A Day At The Universal Studios, Singapore plus Halloween Horror Night Preview

Universal Studios Singapore - 新加坡环球影城(USS) is a theme park located within Resorts World Sentosa on Sentosa Island. The park had its soft opening period from 18 March to 26 October 2011 and it's official Grand Opening was held earlier this year on 28 May 2011. For your information USS park contain 7 themed zones such as:- Hollywood, New York, Sci-Fi City, Ancient Egypt, The Lost World, Far Far Away and Madagascar all based on Universal movie hits and etc.

Since this week the lower primary are having a 4 day school break before the end year school exam I decided to bring my boy to USS as a study-break. He has being wanting to explore more and excited about those rides ever since our 1st visit last year during the After-Hour night visit(read more HERE).

HOLLYWOOD

When you first step beyond the entrance of the USS, greeting you will be the grant "Hollywood" street framed by dynamic architecture, palm trees and the famous Walk of FameTM that makes you will feel as thought you have landed in the center of the entertainment universe. If you wish to grab hold of some souvenir before heading back, remember to drop by the "Universal Studios Store" along this street for some themed collectibles, toys and apparel.

You can use any MasterCard to purchase your admission tickets in order to enjoy 20% off One-Day tickets any day of the week when you book online or purchase on-site(After discount our weekday ticket rate: Adult: S$52.80, Kid: S$38.40)! On top of that you will also receive a S$10 retail voucher and etc. Promotion ends at 18 November 2011, more detail, HERE.

MADAGASCAR

Our 1st stop is at Madagascar: A Crate Adventure where we get to board an indoor river boat ride with Alex, Marty, Melman and Gloria, the four heroes from blockbuster movie Madagascar. Very fun and relaxing boat ride which suits kid even for the age of 3 - 4 years old with accompany adult(s).

After the boat ride you can catch up with the Madagascar Boogie just outside Penguins Mercantile at specify showtimes such as:- 11.30am, 1.30pm, 3.30pm and 5.30pm.

At the same street in the Madagascar zone,  King Julien and the Lemurs are throwing a party for their favorite freaks from New York: Alex the Lion, Marty the Zebra, Gloria the Hippo, and Melman the Giraffe at the all time family Carousel - King Julien's Beach Party-Go-Round. This is sure a catch for kids and adults of all ages where you can either ride and spins round and round with those cartoon characters.

FAR FAR AWAY

Movie stars, talking donkeys.…the land of Far Far Away showcases lifestyles of the rich and fairy taled whereby you will attracted by this unique castle which is the landmark of USS too. Here you can to enjoy Shred 4-D Adventure where you can see, hear and FEEL the action right from your seat such as water, hairy spiders, wind and etc. My boy and I have great fun and excitement watching this short movie.

Other than the delicious homemade recipe with 7-spice chicken at Goldilocks Restaurants (we had kiddy meal - criss-cross fries, dino nuggets and regular size drink S$9.50 serve in a cute portable lunchbox) you can also pop over to Fairy Godmother's Juice Bar to get some unique concoction of clourful elixirs at the juice bar. 

THE LOST WORLD

After lunch we move on to the next destination at "The Lost World" where we hurried ourselves to the 1.00pm showtime(showtimes: check the daily schedule for actual timing) at Water World. This is a must watch live entertaining show where we can witness a tidal wave of death-defying stunts, along with thrills and spills from real explosions of fire and water based on the blockbuster film, "Waterworld". But beware sitting at the center area or first few rows at the sides as you might get wet due to the splashing of water during the show.

Currently the Jurassic Park Rapids Adventure is NOT available as it is undergoing enhancement works from 10 August 2011 early 2012. So with 1 attraction down we are left with Canopy Flyer, Dino-Soarin and Amber Rock Climb. My boy loves to ride on the Canopy Flyer whereby he is not afraid of height and turns but this ride leaving mummy with wobbly feet and butterfly stomach.

Dino-Soarin can be fun too as it attracted a lot of adults in all ages whereby you ride on the back of flying dinosaurs called Pteranodons, soaring up into the sky or plunging down into the shadows.

ANCIENT EGYPT

In order to skip the long queue over at Canopy Flyer at The Lost World, we thought of heading towards the Ancient Egypt Zone and take a look before popping by to join the queue. There are total of two rides focusing Revenge of the Mummy as the main attraction and Treasure Hunters on the other hand which is more child friendly ride for the family. The Revenge of the Mummy ride is a psychological thrill ride where the roller coaster travel through a pitch black building leaving you clueless as to where you are going and what is going to happen ahead.

After asking around and seeing the some photos taken at the photo booth from the rides, we decided to give this ride a pass and head on to the "Treasure Hunters" which is a relax jeep ride which is more suitable for us. Furthermore, each young kid will be presented with a Treasure Hunters License Certifies as souvenir too.

