Lime House : Jamaican Food Delight!

Some days you wake up and food just came to your mind

Last tuesday, I met up with  Reg for  Jamaican Food before she flew for Germany.

They say in life, you'll meet some friends that'll you do crazy stuff with.They bring out the daredevil in you and so do I. When it comes down to just the two of us. ( in the absence of ming) We usually turn "adventurous" and will go sampling the less mainstream stuff.

The Lime House 

First Word: Quality Food cooked to perfection. Awesome service. Laid Back, 

The LimeHouse is one of the latest addition to the Keong Saik district . We were there on a lazy tuesday afternoon and  opted for the $30 3 Course Lunch Set and added on 2 sides. Total bill : $44.

This is what we had:

They are actually FISH MEAT okay. I absolutely love this. You got to eat it with all the sauces. 

I can't really remember the name of this dish. I remember that I can't even pronounce it. In short, it is mixed vegetables. Mainly carrots and brinjal. It taste like a marriage between salsa and ratatouille. The carrots and brinjal were all very nicely done. I finished all the carrots. ( That says a lot, considering that I am quite carrot adverse, especially carrots that are raw, with the exception of carrot juce. )  

People who knows me will know I will die for this. This is not deep fried my friend. It is pan-fried at its best. It is called Fried Plantain. ( huge bananas). They are not overly mushy like the  normal bananas that we eat here in Singapore. But they just taste really fragrant with a little sweetness. I just can't get enough of it. ! 

This is Jerk Chicken. It is a typical Jamaican food. To me it has very rich Mediterranean taste to it. I thought I taste like ranch sauce on it. The chicken were really tender too! However, Reg say the one that She ate back in the States has stronger spices. [ Is that how it should taste like? ] 

Lastly, the dessert of mixed fruits. I love the mangoes though not sure about the pickled fruits. 

My last thoughts?: The food were really good. I just not sure if it is "authentic" enough. I thought I see a bit of fusion and adjustments by making use of the local spices. The service is really good, it was just really laid back  and we can chat all the day long without like we were imposing. 

If you have a better recommendation, please drop us a mail. We are really interested to have authentic African meal! 

[and so, 

some days, 

I just laze around at home, 

doing some "exercise" ,

got bored of reading and decided to blog.

some days, 

I wake up grateful that I have friends by my side. 

even though it means taking away time from the boy, 

some people are just worthy of your attention and time. 

If you are going through a heartbreak, 

friends are your best companion. 

party is an ultimate distraction. 

but at the end of the day, 

you need to rediscover yourself 

to make yourself whole again.

I really salute those that can walk out of a heartbreak and become stronger 

I think the process of denial, self doubt, self blame and living in total bewilderment is  a pain that no one deserves to go through and which no one has the right to inflict upon another. 

the pain that leaves you breathless, 

giving you a headache,

that makes you feel like you can never smile again,

those that  left you wishing you can sleep the day through so that you don't have to deal with the reality. 

the questions running through your mind. 

I hope no one has to go through that sort of pain. 

Protect your heart, 

because nothing can last forever you know?  

Take a break and breathe. ]

Sangokai Review

I just got home from dinner. Completed my work, planned tomorrow's meeting and decided that I can write another post to talk about week! 

On Saturday, babe and I decided that it was time for him to get his hair cut. Since he planned for dinner last week, I decided to do the honors this week. Ran a search and decided to visit Sangokai for some Japanese food. 

First Word: This place deserves more crowd instead of just its usual customers. 

Located along beach road, shortly before NOX, this decent little outlet deserves more crowd for its food. We spent a total of $76 for 5 dishes. Here's what we had: 

Complimentary starters: Bamboo Shoot. Personally I like it. The bamboo shoots are crunchy without being hard and I love the sweetness of the sauce. The Boy didn't quite fancy it though. He's just quite wary of the ammonia-like taste of bamboo shoots.

