Food escapades: Notice

Hi clarevoiyant viewers. If you all are really clairvoyant, then you would already have guess what I would want to say. But since most of you aren't, I shall have the honor to inform you that I have decided to open a new blog specializing in food reviews and cooking! :)

If you would like to see more food escapades, please move over to my new blog where it will only be on food and nothing else but food. The address is in the link of "fox & spoons". Future food escapades will all be posted in that blog though I might repost them here in this blog at the end of every month or when I feel like it.

Cheerios! Visit my new blog! Look at that adorable fox... took me ages to finish that!

This blog shall be continuing on its audiophile, fashion and other random topics.

Food Escapade: Hippopotamus (Steaks and Grill)

We went to hippopotamus as a treat to commemorate my boyfriend's passing of his first phase of training at his new camp. I also had a groupon voucher for this case and we had the liberty to order a main course each. Unless you feel exceptionally hungry that day, I suggest you not order any starters or appetizers because you will be given a small loaf of sour dough bread, some butter and a dish of their own made seasoned and unsalted potato chips.

Hippopotamus @Marina Square

Eating the sour dough bread was a new experience. Make no mistake that this sour dough bread is not like the sour dough bread that McDonalds have. This is the real deal. Though it was hard on the outside, it was soft and fluffy on the inside. It isn't as hard as a baguette though. The butter was smooth and delicious and not too salty too. The chips were seasoned but the taste of the seasoning couldn't come out as there wasn't much salt in it at all. If you add a small dash of salt, the flavour will come bursting though. It also has a slightly smokey taste that gives it a wonderful flavour. I got to say, the chips were fantastically crisp even when they place their chips in a large container that is not air tight. I believe their chips are made fresh just before every meal time of the day. Yum!

After I waited for about 15 minutes or so after enjoying the starters they gave, our main course came. I ordered a beef skewer so that I could sample a lot of different cuts of beef from them. My skewer had an array of sirloin, rump, skirt and hanger sample portions. Don't be fooled into thinking the meal is not a lot for these skewers actually make up one thick slab of steak. I chose the bearnaise sauce to go with my steak. The sauce is a combination of herbs and butter. Yummy indeed. My boyfriend took the liberty to order the tenderloin "chateaubriand" and he chose a rockfort cheese sauce to go with his steak.

 I got to say I had the liberty to experience so many cuts of the beef in one meal. That way, I know which is the best cut that suits my taste. For me, I would think the hanger cut was the most tastiest cut. It had just the right amount of fat to meat ratio for me and it was the most stunningly juicy mouth of beef that I ate that day. The bearnaise sauce was a delicious compliment for any cuts but for the hanger, I could eat it without the sauce. Just the taste and the juiciness is enough to satisfy me. For the skirt, I would say it is a tad chewier than the rest and was a little on the too much chewy. The rump was a little dryer than I thought it would be so it made good use for the bearnaise sauce. Lastly was the sirloin which boast its tender strip of fat mixed with the meat, but, I still think the taste cannot beat that of the hanger. The meal came with one side dish for me and I chose the potato gratin. The flavour was nice and was finished with a tad too salty cheese. Overall, I think it was a good steak meal at an affordable price.

My boyfriend ordered the tenderloin "chateaubriand" complete with the rockfort cheese sauce, green beans and potato gratin. The tenderloin was like a ball so I didn't expect the steak to be cooked the same throughout due to the irregularity. It was true that some parts had more done-ness than the rest of the steak. But overall, I think my boyfriend enjoyed his steak truly. The rockfort cheese sauce proved to be too much of a sauce for anything save the potato chips. They give the potato chips a cheesy flavour. The sauce should not be trifled with and because it is made with a blue cheese based, the flavour can be too overwhelming for some people. Even we felt that it flavour overpowered the steak. We finished the meal and stayed awhile after to chat and digest out meal. It was sure a full house but we saw no queue outside. Looks like the next time I'm heading there, the hanger steak will be my choice.

Verdict

Ambience - Great

Food - Excellent

Cost - $35 per pax

Overall - Must Try! Great place for steaks on a budget.

