Hina-matsuri Festival @ Liang Court Shopping Mall

From 15 February to 3 March, Liang Court Shopping Mall is having a 2 weeks celebration for the tradition Hina-matsuri - Japanese Dolls Festival. This is the first time in Singapore, Hina-matsuri is celebrated in Liang Court in honor of all girls, with wishes for good health and happiness.

We are so excited to be one of the invited guest bloggers to join in their Bento Workshop as well as making our own snowman using "real snow" from Hokkaido.

Our Bento Workshop instructor is Shirley Wong (in blue yukata) who features all her Kawaii (cute) Kyarabens (character bento) at http://littlemissonigiri.blogspot.sg/ You can take a look at her website for more bento ideas if you are interested to make your own bento too :)

Material for the Bento workshop.

All the kids were excited and can't wait to get their hands on for the bento workshop.

First the kids were told to mix in green and pink Furikake (condiment for rice) into their cooked rice to form the HinaMatsuri Characters.

Although I am a bit worried for my boy to handle sharp knife while cutting the vegetables but afterall he did a great job on cutting and shaping the bento characters.

My boy's Hinamatsuri (Japanese Doll Festival) Bento.

Group Photo taken with the kids and Bento Workshop Instructor, Shirley (right with blue yukata).

Hina-arare (rice crackers/rice puffs)

Above are some of the traditional Hinamatsuri snacks that you get from Meidi-ya at Liang Count Shopping Mall. And they even have a mini Hinamatsuri food fair selling all kinds of festive snacks such as Hina-arare (rice crackers/rice puffs), Japanese candy, Mochi and etc.

One of the hit for Hina-matsuri Festival is snowman making which bought in by Tampopo restaurant. According to them, those are "real snow" which was air-flown from Hokkaido in support of the event. Although we cannot experience winter in Singapore but these "air-flown" snow definitely brings in fun and laughter between the kids and their family during they visit.

Other than the "snow" at the atrium area, there were also more inside the Tampopo Restaurant where they display snowman and snow play area for the dine-in patrons.

Without second thoughts, our dinner was at Tampopo (partly because of the snowman *grins) and my kid enjoy his Meal which consists all his favourite items from Onigiri, ebi tempura, Tonkatsu and hard-boiled egg.

Complimentary box of snow from Tampopo, Liang Court which they brought in from Hokkaido,

For this coming weekend, 2 - 3 March there are having 2 big events like:-

{02 March} Mega Chirashi Zushi (1.30pm to 3pm): For the first time in Singapore, you could join in the record-setting attempt at assembling a mega Chirashi Zushi (scattered sushi) with colorful toppings that is served during Hina-matsuri!

{3 March) Girls' Party (2 - 5pm) : Bring your kids to join in the Girls' Party at Liang Court's atrium with traditional Hina-matsuri food, non-alcoholic sake, and fun activities with live performances on stage!

So if you are free this weekend, perhaps you would like to bring your kid(s) down to Liang Court and join in the Hinamatsuri Festival too!

ThaiExpress 2013 New Revamp Menu

This year 2013, ThaiExpress has launching a new menu with over 130 items. The revamp menu aims to freshen up local diners' palate with new items inspired by authentic Thai dishes from different parts of Thailand. The new menu also highlights popular Thailand's street snacks, salad, noodles and etc which patrons will be able to satisfy their Thai cravings at a whole new level of dining while ThaiExpress reveals the hidden Thai delicacies to Singapore.

This new revamp menu is available at all 24 ThaiExpress outlets located islandwide.

Naam Ma Toom - Traditional Thai Herbal Drink @ S$6.20

For a start, I have a cup of this Naam Ma Toom which is a Traditional Thai Herbal Drink on their new revamp menu. This herbal drink is brew using Bael Fruit (巴埃尔) and it is considered as a health drink in Thailand. For your information this drink is supposed to be good for cleansing the stomach and helping digestion too. I love the refreshing and light after taste fragrance which resemble rose / fruity flavour.

