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++

The Official Launch of Joyoung Soymilk Maker

About 2 weeks ago I was invited to attend an official media launch for Joyoung Soymilk Maker (九阳豆浆机), the No.1 Soymilk Maker in the World which sells about 13 million sets per year. This easy to use soymilk maker is remarkable with only 2 simple steps such as add in soy beans and water, select the function and homemade soymilk will be ready in just 25 minutes. For your cleaning convenience, the soy milk maker also comes with an easy-wash function too.

As you can see from the above, Joyoung Soymilk Maker comes with a stunning, elegant design and its inner jug and grinder is also made stainless steel. And with the ultra fine technology, Joyoung Soymilk Maker breaks each soybean down into bits and particles which make it more nutrients and richer in taste and fragrance.

Above shows the two models; DJ13C-D08D(S) (S$268.00) on the left and DJ12C-A11D(S) (S$218.00) on the right which are available in Singapore retailing at Audio House, Best Denki, Gain City, Harvey Norman, Isetan, Mustafa, NTUC X-tra and etc. And with these two newer models of Joyoung Soymilk Maker – DJ13C-D08D(S) and DJ12C-A11D(S) it also boast new technologies that allow you to choose your own preference such as smoother, healthier or thicker soy milk.

Ms Lim, General Manager of Happiness (Pte) Ltd sharing the function of the soymilk maker which has over 200 patent rights during product development stage. According to her this amazing soymilk maker can used to make different types of recipes for everyone in the family such as:-

~ Rice gruel with fresh vegetables and meat for babies
~ Western style cream soup
~ Smoothies
~ Dessert
~ Homemade Jam
~ Flavoured Soymilk
~ Grains

Owner of Joyoung Soymilk Maker sharing their company profile with the media. Joyoung Co. Ltd was established in 1994 and it is now a modernised enterprise that specialises in Research and Development, manufacture and sale of kitchen appliances. Joyoung has 8 product lines containing over 200 models which include soymilk maker, blender, juice extractor, electric kettle, rice cooker, slow cooker and induction cooker.

And being the pioneer and leader of soymilk maker, the pioneer of juice extractor and blender commanding top 3 market share, Joyoung's products is available in Chinese and 30 other countries and regions including Japan, USA, Korea, Taiwan and Singapore.

During the official launch, Chef Anna Phua also shared 8 recipes which she had created using Joyoung Soymilk Maker where you could take look from the photos shown below.

Walnut Paste:- Although it is a bit dilute compared to the normal walnut paste dessert, but it still taste good and easy to prepare at home.

Look at the texture of the above Cantonese Style Chicken Porridge, can you believe it is cook using Joyoung soymilk maker? The texture is incredibly smooth and silky which makes a great baby and old folks food.

If you like western-style of Cream Soup, Joyoung soymilk maker can also complete your request in less than 30 minutes.

Base on chef Anna demo, making Strawberry Jam is such a breeze by using Joyoung soymilk maker.

Close to "Lao Ban Beancurd" texture and taste but Chef Anna used Horlic (malt) instead of creamer to enhance the taste.

Lastly I would like to thank to Brand Cellar Pte Ltd, Happiness (Pte) Ltd and Joyoung for the complimentary Soymilk Maker to media who attend their Official Launch.

I will be sharing some recipe(s) using this quick and easy Soymilk Maker soon over at my recipe blog. But meanwhile, you can preview what I have made using Joyoung soymilk maker over at my facebook page HERE.

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.