Ms Skinnyfat

I'm guilty of eating out very often and well i never had to step into the kitchen to cook anything except for myself (i thank the most wonderful woman in my life for that, my dearest mama). She is quite the matriarch and the kitchen is her territory. As much as i wanted to try cooking, my limited cooking ability and together with the ban from the kitchen at home, i could only do something as simple as chopping up fruits. Even that i haven't done in ages ://

Today i'll share with you a modified Kiwifruit Salsa dish which was provided by Zespri to help me get creative with the fruit. I was going to attempt the Roasted Chicken with Kiwifruit salsa originally http://www.zespri.com.sg/en/recipes/ but guess what this lazy girl did? I removed the cooking portion and made the simplified version of the salsa for my nachos.

The Lazy Girl Kiwifruit Salsa with Nachos (Serves 2)
2 ZESPRI™ Kiwifruit, peeled, diced (Gold and Green)
1 Orange, peeled, segmented, chopped
½ cup Tomato, seeded, diced (Or diced ones from the can will do too)
Add any other fruits that you fancy. I recommend strawberries, grapes and mango

(Not a fan of all the onions and peppers so i removed them)

Directions: TOSS TOSS TOSS

Serve with Tositos Scoops (Available at most supermarkets)

It's quite the refreshing snack on the go. I brought this on the Henderson walk. It's really not that hard to make. If you are lazier than thou, just throw all the ingredients into the processor and let it do the dicing. :)

It's not that hard trying to cook something for the family. It doesn't even have to be real cooking in fact. S enjoyed this quite a fair bit and i'm making more for the family as per their request. :)) What matters more is the effort you put in and the time spent together. If you don't like eating (i can't imagine anyone hating it though), do something that you guys enjoy like checking out a new park or museums. Gardens by the Bay maybe? I recommend exploring Henderson Waves and the Southern Ridges.

If you need inspiration for interesting dishes, check out http://www.zespri.com.sg/en/recipes/ for some kiwifruit twist in your cooking. Cheers!

Swirls Bake Shop is a gourmet American cupcake bakery that has been described as the "Best cupcake store Singapore has seen" in a mere 6 months since its opening. Nestled in the Rodyk estate, it has garnered a strong following from the expatriate crowd and locals alike with their luscious cupcakes and wide variety of flavors (they have 101 thus far).

This did not come easy. Former fashion stylist Alia S Dada and husband Danish road-tripped across the USA and Europe, stopping at every bakery they could find. The cupcake lovers tried and baked countless cupcakes before finally perfecting their recipe to bring us these moist and flavorful desserts.

Clockwise from front: Strawberry Burst, Nutella, Very Vanilla and Tiramisu

Danish even developed his own vanilla extract and other quality ingredients are sourced from London. Thank god for Swirls' Tiny cupcakes if not we would not be able to taste so many flavors. It's 1/4 the guilt but the same 100% satisfaction. Strawberry Burst was a refreshing and tangy depart from the usual chocolate or vanilla cake. Fresh strawberries are blended into this one and topped with a strawberry cream cheese frosting. I like that it isn't too sweet. Oh So Cocoa was full of chocolate goodness and the chocolate butter cream frosting makes the cupcake smoother and creamier.

The Red Velvet is extremely delightful. S finished the whole regular sized one before i knew it! He is really the Red Velvet fan, having spent a couple of months hunting down the best one in NYC. This is definitely comparable. The interior is a moist and dense crimson chocolate and the light cream cheese frosting complements it well.

My other favorite is What’s Up Doc?, a carrot-cake cupcake. This is something that i would get in the Colossal size (Giant Cupcake)! I would say it's the best carrot cake i've tasted in Singapore. Shredded carrot is used in this cupcake and crushed pineapples were used to give it that extra zest. The cream cheese frosting is a tad too much for the tiny one though.

Everyday, Swirls will showcase different flavours from their Specials Range, which changes every month. I simply have to rave about the Tiramisu. The coffee, kahlua and cream mascarpone is a lethal combination that blew me away. It's my weakness. I would have a dozen of these anytime.