Thai Chendol (Chilled) @ S$6.80

Khoa Tang Naa Tang @ S$7.90

I must have missed this popular Bangkok street food during my recent visit two months back. This Khoa Tang Naa Tang is served by placing some Creamy Chicken and Shrimp Sauce on top of the crispy Thai Rice Cracker.

Top Rice Cracker with Creamy Chicken Filling and eat it while hot.

Gai Op Pattaya @ S$9.90

Although I have not being to Pattaya before, but with the new revamp menu at ThaiExpress I am able to try their Gai Op Pattaya which is a Thai-style Roasted Chicken.  The roasted chicken drumstick is tender and juicy with a light lemongrass and herbs aroma which goes well with accompany soya dipping sauce and cucumber salad.

Kway Teow Lui Suan @ S$9.30

{MUST TRY} Kway Teow Lui Suan also known as Thai-style DIY Minced Chicken and Dry Kway Teow Salad is a great appetizer to start with. Although it might be a little messy when handling this salad dish (as you need to wrap up the minced meat filling using lettuce and rice noodle sheets) but with a few hands-on I am sure you would be able to do a great job on wrapping it too. Overall we love the taste of the flavoursome minced meat mixture which pairs well with the crunchy lettuce and soft rice sheet. Quite similar to the Vietnamese spring roll concept but with different fillings. 

Steps On How To Wrap Kway Teow Lui Suan

Kway Teow Sukhothai @ S$11.30

{MUST TRY} Kway Teow Sukhothai is one of the popular noodle dish from Sukhothai which is a province of Thailand. At first glance, you might have a perception like us that this bowl of noodle would be "extremely" spicy due to it's fiery red colour. But surprisingly it has an addictive taste that cross between sweet, spicy and sour which quite similar to our local Mee Siam.

Khao Tom Pla  @ S$9.30

For kids or someone who don't take spicy food, ThaiExpress's new revamp menu has introduce a new dish known as Khao Tom Pla which is a Thai-style Fish Porridge.  This fragrance porridge comes in generous portion that toppings with some fried garlic and Chinese coriander to enhance the taste. With that, there is also a special dipping sauce for the fish that taste like mixture of light soy sauce, fermented soybeans, grated ginger and etc.

Although this might not be the same fish porridge like those sold in the hawker center or foodcourt which use Mackerel or Grouper fish but for a chance, this is indeed something that taste good too.

Ta Kor S$6.80

Mun Cheam @ S$5.30

To complete the meal, we tried two of their new desserts which are Ta Kor and Mun Cheam. For those with sweet-tooth, Ta Kor which is a famous Thai fragrant pandan jelly with coconut custard and corn kernels would be a great choice for dessert.

 For me if to choose between the two desserts mentioned, I would go for Mun Cheam which is steamed sweet potato with coconut milk. Surprisingly this steamed sweet potato comes with a crunchy outer skin and firm texture when compared to the usual steamed potato which is soft. On top of that, Khao Niao Mamuang (sweet glutinous rice with fresh mango and coconut milk) and Thai Chendol are my favourite dessert from ThaiExpress too.

Lastly I would like to thank ThaiExpress and Chantel for hosting us on the tasting.

Rise And Shine Carnival @ The Lawn

Photo Credit: Rise And Shine

This coming 03 March 2013, Rise And Shine is organizing a Singapore's largest breakfast fiesta known as Rise And Shine Carnival at The Lawn, Marina Bay. Every family can register and come together with babies or young children and have a fun Sunday morning as well as be part of it to set a new record for the highest breakfast picnic turnout.

At the carnival, little ones would be enthralled by lot of fun games such as gigantic bouncy castles, engaging crafts including balloon sculpting, face-painting and stellar stage performances. The Rise and Shine Carnival also aim to prepare you and your children to bond as a happier and healthier family,

Sample:- Rise And Shine Carnival Registration Form

FOR EARLY BIRD SPECIAL!

