Dim Sum Craving

Every few weeks I wake up with a Dim Sum craving, when nothing else will do, and last Saturday was one of those days. We had a spot of shopping to do on Orchard Road so chose Crystal Jade Nan Jiang Cuisine at Ngee Ann City. Last time we came here we had to wait for half an hour for a table, so today we booked ahead and what to you know? It was half empty… Well who cares, we had a table in a nice restaurant and a veritable feast to enjoy.

We started with a chicken and noodle salad with a spicy peanut sauce, which was quite strange – it basically tasted like cold noodles and chicken mixed in with some peanut butter and chilli – but hey, I like noodles, chicken, chilli and peanut butter, so it was ok by me…

We also pigged out on Crispy Beancurd Rolls with Shrimp, a true winner:

Ha Kau Shrimp Dumpling, as good as ever

Xiao Long Bao (and those damn dumplings stuck to the lettuce leaf so the soup disappeared into the steamer before it reached my mouth, but the remaining dumplings was still pretty good)

Siew Mai

And our favourite dish from our last visit: Pork Wanton in a Spicy Sauce – unfortunately they just didn’t live up to our memories though, today’s were decidedly tasteless and oily.

All in all though, a tasty lunch… and a craving satisfied… ah how I love living in Asia…


Crystal Jade Jiang Nan Cuisine - http://www.crystaljade.com/CrystalJadeJiangNanCuisine.htm

Cheap and Cheerful

Wednesday evening and time for a quick bite to eat with friends after work. Lau Pa Sat was the hawker centre of choice and Ming Yen Seafood, the stall we ended up at – mainly for its set-apart location outside on picnic-style tables and, more importantly, its proximity to the Tiger Beer stall.

I’m not a big fan of stingray, or sambal dishes, but the friend I was with eats nothing else it seems, so Sambal Stingray it was – it was ok, but I’ll refrain from commenting further as I’m not the best person to judge.

We also ordered the Chicken with Dried Chillies

and some Kai-lan with Oyster Sauce

Both of these were really pretty good…all plates going back were empty anyway… so it can’t have been bad…

Ming Yen Seafood – Stall 55 – 57, Lau Pa Sat

Express Thai

I was with a friend on our way to see Santana in concert at the Singapore Indoor Stadium and needed a quick bite to eat before we went, so we called into Thai Express at Raffles City. It’s been a while since I’d been to Thai Express, and I’d forgotten just how good their food is – and we’re talking a cheap and cheerful fast-food joint in a shopping mall here.

We opted for the Phat Thai Neua - Beef Noodles:

Ka Nah Phat Het, Kai-lan with Mushrooms:

and the BBQ Seafood Platter with Spicy Chilli Padi and Lime Dip:

and it was all really fantastic. I wrote some time ago about Thai Accent at Vivocity and said that it was comparable to Thai Express, well I take that back… Thai Express kicks butt on Thai Accent…

I enjoyed this little chow-down so much I was actually back in Thai Express a few days later with Mr Greedy Glutton, sampling their awesome Yellow Chicken Curry with Potato and their tasty (and very spicy) Basil Beef Rice… twice in one week… now that’s greedy…

Thai Express - http://www.thaiexpress.com.sg/index.htm

Vietnamese Dinner

Ever since we went travelling in Vietnam in 2003, and I succeeded in my quest to have Spring Rolls every day of my trip (often twice a day!), I have been a huge lover of Vietnamese food. Strange then that we haven’t really eaten much of it since we moved to Asia… well… apart from the odd lunch and takeaway from the Orange Lantern… and the odd plate of Spring Rolls from the various Indochine bars…

Anyway, tonight it was all about a proper Vietnamese sit-down dinner (although strictly speaking it was South-East Asian, not just Vietnamese), and fabulous it was too. This was our first time upstairs at the Indochine on Club St. We’ve spent many an evening in the downstairs bar supping cocktails and nibbling on the aforementioned spring rolls, but never ventured up the narrow staircase to the restaurant. It’s a beautiful space with white linen tablecloths, and large Buddha heads adorning the walls, and the menu is full of mouthwatering dishes.

Believe it or not, we gave the Spring Rolls a miss this time (unheard of!), and dove straight into the main courses – Pepper Beef with Garlic and Butter – big thick chunks of tender beef sautéed in herbs, spices and butter, which were really delicious, especially when dipped in the accompanying sour-sweet dip

Tiger Prawns in Lemongrass and Chilli Sauce – this sauce was so zesty and spicy and tasty that I just couldn’t stop spooning up those juices

Stir-fried Vegetables with Basil and Chilli – even these were delicious, especially the baby corn (although when I mentioned that to Mr Greedy Glutton, he said he hadn’t had a chance to try any before they all disappeared… oops!)

