After polishing off most of the savouries, it was time to tackle desserts. Another reason why we kept savouries light was that there was going to be lots of dessert! It was Mother's Day after all. 

My sister baked a behemoth of a pound cake. Seriously, doesn't it remind you of this pug loaf? 

A little gritty, sweet and puckerish, this was one jazzed-up pound cake. She took some of it back for her collegues but not before I stole a slice for teatime breakfast the next morning.

My in-laws brought a couple of cakes from The Patissier, one of which was Ai, a Mother's Day special.   Layers of raspberry jelly and milk chocolate mousse encased within a blanket of white chocolate mousse.

To be brutally honest, the appeal of creamy moosh is lost on me and I sorely missed the presence of a crispy or crunchy element. It certainly wasn't inedible but I know for a fact there are alternatives from The Patissier that could easily outshine this cake. 

For example, the fruit tart. This, my friend, was sublime. The thinnest of tart shells barely holds in molten custard and behemoth pile of fruits. I very shamelessly swooped in for the last slice. 

I'm sure you know by now that I would pick a tart over a slice of cake anyday - unless the cake comes with a tart shell like Patisserie Glace's Strawberry Hill; in that case, I'll have another slice please, thank you very much.

Hope all of you had a joyous Mother's Day! My brain is tinkering with ideas for Father's Day now...

High tea at The Landing Point, Fullerton Bay Hotel

Ahh, Mother's Day... Though it gets less flak than Valentine's Day, it is still regarded by cynics as a contrived, commercialized occasion coined by florists and jewelers. Yes, everyday should be Mother's Day but think about it this way: maybe this is this one day created for those who have a difficult relationship with their mothers; this is a day where we can put down our judgmental magnifying glass and be thankful for the sacrifices our mothers made for us. 

Call me an idealist but I really don't think retailers created Mother's Day to sell cards. 

My elder sister booked a staycation at the gorgeous Fullerton Bay Hotel with my parents and we decided to have high tea at The Landing Point as part of Mother's Day celebration. I could get used to this... you hear me, Russell? 

Even with my hands full, I still managed to soak in the seriously awesomemous atmosphere the hotel had to offer. I can't get over how magnificent these mosaic tiles are - KIV for Renovation Phase 2 2021. 

It's Happy Mother's Day for me whenever my hands are free. Really, I don't ask for much. 

And how was the food? I got to admit it was pretty good; it surpassed my expectations but it's not like you will see me return on a monthly basis. A refillable three-tier stack takes center stage and though the selection can be a hit or miss depending on when you go, I love how civilized the place feels as a result. 

Judging by what others had (just Google "Fullerton Bay Hotel high tea"), I would say, we had a pretty spot on selection. *Victory dance with flash sticks*

Top tier: creme brulee tarts and sea salt chocolate caramel tarts

There was an aromatic caramelized vanilla scent found within the creme brulee tart but the custard bore a consistency similar to that of steamed egg. I guess given the surface area and depth, it was too easy to overcook the custard during the torching process.

Uber smooth, rich and bittersweet dreamy, the sea salt chocolate caramel tart was lip-smackingly good! I never understood the appeal of using sea salt for desserts till this tart (and another... and another) crossed my lips. I definitely ate enough of these tarts to join my younger sister on her marathon. 

Second tier: Boston lobster coronets; brie cheese and fruit paste on a wheat biscuits; mini quiche; mini prosciutto bagels; white truffle egg mayo baguettes; smoked salmon on rye; cucumber and ikura sandwiches; and duck confit crepe roulades

The salmon and cucumber sandwiches were staunch classics that would appeal to traditionalists.

I loved how the savoury sesame-seed-studded cone accompanied the sweet and creamy Boston lobster salad swimmingly.

The duck confit crepe roulade was both gamy and luscious, a handsome punch wrapped in a pretty package. 

The brie cheese and fruit paste canapé was a surprise too. Should be easy to replicate this for home parties. 

Egg mayonnaise was a childhood favorite of mine; throw in some truffle and this easily becomes an adult favorite.

Third tier: lemon curd tarts, chocolate eclairs, prune kueh lapis and caneles 

The canele was blessed with a burnt caramelized, and not carcinogen, aroma, as well as spongy innards. 

It's funny that while I'm someone who can live without kueh lapis, I cannot resist prune kueh lapis. 

Filled with a slightly runny lemon curd, these tangy lemon curd tarts were lovely. Slicing into one, the tart shell gives way and hits the plate sooner than you realise. Clinggg! Given a stiffer, more posh setting, one would be wise to exercise greater wrist-traint

Served on the side were some cute little pucks of scones, alongside clotted cream and strawberry jam. 

The classic teatime treat was sadly rather dry, utterly devoid of that melt-in-yer-mouth sensation. I think someone might find them useful for baseball practice.

The Landing Point was surprisingly packed, or maybe unsurprising considering people in Singapore seem willing to part with their dough for some dough and more.

