Recess @ Old School

Being a blogger myself, I'm taking the summer course SOCIAL MEDIA AND CORPORATE COMMUNICATION ACROSS ASIA to see if I can apply my personal experiences to this course and vice versa. True enough, something happened that made me think about the culinary scene in Singapore and the (in)effective use of social media.

A few food bloggers and myself were recently invited to a high-end Indian restaurant for food tasting. I received 2 email and a phone invitation from the restaurant's public relations agency, which made me impressed by the restaurant and agency's efforts of using social media to promote the restaurant. However when I emailed back to ask if I could attend unannounced, so that there wouldn't be any fuss or special treatment and I would just be treated like a regular diner, the request apparently went into the e-Black Hole, otherwise known as Deleted Items.

Neither agency nor restaurant replied and that immediately sounded the alarms. The truth is if we are going to continue hiding in our comfort zone, the dining scene in Singapore will cease to be ever good as that of Hong Kong, Japan and New York (I can't vouch for other cities / countries).

Case in point, if any company wishes to engage in social media, do so preparing to give up control of your media narrative. If a less-than-flattering review surfaces, you have 2 choices: psychologically white-tape the poor review and continue to believe that the world is a wonderland filled with bohemians and this Crazy Little Ting Called Love, with unicorns leaping over rainbows OR regard it as constructive feedback and learn from it. Pretty soon the ol' way of doing things i.e. snazzy media invites and glorified food reviewers will lose their credibility among discerning diners. Bluntly said, you better get used to the fact you can't buy yourself a good review. If restaurants cannot take the heat, they should reconsider their venture.

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Now if we were graded for 'Recess,' I would have definitely scored A* for that subject. I would have saved my parents a bundle on tuition, assessment books and ten year series. Coming from someone who spent too much time in the canteen, who once landed herself in kiddy debts because she was only given a daily allowance of $1 but ate more than that, I think I can safely say I was a real recess trouper.

From Dhoby Gaut, I climbed up the steely flight of steps to get up to Mount Sophia. All 130 steps. Yeap I counted so that I could blog about it (although I might have missed a couple while catching my breath). GAW-, under the blistering heat, it sure felt as if I was training for the climb at Machu Picchu.

Diana and I had initially wanted to visit Bistro GaGa but it was -horror- closed. Lights out and peopleless. With little choice, we headed over to Recess, which was just across the street.



I have developed a thing for tortillas ever since we visited Paisley & Cream. Diana and I both had tortilla folds, she had the cheesy chicken while I took aim at the smoked black pepper duck. Before I forget, the staff at Recess seemed to have their service backwards. We were served ice water first, followed by our coasters and our tortilla folds before our cutlery. Fortunately we weren't given the bill before the meal.



Paired with tomatoes, cucumber and a slather of mayonnaise, the duck itself was delightfully plump with a rim of fat. Pity there was like a grand total of 5.5 tiny slices and the tortillas were served with a mindless toss of chips. It was tasty but nothing to go gaga about, compared to Paisley & Cream's wraps. More importantly, it wasn't worth climbing 130 steps, perspiring unglamorously and ruining my make up for.

In fact by the time we made our way down the 130 steps, I was hungry again.

Is Mount Sophia the new Dempsey?

Twin Divine, Miss Clarity Cafe

I'm back.



And I have tons of backdates plus those of Singapore that I didn't post before my vacation.

=(

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I hadn’t felt this excited about a Sunday Time article ever since my er- interview. Shameless confession aside, my heart skipped a beat and my eyes lit up when I read that Sunday Times was going to publish their list of 'Top 50 Yummiest Cakes in Singapore'.

Miraculously, I found myself mildly disappointed. I don’t know if it’s a case of “too much of a good thing …” but I was impassive to the celebratory display of cakes, pastries and shh-don’t-tell-your-dentist desserts.

To be honest, only a grand total of 3 items made my heart flutter.

1. Mille crepes from Classic Cakes except Sunset Way/ Clementi seems like such a faraway place. I don’t know any other place in Singapore that sells this but I do have my heart set on trying Lady M’s famous creation.

2. Le Royale from Canele Pâtisserie Chocolaterie. It’s funny how I have tried about 10 different cakes and pastries from Canele yet never ordered Le Royale despite its sound reputation.

3. Twin Divine from Miss Clarity Café.



The article described this dessert as “rich, rich, rich and utterly divine”.

