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2 Jul 2014

Brownice - Healthier ice cream!


Taking the ass back view of these 2 ladies at Brownice was not on purpose. Don't judge me. It was a quiet weekday night and my friend and I decided to drop by for ice cream and waffles! (I recently got hooked on to the waffle craze and kept craving for waffles...) Brownice serves vegan ice cream, made from organic brown rice, free from animal products and dairy-free. It definitely sounds healthier and the more I had the reason to indulge! 

We agreed to get waffles with 2 scopes of ice cream to share and ended up with 2 basic and original flavors which were vanilla and strawberry.

Our process of picking the 2 flavors - We started off trying about 2 of the other flavors which did not suit our likings.

Friend: I think I want to pick strawberry, it tasted really good.
Me: After trying blueberry - Wow blueberry tasted so natural! I want blueberry!
Friend: If you pick blueberry, I shall change flavor.
Me: O ya, no point getting 2 berry flavors.
Friend to service staff: Could I try the vanilla flavor?
Me: Huh? How come you want try vanilla, so common leh...nothing special.
Friend: After trying - It tasted so weird....
Me: After trying - Omg, I love the taste! So unique with a rather strong smoky flavor. Do people actually                                  smoke vanilla beans too? I am getting this flavor!
Friend: You taking Vanilla? Alright, I will take Strawberry then.

I guess I have already described the ice cream taste during the conversation above. The scopes of ice cream were HUGE and I am not kidding! (See below picture for justification.) The waffle was drizzled with chocolate sauce which dried up into the waffle itself. Although crispy and somewhat dry, the waffle had a mild burnt taste that was quite distasteful to me. I was taking picture of ourselves taking a selfie shot at the background! 

(From my friend's instagram)
The perfect ambient and the natural taste of ice cream would definitely lure us back for other flavors.
Why my favorite green tea flavor was not available that day!! 
 
Updates!! (19/01/2015)
 
How about another round of healthier ice cream! Too bad my friends and I had to gobble our ice cream hurriedly since the outlet was about to close for the day.

23 Jun 2014

Chicken Up - Calling All Chicken Lovers! (Korean style)


I was quite surprised that the entire street along 48 Tanjong Pagar Road had tons of Korean restaurants. Despite such competition, Chicken Up stood out from the rest, specializing in a huge variety of Korean style chicken dishes. 
For all buffet/chicken lovers out there, there is a all-you-can-eat chicken buffet!
($25 for weekday, $30 for weekends)

The Watermelon Soju made a grand entrance onto our table with smoke produced from dry ice. Soju is originally from South Korea and is traditionally made from rice, wheat or barley. With blended watermelon flesh that gave a less boring texture to the drink, the overall feeling was crisp, clear and definitely refreshing.

Besides the Watermelon Soju, I also tried the Yakult and Pear Soju. The yakult soju could be defined by its milky white colour as well as its taste. My personal favorite would definitely be the pear soju, which I would highly recommend to ladies, since it was so soothing and sweeter as compared to the others. Soju made great accompaniment to chicken dishes!

A popular snack that has been highly raved is available here too! The Truffle Fries, with its thick cut and perfumed with the earthly truffle fragrance.

My personal favorite was the Soy Sauce Chicken Wings! Firstly marinated and then deep fried, this combination really made the wings distinctive. Not only that, I just loved the umami sensation from the juices of these wings due to the naturally occurring glutamate found in soy sauce. Thankfully I did not leave it on the table for long or else the marination would start to make the semi-crispy skin soggy. 

Up next with its deep fried crispy skin would be the Spicy Up. One would clearly be reminded of KFC, Popeyes or any other fast food establishments that serve a similar crispy fried chicken. Just be reminded that not all fried chicken would taste the same since the tender flesh and the batter would be the deciding factors. Thankfully it wasn’t spicy at all, not that I could take spicy.

Another favorite of mine would the Yangnyum (Korean fried chicken)! It was glistening due to the lovely coating of the sweet and spicy sauce. Although a bit messy to eat, it proved to be worth it and for non-spicy eaters, rest assured that you won’t have a hard time.

Last but not least would be the Andong Chicken Stew. The first thing I noticed was the generous sprinkling of sesame seeds, as well as the entire pot was brimming with tons of ingredients such as chicken, potatoes, carrots, rice cakes and thick glass noodles. I guessed they were quite generous with the chilli padis as well since my mouth was burning hot after a sip of soy sauce broth. (The soju saved me!) The chicken was fork tender and managed to absorb the spiciness too.

(A post which did not get posted, thanks for the invite.)

17 Jun 2014

An entire day spent in Johor Bahru City Square

This post was like a month back and I was actually still considering whether to post this up since it would be a rare lifestyle post. My friend and I decided to go over to Johor Bahru during the weekend and spent our entire day 'overseas'. We as JB noobies, spent our entire day hanging out within Johor Bahru City Square itself! Can you believe it? In a shopping centre?
Well after the almost an hour wait at the dreadful custom, we quickly headed to buy our movie tickets for X- men, which had started its screening that week itself. Satisfied that we had good seatings, we headed to El Migos for our brunch! We were starving so badly as it was almost 12 and we have yet taken our breakfast...

El Migos serves really decent food and they came in huge portions too! I went to change my fries to salad for a healthier choice.

After our brunch, we headed to beans talk for a bowl of Taiwanese dessert! We ended up ordering the same thing *facepalm*.   

