King Pot Steamboat @ Big Splash

King Pot Steamboat which is located at Big Splash (East Coast Park) offers an unique casual atmosphere with fine dining experience when you set foot into the restaurant that makes you feel like King and Queen. Overall I find their service is good with attentive serving staffs who are quick and skillful in placing and arranging the platters of food on our table and also they are very observant in taking care of each individual needs such as making sure my boy could enjoy his food and hotpot under safety precaution too.

The photo shows the setup of the steamboat table at KingPot where we each has our personal "hotpot" that cooks using modern gas stove. The cutlers and plates used are quiet similar to those for fine dining which makes you feel so different when compared to those traditional steamboat which we had at home or coffee shop where we used those metal net scoop to hold and cook the food.

King Pot has range of soup broth that cater for each individual preference from the lightest Clear Wild Mushroom broth to thick and spicy Laksa broth. Overall we have tried their Mushroom, Herbal, Bak Kut Teh, Laksa, Minestrone and Szechuan Ma Lai broth.

Out of the broths that we tried, most of us agreed that Bak Kut Teh, Minestrone and Laksa are the "Must Try" whereas for lighter broth you could ask for Wild Mushroom or for strong and spicy taste, try the Ma Lai broth which a few of us find it too spicy.

My choice of Bak Kut Teh broth is very flavoursome and taste good with their complimentary rice. And to our surprised it is not normal steamed white rice but rather a bowl of very fragrant and delicious "chicken rice" to accompany the steamboat items.  Other than soup broth and rice, each set meal also comes with some vegetables (mushroom, black fungus, vegetables and etc), cellophane noodles (dong fen) and a dipping sauce of your choice.

Basically there are 4 types of dipping sauce available on their menu which are:- KingPot Signature Sauce, KingPot Specialty Sauce, Specialty Sauce and Satay Sauce. For chef recommendation, we tried their KingPot Signature Sauce (back) and KingPot Specialty Sauce (front, with sesame seeds topping).

Before using the KingPot Specialty Sauce, you have to use the chopstick or spoon to break up the ball (which resemble a ball of ice-cream) and mix it well with the sauce and overall it taste quiet like Japanese sesame dipping sauce but just with a hint of saltiness. And this goes well with meat, especially lamb.

There were also a few core set menus to choose from such as Meat lover Set (S$28.80++; UP S$39.90++), Seafood Lover Set (S$28.80++; UP S$36.80++), Vegetarian Pot (S$32.80++; UP S$42.80++), Combi Platter With Seafood And Meat (S$36.80++; UP S$46.80++) and Kids Meal (S$9.80++; UP S$12.80++) with the option to top up on individual items.

Above shows the Combi Platter With Seafood and Meat that range from Angus Beef Ribeye, Pork, Lamb, Fresh Black Prawn, Red Grouper, meat balls, Bitter Gourd Fish Paste Yong Tau Foo and etc.

The Seafood Lover Set comes with prawns, squid, fish, meatballs and accompany Yong Tau Foo items. The selections are fresh except they freeze the fresh fish slices and thaw before serving which I personally feel it would be even better if they used fresh daily supply instead of freeze and thaw.

{Ala Carte Order} This is one of the KINGPOT Special Roll which is known as Boneless Lamb Rack - French Cut (S$22.00/plate). If you look carefully from the photo above, you could see it is specially roll with two "cylinder hole" that enable chopsticks to pick up the cut and swirl in the steamboat  for quick cooking.

Accordingly to the chef, this lamb rack must go with their "Specialty Sauce" which covers 80% of the lamb odor. And the few of us did do a test on eating the lamb with and without the dipping sauce and it did proof on what their chef has recommended.

The set meal has a complimentary beverage of either Coffee/Tea together with cake (depend on what they have on that day) at the end of the meal. Although they might be be specialize on cake but their Tiramisu still taste quiet decent. 

Other than the complimentary coffee/tea that served from the set menu ordered, there are also some other beverages such as juices, sparking water, wine and etc on their beverage menu too.

King Pot Steamboat
902 East Coast Parkway Block B
#01-05 Big Splash
Singapore 449874
Reservation: (65) 6348 7997
Website: http://www.kingpot.com.sg

Opening Hours:
Monday – Thursday: 6.00pm – 10:30pm
Friday – Sunday: 11.00am – 2:30pm and 6.00pm – 10:30pm


Lastly I would like to thank Adrian from KingPot for arranging this tasting as well as all the friendly serving staffs who served and attended to us during the tasting.

