Huiji Baked Honey Chicken Wings

2013 is approaching within another 2 more days before 2012 ends and indeed this year I have another fruitful year with new recipes testing (Happy Call Pan, Korean Recipes, Joyoung Soymilk Maker, Zespri Kiwifruits and etc), family trips (Voyager Of The Seas, Tokyo (Japan) and Bangkok (Thailand)) and friends that I get to know through blogging and other social media platforms.

With another festive countdown gathering to celebrate 2013 I am sure finger food will be something handy for you to prepare or bring along as one of the potluck dishes.

Visiting KaiKai And JiaJia At Giant Panda Forest, River Safari (Singapore Zoo)

Finally the Giant Panda Forest exhibit which is located in the new River Safari is open for public preview since early December 2012. And since this is the last week of school holiday, my kid and I decided to take the opportunity to visit KaiKai (凯凯) and JiaJia (嘉嘉) . The pandas preview is allocated for a 15 minutes viewing session through different time slots (refer below) which is available for a top-up of S$5.00 (Adult) and S$3.00 (Child; 3 - 12 yrs old)  to the regular zoo admission price (you can check the ticket price lists here).

Although we reached the ticket booths around 8.45am (on a Thursday) but there were already quite a number of people queuing ahead and some of the time slots are selling fast too. And for your information almost everyday the viewing time slots will be SOLD OUT even before noon time. (updated status of the time slots can be found on their official site here)

At the moment, the entrance to the Giant Panda Forest is access via through Singapore Zoo (until river safari is fully open to public in 1st quarter 2013) at the admission queue which is around the Rainforest Walk that is opposite the Otter exhibit as shown on the Zoo map.

You won't miss out the entrance as there are a lot of direction signboards similar to the above shown

Although we purchased the 10.20am slot, but we are able to go in around 10.05am to queue up for our turn to enter the Giant Panda Forest which is a about few minutes walking distance away from the entrance.

Queuing up to enter the Giant Panda Forest

Upon entering the Giant Panda Forest, the first to greet us is this cute little "Red Panda" which share certain similar traits with the giant pandas because they both feed predominantly on bamboo and have extra "thumbs" to hold their food.

At the open kitchen window, there are displays showing KaiKai and JiaJia's Menu of the Day so that we get to know more about their diet and types of food they consumed.

Most of us were quite disappointed as JiaJia (嘉嘉) was taking her beauty sleep during our visit. although most of us couldn't do much but everyone is still very excited to snap photos of JiaJia or with her in the background.

JiaJia (嘉嘉) is taking her beauty sleep

Whereas KaiKai (凯凯) on the other hand is more active as he kept roaming up and down around the enclosed area making his "Panda Walk" for visitors to take photos/videos of him. Overall the pandas are not as chubby as what we thought off but they are definitely the most cutest animal of all.

Both me and my kid are very thrilled on this visit and we all felt that 15 minutes preview time is really too "short" to juggler around with those "three" cute fellows.

After the Pandas preview, you could also grab some lovely souvenirs shown above from their gift shop which are only available at the Giant Panda Forest outlet ONLY.

Mama Panda Kitchen

Above are the second reasons of our visit to the Giant Panda Forest. I first saw this Panda Pau from two of my friend's instagram posts which me and my kid fell in love immediately. This Panda shaped like steamed bun is so cute and irresistible despite of it's pricing.

Panda Pau from Mama Panda Kitchen

This cute Panda Pau is shaped to look alike like a panda head and it is filled with sweet and fragrance red bean paste which resemble our local "steamed red bao (豆沙包)" but with an over-rated price of S$2.90 each or 4 for S$11.50. Although the price is on the high end side but still you can see these cute panda pau appears on almost all the occupied tables. 

Giant Panda Cappuccino from Mama Panda Kitchen

This Giant Panda Cappuccino (S$5.50) is equally cute as compared to the Panda Pau above and it is a "must order" so that you could get a pair of this adorable panda to accompany you for either breakfast or tea-break.

On top of the above, the Mama Panda Kitchen also served hot food like Braised Beef Ramen Set (S$13.90), Chicken Cop Ramen Set (S$13.90), Vegetarian Bamboo Rice Set (S$13.90), Snacks and etc (all sets including 1 main, 1 side and 1 dessert).

View of the River Safari

View of the River Safari

Even though the visiting time for the Pandas are quite short and rushing but we all had an enjoyable time with the Giant Panda. We would definitely look forward for the official opening of the River Safari and our next visit with KaiKai and Jia Jia.