Assorted Nigiri. This plate sets us back at $26. We had on the plate: Octopus, Ika, Sword Fish, Salmon,Yellow Tail and Tuna. Personally, I kinda like the Octopus and Yellow Tail as well as the california maki. It's not fine-dining standards, BUT at $26, we thought it is decent and good :)  

Potato mentai. Needless to say, this is our FAVORITE dish of the night. Who can resist the combination of potato with mentai? For a mentai dish, the mentai sauce is of utmost important. I thought they did theirs perfectly. It is sweet with a good balance of saltiness. Absolutely love it. It is THE must try. 

His order: Bacon with enoki mushroom. I thought it is quite nicely done but the bacon can be crispier:) 

Garlic Fried Rice served in hot stone! I love the sizzling sound that the rice makes on the hot stone. However, we thought it could be more flavorful. It is a little bland for our taste. Nevertheless, thus far, we've yet had an exceptional garlic rice except for Chef Danny's down at Tatsu Tepanyaki @ Chijmes. After he left Tatsu, nothing seemed to be able to match up.

Also his order: Clam Soup. I'm never a big fan of japanese clam soup. However for $8, this got to be the biggest bowl of clam soup that we had. Generous serving aside, the soup is really sweet:)  

Hence, to give it its due credit, this place is definitely worthy of a visit if you are yearning for simple food, quiet and unpretentious. it's not mainstream nor too chi-chi. A sincere service crew that leave you largely alone.  It is almost like dining at home. ;)

[ At different stages of our life, we pursue different objects of fantasy.

Some prefer excitement.
vivacious young things,
living dangerously.

Others prefer stability.
The large silent mountains,
unwavering in its loyalty.

but mostly, people forget to give credit
to the meek individuals
standing steadfastly against the wind
waiting for their moment to shine.

Sangokai is one such place and I hope that it will remain shining in its glitzy neighborhood :) ]

Food: Keong Saik Snacks. - Date down the colonial times.

At the national museum. 

It's Sunday again and i'm at home procrastinating to start work. 

decided that I should come on and write something. 

about my week maybe? or the week before? 

Last Weekend,

I granted myself a weekend of rest. 

1.The National Museum. 

Babe took me out for date night. 

and I brought him to one of my favorite place in Singapore - The National Museum. 

It is not my first trip down the History Gallery, probably the 4th since it's set up. 

the exhibits are the same

but every trip, ( and i am not kidding) 

is a brand new experience for me. 

We spent around 2 hours there? and we did not even complete a quarter of the exhibits. 

there's just too many stories to listen to, too many artefacts to view,

too many scenarios that I want to envision myself in. 

I just really love the place. The exterior and its beautiful lawn. 

Feedback: 

The best part of our museum is that it comes with a digital guide that you can carry around. Trust me. Half of the museum that I visited in DC. did not have such facilities and all the artefacts appears almost alien. The guide provides you with the history of the artefacts.  I just wish that they didn't change to the TAB? I couldn't last through 2 hours without the battery dying on me twice.  I mean I do appreciate that we can now view videos on the go, BUT I really do prefer the old device which even though was heavier but could last longer.

2. Keong Saik Snacks

First word: If you spend at Jamie Oliver, might as well spend it here:) 

Dinner was down at Keong Saik Snacks for some real simple British Foodfare. 

I won't go on and describe how great and popular the chefs are and where they hail from. You can read all about their goodness on the website. I'm just going to share with you my very genuine experience over there. ( pardon my photos, they were taken with my iphone under really dim lighting) 

Their menu is really simple with only a few specific dishes. I like that about restaurants actually. It shows how specialized they are and that they are good at what they do. 

1. Starters: Tuna Tartare + Skinny Fries. 

Starters: Tuna Tartare. I used to not like raw fish until I met B and I never looked back. 

