I'm not sure if you have noticed but Penang is quite a big weekend destination for Singaporeans these days. The association with delicious hawker food, other than its UNESCO World Heritage status, is certainly a huge draw for us foodies. If you do not have the time to hop on a flight to Penang, Traders Hotel Singapore is showcasing the flavours of Penang at Cafebiz and Ah Hoi’s Kitchen till 31 October 2013.

Guest chefs Lim Thow Shong and Ridzuan Bin Mat from Golden Sands Resort Penang will prepare a menu comprising popular Penang dishes, including Char Kway Teow, Assam Laksa, Hokkien Mee, Assam Prawns, Chicken Curry Kapitan, Rojak, Tau Kwa Sumbat, Nasi Goreng Teluk Bahang, Loh Bak, Mee Goreng Mamak Penang and Curry Mee. These dishes are featured on a rotating menu for the Cafebiz buffet, together with a range of international cuisine. A selection of six dishes will be available for dinner at Ah Hoi’s Kitchen.

The Assam Prawns were one of my favorite dishes of the lot. The sauce was pretty much the rojak sauce which is made of a pungent, sweet and sour prawn paste. I've never had prawns cooked with this sauce before so it was rather refreshing.

I love my prawn noodles dry, with plenty of chili and shallots (my favorite is Blanco Court's, read review here!) but i took to Cafe Biz's soupy version with rice vermicelli. The broth was a little on the sweet side but it was adequately savory and rich enough.

I must be the only crazy person at the tasting to think that the Assam Laksa could be more sour. This made me crave for the uber spicy Nyonya Laksa i had in Malacca (read about it here)!

There were some hits and misses with the Penang dishes at the buffet. The Chicken Curry Kapitan smelled better than it tasted. I found the rempah (spices) too bland. The Penang Char Kway Teow was also very meh. I took 1 bite and that was about it. The biggest hit was probably the Pengat Pisang dessert. Think a rich gula melaka (brown sugarcane sugar) with coconut broth and mushy bananas and you have a hit.

The buffet selection may be rather limited but the lobster claws and prawns from the seafood section had me going back for seconds. The roast duck was surprisingly good, and so was the chicken rice. The braised pig trotters were flying off the line too!

From now till 31 Oct 2013, diners may win a two-night stay at one of three Penang hotels during the hotel’s Penang food promotion. The hotels are Shangri-La’s Rasa Sayang Resort and Spa, Golden Sands Resort and Traders Hotel, Penang.

The Penang Food Promotion at Cafebiz is priced at $47 for the weekday Buffet Lunch and $58 for the weekend Brunch. Dinner buffet is priced at $58 from Monday to Wednesday and $63 from Thursday to Sunday.

Cafe Biz, Traders Hotel Singapore
1A Cuscaden Rd, Singapore 249716Tel: +65 6831 4374
Weekdays: 12 - 2.30pm, 6.30 - 10pm
Weekends: 12 - 3pm, 6.30 - 10pm 

What do you do when you have a successful food brand? Do you replicate it or do you change it? Well for Chef Marc Wee and his team at Arbite (read more about Arbite here), they took the 'Go bold or Go home' approach with their second outlet, A for Arbite. Instead of doing the tried and tested hearty western fare, they have developed a tapas style menu that includes drink pairing.

A for Arbite aims to provide a complete dining experience that isn't too atas (no snooty sommelier) or boring (You take plain water with your food? Seriously?) Instead, some tried and tested pairing with craft beers, cocktails and even artisan teas are suggested with your meal. Do feel free to experiment with the various combinations. A for Arbite is all about fun as their decor suggests and the friendly wait staff are more than happy to provide some inspiration.

As we were set to taste a whole lot of dishes, Marc choose 2 versatile drinks that would go with most of our food. 

  

The Belgium Peach beer ($10) was malty and sweet. This would certainly appeal to all you ladies out there, or guys if you have a sweet tooth. The Yuzu Mojito ($14) was crisp and refreshing but could do with a little more citrus.

We were advised to pick about 4-5 small dishes each and 1 or 2 bigger dishes to share. Honestly, that was a lot of food for S and me. I would say cut that by half first and then add on as you go along. Let me start off with the small plates that i like. 

