"The Official Launch Of V-Zug @ KITCHEN CULTURE" - Feb 25,2011

Many thanks to my good friend ( CEO of Kitchen Culture ) WeeLi for his invitation to the above event @ his Award Winning Showroom @ Leng Kee Road ! It was a very stylish & entertainin event featuring the luxury Swiss home appliance & kitchen system - V-Zug ! And there was also Swiss Wine,Fashion including a fashion show with catwalk by European Models & of course my Fav Swiss Eats !!! ;-)

And i understand that all the different types of Swiss Eats were arranged by Sat Catering.And i enjoyed most all the Live Cooking Demonstration of their Swiss Gourmet Eats ( from V-Zug's very own Cookbook ( of course using their kitchen appliances ! ) And i liked to feature a few of my Fav Eats :

And i really enjoyed this Swiss Dessert very much with extra servings !!! ;-)

Actually this Swiss Dessert is still on my mind & i hope i can taste it again !!! ;-) And there were other Cakes & Desserts which i had to "skipped" because the above "really filled me up !!! ;-)

For more Info on KITCHEN CULTURE - http://www.kitchenculture.com/
Visit Showroom @ 2 Leng Kee Road #01-02/05 & #01/07 Thye Hong Centre Singapore 159 086
Contact : +65 6473 6776

Wishing my good friend - WeeLi & his company - Kitchen Culture all the very best & successful future !!!

Cheers & Enjoy !!!
Andrew ;-)

GOLDEN PEONY @ CONRAD,Singapore - "Re-Visited & YUM CHA" On May 17,2010

My good friend called & invited me for Yum Cha & he requested for "very good & fine Dim Sum Eats" !!! And since i know he & his family well & they liked all my recent recommendations liked LI BAI @ Sheraton Towers & SUMMER PALACE @ Regent Hotel,of course i couldn't disappoint them in terms of the top food quality standards,excellent service & posh decor,so i immediately suggested the above ( it was good timing because i have been thinking of re-visiting the above since i am on the hotel mailing list with their latest Eats promotions ! ) because it was one of my top Fav Yum Cha Eats many years ago for business entertainment and with my parents ! And i was so glad that it turned out to a wonderful idea for to re-visit the above ! Even though several of the senior staffs i knew before were no longer there,i was very sure the service will be still very good ! And the Management's good selection for Head Chef is always the best ! And our timing was great because there was a special menu created by the Chef - cooking several dishes with chinese tea ! And of course we were keen to order a few "must try" interresting Dim Sums !!! :-)

And these days at most fine dining Chinese Restaurants,it's the trend to feature gourmet or premium chinese tea ! And since i luv chinese tea,it's great !!! ;-)

Actually i really wanted to taste several of their special Dim Sums but my good friend told me that he would liked to order some main courses too so here are the few Dim Sums that we ordered :

- "Steamed "Live" Prawn In Golden-Fried Beancurd,Topped With Crab Roe" - $3.80 per person

- "Sea Perch and Avocado,golden fried in crispy thin batter" - $3.80 per person

- "Steamed Spinach Dumpling With Prawn,Water Chestnut and Garlic" - $5.40 per portion

And here was our Daily Soup ( Yellow Cucumber With Pork Ribs ) :

My good friend suggested that we order their Steamed Fish & Vegetables ( to check their standards - "which cooked almost perfectly !" ) :

And we also tasted their "Baked Spare Rib marinated with "Jin Jun Mei" Tea ( which we enjoyed very much !!! ) -

And after this,we agreed that we were almost done,so there was really no more capacity to enjoy their "Stewed "River" Prawn with Ginger and Spring Onion accompanied with Crispy Egg Noodles" - $20.00 per person ( actually i was looking forward to this to compared it with my Fav - Lei Garden ! but we had to cancel this for future re-visit ! )

Finally i always love a sweet finale to an enjoyable meal but i couldn't decide on which dessert to order,so it was really great that the Chef can arrange a combination especially for me !!! ;-)

- "Chilled Cream Of Avocado with Movenpick Vanilla Ice Cream" and "Chilled Sour Plum Jelly With Jasmine Tea"

Address : 3/F Conrad Centennial Singapore, 2 Temasek Boulevard
Contact : +65 6432 7482

My personal thoughts on the above :
- Definitely the standards and service is still one of the Best !
- The Chef is very innovative by introduction of cooking with Chinese Tea !