For more photos of our Giant Panda Forest and Singapore Zoo visit, please refer to the photo album over at Cuisine Paradise Facebook page HERE.

Have a great weekend everyone!!! Cheers!

BORNGA (본가 - 本家) At Star Vista

For Korean BBQ lovers who stay around West side of Singapore, BORNGA (본가 - 本家) is a Korea’s leading chain of authentic BBQ restaurants which newly open at The Star Vista (beside Buona Vista MRT Station, EW21/CC22). And the grand launch of BORNGA also marks renowned celebrity Chef Jong Won Paik first chain restaurant in Singapore and the 13th in addition to its worldwide outlets out of Korea.

Overall BORNGA offers an authentic Korean dining experience with taste of home which makes it a nice place for a cozy meal together with family and friends. Moreover their servings are big enough to share among 3 - 4 person ranging from S$18.00(pork belly) to their most expensive item (beef ribs for barbecuing) at S$45.00. (just a note, you have to order at least a minimum of two portion from their BBQ meat range; example:- Samgyupsal (S$18) + WooSamGyup (S$22))

While settling down, I was quite shock when the serving staff place the Ssamcheban (assorted vegetables platter) on our table as I have not seen such a varieties of greens being served from other Korean BBQ restaurants in Singapore. Their Ssamcheban consists very fresh and generous amount of  greens such as assorted lettuces, cabbages, spinach, carrot sticks and a few large green chilies which comes in handy to wrap with the BBQ meat.

On top of the Ssamcheban, we also tried some of their Banchan (Korean side dishes) such as Cucumber with Mushroom, Korean Spicy Beansprouts, Lettuce Salad, Shredded Leeks, Cabbage Kimchi, Water Kimichi and Radish Kimchi. Personally my pick from the banchan would be their Radish Kimchi which was a cross between sweet, sour and spicy making it so addicting as compared to the Cabbage Kimichi as it was a bit too spicy for my liking.

From the 3 types of Kimchi that we tried, my least favourite would be the Water Kimchi which I find it a bit too bland and also not as tasty as compared to the other two which has a stronger taste and flavour.

To pair with their BBQ meat, there are three types of dipping sauces which you might like to try. The special WooSamGyup Sauce goes well with the WooSamGyup meat where you dip on it and wrap with some lettuce and shredded leeks or kimchi for better crunch and taste. Whereas for the rest like Garlic Slices, Korean Bean Pasta Sauce an Sesame Oil flavored with salt and pepper would goes well with other meat choices like pork belly and beef too.

Ggotsal (S$38.00) a thicker cut of unmarinated beef for guests who loves beef and to enjoy its deep beef flavour. The cut is also evenly marbled and goes well with dip like sesame oil flavoured with salt and pepper.

For myself, I would prefer WooSamGyup that this Ggotsal perhaps due to its cuts.

{MUST TRY} WooSamGyup (S$22.00) is their signature BBQ choice which is a thinly sliced beef brisket with beautiful marbling that makes it often mistaken as pork belly at a glance. This meat is marinated in a unique BORNGA dressing that retains its natural colour while enhancing the traditional "bulgogi" taste.

There are many ways you could enjoy this beautiful meat such as eating it on it's own, dip it with the special WooSamGyup sauce or wrap it with some shredded leeks together with lettuces to enhance the flavour. I am sure there is a way which you enjoy but for me I would prefer to have it with some lettuce wrap and radish kimchi.

{MUST TRY} Tteokgalbi (S$20.00) is made with ground rib meat together with soy sauce and seasonings into a thin meat patties before grilling. The outlook and taste of the Tteokgalbi is quite similar to our Chinese New Year BBQ Pork (bak kwa) with a very flavousome fragrance and taste which makes you go for second and third helpings.

{MUST TRY} The Chadol Duenjang Jigae (S$16.00) is a Korean beef stew which made with rich soybean paste, sliced beef and vegetables. The stew is being reduced over the table top stove before pouring into the rice mixture which served like a bibimbap.

As you can see, when the stew is reduced and slightly thicken the serving staff would spoon it over to the rice and vegetable mixture and mix everything like a bibimbap. Also for extra flavoure, you could add in some radish kimchi while mixing the rice like what our host, LeRoy does to enhance the taste of this dish.

After the rice stew, we tried BORNGA Naeng Myun (S$15.00) which was their handmade buckwheat noodles served in an icy broth with shredded vegetables, pear, hard-boiled egg and sliced meat. It has a very refreshing taste and it is definitely a good choice for hot summer meal. You can eat it on it's own or follow the Korean, squeeze in some mustard sauce, splash of white vinegar mix well and enjoy. Personally I prefer eating it on it's own because I am not a fan of vinegar stuffs.

