Christmas Eve Cocktails

Ah, Christmas Eve, a time for huddling into a warm pub and drinking mulled wine by the fire…hold on, no, this is Singapore… a time for lounging on comfortable seats, drinking cocktails in the balmy evening air.

And that’s exactly what we did, enjoying a few hours of festivities with friends at One Rochester. Last time we came here (see Mmmm... Martinis), I was less than impressed with the Dragonfruit Martini, but somewhat jealous of my friend's Watermelon one. So that's what I started with this time. It was as good as I rememebered, although I couldn't help feeling hard done by that they only half-filled my glass...



I noticed that they also had a Rock Melon Martini on their menu, so, deciding to compare the two, ordered it up as my next Christmas tipple. This was sweeter than its Watermelon counterpart, also packed a bigger punch, and thankfully was (slightly) more competent in the role of filling the glass.



Moving on from Melon, the waiter encouraged me to try the Kiwi Martini. It wasn't a particularly good recommendation, although I think perhaps the sweetness of these drinks was beginning to take its toll on my tastebuds (and I'd given up on hoping for a full glass by this stage).



I finally moved onto a frozen Strawberry Margherita, although unfortunately I'd obviously had too many fruity martinis by this stage to remember to take its photo... as I did with the meal we had afterwards at North Border... ah well, a good excuse to go back again...

One Rochester - www.onerochester.com

A Short-lived Affair

I'm afraid it's over - I'm not coming back to the Corduroy Cafe for brunch again. This was our third attempt at brunch here, and the third time I'd left disappointed. The food always looks good, but just never quite pulls it off.

This time I ordered their version of Eggs Benedict, with two poached eggs, ham, spinach and hollandaise sauce on a muffin. It looked good, but the eggs were a bit cold and the hollandaise sauce just tasteless. My other complaints from this time, and previous visits are that the 'Fresh' Orange Juice comes out of a packet, their smoothies use syrups over fresh fruits and their Iced coffee is just too sweet by far.

So that's it, it's over. Which is a shame, as I like the atmosphere here, with its loungy armchairs and magazines, and actually their coffee is good, and their cakes look great - so perhaps I'll have the odd dalliance with a coffee and a cake... but that's it... brunch is over...

Corduroy Cafe - http://corduroylifestyle.com/c&f_cafe/cafe_home.htm

Curry Time

Saturday night and we were trying to stay out of the pub, so we hopped on the MRT and made our way up to Little India, to try out Muthu's Curry, which we had heard many good reports about.

With the exception of Banana Leaf Apolo, this was by far the most popular restaurant on Race Course Road, and also the most 'upmarket'-looking, with its mood-lighting, shiny surfaces and uniformed staff. Our table even had in-laid spices as a design feature, and the banana leaves are secured in trays. The open kitchen in the middle of the restaurant allows you to watch the chefs in action as they knead, toss and cook the variety of breads, and prepare the kebabs for the Tandoor. The pre-prepared Southern Indian curries are also on display in this area.

Their menu was divided into Southern Indian and Northern Indian specialities. We decided to mix it up a bit, choosing the Mutton Curry from the South Indian menu (very spicy and very tasty),

and the Murgh Pudina Kebab (this was Ok, but probably the weakest dish on the table) and

Palak Paneer (proclaimed to be Mr Greedy Glutton's best Palak Panneer ever) from the North Indian menu.

Thrown in were some Tandoori Roti and Rice, and we had ourselves a feast. On a whim I also added a late addition to our order - the fish cutlets.

Well, what an inspired addition it turned out to be - like curried fish cakes, with fish meat, potatoes and spices mixed together and deep-fried in a light crispy coating, and were really delicious and are a definite must for next time.

All in all, we hugely enjoyed our first visit to Muthu's and without a doubt we will be back... and yes, it did keep us out the pub, as we were too full for any beer after we'd finished in here...

