STUFF yourself Part 2: The Pig rules!!!

As you noticed, HT couples' way of having vacation is to EAT, EAT, EAT, ok sometimes we go shopping (which we're both not experts of).

And with everything we've stuff ourselves during our holidays, there will always be the so-called "favorites".

Here's what HT couple loved the most:

Lechon in Cebu, Philippines are the best.  To those who doesn't know lechon - it's pig stuffed with herbs and roasted the old-fashioned way.  A person twists the stick to make sure that the pig is equally roasted on both sides and splashing the skin with oil/herbs/soy from time to time to keep it from drying out.  The best part of lechon is the skin.  The crispy-ness of the skin is the sign on how good the pig was cooked and which makes a lechon shop famous.

see what i mean with roasting lechon? :)

Cebu lechon are known for it's tasty meat.  Manilenos' are used to eating lechon with sauce (Mang Tomas to be exact).  That's a shame for cebuanos' who dedicated their lives making the best lechon.  They'll give you a weird reaction if you ask for one (so better watch out!).

And true to its theory, Zubuchon (about 500 pesos per kilo). has made a name and still continues not to fail people like HT couple who loves lechon!  Anthony Bourdain visited Cebu and had his own share of the crispy skin of zubuchon (while it's being roasted! - I wish we were friends).

Zubuchon's also available at the departure area of Cebu domestic airport.  You can get it frozen and there's an instruction on how to cook it the proper way.  Ok, we were not able to make the skin as crispy as it can be, but it's still better than not having lechon when in Cebu! 

tip: If you're diving in Malapascua or Moalboal, there are no lechons in any of the restaurants around the island.  Make sure as soon as you exit the airport, grab a few kilos at the exit (it's not hard to miss - i think the name is Ayer) before you hop for a 3-4 hours trip!  I got this tip from Singaporean divers who frequent Cebu. 

Next, is our all-time favorite:

shout out loud: RAMEN!!! (about 20 sgd per order)

Since our flight is via Singapore, we had a chance for stopover to grab this favorite. 

And do you believe in love at first sight?  HT couple does!!!

It was our first time in Ramen Santouka - The Central (@Clarke Quay, Singapore) and we just fell in love with it.

The ramen was really good and I enjoyed chewing every strand of it.  The soup was delicious that I slurped as loud as I can. 

But what made it special?

the pork cheeks!!!

And these slices just melted in our mouth.  It was very tasty that HT hubbie and I became greedy and got 3 portions in total.  The fats on the meat were not too big, just enough to make the meat more porky.  (HT wife only eats selective fats...and this is one of them).

In their menu, they boasted on how minimal pork cheeks you can get per pig (200-300 grams), thus, it makes this meat special. 

Too bad, we have to catch our flight so we have to bid goodbye to the pork cheeks and 'till we meet again!

STAY TUNE on our next posts...in the land of bb creams, k-pop, kimchi and asian drama series...

TIME OUT: Me, myself and HT hubbie in Singapore (2011)

There is a saying, it's better late than never...HT couple wanted to greet everyone...

a Happy Happy Easter!!! :) A friend of mine handpainted this herself (thanks renza!)

Here in the Netherlands, we have the so-called Easter Monday or Tweede Paasdagen(2nd day of Easter).  Yes, you guess it right, it's our holiday for the whole holy week.

And the weather also gave us a very nice Easter warmth.  :) (Trivia:  This year was the hottest easter in the Netherlands since 1901)  How lucky can I be? :)

And blame it to the nice weather, I can't resist of being out in the sun so blogging at home became a second priority.  (You'll understand how sun is important when you live at this side of the world :D)

And with everything nice, I can't help but think about what I've enjoyed during my short trip in Singapore 2 months ago.  My 4-day trip became like 2 1/2 days as I was not feeling well due to the virus i got...thanks Phily. :)  Thinking about it might take a year before I get back to SG ...hmm..I just have to do these...

get up, close and personal with chili crabs ( i know you guys miss me too!)

klang style bak kut teh and pig's trotter - since this is situated near to our ex-home in SG, we paid the surrounding a visit and all the good memories came back...

since we're missing the restaurant week in NL, our friends (who's used to the virus in Phily), reserved this dinner @ Brasserie Wolf (HT couple's first time to try a restaurant week menu).  Thanks Majel!

of course, i wouldn't forget my favorite hokkien mee...(dream, drool, dream, drool, drool, drool)  If only there is an eat-all-you-can hokkien mee...I would be a good customer.

