Post-Yoga Dim Sum

It was post-yoga on a Friday afternoon and we were all hungry and ready for a large helping of dumplings... so we went to the closest possible spot, Crystal Jade Palace and dug right in, going for all the usual favourites:

Har Kau

Xiao Long Bao

Rice Roll with Shrimp

Char Siu Bao

All of these, it has to be said, were top notch. We also tried their Pork Dumplings Teochew Style, which were fantastic and have become a new favourite:

And the Crispy Pork Belly which was luscious:

As you can see, we weren't shy in our ordering, but it was all so fantastic, there was nothing left to go back to the kitchen I can assure you.

In fact, we went on to order dessert - the waitress recommended these little fun bags, describing them as being sesame and peanut - I'm not entirely sure what they were, but they were uber-sticky and oozed sweet black 'ink' all over the plate (if anyone can enlighten me, please do!)

And of course we had to order everyone's favourite - Custard Buns, which were so awesome they had five women round the table moaning with ecstacy...

My usual dim sum hangouts tend to be Crystal Jade Dining In at Vivocity, and Yum Cha at Chinatown (mainly because I'm lazy and they're easy to get to)... but I think I have now found a new favourite... courteous service, a classy surrounding... but most importantly, fabulously fantastic food... In the words of Mr Schwarzenegger: "I'll be back!"

Crystal Jade Palace - http://www.crystaljade.com/CrystalJadePalaceRestaurant.htm

Bali Dining in Style

Still in Bali and fine dining seemed to be the order of the day… so this time we took a quiet stroll along the beach and ended up at the luxurious Legian hotel. First stop was the Pool Bar for cocktails. Set right above the beach, this is the perfect venue for a pre-dinner tipple, sipped to the sound of the crashing waves.

Having enjoyed the Frozen Strawberry Daiquiris at next-door’s fabulous Breeze bar the night before, I had to give the Legian’s Pool Bar the opportunity to prove themselves worthy of my cocktail-enjoying presence and so ordered the same. I am happy to report that they were just as fresh, just as alcoholic… just as tasty.




As was the Royal Mandarin, and the Mojito... A successful start to the evening.



Having supped a few of these, we made our way round the infinity pool to not-very-imaginatively-named The Restaurant. Thankfully the name is the only thing lacking pizzazz at this restaurant – the wine list, the food, the service and the ambience were all second to none and we had ourselves an exceedingly enjoyable evening.

Between us we managed to sample most of the menu I think – I kicked off with the Prawn Croquette with Pea Puree, Japanese Bail, Watercress and Sesame Vinaigrette;



Mr Greedy Glutton opted for the Cappellini Pasta with Freshwater Shrimps, Prawn Oil and Konbu;



and the Greedy Guts chose the Truffle Risotto with Seared Scallops and Black Truffle Oil



and the 36 Months Aged Jamon Iberico with Bruschetta respectively.



We also threw in a Carpaccio of Organic Baby Zucchini with Pine Nuts and Parmigiano Reggiano for good measure (because we’re greedy like that).

Onwards and upwards we moved onto the main course – a fantastically crispy Fillet of Sea Bream with Aubergine Caviar, Tomato Confit and Potato Rosti pour moi;

The Oven-Roasted Lamb Loin with Organic Green Beans, Semi-Dried Tomatoes, Braised Shallot and Thyme Jus for Mr Greedy Glutton (and for once it was I who suffered from food envy);

Mrs Greedy Guts chose Grilled Mayura Platinum Full Blood Wagyu Striploin with Watercress and Rosemary Oil (Score 9, if you know your stuff) – I recently wrote bemoaning the over-use of Wagyu on Singaporean menus here, finally I came to understand what the fuss is about… here was a true melt-in-your-mouth, outstanding steak;

And the Braised Wagyu Cheek with Truffle Mashed Potatoes and Tamarind Jus for Mr Greedy Guts, which I believe he proclaimed to be the best dish he had ever eaten, and continued to talk about for days later.

I, of course, tasted all of the above meals and can safely say that they were all superb…

Now I’m sure most people would have been satisfied with the above, and indeed we were all fairly brimming with food, but after the quality of the starters and mains, how could we not opt for dessert? We tried to be sensible by ordering two to share – the Baked Chocolate Molten Cake with Vanilla Ice Cream

And the Selection of Farmhouse Cheese … with a few glasses of dessert wine too…

But you know what? They were so good, we ordered seconds of everything… So the Greedy Gluttons and the Greedy Guts together again… and living up to our names in style…


The Restaurant at the Legian Hotel - http://www.lhw.com/property.aspx?id=507

Straight into the Top Ten

Last time we were in Bali, Hu’u Bar & Restaurant was our favourite place we visited for dinner, so we couldn’t resist a return visit this holiday, especially as we wanted to share our discover with the Greedy Guts.

Thankfully it didn’t disappoint and has now made its way firmly into my Top Ten Restaurants of All Time – it has the whole package: winning ambience, alfresco dining, fantastic cocktails and truly outstanding food. I’m hooked!

Mr Greedy Glutton has never quite got over the fact that I trounced him on my choice of meal last time we were here, and so this time, guess what? He ordered my exact same meal from before – the Crab Cakes with Mango Salsa, followed by the Seared Tuna. Luckily for him it was every bit as good as last time and he was happy diner.

This time I kicked off with the Duck Pancakes and oh my goodness, I fell in love with this restaurant all over again. The blend of Asian-style duck wrapped up in French crepes rendered this dish absolutely sublime – little bundles of Fusion joy.

