IKEA - Our All-times Family Favourite

About two weeks ago I was invited to attend a "behind scene" tour at IKEA, Tampines to get to know more about their showrooms, store operations, restaurant and etc. It was a very wonderful trip where each and everyone of us was given a chance to know and see IKEA store in another aspect of view apart from what we used to know.

We were all very excited while stepping into their showroom on level 4 as we were all enlighten by their range of Christmas Dining setup at the entrance which brings out the the warm festive feelings in our heart too.

When process further, we were introduced to these IKEA showrooms where you could find lots of inspiring ideas and furnishings in realistic room settings which are similar to our living environments. For example most of the furnishings ideas from IKEA, Tampines emerged from the flour area and layout of the newer estate near their area such as Sengkang and Punggol.

And it is in these showrooms that we can try out their furniture; fall asleep in a bed, stretch out on a sofa, or even let our kids make their own decision to choose furniture for their rooms.

Despite of dealing with furniture and food, I didn't know at IKEA whenever we purchase "soft toy" at any of their outlets (Alexandra/Tampines), the IKEA foundation will actually donates €1.00(S$1.75) to help educate kids from UNICEF (The United Nations Children's Fund) which is a very meaningful contribution that we could help and take part in.

And for the month of November till 24 December 2011, IKEA will also donates €1.00(S$1.75) whenever we purchased soft toy or kid's meal(chicken nuggets) to the UNICEF in order to help more children to have quality education.

IKEA Restaurant is located at level 4, beside the Children's IKEA where you can take a break from shopping with some coffee and cake or even breakfast/dinner. And in the restaurant, you'll find healthy Swedish and local daily dishes at really low prices too. In order to cater families with kids, the restaurant is child-friendly with high chairs and a play area as well as special menu just for kids.

For your information, IKEA Restaurant is serving Christmas Dishes such as Christmas Platter, Marinated Herring Gratin, Mini Log Cake and etc where you can take a look at the menu on their website HERE.

Located at the end of Level 3, Market Hall. I am sure most of you are familiar with these racks and boxes that are found in the IKEA, Self Serve Furniture Area. The concept of these self-pick up methods came from their very first store where the demand was so great that the furniture wasn’t being provided fast enough to the consumers. So in order to please their consumers, IKEA opened their warehouse and allowed consumers to take whatever they wanted to buy and proceed straight to the payment counter.

After we have completed the tour, the next excitement we had for that night was we were invited to dine-in at their Co-workers Restaurant which is located at the back alley of the main restaurant. The design, layout and food menu of their staffs restaurant are pretty similar to what we see at their IKEA restaurant too.

For dinner, I tried their Cheese Baked Saithe (from the 3 choices) which I think is not available on their IKEA restaurant menu. Saithe is also known as coley which is a white fish with firm flesh that is very popular in Germany. I love the taste  and texture of this dish which is served together with some potato and carrot, hope it will be available in their restaurant menu soon.

Lastly I would like to thank IKEA and Pearlin from one9ninety for this wonderful IKEA behind scene tour.

{Real Spice} The BK Way of Chicken by Burger King

Photos courtesy of Burger King, Singapore

Almost every month or two Burger King(BK) will launched some new items on their existing menu to lure the tastebuds of their customers. If you are a loyal fan of BK I am sure you have tried their BK Chicken French and BK Chicken Italian treat which has ended recently. And now the new theme for November will be “Never chicken out on real spice” which is one part of a series of their “The BK Way of Chicken” lessons.

Here BK features two new spicy chicken sandwich such as:- "Spicy Panini Tendergrill Chicken Sandwich" and "Spicy Panini Tendercrisp Chicken Sandwich" that will bring you spicy enlightenment.

SPICY PANINI TENDERCRISP CHICKEN SANDWICH

Photos courtesy of Burger King, Singapore

For chicken burger lover who demand a bigger crunch and spicier kick from their chicken sandwich, the Spicy Panini Tendercrisp Chicken Sandwich with 100% thigh-meat patty wrapped in a crisp batter packed with a fiery spice mix of capsicum, garlic powder, rosemary and chili oil is a must to be in your ordering list.
*Price: S$5.50 for ala carte, S$7.65 with meal

SPICY PANINI TENDERGRILL CHICKEN SANDWICH

Photos courtesy of Burger King, Singapore

Or for something less greasy, try this Spicy Panini Tendergrill Chicken Sandwich and experience a flavour explosion that will make your tastebuds dance. In the quest for chicken perfection, the 100% succulent thigh-meat patty is marinated in a complex blend of spices such as cayenne pepper, black pepper and hints of mustard, onion powder and celery seed before the chicken patty is then flame-grilled to smoky goodness.
*Price: S$5.95 for ala carte, S$7.95 with meal

For your information, both sandwiches are topped off with whole-leaf premium crisp Batavia lettuce and fresh juicy slices of red, ripe tomatoes together with the real spice-marinated chicken thigh nestled within soft Mediterranean Panini bread, baked with quality herbs of rosemary and oregano.

