Lunar New Year Lo Hei At Grand Park, City Hall

Chinese New Year is about less than a month from now and most of the hotels and restaurants are all coming up with lists of attractive Luna New Year Lo Hei menu catering for everyone preference and budget. And just last Saturday, I have attended a Media Lunch at Park Palace where I would share some of their highlight New Year dishes which you might be interested with.

金箔顺德黄尾鱼捞起
Golden Shunde Yu Sheng

This Spring Festival, Park Palace brings you the the art of tossing Yu Sheng where you would get a shimmering gold boost with its Golden Shunde Yu Sheng (S$88.00++).  As what shown above, their yu sheng was quite different from the usual one we had as they replaced shredded lettuces with crispy fried vermicelli. On top of it, this dish was also given the finishing touch with gold dust and gold flakes.

The Golden Shunde Yu Sheng also comes with two plates of Fresh Yellowtail rather than salmon slices.

Tossing our way "High Up (撈起)" together with a list of auspicious wishes hoping that each and everyone of it will come true soon.

Other than crispy fried vermicelli, Golden Shunde Yu Sheng also consists slices of ginger, spring onion, crunchy capsicums and finely grounded peanuts which tossed in their special combination of fragrant peanut oil and premium soya sauce.

乐宫乳猪皇
Imperial Suckling Pig (first course)

I am sure most of you love Suckling Pig especially it's thin and crispy outer skin which goes well with the steamed pancake and savory sauce. At Park Palace, the piglet used for the Imperial Suckling Pig (S$238.00++) weighs about 5kg and it was air-dried and roasted in the restaurant itself. So in order to avoid disappointment, guests are advisable to make reserve for the order at least one day in advance. 

Some of us were amazed by the thinly sliced cracking skin which we could hardly see any fats or meat on it. The skin was also flavoursome even without the accompany serving sauce and it leaves you craving for more servings too.

乐宫香茅翻烧
Imperial Suckling Pig - Oven Baked with Lemongrass (second course)

Other than the crackling skins, the left over portion (the meat) was then made into another dish by oven-baked it with lemongrass and other seasonings. Each piece of the meat was infused with lemongrass fragrance and the taste was also not too overpowering.

鱼跃龙门庆丰年
Golden Happiness Crispy Garoupa

Even though I am a fish lover, I don't really fancy this Golden Happiness Crispy Garoupa  perhaps it was a bit too dry towards my liking even though it was served together with some special sweet and sour sauce drizzling on it.

火焰乐宫团圆盆菜
Chinese New Year Flambé Pen Cai

Prosperity Flambé Pen Cai was the highlight of the day where it boasts 18 luxuriant ingredients and with a twist it was infused with Cognac, and flambéed to bring out the rich flavours and tastes of its ingredients with a tang of alcohol.

Prosperity Flambé Pen Cai is available for both à la carte and takeaway from 21 January to 24 February 2013 at:-

~ S$268++ (for six persons)
~ S$428++ (for ten persons)

As you could see from the above, this delicacy is brimming with 18 luxuriant ingredients including Sliced Abalone (鲍鱼片), Sea Cucumber (海参), Whole Conpoy (柱脯), Prawn Balls (明虾球), Scallops (带子), Roasted Duck (烧鸭), Roasted Pork Belly (火腩), Duck Web (鸭掌), Soya Chicken (油鸡), Sliced Sea Perch Fillet (鲈鱼片), Fatt Choy (发菜), Black Mushroom (北菇), Lotus Root (莲藕), Broccoli (西兰花), Radish (白萝卜), Beancurd Skin (豆筋), Gingko Nut (银杏), Black Fungus (云耳) and Tien Shin Cabbage (津白) with quality stock in a casserole pot.

The pot we had (refer to above) was actually for 6 persons serving and yet the 10 of us at the table can't even finished it! So you roughly could gauged there were indeed a lot of treasures in the pot and you might be surprised on what you could scoop out from it too!

鹅肝腊味糯米饭
Auspicious Glutinous Rice with Foie Gras And Preserved Meat

As usual the second last dish is always either noodle or rice, and on that day we had something fusion which served in individual portion that was known as Auspicious Glutinous Rice with Foie Gras and Preserved Meat.

Each glutinous rice ball was wrapped with diced preserved meat fillings, pan-fried till crispy at the base and served with a generous slice of Foie Gras on it.  The juice and fragrance from the preserved meat had definitely enhance the taste of the glutinous rice but most of us find portion of the rice was a bit too much for an individual serving.