Uncovering the tuna hidden beneath. Tuna meat were really fresh and sweet. We couldn't get enough of it

Skinny Fries with garlic aoli dip.  I absolutely LOVE this. It looks really simple ? But it tastes exceptionally good with/without the dip. I say, it is a must try when you are there. :)

2. Deep Fried Red Snapper with Duck Fat Chips. 

What's British Food without Fish n Chips? I like that they use Red Snapper as the choice of fish such that the fish remains really juicy? The Chips was cooked with Duck Fat. Nothing spectacular. Taste like normal fries. I totally just dig the skinny fries more. 

3. Lamp Chops with Shepherd Pie. 

His: Lamp Chops with Shepherd Pie. The Lamp Chops were done beautifully,much better than Jamie Oliver if I must say. The Shepherd pie was not really my kind of thing as Im not a great fan of mutton. But if you will look closely at the picture, reddish part are all the mutton meat. - THAT is  HOW tightly packed the pie is.  

4. Desserts: HOT Donuts. THIS IS A MUST TRY. 

This is my FAVORITE. It is a MUST TRY. HOT DONUTS. I absolutely love this. Hot fluffy donut with cinammon sugar served with caramel cream. What's really amazing is that when you spread the caramel onto the donut, it tastes more salty than sweet! Absolutely Delish! 

So fluffy!! 

and I guess that sums up yet another nice food trip.

an inconspicuous place 

that provides excellent service

and really good food, 

We spent: $100+ for the above.

TIP: Remember to call and make a reservation!  ( Ps: they have very good lunch deals too!) 

Words: 

[ Forgive the ignorant,
  the evil
  and the childish pricks.
  For god has her plans,
  and they'll learn
   as you did. :)  ]

Food: Mitsuba by Yurine.

It is a tuesday night and it is raining outside.
I am feeling kind of unwell and I thought I'll share a little about our experience at Mitsuba by Yurine.
Mr. T and I visited the place by chance some two weeks back.
Our original intention was to have ramen at Marutama
However, for some reason we walked pass Mitsuba and thought we give it a try!
Neither did we realize that we were actually entering the latest project of Chef Peter, formerly from Wasabi Tei and Chikuwa Tei. ( I really can't wait to visit Chikuwa Tei soon. )

First Word:  Quality Japanese Food at Quality Prices.  

As we walked in we were served and greeted by a highly enthusiastic waiter and guess what I still remember his name! RED . 

After some deliberation, Mr. T and I decided to have the following:  

1. Bento ( I am terribly sorry that I forgot the exact name of this wonderful set meal) 

This simply delicious meal set us back around $48? but it's definitely value for money.  

There's raw tuna atop japanese rice. The seasoning is just right,  we absolutely love the spring onions mix in with the raw tuna place atop crispy seaweed and rice. ( Huge serving, we couldn't finish it! )  

chawanmushi with prawns, mushrooms and fish roe. 

3 x tempura prawns,

mixed sashimi ( salmon, the very sweet and tasty white tuna as well as sword fish.) 

The absolutely sweet rock melon sums up the meal perfectly. 

  

2. Gyoza. 

I can't stop raving about this gyoza.As I am writing this, I can still avidly remember its taste on my palate. It is very very well seasoned with pepper. Pan fried to perfection, and can be eaten both with/without pairing of the vinegar. 

                                 

so so so good that I can still remember how it taste like. 

                                          

3.Salmon maki. 

Despite its simplicity, you can taste the sweetness of the salmon in every mouth.Definitely value for money.

                                             

All in all we had a really pleasant dining experience at Mitsuba. 

At this moment I thought I will share something interesting. 

While waiting for our food to arrive, 

T and I noticed something peculiar. 

That the dining outlet is pretty quiet despite being filled with young people. 

Also, as our booth seat is located right in front of the chef, we wondered why are his brows perpetually furrowed. 

We decided to run a check online and that's when we realized we were right in front of his excellency Chef Peter and can't helped but feel totally in awe of him.

Bonus part? He gave us a smile as we leave that night. That apparently is pretty rare and T and I felt like little children being praised by our tutors. lol. 

All in all, Mitsuba by yurine is a place definitely worth visiting if you want like quality jap food in clarke quay. 

