Delices du Palais, Namba Parks

In Japan, we enjoyed leisurely tea breaks every afternoon. While shopping around Namba Parks, we made a pit-stop at Delices du Palais, where they had an arresting display of fruit tarts. The two tarts we had - Mocha Chocolate Marron and Strawberry - delicious to a tee and I thought these were better than Quit Fait Bon. 

Russell pretty much dominated the strawberry tart while I found myself going back for the Mocha Chocolate Marron. It was arguably the best marron dessert I have ever had, thanks to the coffee flavour! 

Osaka 2016

It is always wonderful in Japan! Well, till you meet tour groups from the Middle Kingdom... That aside, we had a lovely time in Osaka, Kyoto and Nara (our favourite of the three). Of course, it was challenging at times with the kids but well, what can I say, it is a learning experience for us too. HAHA!

We kickstarted our first day with a trip to Osaka caste but as you can imagine, there were hordes of tourists so we didn't bother going in. In fact throughout this trip, we were pretty much adversed to the usual touristy sites, and preferred veering off tracks and discovering little alleyways. 

At Osaka castle, I picked up my first soft serve of the trip. At 10am in the morning. Jut frozen chocolate milk, no? This would surely not be the last soft serve.

I loved shopping at Family Mart, the convenience store. I know, I am turning into an obasan! Here are just a handful of goodies we had.

Blueberry yogurt

Creme brûlée pudding

Walnut bun

Because it is perfectly legit to eat instant noodles for breakfast in Japan.

Tubby x Pablo

Yeah, we tried Pablo cheese tart... It was O-K. There were queues at the Dotonburi outlets but luckily, on one drizzling afternoon, we picked up a mini cheese tart without having to suffer the queues. Oh, FYI, they sell Pablo cheesecakes at Kansai International Airport (before and after checking in), so you can always pick them up after there. 

A random red bean bun - just look at how thin the skin is!

We are such homebodies so of course, we had more than our fair share of depachika dinners... right by the lovely sunset =)

Gourmet 2 Go, Platypus Kitchen

The number of salad bars in Raffles Place is truly mind-boggling. The set-up is pretty much formulistic too, 3 different sizes, consisting of a protein, plus greens and a carb. Here at Platypus Gourmet2Go , a small box starts from $6.90 for one premium protein, one regular protein, salad and pasta. There isn't a grand selection but their protein looks well-made i.e. dry and sad-looking like many salad bars. My tidy pile of little barbecue pork and creamy mushrooms made quite the delicious meal.

Poulet, Changi Airport Terminal 3

Before Japan, we had a quick bite at Poulet (Terminal 3). A lunch that I very much enjoyed. Total disclaimer: I know it's a chain, a chain that specializes in roast chicken specifically, but we didn't have their roast chicken.

I was pleasantly surprised by the Salad de Paris. Kitschy name aside, the chopped (yes!) garden salad had dried cranberry, tomato, avocado, black olive and roasted pine nuts. It might look simple and maybe "too clean," but it was a refreshing counterpart to the rich and heavy dishes we had.

A French classic is escargots. I love escargots - my initiation to French cuisine when I was a kid and I never lost my palate for it. This were comforting and briny, with a texture you either love or hate (I love).

Perhaps the only thing I wouldn't order again is the mushroom soup. The mushroom soup was extremely creamy and a little too Campbell soup-like. A little goes a long way.

Many mains looked promising but we eventually settled on the pork belly. Incredibly indulgent and tender, cloaked with a rich tangy sauce and paired with the smoothest of mashed potatoes. Rich without being overkill.

Vacation blues

So real, my friends =(

Off on a vacay for the week

brb

Back at Brewerkz, Riverside Point

One Saturday, KW and I were thinking of what to have for lunch and the word "nachos" popped up in our conversation. Russell picked up on it and made a case for nachos for lunch, and we found ourselves driving to Brewerkz. 

Nachos topped with melted cheese, olives, jalapeños, tomato, salsa, sour cream, and guac. We came, we ate, we conquered. If you know another place that serves awesome nachos fully loaded,  pray share.

A decent Caesar salad I wouldn't mid ordering again simply because it is not overpriced (I'm looking at you, PS Cafe)

Baby back ribs and sweet potato fries

Though I am a loyalist with it comes to ribs, these baby back ribs were super tender, fall-off-the-bone   and the boys lapped them up. The sweet potato fries were a hit too with the Firstborn - who knew? 

Just a regular meal out with the boys. 

Cafe Manuka , Paragon

This unassuming cafe at Paragon looks more like a waiting place for yuppie juice-loving mums than a bona fide cafe, but hey, the cakes are pretty good!

I love how dense and nutty the carrot cake was, and the icing is absolutely to-die-for. In contrast, the apple and blueberry tart below was light, airy and spongey.

I have my eye on their orange almond cake, and their sticky date pudding looks like something I wouldn't spending some time with too.

Super Simple, China Square Food Centre

The one thing about Raffles Place is there is not shortage of goop-approvied nutritional options. One of the newest entrants is Super Simple at China Square Food Centre. Super Simple's positioning is simple enough - affordable nutrient-dense meals made simple. They offer customisable meal-boxes with a choice of protein, complex carbo and supplements from $8.90; there are No Fuss Sets too for the undecided. 