The Lobster Thermidor ($12) was absolutely creamy, rich and delicious. Like the juicy lobster and crab meat chunks, I was swimming in delight of thec ream, mustard, brandy and parmesan cheese sauce. Oh and there's plenty of truffle oil too!

As you can tell (or maybe not), this is a baby tea cup size. I wouldn't recommend sharing this because sometimes good food are meant to be enjoyed alone. :P

Pan fried Scallops ($8) was one of my favorite dishes as well. The texture is pretty much like the Aburi style, with a lightly charred outside and a tender raw inside. What's special was the prune and balsamic purée which gave it a sweet and sour flavor. And the icing? Crispy Parma ham. Enough said.

The Braised Smoked Pork Belly ($7) could be my sg replacement for the Momofuku Pork Buns (read about them here). Rendered fats, savory braised streaky bacon with kimchi and leaf bun; a little sweet, a little fermented, a load of yum.

Something special to order would be the Deep Fried Quail ($8.50). The gaminess of the tender meat was overcome by the Moroccan spices. It was on the salty side but it would satisfy any fried food craving. 

If you like duck and don't mind the oil and sodium, then the Jar of Duck ($19.50) would do it for you. I love the ingredients; duck rillettes, black truffle, foie gras and diced smoked duck breast, but the oil was simply too distracting for me. It would have worked better if everything were chilled other than the foie gras.

The Beef Onglet Tataki ($6) was an average dish. If you didn't notice by now, A for Arbite is quite big on the Japanese influence. This one had shoyu, sesame oil, onion soil, shiso and mushrooms, all typically Japanese condiments.

The Green Tea Spaghettini ($7) was also made to look and taste like cold soba. Due to the similarity in presentation and taste, i can't help comparing it with the Japanese version and the texture of the pasta simply lacked the crunchy texture that i'm so fond of and the broth was bland as well.

The 2 mains that we had were heartier and great choices for sharing. The risotto is a hot favorite at Arbite and Chef decided to keep it on A's menu.

Tri Pepper Spaghettini ($10.5). The spaghettini faired better in this cooked dish and the crunch in the handmade pasta was certainly welcomed. This dish lived up to the umami Japanese flavors with a whole load of peppers in the pasta (green, pink and black!). The spring onion and chili gave it that additional zing as well. Chef Marc was also very generous with the crab meat and i loved that crispy soft shell crab tempura.

Squid Ink Risotto ($16.50). The squid ink wasn't quite smokey enough for me but the dish caught on after a few mouthfuls. Every bite was filled with prawn, squid and mussels chunks along with shreds of crab meat. The Aborio rice was done a little over al dente but still perfectly crunchy. Take note, it's a little spicy. I'm not much of a fan of the oily fried halibut though.

 

The Cookies and Cream Cheese Cake ($8) was worth every bit of my remaining calories. The black cookies, cream cheese mascarpone and milk espuma were buttery, sweet and savory! Love love love the airy milk espuma.

If you are a Chinese dessert fan, you may enjoy the Ginseng Panna Cotta ($7). I hate ginseng so i have nothing good to say about this dish. S thought it was rather interesting, especially after the chrysanthemum sorbet melted. The pudding was a little too set so i'm missing that creamy texture in it.

I enjoyed the meal at A for Arbite very much. It's laid back, charming and the service was great. I'm not saying it because it was a hosted dinner but we noticed how attentive the wait staff were to other guests as well. Great place to hang out with the pals. Aliwal Street is a little off the Bugis/Haji area but the walk is certainly worth it. 

Thank you Chef Marc and Hayden for the invitation!

A for Arbite
28 Aliwal St #01-01 Singapore 199918
Tel: +65 8321 2252
Tue – Fri: 11.30am - 11pm
Sat: 11am -11pm
Sun: 9am- 9pm



Follow my blog with Bloglovin

6 hours, 6 top restaurants in Singapore, 6 signature dishes, 6 wine pairings. If you have a big heart, and a big stomach, then you should join me for a gastronomic experience come Saturday 28 Sep 2013 for the very first FIJI Water Signature Creations Expedition, which will raise money for the Children's Cancer Foundation. 