The last time I read a similar description, the picture shown was that of Andrea Casiraghi. Haha…Not to outdone, Miss Clarity Café’s Twin Divine was a royal treat in its right.



The chocolate fudge was made with Valrhona chocolate, stacked atop French cream cheese and a thin layer of crushed digestive biscuits. Apparently, this cake underwent a name change (its original name was Chocolate Fudge Cake -yawn-) after a customer described it as "divine". Whoa, if I had been that customer, this would probably have been renamed "Hands off, it's MINE".

I feel like I have just found a pot of gold as both Clarity outlets are situated within ten-minute walking distances from either home or school. It’s one of those cakes where I wouldn’t mind sharing … but for the sake of world peace, let’s just get two slices ok?

Twin Divine, double the delight.

On a Hiatus

Till I find internet in NYC and Boston.

Rib Eye For The Straight Guy.

When he walked through the doors, you could almost hear the collective exhale of regret and grief.

Of course we should have known better.

He was cute, in a sort of impish imperfect way. He was funny though we were too bashful to laugh in his presence. When he talked, nobody else in the room commanded your attention more. To top it off, he was scarily intellectual but unbelievably humble about it.

Well of course we should have known better.

Beauty, wit and charm all in one package? Wait, is it Christmas already?

No?

That's quee- He's queer? Oh, how right you are.

After we were done with our minute of silence, we realized life has to go on. Bills have to be paid, reports have to be done and just because Specimen ‘Almost Perfect Man’ turned out to be queer doesn’t mean it’s the end of the world- it only means we probably wouldn’t mind an apocalypse say, sometime after brunch tomorrow?

Sigh.

The other night after dinner at Tom Ton's, we walked past Fine Cuts!, a gourmet butcher at the basement of Central. It's a rather convenient way of shopping for slabs of meat but if you either cannot wait or dish washing is not your thing, you could always go the ‘job interviewee’ way- pick your meat and have them grill it for you.



Now you should have seen the US Kobe Beef pre-grilled, in all its signature streaky marbled beauty. It was good, no wait it was pretty good, almost earth-shatteringly so (yeah I think I felt the tremors) but… there was just something missing. I know this sounds super superficial but I think it was the case of The Missing Grid Lines.



The awesome thing about their meats is its natural flavour and how they don’t drench it in gravy or sauce. That being said, the black pepper sauce served on the side had a good sprinkling of cracked pepper.



However, the US Kurobuta Pork was a washout. It looked beautiful but was unforgivably tough. Apart from the mixed grill, each main is served with mayo-sodden coleslaw and crunchy potato salad.






The Mixed Grill came with a Thurlington sausage, lamb chop and beef steak and was served with crinkled fries. Naturally I wasn’t expecting the beef steak to be Kobe standard but it was sufficiently tender. So was the lamb chop and in fact that’s what I would recommend if you aren’t in the mood for beef. The Thurlington sausage was a chunky capsule of cheesy fatty-meaty goodness.



At Fine Cuts!, here’s nothing fancy about the set up; in fact, it looks as if the owner decided “Hey, since we have some leftover space, let's throw in a couple of IKEA tables and chairs, and create a makeshift restaurant!” Service is pretty raw and this place is still finding its bearings. Give it some time, this gourmet butchery might just surprise us.

Lust Caution and The F-word.

Sorry to disappoint those who were looking for nuances of Lee Ang's infamous Lust, Caution. This is a Fashion Post, hence the Lust (oh those shoes!) and Caution (oh my bank account!).

Noa noa, which means “fragrant” in Tahitian, is a label I discovered in Copenhagen. Though their clothes are a little unwearable in Singapore and a wee-bit too damsel-in-distress for my liking, I love the photo spread they did for their Spring / Summer 08 collection.















Also quite possibly the coolest pairs of heels I've seen err- all morning from Coolhunting.

United Nude have done it again with the Cup, a new model from the Spring/Summer '08 collection with interchangeable heel backs... Each pair comes with three different colors of plastic heel backs, which slot smoothly over the heel and are held in place by the sexy ankle strap... What a great way to step into Spring!

The CoolHunter has spoken.

Hear Hear!

Something else to Lust over.




Lace Up Sling Backs- Too trendy. How seasonal. But I love them.

