Butter Batter

As Julia Child once said, which Julie Powell followed, "one can never have too much butter". I fully agree with this statement! I am a strong advocate of butter. I find food with butter tastes much better - bread, toast, etc. Even food cooked in butter tastes better than food cooked in oil!

Unfortunately, my parents are the practical and healthy kinds, so I grow up not having much butter. We use margarine on bread and cook food in sunflower oil. Hence, whenever there is butter, it is very well-treasured amongst my family members, especially me!

I have always wanted to try using butter to cook something, but since my house is severely lacking of butter, I have no choice but to cook using oil. So when we ran out of oil while cooking breakfast on Sunday, I suggested butter.

And butter we used. We used butter to cook eggs, sausages, hash browns. We even used butter to spread on bread and toast. And I was right - the food really tastes better using butter as compared to just normal oil!

I am swearing on butter now! If my mum refuses, I will just buy my own butter to do my own cooking! And I am going to use butter to cook and spread on my bread henceforth!

Cavana Chicken Rice @ Jurong Point

Cavana - the halal version of Carona, the popular chicken rice well-liked by young and old. The chicken rice comes in a set of two chicken wings, or two barbecued wings. I fell in love with it when I first ate it, way back more than ten years back already.

Through the years, whenever I came across a Carona / Cavana stall, I would always go in to eat the chicken rice. However, I have not had the chance to eat it in the past couple of years or so. A few months back, I suddenly had the craving to try Carona chicken rice again. Initially, I thought White Sands in Pasir Ris still sells it, but when I went there, the stall was no longer there.

Few weeks back, a close friend told me she managed to find one at Sembawang Sun Plaza. Seems that the few outlets they still have are in quite out-of-the-way areas. Seems like it is so hard to find the stalls lately, and if I want to eat, I have to travel so far!

Luckily I managed to drop by Jurong Point on Friday. I know there is still an outlet at Jurong Point. So we went for lunch at the Cavana stall there. Besides a very rude counter staff, the chicken rice, fried chicken and barbecued chicken wings still taste the same as before - delicious! I am so glad I finally got my craving satisfied, albeit overdue! Hopefully I will have the opportunity to go there and eat again!

Colbar @ Portsdown

We chose this place Colbar for two reasons - one, it is rather popular among foreigners and local celebrities, and two, I have always like the design of that place. Besides, Portsdown is one area that has been converted from old colonial houses, and I like to absorb the atmosphere.

Going to that eatery is like stepping thirty or fourty years into time. One never sees those kind of walls, floors and tiles anymore! It is just like a little wooden house that is painted up into a quaint eatery!

The eatery is not originally there. I remember it was further out the area, facing a football field. When our government wanted to get rid of the field and build a highway to link other highways (what's new?), the eatery was affected. But our government recognised it as a "remnants of the past", so thought of building the new highway around the eatery.

However, in the end, it was impossible to build the highway around, and since the highway had to be built, the eatery had to move. Hence, they actually took every wood, panelling and tile, shifted a bit further into the area away from the highway, and rebuilt the whole eatery tile for tile, wood for wood, to where it stands today.

Entrance of Colbar

The place specialises in Western fare, as well as local fare. I ordered bacon sandwich, my brother ordered hor fun and my dear ordered fried rice. We also had root beer and ice cream. There is even a shelf for books donated by customers, which I took back four. Being a place that caters to the Caucasian crowd, the books are of pretty high standard, like Somerset Maugham and P.D. James, even James Hilton, none of those local cheesy books!

Definitely this is a place I like to go again!

Bacon Sandwich

Hor Fun

Fried Rice

The entrance and exit (have not seen this kind of doors for ages!)

Weighing machine near the entrance (definitely a relic from the past!)

Part of the layout of the eatery

Interior of the eatery

The ceiling
(the fan was actually spinning but the photo came out looking like it was stationary)

Dividers dividing the eating area and the counter

The tables and chairs

The counter (see the television and the bottles?)

Food : 3.5 out of 5
Ambience : 4 out of 5
Price : 3.5 out of 5

The Traditional Bread Cafe @ Kovan

Last evening, we happened to stumble upon this shop called The Traditional Bread Cafe, that sells, erh... bread. The interior of the shop is actually a bakery, where shelves upon shelves of soft white bread are being prepared.

