[#sgmemory Project] Nostalgia Tour with My Home, My Library Project

Talking about #SGMemory, what is the first thing that come across your mind? Is it the old school "Zeropoint" game that you used to playing during recess time, 30 cents fishball noodles from the school canteen or trying to set record for the pokemon games on your "Gameboy"?  For me when I think about it, I could recalled many wonderful childhood memories which I would love to share with my kid.

Last Saturday, my kid and I were thrilled to join in the Nostalgia Food Tour (together with DanielFoodDiary, Keropokman, Camemberu and Melicacy) which was conducted by the Singapore Memory Project as part of this year event to capture and document precious moments and memories related to Singapore. During the nostalgia tour, we visited 4 heritage eateries and delicacies where our host Daniel (danielfooddiary) shared the history and food culture of these places.

Our 1st stop was at Singapore Zam Zam Restaurant which established since 1908 (about 104 years old). It is one of Singapore's best-known Muslim restaurants running by the 3rd Generation of  Mr Abdul Kadir (founder of Zam Zam). For your information, Zam Zam is named after the well that provides the water to billions of people from throughout history especially during the Hajj pilgrimage.

Zam Zam occupy a 2-floor dinning area where the second level provides air conditioning for customers who ordered their Murtabak and Briyani only.

They even put up a notice at the drinks counter showing the ordering requirements.

Friendly speaking it was my first visit to Zam Zam and I was surprised to see the large crowds even after lunch hours on a drizzling Saturday afternoon.  From a glance around the tables we could see most of the customers were having their famous Murtabak which comes in either beef, mutton or chicken fillings.

Personally I prefer their Murtabak more than the Chicken Biryani and I would like to drop by another day to try other items on the menu too.

Singapore Zam Zam Restaurant
697 North Bridge Road
Singapore 198675
Telephone: (65)6298 6320

Opening Hours:
8:00am – 11:00pm (daily)

As a cake love, I fell in love with these awesome soft, fluffy and delicious Kaya Swiss Roll from Rich And Good Cake Shop. This 20 years old bakery is managed by Mdm Lily Liu and the shop offers items like cake and biscuits but their specialty is on Swiss Roll which comes in a wide variety of flavors like strawberry, orange, durian, coffee, chocolate, kaya, green tea and blueberry @ S$7.50 each.

Alternatively you could try their Mango Swiss Roll which was not as sweet as compared to the Kaya Swiss Roll which I think is good for those who don't have sweet tooth. And I also happened to see one my Instagram friend, Celest bought their Chocolate Swiss Roll after we featured ours in the #sgmemory. Would like to try their Chocolate and Durian Swiss Roll during my next visit.

Rich and Good Cake Shop (裕佳西饼店)
24 Kandahar Street
Singapore 198887
Telephone: (65) 6294 3324

Opening Hours:
08:30am - 17:00pm (Mon - Fri)
08:30 - 16:00pm (sat)

3rd stop was at Seow Choon Hua Restaurant which is a 70 years old street food eatery located at Sultan Gate. And according to Daniel, their specialty is Red Wine Chicken and Foo Chow Lor Mee.

First time trying Foo Chow style stir-fry rice cake which consists of ingredients like chicken liver, fish cake and some Chinese cabbage.  For me this dish is has a very homely feel combination which I would like to try replicating it at home soon.

Another interesting and must try dish is their Foo Chow Fishball and Yan Pi. The fishball is made using four types of fish like; Ikan Parang, Grouper, Red Fish and Yellow Eel together with some seasonings, flour and mixed together to form a ball and then stuffed with minced meat.

Seow Choon Hua Restaurant
33 Sultan Gate
Singapore 198481
Telephone: (65) 6298 2720

Opening Hours:
10:00am – 10:00pm (daily)

Last stop we headed to Tiong Bahru Galicier Pastry where they have a wide varieties of homemade Nonya Kueh like Kueh Dadar (sweet nonya pancake roll with coconut fillings), Kueh Lapis (steamed layer cake), Layer Sago Kueh, Kueh Kosui, Lemper Udang, Ambon (honeycomb cake) and etc.

Other than Nonya Kueh, they also have pastries and bread which are worth trying too and my kid loves their milk bun which is so soft and fluffy. Aunty Jenny (shop owner) also mentioned that Galicier actually started as early as in 1975 near Killiney Road selling only western confectioneries and cakes. It was only when they moved to Tiong Bahru around 12 years ago when they started off with Nonya kuehs kuehs which was taught by their Uncle Tan’s Nonya grandmother.