Our movie starts at 3 and we went to takeaway a bear paw set (burger + lrg drink) to munch in the theater. 
NomNomNom..... My 4th time at Bear Paw Cafe and I felt that they had changed the fish patty. It was less meaty and had shrank in size as compared to the few previous times.

It was a last minute decision to sing karaoke that day! We just walked in, paid and started singing! The place was really spacious and I kept wondering what they have for the dinner buffet spread which was inclusive in the package.

I just love the metallic maze-like feel, just like escaping from a techno dungeon. I almost got lost a couple of times since I am a screwed up direction person at times. Oh no! I forgot to take picture of the room! The first song I picked was 'Let it Go'! Really addicted to that song and I knew I was not the only one singing that song around here! 

After singing for 2 hours+, the buffet spread was ready! I quickly snapped a few pictures before stacking my plate with food although I felt that my tea break have not been fully digested. 

It was quite a spread but some food was under my 'not-worth-eating' list.

Some of the finger food which I could munch on while waiting for my turn to sing my heart out and my voice off.

Some details you might be interested in: 
During the normal hours, 1700 and later, it costs RM 46 per person which includes the dinner buffet. There was an additional charge of RM 12 for a pathetic bowl of chips, which was compulsory. With government tax and service charge, the total cost was RM 60.30 per person.

Check out my sidebar 'Off to Johor Bahru' for other food options around Johor Bahru.  

28 May 2014

Little Part 1 Cafe - A corner to cozy up!


Chilling in a cafe has always been my favorite hobby, especially when it was my friend who decides on the location. (So I need not crack my brain and stress on where to go!) Having been to Upper Thomson countless times to dine, I was surprised that I had actually missed out this 'Little Part I Cafe' which was located near Upper Thomson Plaza. Took a shot of the entrance since it portrayed a retro feel. (Stupid black car spoiled my photo!)   

Despite the range of beers and other alcoholic beverages available, the desserts option was quite limited, roughly about 5-6 choices only. My friend took the walnut cheesecake since he had cravings for cheesecakes that day. Every mouthful of cheesecake had plenty of walnut bits in them, nuttier than cheesey! He got an apple cider beer to pair with his cake!

As the selection of cakes did not persuade me to try them, I went for the waffle instead. The pale yellowish looking waffle came with a scope of vanilla and chocolate ice cream that tasted rather decent. However, the texture of the waffle was not what I had expected it to be - Crispy. It was soft, chewy and soon soggy. (Somehow my friend liked the chewy texture.) Anyway, I still enjoyed the dim, homely and cozy ambient, the company of my friend and the night view of the quiet road outside.   

27 May 2014

Sushi Megumi Japanese Resturant - Quality > Quantity

My friend brought me all the way to Sentosa to have lunch at a Japanese Resturant which he often patronize and rave about. The place is quite inaccessible for non-drivers like me, since it is located within Sentosa Golf Club. Be prepared to view some pictures of authentic Japanese food prepared by the Japanese chef himself!

Not the typical outdoor view you usually get! A segment of grassy plains where people play golf - OMG so beautiful!

Golf carts parked neatly along the road. This picture could be a perfect painting inspiration!  

Despite the beautiful view of the golf course, we still dined indoors to escape the afternoon heat. The indoor seating is definitely much more 'Japanese' and comfortable too. I noticed that the other guests were mainly golfers or businessmen having a meal with their client. 

My friend had the Chirashi bowl! (Close to $40)

It definitely was tempting to see his entire bowl of rice being covered with a variety of fresh ingredients! Uni! Toro! Unagi! Etc....!

My other friend and I decided to go for the Bento set which came with a bowl of rice and miso soup. The lighting was dim and my pictures did not give justice to the yumminess of the food. (About $40 a set which I felt was worth the value!)

Going a little into details, strips of carrots, black fungus and maybe prawn paste (felt the tingling due to my allergy to crustaceans), coated with a light batter and fried. It was so addictive as a snack itself!

Salad, bacon wrapped oyster, prickled ginger flower, fried chicken karaage, grilled salmon and tamago (sweet egg)! I am no fan of tamago but this was quite an exception!

Snapper and tuna sashimi, raw shrimp, 1/4 of a scallop and kelp! 1 word - Fresh

My favorite fresh and crunchy bamboo shoots infused with dashi broth with bonito flakes! I wished I had more...

Last but not least, we had citron sorbet and a cup of tea! (Not sure if it was hojicha or brown rice tea though.) 

Another cup of tea which I guessed would aid digestion. See the cute baby crawling up....
If I had the chance, I would be back again! 

25 May 2014

Artisan Boulangerie Co - I am a Crust Lover

Back here again at Artisan Boulangerie Co's Great World City outlet with another group of friends! I just love baked crusts, no matter they are from flaky dough or mealy dough.

Although the peach tart was petite in size (to me), the sweetness was well balanced with the tart shell. Too bad the somewhat firm tart shell was a bit underbaked at its base that day (did not really affect the taste). Burnt or caramelized at its surface would be up to you to judge.     

The same old smoked salmon and dill quiche which I had tried the previous time I was here. To be honest, it was not exactly the same as last time. It felt drier, shrank a bit in height and had dropped in standard. Kind of disappointing I would say.

Looking like a solid foundation silo structure, the chicken pie was nicely caramelized, perhaps a bit too dark to some people. I could not wait to destroy a segment of the wall to reveal what laid inside! 

The dough was in between flaky and mealy, containing a mixture of chicken chunks, carrots, peas and creamy sauce! It was a challenge trying to be neat while eating as the compact fillings toppled out slowly. I ended up eating the crust and the piping hot fillings separately.