Of course, it being my first Mother's Day made the high tea session a wee bit more special. 

Really blissful to spend a leisurely afternoon having high tea. Happy times.

Ten months on

My little man, how on earth did you become 10 months old in the blink of an eye? I can't believe you will be a toddler soon; I have to start putting together my list of '52 Reasons Why You Don't Need Another Toy' - to be used on a weekly basis. P.S. Whatever grandma gives you is indirectly coming out of your college fund.

Over the past few months, I was feeling pretty darn anxiousunsuredepressed over this thing called Motherhood. Having talked to a few - and very dear to my heart - people, I happy to report I am feeling alot better these days.

Things have not changed much but I have; at least I don't beat myself up over things that don't matter in the long run. It is also helpful to prevent negative thoughts from accumulating as many of these issues are simply First World problems.

To those of you feeling less than happy (with regards to baby, family, work etc), I would like to say, "hang in there." you might be at a very low point in your life but I hope you realize this combination of factors will only serve to make you comeback much sweeter.

Be patient and work your way slowly out of whatever that is keeping you down. For those of you who follow Games of Throne, remember that epic blowyermind scene when Daenerys Targaryen assumes control of her Unsullied army and annihilates her naysayers? Yeah, that will be you soon enough.

The first weekend of May

The Mister is away on a week-long baby-less, wife-free vacation work trip to Houston and my folks came by for dinner. I, ahem yes, yours truly, made dinner for them and ... didn't have to resort to emergency food delivery service. That alone warrants some applause and a daybed for those naysayers to lie down on. 

I'll admit one of the dishes - the soup - called for some CP wantons but that was a last-minute switch and I assure you the rest of the dishes required a wee bit more effort. Cross my heart xx.

5-spice Honey Roast Chicken with Momofuku Octo Vinaigrette (recipe here)

I though the chicken itself was a little flat despite the use of 5-spice powder. However, the dressing is a keeper. A keeper! If you love vinegarish stuff, you will absolutely relish the twang with every bite. 

400g of udon + 2 mint cucumbers, finely slice + 

ko ebi, toasted + Japanese goma dressing

There is a Japanese take on the Chinese zha jiang mian and sakura ebi cappellini so commonly found in both fine dining and budget fine dining restaurants. A winning dish - the first to be wiped clean. 

Jing Du Pai Gu - 京都排骨 (recipe here)

A really tasty dish though I swopped pork ribs for pork soft bone as the latter has much more meat going for it. And I popped them into the slow cooker a day earlier to let the flavours intensify. I'm sure the leftovers will be even more gratifying; I just need some Gardenia white bread to kiap the meat to create low-brow comfort food. 

Topping it off was brunch with a couple of dear friends and some quality one-on-one with the bub. What a lovely start to May!

Cedele's 2-berry muffin

There was a period in my life where I had a Coffee Bean cranberry muffin for breakfast everyday. Though I have moved onto savoury breakfasts, muffins will always have a special place in my heart; these days, out of habit, I would peer into the display case when I walk past that coffee chain.

It's hard to find a muffin that goes beyond its calling as a butter bomb but Cedele's 2-berry muffin has inched its way though my arteries to that special spot. While it is important for a muffin to be top-heavy. it is an even bigger treat when the goodies extend to the rest of its erm, being - the whole package, you know what I mean?

Cedele's  2-berry muffin has quite a few things going for it: a crumbly streusel topping that negates the usual muffin monotony; spongey and moist innards, no doubt thanks to an abundance of blueberries and raspberries; and consequential tartness that saves it from being an boring ol' cakey dud.

Tsujiri, 100AM

I wasn't the kid who loved ice cream. To me, it was a nice to have but I didn't miss it or kick up a fuss if I couldn't have one. These days, though, it is a different story altogether; given the disturbingly humid weather, my Mini Magnum stash was prematurely depleted when it became part of my daily routine.

It's a matter of life and death, I tell you. Life to me, death to whoever deprives me of an ice cream.

After lunch at Imperial Treasure Noodle & Congee House, common sense led us to Tsujiri (100 Tras Street #01-14B 100AM) for desserts.

LOVE...

The green ice ice cream sundaes at Tsujiri are incredible! Yes, I am usually biased towards all things Japanese but let's be honest, Japanese desserts are often overly sweet or one-dimensional.

In this case though, the green tea soft serve was exceptionally creamy and smooth for both sundaes, an awesome contrast against ungrounded (another looove) red bean.

The Tsujiri Parfait comes with green tea soft serve, chocolate biscuit rolls, conflakes; while the Shiratama Parfait below comes with chewy mochi balls and a dusting of kinako (roasted soybean flour). 

Both were bloody awesome but I want to try the Chiffon Cake Parfait next. 

Need to find someone to share with. Just found out the Mister isn't a fan of green tea desserts. Must get over shock.