And HT hubbie made sure he gets a few pics with his love (after me, of course)...

this one showed his side of gluttony.  Having chicken rice and bak kut teh meal in one seating.

HT hubbie thinking: " Come to me baby" (showing off as well his chopsticks skills)

And even with the sore throat, I just can't leave this country without this...

suddenly i felt better.

We will surely be back my beloved Singapore!  And next time, i'll make sure i get a good dose of Vitamin C...or a huge bucket of Tom's palette salted caramel ice cream.

And this ends our asian vacation for 2011!  Now time to explore again NL and Europe food scene again...'till the next post!

Chef Daniel's Kitchen: a fun, fun food bloggers' outing

In the midst of packing and throwing away stuff, I spent my last Saturday in Singapore with a group that's very close to my heart.  I've never met them personally until that Saturday, but I know them through their love for food.  Some, I've been following their food blogs for years now secretly but then I have to reveal that I am one of their fans when I started one as well.

In this food bloggers'outing, I was honored to meet up with:

Fen & Yuan
Glenn
Phoebe & Chloe  - I miss my twin sister everytime I see their pictures enjoying food together.
Dorothy
Charlene
Daniel & Lay Sian
and Harris

*Click their names to bring you to their wonderful world of food!


How did the meet up start?  Through emails, we exchanged correspondence who can attend and where to dine.  Harris made the meet up simpler by fixing the date to that Saturday.  And, Daniel have suggested to dine at this restaurant, a sky dining in Iluma and with $10.50 nett for a lunch set...voila, we got the place to meet.

Chef Daniel is one of the famous celebrity chef in Singapore.  With an affordable lunch set,  this was worth a try.

I love the minimalist and clean ambiance of the place.  And rooftop dining, always give restaurants its X factor.  Apart from the ambiance, I was surprise with the extensive number of main course items to choose from (about 16, i think).

The menu comes with soup of the day, unlimited bread and a drink (iced tea is additional $2).

The biggest problem was...what to order for main course....guess what I got?

Tonkatsu Don (4/5) - i've been stuffing myself with asian food before i move to far far away land, so it was not a surprise that I decided to get this japanese bowl.  There were a couple of things that made this dish unique.  First, was the egg, it was served, into 2 kinds...half cooked and well done.  I kinda love it, as the egg was not too dry nor too slimy when mixed with the rice.  The breading was like marinated in a very light tomato sauce giving the tonkatsu it's sweet and tangy taste which I find very nice.  And there were no traces of fats (or maybe I didn't notice, that's how good it was!).  I like this better than the tonkatsu I had in Tampopo.  Thanks to Daniel for his recommendation!  Thumbs up!

What others had (watch out for their reviews!) -> check out my daily dose often!

Grilled Beef Burger

Prawn and Crabmeat Burger

Pork Netsuke (pork belly)

Unagi(eel) Cooked in Katsu Sauce

Fish & Chips

Lamb Stewed Navarin

Everyone ended the decent meal with the dessert for the day...

Raspberry Mousse (3.5/5) - lightly sweet, to satisfy the after meal craving for something sugary.

I had so much fun, especially, when the food arrived.  Harris started going around the table and everyone followed.

I'm sure we might have gotten weird looks from the others, but hey, this is our passion, this is what we love to do...before we finally dig in to our food...Thanks everyone for making this food bloggers' outing in Singapore a memorable one!

Price :

Lunch Set Menu $10.50

inclusive of SVC charge and GST

Chef Daniel's Kitchen

201 Victoria Street

Iluma, Bugis

#07-04/05/06

http://www.tornado-ent.com/facilities/chef-daniels-kitchen

Ji De Chi : Asian Dessert

I'm fond of Asian desserts and it's always nice to indulge in these with people who have passion in eating it.

I was lucky (again) to be with Harris of The Simplest Aphrodisiac  and first time with Daniel & Lay Sian of Memoirs of Food .