Swirls Bake Shop is definitely my favorite cupcake bakery in Singapore! Highly recommended. Special thanks to Alia and Danish for inviting me to their cupcake tasting. Finally a taste of NYC in our own backyard! Tiny cupcakes are priced $2.50-$2.95 and regular size ones $3.95-$4.10. Special cupcakes are priced differently.

Ending the weekend on a sweet note! Buy a cupcake, or maybe a dozen home. It will ease the Monday blues a little. :) Cheers!

Swirls Bake Shop
8 Rodyk Street, #01-08
Singapore 238216
Tel: +65 6634 4765
Daily: 11am - 7pm

What's the highlight for weekends? BRUNCH. Better still, All-Day-Breakfast. And where can you get them? Food for Thought. Whenever i feel like having creamy scrambled eggs along with some moist buttermilk pancakes, this is where i'll head to. However, what puts me off is the long queue at 8 Queen Street Outlet on weekends. Thankfully, the folks at Fft has opened a bigger outlet at the Singapore Botanic Gardens, which can house more than 200 guests!

The service at the Botanic Gardens outlet is slightly different the one at SAM. This is a semi self-service system where you order and pay at the cashier and then the food gets served to you at your table. Even though it's pretty big, but it takes a while to get a table and then a little more to get your food. I prefer the sit down service at 8Q because at least i don't have to stand around to grab tables a la food court style.

I prefer to customize my own brekkie set and this is what i'd recommend. Scrambled Eggs with Cream (S$4), Garlic Mushrooms (S$3) and Chunky Chicken Sausage (S$4). FfT has one of the better scrambled eggs around because they actually use cream in theirs to give it that runny and buttery texture. Cream fraiche would be better but that's a lot more expensive. There are other sides like Bacon, Hash Brown and Tomato Mesclun Salad. I would say skip the Toasts unless you really need carbs. Their spreads are really pathetic though.

What you should not miss out on is the pancakes. 2 Buttermilk base Pancakes served with Fresh Cream and Gula Melaka Syrup with the choice of different flavors such as Banana and Walnuts, Milk Chocolate, Dark Choc and Raspberries etc. Prices range from S$8 to $12.

I like the tinge of saltiness in the moist and fluffy pancake batter. The chocolate ones provide the sweet flavor to my savory eggs and sausages and makes this another winning sweet+savory combination!

If you are not up for brunch (seriously how can you not?!), there are other dishes available such as local lunches like Chicken Rendang. Burgers, Salads, Pastas and other Western mains are also served here.

Food for Thought at Singapore Botanic Gardens is perfect for weekend brunch. Instead of heading straight for a shopping centre or cinema, why not make use of this opportunity to explore the green spaces around us? I'd say bag your food, lay down barefoot on the fresh pillowy grass and let nature envelop your senses (after you fill your tummy with the delicious food).

Happy weekends people!

Food For Thought
1 Cluny Road #B1-00
Singapore Botanic Gardens
Tel: +65 6338 4848

Daily: 8am to 9pm (Fri and Sat till 10pm)

The Zespri kiwifruits have landed on our sunny island! I'm not sure if you guys have noticed this but i've spotted them at the supermarkets already! Whee! I love eating these brown furry fellas because i love Vitamin C. Did you know that these little kiwifruits are in fact packed with twice the amount of Vitamin C as compared to our typical go-to-fruit, orange. A single Zespri Gold Kiwifruit exceeds the minimum recommended daily intake of Vitamin C for a day! How awesome is that?

I was invited by Zespri to take part in the first-ever 14-Day Daily Scoop of Amazing Challenge. In the next 14 days, i would be eating, breathing and living Zespri Kiwifruits! I will attempt (the keyword is attempt) to get creative with kiwis, so watch this space. Will be updating my day to day activities and kiwinspiration on my Facebook Page, Twitter and Instagram (@Msskinnyfat) as well. There will be a special Zespri Giveaway for readers at the end of 2 weeks. So go ahead, Comment, Like, and Share away!