SCI-FI CITY

With a choice of either Human or Cylon at this Sci-Fi City riders on both coasters will experience unbelievable thrills as they race towards each other and nearly collide! Zooming at speeds of 82.8 km/h, the Human Viper Mark II is a seated coaster that propels riders up to 14 storeys into the air whereas they Cylon raiders is a suspended roller coaster that will turn your world upside down as it runs through a vertical loop, corkscrew and cobra roll. Imagine with all the turns and loops....this is definitely not my cup of tea. But are you brave enough to take the challenge!!!

Giving out on the roller coasters, my boy and I decided to test our intergalactic stamina while being madly spinning on the whirling twirling attraction known as Accelerator. These individual similar "merry-go-round" ride is so fun and thrilling leaving us screaming in excitement through out the ride.   

NEW YORK

At about 4pm we are already hungry from our earlier lunch-break over at Goldilocks Restaurant mentioned above. So we decided to stop by the recommended Loui's NY Pizza Parlor to have a quick bite. As it was very pretty late in the afternoon there aren't much choices left on the shelf. Here we grab the "1 Slice Pizza Set" which comes with 1 slice of your desire pizza(i choose Tandoori), 1 dessert(either Panna cotta or Cheesecake) together with a cup of regular size soft drink at S$13.80.

As you can see the slice of pizza was quite big which is about the serving of 2 normal slices of pizza that we used to have. I love the thin and crusty base with topped with tender and flavorsome tandoori chicken, green chilli and well-blend seasonings. Worth trying this set especially with a cup of yummy Panna Cotta as dessert before heading to our show over at the opposite street at "Lights, Camera, Action!" where we get to witness the stage setting with awesome sound effect on a major hurricane hitting New York City. 

After a fun-filled day at the theme park, here is the crumbled map with marking on all the attractions that we have survive through. Friendly speaking other than the "roller coasters" I guess most of the attractions are still very family oriental where most of the family members can participate with.

HALLOWEEN HORROR NIGHTS

This October if you are looking for some terrified event for your Halloween Night, do consider joining this 1st Halloween Horror Nights in Universal Studios Singapore, Resort World Sentosa(Date: 21 - 23, 27-30 October 2011, Time: 8.00pm - 12 Midnight). These are some of the scenes from few of the 6 scare-zones that you will encountered during the event.

The highlights of this event are such as haunted Peranakan house to face the Vengeance of the Matriarch, Mutated zombies roam for blood in a Post-Apocalyptic Rage, Mad Scientist stalks unsuspecting victims in The Void and etc... More details of the event and ticketing information can be found HERE. Enjoy and have a fright night.

More photos of the USS trip can be found at HERE at Cuisine Paradise facebook page.

[My 1st Kids' Workshop] Pizza Toast plus Red Angry Bird Bento

Yesterday we have a fun-filled day with all the wonderful kids and their parents who attended our very 1st Kids' Pizza and Bento Workshop. This workshop has being in my wishing list for so long because I always hope to be able to conduct a hands-on workshop for kids and their parents. For me I think hands-on workshop are a great way to show bonding between parents and their kids as most of the kids enjoy the time where mummy or daddy will be able to hold their hands and work together to complete an assigned task. And during the workshop I am so happy to see some heart-warming bonding time between parents and their kids.

Great Kids Cook Out @ United Square Mall plus Junior Chef Cooking Competition

With September school holiday and a few public holidays like Hari Raya Puasa around the corner, why not bring your kids to embark a Creative Culinary Adventure as United Square celebrates its 9th Anniversary. At the event kids are able to pick up cooking techniques and explore recipes from celebrity chefs like Forest Leong and Catherina Hosoi plus Ellena(myself, a food blogger).

For this event, United Square Shopping Mall hopes that with some creativity added to those dishes it might be able to ‘help’ picky eaters by transforming eating into a fun and enjoyable learning experiences from the 4 interesting set up kitchens. And as part of United Square 9th Anniversary Celebrations, Great Kids Cook Out event are held from 26 August to 11 September 2011 where children aged 4 to 14 years old can personally prepare nutritious and creative dishes and learn basic table etiquette from experts of the field.

GREAT KIDS COOK OUT
26th August - 09th September

In order to let your kids participate and have fun in any of the kitchen shown below, you would have to spend at least $80* at United Square retail outlets to entitle a "Cooking Pass" to qualify for The Great Kids Cook Out.

For Age Group 4 – 8 years old

Pizza Making conduct by myself and my group of chef to enable kids to design their own pizza using healthy wholemeal bread with fresh vegetables topping such as Broccoli, Cucumber and Carrot together with tomato base pasta sauce and shredded cheese. (Pizza design created and endorsed by me)

Kaya Fondue Making conduct by Chef Forest Leong and her group of chef to teach kids how to cook up some health and delicious kaya using fresh ingredients and serve it on some designed cutout wholemeal bread.