Muthu's Curry - www.muthuscurry.com

Beer and a Kebab

In the UK, it’s kind of a tradition to meet your mates in the pub, sink lots of beers and then stagger home via the kebab shop for a ‘Large Donner with Chilli Sauce’ or some such delight. For true authenticity, this should be eaten while walking home, wandering two steps forward, one step backwards (or at least sideways until you can project yourself back off the wall), with your head firmly buried inside the wrapping paper, and face sunk into the kebab.

This being Singapore, things are slightly more sophisticated, so we met up with some friends in the pub, sank a few beers and then went and made ourselves comfy in the seats outside bq bar on Boat Quay, where we could enjoy our Dharma’s Kebabs with a view of the river and a couple more beers to accompany them.

I opted for their Chicken Kebab (not the chicken tikka one which I’ve tasted before and didn't really enjoy, the tikka flavouring was just too strong). Now these couldn't really compare with our old haunt in Edinburgh, Samsun's Kebab Shop, but they were pretty good, and they certainly got wolfed down quickly at our table… although the wrapping paper wasn’t quite big enough to bury your head in…

bq bar/Dharma's Kebabs - www.bqbar.com

Noodle Soup

I love a good noodle soup it’s something I constantly craved for lunch when I was living in the UK, following several holidays through Asia. Now that I’m living in Singapore I have it for lunch at least once a week.

I once again found myself up on Orchard Road doing my Christmas shopping, and this time made my way up the escalator to Food Republic at the top of Wisma Atria. Today’s stall of choice was Formosa Delight, tucked away in the back corner, and the soup of choice was a Dao Xiao Mian with Chicken.

Half the fun was watching them make this dish – slicing off thick shreds of noodle from a large ball of homemade noodle dough and dropping them into an enormous wok of boiling water. Then in went the Pak Choi and given a good stir, before it was all ladled out into steaming bowls of clear chicken broth and topped with marinated fried chicken and mushrooms.

It was pretty good too, although those big thick noodles can get a bit stodgy after a while. I can imagine I shall be returning on many an occasion to satisfy my noodle soup craving.

I love having lunch in the hawker stalls and food courts here, squeezing myself in on a table amongst school kids, old ladies and businessmen, watching people reserving their places with packets of tissues, umbrellas, shopping, even mobile phones… do you have any idea how long a mobile phone would last on a table unattended in a fast food joint in the UK? About 30 seconds, before some scoundrel (or ‘wee raj’ as they like to say in Scotland) swiped it.

So it was sitting over my Dao Xiao Mian that I had one of my ‘Singapore moments’… where I think how great Singapore is and how lucky I am to be living here… they happen to me about two or three times a week… and quite often when I’m tucking into some dish or other…

Formosa Delight, Stall 14, Food Republic, Wisma Atria

A South-East Asian Selection

A couple from home were in Singapore for a stopover, so we met up with them for drinks and dinner after their day of sightseeing. They’d eaten at Raffles the night before, so we weren’t going to compete on fine dining, so we instead went for atmosphere and took them down to Indochine’s Siem Reap II on the river. I think this is a great place to bring first-time visitors to Singapore, where you can enjoy a relaxed drink and dine al-fresco amongst the fairy lights, with a view of the Singapore skyline and river.

I love their menu also, which offers a selection of dishes from around the South-East Asian region – in fact we quite often come here for a drink after work, just to have the Cha Gio (Vietnamese Spring Rolls). Tonight we started with their Siem Reap Platter, which has a selection of favourites – the aforementioned Cha Gio, Goi Cuon (Fresh Rice Paper Prawn Rolls), Pik Kai (Laotian Chicken Wings), Xin Lord (Laotian Sun Dried Beef) and Chao Tom (Deep Fried Prawn on Sugar Cane).