To un-fashion the post and make it more food-related:

I love books and in my Dream Home, I would have this floor-to-ceiling bookshelf filled with Enid Blyton, Roald Dahl, Peter Mayle and Ruth Reichel books among the many other authors and a shelve dedicated to Japanese pastry and bread recipe books- never mind I will never be able to read them or reproduce the recipes. I can't think of a reason to indulge in such literature (maybe I don't even need one).

Books can be found on Amazon.Jp.

French may be the language of romance but whenever I think of the Japanese, I think of subtle nuances of precision and their dedication to ethereal exquisiteness.

Exactly two years ago around this time of the year, my sister and I frolicked in Barcelona and Madrid, stuffed ourselves silly on tapas and bocadilos and made a pact with the devil-in-prada in return for divine hot chocolates.

Tom Ton

Salads. Hmmm.

Though I have a pretty healthy relationship with greens and raw food, I can never quite stomach the two together. I mean I won’t collapse from a lettuce-induced seizure but salads are not something I would order. However before I commit that foot-in-mouth misdemeanor I must say that every now and then, I do uncheck the Opt Out box for Japanese salads and the reason for doing so is none other than the salad dressing.

Right now, I'm mad over sweet potato, drizzled with wafuu goma dressing. You aren’t going to receive much culinary tips from this blogger so heed up on this one:

Steam a couple of sweet potatoes (preferably Japanese), tip over some sesame salad dressing (or wafuu goma dressing) and voila, an afternoon snack that your inner Harumi Kurihara would be proud off.

What do mean this isn’t considered cooking? At least I turned on the stove right?



At Tom Ton, we ordered the crispy sashimi salad. The yuzu dressing lifted the otherwise lifeless bowl of shredded vegetables (no pun intended) and it certainly reminded us to head down to Yamakawa Super to stock up on our salad dressing. Deep fried lotus root silvers and Lays-esque chips lent weight to the ‘crispy’ description, adding an interesting twist to the tired crouton- in-salad approach. Lays chips with greens and yuzu dressing? Odd but I could get used to it. Maybe I could try adding Terra Exotic Vegetables chips into my salads for home parties.

We also had the sashimi moriwase, made up of salmon, hamachi, anotherwhitefish, uni and otoro. Compared to the other sashimi, the otoro slices were noticeably half as thick. Despite so, it was incredibly gratifying. Any thicker and I would have been reduced to otoro-induced coma. Oh who am I kdding? I WANT TO SEEP INTO OTORO-INDUCED COMA. Bring. It. On.



I love sashimi, but i’ll admit i’m still on Camp Play-It-Safe. I love salmon, will never say ‘no’ to mekijiki and will work for otoro.



But uni? Uh…I have never been a fan of uni, the sea urchin. The lurid blur of yellowness is undeniably a warning signal and the lack of texture or form makes me shudder. I used to hold my breath, wait for it to make its way down my gullet, hoping that it would slither down inconspicuously without touching the sides of my esophagus. This time round though I decided to learn to like it by first tasting it. Creamy metallic-ky… it’s not love at first taste but I’ll learn to like it. Someday somehow.

Speaking of wasabi root (yeah I know we weren’t but I can’t continue without this introduction), I know its part of the experience to have your wasabi root grated for you but it quite embarrassing to have a waiter grate by our sides as if we were feudal lords. Besides, I would have liked to have a go at the adorable 2 inch by 2 inch grater.



Speaking of feudal lors (ha!), our chawanmushi was served in a sedan like a feudal bride on her way to the point of no return. Naturally you can tell this was no ordinary chawanmushi- the uni curdle added a touch of luxury to this seemingly commonplace side dish and the chawanmushi itself was so soft, you could have slurped it up.



Naturally no trip to Tom Ton would be complete or even consider valid without ordering their black pig katsu. In meritocratic Singapore, we are obsessed with grades. Like you were expecting something else for a country that aims to be the medical hub and financial center of the region, host city for 2010 Youth Olympics, choice destination for travel and a world class society? Keeping in line with our grade-obsessed nature, we had the black pig katsu “Top Grade” naturally.

Pigs can't fly but we were certainly on cloud nine after this.

A couple of very random food notes:
- Novus has a new menu, which looks interesting enough to warrant a return visit.
- Is Picotin a 'go' or 'no go'?
- Ditto for Senso Bistro.

Canelé Pâtisserie Chocolaterie, Strike 3

Everybody needs a friend like Zhu.