For Age Group 9 – 14 years old

Next Bento Making is also another kitchen handle by myself and another group of bento chef where participant gets to learn moulding the rice ball and assemble the bento box with cooked vegetables, grilled teriyaki chicken, and quail egg.

The participant for Bento Kitchen will get to learn and bring back either one of these set of bento which I am sure they will be overwhelm of their master piece. (Bento design is created by me)

For the same age group if you are not keen in Bento, perhaps making Rainbow Snowskin Mooncake from Chef Catherina Hosoi will be great for the coming Mid-Autumn Festival too.


More related photos on the Great Kids Cook Out HERE at Cuisine Paradise Facebook Page.

For your information, this is a Daily event starting from 26 August till 09 September from :-
~ Mondays to Fridays: 11.30pm to 7.00pm
~ Saturdays and Sundays: 11.30am to 8.00pm

United Square mentioned in their facebook (HERE) that as the kitchens are always having full classes they advice parents to go early with the kids or try to avoid weekends crowds!

Junior Chef 2011

And for the coming September School Holiday, Parents World together with Untied Square Mall and Health Promotion Board there will be a "Junior Chef Cooking Competition" on 10th and 11th September where participants get to either decorate a cake or cook out a dish to impress the judges(Celebrity Chefs Forest Leong and Catherina Hosoi, plus myself) and walk away with attractive prizes and trophy.

For more details of this Junior Chef Cooking competition and registration, please refer to Parents Word official website HERE. Closing Date for registration is on 05 September 2011. For enquirers you can call 6295 0810 or e-mail to daniel@parentsworld.com.sg

[April $20 Budget Meal] Cream of Cauliflower Soup and Ham and Egg Pizza Tart

So fast, another week has past and today we are into the 3rd weeks of April where Good Friday and Easter Sunday will be on this week. Till now I have not thought about preparing anything for our Easter Sunday compared to what I have done last year on the "Chocolate Hot Cross Buns" and "Nested Easter". So I guess I have to work hard on that and find some inspiration for our Church, Good Friday picnic special.

If you followed this blog, last Monday our menu was on Asian flavour such as "Five Nuts Soup and Steamed Dumplings with Assorted Vegetables". Today we are having something western which cost around S$8.60 for 2 - 3 servings.

Cauliflower can be roasted, boiled, fried, steamed or eaten raw. This is the first time I  am using cauliflower to make soup and I am really surprised with it's outcome which is so tasty and it is definitely a great way to hide veggies especially in kid's meal. For this version, I have omitted the cream and replace it with extra 50g of potatoes to act as a nature thickening agent for a healthier soup.

CAULIFLOWER SOUP

Ingredients: (Serves 2 - 3)
1/2 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1cm Cube of Butter
1 Medium White Onion, roughly chopped
2 Garlic Cloves, Crushed
300g Cauliflower, cut into florets
200g Potatoes, peeled and chopped
400ml Instant Chicken Stock
150ml Hot Water

Method:-

1. Heat oil and butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic cook and stir occasionally for about 3 minutes or until onion has softened.

2. Add cauliflower and potato, stir and cook for 3 minutes.

3. Next pour in stock and water. Season with pepper. Cover and bring to the boil.

4. Reduce heat to medium low. Simmer for about 20 minutes or until potato is tender. Set aside to cool to room temperature.

5. Blend the soup, in batches until smooth then return to pan over low heat.

6. Cook and stir for 2 minutes or until heated through. Serve with some freshly ground pepper.


Total cost for this dish is about S$2.50 with breakdown shown below:-
Cost of Ingredients:
~ Cauliflower = S$1.00
~ Potatoes Onion = S$1.00
~ Chicken Stock = S$0.50

Here we give a twist on the usual thin crust or handmade pizza dough by replacing it with the crispy think layer of ready-rolled puff pastry sheet. This recipe makes each and every slices of your cheesy pizza with a delightful flaky bites. So why not give this a try and I am sure all your kids and friends will love this for a chance.

HAM AND EGG PIZZA TART

Ingredients: (Serves 2 - 3)
1 Sheet of Puff Pastry, partially thawed
1 1/2 Tablespoon of Barbecue/Pizza Sauce
1/2 - 3/4 Cup Grated Mozzarella Cheese
50g Shaved Honey Baked Ham
1 - 2 Eggs
5 Cherry Tomatoes, halved
1/2 Small Green Capsicum, cut into strips

Method:-

1. Preheat oven to 180 degree fan-forced and grease 1 large pizza tray.

2. Cut a 20cm round from the puff pastry sheet using a plate or bowl as a guide. With a small knife, cut a 1 cm border around pastry.(carefully not to cut through it as this will act as a border around the tart).