This is a great way to start a meal and, in fact, I’d probably just be happy having only this for my meal, all the elements are so very moreish. We did choose mains, however, opting to share the Yam Pak Nam, the Indochine House Salad which comes with shredded chicken, watercress, lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, egg and fried shallots, finished off with a Luang Prabang egg dressing and topped with roasted peanuts;



the Nem Nuong Ga, a BBQ Chicken Set, which comes as a plate of grilled chicken skewers with vermicelli, star fruit, cucumber, mint leaves and coriander, which you wrap into lettuce leaves lined with rice paper, then dip into the chilli sauce;



and the Bun Bo Xao, which is curried stir-fried beef scattered on rice vermicelli, cucumber and lettuce and garnished with mint leaves, basil, crushed peanuts and served with sweet and sour chilli fish sauce.



It was a satisfying selection, and the dressings definitely make the dishes, as do the accompanying Lychee Martinis!

So stomachs lined, relaxation achieved, sightseeing accomplished… it was time to whisk our friends down to Clarke Quay to show them where the action really is… despite their 6am flight to Perth the next day…

Siem Reap II – www.indochine.com.sg

Hangover Food

A group of us met up at the Wine Garage at Riverside Point for brunch on Saturday to celebrate a friend’s birthday. It turned out that everybody had been out the night before, so we were all nursing sore heads and queasy stomachs, so lots of greasy hangover food and hair-of-the-dog was the order of the day.

I started off by ordering a Bloody Mary, which unfortunately was a mistake. A Bloody Mary is usually a great way to ease oneself back in to party mode after one too many the night before, but this one was laced with so much horseradish that I’m afraid it was barely making it past my tongue, let alone lining the stomach (I mean, who puts horseradish in a Bloody Mary anyway? What’s wrong with good old Worcestershire sauce and Tobasco?)

The Wine Garage brunch menu is pretty tantalizing and we all had a hard job making a decision. I finally settled on their ‘Two Eggs’ dish which was two eggs of your choice (poached in my case), served with a hollandaise sauce, wholemeal toast, hash browns and roasted peppers. I also added a side order of bacon, just for greasy good measure. It was pretty darn good, and exactly what the doctor ordered… In fact all the plates coming out the kitchen looked appetizing, and I’ve made a mental note to order the Blueberry Pancakes next time, as they looked particularly awesome.

Being a ‘wine’ garage, their choice of alcoholic drinks was somewhat limited, and having turned my nose up at their Bloody Mary, my only other choice seemed to be a Bellini. Well, harder things have happened, so a Bellini it was… and what a Bellini! Gone was the traditional Peach nectar, and was replaced instead with Mango nectar… oh yes, if they serve Bellinis in Heaven, this is what they’ll be like.

I always say that the best hangover cure in the world is champagne, and once again my theory proved to be correct… a few of those Mango Bellinis and we were all right as rain… and ready to party once again…

Wine Garage – www.winegarage.com.sg

Tapas y Vino

We fancied a change of scene on Friday night, so we headed up to Emerald Hill, off Orchard Road, after work. We managed to bag ourselves a table on the outside decking in front of Que Pasa where we could sip wine under the palm trees, with a view of the old shophouses.

While the focus of Que Pasa is really wine, they also offer tasty bar snacks, pizzas and tapas to help soak up the alcohol. We opted for a few dishes off the tapas menu, starting with a bowl of Marinated Green Olives


and followed them up with some Roasted Artichokes, a Cheese Board, and some Serrano Ham.



There’s not a great deal of skill in serving any of these dishes, but the ingredients were obviously fresh and of a high quality because all of these dishes were full of flavour and made good accompaniments to their wines of the month.

We had planned to follow these dishes up later with some hot dishes – tortilla, chorizo etc, but we actually found ourselves too full for a change. A rare moment of self-restraint from the Greedy Gluttons… shame the same couldn’t be said for our wine-intake this evening…

Que Pasa - www.emeraldhillgroup.com/qp.htm

Soupy Dumplings

So I found myself up on Orchard Road trying to do some Christmas shopping but my stomach was rumbling too much to concentrate on the shops… so I headed instead to one of my regular lunch stops, Din Tai Fung. I actually think the branch in Paragon is better than the others, but I was too hungry to cross the road, and miraculously there was no queue at the one in Wisma Atria, so I took myself a seat in there instead.