We kicked-off the Challenge with dinner at The Living Cafe yesterday and it was my first raw food meal! This carnivore was quite worried at first but found out that "raw" also meant unprocessed and organic and some food were cooked as well. -Phew- Here is what we ate, and also a preview of potential kiwifruit dishes that you can prepare!

We started with a Raw Bruschetta with Pesto and Kiwi Salsa as our Entree. The sweet kiwifruit really goes well with the acidity from the Salsa. I love the cracker, which is probably made from dehydrated nuts (I'm obviously not a cook). It really whets the appetite and i kept telling Hazel (Aimakan) that i'm starving.

I was surprised when i touched my Raw Kiwi and Apple Gazpacho soup for it was cold. Yes, that's what raw food is about sometimes. It tasted exactly like blended fruit juice but it was more cool tasting than sweet. Seems like quite an easy dish to make right? :)

Our Main Course was a Grilled Salmon fillet stuffed with cauliflower puree, served with mixed salad and kiwi citrus. The salmon was a little overcooked but i love the crunch and light bitterness of the cauliflower. They also used my favorite Japanese sesame dressing on the rockets. Yums.

Dessert was a Raw Kiwi Pie and everyone was cringing their faces because the first bite was sour. I played it smart and started with the nut milk filling (it tasted of coconut). I love the creamy silky texture of the pudding. Surprisingly, my kiwi topping wasn't too sour. :) Love the nutty base again. I believe it's dehydrated and not baked.

Ended our dinner on a sweet note with our kiwifruit cups! This is how i love to eat them best! As usual i was playing with my food and i roped Hazel into doing the same. And it was caught on film by the photographer! :/

Group shot of the bloggers and friends who are participating in the 14 day challenge. Where did Hazel disappear to?! Anyway, the possibility of me winning this challenge is close to 0 with all these great blogger cooks around! I'm going for the lazy girl's approach to eating more fruits. I already have a few silly ideas in mind. Heh. Keep a look out!

Do remember to check out my Facebook Page for daily tips and updates! Visit the Zespri website for kiwi recipes too. :) Remember, a kiwi a day keeps the doctor away (apples are too low in Vit C content).

The Living Cafe
779 Bukit Timah Rd
Mon – Sat: 9am – 6pm
Phone +65 6762-8029

New punk on the street is Broadcast HQ, a Meat Mead Music melting pot opened by Harry Grover of 40 Hands, George Grover of Aussie music company Broadcast Events and the Spa Esprit group. Word has it that they are ruling the exotic and enigmatic Little India precinct and stealing the thunder from the "ladies" of the night.

The industrial look dominates the look of this shop house. I would love to have the exposed brick walls and raw concrete flooring in my future house. Throw in a turntable and a DJ and we'll party all night long. Indie and Alternative fans would feel at home in the music retail area that features CDs and vinyls curated by resident DJ Darkwing. Feel like grooving to the beats? Head on upstairs to the bar/dance floor where you can lose yourself to the music.

Meat lovers would dig the char-grilled meats. This carnivore did! The Signature Broadcast St.Louis Style Ribs (S$30) comes in a variety of flavors that coats the nice marbled flesh. We tried the Tamarind with Maple Syrup (Sweet) and the Miso and Black Pepper (Savory). Loved the the former, wasn't impressed with the latter. We could hardly taste the miso or the black pepper.

The nicely glazed meat in dark Maple and Tamarind elixir.

Each slab feeds 2 nicely, leaving you some space for sides and desserts. Definitely overwhelming for 1 puny stomach like mine.

I thought the Vegemite Lamb Rack (S$38) to be more flavorful than the Chermoula Sirloin Steak but there were mixed reviews from around the table. The downside to the dish is that there is a lot of fat on the meat, which is indistinguishable from the meat till you chow down on it. Some said that it was little gamey but i didn't detect that.

I'm not a fan of their sides. The Crack and Cheese with truffle (S$16) was bland and tasteless. The truffle only gave it an oily aroma without any flavor. The lack of moisture and inability to tantalize the taste buds is its downfall.