*Pricing varies at selected restaurants. Each meal comes with medium fries and a 16oz drink. BURGER KING® reserves the right to revise menu items without prior notice.

{Guest Post} Quiche Lorraine by My Cookinghut

Today I am excited and happy to be able to invite Leemei from My Cookinghut to share with us one of her recipe on how to make a French classic, Quiche lorraine which is a rich open pie with a filling of custard baked with bacon and Gruyère cheese.

Leemei is a freelance recipe contributor, food stylist and photographer which is based in London. I love her wide collection of recipes which includes Italian, Middle Eastern, French and etc. And recently her new cookbook – Lemongrass and Ginger Cookbook: Vibrant Asian Recipes which contains a big handful of delicious Asian recipes is scheduled to be published in Spring, April 2012. Although it is still a few months away, but this fabulous cookbook is available for pre-order now and you could could refer more details HERE.

QUICHE LORRAINE

I was thrilled when Ellena asked me to be her guest blogger. Ellena is the author of a great food blog named Cuisine Paradise, which is one of the Top 10 Best Food Blog in Singapore. There is a vast collection of tested and tried recipes on Ellena’s blog. Bedies, there are some great restaurant reviews too!

I have been following Ellena’s blog for quite a while and I absolutely love what she has been sharing on her blog. Thank you very much, Ellena, for giving me this great opportunity to appear as a guest on your blog!

Today, I have decided to make a French classic, Quiche lorraine – a delicately wobbling, full-flavoured beauty that is really easy that everyone can make at home. Quiche lorraine is a rich open pie with a filling of custard baked with bacon. Gruyère cheese is commonly added too.

The bottom crust is a crisp savoury pastry. A good quality of pastry is important. You could make it yourself or get the best short crust pastry you could get at the supermarket. Most of the time at home, I will make it from scratch. Unless I am extremely busy, I will then grab a ready made one.

Quiche lorraine is best served at room temperature. I love to make it a day in advance and let the flavours develop for full impact to be enjoyed the next day.

[Soft Break]So, what do I normally eat with quiche lorraine? Personally, I like to serve it with a simple leafy salad - drizzled with extra virgin olive oil ,seasoned with salt and freshly ground black pepper. It could be just be as simple as that to serve it as lunch or dinner!

Have I tempted you enough? Make it yourself, ideally including homemade pastry, and with fresh eggs and cream.

RECIPE FOR QUICHE LORRAINE

Shortcrust pastry:

225g plain flour
100g unsalted butter, diced
1 egg yolk
a pinch of salt

Filling:
300g diced bacon
230ml double cream
20ml milk
3 eggs
100g gruyere cheese
a pinch of grated nutmeg
salt and pepper, to taste

Method:-

1. To make the pastry, put the flour and salt into a bowl, add the butter and rub with your fingertips until the mixture becomes like a breadcrumb consistency. Add the egg yolk and about 2-3 tbsp of water, mix until the dough just starts to come together. Shape the dough into a ball, wrap in cling film and put in the fridge to rest for 30 minutes.

2. Roll out the pastry into a square on a lightly floured surface and line a 25cm fluted tin or a 35cm rectangular tart tin. Trim the edge and pinch up the pastry edge to make an even border raised slightly above the tin rim. Put in the fridge for 10 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 200°C. Then, line the pastry shell with a piece of greaseproof paper and baking beads. Blind bake the pastry for 10 minutes, remove the paper and beads and bake for another 5 minutes or until the pastry is just cooked but still very pale, then remove from the oven. Reduce the oven to 180°C.

4. Bring a saucepan of water to the boil and blanch the diced bacon for 1-2 minutes. Drain well and soak up excess moisture with kitchen paper. Discard extra fat of the bacon if necessary.

5. Mix together the cream, milk and eggs. Season with salt and pepper. Add a pinch of grated nutmeg. Stir until combine. Scatter the bacon into the pastry shell, then pour in the egg mixture. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the filling is set. Leave the quiche in the tin for until cool to handle. Serve at room temperature.

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Lastly I would like to thank Leemei for taking her time to prepare this wonderful guest post for Cuisine Paradise and you could find out more about her recipes and travel experience from here website, My Cooking Hut @ http://www.mycookinghut.com/