Whenever I come here, I always seem to order the same thing. I know it’s boring, and really quite unlike me, but as much as I look at their menu, I just can’t see past their Noodle Soup with Pork and Prawn Dumplings. Honestly, the soup is good, the noodles are good, but those dumplings… when I pop them in my mouth (usually accompanied by a few shreds of vinegar-soaked ginger), it’s like the world stops spinning for just a second and I’m the only person on Earth, just savouring the flavours in my mouth.

We once tried a selection of Din Tai Fung dumplings at their Raffles City outlet, and I just couldn’t see what all the fuss was about… but stick'em in a soup, and you’ve got me hooked…

Din Tai Fung, Wisma Atria - http://www.dintaifung.com.tw/en/area_a_detail.asp?AreaNO=147&AreaCountryNO=5

Home in time for Dim Sum

I'd like to thank whoever organised the flight schedule for Tiger Airways - our flight from Chiang Mai got us back into Singapore just in time for last orders at our local lunchtime Dim Sum haunt, Crystal Jade Dining In at Vivocity.

I know some people are very sniffy about the Crystal Jade restaurants becuase they are a chain. I say don't let your prejudices blind you, we come here for Dim Sum on a regular basis and it never disappoints us. The dumplings are always fresh, piping hot and delicious and the waitresses always have their beady eyes on you to ensure your teacup is never empty.

Today we went for Steamed Shrimp Dumpling "Ha Kau",

Steamed Mixed Vegetable Dumpling with Shrimp,

"Shanghai" Steamed Pork Dumpling (ie. Xiao Long Bao),

Steamed Pork Dumpling with Spicy & Sour Sauce,

Steamed Rice Roll with Shredded Chicken & Golden Mushroom and

Deep-Fried Prawn Wrapped with Mashed Taro.

Yes, I know we're greedy... and once again we left the restaurant feeling utterly stuffed... but what a great way to end a great holiday....


Crystal Jade Dining In - http://www.crystaljade.com/dining_in.htm

Thai Meal fit for a King

It was not only our last night in Chiang Mai, but also our wedding anniversary, so tonight called for something very special indeed.

So we booked a table at Le Grand Lanna at the Mandarin Oriental Dhara Dhevi which has apparently entertained both the King of Thailand and Princess Diana in its time (well if it's good enough for royalty, it should just about do for the Greedy Gluttons!) It was also awarded Best Thai Restaurant in both 2004 & 2005 by Thailand Tatler Magazine, so we were expecting great things.

The Dharma Dhevi is designed to recreate a Chiang, a self contained city, inspired by Lanna architecture and from the moment we crossed the moat and entered the central square of this vast hotel, we were mesmerised. This must be one of the most breathtaking hotels in the world. A short ride on the back of a golf buggy led us up the torch-lit drive towards the main hotel bar for pre-dinner drinks, and it was hard not to be wowed by the golden stupas and domes towering above us.

The setting for dinner in Le Grand Lanna restaurant was no less magical - wooden decking overlooking lush tropical gardens with up-lit fountains and statues at every turn.

The menu choice was as vast as the hotel grounds. We were tempted by a set banquet, but being picky as well as greedy, we decided to adapt it to our own tastes, choosing our own dishes, whilst obviously not diminishing the number of dishes.

So we shared a couple of starters - Moo Ping – Charcoal grilled marinated pork skewers, accompanied by roasted chilli dip, and Thord Man Goong – Deep-fried prawn patties with plum sauce. Whilst the Moo Ping were tasty enough, the prawn patties were awesome - the kind of dish that future cravings are made of.