Address

6 Raffles Boulevard, #01-204/205,

Marina Square, Singapore 039594.

http://www.hippopotamus.com.sg/index.html

Opening Hours

11 30am to 10 30pm

Food Escapade: Tea Breaks @ DeConti

Notice how I placed an "s" at the end of the "tea break" because we actually had a few tea breaks or coffee breaks there. DeConti recently set-up an outlet at the Tampines 1 shopping center and has proven a popular place for many even though there were strong rivals near it such as the coffee bean and tea leaf just a level upstairs, another CBTL at century square about 200 meters away and a Starbucks at Tampines Mall just 150 meters away. It is successful to the extend that we always have a hard time finding for seats and we got to say the sitting area is rather small. For such a great place for coffee and gelato, surely more seating would be necessary. I am sure they have seating capacity of roughly 20-30 pax at most. That means many people are driven away just by the sight of the packed coffee house. Of course, the aroma of coffee would likely draw you back to the place only to be dismayed by the lack of seats. Fear not however, you just have to wait for awhile most of the time before you get a sit there. Besides, the staff there seem to be very friendly and I am sure they would most willingly help you to get a seat.

Deconti Store front @ Tampines 1

The Store front showing the different size cups for different types of beverages you order.

On our first trip there, we used a groupon voucher that enabled us to get 12 dollars worth of coffee and gelato. We happened to choose the same item as our first ever trail of deconti and had two affrogato. It is essentially vanilla gelato drowned in espresso. Since DeConti is good for their coffee and gelato as stated on their logo, why not have both combined together? So here, we present the Affrogato.

The gelato here was on the sweet side but the good thing about the affrogato was that the espresso shot was bitter due to the extra dark roast variety of beans that they use. So, the sweetness of the gelato complimented the bitterness of the espresso. The affrogato here is based on the standard ratio which promises three generous scoops of vanilla gelato coupled with a shot of espresso. Too much for you to handle? You can always order a smaller version which is typically half of this. The is the medium order which costs SGD$ 6.20. Not too pricey for 3 scoops of gelato and a shot of espresso. Actually, I think it's a great deal since one scoop of gelato costs 4.90.

Affrogato. 3 Scoops of vanilla gelato and a shot of espresso.

If you have trouble comprehending the menu, you can ask the staff or the cashier who are all more than happy to explain to you each and every of your queries (and even in detail) - from our own experience. Just don't blame me if you are stuck in a long explanation from the cashier for your query.

The second time we went there, we used the last of our vouchers. I had a cappuccino as always while my boyfriend ordered the dark chocolate coffee which is essentially a layer of melted dark chocolate, a shot of espresso and then finished with a layer of milk froth and dusted with cocoa powder.

This drink is a little of a weird combination. Firstly, the drink itself had a cold and warm mixture. The base is probably the dark chocolate gelato which later proved to be over powering to even taste the espresso shot. All I tasted was the chocolate not to say it is bad but coffee lovers probably wouldn't like this drink a lot. Chocolate lovers would like this drink especially if one need a coffee boost but don't like to drink a cup of cappuccino. This would awake the inner you that loves chocolate. Try it and you'll understand. It's kind of like a chocolate gelato affrogato.

Just today, after spending the last voucher, we sat down and both ordered a cappuccino each. At just 5.5 for a medium cup, it was decently priced. Though it would be better if I had added 70 cents for either a hazelnut, chocolate or pistachio gelato into my cappuccino. Overall, we enjoyed our experience there and that explains why we keep going back there (also because it is conviniently situated around the east area which we stay at).

Verdict

Ambience - Good

Food - Great!

Cost - $5-7 per pax

Overall - Must Try!

Address

10 Tampines Central 1, #02-K2

Tampines 1, Singapore 529536.

http://decontisg.blogspot.sg/

Opening Hours

9am till mall closing time

Food Escapade: Tea Break @ Han'is Cafe and Bakery

Walking around the Douby Ghaut area after a movie at the Grand Cathay, we walked towards the Selegie area so that we could find a place to have tea and coffee. So we found a cafe that is connected to the Hans that we all are used to. Since I was around 3-5, I was living at the Hougang area and every single weekend, I would follow my parents to Hougang Mall and eat at Hans (which is still there beside McDonalds). Eating at Hans is nostalgic. Though I would say Hans and Hanis is totally different. For an obvious difference, Hanis has two types of coffee. There is the espresso machine for those who prefer their coffee expresso style and rich in flavor. There are of course those who still would prefer the coffee-shop styled sock coffee or otherwise known as Kopi. Either way, you can get both here. Including the usual spread of local and western fare. I got to add that here at Hanis, there is a much greater choice of cakes for the sweet tooth. For those who love their cakes and still want to keep their pockets without holes, should mark this place as a staple for cheaper cakes that don't taste anything like its price.