From 12 noon to 6pm, you would be chauffeured in a luxurious coach to the participating restaurants- Tippling Club, Fat Cow, Absinthe, The Pelican, Prive Grill and Hashi, where you would be served signature dishes handpicked by leading local food critics such as Wong Ah Yoke from Straits Times Life! Each signature dish will be paired with a wine and comes with free flow of FIJI Water.

Only a limited number of tickets (80 seats only!) are available for the inaugural event and you can get them at www.tuckshop.sg for S$180 nett. All proceeds from ticket sales will be donated to the Children's Cancer Foundation. FIJI Water hopes to donate S$10 000 to support the efforts of the Foundation. 

FIJI Water will also be launching an Instagram competition to document the trail. Arm yourself with the hashtags #FIJIWaterSignatureCreations, #RESTAURANT_NAME and the guest with the best album will walk away with dining vouchers of the participating restaurants and 1 year's supply of FIJI Water. 

What are you waiting for? Hurry get your tickets now. I can't wait to sample the offerings at these restaurants! This is THE meal of 2013. See you there. :)

FIJI Water Signature Creations Expedition

Visit www.tuckshop.sg for ticket purchase.

Tea (the event) is the best thing that the English have invented. Nothing beats whiling the afternoon away in the garden with buttery and crusty scones, clotted cream and jam. Best place to do it in Singapore? Try The Halia at Singapore Botanic Gardens, a romantic and picturesque restaurant tucked away in in the lush foliage centrally located in town.

What was supposed to be a stroll in the park turned out to be an amazing race when the GPS directed me to the wrong location. Halia is situated at the Ginger Garden, which is nearer to the Tanglin gate and not the Cluny one.

My frazzled nerves were soothed by the Chilled Halia Infusion, a lightly spiced tea sweetened with honey, while we waited for our tiered tea set to be served. You could pick other teas or brewed coffee as part of your set. I much prefered the chilled version over the hot one that i had during brunch the last time (read review of Brunch at The Halia, Raffles Hotel here)

The Halia Tea Set (for 2). Individual portions come in the tiers too!

There's something romantic and decadent about eating off a tiered tea set don't you think? I'm a sucker for pretty things i guess but it adds to the overall experience of a meal, as do ambience and service.

Always start with the scone when doing tea. It kind of sets the tone for tea (that and you really should eat it when it's hot) and i knew i was in for a great time when i bit into the crusty and dense pastry slathered with chantilly cream and a tinge of orange ginger jam.

There's a nice balance of sweet and savory bites in the tea set, which i alternated between. It's a quirk that i have and i always start with something sweet.

From the savory plate (CW)- House-cured salmon, pickled cucumber and toasted rye. Smoked trout parfait, cucumber, apple and lime that was presented as a piece of tofu. Love the smokiness followed by the refreshingly sweet apple. It was certainly a surprise. The Gorgonzola and caramelized onion quiche had an absolutely buttery tart with a light blue cheese filling. This should be acceptable by normal human standards (i go for really strong blue). There's also the poached chicken and smoked paprika finger sandwich and the meh-ish Wagyu beef rendang samosa. Fennel custard with parmesan and almond in an egg shell was a creamy and nutty affair.

The sweet plate consists of the delicious scones, the towering coconut panna cotta with mango, passion fuit and lychee. I quite enjoyed the moist carrot cake with crème cheese icing and certainly wouldn't mind seconds. The toasted Walnut Quince and Almond cake with crème fraiche contained the stewed fruit from the pear family, which according to Chef Peter Rollinson, the quince had been given a 24h treatment to give it that softness. New Opera Chocolate sponge layered with raspberry buttercream (new flavor and hence the 'New' Opera). I was impressed by the Ginger flower macaroon which had quite the perfect candy shell and slightly chewy center.

For $28 per individual set, I have to say this is a steal for tea. I'll definitely recommend this for a tea party with the girls! Think S would love this too. :) Don't miss out on this lovely tea at The Halia, Singapore Botanic Gardens which is available every weekend and Public Holiday from 3 - 5pm. Reservations are not accepted for brunch and tea service though.