It serves quality japanese food without being exorbitant. 

It is quiet without being pretentious. 

I absolutely adore that - the ability to talk normally, laugh, be myself without feeling watched.

We definitely can't wait to be back!

Tip: Get a reservation and secure a seat by the window and totally just enjoy the amazing view of the river. 

Something to end off the night: 

source: weheartit.com

[ Often, we find ourselves at some form of cross roads,
unsure of our decisions,
feeling incompetent,
and all ready to just give up
and just accept that we are probably just not good enough.
it is just so easy to lose patience, throw in the towel, forget our passion, our aims and the future that we wanted to build.

well, you are not alone.
right now
it is a matter of choice whether you want to just keep trying, be brave and just up the challenge.
" Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass, but to be able to dance in the rain"
just remember to not wear slippery shoes or so my bff says. ]

nights all!

love,
S.

Staycation : Ascott Residences.

Hi everyone, we are so sorry for the pathetic lack of updates. Definitely something that we are not proud of.

Promise promise promise that we'll update more often. ( Keep your fingers crossed for us alright! ) 

While T and I have disappeared from these pages, we've been busy with our day job and not forgetting to reward ourselves from work!  

September was Mr. T's birthday and he specifically requested for us to revisit Ascott Residences. This is our 3rd stay there ever since we got together 2 years ago. We absolutely adore Ascott. Unlike Hotels, Ascott Residences comes with an accompanying kitchenette and that is precisely the reason why Mr. T requested for a staycation in Ascott. - so that I can cook for him!  

as we have been there many times, I only took a shot of the main entrance. excluding the well equipped kitchen, and their choice of toiletries . - they use L'occitaine!

1. First Word:  Definitely worthy of every penny.        

Ascott is just so conveniently located. It is just right outside Raffles Place Station. Fancy a view of the river? Marina Bay Sands is just across the road. Want to party? Butter Factory is just down the street.
Looking forward to some satay? : Lau Pat Sat is on your right. It also comes along with its own infinity pool,jacuzzi and gym on the rooftop.   How can you not love this place?                  

Our Groceries. Menu for the night: Roast Chicken, Granny Smith Duck Liver and Grilled Prawn Penne in tomato herb sauce.  

                                       
2. Some pictures of what I cooked that night: 

I went online to search for the best way to prepare foie gras. 

 However, Mr. T and I didn't managed to buy any foie gras suitable for the 2 of us and we settled happily for the duck liver. Seasoned lightly with black pepper and a little salt. 

I made a sauce using green apple and sweet onion.

I also separately pan fry a slice of the granny smith apple to serve as a base for the duck liver. 

                                    

                                     

                           

Final product! 

 I was quite apprehensive about using duck liver at first but it turned out really really good. What more it is cheaper too! :) 

I also prepared Roast Chicken. As Ascott come fully equipped with an Oven, I decided to try preparing a roast chicken. 

It turned out pretty well. It may not look the part, but the skin is crispy but the flesh is really tender. 

3. Recipe for Roast Chicken 

Here'show I did it: 

I marinated the chicken over night with soya sauce, ground pepper and some garlic.  

On the day itself, I sliced the thickest part of the chicken drumstick and stuffed the interior with thyme, garlic and lemon slices. 

I also rub some salt, black pepper and ground pepper on the exterior.  

Before placing it into the oven, 

I stir fry some onion and garlic to prepare a sauce to use as a base on the baking tray. Place the chicken atop the sauce and put it into the oven to roast at 200 degrees celcius for 1 hour. 

half way through, I remove the plate and baste the chicken. i.e. apply some butter on it. 

I mainly followed recipe on noobcook and adapted it for my own use:

Minimalist Roast Chicken  

                                      

                                

His : The absolutely delish 2 cheese penne in tomato herb sauce. 

We bought the sauce and penne  from Da Paolo. It works out really well! We originally intended to grill the tiger prawns, however the prawn went bad :( and so we made this instead!  