Tiong Bahru Galicier Pastry
55 Tiong Bahru Rd
#01-39
Singapore 160055
Telephone: (65) 6324 1686

Opening Hours:
09:00am - 9:00pm (closed on Monday)

Other than the Nostalgia Food Tour, from 25 March to 29 April 2013, in conjunction with the Singapore Memory Project there will be a a My Home, My Library exhibition held across all the libraries island wide which you could find the location here.

At the exhibit area, there is a memory submission stand in the shape of our familiar carnation milk tin whereby visitor could penned down their memories on the special design postcard and depositing it into the tin too.

These Memories are split into 2 themes such as My Home and My Library featuring memories from residents who are living in the neighborhood which I am sure you already spotted them in the "huge" Tinbox during your recent visit to the library. If you have not being to the library recently, perhaps you could drop by anytime before 29 April and take a look on at the exhibition which might even bring back some old memories of yours or your family too. 

Apart for finding back those old memories, there is also a SNAP AND SHARE contest where visitors could snap a photo(s) of anything related to the exhibition, post the image with #sgmemory on Instagram or Twitter and stand a chance to win a weekly draw of S$200.00 worth shopping vouchers.

My collection of #sgmemory over the years...

Lastly, on top of the SNAP AND SHARE contest mentioned above, you could also do your part to contribute your #sgmemory thru Instagram Photos towards the Singapore Memory Project like what we have done above. The photos can be  from your past memory on Singapore food, heritage places, buildings, things or etc which you would love to keep it as part of #sgmemory gallery. So remember to hag tag your photos with #sgmemory and if you like you could also tag "@cuisineparadise" and share with me your photos as well.


Lastly I would like to thank Daniel (DanielFoodDiary) for hosting this tasting; Singapore Memory Project and Joy from DDB for the invite.

[Day 5] Tsukiji Sushi Kiyoshi - 築地寿司清本店

[Continue from Tsukiji Fish Market post] After walking around the Tsukiji Fish Market (築地市場), we decided to settle for a sushi brunch and there are quite a number of well-known Sushi restaurants or street stalls selling all kind of assorted sushi, sashimi and etc too. Before my trip to Japan, I have saw some clips and introductions about this famous fish market from a few Japanese sightseeing programmes on television. So when uncles marked down a day to visit Tsukiji fish market we were pretty excited to see their wholesale seafood market as well as a chance to sample their freshly made sushi.

Tea Cappuccinos From The Coffee Bean And Tea Leaf

This coming 08 April, all The Coffee Bean And Tea Leaf outlets will be launching their new Tea Cappuccinos which consists freshly brewed tea concoctions layered with silky milk foam and drizzled with delicious vanilla bean sauce.  For your information, the Tea Cappuccinos are available in three flavours such as Chai, Scottish Breakfast and Anniversary Blend Tea.

To start with you can choose either the tasty Scottish Breakfast to perk up your dull morning or some soothingly spicy Chai to relax your day. Whereas for a more heritage flavour, perhaps Anniversary Blend which combines white, green, oolong and black premium tea that infused with natural Acai Berry would be great for you. So fo a short period between 08 April 2013 - 25 May 2013, you may want to pick up a cup of the Tea Cappuccinos with your choice of from any of the 3 mentioned flavour at S$6.00 each.

For me I would definitely like to go for the Chai Cappuccino because I am a big fan of Chai tea!

[Day 5] Tsukiji Fish Market (築地市場) @ Tokyo, Japan

Visiting Tsukiji Fish Market (築地市場) was listed as one of the "must go" places in our Itinerary. Although with kids in our group and we could not managed to be at the seafood auctions as early as 4.00 am in the morning to witness the show. But we were still able to reach there around 9.00 am in the morning for some fresh sashimi and sushi for brunch.

Other than selling seafood, there are also groceries stalls, marinated products, Japanese kitchen tools (such as plates, bowls and knives), restaurant supplies as well as street food, sushi bar and restaurant for visitors too.

Beanstro by The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf‏ @ Takashimaya

About two weeks back during the March school holiday break we went for a tasting at Beanstro which is a casual American-sytle dining restaurant by The Coffee Bean And Tea Leaf. Beanstro is at a convenience location at Basement 1 of Takashimaya Shopping and with it's halal-certified menu, Muslim friends are also able to enjoy their range of food too.

Other than the main course, you can also get to enjoy delicious and freshly prepared breakfast all day at Beanstro too. And they have a interesting menu like Muesli and Oatmeal, Buttermilk Waffles, Bagel with Smoked Salmon and etc.