Register over at http://carnival.riseandshine-expo.com/event-registration/  for a fee of S$8.00 per adult (plus 7% GST) where children aged 12 and below entitled FREE admission. Also every paid participant will receive a set of game coupons worth S$10.00 to be used at the carnival.

Furthermore, for the first 1,000 sign up, there would be a goodie bag worth S$100.00 out for grab too! And you will receive a unique Goodie Bag ID in a separate email, which must be presented for you to redeem your goodie bag.

Photo Credit: Rise And Shine

For more information on the Terms and Conditions plus Registration Details, please refer to their event registration page shown on the link here.

As one of the Ambassadors of Rise And Shine Campaign, Cuisine Paradise is partnering with Rise And Shine to giveaway some Complimentary Rise And Shine Carnival Admission Ticket (2 Adults Ticket) to TWO lucky readers. Upon winning you could join us with your kids at the Rise And Shine Carnival on 03 March 2013.

How To Win:-
1. Click LIKE and SHARE the above photo over at Cuisine Paradise Facebook Page (here); AND
br />2. Leaving a comment (on facebook) sharing with us one of your breakfast idea for your kid(s), example: egg mayo with wholemeal bread.

Closing Date: 22 February 2013 (Friday), 5.00PM
*Giveaway is open to those reside in SINGAPORE only and with a valid mailing address.

[Updated on 25 February 2013]

Rise & Shine Breakfast Campaign

Not long ago, I received an email from the Rise And Shine team regarding a Breakfast Campaign for children age between 4 to 12 years. For your information Rise And Shine is a community initiative started by a group of mothers and Nanyang Technological University students. The mission of this initiative is to provide parents and educators alike an opportunity to learn, share and identify holistic approaches in raising healthier and happier children.

Just like other parents, sometime I am also headache on what kind of breakfast to prepare for my boy who is nine this year. As a child in primary 3, my boy is still quite picky with his food especially breakfast. And most of the weekdays morning he only drinks a glass of milk rather than having bread or cereal before heading to school.

Photo Credit: Rise And Shine

From the info-graphic statistic table shown above, we could roughly have an idea of the "Breakfast Habit of Kids in Singapore". Like what mentioned above, most of the kids do not have enough time for breakfast which I personally agreed to it. With most of the primary school starts between 7.15 - 7.30am, kids tends to skip breakfast due to the morning rush (traveling or wake up late). Unless schools start late around  8.00 or 8.30am like most of the foreign countries or they enforces a "breakfast" together campaign where all the school kids get together to have breakfast in the class before lesson.

As one of the Rise And Shine Ambassadors, we received a Breakfast Kit which contains some useful information about this Breakfast Campaign as well as how to prepare healthier breakfast for the kids. In it there was also a trial pack of Granola made by Sherie from Maameemoomoo where we could use it to make some yummy breakfast for the kid(s).

Below are two different breakfast ideas that we have tired using the granola.

Fruit Yogurt With Granola Toppings

Peanut Butter Toast With Granola and Nuts

Rise and Shine is a nationwide campaign that is strongly support by major government agencies including Health Promotion Board, People's Association, Ministry of Community, Youth and Sports and the National Youth Council and many others. It is the first campaign of its kind in Singapore to drive greater attention to raising healthier and happier children. They also conduct regular activities in malls, schools, library and etc on story telling, cooking demo and many others. More details at http://breakfast.riseandshine-expo.com/ .

Furthermore, Rise And Shine Carnival 2013 is happening on Sunday, 03 March 2013 at The Lawn @ Marina Bay where they are planning to set a record  for the Largest Breakfast Picnic in Singapore. You can also read more about this event @ http://carnival.riseandshine-expo.com/ .

Usher In The Year Of The Snake @ PARKROYAL on Beach Road

To celebrate coming Chinese Lunar New Year, Plaza Brasserie is having the Prosperity Buffet from 28 February to 24 February 2013 as well as the Prosperity Buffet Feast Reunion Dinner on 09 February 2013 to satisfy all cravings.