Swensen's New Breakfast Menu‏

It's weekend again, are you looking for some weekend breakfast idea? I am sure after a tiring week at work you would want to enjoy some hearty breakfast treat to reward yourself and also spend some quality time with family or friends while enjoying weekend breakfast.

From this September, Swensen's is serving nine NEW breakfast creations and two Kiddie Corner sets to spoil your palette with the brunch classic such as pancakes, omelettes, eggs, French toast and even bee hoon soup for Asian style breakfast. 

Each breakfast set comes with a complimentary cup of coffee or tea and a glass of fruit juice for kid's set. Bu alternative you could also top an additional dollar for a glass of fruit juice instead of the normal beverage or Milo for the kids.

But for those who need a dose of their daily Espresso, Cappuccino or Cafe Latte; an additional S$2.50 with any breakfast set ordered could be done.

These are Ciabatta Rolls which are freshly baked daily and filled with delicious honey butter which they made in-house. And this accompany side comes with either the Good Morning Sunnies, Hearty Steak and Eggs or Swensen's Sunrise Omelette/Scrambled Eggs.

I just simply love munching them with sip of coffee/tea and they are so addicting and flavorsome.  Hope they will include this in their ala crate menu too.

Good Morning Sunnies (S$11.90) starts off your day with a full breakfast set that consists of two sunny-side up eggs together with baked honey butter cream Ciabatta rolls, chicken sausages, hashbrown and sauteed mushrooms. 

If you love the oozing yolks from the poached eggs that served with generous drizzle of Hollandaise sauce, I would suggest you go for Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict (S$12.90). The Eggs Benedict are served on two slices of sourdough bread together with slices of smoked salmon plus some homemade BBQ beans as side dish.

If sandwich is what you need for a weekend morning, perhaps The Ultimate Breakfast Sandwich (S$9.90) that is assemble with Parmesan eggs, chicken ham and tomato slices  in between two slices of toasted fragrant Japanese Bread will your excellent choice. To complete the meal, some homemade BBQ beans and sauteed mushrooms are served as sides too. 

Classic French Toast With Honey Butter Cream (S$10.90) is another option if you just simply love bread for breakfast. Instead of sandwich the thick Japanese bread with ham and egg shown above, here they have grilled it to golden brown toast and served with homemade honey butter cream, chicken sausage, sauteed mushrooms and hashbrown for a hearty set. 

For something light or extra to share amount friends or family, perhaps you can get this Simply French Toast (S$6.90) that comes with three slices of Japanese bread which are grilled instead of pan-fry to golden brown and served with homemade honey butter cream. Just simply love the texture of their French Toast!

Hearty Steak And Eggs (S$14.90) featured grilled steak which is layered with sauteed onions and top with a sunny-side up egg together with sauteed mushrooms, homemade BBQ beans and their signature baked honey butter cream Ciabatta rolls. .

This is the closed up of the grilled steak which is served with the Hearty Steak And Eggs. Although it might not be the prefect steak as compared to most restaurant selling steak but this Hearty set is definitely something worth and comfort for brunch. 

I am sure most of us love "pancakes" especially those from McDonald that served with meaty patty, butter cream and honey. Here I would urge you to try this All American Buttermilk Pancakes (S$9.90) from Swensen's new breakfast menu which are light and fluffy on the inside, golden brown on the outside as well with just a hint of crispness.

And these pancakes goes well with their homemade honey butter cream which makes you crave for more pancakes. 

Simply Pancakes (S$6.90) is quiet similar to the All American Buttermilk Pancakes set above, but it comes with an extra slice of buttermilk pancake without the accompany sides (sauteed mushrooms, hashbrown and chicken sausages). Most of us on the same table just love this simply and airy treat which is irresistible especially with their delicious homemade  butter cream and maple syrup.

Egg lovers can go for either Swensen's Sunrise Omelette/Scramble Eggs (S$10.90) which both served with Ciabatta Rolls, Chicken Sausages, Hashbrown and Sauteed Mushrooms.

As you can see from the photo above, the omelette is cooked together with diced tomatoes and herbs which remains slightly moist inside and it is nicely wrapped like Japanese "omurice" style.

But if you prefer something light, soft and moist rather than parcel wrapped perhaps, you could consider taking this Swensen's Sunrise Scrambled Egg. The scrambled egg we had that day is perfectly cooked with soft and a little moist in texture which goes well with the rest of the sides.

