Dim Sum @ Breakthrough Cafe

Breakthrough Cafe is run by a Christian based aftercare association, which provides skills to ex-convicts who face difficulties in employment due to their criminal record. This cafe is officially launched on the 27th of October 2007 by Associate Professor Ho Peng kee (former Senior Minister of State for Home Affairs and Law). At Breakthrough cafe it offers reformed drug addicts the much needed employment opportunities where they can further their skills and be better prepared in reintegrating into the society.

Other than array of dim sum, they also have homemade dishes such as curry chicken and curry fishhead served bubbling in a claypot which are very popular amongst patrons. And you could choose either bread or rice (or both) to go with it. But since our aim for that day was to try their dim sum I have to give those dishes a pass till my visit.

The four(3 adults plus 1 kid) of us ordered about 10 Dim Sum items plus Black Vinegar Pig Trotter and drinks which add up to a total of S$34.00 which was quite reasonable for it's value. The moment the Century Egg Porridge - 皮蛋粥 (S$3.00 per bowl) arrived I was quite stunned as this is my first time seeing "fishcakes" in dim sum porridge which makes it look so home cooked. We love the smooth texture of the congee which infuse with chicken stock and served with some shredded chicken, fish-cakes, century eggs, fried onions and etc.

Beside porridge we also tried their homemade fragrance "Steamed Glutinous Rice - 糯米饭" (S$2.00 per plate) that comes with generous portion of ingredients such as dried prawns and mushrooms together with their delicious Sambal chilli. Overall the texture of the steamed glutinous rice was still quite good as in not too overcooked or salty.

Similar to most Dim Sum restaurants or eateries, Breakthrough also offers different types of freshly made Chee Cheong Fun - 肠粉(S$3.00 per plate) with fillings such as Char Siew, Scallops and Prawns to meet their customers' preference. Personally I love the accompany sauce of the cheong fun which is fragrant and match with the right seasonings to bring up the taste of the steamed rice roll.

My aunty recommended us to try their Fried Dumplings - 锅贴 (S$4.20 per plate) and Steamed Yam Cake - 芋头糕 (S$1.50 per plate). Surprisingly their fried dumplings are not oily and the skin of the dumplings was crispy and definitely can taste it is made from those handmade dumpling skin. On the other hand, the steamed yam cake was rather good with hint of yam slices in between too.

Their Black Vinegar Pork Trotter - 猪脚醋 (S$6.00 per claypot with rice) is delicious which is not too sour or sweet towards our liking and it would be great to go with some rice during lunchtime as a meal. From a glance during lunch hour that day, I saw quite a number of tables ordered this Pork Trotter and Curry Chicken which I assumed are their signature dishes.

The environment of this cafe is quite comfortable even for a morning/afternoon tea session where you could order their toast and egg set and enjoy some chatting with friends. And most importantly the friendly services definitely added value to the place. To reach this cafe, you could take the North-East Line train and alight at "Chinatown" station, walk towards the exit to People's Park Centre. The cafe is at ground level facing the Singapore Subordinate Court direction.

Breakthrough Cafe

101 Upper Cross Street
#01-02C
People's Park Centre
Singapore 058358
Telephone: +65 6533 5977
Website: HERE

Opening Hours
Monday – Thursday: 7am – 7pm
Friday: 7am - 5pm; Saturday: 7am – 3pm
(Closed on Sun/PH)

Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition @ ArtScience Museum, Marina Bay Sands

Good news to all Titanic fans, RMS Titanic has arrived in Singapore docking at Art Science Museum(near Marina Bay Sands) where you can go on board the largest Ship in the world for the first time in Southeast Asia.

And for one of the highlight of the exhibition, each visitor is given a boarding pass at the entrance of the gallery to participate as one of the passengers on board the Titanic. And towards the end of the exhibition, you could also check the name written on the back of the boarding pass against those shown at the "Memorial Gallery" to see what had happened to that "passenger" in the story.

ARTSCIENCE MUSEUM

Currently there are two exhibitions held at the ArtScience Museum which are; DALI Mind of a Genius (extended until 13 November 2011)  and Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition (from 29 October 2011 to 29 April 2012).

The Museum is at Marina Bay Sands along the Marina Bay waterfront and it is easily accessible via public transport and car. If you are traveling by the MRT, Promenade Station(circle line) is about 10 minutes walk from the station whereas Marina Bay Station(North South Line) will takes you about 15 minutes walk to reach the Museum from the station.