I ordered a raspberry and earl grey cake that proved a little to messy to take out the plastic that covered the cake. It costed roughly SGD$ 3 but I can't remember exactly its price. It was a little on the sweet side but it had infusion of earl grey which was amazing.

My boyfriend ordered a cappuccino and surprisingly it was supplied by illy. I got to say, it was the smoothest coffee I've ever tasted and I could have the coffee even without sugar. I have to add I am not a coffee lover as I love tea more. However, I did like that coffee. Bottomline: try the coffee. It's only SGD$ 4.5 too for a cappuccino.

For anyone who would love to visit this quiet place, which we managed to find a quiet corner for ourselves, the address is as below.

Add

:

8 Wilkie Road Wilkie Edge #01-22/23/24
Singapore 228095

Tel

:

+65 63381903

Awards and Accreditations:Halal

Food Escapade: Blisshouse Reviews(Italian/French)

So, before I start blogging today, I want to just add that my eye is currently in a state which is half closed (without me actually trying to close it or open it) because the eyelid is swollen. Due to an infection which I am taking antibiotics and eye drops for. Anyways, since I am resting at home (my last day of medical leave), I thought it would be good to spend sometime to tell you about my food escapade at Blisshouse this weekend.

Below is a picture of how my eye looks even though this isn't my eye.

Eye infection that swells my eyelids till it blocks most of my vision in the right eye.

I booked blisshouse through a groupon voucher. Yes, I know... I am kind of a cheapo. Hey, but so what? This gives me an opportunity to try and comment and food taste the food that I would otherwise have no budget for. I've seen blisshouse on the television and even in short films (like in I.am.Jonathan written by my JC friend Kenneth Chia). We went there for lunch and boy oh boy. The ambiance is indeed fantastic! AstroTurf all  over the place, clean white walls and furniture and even plastered pillars looking like tree trunks and Venetian aged pillars. A white baby grand piano complete with an annoying bunch of photographers and wedding couple that ran here and there here and there all the time we were having lunch, talking and shouting instructions at each other. Well, thanks to them the ambiance wasn't as good as I thought it to be. I guess what the owner was trying to do was to bring the feeling of comfort in nature and having a nice meal together. The least Blisshouse could have done (in my opinion) was to have the photo shoot in the later afternoon after lunch time so that diners would not be greatly affected.

The front and logo of the cafe/restaurant.

Hey, can you see the first white table on the right (In the foreground)? That's where we sat.

So, I ordered a 3 course set lunch which included the clam linguine vongole, the cream of tomato and the tea to subtly end off the meal. My boyfriend, ordered the ham carparcio carbonara which tasted awesome (kind of like bacon actually), and the same old soup and the coffee. 

So, here's the cream of tomato which was slightly on the sour side and because the seeds wasn't taken out and they are extremely hard to blend, the soup wasn't smooth. It had bits and pieces of tomato seeds which was something different in terms of texture.

Unfortunately, the photos of both the pasta is with my boyfriend now and I can't upload them. But that can't stop me from sharing with you my opinion of them. The pasta was cooked right: al dente. My vongole was kind of not a vongole. It was more of a aglio olio without the olio. It had chilli padi to try to musk the terribly fishy (unfresh) clams. It stated on the menu, "fresh clam cooked in linguine in a clam stock in an aglio olio like way" or something like that. But the clams weren't even close to fresh and that plate set a person (without the voucher) back by SGD$ 22. That is just plain expensive for unfresh clams. Besides, they had the audacity to not take away the unopen clam that was in my pasta. Rule of seafood pasta: never add an unopen clam into a pasta after boiling them. The carbonara wasn't really a carbonara per se because it was more olive oil based than eggs and milk based. There was almost no eggs in that pasta. Not saying its not delicious. It was just cooked in an unconventional manner and probably not the carbonara we are all used to.

Here's my cup of tea. Nice smooth tea that they bothered to cool it down for me to drinkable temperature.

That is my boyfriend's coffee and his hands. He's a coffee lover unlike me. I prefer my tea.

