Birthday Treat @ Sakae Sushi Part II

Today's lunch was a very special treat because Rey had being looking forward for it for a long long time. He has being talking about having SAKAE sushi with his best Facebook playmate.... "Ah Pooh" since the 1st day she return to Singapore. Joyce is a very good friend, sister and listener of mine thru MSN and facebook for the past two years while she was away in Australia :) And with similar tastebuds as us, she is also one of the Sakae sushi fan.....and she loves the raw Salmon slices ...just the way I do.....

But today's lunch treat, we have special mission.... Joyce was curious on how I take my photo shots before the meal and what are the angles that I will snap and etc... So this lunch was actually a very interesting and meaningful treat. Secondly it also meant for us to have an early celebration for my coming birthday in Mid January.... :p

Other than taking the usual items that we like, we also ordered 3 special items that we are going to try and share with the readers. First to arrive on the table is the"Beancurd Roll" shown on the first photo on top, but we are kind of shock with the dish. Because it seems rather different from what we saw from the menu which is something shown on the sakae photo above. As you can see from the Sakae photo, the white portion(seems like the doufu) is thicker and it clean and crispy on the outlook rather than the black sauce that drizzle on our serving....... Although the sauce taste quite nice, but it is sort of contradict to the photo shown on the menu which might be a bit misleading....

While flipping through the ordering menu, J & I decided to ordered this "Tempura With Yuzu Soba" which we find it worth the price of S$13.99 which consists generous amount of cold Yuzu Soba, a plate of assorted Tempura Moriawase. When we are busying taking photo shots of this dish, we are kind of caught off with what is the purpose of that little quail egg. Since we have not come across using this egg in any soba dish that we have tried before, we decided to approached the store manager for help. And she was very kind enough to explain to us that the egg is to be crack into the soba dipping sauce and eat together with the noodles. So at least in the end we knew that it is the same as what we thought it is used for :)

The Yuzu Soba taste great with it's QQ texture and a light "Yuzu" fragrant when you chew in your mouth. And this sure goes well with the deep-fry Tempura Moriawase.

Cabbage Roll is another dish that we ordered from the Veggie Delights section. Em... seems like today most of the items are from the Veggie section :p From what I remember, this used to be a similar Chinese dish where they wrapped the meat mixture (minced meat & prawn with some chopped carrot, water chestnuts and etc) with blanched Cabbage, steam it over medium heat till the meat is done, then drizzle some oyster sauce gravy on top of it.

The one that we have today is quite similar to the type I mention above, but the different is the one that served at Sakae is more of mixed vegetables filling such as Shittake Mushroom, Carrot and Enokitake Mushroom.

As for dessert, Joyce prefer something cold and sweet so she decided to go for the Peach Mochi Ice Cream. Em.... so far I have tried all flavour of Mochi Ice Cream except this peach flavour but personally I still prefer the Lychee flavour which is more fragrant.... em... wonder will Sakae bring in some DURIAN flavour... :p

A Glimpse @ Marina Bay Sands

Today we take our 2nd visit to the Marina Barrage from our way back from lunch in town. Since Grandma has not being to the Barrage before, we decided to make a trip over there so that she can take a look as the place as well as enjoying the beautiful scenery there. During our 1st visit last year, we didn't managed to get to this Water Park area where the kids and adults will be enjoying themselves with the cooling water......

Today's weather is much more better than the our revious trip. Although sun was shining bright and scotching, but thank God it is still a very windy day where you can see a lot of people flying all sort of kites at the roof top area. One that caught our attention is a "BIG BLUE SHARK"....but too big even though I zoom in to take the shot still can't take a close look of it....

From the roof top of the Barrage viewing deck area, you can take a better look at the almost completed "Marina Bay Sands - 滨海湾金沙综合娱乐城". This three cascading 55 storey hotel towers topped by an extraordinary sky park, ‘floating’ crystal pavilions, a lotus-inspired Museum, retail stores featuring cutting-edge labels and international luxury brands, trendy Celebrity Chef restaurants, endless of entertainment at the theaters and a Las Vegas-style casino is located along the Marina Bay waterfront. The expected completion date is roughly in the 2nd Quarter of 2010.

Steam Salmon Fillet With Herbs

Here is another Chinese New Year auspicious dish from Cuisine Paradise Kitchen. Despite of the Cod Fish that I always used, Salmon is another type of fish that is always on my shopping list. And since now is near to the Chinese New Year festive season, I think having something which is "BRIGHT" and "RED" will be a great presentation to impress our guests during Chinese New Year gathering...... So let me share with you my 2nd Chinese New Year "Fish" dish which I called it "鸿运当头" due to the colour of the salmon slices and herbs like red dates and wolfberries.