Menu of the Main Courses and Sides from Beanstro

Beanstro's menu comprises a selection of American cuisine and hand=crafted beverages which you will definitely find something that suits your preference.

The usual drinks that are served at The Coffee Bean And Tea Leaf are also available at Beanstro but with additional items like Frozen Swirl Yogurt with Affogato, Parfait and etc.  And due to the hot afternoon we decided to have Ice Cappuccino Frappes, Ice Double Chocolate (SG$6.50) and Double Chocolate Smoothie (SG$7.30).

Seafood Velet @ SG$9.50

For soup range, other than the usual Soup of The Day (SG$8.00) Beanstro also offers Seafood Velet (SG$9.50) and French Onion (SG$8.50) which give you more choices to match your main course.  Since we love seafood base soup, we ordered the Seafood Velvet which has a light creamy texture that resemble chowder.  The soup also comes with a slice of cheese toast plus some peach compote to enhance its flavour.

Tuna Nicoise @ SG$19.00

For greens, we ordered Tuna Nicoise (SG$19.00) because I am craving for Tuna and I think it would be great to start of with something light and refreshing before the main. The salad comes with generous serving of Yellow-fin tuna loin coated with sesame and lightly sealed.  As accompany there are also some baby potatoes, hard-boiled egg, raw onion and etc that toss in tangy vinaigrette sauce that awake your palate.

Seafood Wrapped in Cartoccio @ SG$26.00

Mum loves seafood pasta so without hesitate we ordered the Seafood Wrapped in Cartoccio (SG$26.00) which served with fettuccine and seafood like spiny lobster, scallop and blue mussel toss together in spicy tomato sauce (you can request for less spicy sauce too) and wrapped in parchment paper. Overall the sauce and taste was quite decent but we felt that the noodle was a bit hard rather than al dente texture.

Sirloin Steak (200g) @ SG$24.00

I always love to have either Sirloin or Rib Eye Steak that is cooked till medium rare. Upon recommending by the serving staff, I ordered the Australian grass fed Sirloin Steak (200g, SG$24.00) that served with baby potato, sauteed greens in garlic rosemary sauce. Overall the meat was tender and juicy to our liking but somehow or rather we find there sauteed greens a bit salty perhaps due to uneven seasonings.

Tiramisu @ SG$10.00

Warm Molten Chocolate Cake @ SG$10.00

For those who love to have something sweet after meal or for afternoon tea, Beanstro offers quite a range of all time favourite desserts like as Bread and Butter Pudding, Creme Brulee, Cherry Clafouti, Warm Molten Chocolate Cake, Tiramisu and Warm Apple Crumble.

Chocolate lovers like us, ordered their Tiramisu (SG$10.00) and Warm Molten Chocolate Cake (SG$10.00) which we prefer Tiramisu over the other. Although the Molten Chocolate Cake taste good which is not too sweet but it seems to be a bit too dry (over cooked) which I would prefer it to be a little softer and perhaps with a pudding-like center would be great.

Currently Beanstro has two outlets which located at Marina Bay Sands (Canal Level, B2-20) and Takashimaya (new outlet). And with their local and global expansion, they company has also plans to open another 2 more outlets in Singapore which brings to a total of 4 under the Beanstro brand soon.

BeanSTRO Takashimaya
Ngee Ann City
391 Orchard Road
#B1-37
Singapore 238872
Telephone: (65) 6235 1610

Operating Hours:
8am - 11pm (daily)


Lastly I would like to thank Beanstro and Ms Agnes from AT Marketing Consultancy for the invited tasting. *All opinions expressed in this post are my own and there is no monetary compensation received.

[Day 4] Tokyo Disneyland (東京ディズニーランド)

Visiting Tokyo Disneyland is always one of my dream theme park which I would like to bring my kid to enjoy the fun and family time together. So when uncle Hock Cheng includes Disneyland as one the main highlight for this Tokyo trip we were all excited about it till the date we arrived at the park. As you could see from the above photo, we even bought the "open date" tickets way before hand at  JTB (ION Orchard) to avoid the crowds and queuing time just to make sure everything is on the right track.

Okinawan Cuisine By Chef Tadashi Takahashi at La Galerie De Dietrich

About two weeks ago, ShiTing (@ lobsterpaints.com) and I were invited by FoodNews to a cooking demo class together with a few food bloggers plus customers who purchased De Dietrich product(s). This cooking demo was conducted by Chef Tadashi Takashi, owner of Hashi Japanese Restaurant on 3 different cuisines using ingredients from Okinawa which were available at Four Seasons Gourmet Market.