RMS TITANIC IN SINGAPORE

Visitor can grab a copy of this "ArtScience Museum Chronicle" at the Museum's lobby on the ground level where you could read up some highlights about this Titanic Exhibition as well as some fascinating facts. For example:- The full name of the Ship, RMS Titanic actually stands for "Royal Mail Steamer Titanic" because Titanic was also built to carry British and US mail apart from those rich and famous passengers.

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE EXHIBITIONS

The Titanic Artifact Exhibition occupies 2500 square meters of gallery space in ArtScience Museum with 9 different exhibit areas showcasing from the Constructions of Titanic to it's First Class Stateroom,  Boiler Room, Iceberg Gallery, Discovery and etc.

In the Iceberg Gallery you can touch a real sheet of ice and experience the freezing waters of the North Atlantic where the passengers of Titanic encountered during the night on 14 April 1912.

Despite whether you have or yet to visit the Titanic Exhibition you could also check out their online Passenger Logbook at www.titanic.sg where visitors to the Exhibition shared about their thoughts on the Titanic experience. 

VISITOR INFORMATION

LOCATION
ArtScience Museum (Marina Bay Sands)
10 Bayfront Avenue
Singapore 018956
Official Site: HERE


WHERE TO PURCHASE TICKETS
Online: Marina Bay Sands Ticketing Portal

Ticketing Hotline: +65 6688 8826

Marina Bay Sands Box Offices

~ ArtScience Museum Lobby
~ Hotel Lobby, Tower 1 L1
~ Retail Concierge, The Shoppes L1
~ SkyPark Ticketing Counter, Tower 3 B1
~ Theater, The Shoppes B1

*Note:- 20% discount on admission for all OCBC Credit / Debit Cardmembers


HOURS OF OPERATION

10am to 10pm Daily
Last admission at 9pm


This visit to the ArtScience Museum has being a fruitful trip as we get to see 2 different exhibitions(Titanic plus Dali) for the price of S$21.00 per Adult(with 20% dsicount from OCBC Cardmembers). But as for the downside we are not able to take many photos as photographing and filming are prohibited in the galleries.

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.

Sunset Grill And Pub(Seletar)

Sunset Grill And Pub is quiet a well-hidden place right behind the Seletar Airbase at 140B Piccadilly Road. Since there is not bus access to that area if you don't drive or take a cab you would have to prepare to walk quite a distance (roughly about 2km) from the entrance of the seletar camp(old entrance). Along the way, upon nearer to the restaurant you will pass by a couple of airplane hangers or jet planes which are quite a sight to recognize (for your information there is a small signboard near the entrance of the hangers showing Sunset Cafe) .

The restaurant has both indoor and outdoor seating area which similar those western country outdoor Al Fresco dining with checker table lining and plastic chairs which so "country style". We arrived at about 6pm on a Saturday evening and all the indoor seating are being fully taken up so we have to join in the outdoor seating which is almost half full.

Our aim for this trip is to try their famous Buffalo Wings which starts from Level 1 - 10 from the menu or it you can have special order from Level 11 - 35 upon request. And anyone who could finished at least one wing of Level 30 or 35 spiciness will have his/her name written on its wall of fame and receive a certificate too.

Since we have tried Level 2 at Buckaroo(read more HERE) we decided to put ourselves to test with their level 5 Buffalo Wings which recommended by my friend Joyce. At the 1st bite the spiciness level was still quite bearable for level 5 and it's only maybe when you have the 3rd bites you would realize the numbness starting to form from your lips onwards. Out of the 6 wings I only managed to conquer two with 30 minutes interval with at least 4 cups of ice water. However to me there is nothing special about these Buffalo Wings except there were deep-fried coated with layers of "HOT" chilli!!!!!!!
Price: Half Dozen Level 5 Buffalo Wings @ S$20.50

To accompany the Buffalo Wings, we also ordered the "BBQ Platter" which comes with serving of half pork ribs rack and half BBQ chicken with fries and some salad green. Overall nothing very special about this set but at least it is still edible.

Although Sunset Grill might seem sort of run-down with wooden tables, plastic chairs and in-accessible location that puts you off but somehow or rather there are still large number of crowds whom are attracted to this country-side style dinning.

Sunset Grill And Pub
140B Piccadilly Road
Seletar Airbase(Republic of Singapore Flying Club), East Camp
Singapore 797754
Telephone: +65 6482 0244

Opening Hours
Daily: 4pm – 11pm; (Closed on Tuesdays)