The Grilled Mushroom and Romaine salad (S$12) was again on the bland spectrum. Mushrooms were juicy and nicely grilled but lacked that oomph.

The Smokey Fries with lime ketchup was just fries with a hint of smoke? Definitely not a side dish I would order but I guess my dining companions thought it would be special.

The Chicken and Prawn sliders were drowned in the the Coriander mayo which had a very cool taste. Sure didn't feel like there were prawns in this one or perhaps it was overpowered by all the sauce.

I liked the Broadcast Buffalo Wings though. It's nothing to scream about even though Habanero is supposed to be really piquant. It tasted more like the plain 'ol BBQ sauce instead but i love the crispy and lightly spiced batter. Fried food is always awesome.

The Ozeki Sparkling Peach and Jelly sake was a delightful dessert more than a drink. I couldn't didn't taste the sake in fact but I do like the refreshing jelly which was konjyaku like. May not be worth the price though. I believe it's between $12-16. We also had some pear crumble cake which was mediocre.

Hits and misses for Broadcast HQ. But I quite like their meats and the cool indie environment. Do give it a try.

Broadcast HQ
107 Rowell Rd., Singapore
Tel: +65 6292 4405
Tue-Thu: 6pm -12am
Fri: 6pm -1am
Sat: 12pm -1am
Sun: 12pm-10pm

Today i'm going to introduce you the Best Prawn Mee in Singapore, Blanco Court Prawn Mee. I was extremely skeptical when S suggested having that for lunch (i'm not a fan of local fare). So it was with great doubt when i tried this but i was raving from the first gobble onwards.

I don't fancy local fare much and i hardly crave for them like most do. It also takes a lot to convince me to eat hawker food because it isn't my stomach's style. For me to rave about it would mean that it's pretty awesome. The claim is proven by evidence of a long queue, emptied bowls and happy satisfied faces i saw at the stall.

The only thing to order is the JUMBO Prawn Noodles. Look at the plump white flesh of the crustacean and the rosy creamy cholesterol laden roe. I had the mixed version with prawns and ribs while S stuck with the all prawn soup version (S$8/10). The dry version was bursting with flavors- fragrant fried shallots, fiery kick from the chili, sweet seafood freshness from the luscious prawns and savory marinated pork ribs which fell off the bone. I regretted not ordering the bigger bowl. The soup wasn't just the simple pork bone and prawn broth, it has the full bodied umami taste which has a rich bak kut teh flavor to it as well.

I highly recommend the dry version because it's a lot more flavorful. S thought that his soup one was bland after trying mine. Tip for you, DO NOT order bean sprouts. They will dilute the taste of the soup. I knew my dislike for tau gays is justified! :P

Are there better prawn noodles in Singapore? Maybe. But this picky girl thinks that Blanco Court Prawn Mee is the BEST. It's the father of all awesome prawn mee anyway. You can read more on the history of Prawn me on ieatishootipost here.

All Hawker blasts are taken with my iPhone4 because I seldom hunt for hawker food. Sorry about the quality!

Author's note: Bloggers often get criticized for saying X stall has the best Y or even when we say that Z is absolutely not worth visiting. Well. In the former, 'Best' is an absolute that is hard to judge or justify. I would qualify that what is the best for me (at the moment) may not be that for everyone. In the latter, i say "don't shoot the messenger". Chill, relax and enjoy your meal.

Blanco Court Prawn Mee

243 Beach Road, #01-01, Singapore
Tel: +65 6396 8464
Daily: 7am - 4pm
(Closed Tues)

I love sweets and I go by the motto "Life is uncertain. Eat dessert first." I'm a rule breaker when it comes to the sequence of my dining courses and desserts sometimes (actually most of the time) come before any other dish. Why should we stick to the standard and the norm? That's plain boring. Smoulder is a rebel just like me. These softcore bakers have taken a restaurant dessert favorite, chocolate lava cake, and transformed it into a bite size snack to be enjoyed on the go.