It's light without being boring. I cleared the plate, if you must know! 

                     

I guess that pretty much sums up our little adventure at Ascott, again. 

What else did we do that night? 

We went for a walk at MBS, had satay for supper, and caught a movie in the room. 

( We rented some dvd before checking in) 

Our THIRD stay, i think that says a lot about how much we adore this little hide out. 

PS: Their service is immaculate. I get my morning papers too plus free in house wifi. What's better? Royal Mail served pretty decent breakfast, if you don't feel like whipping up breakfast you may opt for their breakfast package:) 

                               

Hope our little sharing helped!
what do you do and where do you go on your staycation?

T and I will love to know!

Love,

S.

Old World Series 2: Back to my hainanese roots.

decided that since I'm talking about old school delights, 

I thought I'll share about Ya Kon down at Purvis street. 

I'm pretty sure many foodies would have known abt this lovely place 

( I'm assuming) 

and a part of me wanted very much to keep this place a secret and pretend that everyone else know about it. 

But anyhows, here goes: 

First Word: aunthentic hainanese good fare. If you liked golden mile steamboat, 

you'll love this place. 

When I first step through the door,

I really thought I step back in time. 

( sth like narnia)

everyone was speaking in hainanese

we were there for the chicken rice,

but quickly decided on the steamboat too! 

ps: the menu has no pricing, they'll just proportion everything according to the number of people and then charge you accordingly.

The chicken rice is really fragrant 

and the chicken reminded me

very much of grandpa, and how I use to squat beside him as he chop the chicken, pleading for a drumstick. 

You see, the hainanese typed chicken is different from that of the cantonese.

There's less oil and seasoning ,

Cantonese type chicken rice has more seasame oil. 

We paid $33.60 for the meal, including a barley. 

it's comparable to that of golden mile.

just that the service is less welcoming. 

they are perpetually  stony-faced no matter how enthusiastic you are in engaging them. 

and they don serve you hainanese tea during the peak hours at night. 

( only the boss get to drink) 

ps: chicken is sold out by 8.30, so yeah,

do come early to avoid disappointment.

on a side note,

to reward yourself for putting up with the stony faces,

Hope down to Jai Thai for awesome 

mango sticky rice! ( just next door) 

till then,

love 

S. 

Old World Series 1: OSD

right now I'm down at creme. 

one awkward Saturday where I decided not to do any work. 

it's a rarity, considering that I do work at least on 2 of my weekends. 

In all honesty, a part of me feel like kicking myself for not bringing something work related down here while waiting for the boy to get his hair cut. 

instead I'm reading Cleo ( last I touched it, I was still in Uni) and sipping on green tea. 

come to think of it, this week I haven being doing much work. 

the colleagues went on a retreat tgt on Thursday afternoon during our meeting slot. 

Old school delight at Upper Thomson.

First Word: 

good service, cozy and nice local fare:) 

needless to say I fell in love with the warm and quirky decor and the fact that I get to write my orders on a whiteboard!

the food was pretty awesome! 

these are just some of the food we got for ourselves to share.

the kueh pie tee is a MUST TRY. 

macaroni was alright only,

but the Mee Siam is really good!! 

It's definitely more ex than the local fares you get at the hawker centers. 

but for the env. $5.80/mee Siam is still quite okay. 

we also had ( not in the pictures) 

lemon cake , really refreshing and light 

sticky chewy chocolate cake, which is too sweet for my liking

and curry chicken too! 

It was a really satisfying afternoon lunch treat by the seniors. :) 

right now. 

I'm just telling myself to relax and breathe. 

not to feel guilty for not doing work.

and just enjoy the Singapore Night Festival :) 

will blog more when I'm back from the event!:) 

till then,

lets continue breathing. 