The idea of steaming salmon with Chinese Herbs came into my mind because I wanted to prepare something different using the salmon fillet that I bought. Instead of the usual pan-fry, bake with herbs or poaching.... I think maybe I can in-cooperate some Chinese Herbs to it and turn the Salmon into a Auspicious Chinese New Year dish.......... There are a few types of Salmon available in the supermarket or Japanese seafood stall, but usually those that we get from the local supermarket are the Norwegian Salmon which is sold in pre-packed of different parts of the salmon fillet from head to tail. No matter how you like to consume your salmon in a way from RAW to grill or poach, I am sure every different methods will brings up another level of taste in the salmon.

Ingredients: (serves 2)
1 Pieces of Boneless Salmon Fillet, abt 400g
10g Shredded Ginger
1 Stall of Spring Onion, cut into long section
4 Red Dates, soften and cut into halves
1/2 Teaspoon of Wolfberries
2 Slices of Dang Gui, break into smaller portion
Drizzle of Sesame Oil, optional

Method:
1. Rinse the Salmon fillet, pat dry and cut into slices and set aside.
2. Place some spring onion on a steaming plate, top with some Dang Gui slices and arrange the salmon slices on top of it.
3. Scatter the red dates and wolfberries evenly on the salmon slices then get ready a pot of boiling water for steaming.
4. While waiting for the water to boil, pre-heat a small frying pan with about 1 tablespoon of oil, sauté the shredded ginger till fragrant and golden brown, removed and set aside for garnish.
5. When the pot of water boils, place some saute ginger on top of the salmon slices, drizzle some ginger oil and scatter some extra chopped spring onion and steam it over medium heat for about 5 to 7 minutes depend on the thickness of the salmon slices.
6. Before severing, top with the remaining saute ginger and oil and try to scoop a few teaspoons of the fish gravy(after steaming the fish, there will be some water/sauce appears below the fish) over the fish in order to make it look more glossy and presentable.

Note:-
~ This dish is best to serve warm, just right after steaming or else the texture of the salmon slices will be tough and not smooth.

Finally, this is the end product of my "Steam Salmon Fillet with Herbs - 鸿运当头" which I hope those who consume this will have great Prosperity and luck in the coming year. If you are going to try out this dish, do let me know your feedback irregardless of good/bad :) Till then I will leave you with the two Chinese New Year Fish Dish that I have shared with you..... Will update more if I have any new ideas to share......

Assorted Pineapple Tarts

Time when by so fast as it's another starting of the year again. In about a month's time, everyone will be celebrating Chinese New Year and now it is the time to prepare and take note of those festive bakes/dishes. In my family, without failed for the past 8 years, even during my end of confinement period, I still make the effort to prepare and bake our family all times favourite - Pineapple Tarts. And this is also a time whereby my dear son is looking forward to..... as he has being helping me with the rolling of jam, and mould the tarts for the past 4 years.... :)

Pineapple tarts are usually consumed during the Chinese New Year season and it's typical shapes include flat, open tart topped with pineapple jam under a lattice of pastry or rolls filled with jam that are open at the ends and jam-filled spheres. The pineapple jam is usually cooked under low heat in order to caramelize the grated fresh pineapple that has been mixed with sugar and spices like cinnamon, star anise and cloves. From the photo, you can see the metal star shape plunger which they used to cut-out a tiny star from the pastry to top on top of the open tart. But too bad, I have misplaced mine and had only managed to find it after I have finished making these tarts :(

According to the Chinese Lunar Calender, there are 12 different animals signs which is rotating each year. And in 2010, it happens to be the year of the "TIGER". And since it is a Tiger year, I decided to make something different and special. So without much hesitate, I look-up for my baking mould and come out with this "Tigger" head print to represent the Tiger year goodies...... My dear son was very excited about this new design of our family Pineapple Tart and he actually forbidden anyone to eat it.

This set of kiddy pineapple tarts is totally belong to my dear son. He did all the rolling, mould and coating himself before I put it in the oven for him. I guess, no matter what is your age group like, you won't want to reject these cute Hello Kitty, Pooh and Tomica tarts :)

With Chinese New Year around the corner, me and my family wish everyone of you a HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR and may this year brings prosper, health and good career to everyone of you. If you are interested in the "Melt In Your Mouth Pineapple Tart" recipe, you can click HERE for more detail.

Double-Boil Luo Han Guo With Pork Muscle Soup

Saw another version of this soup ..... 罗汉果瘦肉汤 on Channel 8, Wednesday TV variety show known as "3-Plus-1 II - 3菜1汤II". I think it's about 2 months ago, I saw one of the participating term preparing a soup using "Luo Han Guo - 罗汉果" and lean pork. I remember vividly that I had prepared a soup using Luo han Guo as one of the ingredients in a few years back.

