To Brazil and back, in 2 hours flat

It's messy, but good.

Little cheeseballs of goodness.

I KNOW cows have ribs, but I just never had them before, OK?

Ayam Penyet with XF and the Bates people

MSN with Benjy

Treat(s) of the week

Ok, I confess. Having just one treat-of-the-week is not just very hard. It's impossible. So here are the few highlights of the week haha.

Char Siew Bao (2 for $1.80)

I've always wanted to try Bao Today (pronounced bao jing tian), because I'm a sucker for good pau. The favourite pao place remains the one at Tanjong Rhu (Block 7 Jalan Batu off Kampong Arang), with Tanglin pau running a close second.

The CSP here came steaming hot, like all CSP should (you wouldn't believe how often it comes just...warm). What's interesting about these little buns of goodness is the fact that there isn't that layer of skin around the pau. I'm not talking about the bottom layer of paper, it's the thin membrane that's found usually at the surface of the pau.

This makes the texture of the pau unique to the bite, and it really helps that the pau is incredibly soft. Definitely restaurant-standard covering, but what about the all-important char siew?

Thankfully, it didn't disappoint, although it was slightly too sweet. It's dark in colour - a sign of restraint with the artificial colouring - and was satisfying without being overly cloying.

Overall, this is certainly one for CSP aficionados.

Bao Today
All over the island; I went to the Marina Square branch

Taste: 4/5
Value: 4/5
Ambience: 3/5

Remember how I said I wanted to try the pizza place at HV? Well, here it is... La Pizzaiola! They even have their own website, haha. Ok, I laughed too soon, it's quite a pro website. Anyway, the food!

Minced Chicken Pizza -$4

We had two pizzas, one large 12" Mushroom pizza, another smaller rectangular chicken pizza. The names of the pizzas are in Italian, btw.

There was no option for pan pizza, which was slightly disappointing, but it was soon made up for when the pizzas arrived. Thinly crusted and adorned with premium ingredients, the pizza tasted like nothing I'd ever had here. There's something about it; perhaps it was the crispy crust, I don't know really.

Mushroom + Ham pizza ($13.90)

When the mushroom pizza arrived, it dawned on us exactly how much of a difference having your pizza freshly made does to its overall taste. Literally fresh from the oven (5 metres away), the pizza was awesome.

Yes, now that I've thought about it, I have to say the crust made all the difference.

La Pizzaiola
Opened 10am-10pm, closed on Tues
43 Holland Drive (Near the XO crab Bee Hoon)

Taste: 4/5
Value: 5/5
Ambience: 4/5

I'll be back!

Paper-wrapped chicken - 60 cents each (Damn hard to eat)

We had paper-wrapped chicken while waiting for...

Baby Kailan - $5

Just kidding. We had this while waiting for...

BUKIT TIMAH FOOD CENTRE BBQ STINGRAY

Awesome stuff man, this BBQ stingray. We always come here for our stingray fix. And it's not hard to see why, right?

Completely slathered in sambal, this bbq stingray is perfectly complemented by the tangy chilli sauce which acts both as a condiment and a palette cleanser. It's not so much grilled or barbequed as it is pan-fried, but somehow, the hawker is able to replicate the smoky, char-grilled flavour.

Awesome. Full marks here. Ultra-consistent too.

Irish cream cookies

I had a bottle of Baileys, and an afternoon, and an oven. Boom. Irish Cream Chocolate Chip Double Nut cookies. Well, there's also dried cranberry in that, haha. Got extra in the fridge mah.

Woot! that's a long post!

Chicken soup for my soul

When you come home tired and weary of the work you do, and this greets you, it is impossible not to smile even a little smile...

Tan Family Open-face sandwich

Tan Family secret recipe chunky soup

Who loves home-cooked food hands up?

Recipe for a crowd of Singaporeans...

100 balloons + colourful signage and posters + Ben & Jerrys ice cream = 1 never-ending queue

To prove that LHS = RHS, I offer the following pictures as proof:

It's free cone day!

He can't believe it either!

Throw in from left: Oatmeal raisin, Cookie dough, Cookies and cream, Cookies and cream

Ta-Da! And there's your crowd...

Everything was organised ok, except that the queue was rather long. About 20 mins long to be exact. Oh well, it's called a lunch hour for a reason. Time management!

Brazil Churrascaria @ Sixth Ave

Hi everyone,

Remember how I said I'll be relying on foodie friends to contribute to this blog to keep it as tasty while I'm on my sabbatical? Well, here's the first: Ladies and Gents, I give you...Selena!

Selena's my co-worker at the PR firm, and has both boundless energy and a love for food (and the moolah to support her adventures!)

Over the last weekend, I was in food heaven with my second visit to Brazil Churrascaria at Sixth Ave. If you are as carnivorous as I, this is the place for you. Where else in the world could you get to sample tender, juicy and freshly grilled cuts of beef/pork ribs, pork loin, lamb, sausages, top side, rib eye and chicken all at one go? Fish like seabass and salmon are also on the skewer but honestly, which idiot goes to a meat restaurant to eat fish?