The Halia at SBG
1 Cluny Road, Ginger Garden
(enter via Tyersall Avenue)
Singapore Botanic Gardens
Tel: +65 8444 1148

Weekday Lunch: 12- 4pm – Mondays to Fridays, 12 noon to 4pm (set lunch till 2 pm)
Daily Dinner: 6.30 - 11pm
Weekends & PH: Brunch 10am - 4pm, Tea 3 - 5pm

Teppei and its Japanese Omakase experience is taking Singapore by storm. If you think that the rumored 2-4 weeks wait for a table is long, you would be in for a shock because they are actually full for the rest of the year. That was when i called in... May? Well... the trick to getting a table is to just put your name on the wait list first, and call them a couple of days before to check if people have canceled their reservation. Well, at least that's how i managed to sample the 13-15 course meal for a steal at 60 bucks! There is also a $50 omakase option that excludes the Wagyu beef and Toro. Needless to say we chose the more expensive option.

Love the coziness of the bar setting at Teppei. I love watching my food being prepared. It's great entertainment and there's always this anticipation of the next dish.

Chef Yamashita Teppei hails from Fukuoka, which also happens to be my next travel destination! ;) Now get ready for some serious food porn!

Refreshing salad in goma sauce to kick start the meal. I was really glad to know that all dishes come in small portions. Pacing myself for the 15 course!

Who doesn't love stewed daikon? These were stewed with the fatty yellowtail.

Freshly prepared tamago is my favorite. Those packaged ones are always too sweet for my liking. Add some freshly grated daikon and you have a refreshing dish.

Grilled edamame.

Super silky and smooth chawanmushi but i didn't like the fishy gravy.

Rice roll with a minced fish paste that was mixed with tempura batter to give it that light crunch. I'm not sure what paste this is (probably minced tuna belly) but it sure was yummy, especially with the light spicy spring onions. We noticed that people came in to take away some awesome don made with similar ingredients, which i suspect to be the Negitoro Kaisen Don ($14.95). Now that looked really mouthwatering with the generous chunks of marinated sashimi, minced tuna belly, salmon roe and tempura batter. ZOMG. Definitely coming back for this.

If a fish is good enough for me to pick off all the meat from the bone, it is good enough for anyone. Hur. The charred soy bits on the exterior of the slice was so good with the fatty collagen from the cheek! I'm dreaming of fish tonight..

The sashimi was fresh, sweet and buttery. What more can i ask for! Absolutely worth my 60 bucks.

Some other dishes that were quite average. A beancurd skin with slimy veg and a beansprout dish that i immediately passed over to S. The flavors are kinda reminiscent of the tofu dishes in Kyoto.

 

I've lost count of the courses but by this time i think i developed an understanding that Fukuoka cuisine is largely seafood based.

A zesty and lightly spiced oyster that glided down my throat easily. 

Barnacles. I've seen plenty of them during my dives and they always look really gross. But after Teppei, i'm seeing them in a different light.

It tasted like any other crustacean but i think it's most similar to the tail part of the crab claw (which i love). It's soft, briny and has a slightly roe-ish texture.

I've never had unagi tempura before and i guess there is a reason for that. The moisture in the unagi softens the batter quickly so it kinda spoiled the crunch. But if you love unagi, this 10x4cm parcel is gonna make you very happy. The tempura course changes so you may not get this.

Some grilled gingko nut for the birthday boy who is a regular at Teppei. Chef kept teasing him throughout dinner.

A rather substantial portion of stir-fried Wagyu cubes which i found to be on the powdery side. Hmm..

Some light Kani soup to warm us up after the rain. Spend some time getting to the meat, it's worth it.

For the main course, you should only order 1 thing, and that is the Sashimi rice. Trust me you won't regret it.

Fresh seafood was paired with Japanese Koshihikaru sushi rice from Toyama. The uni was to die for.

It's so good i need to show you another picture of it! :P

I know this is an excrutiatingly painful post for all you hungry people out there but they are too delicious not to share with you guys! ;) So yes, hurry make a booking! Special thanks to W who made this meal possible. If you are not on the wait list, then you better pray your friends have better luck. :)

Teppei Japanese Restaurant
1 Tras Link #01-18 Orchid Hotel
Tel: +65 6222 7363
Open daily: 12 - 2.30pm, 6.30 - 10.30 pm