My lunch appointment that day suggested lunch there, and while I wasn't particularly excited, I was too drained after a work call to suggest somewhere else. 

I decided to treat myself to a meal box consisting ribeye, brown rice, broccoli, zucchini and sou vide egg.  There was little doubt that this was a healthy meal - I popped in a handful of almonds as soon as I got back to the office. 

Breakfast sandwich from The Providore

The egg & bacon sandwich to rule them all... 

iO Italian Osteria, Hillview Rise at HillV2

Italian restaurants are a dime in a dozen but it's hard to find one that doesn't serve the usual suspects like carbonara or risotto. iO Italian Osteria was a serendipitous find (thank you Internet!). It is an extremely underrated restaurant in an underrated part of the island. The restaurant itself feels artisanal yet homely, as evidenced by the humongous loaves of bread, homemade biscuits and pastries that greet you as soon as you walk in.

The menu lists homely comforts and every item was as deliciously sounding as the next. Given the ridiculous prices many restaurants are charging these days, I appreciate the gentle pricing and generous portions. I can imagine it would make a really awesome place for a party or small wedding. Rather envious of the people staying around there.

A must-have is the Traditional Roman Schiacciata. Roman what? Cheese and truffle cream squished between cracking bread. It is ok, you don't need to know how to pronounce the dish to enjoy it.  I absolutely loved this! It arrived noticeably late into our meal but we relished every single bite.

Another signature dish of theirs is the Porchetta. Though some of the leaner parts were slightly dry, it is worthy of a try, especially when you get crackling skin and fat all in one bite.

Instead of the commonplace calamari, iO serves up a fisherman's catch, which consists of squid, prawns and salmon, lightly battered in semolina and deep-fried, served alongside mayonnaise and roasted pepper sauce.

The burrata, parma ham and rucola, though seemingly simple, was remarkable. The bitterness of rucola and brash saltiness of the parma ham counterpoised by the lusciously creamy burrata.

I don't usually get excited over pastas, but the orchechitte pasta was smothered in a dreamy rich aromatic sauce perfumed with saffron.

Since this wasn't a steak house, I didn't have great expectations for the ribeye. But the kitchen treated it with due respect. Perfect medium rare, hearty and quite a slab, considering it was only $38. 

iO has an entire fridge dedicated desserts that aren't petite or dainty by any measure. Though we were all stuffed, we soldiered on since it's not everyday we come to this part of town. We shared the cheesecake on my MIL's request. It was rustic (i.e. rough around the edges) and dense with a chocolate nuts and raisin biscuit base.

Though it's only April, I dare say this is one of our favourite restaurants of the year. And that lemon meringue tart is calling out to me to make a return visit.

Cedele's Berry Punch Yogurt Cup

It is kind of sad when all one blogs these days are the food she scarfs down in between client meetings. Oh well, First World problems. I picked up this Berry Punch Yogurt Cup from Cedele in a bid to cheer myself up from an early morning meeting. It was a wholesome hearty pick-me-up, filled with crunchy granola, blueberries and strawberries, chia seeds, honey and thick tangy Greek-style yogurt. 

PS Cafe, Palais Renaissance

OMG, it's April!

Diana, Zee and I recently met up at PS Cafe for Diana's belated birthday meal. It's not as easy to meet up with friends these days. I have kids that soak up my energy and my close friends have atypical careers that soak up their weekends. However, we definitely still make it a point to catch each other whenever our birthdays roll by. A simple catch-up, free of shebang and confetti, filled with soul-cleansing conversations.

Chargrilled wagyu chuck patty topped with a fried egg, bacon, onion ring and melted gruyere, the Brunch Burger is a heavyweight, packing both heft and depth. You pretty much need to face-dive into this burger to get it all in a bite, but paper napkins were created for a reason. I like the usual chunky steak fries that come with the burger, but swooping them for truffle fries is what a birthday meal calls for.

The Spicy Shashuka is admittedly unlike any shashuka I've eaten or made. It's more paste than stew, which honestly makes me wonder if that was intentional. Served with grilled turkish bread, it was a tasty enough mash-up of chorizo, bacon, spinach, chickpeas and egg, but I probably would not order it order.

If you haven't guessed by now, I love a good Caesar and I will order it whenever I get the chance. I finally understand how this salad has thrived - and not just survived - the decades. Did you know this salad was named after its creator, and not Julius Caesar? Yup, it's just about as Italian as romaine lettuce.

The PS Caesar was sufficiently complete with a poached egg, crispy smoked bacon, chopped baby cos, croutons and freshly shaved parmesan. However, I found their chef's dressing lacking the usual salty brines of anchovies. The chunky skewer of honey dijon rosemary chicken skewer was kind of odd too, but didn't prevent us from polishing off the salad.

A once-regular on this blog, the Chocolate Crunch Doorstop needs little introduction - a triple decker of rich chocolate mousse, pecans and brownie. Tall, dark, rich and nutty - it deserves its own match.com profile. The cakes here are ridiculously overpriced*. This modest slice now costs $16. Thankfully, it was still as decadent as I remembered.

* I realize I do say these things now that I've two kids, and $16 cake slices could be regarded as financial imprudence.

Happy birthday, my dear friend. May this year kickstart our eventful journey into our 30s!