[put in maximum effort, 

be firm] 

 

Food: Jamie - Naked Cuisine

hi everyone, it's been a long while and T and I are deeply apologetic about it.

seems like we are 2 individuals who can't seem to manage our time well. bummers 

nevertheless, during the hiatus,

we definitely did not stop our hunt for food. 

we explored, 

and so we thought we share one of our latest find to welcome us back from our 'break'

Over the long weekend, 

T and I together with his papa, mama and sis visited Jamie's Italian.

yup! it is indeed the very much anticipated arrival of the naked chef, 

which sees current online reservation fully booked for the month of September. Walk in guests ? - be prepared for a long wait. 

First Word : Small serving. Come for the mains and desserts. Not so sure about the ravioli :( 

I suppose that's my main take away from Jamie's Italian. 

The serving size of 1 is insufficient to fill 

the stomachs of an average Asian girl like me, much less that of a full grown T who stands at 1.87m. 

We ended up have a huge supper down at Changi Village.: 

Anyways, I'm here to talk about Jamie. So.. Jamie it shall be:

1. Starters. 

We ordered 3 starters to share amongst the 5 of us. 

A. Fried Squid

Nicely fried and paired with red chili. A smarty Asian fusion of salt and pepper.

Taste very much like the friend squids I'll get from crystal jade kitchen.

Nothing spectacular , just very nice :) 

B. Bread Platter accompanied with balsamic and olive oil.

Mind you, I'm a big bread / carbo fan. Most Italian restaurants serve you this for free,

and since we paid for this bread platter, 

we definitely were expecting something exciting. 

So there were 7 different types and one of each type ( okay fine, usually restaurants only serves 1 type of bread but still its in in multiple slices and it's free!!) 

Still, to give it the due credit, 

I enjoyed the different type of bread. it's interesting. and a good choice to share among like 4 - 5 ppl?

maybe not for 2, that's too much carb before your mains.:) 

C. The last starter: POSH CHIPS

nicely deep fried potato with skins in truffle oil and mozzarella cheese:) 

very tasty, doesn leave behind an oily after taste and it's salty! ( just very small serving )

2. THE PASTAS.  

I was really looking forward to their pastas, and I thought I'll give my 2 cents worth abt it.

T's mom : Prawn Linguine. 

Serving size is just right. interesting tomato sauce based, but that's that. a very simple dish

T's sis: tuna fusilli . another tomato based pasta. what was Interesting is the bread crumbs that give you an additional crunch in every bite.

MINE: STUFFED MUSHROOM RAVIOLI. 

I chose the $18 serving which the waitress said was suitable for 1-2 people to share. 

Yet, what arrived was just 7 pieces of ravioli and I tasted more flour than mushroom in every bite :( 

the overall taste of the dish is good, but the serving size is just too little to be satisfying :( 

3. The Mains 

First word: a little pricey but tasty

T's dad: Lamb Chops. Really well done. 

As you can see, there's a nice infusion

of Asian spices in the dish. 

I thought it's e best of all the dishes that we tired that day.

T's main: Baked catch of the day. The fish was really well cooked, it's moist and chewy. Still, we are not used the taste, the sauce was a lil bland for us.

4. Desserts 

We ordered 2 desserts to share : 

Lemon Menrigue : I really love the taste of the Menrigue. It's zesty without being overly sour. However, it'll be better if the crust is thicker. 

Tiramisu: I know it doesn look as good as the usuals, but it tastes really nice. it's really moist and has a nice taste of the rum.

In short, 

We had a Nice experience at Jamie's 

good service, 

the food is only passable 

serving size is too small.. 

we spent around $180 for 5. 

It's good to give it a try to say hi to the famous Naked Chef.

But I was just disappointed that it wasn't wow. 

Tip: If you are intending to come in big group? -- please make a reservation? 

       If you are intending to queue, approach the staff and tell them the number of pax and await their instruction. That day, we simply joined the queue for an hour only to arrive at the door, telling us that we have to wait for another 2 hours before they can seat our table of 5. You definitely do not wish to have to go through the process of reasoning. It will just ruin your mood and your impression of the place before you even order. )