Looking forward to more re-visits to the above soon !!!

Cheers & Enjoy !!!
Andrew ;-)

OTTO RISTORANTE @ Red Dot Traffic Building - SET LUNCH MENU - Year 2010 - 2011

Since my 1st Tastings @ OTTO RISTORANTE - I was impressed with their cosy DECOR and excellent good service from their Restaurant Manager - PAOLO & of course their Award Winning Chef MICHELE PAVANELLO's authentic Italian cooking style !!! ;-)

And since i'm on their mailing list - whenever i have a look at their latest Monthly Lunch Menu or Seasonal Promotions liked Truffle - it's so tempting that will make want to call & make reservations so I will always have OTTO on my mind whenever I crave for the Best Italian Eats !!! ;-)

Please note that their main dining area is actually a bit tight so Reservation is strongly recommended ! But my recent enjoyable re-visit was great because their Manager Paolo managed to "find a nice table for my good Foodie Lunch Friend - KIE and myself - even though they were fully booked already !!!  ;-)

This Was Next To Our Table ! ;-)

For the Freshly Baked Soft & Hard Bread Selection - I will usually have more than one servings ( guessed it must be maybe i had no time for Breakfast ! )

I always enjoy their Starters from their SET MENU & featured below was in May 2011 :

- "Pio Tosini Parma Ham And Rock Melon" - the presentation was creative & enjoyed the taste !

- Freshly Prepared Daily Soup - Mushroom - ( Kie's choice )

- "Home Made Spaetzli Pasta With Brown Butter And Summer Truffle Sauce" - enjoyed the taste very much ! 1st time so it was interesting eats for me !!! ;-)

- "Home Made Tagliolini With Live Prawn Marinated With Lemon Zest And Chilly" - $28 ( Kie's Mains Selection )

- "Chocolate And Amaretti Biscuit Flan Asti Style" - enjoyed the light sweetness and taste very much !

There are times when i thought of "tasting their monthly set lunch menu every month" because it always a "almost prefecto Italian lunch for me at the above !" And it's always most enjoyable with good friends ! ;-)

Here's Another Enjoyable Monthly Re-Visits ( mid August 2011 ) with my good friends - Dr.Ronnie Tan and Kok Pak Chow.And my "kawaii" Kaori !!!

To Be Continued........In Year 2012 !!!

Cheers & Enjoy !!!
AnDreW ;-)

ADDRESS : 28, Maxwell Road #01-02 Red Dot Traffic Building Singapore 069120
CONTACT : +65 6227 6819
WEBSITE  : http://www.ottoristonrante.com.sg/

TABLE AT 7 by Karl & Eugenia @ 7 Mohamed Sultan Road,Singapore - 1st Dinner On 16/5/11

It was interesting to know about the above because there was a Wine Dinner Invite by friend Susan Yong from J&D Burleigh ( she told that it was newly opened by her good friend / Chef Eugenia but i was unable to join for this ! ;-( ) And also after reading my good Foodie friend - Geoffrey Eu's review - "Best Of Both Worlds at Table At 7" ( Biz Times 25/4/11 ) i was very keen to check out the above soon !

So timing was excellent when my Foodie Big Bro PC called and requested for any New Eats suggestions for Dinner,I immediately suggested the above because i read that Chef Eugenia specialise in Gourmet Indonesian Cuisine ( so i'm sure he will keen to check how tasty is her cooking style ! )

Of course I was actually taking a chance because if my recommendation is not to their liking,then... ;-)
And honestly i had no idea who Karl ( specialise in Modern European Cuisine ) or Eugenia were except from reading their profiles on their above website just before the above dinner ! Anyway we were still game to check the above out !!! ;-)

Address : 7 Mohamed Sultan Road Singapore 238957
Contact : +65 6836 6362 / Cell : +65 8338 6362
( Dinner Reservation Recommended - Small Dining Space and also there may be large Wine Dinner Party ! )
Email : reservations@tableat7.com
Website : http://www.tableat7.com/