The front of the stall is a cafe of sorts that serves toast sets, with eggs. There are buttered toasts, local flavours like otak toasts, curry with bread, pastries, cakes, jams and butter. Since the shop looks so quaint, we decided to go in and eat something.

I ordered a toasted set of four slices of buttered toast, two half-boiled eggs and a cup of milk tea. He had an otak toast with eggs. I also bought two loaves of bread home. Honestly, the toast sets are just normal - nothing to hype about. The only reason I stepped into the shop is because the name sounds interesting and the shop looks cosy and quaint.

Plus it sells my favourite kind of bread - soft white bread! Something which my mum seldom buys because she prefers to buy wholemeal bread, but I prefer soft white bread over any other kind of bread! That and the long French roll which I normally get from Delifrance!

Wala Wala @ Holland Village

Last Friday I went to Wala Wala. I have heard a lot about this place, but have never been there. When we went there it was almost full, so we sat outside.

The place is a pretty good chill-out joint with a big television screen for soccer enthusiasts. A game was shown that night and one could hear scores of fans shouting and cheering. The place sells a mean Erdinger beer as well as lychee martini, and there was one-for-one drinks during Happy Hour in the evening.

One thing I must commend on is that the chicken wings are superb! Delicious, spicy and fried to perfection! We ordered a plate of hot wings with chilli sauce and the plate was wiped out within five minutes!

It was my first experience there. Even though we did not stay long as we had a movie to catch, it was enough to make me want to go back. Perhaps next time I would be able to sit inside and order a proper meal instead of just drinks!

Food : 3.5 out of 5
Ambience : 3 out of 5
Price : 3 out of 5

The INK Club Bar @ Fairmont Singapore

It was the first time I went to this joint at the Fairmont Singapore, next to the Swissotel Stamford. The interior decoration is pretty chic! The bar reminds me of those that is always shown in Hong Kong drama serials. The drinks look interesting and have quite a big variety too!

The lychee martini there is solid! The martini is really shaken, not stirred. A martini glass is put in front of you, with a lychee in it. Then the martini is shaken in a cocktail mixer, then poured onto the glass. One sip of the martini and you are in heaven!

The rest of them ordered a combination of mojito, vodka, cocktails and beer. We sat down, chilling out, chatting, and listening to the jazz band consisting of three handsome hunks - the singer, the pianist and the drummer. The singer is really to-die-for! His looks, his body and his voice... WOW!!!

And the songs are nice too. At least they are some of my favourites so I find them nice. He crooned a medley of songs ranging from "Fly Me To The Moon" to "Sway" (jazz version) to "Ain't No Sunshine When She's Gone" and "L-O-V-E".

The best thing was that it was happy hour when we went there, so we got the second drink free! By the time I reached home it was almost midnight. I do not really fancy pubs and bars, but this is one place which I find suits me pretty well. Definitely I will like to go there to chill out again!

Food : (in this case, drinks) 4 out of 5
Ambience : 4 out of 5
Price : 3.5 out of 5

Tao's Modern Pacific Cuisine @ POMO

I was at this place called Tao's Modern Pacific Cuisine, a place serving fusion food, at PoMo Centre, the annex to Paradiz Centre. The menu seems interesting too! And the price is pretty reasonable, about S$30.00 per person for a seven-course dinner!

Tao's Modern Pacific Cuisine

The service is pretty good too. There was a waiter who gave us personalised service, and he was the one serving us throughout the meal. He recommended us their specialties, then went to talk to us one by one to get our orders. In the event any of us were not satisfied with our order, it would be replaced with something else free of charge!

Since it is a seven-course dinner, the first course is a starter of Bacon and Mushroom Gratin. Complimentary toast and a cold orange drink was served as a pre-appetizer starter before the Bacon and Mushroom Gratin. One word - delicious!

Toast with the orange drink

Bacon and Mushroom Gratin

The second course is a variety of salads. I ordered the fruit salad, but the rest ordered a combination of Farmboy Splendour and Huai San.