"Luo Han Guo - 罗汉果" is a dried fruits that are ellipse or round, with a yellow-brownish or green-brownish colour, and is covered by fine hairs. The fruit has a hard but thin shell. When breaks open, you can see partially dried, soft substance which contains the juice and large quantity of seeds. It has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for colds, coughs, sore throats, gastrointestinal disorder, as well as a blood purifier. And in Asian country, this fruit is usually used to boil herbal tea or soup.

Before making this soup, I am actually kind of worry about its' taste as Luo Han Guo is mostly sweet is natural when used to boil herbal tea. But I was surprised with the result of the soup when it is ready to be consume......... I guess the key ingredient lays on the "Dried Tangerine Peel" which makes the soup taste great rather than "sweet".

Ingredients: (serves 4)
500g Pork Muscle
1 Large Luo Han Guo
1 Piece of Dried Tangerine Peel, 6 x 6 cm
6 Red Dates
1/2 Tablespoon Wolfberries
1 Litre of Water

Method:
1. Wash and trim the pork muscle, blanched it boiling water for about 3 minutes, removed and rinse well.
2. Soaked the dried tangerine peel in water for about 1 minute till soften, use a small teaspoon to scrape off the white pith on the inner skins as that will cause bitterness to the soup.
3. Break the Luo Han Guo into half, rinse and set aside.
4. Bring the pot of 1 litre of water to boil, add in all the ingredients except the wolfberries, bring to boil again and simmer on low heat for 5 minutes.
5. Transfer the soup mixture to a slow cooker and cook on AUTO heat for about 2 hours or so, add in the wolfberries in the last 20 minutes of cooking time.
6. Serve warm with rice or you can drink before meal.

Note:
~ You can cook the soup over low heat for about 45 minutes on the stove if you don't have any slow cooker.


This is indeed a great soup for the warm weather recently as well as a keeper for coming Chinese New Year where the kids and adults will be busying munching their favourite goodies. This soup will helps to smooth their throat and prevent cough too..... So why not give this a try if you are comfortable with the taste of Luo Han Guo herbal tea.

Steam Osmanthus Cod Fish

In about a month's time, there will be two great occasions that falls on the same day of 14th February 2010. And I am sure most of us is aware of this Special day which marks the 1st day of the Chinese New Year as well as the Western Valentine's Day. So on this day, most or maybe all the restaurants will be fully packed with people celebrating this double occasions. In this case, why not try to whip up something special for your family or love one at the comfort of your home.

Since it is near towards the Chinese New Year season, I am sure whatever you have or going to prepare, you would want to give it some auspicious name. Today, we are going to prepare this "Osmanthus Cod Fish" with a translated name of "桂花蒸鳕鱼" which sounds like prosperous fish/become more prosperous every day(蒸蒸日上). For readers who has being following my post, you will have read about this Osmanthus flower which I have used it quite a number of time in making dessert or herbal drinks.

Ingredients: (serves 2)
1 Large Cod Cutlet
1/2 Tablespoon of Osmanthus Flower
1 Teaspoon of Wolfberries
3 Red Dates, halves
Some Broccoli Florets, blanched
1/2 Tablespoon Mirin/Glutinous Rice Rice, optional

Method:
1. Clean and pat dry the fish, lightly marinate it with some light soy sauce and corn flour.
2. Next arrange the fish cutlet on a plate together with the red date, wolfberries and 1/2 of the Osmanthus Flower.
3. Prepare a steaming pot with metal rack, when the water boils, put the plate of fish on the rack and steam on medium high heat for about 5 minutes.
4. Remove the pot cover, drizzle mirin/glutinous rice wine on it, scatter the remaining Osmanthus Flower and continue to steam for another 2 to 3 minutes till the fish is cooked through.
5. Remove and serve with warm rice.


Note:
~ You can choose any type of fish fillet/cutlet that is suitable for steaming or to your liking.
~ The timing for steaming the fish will depend on the thickness, you can test it after 5 minutes of steaming time, using a chopstick/fork to test the center of the meat.


Osmanthus is a highly perfumed flower, and it is well known that you can smell it nine miles away! It is a deliciously fragrant flowers which carry the scent of ripe peaches or apricots. Other than its refreshing fragrant, in the Chinese Medical terms, it is also used to reduce phlegm if you have a bad cough.

Sunset @ Lower Peirce Reservoir

"Lower Peirce Reservoir - 贝雅士蓄水池下段" is one of the oldest reservoirs in Singapore. It is located near the MacRitchie Reservoir and the Upper Peirce Reservoir which is some where near Upper Thomson Road.

The Lower Peirce Reservoir is Singapore's second oldest reservoir. It was built by impounding the upper reaches of the Kallang River and comissioned in 1912. The forest that lines its banks is considered a mature secondary rainforest and evenly until today you still can find numerous rubber trees and oil palms scatter around the park.