I am adding this restaurant to my list of favourites… yes, that ever-growing list of restaurants… that I seem to add to every week….

Indochine Club St - http://www.indochine.com.sg/

Learning Japanese

We were having a girly afternoon, and en route to our mani/pedi at Snails, we popped into Sun with Moon in Wheelock Place. I’ve never really got all the hype around Japanese food, and yet so many of my friends insist it is their absolute favourite, so I am trying to learn what all the fuss is about.

Turns out it was Valentine’s day and the place was packed with loving couples, so my friend and I did our best to gaze adoringly at each other as we looked over the menu. The thing to go for at lunch time here, it seems, is the individual set course – this comprises a dish of either beef, chicken, seafood or salmon and comes together with rice, soup (miso or noodle depending on whether you choose Set A or B), sashimi and a some melon.

I went for the chicken dish and the noodle soup, which was pretty good, although there was so much food, there was no way I was going to come close to finishing it.

I guess this wasn’t helped by the fact that we ordered a rather large portion of Mixed Tempura to begin with (not on the menu but they happily obliged). This was actually my favourite part of the meal, so I’m glad we were ultra-greedy and went for it… a selection of prawns, scallops, fish, peppers, aubergine in a light crisp batter… and that funny spiky thing in the middle that we never did figure out what it was…

So have I been converted to a Japanese food craver? Not yet… but I did enjoy the meal… and I shall continue in my quest to understand the hype…

Sun with Moon - http://www.sfbi.com.sg/sun/wheelock/wheelock_e.html

Lunchtime Linguine

Back in Singapore, and we met some friends for lunch. Not wanting to go too far from our friend’s office at One George St, we opted for Superfamous which was about as handy as you could get. This little open-air deck provides a nice little oasis of calm in the middle of the CBD, and serves up a fairly basic menu of sandwiches, salads and pastas

I went for the Linguine with Tiger Prawns in a Spicy Tomato Sauce, which I really enjoyed, despite the chilli I managed to get lodged in my throat…. Mr Greedy Glutton had the same and managed to splash tomato sauce all over his shirt… what a pair we are…

I have also heard that they serve up $10 fresh fruit martinis and complimentary mini burgers during their daily happy hour which is certainly reason enough for me to come back…

Superfamous - http://www.superfamous.com.sg/

Surprise Menu

The Bed Supperclub is always on the hitlists for places to go for a night out in Bangkok, so we decided to go and check it out for ourselves. From the outside it looks like a giant simulator, all aglow in pink and once you make it up the ramp, a sliding door leads you into a minimalist space, with beds lining the walls, and pink lighting washing the walls.

We were led to our ‘bed’ upstairs on the balcony, the ideal location for a spot of people watching. Here, we were encouraged to kick off our shoes, lie back, order a drink and makes ourselves at home. We were a little early arriving, which gave plenty of time to get acquainted with the cocktail menu and the place soon filled up and we were then shoulder to shoulder with our fellow supperclub members. The idea of the supperclub is that everyone eats together, the same meal, at the same time.

Tonight, it was a surprise menu, so we had no idea what was coming. We were a little apprehensive about this, as one of the fun parts of eating out is perusing the menu and agonizing over the choices, but happily everything that was handed over was delicious. As there is no room for tables on the beds (a small platform is provided at each seating area for your drinks), every course was designed to be eaten off your knee as if at home curled up in bed.

We started with a Roasted Bell Pepper and Basil soup with a Mozzarella Noodle.

This was followed by a Seared Duck Salad (with some kind of Asian-inspired dressing)

Followed by Beef Fillet, served with Buttery Mash (I seem to remember there was some Foie Gras in their somewhere too)

Then a Mango Sorbet with Ginger Foam palate cleanser

And ending with a Chocolate Brownie with Ice Cream (oops, too many cocktails consumed by this point to be able to take a photo in focus!)

It was a fantastic meal and much fun was had tasting each dish and deciding what we thought the ingredients were before it was flashed up on the screen. What made it such a memorable evening though was the entertainment provided – from the DJ spinning his chill-out tunes, to the lion dance, Chinese acrobats, masseurs and tarot card readers and even a feather duster-weilding ‘cat’- this was certainly an evening we won’t forget in a hurry.

Bed Supperclub, Bangkok - http://www.bedsupperclub.com/

Thai Lunch

After a wander around the vast Chatuchak market, we felt we deserved a sit-down and some good food! So we sought sustenance and relaxation in the Blue Elephant, housed in an old colonial building, away from the madness of the dusty dual carriageway outside its front door.

