Hari Raya Delights

Today is Hari Raya Puasa holiday which is an important Muslim festivals in Singapore. Hari Raya is Malay for "Grand day of rejoicing". It is also known to be a celebratory occasion following a month of fasting. This year we are so lucky to have a new Malay neighbour shifting into our area who gave us so many of their homemade delicacy.

These are their homemade cookies which is so pretty at sight and delicious on taste. Rey loves these star cornflake and chocolate cornflake cups while I fancy more on the pineapple tarts and almond cookies.

This is Sambal Petai with Tempeh is one of the interesting dish that I have not try before. It consists of prawn, petail, tempeh, chicken liver and a lot of chilli spices. It is a very tasty and appetising dish and I love the combination of add the chicken liver in it.

Ayam Masak Merah (Spicy Tomato Chicken) is similar to the Italian famous dish Chicken Cacciatore except for it spicy hotness. The chicken pieces are pan-fried to a golden brown then simmered with the spicy tomato sauce. It is a popular Malay dish which is usually eaten with nasi tomato (tomato rice).

Look at this delicious and tender looking Mutton Rendang. It goes really well with their homemade ketupat (rice cake wrapped in coconut leaf) which is soft and fragrance. We give their Mutton Rendang 8/10 as the meat is really tender and the gravy is excellent with the combination of spices. Most important fact is you won't find that strong "Mutton" smell on this dish.......

Dairy Farm Nature Park

Recently there is a new hiking area called Dairy Farm Nature Park which is opened next to the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve. This new discovery make it easier for older walkers and young children to pause and check out the nature beauty, butterflies, birds and plants.

Unlike the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, which has many uphill trails along the way, Dairy Farm Nature Park has flatter trails which is more relax and enjoyable for hikers. There are two carparks within the park where Carpark B near Bukit Timah Express way, has the nearer access (about 15 minutes walk) to the Wallace Education Center.

Along the walk to the Wallace Education Center, you can enjoy the beauty of the nature by looking at these beautiful flowers, plants and trees. Kids will sure to enjoy the walk as they will find many interesting insects such as butterflies, dragonflies, damselflies, beetles and etc.

Outside the Education center, you will find interesting road sign and interesting creatures. We did spot some lizard and monkeys on that day. There is also a Wallace Trail near the Education Center which is about 1Km. This trail cuts through secondary forest and you will find fruit trees such as Durian and Rambutan also you might able to spot some bracket fungi and beetles.

Wallace Education Centre is a former milking shed that has been restored into an information centre that traces the history of the area. They also have interactive information kiosk that has pictures of the biodiversity found in the area.

About 3 minutes away away from the Education Center, you will see a one-storey abandoned old fashioned English garden house which is believed to have been built in the 1920s. Outside the house, you will find a small garden planted with ixora, lantanas and hibiscus which makes it a very popular photo shot area.

After back to Carpark B from the Wallace Education Center, we move on to Carpark A where we start another 30 minutes walk to the Singapore Quarry Trail. As you can see, along the walk we discovered a lot of interesting view, flowers and Rey also spot some Banana Trees.

At the entrance of the Singapore Quarry, there are a lot of Orchid flower planted on the left side of the gate which add extra beauty to the area. This former quarry has been transformed into a wetland where they is a viewing deck with a sheltered area.

Releasing of fish or other animals into the wetland is prohibited as it will disrupt the eco-system. We are also not allow to capture any insects such as butterflies or dragonflies or bird. This place is indeed full of nature peace and you can see that it's such a beautiful place to indulge in. So do try to squeeze out some of your time from your busy schedule and take a walk along these trail to enjoy the beauty of the Nature Park.

Sakae @ North Point

This evening we are having our weekend dinner at newly renovated Sakae Sushi @ Northpoint Shopping Mall. Before the new location shifted to the newly renovated building, Sakae used to have their branch located at the Basement 2 of the old building.

First we ordered this Ungai and Tempura Bento which comes with assorted tempura set such as prawn, capsicum and mushroom. Gorgeous amount of grilled Ungai sandwich between slices of Tamago. This set also comes with rice and miso soup which is at a reasonable price of S$15++

Out of the set, I love the crabmeat Chawanmushi which is very smooth and fragrance in taste. The texture of the steam egg is very delicate and it really will melts in your mouth with that Opps feeling!!!

As usual every Sakae visit you will see us ordering this Tamago Sushi which is one of Rey's favourite and a must order.

Temaki is one of my mum's favourite to order list when she comes to Sakae. Like before, today we ordered Mango Avocado and Salmon Mango. But to our disappointment, today's temaki is not up to the usual standard as the nori sheet is rather soft and moist compare to the usual crunch and crispy texture.

Due to the hot weather, we also grab a plate of this green tea Cha Soba which is a type of thin Japanese noodle made from buckwheat flour and also with the added ingredient of fresh Green Tea leaves.

Sunshine Maki is one of my favourite because I simply love the combination of Mango and Prawn. The extra fish roe topping do add on extra flavour to each individual piece of cut out. Luckily, today the mango slices used is still fresh and vibrant in colour and most important is it's freshness and sweetness that enhance the overall flavour of this dish.

Salmon Kammage is my mum's favourite dish which she can eat at least 2 plates on the go. This seems to be one of their popular dish which is always out of stock if you dine in late in the afternoon or evening.

Fried Doufu which is crispy on the outer skin but soft and juicy in the inside. I love the sauce that is come with the fried doufu that makes this plain dish extra tasty.

Before we ends our meal for tonight's dinner, I grab a plate of the Salmon Nigiri which is appears to be very fresh and tender to me. And just as I expected, the taste and texture of the salmon slice is great :)

Share an interesting shot with you. Rey spot these cute little fish roes on top of the Sunshine Maki and he insisted that I must take some shots on them. He was fascinated with these fish roes because of a recent Japanese Animated Movie called "Ponyo On The Cliff By The Sea". He said that these little fish roes is Ponyo because if you look carefully at the darker orange image it seems to be like a little paw prints.

Singapore Blog Awards - Best Food Blog

16 September 2009 is the date where most of the Singapore Blog Award finalists look forward to. Our family are so happy to be invited to attend the OMY Singapore Blog Award Ceremony that is held at Supperclub at Odeon Tower. We were so excited to see so many blogger from different nominated categories as well as some other guest blogger. You can take a look at the full-list of winner for each category HERE.

To read more about the Blog Award Ceremony, hop over to the main blog at CUISINE PARADISE for more review........