The demo kitchen at La Galerie De Dietrich, Cendex Centre

OKINAWA MOZUKU WITH TUNA

Blanched and Marinate Tuna

Okinawa Mozuku with Tuna

The first demo dish was Okinawa Mozuku with Tuna whereby Chef Tadashi shared with us his tips on handling tuna. He suggested in order for the tuna to absorb the marinade evenly, it would be good if we could blanched the tuna in boiling water then cover it with a layer of kitchen paper towel before putting it into the marinade for better result..

Between Mozuku is a type of "seaweed algae" grown on other seaweed which is a healthy ingredient that contains fiber, mineral, iron, and 18 kinds of Amino acid. So if you are a seaweed lovely, do drop-by Four Seasons Gourmet Market to grab some if you are near Marina Bay Financial Centre Tower 1.

OKINAWA VEGETABLE TEMPURA

Okinawa Vegetable Tempura

Second dish was something with homely taste which you would fall in love immediately. Chef Tadashi prepared 3 different types of vegetables tempura such as Beni Imo (purple sweet potato), Nigauri (bitter gourd) and Shima Ninjin (carrot) to pair with the Okinawa Sea Salt and Yellow Noodles.

Although the blanched yellow noodles might look plain due to it's soy sauce broth. But after adding in some generous amount of grated ginger, the end result was amazing. It taste so refreshing and had a  rather similar flavour like our Asian "Sweet Potato Soup" that infused with lot of ginger in it.

Recipe Adapted from Chef Tadashi Takahashi

(Serves: 4 | Preparation: 10 minutes | Cooking: 30 minutes)

The Okinawa Nigauri (bitter gourd) has an unique bitter taste and high level of heat-resistant vitamin C which makes it a popular vegetable that is perfect for stir-fry. As a bitter gourd lover, I find eating the fried nigauri with hint of sea salt gives it a better aftertaste, leaving it a sweet scent instead of bitterness.

Ingredients:
170g Beni Imo (紅いも, Purple Sweet Potato)
60g Nigauri ( ゴーヤー, Japanese Bitter gourd)
85g Shima Ninjin (Okinawa Carrot)

Tempura Batter
85g Tempura Flour
125ml Cold Water
1/2 Egg (cold)

Method:-
1. Wrap Beni Imo in Aluminum foil and bake in De Dietrich oven at 180°C (Degree Celsius) for 25 minutes. (depending on size, adjust the timing accordingly)

2. Cut Nigauri and remove the seeds. Cut into small slices.

3. Peel Shima Ninjin's skin and cut into long sticks.

4. To make tempura batter:- First, make sure all the tempura batter ingredients are cold (this will enable a fluffy and crispy batter) before mixing the egg and water. Then slowly stir in the flour and you could add in more flour / water and mix until the batter is able to coat onto the vegetables.

5. Dip the vegetables in the prepared Tempura batter and fry till golden brown. (remember to test the oil with some batter to make sure that it is hot enough to fry the tempura)

6. To go with the vegetable tempura, Chef Tadashi specially prepared some soup broth (using soy sauce, dashi and water) to serve with the springy yellow noodles which was imported from Okinawa too.

OKINAWA PINEAPPLE WITH ICE CREAM

Sweet and Juicy Okinawa Pineapple serve with Koorimo’s Chestnut Ice Cream

The last dish was a quick simple dessert which used Okinawa's famous Pineapple. These pineapples have been cultivated on Okinawa as an agricultural product for around a century and if you do visit Okinawan, don't miss out the opportunity to drop by it's famous pineapple plantation at Nago Pineapple Park.

I am always fascinated by Japanese cuisines but yet I find them very difficult to prepare at home perhaps due to the lack of ingredients and etc. Now after Chef Tadashi's demo class, I think preparing simple Japanese cuisines at home is actually not that difficult too.

Lastly I would like to thanks La Galerie De Dietrich, Four Seasons Gourmet Market and Foodnews for the Okinawan Cooking Demo invite.

Happy Egg-Citing Easter!

Received some hot cross buns as take home gift after our church service this morning. So without hesitate, I decided to use it to make an Egg-Citing Easter Bento for my boy's lunch. To enhance the bento with Easter mood, I decorated it with some "chicky" design such as hen, chick and heart-shaped egg using his favourite quail eggs.

Rejoice And Celebrate!!!! Here we wish everyone a wonderful and blessed Happy Egg-citing Easter! Cheer, remember to hut for more bunny and eggs..........