Top 10 Express Eats In Singapore

10 Express Eats

I am sure most of you have eaten quick meal (as in choice of food) especially during weekday evening(s) when you need to work overtime till late hours or before catching up a movie date? But I am just curious what are the choices that would appeared in your list; could it sandwiches, fast food, local snacks, instant noodles or perhaps movie snacks like popcorn, hotdog bun or nacho chips? No matter what is your options I think anything that is fuss-free and easy to munch on would be a great choice.

[With Recipes] 2014 Chinese New Year Lunch Gathering With Relatives

This is the second year we invited our relatives over for Chinese New Year lunch gathering where everyone can mingles around as well as enjoy some homecook dishes and cakes prepared by my mum and myself. As usual we have a big group of relatives and to prepare a semi buffet for 30 people in a home base kitchen with gas stove and a microwave convection oven (my built-in oven was down) was rather a bit challenging for us. But thanks god we managed to get all the food up on time and everyone enjoys the array of food and family bonding time too.

So here is a long-winded post with photos of the food as well as related recipes (or recipe links) for your reference in case you need some inspiration on what to cook before the 15 days of lunar new year ends on Friday, 14 Feb 2014 (ooooo it's also Valentine's Day too)

Pezzo Launches Ho Ho Hola Hawaiian Pizza + Win A Year Supply Of Pizza

[Pezzo Pizza] Hot Chick, Fisherman's Favourite and Sambal Ikan Bilis (clockwise)

Pezzo, a home-grown pizzeria chain with 13 convenient pizza-by-the-slice kiosks and 6 delivery stores around the island of Singapore. With its fresh new look of bright red and yellow Carnival-themed storefronts and custom designed delivery boxes, Pezzo hopes to create the same happiness for their customers through its pizzas too. And thanks to the folks of Pezzo, we get to try some of their new creations plus their Ho Ho Hola Hawaiian pizza which will be available for this festive season till 31 December 2013.

[Pezzo Pizza] Sambal Ikan Bilis, Ho Ho Hola Hawaiian (top row), Fisherman's Favourite and Hot Chick

The pizzas are Pezzo are freshly made with hand-stretched dough that topped with freshest quality of meat and vegetables together with different types of cheese to enhance the taste of each creations. Overall we were quite satisfy with the taste of the four flavours that we had tried but the crust was not very consistent (perhaps due to hand-stretched) as certain portions were relatively thicker than the other which we think there is still rooms for improvement.

Below are some of our thoughts on each of the flavours that we had tried.

Parents World Junior Chef Workshop And Competition

Photo Credit:- Parents World Magazine

Time flies, about two years back in 2011 I was engaged by Parents World Magazine for their Great Kids Cookout event to in-charge the Pizza and Bento workshop which you could read about it here. And this year, we are back with them at ARC (Alexandra) with more exciting workshop for your kids from 22 - 30 June 2013.

There are two work stations each handle by Chef Catherina Hosoi and Ellena Guan (me) for this Junior Chef Workshop such as:- Soup and Dessert (by Chef Catherina Hosoi), Bento and Pizza Toast (by Ellena Guan). To register for the workshop, simple just spent a minimum of S$30.00 at ARC or VivoCity from 31 May to 30 June. Below are some samples of the pizza toast and bento which will be taught during the workshop.

Creative Pizza Toast that will brighten up your kid's day as well as boost up their appetite for fussy eater with bits and pieces of the colourful ingredients in it.

Simple recipe on how to make Pizza Toast

Instead of the usual "rice" Onigiri, in this workshop we replace rice with another daily staple food like bread for a change and it's also easier for kids to handle too. I am sure the kids will be thrilled to receive a colourful breakfast/lunch bento set like this.

So do drop by ARC this school holiday from 22 - 30th June and pick up your kid's desire workshop to hands-on as well as bring back some yummy food to feast on. See you there!

Photo Credit: Parents World Magazine

On top of the Junior Chef Workshop mentioned above, VivoCity will be collaborating with Parents World Magazine to organise the ‘Junior Chef’ Competition 2013' for children aged 5 to 12 years old. This competition is categorised into two age-groups such as:-

5 -  8 Years Old
Cake Decoration Competition where younger kids get to demonstrate their budding creativity through designing their own Cake.

9 - 12 Years Old
Whereas for the older kids, they will need to whip up a mouth-watering sweet delight for the Dessert Making category.

Winners for both categories will walk away with a range of attractive prizes! So do sign up your kid of this Junior Chef Competition to showcase their interest in cake designing and cooking.