I just love them as they consider getting something asian for desserts instead of indulging nice chocolate cakes as I am leaving Singapore soon . :)  Thanks guys! 

This was what I got...

Yam Paste - this is my favorite asian dessert.  It kinda reminds me of my childhood afternoon, when I would have Ginatan#  in front of me as a snack, which is quite similar to yam paste.   I like the texture of this paste, though, i prefer the ones served at Swa Garden##, a Teo Chew restaurant in Macpherson Road. It's sweeter but just right, to please Filipino taste buds like mine.

Iced Red Beans with Balls - Harris choice...always sweet and yummy!

Mango Pomelo Sago - Daniel and Lay Sian's dessert.  The mangoes tasted natural which made this dessert such a delight. :)

This was the seconds dessert we had (as during the food blogger outing (next post!), dessert was already included).  But it didn't stop us to scoop out most of it.

Price Summary (in SGD)

Yam Paste $3.30

Iced Red Bean with Balls $3.50

Mango Pomelo Sago $4.00

NO GST and NO SVC charge

Ji De Chi

#8 Liang Seah St.

#01-03 Singapore

(walking distance from Bugis or

Raffles City)

Credits:

# - Zeety Jones

## - ieatishootipost

Royal China: dimsum with Le Petit Connoisseur

I might be at the different side of the world, but my palate is still craving for Singapore food. :) 

I just can't help but to blog about my wonderful meet up with Jer Lin of Le Petit Connoisseur .  The meet up was not easy.  I came back from my Philippines trip and we didn't have much communication. We didn't exchanged phone numbers and still, we even decided to meet up at the control station of the MRT. (silly us)  With so many people waiting for somebody, yes we end up looking for each other until we met up at Raffles Hotel itself.

 Royal China, a famous restaurant in London serving exquisite dimsum and chinese cuisine.  It was a pleasure to dine with Jer Lin in their Singapore branch at Raffles Hotel.

I always loved dimsum.  But I never blogged about it.  (Jer Lin noticed that) That's why i never thought twice when she mentioned this place.  

And also, HT couple considers dim sum as adiet food without sacrificing our staples like meat and prawns.

Therefore, this item is a must!

Har Gaw (5/5) - Jer lin and I digged into this dimsum as soon as it was served (of course after taking pictures) so we can enjoy it while it's hot.  We both agree that it was pretty good.  There were 2 tasty medium-sized curly shrimps, nicely cooked and sealed in a wrapper.  The wrapper was a bit on its thick side but was not sticky.  It was delicious that soy sauce or chili sauce were not necessary.

Baked Barbecued Pork Puff (5/5) -  lovely char siew puff!  The yummy puff was soft and flaky which reminds me Portuguese egg tart crust that I love.  The char siew had this fine but not overwhelming sweetness.  It was nice of Jer lin, to offer me the remaining piece...yes i had 2! *bliss*

Mango Salted Egg Steamed Bun (5/5) - it might sounded a bit weird combination, but this utterly unique pao got 4 thumbs up from us!  The mango's sweetness and egg's saltiness gave this dimsum its kickin' delectable taste.  No wonder it deserved nice cup cakes wrap to hold this perfect pao!

Glutinous Rice in Lotus Leaf (5/5) -  I've missed the dumpling festival but we made sure we get this version of Royal China.  The sticky rice has a good texture when chewed.  The combination of mushrooms, carrots and meat added some taste.  What I like about this was the not-so-heavy rice and more meat fillings.

Crispy Taro Roll with Scallops (5/5) -  Jer lin was looking for something with bak kwa, but the waitress informed us that they don't have it but they have the same with scallop in it.  We didn't think twice of ordering it and it didn't fail us.  We love the crispy pastry of the roll and small chunks of sweet taro made this dimsum delish.  The scallop balanced out the taste of the fried threads and the taro.

Baked Egg Custard Tart (3/5) - I was not a fan of this tart maybe because I was already full or I had a preference of egg tarts that you can get in Macau.  Nevertheless, this was good enough to end up our wonderful meal with a dessert.

I was able to witness the passion of young Jer Lin has in good food.  (just looking at her expression after taking each bite).  I can't get enough of thanking her for suggesting Royal China and having lunch with me on my last few days in SG.  It was worth remembering. 