For the little ones, Swensen's also prepared two different set of Kid's Meal such as Eggy Delight (S$6.90) which is served with delicious sunny-side up eggs, grilled sausages and potato smiles for a perfect protein boost.

Or the little ones can go for Lil' Buttermilk Pancakes (S$6.90) which are pancakes served with chicken sausages and potato smiles.

For a Asian style preference, Prawn Bee Hoon Soup (S$11.90) which featured thick bee hoon in chicken broth together with fresh juicy prawns and vegetables would be something light and health for breakfast or even brunch. To go with the bee hoon soup, there is also a prawn gyoza (fritter) side which served with sweet mayonnaise that comes with it.

All these breakfast items are available at any 21 Swensen's outlets across the island during weekends and Public Holidays from 8am to 11am. But as for the Good Morning Sunnies and Hearty Steak And Egg, they are made available until 3pm.

Swensen's Changi outlet at Changi Airport Terminal 2, will be serving this breakfast menu from 3am to 11am, daily.

Between if you are having breakfast at their Swensen's ION flagship branch (2 Orchard Turn,#B1-31, ION Orchard), perhaps you would also like to try out their Ice-cream buffet which has a wide varieties of ice-cream, sorbet, cakes, tarts and etc.

I would like to thank Swensen's and Tiffany from Touch Communications for hosting me and the rest of the media for this wonderful Swensen's New Breakfast Menu tasting.

Flavour Of Thailand at PARKROYAL On Beach Road

I have missed out "Plaza Brasserie Crab Feast" in July due to some work commitment but you could read more over at Jacob (HERE) and ShiTing (HERE) posts. So when Karen invited me for the Flavour of Thailand I immediately agreed as I am a huge fan of Thai Cuisines (my Thai recipes HERE) and my favourites are the Thai Papaya Salad, Red/Green Curry, Basil Pork, Beef Noodles, Durian Dessert and etc.

From now till 31 October 2012, you can feast all the delicious Thai Cuisine and Desserts at Plaza Brasserie Flavour of Thailand buffet during dinner hours. Other than Thai Cuisine, they are still other international food on the buffet spread such as Sushi, Sashimi, Assorted Prata, Chicken Rice, Oysters and etc.

For starter we have Thai Papaya Salad and Thai Glass Noodles Salad. If to compare both, I would prefer the crunchy Papaya Salad over the Glass Noodles as it has more combination of texture and taste from the green papaya, peanuts, tomato and chilli.

The Thai Glass Noodle Salad taste a bit bland perhaps some of the seasonings or sauce is missing as compared to those in the Thai restaurant where lot of fresh herbs like coriander is added together with Thai Lime juice and Fish Sauce to enhance the aroma and taste.

Thai Fish Cakes are a common street food in Thailand which are more flavorful when compared to most Western And Asian fish cake. The authentic Thai Fish Cakes are not battered as it allows fresh taste of the fish, spices, and herbs to combine together. Here at Plaza Brasserie, their Thai Fish Cakes are a bit different with breaded outer layer and deep-fried till crispy before serving with Thai-style Chilli Sauce.

Although this Thai Beef Noodle Soup is quiet popular among those who have tried it that evening, but some of us felt that if the beef slices could be slightly thinner and tender it would prefer this dish. But on top of it the soup broth is rich and flavorsome and it makes a few of us run back for second helping too. 

{MUST TRY} Thai Red Curry With Roast Duck is my favourite dish among all that were served that night. The curry is tasty and flavorsome without too much of coconut milk taste and it goes well with the vegetables and roast duck.

Stir Fried Kai Lan in Thai Style is one of the well-like dishes among those who are sited around our table. The Kai Lan is crunchy and tasty even with just some carrot and mushrooms.

Stir-fried Minced Pork in Thai Style is rather bland towards my liking as I feel it could be better if more basil leaves are added to bring up it's unique aroma and perhaps less watery for the sauce so that the minced pork can adsorb the flavour of the seasonings.

{MUST TRY} This Steamed Fish With Spicy Thai Lime And Chilli is one of my favourite dish which is 2nd in line after the Thai Red Duck Curry.  The tangy and spicy sauce blend well with the freshness of the fish and it makes you can't stop with just one or two helping instead you would want to hide in one corner and finished up the whole fish by yourself.

For your information, during Monday to Thursday, Chef Jackson Goh will be preparing your favourite fishes in one of various styles which includes Spicy Thai Lime and Chilli, Thai Green Curry, Thai Red Curry or Basil in Coconut Cream.