This is just me being stupid. My boyfriend's glasses on a sink. Looks like a tap cow!!!

Verdict

Ambience - Excellent

Food - Good

Cost - $40 per pax

Overall - Good

Address

6 Eu Tong Sen Street, #03-21

The Central, Singapore 059817.

http://www.blisshouse.com.sg/

Opening Hours

12pm to 11pm

We later went to walk around. I actually booked a bar sitting for some drinks in the evening but my boyfriend wasn't supportive of the idea. Instead we walked around and made our way to liang court. At the place, it was a japanese haven. Japanese hairdressers, japanese sales people, japanese family, japanese food and even japanese theme cafe. We shopped around and walked around until my boyfriend became hungry. So we settle on japanese curry house which he order the tonkatsu curry set and me the bento. The tonkatsu was slightly on the tougher side but had bite and was battered in an amazingly crisp panko bread crumps. Yum. Pork loin was the chosen meat cut and thus it was a little slightly tough and less juicy. The uncle preparing the meat was so enthusiastic that he jumped into asking if we ordered two sets even before we paid for our meal. So much so that the cashier had to ask the uncle not to be so over enthusiastic! It's great you are so energetic and enthusiastic about your work. It was both funny and a little weird. But hey, if the man likes his job, who am I to judge?

Food Escapade: Baci Reviews (Italian)

My boyfriend and I both are foodies. We love to cook, eat and find the best of the best food. Of course, our current allowance wouldn't allow us from getting food that are really worth their price. Which is definitely out of our reach given our weak financial backing. Anyways, we decided on one thing though, that we will try our best to complete the world food travel (around Singapore) which means we have to eat at least a meal at all types of food around the world, Turkish, Thai, Malaysian, Italian, Spanish, German, English etc. This time, we tried our hand at Italian cuisine.

And if you would mind me saying it was delizioso! I'm a maniac on saving money when it comes to eating and buying stuffs. This time, I bought a groupon voucher for $60 worth of Italian food that was in a serious sense, too much food for both of us to finish. I ordered a pork chop, he ordered a roast chicken for the mains. We had a country mushroom soup which came is a slightly too big bowl for anyone to finish. Trust me. It's not a starter. It's a main. Are they trying to feed a starving man or what? Ridiculous portions but seriously delicious and rather cheap food.

By the time we went there to get our food, it was already almost filled to the brim with customers. Being a walk-in and self-service cafe/restaurant, we sat down and contemplated what to order for dinner. I know my boyfriend was starving at that time given he usually eats at 5 30 in camp and it was closing to 6 30. My tiramitsu that I wished so much to try was sold out and so was the red velvet which left me with only two other choices: the waffles and the creme brulee. In which I chose the waffles which later turned out to be a very very very bad idea. My boyfriend also ordered a 10 inch pizza. That was basically the spread and it came fairly quickly. The restaurant was swarmed with people and I believe that they didn't expect their groupon voucher to sell so hotly. When I reach home to check, there was already a 1000+ people who bought the voucher. I was so packed that people who came in at 7 30 were turned away because they had run out of food.

The restaruant/ cafe door. The interior was designed in a rather modern and cozy place. Great for catching up with friends and a cheap place for a non-romantic date.

Porkchops that was seriously good. The sauce was amazing and the meat was juicy.

The roast chicken with sweet and sour peppers. A rip off of my recipe man! See my pork chops with sweet and sour peppers. Luckily my boyfriend said my sauteed peppers and onions tasted much better!

My boyfriend and his obsession with pizza. This pizza was good though.

The table spread. Missing the soup which came later. Wait! didn't the menu state the soup as a starter or was it... a filler?

This is the crazy soup and the cute coffees they serve. Soup: not worth it. You might as well spend the money on the pizza or more coffee. Too much milk and too little flavour.\

When the waffles came, we were so stuffed we didn't finish this humongous waffle. It was however very delicious with the crisp outer layer and chewy inner layers coated with flowery maple syrup and over-ripened strawberries and whipped cream and drizzled with chocolate sauce.

Verdict

Ambience - Great

Food - Great

Cost - $30 per pax

Overall - Must Try!

Address

112 East Coast Road, #01-07

I12 Katong, Singapore 428802.

http://www.baci.com.sg/

Opening Hours

Not Stated