At the end of the meal, all guests were served with a complimentary drink known as Omija (오미자) or  五味茶 (five flavour tea) which reminds us of drinks made with Roselle (洛神果) and it has a similar sourish sweet taste like hawthorn (山楂) too. We all agreed that despite of it's sourish after taste, it is indeed a very refreshing and addicting drink to clean the palate after all the BBQ meats and dishes. Moreover Omija is also a popular drinks among women in Korean for it's beauty purpose too.

Thanks to BORNGA and LeRoy from Foodnews for the invite tasting.

BORNGA (본가 - 本家)
1 Vista Exchange Green
#02-24 The Star Vista
Singapore 138617
Reservation: (65) 6694 4696
Website: www.bornga.co.kr

Opening Hours: 11:30am – 10:00pm (Daily)

{Fishy Dinner} Chinese Baked Fish Fillet And Baked Cheesy Salmon With Wasabi

Festive season is a great time to feast together with family and friends plus a bit of catch up and updates on each others progress. This Christmas season other than festive bakes I also have some quick dishes which you might be interested with.

In this post I am sharing two different "fish" dishes which you could cater for everyone in the family such as Chinese Baked Fish Fillet with oyster sauce and Baked Cheesy Salmon using Japanese mayonnaise and wasabi.

CHINESE BAKED FISH FILLET

For something more Asian taste, this Chinese Baked Fish Fillet would be something easy that you could prepare and get ready in less than 30 minutes for an evening dinner to impress your guests. For the fillet you can use any firm white fish such as cod, haddock, or grouper which work well on this recipe.

(Serves: 1 | Preparation: 5 minutes | Cooking: 15 - 20 minutes)

Ingredients:

• 1 Piece Grouper Fish Fillet (200g), skin intact
• 1/2 Tablespoon Oyster Sauce
• 1 Teaspoon Chinese Cooking Wine
• 1/4 Teaspoon Sugar
• 1/4 Teaspoon Sesame Oil
• 2 Slices Ginger, thinly sliced
• 1 Stalk of Spring Onion, cut into sections
• 1 Red Chilli(optional), sliced
• Served with Steamed Rice and Asian Greens

Method:-
1. Preheat oven to 200 °C (degree Celsius). Arrange spring onion and some julienne ginger on a disposal baking tray and top with fish fillet.

2. Combine oyster sauce, cooking wine, sugar and sesame oil in a bowl and mix well.

3. Spoon sauce mixture over fish fillet, top with remaining ginger and chilli, cover with foil and bake for 15 - 20 minutes or until fish is just cooked through.

4. Sprinkle some extra chopped spring onion and serve hot with steamed rice and Asian green.

Note:
~ Stir-fry baby bok choy and fresh shiitake mushrooms with some garlic and ginger then lightly season it with salt.

BAKED CHEESY SALMON WITH WASABI

Whereas for a western treat, you might wish to consider this Baked Cheesy Salmon with Wasabi. For me, I am a salmon lover and I love to eat it either raw, grilled or baked. And my favourite way of cooking salmon is to top it with lots of shredded cheese and Japanese mayonnaise because after baking it would have a tasty cheesy crust on top plus a moist and juicy fillet below.

(Serves: 1  | Preparation: 5 minutes   | Cooking: 15 - 20 minutes)

Ingredients:

• 1 Salmon Fillet (200g), bones removed
• 2 Tablespoons Japanese Mayonnaise
• 1/2 Teaspoon Wasabi Paste
• Rind of 1 Lemon
• 1/4 Cup of Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
• Some Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• Serve with French Beans and Cherry Tomato

Method:-
1. Preheat oven to 200 °C (degree Celsius). Arrange salmon on a disposal baking tray, top with generous amount of mayonnaise mixture (combine Japanese mayonnaise, wasabi and lemon rind till well-mixed).

2. Evenly top it with shredded mozzarella cheese and sprinkle some freshly ground black pepper on it.

3. Bake prepared salmon in an preheated oven for 15 - 20 minutes or till salmon is cooked to your preference.

4. Serve hot with some french bean, cherry tomato and steamed rice.

With dishes like this you can play around with the ingredients and side dishes to cater for everyone's preference and the best thing is you can bake these two dishes together in the oven but just keep an easy on the salmon as you don't wish to over baked it. And as for the sides, you could add in some Cream Soup (recipes) or Salad (recipes) to make it a complete meal too.