Quick Easter Bunny Bento

With Easter Sunday coming up this weekend, I prepared a quick Easter Pizza Bento for my boy as his breakfast.  Actually there are nothing complicated about this bento, what I did was transformed the pizza toast which I had made previously into something Easter themed with Bunny and Easter Egg.

After which just use your imagination to decorate the bunny as well as the oval shape so that it would resemble Easter egg design.

Homemade Pizza Using Perfect Italiano Cheese

March school holiday is going on this week so we have more rest and relax time to enjoy our breakfast and afternoon tea. And upon request from my kid, we have assorted pizza in different base such as "Thin or Thick Crust" using Pita Pocket, Wrap and normal sandwich bread.

And with a decent packet of Pizza or Mozzarella Cheese, you could also turn homemade pizza into something similar like restaurant serving which impressed your family or friends. Below we have 3 quick pizza ideas (with recipes) which I hope you would find it useful as a quick meal idea.

[With Recipes] Lunar New Year Lunch Gathering With Relatives

This year mum and I decided to do a combined New Year lunch gathering to invite our relatives over for a festive lunch. We hope to take this opportunity to get touch and mingle with everyone since we seldom get a chance to eat together as a big group during normal days of the year.

Nyonya Food Affair At Buffet Town

For the month of September till 31st October 2012, Buffet Town is having "A Nyonya Food Affair" theme to provide diners with a different dining experience. So about two weeks go I have visited their outlet on a weekday dinner together with Celes and Shitting.

Although the Nyonya section is not very big but it does consists most of the Peranakan signature dishes such as Babi Pongteh, Itek Tim, Kueh Pie Tee, Chap Chye and etc.

Part of the Nyonya Food Section which is visible from the entrance and beside the pizza station.

For something refreshing, start off with these Nyonya Appetizers such as:- Sambal, Achar, Papaya Pickle, Chin Chalok and etc. Personally I love the Papaya Pickle and Achar.

After the appetizer, you could move on to their delicious home-cooked main dishes such as:- Otak Otak Pangang, Nyonya Fried Mee Siam, Babi Pongteh (braised pork) and Nyonya Chap Chye.

Most of us love the Fried Mee Siam which is fragrant with spices used and filled with old-school flavour.  The texture of the Babi Pongteh is soft and flavorsome which goes well with steamed rice together with the Chap Chye.

Other than dishes above, they also have others such as:- Shrimp Fritters, Ngoh Hiang, Kueh Pie Tee, Itek Tim (Salted Mustard Duck Soup) and Nyonya Curry Chicken.

Out of the above-mentioned, Curry Chicken is our less favourite because we find it a bit too saltish to our liking and it is not fragrant enough as compared to the usual local curry chicken that we had. But other than that, Kueh Pie Tee and Itek Tim are both "must try" which you don't want to miss out. Love the Itek Tim soup which reminds me of my grandma cooking.

Kueh Lapis is one of my favourite kueh especially during Chinese New Year and at the Nyonya Buffet  you could also find assorted nyonya kueh such as Kueh Salat,  Pulut Inti, Steamed Lapis and even Chendol as after meal dessert.

Apart from the Nyonya Food Affair, Buffet Town also has  20 over other categories of food which definitely would satisfy the taste bubs of the 450 seating capacity. No wonder it is always "super long" queue outside the restaurant during lunch or dinner.

So if you love seafood on ice, I would suggested you to go for their fresh sashimi and oyster which we all find it fresh and worth trying.

Above are some of the food from other various stations such as:- Rojak, Assorted Satay, Chilli And Black Pepper Crabs, Assorted Tempura, Roasted Beef and not forgetting their crispy and delicious assorted Pizza which is something not to be missed.

After a hearty meal, you could grab a cup of coffee/tea to pair with some miniature assorted mousse cups, cakes, self made Ice Kechang, ice cream, soy beancurd and etc. Their mango mousse cups are something that I love and it always run out pretty fast too.

Lastly, you won't want to miss out the best dessert at Buffet Town which is their freshly made Waffle. It is crispy on the outer layer and yet light and fluffy with each bites. I love to pair it with my favourite Green Tea Gelato (example from Kiseki post here) plus drizzle of chocolate sauce but too bad that night they have run out of green tea gelato.

A Nyonya Food Affair will be available from 10th September 2012 till 31st October 2012 at Buffet Town, Raffles City. So if you love Nyonya food, do call early to make reservation in order to avoid disappointment.