Soup was next up for the banquet, and we chose the Tom Yam Goong – Spicy river prawn soup with herbs and straw mushrooms. You know, this just wasn't that great - it was a bit salty and fishy for my liking. I know you could argue that I could have guessed that that would be the case, but I'm afraid I didn't finish it - there were too many other goodies to follow to waste my appetite on something I wasn't really enjoying.

So then to the main courses - the banquet menu had three, so we chose three: Pla Thord Sam Ros - Deep-fried sea bass accompanied by sweet-sour chilli sauce,

Phad Gra-Prao Gai – Stir-fried chicken with hot basil leaves and chillies,

and our newly-found favourite Thai dish of all time Pa-Naeng Nuea – Creamy red curry with beef... would it live up to the Greedy Gluttons' own version from the Khao Hom Cookery School? You know what - it did, it was actually even better than the one we made, and that is saying something... this was an amazing Beef Panang Curry...

So yes, I'm happy to say that this restaurant really did live up to expectations and made for a very special and memorable anniversary meal.

And then for dessert... don’t be silly... did you just see how much we ate?...

Le Grand Lanna, Mandarin Oriental Dhara Dhevi, Chiang Mai - http://www.mandarinoriental.com/chiangmai/

Tasty Thai

After a wander along the Sunday Walking Street market and snacking on the odd street-stall goody, we decided it was time for a proper meal. We were just along the road from The House, where we ate last night (See Fusion Fare below), and so decided to try out their next-door sister restaurant, Ginger. A very different set-up all together from The House, Ginger shares its premises with a boutique of the same name, selling jewellery and home items, and has more of a coffee-shop ambience. The food is strictly Thai, although you can also order from The House menu, and also from that of their other venture, a Moroccan Tapas bar.

We chose Thai, and shared the Pork and Prawn Parcels with a Plum Sauce to begin, which did not disappoint. The light crisp batter was deliciously crunchy when bitten into, and the sweet plum sauce was the perfect accompaniment to the gorgeously sticky insides.

We followed these up with a very tasty Pan Fried Sea Bass with Green Peppercorns and Basil, and a Red Beef Curry.

The red curry was a more watery dish than the Beef Panang we had made at the Kao Hom Cookery School previously, and we concluded that we prefer the thicker Panang Style curry, although this one was still very good.

So another successful Thai Meal… although we did seem to spend rather a long time comparing and then congratulating ourselves on what great chefs we had been the day before…

Ginger, 199 Moonmuang Rd, Chiang Mai

Fusion Fare

Just walking into The House, we knew we were in for a special evening. Tucked back from the busy Moonmuang Road, in a renovated 1930s house, the romantic ambience was evident from the outset and the staff immediately welcoming. The main restaurant of The House takes up the ground floor, and presents an elegant dining area with high ceilings, rattan chairs and white linen-clad tables. A visit to the restrooms revealed candle-lined stairs leading to cosy private rooms with cushioned sofas, which looked just perfect to kick back in with a glass of chilled wine. There was even a live acoustic guitarist to accompany your meal, although I did feel it was a bit much when he started to pluck out strains of 80s answer-machine favourite, Greensleeves!

The Fusion menu made an interesting read. The chef, although local, was apparently trained in Europe which shows in the dishes, although they are obviously inspired by local ingredients and flavours.

I opted for a starter of an Avocado Salad with Crab and Prawn and a Chipotle Dressing (chipotle is a Mexican smoked jalapeno pepper, in case you were wondering),

while Mr Greedy Glutton chose the U.S Scallops on Green Pea Puree and Parmesan Chip with Truffle Oil.

Great care had obviously gone into devising an interesting presentation for the dishes – with particular emphasis on piling everything high. Unfortunately the same care hadn’t been afforded the flavour of the dishes – the Avocado Salad lacked the kick that the Chipotle Dressing could have provided, whilst the Parmesan Chip overpowered the Scallops starter (although once the Chip had been exiled to the side of the plate, the Scallops and Pea Purée were actually very tasty).