南瓜庆团圆
Steamed Mini Pumpkin Dumpling with Green Bean Paste

Dessert was served in a bamboo steamer and when the lid was opened, everyone was in excitement because of the bright orangey pumpkin alike dumplings. These Steamed Mini Pumpkin Dumplings were made using the natural colour from the pumpkin puree and wrapped with generous amount of green bean paste which is lightly fragrance with tangerine peel or something similar.

Lastly I would like to thank Jean (Assistant Marketing Communication Manager of Grand Park City Hall) and Park Hotel Group for the warm invitation and hospitality at Park Palace.

If you are planning for family,  office gathering or business lunch this coming Chinese New Year perhaps you would like to take note of their Early Bird Special: Book now and dine in from 21 January to 07 February 2013 and enjoy 20% off Lunar New Year Set Menus and a la carte at Park Palace.

Chinese New Year Set Menus (view full menu details here)
~ $78++ per person (a maximum of two persons)
~ $288++ per person (for four persons)
~ $438++ per person (for six persons)
~ $588++ per person (for eight persons)
~ $788++ to $2388++ (# for ten persons)

*Orders to be made at least one day in advance
# Enjoy a complimentary bottle of house wine per table with booking of ten tables or more (ten pax per table)


PARK PALACE
Grand Park City Hall
Mezzanine Level (level 2)
10 Coleman Street
Singapore 179809
Telephone: (65) 6432 5543
Website: http://www.parkpalace.com.sg/

Nana's Green Tea Cafe At Plaza Singapura

Nana’s Green Tea Cafe is well-known in Japan as the “Japanese Starbucks” amongst a new generation of tea drinkers who are looking for tasty and artistic matcha creations. And on 21st December 2012, the cafe opens it's flagship store at the newly renovated Plaza Singapura which is located near Dhoby Ghaut Mrt Station. For information, other than Green Tea (matcha) beverages, they also offering food items to compliment the beverages and desserts too.

All green tea leaves served in Nana's Green Tea Cafe are imported ONLY from Kyoto (most famous production center of 'Matcha') where the cafe aims at delivering genuine Japanese taste and health to modern consumers. Matcha is a finely ground and powdered green tea which has many health benefits such as controlling high blood pressure, cholesterol, reducing the risk of diabetes, improving mood and alertness, boosting immune system and metabolism, reducing strokes by 21% as well as supporting anti-aging and etc.

Matcha Latte (Hot/Cold) @ S$7.00

I always love the Matcha Latte from Starbucks but now after trying the above I knew I am going to switch my choice to Nana's since both are of similar pricing but taste wise Nana's has a more fragrance and smoothing aftertaste when compared with the rest I tried.

Locomoko Don @ S$15.80

During the tasting we had two rice don and and one cold noodle dish. The first dish that arrived was Locomoko Don which is beef patty (burger) served on warm Japanese rice together with lettuce, cherry tomato, broccoli and a sunny-side egg. The beef patty could be slightly more juicier but overall it still goes well with the warm premium Japanese rice and accompany tomato sauce.

Our tasting portions of the Mini Locomoko Don

Salmon Don @ S$14.80

Next we had Salmon Don which was my favourite among the three tasting dishes. The bowl of Japanese rice was topped with fresh Salmon Sashimi and garnished with Japanese pickled ginger, spring onion, Daikon Cress and a touch of mayonnaise sauce

There is also an accompany sauce which taste similar like a mixture of Japanese Soy Sauce and roasted sesame seeds which goes well with the Salmon Don.

Mushi-Dori Goma Dare Udon @ $13.80

Lastly we had this Mushi-Dori Goma Dare Udon which was one their cold noodle dish. The Udon noodles was topped with steamed chicken fillets and garnished with cucumber, cherry tomato and served in Nana’s special sesame sauce.

This is one type of my favourite Japanese cold noodles which soaked in light and fragrance Japanese sesame sauce. The crunchy cucumber strips and tender steamed chicken makes it a prefect dish for hot summer meals. But personally I felt the sesame sauce could have be slightly better if the taste is stronger.

Matcha Shiratama Parfait @ S$11.80

Their new menu also offers a range of delightful dessert creations that are artistic and healthy like the Soft Cream Anmitsu, a soft serve vanilla ice-cream with red bean paste, white mochi and ‘Kanaten’ (traditional Japanese herbal jelly).

As a matcha lover especially on desserts and ice-cream, the Matcha Shiratama Parfait above definitely captured my attention and I really love the texture and taste of their matcha ice cream as well as all the surprises that I could dig out from the parfait. I would re-visit the outlet soon to try out other items on the dessert menu!