Somebody whom you can trust. Someone whom you can share the most no-holds-barred thoughts with and not worry about being judged. You may not always need to have this but time does give you the luxury of honesty.

For Zhu and I, we are well-informed of each other's idiosyncrasies and faults but we still love each other to bits. Each time we get together, I feel like we are starring in an episode of 'Twentysomethings Say the Darnest Things!'. You can call it a 'rant session' but I prefer 'cleansing ritual', where we purge all the bitchiness and insecurities, ponder about life circa 2012 over coffee and pastries.

Of course what happens or gets whispered in [insert cafe name], stays in [insert cafe name].

Speaking of pastries, I had the Cafe Caramel that was layered with milk chocolate coffee mousse, biscuit chips, hazelnut praline, and crispy and salted caramel. I'm obsessed with layers so this pastry was awesome. At Canele, I always make it a point to scrutinize every ingredient that makes up the pastry. If you see this nutter glued to the glass display, squinting at the font size 6 description, as if she were analyzing the o-rings on NASA spacecraft.. yup that's probably me.



I really liked the Cafe Caramel. The multifarious layers, the mix of hard and soft elements, this pastry would have been my answer for the "Which Pastry Best Describes you" sort of personality tests. I would like to think this dessert was made for me but of course I'm no Anna Pavlova, inspiration to a meringue dessert that bears her namesake.



Zhu chose the Italian classic, made with marsala mascarpone mousse, finger sponge soaked in coffee, white rum and brandy. I took a bite and all I can say is it was one tiramisu made with enough alcohol to fail a breathalyser test.

Spending quality time with Zhu was great- I felt as if I had been hand-delivered a letterpress invitation to Can'tComplainAboutLife Land. =)

So much to blog, so little time! Tom Ton, Recess @ Old School. Fine Cuts!. Astons Prime.



Mum celebrated her birthday yesterday. Birthdays are usually a quiet affair in my family. No fancy David Tutera-ish parties, usually just dinner and cake for symbolic purposes, birthday song optional. This year with both outbound sisters sending their love via smses, we had an extremely hush hush affair with dinner at Astons Prime over the weekend and on the actual day, a cake Paradiso di Nocciola from Swissbake.

I especially chose to get a cake from Swissbake because they do "itty-bitty cakes". Most bakeries and pastisseries sell gargantuan cakes, almost as if denying coteries the right to celebrate with a cake. Anyway, I couldn't go wrong with my favorite bakery and the Paradiso di Nocciola, a hazelnut rocher cake with its light chocolate cream and rum-soaked biscuit inlay, was a hit.



Just in case you were wondering why there are only 3 candles, well my mum and I both suffer from Dorian Gray complex so she has declared herself to be Forever 30.

Nutty Affair, Frujch at SMU

When a friend told me she recently got attached, say-it-like-it-is me replied, "Wow, you still have time to get attached?"

Like seriously, it was 'friendship faux pas'. Granted it wasn't the most politically correct thing to say, I was genuinely surprised by her willingness to commit to a relationship, especially since we were approaching Crunch Time in school.

I'm not all heartless. I even like love songs, well some of them. The other day, one-hit-wonder Lonestar's 'Amazed' was playing over the radio and for the benefit of the less-informed, the chorus went something like this:

Every little thing that you do, I'm so in love with you
[BLAHBLAH SOMETHING SAPPY]
Every little thing that you do, Baby, I'm amazed by you

I mean, seriously! If someone were to sing that to me, I would be like, "Honey, I know you love me but all I did was hand you the car keys, so can you please wipe that jaw-dropping expression off your face?"

or

"Darling, what's with that look? Did you just receive the credit card bill?"

Yeah, I'm sure a Die Hard Romantic is just dying to get out.

Last week I met Diana met for brunch at Frujch, where they have amazing toasties. I love toasts- the aroma, the chewy tear-ability of it; in my Dream Home, I'll get myself a toaster, not just any toaster but a panini grill. At Frujch, the Port O' Bello Melt has its unofficial fan club but it's the Rosemary Me? that gets me crooning. 'I DO' to rosemary chicken and lingoberry.

That day for brunch, I had a Nutty Affair toastie.



The Nutty Affair toastie combined a few of my loves, peanut butter and hazelnut chocolate, and I'm guessing it kind of symbolises a lot of relationships these days. You have the honeymoon period where despite the bumpy ridges, everything is lovey-dovey oozy like the peanut butter and sweet like hazelnut chocolate; but as you get into it, you notice the itsty peanut bits- the grittier side of things. Overall, being in a relationship is addictive and some just can't get enough of it- pretty much like how I feel towards toasties.