I have so many Fav Eats liked Bonta,Yakiniku Yazawa & others nearby that "distracted" me on the way to the above.So just walking by and the thought of both of them makes me salivate already ! ;-)

Arrived there slightly earlier to have a look at both their Set Up & Menu & since it's our 1st Time it's a good idea to chat & check with their Manager ( experienced Ex-Raffles & Fairmount ) on on his best suggestions or point out their signature dishes or any seasonal promotions.There was both a Degustation and Ala Carte Menu ( frankly i was definitely more keen on Eugenia's Specialties after all our last dinner recently was at Joel Robuchon @ RWS ! ;-) ) So we thought the best idea for us ( also suggested by the Manager & it was also a "test" for him because he told us almost every dish was yummy ! ) was to order a few of Karl's signature dishes and more of Eugenia's specialties for sharing and tasting for the above ! ;-)

Here was our "East meet West" Dinner Tasting @ Table At 7 Menu :

- House Pour - Red - Recommended By The Manager ( For 1 Pax - Me only,maybe i should not have order it !!! ;-) )

- House Bread - Ratings : 6/10 ( But my good friend - KS enjoyed it ! ;-) )

- Entree - "Iced Gaszpacho With Tuna Tartare On Cucumber,Pimento,Avocado Tian,Bloody Mary Sorbet"
              - $18 ( Highly recommended but there were no comments on this ! )

- ( TBN )

- "Char-Grilled Aged 400g Grained-Fed Black Angus Rib Eye Served With Truffle Mash,Onion Confit,White Asparagus and Red Wine Reduction" ( For 2 person ) - $96

( So happened that the above was served together with Eugenia Specialties so all our interest or rather tasting enjoyment was on the "tasty & tender" Rendang & Satay ! But on the above,personally i tasted & felt that the White Asparagus was not cooked the softness that i preferred ! )

( We also tasted enjoyed their - Crispy Pan-seared Foie Gras served with Rosella Flower Compote,Sweet Corn Blinis,Raspberry Vinegar Sauce - $28 )

- "Twice-cooked Kurobuta Pork,Spicy Manado style,served with Fragrant Shallot-scented Jasmine Steam Rice - $28

- Chunky Satay - Indonesian Style - Well Marinated & Tasty ! Most Enjoyed This With The "kecap manis sauce & peanet sauce" !!! ;-)

( This Was Actually An Additional Order Because There Was Another Dish That We Ordered ( Not Featured Because It Was Very Popular So I Didn't Have Any Chance To Take Any Photo Of It - "Authentic Indonesian Yellow Rice Platter Of Beef Cheek Rendang,Spring Chicken Opor,Chunky Satay & Acar" - $32 - This Dish is the Best !!! Tasty & Tender !!! ;-) )

- "Tender Slow-Braised Wagyu Oxtail Rendang Served With Fragrant Shallot-Scented Jasmine Rice" - $36
( Most liked this especially KS scrapped off every meat on the bone !!! Must Order ;-) )

- "Char-Grilled Ocean King Prawns With Chef's Special Chilli Lime Sambal,Rocket Salad" - $30
( Most commented that the taste of the above was not spicy or sharp enough ! Could be the serving for this was really slow that affected the tasting for this ! )

Btw since it was our Tasting Dinner - we also ordered & tasted their - "Authentic Javanese Oxtail Soup Served With Root Vegetables And Glass Vermicelli" - $18 - ( Our Comments : Maybe our expectation for this was too high ! Tasted Slightly Sweet ! ;-) )

And for their Desserts,we requested to taste their Best Selection :

- "Light Passion Fruit Souffle Served With Mango Sorbet" - $16

- "Crispy Almond and Apple Tarte Tatin With Calvados Anglaise Served With Vanilla Ice Cream" - $15
( Most Enjoyed This !!! ;-) )

- "Tia Maria Flavoured Tiramisu Served With Home Made Mocha Sorbet" - $15

Here are my Personal Thoughts on our above Dinner :