In addition, Chinese New Year banquet dinner can also be celebrated at their ballroom on 09 February 2013 where guests can look forward to lion dance performance, Tea Appreciation performance by the Si Chuan Dou Hua tea master and the God of Fortune who will be making guest appearance to celebrate the Luna New Year with the guests too.

Ushering into the Year of Snakes, Chef Jackson has come up with a new creation of Fruity Yu Sheng which consists of fresh tropical fruits like Mandarin Oranges, Peaches, Rose Apples, Rock Melon, Dried Persimmons, Green Manago and Papaya. This new creation of Chef Jackson symbolizes an abundance of wealth and a well-rounded life which enhanced with Chef's fruit Flavoured Sauce.

Personally I love the sweet and refreshing after taste of this Fruity Yusheng which makes me craving for more after each mouthful.  But if you are not into fruits, traditional Yu Sheng will also be available too. 

Mini Pen Cai

Although the this is known as "Mini Pen Cai" but within you could find many special ingredients such as Fish Maw, Prawns, Sea Cucumber, Sliced Abalone, Roast Duck, Chicken, Pork, Cabbage, Black Moss and etc building up this pot of luxury comfort food.

Chili Crab

Crystal Pork Slices With Thai Dressing

Fish Maw Soup

Kong Ba Bao

Steamed Fried Rice With Preserved Meat with Lotus Leaf

Other than the highlight on Fruity Yu Sheng and Mini Pen Cai, there are also many other auspicious dishes like Eight Treasure Boneless Duck, Chilli Crab, Braised Pork Knuckle with Dried Oyster and Black Moss, Fish Maw Soup, Braised Sea Cucumber With Roasted Pork, Kong Ba Bao and many others.

Assorted Colourful Sushi and Sashimi

Despite of all the delicious Chinese New Year cuisine, whenever I visit Plaza Brasserie, the first station I start with is their Sushi Counter where I love to pick up some colourful sushi and salmon sashimi as starter. Sushi lover should not miss out this station where you get to enjoy some of your favourite sushi, tuna/salmon plus edamame and teriyaki chicken.

Traditional Egg Tarlets

There are quite a range of dessert at their buffet line where you could pick your choice from Pineapple Tartlets, Love Letters, Almond Cookies, Sesame Glutinous Rice Balls in Red Bean Soup, Egg Tartlets and Lapis Cake too.

Durian Nian Gao With Bak Kua

But out of all choices, my favourite is still their Durian Nian Gao with Bak Kua which I recommend you to give it a try if you like the combination of sweet nian gao with durian fragrance to pair with some savory bak kua (BBQ pork) toppings.

Plaza Brasserie @ PARKROYAL On Beach Road
7500A Beach Road
Singapore 199591
Reservation: (65) 6505 5710
Website: Prosperous Celebrations


FESTIVE BUFFET
Pre and Post Chinese New Year (28 January - 24 February 2013)
Lunch
28 Jan - 24 Feb 2013: S$45.00 (Adult); S$27.00 (Child)
09 Feb 2013: S$45.00 (Adult); S$27.00 (Child)
10 - 11 Feb 2013:  S$62.00 (Adult); S$37.00 (Child)

Dinner
28 Jan - 24 Feb 2013: S$58.00 (Adult); S$35.00 (Child)
09 Feb 2013: S$78.00 (Adult); S$47.00 (Child)
10 - 11 Feb 2013:  S$62.00 (Adult); S$37.00 (Child)

Banquet Reunion Dinner
09 Feb 2013: S$65.00 (Adult); S$39.00 (Child)


Reunion Steam Boat Buffet at Banquet (min 8 persons per table)
09 Feb 2013: S$58.00 (Adult); S$35.00 (Child)

*Child below 4 years old dines for free.
Prices are subject to service charge and government taxes.