{MUST TRY} When it comes to Thai Desserts, Steamed Glutinous Rice with either Durian or Mango is always my first choice that comes to my mind when ordering dessert. And I have being eying this Steamed Glutinous Rice with Durian the moment I spot it at the dessert counter.

If you are a Thai dessert and Durian lover, I would recommend you to try this. The glutinous rice is well-cook with the right texture which is not too soft and the durian pulps are from good quality of Durians.

God is good to let me enjoy my two favourite Thai dessert one after another. Above shows the Candied Tapioca With Coconut Milk where the tapioca is cooked thoroughly with sugar till soften and served with coconut milk. Although some parts of the tapioca are not very well-cooked but overall it still taste delicious with some coconut milk over it. 

Flavours of Thai at PARKROYAL on Beach Road
5 September to 31 October 2012

Plaza Brasserie
7500A Beach Road
Singapore 199591
Reservation: +65 6505 5710
Website: Flavour Of Thai Buffet

Dinner (Mondays to Thursdays): Adult $52++, Child $31++
Dinner (Fridays to Sundays): Adult $55++ Child $33++

Wildlife Reserves Singapore (WRS) Food Trail 2012 - Singapore Night Safari

For the last part of our "Wildlife Reserves Singapore (WRS) Food Trail 2012", we get to go for a kitchen tour on behind-scenes of the Ulu Ulu Restaurant with Chef Low as well a special dinner spread prepared by him and his team.

For your information, Chef Low is the man behind Wildlife Reserves Singapore’s unique dining as well as the culinary maestro behind award-winning dining experiences that include Jungle Breakfast with Wildlife at Singapore Zoo, Lunch with Parrots at Jurong Bird Park and Gourmet Safari Express at Night Safari.

After an interesting Lunch with Parrot and some exciting and birds shows, we were back at the Singapore Night Safari for our evening programme.   

Awaiting for us is Chef Kelvin Low who is professionally trained at Le Cordon Bleu and he has whipped up exquisite fare for local and international dignitaries, celebrities and royalty. These include Singapore's former president S.R. Nathan, Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong, former foreign minister George Yeo, magician David Copperfield and even the Prince of Wales.

Some of the Open Kitchen Concept stalls in Ulu Ulu Restaurant

Chef Low showing us around the behind-scenes Kitchen Tour @ Ulu Ulu Restaurant

Different Food Stations in the Ulu Ulu Restaurant Kitchen.

Chef Low explaining to us about their new Pastry Kitchen where pastry chefs made their cakes and desserts.

For hygiene purpose they have a separated room for handing raw meat.

Some of the prepared the dishes that are ready to be served

Upon entering the dining area, most of us was shock and excited to see the beautiful arrangement and set up for that night's theme. Really appropriated their thoughts and warm hospitality. 

Our Menu For The Night

Surprised to see this olden days serving mug when our beverages arrived.

For starter we had Ulu Ulu Chicken Satay which was so delicious that everyone gave their positive feedback on both the satay and their peanut sauce. Most of us even finished the whole cup of peanuts sauce and asking for more top up. 

Next we had BBQ Chicken Wing which are quite similar to those sold at the BBQ stalls in hawker center. The wings are well glazed and tasty which makes it goes well with the spicy in-house made chilli sauce.

Trio Meat Platter Chicken Rice served with 3 different kinds of Chicken such as Roasted, Soy Sauce and Steamed. Personally I felt the texture and taste of the chicken could have being better.

Other than the impressive Ulu Ulu Chicken Satay that we loved, this is another recommending dish to try if you are craving for some Indian cuisine. The Naan bread is good, not very oil bu yet crispy and tasty when dip with the mint sauce. Even though the fish fillet might look dry but actually it was juicy and full of flavour from the spices used.

Although I am not a crab lover (because I find it trouble and messy to eat the crab meat from the shell) but I love to sink those deep-fried mantou (bun) into the gravy. Overall the Ulu Ulu Chili Crab was a bit salty to my liking but with the accompanied fried bun this dish is still score above average.

To end the dinner, we each had a glass of Sea Coconut with Glass Jelly which was prefer for that warm evening.

After our hearty dinner we decided to go for a short walk at the newly launched Wallaby Trail but unfortunately it started to rain heavily before we reached the destination. Despite being stranded we still having fun running in the raining and I am sure this WRS Food Trail programmes would marked a wonderful memories in our life.