The park not only provides a peace and relax environment for stressed-out individuals, the dense forests surrounding the reservoir also serve as an important refuge for many rare animal and plant species finding shelter. During weekends or public holiday, the park will be filled with family bring kids or love one to set up picnics and to enjoy the scenery or enjoying the trails through the rainforest to have exciting encounters with Singapore's amazing wildlife. From what we have saw and heard from friends, most of the people like to come to this place to catch little shrimps, crabs or fish which is another way of family bonding time with the kids.

If you choose to visit the park or stay around evening time, you might able to catch up with the beautiful sunset that you might not have a chance to see often during your daily working life. Sometime life will be more meaningful if you can spare some time, stop your pace and lift up your head and enjoy this beautiful sunset that is created by God.

If you are staying around Upper Thomson Road, I am sure you have visited this place and enjoy the natural goodness far long before us. But if you have not come to know this place before, maybe you can arrange for one of the weekend and give it a visit and enjoy your breakfast or evening sunset along the coaster or the green patches. I am sure that will be a most wonderful day for you......

Birthday Treat @ Sakae Sushi Part I

January is a double Birthday month for our family and today my little darling is going to be 6 years old in 2010. This year, we didn't have any celebration/family gathering like what we to have in the past years. As Rey is a year older now, he actually proposed not to have any celebration party, he said he just wants us to bring him to have his favourite Sakae sushi and Swensen's ice-cream.......

So with his request, we actually bought him for a Sakae lunch after his school today and guess what we have for our lunch...........

As usual, Rey started to attack at his favourite "Tamago Sushi" while the rest of us also aiming for our "favourites" from the menu screen or the conveyor belt. First plate that Aunty Lily took from the conveyor belt this, Cheezy Crab Maki(which consists of soft shell crab). It has a layer of grill cheese covering the rice and the filling. The taste was rather special as you can taste something like smoke cheese taste.

While looking at the Menu, I have some craving of their Lobster salad which is a cold side dish. The texture of the Lobster meat is tender and juice and it's really quite a refreshing dish to start off the meal. If you are a Lobster fan, you might want to read more on their Lobster Set Meal from my older post. (click HERE)

"Saba Shioyaki" or grilled Mackerel is one of my mum's frequently ordered items on the list, she will often choose between this and fried Salmon Kamaage or either the one that is available. This fish will taste a bit of that "Fishy" smell so you need to squeeze some lemon juice on it before consume and sometime, there are also some bones which you might need to be extra careful when feeding the kids.

Other than the above, we also have "Fried Doufu", "Renkon Chip", "Salmon Nigiri", "Chawanmushi" and etc. While chit chatting, we were all curious about this soup which they called it "Dobinmushi" which is served in a tea-pot together with a wedge of lime/lemon. First you need to squeeze the lime into the soup and use the cup to drink the soup. Usually the ingredients, being the main focus of this dish, are generally consumed prior to drinking the soup.

Overall, we have a very hearty and wonderful lunch at Sakae Sushi and most important is our little Birthday Boy is delighted with his birthday treat. So stay-tune for Part II of this month Sakae Birthday Treat!

Streets Cafe Restaurant @ IMM

Streets Café Restaurant - 街头茶餐厅 has a few branches located in different area of Singapore. Eg, IMM Jurong, Bukit Panjang Plaza, City Square Mall and etc. As we are going to IMM to grab some stuffs and it's around lunch time, we decided to get our lunch in this Hong Kong style cafe.

Although this is not my first time patronise a Hong Kong Style cafe, but it is rather my first time visiting this Streets Cafe. There are not many tables being occupied despite of nearly to lunch hours. After scanning through the menu, we settle for the following drinks and main dish. Their Ice Milk Tea is serve using a very special cup which look sort of like a jar but with handler. But the taste of the milk tea is kind of average which compare to even our local coffee shop standard milk tea.

I love the combination of Mango and Pomelo, so while looking at the drinks column, my attention was being caught with this "Ice Blended Mango Pomelo". Before this drink is being served, I actually think of it to be serve on a bowl with shaved ice and mango puree which sort of like our local dessert, "Ice Ka Chang". But when the drink is served, I was totally amazed by it's attractive and colourful combination. This is indeed another great way to try this famous Hong Kong dessert.

Their "Beef Hor Fun with Gravy" comes in a big serving plate with everything mixed together. So on the glance of it, you might feel "Errrrrrr" what is this? Or maybe I can put it as the presentation of the dish is not very good, the look of it makes the dish look like a plate of mixed vegetable dish rather than Stir-fry Beef Hor Fun....... But thankfully, the taste is still good and the beef are still tender to taste.

The Ying Yang Baked Rice came with 2 sauces which is the white sauce and tomato sauce. The sauce split right in the middle and topped with generous amount of Mozzarella Cheese. The texture of the rice was just nice, but we think the taste of the sauce can be improve much better.