We were glad we did, the food was delicious and beautifully presented and the waiting staff warm and attentive. They have a cooking school here too, which might be a good option for a future visit.

We were offered an amuse bouche while we waited; a mini fish cake, a tofu square and some dried shrimps in a tangy dressing.


Then our selection arrived:
Paper Prawns – Tiger prawns wrapped in rice paper with minced chicken and crushed peanuts, served with a homemade plum sauce.


Thai Fish Cakes


Som Tam – Green papaya salad with grilled chicken and spicy crushed peanut dressing


Spare Ribs – marinated in honey and Thai herbs.


We left the Blue Elephant very relaxed and very satisfied… the only stress being the hard decision of whether to go for a massage, or lie by the pool for the rest of the afternoon… life is tough when you’re on holiday…

The Blue Elephant, Bangkok - http://www.blueelephant.com/bangkok/

How Much?!

It's always nice to have dinner with a view, and so we made our way to the top of the State Tower, and the much-hyped Breeze restaurant.

We started off with a drink on the 63rd floor at the vertigo-inducing Sky Bar. Wow, this place is incredible, underneath the up-lit dome and at the bottom of a large sweeping staircase, you feel as though you are suspended above the city as you sip your cocktail at the glowing neon bar. If you want to feel like you are in a Hollywood movie, this is the place to come.

Unfortunately it pretty much went downhill from there, literally and figuratively, as we descended 10 floors to Breeze for dinner. The horror began when they handed us the wine list, and the cheapest bottle on there was £50/$150 - but the problem was it wasn't even for good wine, it was for the type of wine you would pick up at the supermarket on the way home to accompany a Tuesday night bowl of pasta. I know there is a 400% (!) import tax on wine in Thailand, but even the Peninsula hotel bar was 4 times cheaper than Breeze!

Things didn't get much better with the food menu, I'm afraid. Average-schmaverage dishes for exorbitant prices. If they had been offering really creative dishes with exotic, sought-after ingredients, I wouldn't have minded paying the prices they were asking, but it really grated to pay that kind of price for stir-fried local ingredients.

We tried to stick to dishes that were under $50/£15, which, believe me was a challenge (with many dishes being well over $100), and with careful choosing ended up with a nice selection, starting with Chicken in Pandan Leaves



and continuing with Stir-fried Prawns,



Roast Duck



and some Baby Pak Choi.



Thankfully the food was tasty... although really nothing special, and certainly not worth the ridiculously over-inflated prices.

I was even reprimanded by the waitress for photographing their menu - little wonder, they're probably worried that other people will see how ridiculously priced their food and drink is and not want to go. I was told to 'contact our PR department'... yeah, ok, whatever, get over yourselves... They call themselves 'Asia's finest Asian Seafood Restaurant'... I'm not sure who decided that, but if you replace the world 'finest' with 'overpriced' you might be somewhere nearer the truth.

So for anyone planning to go here, my advice would be... enjoy a cocktail or two at the stunning Sky bar... and then get the hell out of there and go find somewhere else for dinner...

Breeze, Bangkok - http://www.breezebkk.com/

Thai Snacks

We had spent the morning exploring the very impressive Grand Palace and Wat Pho and felt in need of a sit down and some sustenance. We chose The Deck at the Arun Residence as our pit-stop, as the guide books told of its unparalleled views across the river to Wat Arun. Well, someone had only gone and parked their booze cruise boat outside the restaurant, so we were barely able to make out the tip of its spire!

But never mind, we had a comfy seat, and they served food and drink. Strangely we weren’t really up for a proper meal, but we couldn’t resist the starters they had on offer and ordered up some Spring Rolls and Chicken Satays to see us through the afternoon.



The Spring Rolls were crisp and tasty and the Satays were juicy and came with a lovely peanut sauce… just what was required to fuel us on our way to explore another part of town…

The Deck, Arun Residence, Bangkok - http://www.arunresidence.com/main.htm

Hotel Breakfast

I love a good hotel breakfast and by that I don’t mean the pathetic excuse of cereal, greasy bacon and congealed eggs you usually get served at most hotels in the UK (and believe me I've suffered a few of those during my years working in the conference industry)... I mean a good Asian 5* hotel breakfast buffet.

At the Bangkok Peninsula, breakfast is served on the terrace, overlooking the bustling river, which makes for a pleasant start to the day. Unfortunately the hotel was fully booked and we actually had to queue for a table, which I have never experienced before, and my first cup of coffee was cold… but we were on holiday, and chilled enough not to worry about these things for too long.