The meal begins with a little filler: warm little rolls of cheese-filled bread. Fresh from the oven and light, it sets you into the mood to eat.

Then comes the main event: for the uninitiated, the servers will come by your table with skewers of meat and you have to decide which cut you want and how much you can eat in one sitting. Two words of advice: pace yourself. As skewers and skewers of meat keep coming out of the kitchen, it is too tempting to just stop the server and eat every dang thing in sight but that’s not the way. Instead, sit back and savor each cut for it’s definitely worth the wait.

Topside Beef

Waiting is also a good time to run to the salad bar in a bid to add some green to the otherwise caveman diet. For the grass eaters and the people who have to have some greens, there is a full salad bar where you can graze to your heart’s content.

Top on my list is the beef hump – while It doesn’t sound too sexy (Excuse me, can I have a hump?), but the taste is exceptional. If you like your beef lightly marbled like Japanese Wagyu, you’d love this. It’s cooked to perfection so that the fat and meat just melts in your mouth.

The other must try is the beef cubes and definitely the top side which is nicely seasoned and done medium well with a smoky aftertaste. The lamb has a slightly meaty taste but the marinade complements it well. The chicken is grilled to perfection; all crispy skin and juicy on the inside, with no hint of blood for the squeamish. The sausages however, were a little disappointing as they were a little dry and the seasoning was a little too heavy As a palate cleaner, the servers will come by the table with grilled pineapple. Surprisingly sweet, the pineapple helps stave off all that meat and balances the meal nicely.

The restaurant’s short on desserts but the drinks are fantastic. The Caipirinhas are an awesome complement to the meal and yes, they are strong.

Caipirinha

The Brazilian sugar cane liquor comes with either lime or watermelon versions. I’ll recommend the lime for people who love really sour drinks and the watermelon for those who prefer a sweeter touch.

If after all this you still think you can squeeze in some dessert, there’s the always reliable banana/mango fritter with ice cream which is alright and only if you need something sweeter than the divine grilled pineapple. Overall, a meat eater’s paradise and a definite must try!

Brazil Churrascaria14-16 Sixth AvenueTel: 4631923

Taste: 4/5
Value: 4/5 ($38 Nett for dinner and $28 for grass-eaters (whats the point?@!?!))
Ambience: 4/5

Treat of the week

Yes, yes, it's not realistic to keep away from good grub ALL the time. So here I present you with... the "treat-of-the-week", a way to keep myself sane amidst our lovely city's incredible (and oily, sweet and fatty) temptations.

This week's treat: Fosters the English Rose Cafe

Devonshire Cream Tea Set ($9.50)

I didn't have this, I just pinched a finger sandwich off her plate while she wasn't looking, haha. I do have to say, though, that I would normally just have this when I come to Fosters (why else would anyone go there for tea?), but I happened to see that the people at the table-next-door had ordered pie.

So pie it was. Beef pie, that is.

Beef Pie ($7.50)

Wow, I honestly didn't expect very much, but the pastry that showed up at my table was pretty awesome. The first thing that struck me, was the copious amount of fresh salad laced along the side of the plate. They were as crisp as the fries, which were medium-cut (think a cross between MOS and Mac fries) and tasty.

Now, for the pie. Well, I can't say I wasn't hoping for this pie to totally blow me away, given that this IS an "English Rose Cafe" (whatever that means). English = Pies, no?

Ladies and Gents, I'm happy to report that this pie did, indeed, rock. Here's a close up:

Can you see how stew-like the meat is?

The pastry itself was adequate, but what really surprised me was the almost homogeneous texture of the beef. As you can see from the pic above, it's almost stew-like, and I guarantee you that it tastes like it looks.

Some of you might prefer the chunky variety of pie, and I have to admit, if I were given the option before I ate this, I would've readily picked the chunky one. This is one good, smooth, filling pie. You know what, the best way to decide if you like this variation of pie, is to just try the damn thing.

Fosters the English Rose Cafe
Holland V corner
Taste: 4/5
Value: 3.5/5
Ambience: 4/5

I took a photo of this sometime in the past two weeks, it's of a plate of Char Siew Rice. By far, this is the best ever CSR I've ever had. You can find it at Marina Sq food court (Not Kidding!), near the escalator. Confirm. Best. Chop. Ireallylovedanny guarantee.

$3.50 of heavenly goodness.

Two in a week, sigh

And so we bade farewell to yet another colleague. It was good knowing you Eve, even though you sat all the way over on the other side of the office, your charming British lilt will be missed. You are, after all, one of our own - our CS superwoman.

Donatello's girl.

I didn't touch the wine, nor the snacks, Man. This detox thing sucks. It's also the reason for the decreasing number of food posts. Gah. I figure I've eaten in 24 years, more than enough for this lifetime. So it's time to give it a rest. For awhile.

Ireallylovedanny is taking a sabbatical from food critiquing until he finds out how to reconcile healthy food with awesome grub. Otherwise, I'll just be wasting your time. Peace out.