NANA'S GREEN TEA CAFE
The Atrium @ Orchard
Plaza Singapura
60B, Orchard Road
#03-80/82
Singapore 238839
Telephone: (65)6684 4312
Site: http://www.facebook.com/NanasGreenTea


Lastly I would like to thank Nana's Green Tea Cafe and Alisa from Publicist PR Consultants for the invite tasting.

Christmas Menu At Kiseki Japanese Buffet Restaurant

Christmas is about 2 weeks from now and if you have not decided on where to go for your Christmas lunch/dinner perhaps you could take a look at this wallet-friendly Christmas menu from Kiseki Japanese Buffet Restaurant.

For this Christmas season, Kiseki present a lovely white Christmas feast(lunch and dinner) starting from 21st - 25th December 2012 where diner could enjoy a hearty spread with less than S$50.00 per person.

During the festive lunch special, on top of the usual Japanese buffet favourite you could also enjoy Roasted Honey Gammon Ham with Yuzu Cranberry Sauce, Miso Glazed Roasted Char Siew as well as Japanese Style Buffalo Wings. I love the Yuzu Cranberry Sauce which is a bit sweet with a hint of refreshing yuzu taste which goes well with the roasted meat.

Example of the Christmas Roast that we have tried.

Whereas for the special White Christmas dinner spread add-ons, it includes the Roasted turkey, Roasted Striploin Beeef, Lamb Leg and Baked Salmon with Sake which I am sure everyone would be overwhelmed by these hearty spread.

For salad they have this Smoked Duck with Orange and Beef Root drizzle with Yuzu Balsamic which gives it a very refreshing citrus taste from the Yuzu. I am sure ladies or salad lover would love this as it really gives you a few bursting flavour in one bite.

This Christmas you could have another new pick for your favourite sushi because it had being transformed into these cute little Temarizushi (sushi ball) wrap. Each rice ball contains different type of filling and it is being wrapped using cute design food wrapper which makes them resemble candy. And I am sure this would be a "hot snatching" items among the kids too.

Other than Temarizushi Wrap, there are also many different assorted festive feel Sushi and Sashimi such as Egg Roll with Turkey Breast / Smoked Duck shown above.

Cucumber Gunkan Maki filled with diced Ham and Tomato

Colourful Chikuwa Maki served with radish and yuzu mixture dipping sauce.

Assorted Seasonal Sashimi Sushi that would whet your appetite as well as sight.

Cucumber Sushi Maki wrapped with poached Chicken Beast.

Japanese Curry Pizza with Seaweed Crust is one of my favourite because it consists 3 of my favourite choice in one dish. It has cheese, Japanese curry and sushi so this 3-in-1 combination dish definitely had caught my attention and to my surprised it does taste great just like their crispy crust pizza at Kiseki.

As you can see from the above photo, they are different layer of texture from seaweed, sushi rice, curry, cheese and etc. Love the combination and I recommend this to be the {must try} while they are out on the buffet line.

If you love skewers of food that are grilled over low charcoal heat, I am sure you won't want to miss any items from the Robatayaki Platter. Just grab a few skewers each and slowly enjoy them with your friends or family over at the dining table while chatting. For me the meat or mushroom skewers are always my favourite choice.

On top of the usual buffet items plus festive add-ons, if you still have room for dessert you could also try out their Christmas Festive Platter which consists some mini cakes like mixed fruit cake, black sesame cake, peach cake, ginger pudding, peanut butter pudding, blueberry mousse and etc.

Assorted Puddings and Mousse. I love their peanut butter pudding (3rd item from the front row)

Assorted cream cake, I prefer the Matcha flavour as compared to the peach and chocolate.

This year other than all hearty spread, Kiseki also geared with new attraction of a Two-Piece Band which will be taking in song dedications and performing carols for diners too. So if you are still looking for Christmas feast this season, do take a look on Kiseki Christmas Menu.


KISEKI JAPANESE BUFFET RESTAURANT
181 Orchard Road
Orchard Central
#08-01/02/03
Reservation: (65) 6736 1216
Website: www.kisekirestaurant.com.sg

Operating Hours And Pricing
21 December 2012
Lunch (11.30am - 3.00pm): Adult S$24.80++; Child S$15.80++
Dinner (6.00pm - 10.30pm): Adult S$39.80++; Child S$21.80++

22 - 25 December 2012 (Sat, Sun, Eve PH and PH)
Lunch (11.30am - 3.00pm): Adult S$32.80++; Child S$20.80++
Dinner (6.00pm - 10.30pm): Adult S$39.80++; Child S$21.80++

Lion City’s ‘Get Out of the Box’ Blogger Challenge Plus Dinner At MEDZS

Last Friday, I attended a bloggers get together event which was organized by Brand Cellar on behalf of Lion City (parent company of Gold Kili and Frezfruta) to kick off a "two weeks blogger challenge". For this fun contest, bloggers are to come out with creative ways to incorporate Gold Kili and Frezfruta products in their daily life as well as complete a list of easy tasks such as include sharing creative photos or recipes of the coffees and bread share it over social medias such as blog, facebook and twitter.