First stop on a breakfast buffet for me is always the fruit section, makes me feel like I’m being healthy even though I know I’m just about to gorge myself on other less healthy options later…



… just like pancakes and bacon in fact.



Life is full of little pleasures, and for me a plate full of pancakes, drizzled with maple syrup and accompanied by some crisp bacon is one of them. Ah bliss, now I really know I’m on holiday…

Do you know, I actually stopped after that… which is most unusual… a breakfast buffet like that will usually turn into 3 courses or more for me… hmmm… the Greedy Glutton must be losing her gluttonous touch…

River Cafe & Terrace, Bangkok Peninsula - http://bangkok.peninsula.com/pbk/dining_08.html

Riverside Thai

We were in Bangkok for the Chinese New Year weekend. As we were treating ourselves and staying at the Peninsula, and had just been for massages in the very swish spa, we didn’t fancy venturing very far on the first evening... so lucky for us the Peninsula has a riverside Thai restaurant, Thiptara.

It was a lovely setting, with candle-lit tables dotted amongst little wooden salas, live traditional background music and a view across the river towards the city, with only the odd booze cruise flashing “We love our King” in neon lights and blaring YMCA from their upper decks to disturb the tranquility.



They brought us some cashew nuts to nibble on while we perused the menu – wrapped in newspaper, these had a sticky sweet coating on... and were particularly more-ish. We then kicked off with some Poh Pia Savoey (crispy shrimp pancakes with a sweet and sour sauce), which were delicious and equally more-ish.



These were swiftly followed by a Moo Grob Phad Nam-Prik-Phao (stir-fried crispy pork with chilli paste and young peppercorn),



Phad Phak-Boong (kang kong with oyster sauce and chilli)



and a Gaeng Khua Pla-Kra-Phong Bai-Yee-Rah (yellow curry with sea bass, turmeric and coconut milk and fennel leaves).



This curry was so tasty I continued to slurp up the juices well after I was full… well, no changes there then…

So, all in all a thoroughly enjoyable meal… a memorable welcome to Bangkok… and a great start to the Lunar New Year... Gong Xi Fa Cai!

Thiptara, Bangkok Peninsula - http://bangkok.peninsula.com/pbk/dining_07.html

Worthy Burger

Wednesday evening and we were due to go away for Chinese New Year the following morning, so no dirty dishes allowed in the house… so we just had to go out to eat instead.

We’d had a few CNY’s eve drinks at the usual after-work drinking hole then made our way to the Wine Garage for a bite to eat. We had a great Saturday brunch here before and happily tonight followed in its footsteps. They have a small but varied menu with several mouthwatering dishes on it, from Roast Duck to Crispy Seabass to Veal Cheeks… but I’m afraid we just opted for the Garage Burger… sometimes a glutton’s got to do what a glutton’s got to do.

As previously reported, we’ve had real trouble finding a good burger in Singapore but I can happily report that tonight was the night… the best burger yet.

It was smothered in good quality cheese, not the ‘plastic’ variety favoured by so many establishments here, the meat was juicy and well seasoned, the pickles had been finely chopped up and mixed in with the mayo and relish, the bacon was crisp, the bun was fresh… in short, an awesome burger. And it came with proper home cut fries.

Finally…a burger worthy of being called a burger… we will be back…

Wine Garage – www.winegarage.com.sg

Steak on a Rainy Day

On Sunday it rained. All Day. So what do you do in Singapore when it rains? Well, you either shop, or you eat... and there's no prizes for guessing which one the Greedy Gluttons chose to do.

We grabbed our umbrellas and took a cab up to Dempsey Hill (and no we weren’t there for the teak shops). It was a little early for dinner when we arrived so we stopped off to kill some time over a couple of beers in the fab Hacienda bar before heading on to the meat-tastic The Prime Society.

We started off with some Lemon Salt & Pepper Calamari, which was a little disappointing (bland and slightly too chewy),

but really we should have known - the only thing to eat in Prime Society is steak. We naturally obliged and ordered up a Sirloin each - a 160g with herb butter for me, and a 220g with blue cheese butter for my greedier other half.

I'm pleased to say they were a 100% improvement on the calamari starter. Served on oak plank boards, they had been cooked to specification and the butter accompaniment enhanced the flavour without overpowering. The accompanying vegetables had also been cooked perfectly, and were a worthy companion.

A word of praise too is due to the waiting staff, who have obviously been well trained and were attentive, smiling and polite.

Ah yes, a juicy rare steak and a few glasses of red wine... the perfect antidote to a miserable Sunday afternoon... and certainly beats walking round a shopping mall any day....

The Prime Society - www.theprimesociety.com