- Guessed the above is newly opened - it will need more time for the Manager and his team "not really gel together on their working teamwork" Anyway i could tell that they were trying their best !
- Of course it would have been best if there was a proper Introduction especially for Karl's Signature Dishes instead of any guesswork and make it more appetizing !
- Was disappointed that both Karl & Eugenia were not around during our dinner tasting session ( by just looking at their kitchen - see below ! Anyway liked the colors used for the Open Kitchen concept but not their black colored attired Kitchen Crew ! And before the above was fully filled with diners,it was a bit quiet & since our table was nearby, we could hear their Assistant Chef shouting out our orders to his crew ! Not sure if there was any response ! ;-) )

because i heard from their manager that they were busy with another dinner event ! ( The above also provide catering services for private events ! ) So probably this was the reason on our hesitation for our ordering.So my future visit i need to check if both of them will be there so that i will have a feeling that i have tasted the Best of the Best from the above !!!" ;-)
- A word of caution : When entering - you need to watch out the step down to the main dining floor level because we saw this elderly lady who walking & looking out for her friend's table,she almost trip herself ! Could be an expensive & painful dinner ! Will be a good idea if there's always someone manning the reception area ! ;-)

And finally the above is Recommended especially to Foodies that are keen to check out New Eats Experience ! But personally i will do a Re-Visit & Update in a few months' time on the above ! Unless any good friends requesting to check it out ! Or i miss Eugenia Specialties too much !!! ;-)

Cheers & Enjoy !!!
Andrew ;-)

RISTORANTE BOLOGNA - "WORLD GOURMET SUMMIT 2011" ( MasterChef - NOBERT NIEDERKOFLER - Two Michellin Star - St.Hubertus / San Cassiamo,Italy )" - Dinner On 6/5/11

My good TGIF Buddy - JL suggested that we meet up @ Marina Mandarin for Dinner.And i can't recalled when i had a meal in this hotel.And at the above,it must have been many years ago ! Since i was still in the mood for Italian Eats,i noticed the above event.And i suggested to my good buddy JL.And he too thought it was a good idea but since it was our 1st time,we didn't know that we had to order their Tasting Menu Only ! So if you never taste,you never know ! ;-)

And after our meal, the Manager needed to check with Masterchef - Norbert ( if he was too busy in the kitchen or in the mood...) And moments later,he looked happy and he was waiting there for me ! And he even autographed the above event's Menu for me & thanked me ! ;-)

This Tasting Menu ( $178++ per person ) was recommended by the manager.He shared with us that it was the most popular & the portions are "small tasting portions" ! So we decided to try it out ! And here was their Bread ( Ratings : 6/10 - Only 1 type available ! )

And for Wine Selection - the Manager recommended this for our Tasting Menu pairing :

Here's the TASTING MENU - St.Hubertus ( Due out table with dimmed lighting of Ristorante Bologna,the photos were not taken well ! And it was not so nice if i used the flash for every serving to distract others at my table ! ;-( ) :

- Millefeuille of Deer with Licorice,Kumquats and Celery Mousse

- Buckwheat Ravioli stuffed with Buffalo Milk Ricotta on Calamaretti Spillo and a Cream of Bobby Beans

- Crayfish on Porcini Mushroom Mousse and Dashi Reduction

And here our 2nd Wine - which another Manager recommended ( Sorry to add this but personally we were not too impressed with the Wine Menu or Recommendations by both Managers for the above dinner ! ;-( )

- Duo of Mountain Lamb : Ossobuco with Polenta and a Mountain Lamb Chop with Sicilian Eggplants,Artichokes and Oven Tomatoes

- Cassis Cannolo stuffed with Yogurt Froth,marinated Raspberries and Cassis Sorbert

On the above,my comments as follows :

- Liked i have mentioned that i happened to be at the above hotel to decide on the above dinner so we are actually taking a chance based on the Event Promotions & Eats available there !
- And honestly we really had no idea who the Masterchef Nobert was & only based on his Two Michillen Star status ! There was only a few dishes that we thought was interesting,creative and delicious enough that we can appreciate ! ;-)

Now that the above event is over,it will be a good idea to re-visit & taste Chef CARLO's Italian Home-Style cooking again !!! ;-)

Address : 6 Raffles Boulevard, 4/F Marina Mandarin Hotel,Singapore
Contact : +65 6845 1111 ( Closed On Sunday ! )

Cheers & Enjoy !!!
Andrew ;-)