I would say they are absolutely guilt free but who am i kidding? Though i must say that the smallness in size definitely helps with easing that nagging voice in my head. Maybe just 1.. or 2? :)

Smoulder uses the under baking method instead of the ganache one. This ensures the consistency in the batter and molten center. Of course, the technique and temperature has to be monitored very carefully and i would say that Smoulder has perfected them both. The crust was a little crispy and it readily gave way to the warm gooey heart within.

The soft-core cakes are baked fresh daily and are handmade with only premium ingredients and zero preservatives. Barry Callebaut Belgian chocolate is used instead of Valrhona to give it the sweeter taste.

There are currently nine flavours available: Dark Chocolate (50% cacao content), Intense Dark Chocolate (70% cacao content), Dark Chocolate Black Forest (with alcohol), Milk Chocolate Mocha, Milk Chocolate Rum and Raisin, White Chocolate Matcha, White Chocolate Raspberry, White Chocolate Pistachio, and White Chocolate Lemon.

I love their dark and milk chocolate base cakes but i was thoroughly impressed with the white chocolate flavored ones. The flavors are so intense that i forgotten that they were chocolate lava batter. I would say that the Lemon is comparable to Baker & Cook's lemon tart filling, with a creamier texture due to the chocolate and a little more tang. Pistachio and Matcha were equally intense in flavors because these folks are really generous with the ingredients.

At S$3.90 a pop, i would consider it to be a little pricey but they are oh so delicious. It sure does help that they're cheaper when you buy in bulk. Spread the love i say!

There is a new flavor in the house, Milk Chocolate Hazelnut! If you like Ferrero i think you'll dig this. :)

Price: S$3.90 each, S$10.90 for 3, S$29.90 for 9.

Thanks to the Smoulder folks for the invite! :) I would have featured them even if they didn't.

Smoulder
China Square Food Centre
51 Telok Ayer Street, #01-04, Singapore
Tel: +65 6225 6422
Mon-Fri: 8am to 8pm
Sat: 11am to 3pm

To escape the crowd and enjoy an ice cold beer (or cider for me) the laid back way, without too many of the CBD worker bees or the local coffeeshop flock, I would head to Colbar at Wessex Estate, an up and coming dining estate. This is probably the most laid back hippie bar, old school Colonial style, in Singapore.

Colbar, or Colonial Bar as it is officially known, was the canteen and unofficial mess for the old British army troops while it was still at Jalan Hang Jebat. The whole bar was literally dismantled part-by-part, and all the tiles, timber screens and swing doors were used for the reconstruction of the new Colbar. I'm glad they did all they could to preserve this bit of history.

Simple and old furnishing- Formica tabletops, mini pale green tiles, faded old photographs on frames. Love the air of nostalgia and days long gone. I wish i could travel back in time..

Basic Western and Asian fare is served here. The cooking isn’t great but really, who goes to a bar for food? The highlight here is the impossible selection of imported beers and ciders (mostly English and Irish). Beer lovers rejoice! I saw my favorite Brothers Toffee Apple Cider here. Oh yea.

The outdoor area is very open and i love how it's surrounded by an oasis of green. Listen to the birds and crickets sing in the background and occasional tune from the arty group next table (highly possible considering the crowd) while enjoying your happy juice. Cheers! You deserve it. ;)

Colbar
Wessex Estate
9A Whitchurch Road, Singapore 138839
Tue-Sun: 11am - 8.30pm

Ice cream. What's not to love? Imagine an cold creamy sweet liquor sliding down your throat, cooling that internal inferno caused by our sweltering and humid environment. Ahh. We do have pretty decent ice cream in Singapore, but Croatian ice cream? They blew me away with their intensity in flavor, the smoothness in texture and generosity in their servings. Is it better than Italian Gelato? I'll leave it to you to find out. Travel to Croatia, try them and then let me know. ;) Here is my Best of Croatian Ice Cream list! Definitely amongst the Best Ice Cream in Europe.