Fare thee well

Bet you couldn't tell we were just mouthing yam-seng!

They got the boss to dress up
Melvin and I
Mr. Mike and I.

Words to follow soon....Kenneth and Jole, you should've been there!

Flowers remembered

April 21, 1996 - Grandma

April 11, 2006 - Auntie Hua

Flowers remembered with flowers and song.

Brewerkz, Freedom Writers, Yong tau fool

Magnum

It was Gracia's birthday too!

Sayheng. With hair.

Brewerkz was great, the turnout was awesome, and if you weren't there... well that's just too bad.

Just saw Freedom Writers, kinda like a Dangerous Minds type of show. Unfortunately, it was almost a carbon copy. The acting was alright, the stories were familiar, but still the against-the-odds, gangland-kid-turned-bookworm feel to the movie still got me sucked into their lives for about two hours. Ok, I guess, but not great.

For dinner, I ate at Vivocity's Banquet food court. I ordered Yong Tau Foo and it was really really weird. The girl making it decided to keep snipping my noodles in half, quarters, eights, and more, until it resembled yellow maggots. I wasn't really paying attention, but when I got to eating it, haha, it sure was funny.

We just looked at the bowl and laughed. Have a blessed good friday all. Peace out.

Yummy Bak Kut Teh, Tea time snack

Bak Kut Teh ($6)

We tried out this new Bak Kut Teh place during lunchtime today... Not impressed. Hmm. Is it just me or am I getting more fussy with my food? I've not felt REALLY satisfied after a meal for a long time. Since Carnivore. Anyways, the soup is so-so, rather medicinal. The pork ribs were ok I guess, but the dish as a whole was totally not worth the 6 bucks. A rip-off.

The surprise, however, came in the form of the belly pork with large intestine. Oh. Wow. The pork was perfection, even sans the fat (which I swear never to touch again) and the intestine was gooey yet firm, if you get what I mean. Awesome. But at $6, really not worth it. So overall, nope, not going back again.

Yummy Bak Kut Teh
Suntec City Basement foodcourt

Taste: 2/5
Value:1/5
Ambience:3/5

And...the random photo of the day:

Strawberries with sugar, Sunday's tea-time snack

A few additions to L'Isle de Gastronomique

I've spent the last half an hour zhng-ing the blog, and it now has...

1) Google food news - It's the equivalent of what you get if you type in "food" into google. heh.

2) Pre/Post ireallylovedanny - A list of restaurants and cafes I've featured and hope to feature

3) An expanded number of local Floggers (food bloggers)

4) Slight re-arrangements to the sidebar. I'm hoping to do a proper revamp, including masthead so watch for that...

Cheers,

Ireallylovedanny

XO Crab Bee Hoon, Shen Ji Seafood Garden, HV

Disclaimer: I took this off joonelovesfood.blogspot.com cos'
I forgot to bring my camera out yesterday, but it sure looked like this. heh.

I've heard about this place for the longest time, but never had the chance/gian-ness to try it for myself. Always thought it was XO fish bee hoon, so was momentarily stunned when all I saw was crab, crab and more crab. It's all good.

The signature dish ($22) is a tad little for two, you have to order at least another side dish to feel satisfied; we had the sweet and sour pork ($6).

Now, when the dish arrives, and you get past the wow-they-stuffed-a-whole-crab-in-there phase, the first thing that you are likely to think of is how to eat the bloody thing. They didn't provide any cracker, nor had they dented the crab in any way - which made it look perfect - but very hard to eat.

When we eventually got to the crab, hmm. Remember, I had heard lots of hype about this place, how the towkay was brash and rude but still had customers queuing round the block, testimonials from friends and murmurings from the foodie community. So, I was naturally pumped to find out exactly what made this XO-seafood concoction so irresistable.

As it turned out, the soup, which I had expected to be full of crabby goodness and wok-hei, was rather... blah. I mean, it wasn't bad, but, come on... evaporated milk, butter and some crab stock? You've gotta be kidding me. Let's just say I wasn't all that impressed. The XO taste married well with the creamy/buttery feel of the soup, and enhanced it overall, but sadly, wasn't enough to save this broth.

The crab, on the other hand, was really good. Steamed and fresh, each bite of claw and leg sent shudders down my spine. The only downside was the fact that the crab was kinda soggy (no complaints there), this meant that it's impossible to eat without getting crab juice all over your hands. So, if that's a concern, stay away.

The sweet and sour pork was one of the better ones I've had in awhile. The sauce wasn't too sweet nor too tomato-ey, just nice. And the pork pieces had been fried well and were crisp to the bite. Well worth the $6.

Verdict: The XO crab bee hoon is good to try once in your lifetime, but is certainly not something that would make me a regular there. On the other hand, the tze char looked generally good, and I may come back just to eat that in the future.

Shen Ji Seafood Garden
Holland Village

Taste: 2.5/5
Value: 3/5
Ambience: 3/5