Maybe I'm just too used to singlehood. I can't imagine sacrificing my lifestyle or sharing my time with somebody esle. However I'm hopeful (bearing the same level of optimism towards solving global warming and world poverty) and I guessing when I eventually meet You-had-me-at-Hello, it wouldn't be such a Nutty Affair after all.

P.S Student-run Frujch closes for good after this week. Hand to my heart, I'm really terribly upset.

Apple

What is it with females and apples?

First, the biblical Eve was banished from Eden for taking a bite out of the apple. Then fast forward by about two thousand plus years, dear old Snow White landed herself in coma for the same bungle... And a couple of days back, a few of us found ourselves horsing around with yet another Apple, one with a built-in camera.

Welcome to the 21st century.

Hey it’s week 13 of school and we are just a bunch of stressed out seniors, seeking a bit of fun with Johny’s MacBook Pro.










With Johny himself.

I got to admit it's tough watching most of my friends graduate, not because they will be stepping into the world of paychecks but because school doesn't make much sense without their presence. On top of it, I'm horrible with goodbyes. When the going gets tough, these photos will keep me going.

Paisley & Cream, The Central

The girls celebrated Diana's 23rd at Paisley & Cream. The first one among the four of us to graduate, sign a job contract and leave our sunny shores for "pearlier pastures". One of my absolute best girlfriends, Diana is almost like my traveling companion on the as-cliche-as-it-sounds Journey of Life. Together, we plan to go from On a Shoestring to LUXE Guide, raise kids on the Shichida Method and hopefully refrain from aging physically thanks to diligent sun abstinence.

As the rest of us had to head back to school for meetings (what public holiday?), the Birthday Girl picked somewhere near school for brunch. By the time we got through the doors, I was seriously crossing my fingers for 'proper food' or something that would help me score low-fat brownie points. However, the mesmerizing cupcake array, chandeliers and hot pink walls screamed 'Dessert Paradiso' and spontaneously set off the sugar detector in my brain.

Warning! Dangerous Terrain Ahead.

Although the cafe's cupcakes were baked in-house daily (thus upping the temptation), I needed PROPER FOOD. In the past couple of weeks, an imbalance diet (high on chocolate, sugar and butter, low on just about everything else) had left me worse for worn. I felt one of the Crash Test Dummies on Downsize Me, thankfully without the horrid orange jumpsuit. You know nutritionists are always telling us to add some colour to our food choices but I'm pretty sure cupcake frostings don't quite qualify in this instance.



To my sugar blood level's surprise, Paisley & Cream did have a substantial 'proper food' menu that included a delectable-sounding spread of breakfast, wraps and salads.



Zee and Joyce kick-started their day with breakfast while Diana and I rolled with the flow with a couple of wraps. In true American fashion, Joyce's New York New York showcased a heavy spread of waffles, bacon and fried eggs, served with a tall glass of fruit juice. Zee's The Sun Also Rises featured scrambled egg and smoked salmon, served in a martini glass, with bagel on the side.



I reckon there could have been only 1 person preparing the hot food as our wraps arrived after the ectomorphs were halfway through breakfast. Diana went for Here, There and Everywhere, a mushroom and cheese wrap while I opted for an Indian Summer.



Creamy boneless tandoori chicken and greens bundled up within crisp wrap, doing away the need for any yogurt-moisturizer. In every biteful, I was treated to a mingler of smoky spice-riddled tandoori flavour and refreshing greens. The wraps were served with either fries or potato salad, and green salad. The potato salad was leaking mayo but the greens, lightly dapped with vinaigrette dressing, was palatable.



We shared the bread and butter pudding that was large enough for the four of us. Chunks of bread skimmed the stodgy pudding, which would have been great if it were served warmer.

It's funny. I've been to The Central a handful of times but always stayed clear of the cafe that looked more like a Hallmark greeting card. As a passerby, I just didn't get the right vibes from the Paris-Hilton pink interior and cream-coloured thrones. Inside, the cafe sits about hmm, fifteen and the imposing front bar made me feel like a hobbit in Sir Ian Mckellen's girlie suite. That being said, aesthetics aside, the wraps are definitely worth coming back for.

Humans

Obviously we know who's really good at candid shots.