Thanks Jer Lin!  Keep in touch!

Price Summary (in SGD)

Prawn Dumpling (Har Gao) - $4.00 - 4 pcs.

Barbecued Pork Puff -  $4.00 - 3 pcs.

Mango and Salted Egg Bun - $4.00 - 3 pcs.

Glutinous Rice in Lotus Leaf - $4.00 - 2 pcs.

Crispy Taro roll (with scallops) - $4.80 - 3 pcs.

Egg Custard Tart  - $3.60  - 3 pcs.

Tea @ $2 per pax

*GST and SVC charge apply

Royal China @ Raffles Hotel

2nd floor, Raffles Hotel Arcade

1 Beach Road, Singapore

Irvin's: handsome cze char in SG

Eating is such a wonderful hobby.  It is better enjoyed when I shared the said hobby with my hubby.  And it is at its best when we extend it to our buddies. 

An all-time friend and eating partner of HT couple, Lis has recommended Irvin's for a very long time.  We just didn't get the chance of trying it out as our other friend, Maj, always invite us to a no-frills but restaurant quality home-cooked food (still can't forget the tacos...yum).  Until, a very close friend, Cin, visited Singapore which lead us to an opportunity of visiting Irvin's.

Smacked at the corner of River Valley and Zion Road, this place is pretty good if you want to get away withe the bustling Orchard. 

Irvin's is known for it's salted egg crab.  I only had this type of crab once, somewhere in Ghim Moh Rd (I forgot the name of the place) which was pretty good so I can't wait to check out Irvin's version. 

Without further delay...

what we've been waiting for...

Salted Egg Crab (3.75/5) - HT couple is not used to seeing a crab swimming in a yellow sauce.  We ordered 1 small crab, 4 of us to share, and just to try it first, since hubby is not fond of eating eggs per se and our visitor might find it a bit strange.  Surprisingly, everyone loved it.  We licked our hands and crab shells to make sure there are no traces of sauce left.  I scooped the sauce and placed it on top of my rice and enjoyed every mouthful of it.  Though, i think the crab was quite overcooked and a bit watery making it difficult to eat as the meat were sticking to its shell.  Nevertheless, this was such a good value for money if you wanted to take a break from your usual chili crab just like us.

Black Pepper Crab - hubby believes one of his missions is to try all the black pepper crabs around the island that's why he was given opportunities to stay in Singapore (aside from meeting his long time partner *wink*).  The black pepper version of Irvin's is quite different as we're used to the dry type.  This was a bit moist like Eng Seng, but oily and veeeeerrrry spicy.  And I think it was too salty for my taste too.  But hubby contradicted me and said he haven't had this tasteful black pepper crab in his quest.  The ample curry leaves add a distinct variety to the usual black pepper crab.So for now, this is his #1. 

Claypot Pumpkin Prawns (4/5) - I always love items in claypots.  With my grandma's lovely cooking, I always thought of dishes cooked in claypots are always yummy and more savory.  And this tough claypot dish didn't disappoint us.  The prawns were soaked in a claypot full of pumpkin (sauce/soup).  The sweetness of pumpkin with some curry leaves complemented well enough and gave those small prawns its kick.

Yang Zhou Fried Rice (2/5) - Nothing special...just oily rice with shrimp bits.

Special Pork Ribs (3.75/5) - The sauce was so delicious.  We asked the waiter what do they use and they said its Irvin's little secret.  The outer most of each meat was fried and crunchy but they were able to maintain the tenderness of it. 

It was such a lovely night with good food, good companions and good service.  I would say dining at Irvin's was a value for money.  Just to share my experience, I called up for reservation, and I was welcomed enthusiatically by the one who answered the phone.  The waiter was such a dear as well, giving suggestions to suit for everyone. 

Though, i forgot to order beef hor fun *sniff*

Price Summary (SGD)

Black pepper (kg) = $18

Salted Egg (kg) = $22

Pumpkin Prawns (small) = $12

Yang Zhou (small) = $8

drinks @ $1.50 ea

wet towels @ $0.30 ea

NO GST and Svc Chg

Irvin's Seafood Cze Czar

397 River Valley Rd

opens daily: 11 am - 1 am