A similar experience followed with the main courses – mine being Grilled Marinated Lamb Cutlets with Sautéed Zucchini, Aubergine, Capsicum, Tomato, Basil and Fried Potato with a Rosemary Sauce,

and Mr Greedy Glutton testing the Fusion menu to its max with a Pork Tenderloin wrapped with Pancetta, Served with Yellow Pepper Puree and Mango and Passion Fruit Sauce. We couldn’t quite decide what the latter was meant to portray with its carrot horns and pureed tail, but it definitely looked mythological.

Unfortunately, once again, the flavour of the dishes was not the stuff to inspire mythological legends - but they were both pleasant enough.

We finished off by sharing a double serving of Crème Brulée – the first with a plain burnt top (burnt being the operative word) and the second with a raspberry coulis.

The food, although not bad, wouldn’t be enough to inspire me to return to this restaurant. The ambience however, would. It’s one of those places that just makes you feel like you’re celebrating a special occasion… and that in itself made for a very enjoyable evening...

The House, 199 Moonmuang Rd, Chiang Mai

DIY Thai

I don’t normally write about food we’ve cooked ourselves, but I’m making an exception today to recount our experiences of the Kao Hom Cookery School in Chiang Mai. This was the first time we’d ever done a cookery class and we were blown away not only by how much fun we had, but just how amazingly tasty the food was… and we cooked it all ourselves (with a little help from a few friends!)

The school itself was in a beautiful setting - a Lanna style outdoor kitchen with work stations and cookers, surrounded by a herb and vegetable garden and an orchard. Our teacher was the charming and patient Tim, the owner of Kao Hom.

First up on the menu was Kai Ho Bai Tei or Chicken Wrapped in Pandanus Leaves with Home Made Chilli Sauce. This involved marinating the chicken in a mixture of soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, white wine, white pepper, garlic and coriander roots before wrapping it in the Pandanus Leaves (an art-form in itself) and then deep-frying them in the wok.

The Chilli Sauce couldn’t have been easier and we have now sworn never to buy shop-made chilli sauce again! (Yeah, we’ll see how long that little resolution lasts…) Sugar, vinegar, water and salt boiled down to a syrup in a saucepan and allowed to cool before adding in pounded garlic and red chillis.

The results were truly outstanding – we had this dish once before in a restaurant in Bintan, but let me tell you – our version kicked butt!

Next up was Yum Woonsen, a Glass Noodle Salad. This had all sorts of weird and wonderful ingredients thrown in – Thai pork sausage, wood ear mushrooms, white fungus, dried shrimps, pork mince and shrimps. These were all boiled in a sieve in a pan of boiling water for various lengths of time before being tossed together with the noodles. What really made the dish though was the Dressing – sounds simple enough – fish sauce, lime juice, palm sugar, garlic and chillis but oh, so delicious!

The next dish, the Panang Neua or Beef Panang Curry, was the winner of the day. A thick, creamy red beef curry, made doubly delicious by the fresh home-made red curry paste (I confess we didn’t make the curry paste ourselves), freshly squeezed coconut milk and freshly ground peanuts. Oh yes, believe me, there is a curry God! We could have stayed all day just eating this dish.

But no, we had dessert to attend to - Sa-koo Piak or Tapioca Pearls with Young Coconut Flesh. This was one time I wasn’t sorry to have pigged out before the dessert – it really wasn’t that great, especially the bizarre salty coconut milk that was poured over the top. Perhaps it’s an acquired taste. Personally I’d rather acquire more of the Beef Panang Curry...

If we could cook this well at home, we’d never need to go to a restaurant again… but where would be the fun in that? And what on earth would I blog about?…

Kao Hom Cookery School, Chiang Mai – www.kaohom.com