Zagreb- Slastičarnica Zagreb

Masarykova 4, Zagreb Upper Town, Croatia

8am-11pm

This was a stumbled upon but it turned out to be a well known slado establishment in Zagreb. Long time favorite place for pancakes and other sweet temptations, Slastičarna Zagreb was refurbished in 2011 and is now one of the swankier city-centre spots for a little (or not so little) desserts indulgence.

Huge servings of Croatian ice cream (slado). Slastičarnica Zagreb does these interesting sundae creations that we couldn't get enough of. Individual scoops are merely priced at 7KN (1Euro or S$1.40).

Zadar- Slastičarna Donat Review

Trg. Sv Stosije 4, Zadar 23000, Croatia

Located just around the corner of the St. Donat lies this famous slado parlor, reputed to have the best ice cream in Zadar. People know them from all around ice cream crazy Dalmatia due to their creative flavors and funny (sarcastic is my funny) scoopers. We had 2 scoops each per day when we were here. Go figure.

Morning Folks! Another weekend and another brunch session is due. This early bird is up early to catch the worm for you lazy birds still nesting under the covers. This weekend's brunch destination is Open Door Policy at Tiong Bahru. The Tiong Bahru area is no stranger to many locals, and is often known as the hippie enclave in Singapore, where the mix of new and old, yuppies and elderly, rich and poor converge.

New kid on the block (or not too new kid) is Open Door Policy, an open-planned restaurant framed by an aquarium-style show kitchen which runs the length of the shop. Chefs push out dishes to diners from behind the brick and glass wall, the only physical demarcation between the 2 parties. It does feel very much as we were dining with the chefs as we took our seats at the counter. It's an intimate setting, and i would think it's a little intimidating as well for both parties alike.

The interior- Portuguese-inspired tin sheets were used overhead and that leads to a glass-roofed area at the back. The effect of worn wood and red bricks balances the heavy iron tables to give the place a cosy atmosphere.

We began with a starter from the lunch menu to go with our brunch food. My overeating meal accomplice, the Stupidgirl, was happily rambling on the dishes she wanted to try and i had to prevent her from making both of us fat.

Papaduck papadum with crusted duck fillets & mint yogurt dip (S$18) was a nice and crunchy start to our meal. Some indian influence is seen in this dish though the papadum isn't the real papadum that we get at the prata shops. The duck fillets were tender and juicy and i love how well it went with the mint yogurt dip. You could do without if you aren't into that cool and light vege taste. I was starting to get a little full after 2 pieces..

Brunch is never complete without some eggs and i love mine scrambled. Smoked salmon and scrambled eggs on toasted ciabatta with spinach and fresh herbs (S$19) succeeded in scaring the hell out of my small stomach for it was HUGE.

That is only a quarter of the entire dish and it kinda filled the entire eating plate. Egg lovers would rejoice at the height of the scrambled egg. I think it's at least 5cm tall? Well to achieve that sort of elevation, the creaminess was compromised a little but it tasted ok. On the other hand, i thought the salmon was a tad too fishy for my liking. Didn't finish all of it.

We also had the ODP Pancakes with black berry and chocolate (S$17). A lot of work goes into making this little babies. They are first cooked over the grill in little molds and then they were popped into the oven to give it that golden brown, crusty exterior. I like that it's fluffy and a little moist inside but i thought the batter could be slightly more savory and buttery. I still like my buttermilk pancakes best.

The caffeine addict in me ordered the Affogato (S$8) to go with my meal. Yes i have desserts before, in between and after meals. The coffee here is prepared by the 40 HANDS team, which is just across the road. I didn't like my affogato though. The acidity of the espresso was impossible to neutralize even with the homemade caramel vanilla ice cream. Trust me, i tried. This was pretty bad for me even though i do think that the rest of their coffee are good.

ODP does cocktails as well but the both drinks we had, Peach Bellini and Pimm's Club (S$17), were quite diluted. The Pimm's club tasted a little like cough syrup.

Would i go again? I think the food is alright but it was kinda expensive (we spent S$60 each). Skip the drinks and i think you'd be fine.