BUFFET TOWN
Raffles City
#B1-44E
252 North Bridge Road
Reservation: +65 6837 3793
Website: www.buffettown.com.sg

Opening Hours:
11.30am - 3.00pm daily (Last order at 2.30pm)
6.00pm - 10.30pm daily (Last order at 9.30pm)

Buffet Town Pricing:
Monday - Friday Lunch: S$24.80++ (adult); S$17.80++ (child)
Sat, Sun, Eve of and PH Lunch: S$29.80++ (adult); S$17.80++ (child)

Monday - Thursday Dinner: S$34.80++ (adult); S$20.80++ (child)
Friday - Sunday, Eve of and PH Dinner: S$39.80++ (adult); S$20.80++ (child)

* Child(6 - 12 years old)


Thank you Chantel and Buffet Town for the tasting invite. You could also read more HERE from my old post regarding my 1st visit to Buffet Town for their lunch buffet.

[Wordless Wednesday] Kiseki Japanese Restaurant

This is my 1st visit to Kiseki after it shifted from Heeren to the new location at Orchard Central. Although the food items seems to be a lesser as compared to what I had previously (read more HERE) but all of us are still very happy with their food and overall services. (p/s: all photos in this post is taken using iPhone)

Super long queue during one of the weekday lunch.

Assorted Tempura such as Prawns, Pumpkins, Brinjal and etc

From the Grilled Station:- Yakitori, Prawns, Mushroom and even Salmon Fish Head

{Must Try} Japanese BLACK curry to go with the tempura.

I always love the Sushi and Salmon from KISEKI!

{Pasta Station} There are 3 different type of sauce such as Carbonara, Wafu and Tomato base.

Some of the dessert items but I prefer the Black Sesame Mochi most.

{Must Try} Waffle  and their assorted flavour Japanese Gelato are two must have when settle for after meal dessert.

Kiseki Japanese Restaurant
181 Orchard Road
Orchard Central
#08-01/02/03
Singapore 238896
Reservation: (65) 6736 1216
Website: http://kisekirestaurant.com.sg

Operating Hour:
~ 11.30am to 3pm daily (Last order at 2.30pm)
~ 6pm to 10.30pm daily (Last order at 9.30pm)

Prawn Capsicum and Chilli Pizza

Pizza is an oven-baked, flat and usually disc-shaped bread typically topped with tomato sauce, shredded cheese and various toppings such as seafood, beef, chicken, capsicum, ham, olive and etc. Here we made a rectangle shape lemon scented pizza base top with succulent juicy shrimps, grated mozzarella cheese and lovely chopped fresh basil.

PRAWN CAPSICUM AND CHILLI PIZZA

Since these few days we are experiencing cold rainy evenings we decided to make something simple and yet hearty to fill our hungry stomach. So together with my boy we made this Prawn, Capsicum and Chilli Pizza using our homemade pizza dough. And in order to make a tangy pizza base to enhance the flavour of the shrimps, I have added some lemon zest and juice to make the pizza dough.

(serves: 2-4 | Preparation: 90 minutes | Cooking: 15 - 18 minutes)

Basic Pizza Dough: make 2 (30cm) base
7g Instant Active Dry Yeast
190ml Lukewarm Water
1 Teaspoon Caster Sugar
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
2 1/2 Cups Plain Flour
1/4 Cup Olive Oil
Zest of 1 Lemon
1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice, optional

Method:-

1. Combine yeast, sugar, salt and lukewarm water in a measuring cup/bowl. Stand in a warm place for 10 minutes or until mixture is foamy.

2. Place flour in a large mixing bowl together with lemon zest. Make a well in centre, add in yeast mixture and stir until dough comes together.

3. Next stir in olive oil and lemon juice till it form a dough. Knead dough on a lightly-floured surface for 5 - 7 minutes or until smooth and elastic.