Farmboy Splendour

Huai San

Fruit Salad

The third course is Grilled Mushroom and Mango Sorbet. I could not really tell if it was a mushroom dish, but come to think of it, the meal consisted of quite a number of mushrooms!

Grilled Mushroom and Mango Sorbet

The fourth course is a variety of soups. I ordered Cream of Mushroom, and the others ordered a variety of Fish Soup, Cream of Pumpkin and Shark-fin Melon Soup.

Cream of Mushroom

Shark-fin Melon Herbal Soup

Fish Soup
(this soup was served in a teapot and poured into a small bowl)

The fifth course is the main entree. I ordered Spicy Stingray, but each one of us ordered a different item, namely Oven Roasted Steak, Marinated Lamb Cutlet, Grilled Unagi, Slow Cooked Pork Back Ribs, Grilled Chicken and Baked Atlantic Flounder with Cheese. Unfortunately I did not manage to take all the photos of the main entrees. :-(

Slow Cooked Pork Back Ribs

Grilled Unagi

Spicy Stingray

Oven Roasted Steak

Grilled Chicken

The sixth course is a variety of desserts. There are creme brulee, tiramisu, poached pear, ice cream, cheese cake and fondue. I chose yam ice cream and the others chose poached pear and creme brulee.

Yangsheng Poached Pear

Yam Ice Cream

Creme Brulee

Finally, the seventh course is drinks - a variety of iced fruit teas. I have no idea what the teas are made up of exactly, but they have a pretty unique and refreshing taste, some stronger than the others.

Variety of Iced Fruit Teas

Since it was a farewell, we gave the guest-of-honour an extra special dessert, consisting of vanilla and yam ice cream. After that, we proceeded elsewhere for drinks.

The special dessert

Overall it is a very good restaurant. Highly recommended!

Cuisine : Fusion
Food : 4 out of 5
Ambience : 3 out of 5
Service : 4.5 out of 5
Price : 4.5 out of 5

La Fondue @ Dempsey

Last Saturday was Halloween, so some friends and I went to La Fondue at Dempsey for dinner. It was a very rainy night, with torrents of rain splashing down. Most people would be late, and by the time we reached the restaurant, it was five minutes past the stipulated time. Luckily my friends are the ones who keep promises, so rain or shine, they turned up and we had a blast of a time!

It was the first time I entered the restaurant. Initially, we were supposed to go to White Rabbit, but that was closed for a private function, hence we settled for La Fondue instead. The set meals consist of cheese fondues (what else?), with meat, vegetables, appetizers and a dessert of chocolate fondue!

The set meals range from a three-course to a sumptuous six-course, so the price is dependent on what one orders. Personally, for just two people, a normal three-course is already filling enough! Since we have about twelve, we ordered three different meals and all had a sumptuous feast!

The interior of the restaurant looks cosy and quaint. It is situated in an colonial house (like most of Dempsey), so the space is not that big. The restaurant can seat about twenty the most. Still, it is great for big groups and yet cosy enough for just two.

Interior of the restaurant - hanging chandelier of sorts

I am not sure if it was due to Halloween, or the restaurant itself has a mystic feel to it, but we saw masks, different kinds of masks, hanging at every wall, next to candle stands.

Different kinds of masks

Table setting

The appertizers of caesar salad, garden salad and shrimp cocktail

The blue cheese fondue

The brie cheese fondue

The pure cheese fondue

Vegetables sides

The bread

Dipping the bread into the fondue

The different varieties of meat (beef, fish and chicken)

Cooking the meat (cooked by my dear!)

Dessert - chocolate fondue

Platter of fruit
(bananas, strawberries, kiwis, pineapples, marshmallows and vanilla ice-cream!)

Dipping banana into the chocolate fondue

Dipping the strawberry into the chocolate fondue

Dipping the marshmallow into the chocolate fondue

After our fondue feast, some of us adjourned to Brewerkz for drinks. We saw many people in costumes along the way, there was a Count Dracula, two monsters from Scream, even a Twitter guy! All in all, it was a great get-together, filled with fun, laughter and cheers!

Cuisine : Mediterranean
Food : 3.5 out of 5

Ambience : 4 out of 5

Price : 3.5 out of 5