The bloggers meetup was held at MEDZS which is located at Millenia Walk and while waiting for the everyone to arrive, there were also some Gold Kili and Frezfruta products for us to sample and take photos with.

Believe me, eating cream crackers with Frezfruta Kaya/Jam can be really addicting and you won't just stop with one or two pieces.

Briefing by Ms Joanne from Brand Cellar on the event topic for "Lion City Blogger 14-Day Challenge" before the dinner starts.

DINNER AT MEDZS, MILLENIA WALK

Above shown were our main courses at Medzs during the event and some of these Mediterranean cuisines really taste good base on the flavour and aromatic spices used. Since there are 3 of us at the same table, we decided to order 3 different types appetizer and main course to share among ourselves. 

Before the dishes, we have some Mocktail Of The Day such as:-  Morning Glory (Essence of Lemon Grass with Lime, Grenadine and Cherry), Lemon and Lime Bitters (Freshly Squeezed Lemon and Lime with Refreshing Taste of Sweet, Sour and Bitter) and Orange Blast (mixture of Fresh Orange and Cranberry Juice with a Twist of Soda).

Personally I don't really fancy any of those mocktails above as I find it way too "strong taste" for my preference.

{Appetizer} Home-made Cured Salmon Bruschetta with Pesto is one of my favourite appetizer for that night. The smoked salmon is served with crusty bread together with some flavorsome pesto to enhance the taste and texture leaving bursting flavour in your mouth.

{Appetizer} Spanish Omelette "Tortilla" with Aioli Dip is soft and nicely done without being overcooked and I love the Aioli Dip (garlic sauce) which has a light and refreshing taste from the lemon and garlic which is quiet similar to Hollandaise sauce.

{Appetizer} Classic Caesar Salad on the other hand seems to lack of some flavour which was quiet "tasteless" despite of some chunks of unknown hidden in between the greens which might be either anchovy, capers or black olive (did not really check as we were busy with the photoshoots, eating and chatting). But I think I still prefer my Caesar Salad with added Chicken.

{Main Course} Charcoal Grilled Baby Sea Bream with Aubergine Gratin, Mashed Potato and Watercress Salad. Certain part of the fish was rather a bit dry but overall it still taste quiet decent and  I love the accompany Aubergine Gratin and Mashed Potato.

{Main Course} Moroccan Beef and Caramelized Apple Stew Tajine with Couscous comes with two different flavour in a dish. The Couscous is perfumed with sweet rose scented caramelized onion which gives it a lift on the plain couscous. On the other hand, the Moroccan Beef Stew was tender but the taste of the spices was a bit too "over powder" towards our liking which ends out this dish being our least favourite for that night.

{Main Course} Braised Cook Chicken Paella with Chorizo and Saffron earns the most votes from our table as we love the texture of the rice which is not too mushy and overall the flavour of the dish is well balance with the spices and ingredients used.

At the Bloggers' event each of us also received a Mystery hamper with some Gold Kili (Kopi Kosong, Double Shot White Coffee and Double Shot White Milk Tea) and Frezfruta (Strawberry Jam, Apple and Blueberry Jam plus Kaya) products to assist us to accomplished the assigned task for the "Lion City Blogger 14 days Challenge".

MY DAILY NEEDS TO PERK MY DAY

I must confess, I am a coffee lover who loves "Black Coffee" especially those without sugar or less sugar content. And over the years I have tried many different brands of instant coffee products and I have narrow my choices to only 3 favourite brands including Gold Kili as one of it.

Can you spot the "Smiley Face" from the beverages?

Honestly speaking I used to drink my daily "Kopi O" from another brand till I tried Gold Kili, Kopi-O with 35% Less Sugar which taste just as good as those coffee served in coffee shop which use grind coffee powder. On top of it, their Double-Shot White Milk Tea is also superb, smooth and fragrant which is not too sweet for my liking. For my personal preference I love to add in a slice or two of Ginger to enhance the taste which is pretty similar to Teh Halia (ginger milk tea).