4. Place dough in a large, oiled bowl. Cover and set aside in a warm place for 1 hour or until doubled in size.

5. Using your fist, punch down centre of dough and knead for another 30 seconds and divide the dough into half.

Ingredients For Pizza:
1 Portion of Pizza Base, see recipe above
1/4 Cup Tomato Paste Sauce
1/4 Cup Grated Tasty Cheese
1/4 Cup Grated Mozzarella Cheese
1/4 Red and Green Capsicum, thinly sliced
8 Medium Prawns, shell removed
1/4 Teaspoon Dried Chilli Flakes
Some Shredded Fresh Basil Leaves
*Polenta(cornmeal), optional

Method:-

1.Roll dough flat to 30 cm round pizza base or 9" x 7" rectangle and place base on greased baking tray. (I greased the baking tray with olive oil and dust with some polenta(cornmeal) to give the pizza base an extra crunchy texture)

2. Spread base with tomato pasta sauce and top with half the cheese mixture.

3. Next evenly scatter the capsicum, prawns, basil, chilli and remaining cheese on top.

4. Bake in preheated 200 Degree Celsius oven for 15 - 18 minutes or until base is crisp and cheese melted. Serve.

If you have no time to prepare the fresh pizza dough you could also replace it with those ready-made pizza dough, baguette or tortilla to act your desire base. I am sure you and your family would enjoy this quick and easy pizza with some fresh salad greens or hot pipping soup(some western cream soup recipe HERE). Till then have a great weekend ahead.

Buffet Town International Seafood Mixed Grill and Teppan Yaki

Buffet Town is a pretty new (about 3 months) buffet restaurant located on basement 1 at Raffles City where Shokudo Japanese Food Bazaar used to be. The concept of restaurant is quite similar to Kiseki Japanese Buffet Restaurant at Heeren's where you could see a spread of international food in different allocated stalls with 450 Seating Capacity. And for families with active kids, there is a mini playground where young children (between 2 to 8 years) can enjoy themselves with various games and parents can conveniently watch over them whilst eating too.

About three weeks ago we were there for a lunch buffet on Friday and have to join in a long queue(as there were about more than 50 people in front of us) since I could not get through their Reservation Hotline even after a few days of calling.

After about 45 minutes of queuing time we were finally being bought to our seats which were so cramp due to the overwhelming crowds that afternoon. But since everyone was hungry due to the long waiting hour we decided to start with the food without much complaints.

As my boy cannot find his favourite sushi over at the Japanese Counter he decided to settle with some chicken rice. According to him the rice was a oily and not fragrant compared to the usual one he loves to eat but the accompany chicken was still quite tender and juicy.  My aunty and I are both Sashimi lover so after eating the above items shown we both agreed that the Sashimi and cold seafood served are really fresh and definitely worth the price. But on the downside the replenish time was rather slow and a lot of sushi and maki plates were empty each time we went to the Japanese counter.

I was caught by this Rojak Counter while roaming around to check out the different serving counters. My favourite combination of Rojak is always fried fritters(you tiao) with the pairing sauce. But for a chance I decided to try the usual mixed combination and surprisingly the pairing here were rather good and flavorsome too.

You could find Western Food Counters at the right side of the entrance ranging from seafood/mushroom pizza, German sausages, array of pasta cooked according to your choice, soup of the day and etc. And at the back row of the buffet you could also pick up some grilled satay, salmon head, saba fish, king prawns and etc. But bewared of the food from this grilled counter as they are always being snatched off from the serving plates once the cook replenished the items.

After eating all the desire main courses, you can relax at your seats with a cup of freshly brewed coffee/tea or even homemade soya bean milk/beancurd from the beverage counters. To go with your drink, pick your choice of cakes from the Dessert Counters or any waffles or pancake.

Overall Buffet Town has a wide varieties of food which is freshly prepared and served but the only set back is the replenished time of the food is rather a bit slow perhaps due to the overwhelming of crowds or shortage of manpower. If not try to be early and get into the buffet on time in order to sample more choices of food especially those on the Grilled Counter and Japanese Counter. So is like either you get to EAT or you DON'T if you are not fast enough to get the food. Do share with us your dining experience if you have tried Buffet Town before.

Buffet Town International Seafood Mixed Grill and Teppan Yaki

Raffles City, #B1-44E
252 North Bridge Road,
Telephone: (+65) 6837 3793
Website: http://www.buffettown.com.sg/index.html

Operating Hour:
11.30am to 3pm daily (Last order at 2.30pm)
6pm to 10.30pm daily (Last order at 9.30pm)

Pricing for Lunch Buffet:-
Monday to Friday: Adult : $23.80++; *Child : $16.80++
Saturday, Sunday, Eve PH and PH: Adult : $28.80++; *Child : $16.80++

Pricing for Dinner Buffet:-

Monday to Friday: Adult : $33.80++; *Child : $19.80++
Saturday, Sunday, Eve PH and PH: Adult : $38.80++; *Child :$19.80++

*Child age 6 to 12 years old

Prices are subjected to Service Charge and any other prevailing taxes.

Mode of Payment: Cash / NETS / MasterCard / VISA /