3. Place the round on prepared tray, spread inside circle with barbecue sauce and sprinkle it evenly with half of the grated mozzarella cheese.

4. Brush/spray border with oil. Bake for 10 - 12 minutes or until sides have puffed.

5. Remove tray from oven, crack egg(s) onto the center of the tart, top with shaved ham, tomatoes, capsicum strips and sprinkle with remaining cheese.

6. Bake for another 15 minutes or until egg whites have set and cheese is golden. Serve with prepared soup.


Total cost for this dish is about S$6.10 with breakdown shown below:-
Cost of Ingredients:
~ Cheese = S$2.00
~ Shaved Ham = S$1.50
~ Cherry Tomatoes and Capsicum = S$1.60
~ Puff Pastry Sheet - S$1.00

Making pizza is one of the interesting task for kids to take part in the kitchen. They can help to spread the sauce and arrange whatever toppings that they preferred while the adults can just stand by the side and help to supervise and place the prepared pizza into and out of the oven. And homemade pizza can be even easier with ready-made pizza base or with any interesting base that you can think of, such as:- Puff Pastry, Sandwich Slice Bread, Pita Bread, Tortilla Sheet, Baguette and etc.

Since our "Easter April Budget Meal"(click the link and scroll down for the details at the end of the post) theme is using egg as a main ingredient, I have added an egg onto my pizza tart which which it a twist to the usual pizza that we often have.

Thanks for all your "BUZZ(s)" and support friends. Cream of Cauliflower Soup and Ham and Egg Pizza Tart post has make it to FoodBuzz Today's Top 9, 19th April 2011.(Here)

Featured On: FoodBuzz Today's Top 9, 19th April 2011.(Here)

CLOSING DATE FOR [EASTER APRIL BUDGET MEAL] EVENT:

~ Monday, 25 April 2011, 2359 hours  and all entries will be compiled and posted on 30th April 2011.

Spooky Halloween Trick or Treat

What are you planning on this year Halloween which is just two days away on Sunday, 31 October 2010? This year there are a lot of exciting Halloween activities found in most tourist attractions such as Singapore Night Safari, Sentosa (spooky event) or even some restaurants or pubs are having Halloween parties and special dining menu to brings up the spooky atmosphere.

For this coming Halloween, I would like to share with you our quick and easy "not so" spooky Halloween treat which is the "Pumpkin Soup" and "Spooky Pizza".

Pumpkin & Ricotta Cheese Pizza

Haha.. Another recipe using Ricotta Cheese..... You bet I love this Homemade Ricotta Cheese so much. It's really easy to make and taste great with all kinds of combination. This Pumpkin & Ricotta Pizza really taste something different from those usual cheese pizza. The texture of the crumb cheese is still visible after baking and it's taste just as good with those pizza filling, especially the sweet pumpkin.


Other than the Pumpkin Ricotta Pizza, I also made the ham, pineapple and Mozzarella Hawaiian pizza. This pizza base was abit different from what I had made before. This one is more thinner and with a very crispy crust.

Ingredients For Pizza Base:(makes 4 small pizza)
1 Teaspoon Active Dry Yeast
160ml(2/3 Cup) Warm Water
1 Teaspoon Of Sugar
270g(2 Cups) Plain Flour
Pinch Of Salt
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

Methods:
1. Place the yeast, sugar and water in a bowl and set side until bubbles form.(about 5 - 10 minutes)
2. Add the flour, salt in a big mixing bowl, then slowly add in the yeast water and stir till water used up.
3. Next add in the olive oil and mix to form a dough and knead for about 10 minutes or until dough is smooth and elastic.
4. Place dough in a clean, oiled bowl, cover with cling wrap and allow to stand in a warm place for 30 minutes or until doubled in size.

Assemble:
Semolina For Dusting
1. Lay non-stick baking paper on the baking tray and dust evenly with some semolina(about half tablespoons).
2. Divide the pizza dough into 4 portion and roll out 2 – 3mm thick and place on the baking paper that dust with semolina.
3. Spread some base sauce and top with desire ingredients and bake in preheat 200 degree oven for about 15 minutes or till golden brown.

Notes:
I tried to use 200g Plain Flour and 70g Bread Flour instead of 270g plain flour from the original recipe.

Recipe from Donna Hay, Modern Classics 1

Homemade Pizza

Pizza is one of the most easy to prepare dish where you can add in any ingredients of your choice then top it with generous amount of cheese. Now you can try out this perfect base for your Homemade Pizza with these easy recipe shown below. And if you don't have any oven at home, don't worry you still can whip out a decent pizza by using oven toaster or Happy Call Pan.