My follow-up dish was no less impressive – a platter of Tamarind Chilli Prawns – thick, juicy and delicious.

Determined to drag this meal out slightly longer and get absolute maximum enjoyment, we then plumped for dessert – a truly awe-inspiring Caramelized Banana Tart, which quickly had our four spoons fighting for the remaining scrapings on the plate.

Hu’u Bar & Restaurant, I salute you… you’re just another reason to keep me coming back to Bali for long weekends…

Hu’u Bar & Restaurant, Seminyak, Bali - http://www.huubali.com/

Lunch in Bali

We were back in Bali, this time with our good friends the Greedy Guts, who featured in this blog early on when it first started. Our first meal of what turned out to be an excellent culinary holiday was lunch at Café Bali.

On first impressions, this was a great little find – a breezy café/restaurant with high ceilings, open windows, white-washed walls and furniture and cozy sofas in the corners, giving it all the comfort trappings of home. And most importantly for yours truly – free wifi!

Unfortunately the food didn’t quite live up to its promising surroundings. It’s not that it was particularly bad, it just wasn’t very exciting. The Greedy Guts opted for the Tuna Nicoise, which looked okay but certainly didn’t evoke food envy from me.

Mr Greedy Glutton went for the Special – Enchiladas, which were fairly tasty but a rather miserly portion.

I decided to go local and ordered the Mixed Satay, which was good, but nothing to write home about.

Still, all of the above were far more successful than the sides we ordered (well we have to live up to our names, don’t we?) The Har Kau was unlike any I have tasted before (and not in a good way) and the Vietnamese Spring Rolls were unfortunately a bland, greasy mess.

So a bit of a shame all in all – I definitely don’t think I’ll be returning for food here, although I might be persuaded to spend a lazy afternoon sipping wine on one of their sofas…. If I must!

Café Bali, Jl Laksmana, Seminyak, Bali

Japanese for a Hen Night

Yet another night out with the girls, but this time in honour of a friend’s hen night. So we donned our Little Black Dresses and some rather fetching feather boas and, after a day of pampering at Spa Botanica and quaffing champagne at the Marina at Keppel Bay, we made our way to Shochu-tastic Satsuma at the Gallery Hotel.

This funky little Japanese restaurant specializes in grilled meats and Shochu, a sake-like liquor made from sweet potato. Thankfully we had a few Japanese friends with us, so we left the ordering to them – kicking off, of course, with a bottle of Shochu from their 80+ strong list.

Once we were all comfortably seated on the floor around our sunken table, sipping our shochu, the dishes began to arrive – and what a selection we had!

From the ‘Drinking Food’ section:
Edamame (Green Soy Beans)

Hourensou Goma Ae (Spinach with Sesame Sauce)

Momotaro Mozarera Chiizu (Japanese Tomato with Mozzarella Cheese)

Kinoko Itame (Assorted Stir Fry Mushroom)

From the ‘Charcoal Grill’ section:
Hamachi Kama (Yellowtail Cheek)

Tsukune (Chicken Meat Balls)

Mochi Buta Maki (Rice Cake rolled with Pork)

Monohoshi Kare Nikuzume (Curried Minced Chicken)

Gyuu Tan (Ox Tongue)

Foie Gras

And from the Deep Fried Section:
Miso Katsu Chiizu (Pork Cutlet with Bean Paste and Cheese)

Phew! And I think I’ve only accounted for approximately half the dishes we actually ordered… All in all it was a fantastic spread of food and despite the vast quantities ordered, I seem to remember very little being left.

Satsuma is also famous for its after-dinner waitress-led raucous shochu drinking games, but unfortunately nobody offered us this opportunity.... hmmm... perhaps they thought we were being raucous enough already.... (they should've seen us later on in the privacy of our karaoke lounge!)...

Satsuma - http://www.satsuma.com.sg/english/index.html

A Girly Night Out

It was a very special evening for us girls – 22 of us had hired out one of the Gold Class cinemas at Vivocity for our very own viewing of the hotly anticipated Sex and the City movie. As you can probably imagine, there was much squealing and giggling, tears and laughter in that movie theater, but at the end of 145mins or oestrogen-filled fun, we felt that not quite enough wine had been consumed, so we all made our way to the nearest bar, Wood.

This sleek new restaurant with its trendy neon-glowing bar, subdued lighting and stylish furnishings seemed the perfect venue to host our post-movie tipples. The restaurant has also received glowing reviews in the press for its inventive wood-roasted/grilled/smoked dishes. Unfortunately our drinks experience has not left me inspired to be quite so glowing.

Wood prides itself on its wine list, evident in the impressive circular display of bottles you walk past to enter the restaurant. In fact, their website boasts: “With prices starting from an affordable $45 per bottle, the extensive wine list never fails to impress even the most picky wine connoisseur”. (I have corrected the spelling mistakes in my quote, but have left the grammatical errors for effect)

Shame then that they couldn’t offer us a simple Sauvignon Blanc, or anything remotely similar, or remotely affordable, when we were there. They blamed this on a function the night before which had left them high and dry – rather poor though given that this was a Friday evening, and we were 22 thirsty girls looking to celebrate our fabulous-ness, à la Carrie Bradshaw and crew. This unfortunately resulted in half the girls picking up their clutch bags and marching their stiletto-clad feet over to the Bellini Room at St James Powerstation. Those of us that remained reached for the cocktail list.

This was marginally more successful (in that they actually had in stock all that was required to make the cocktails), although we did have a wrangle with both the waiter and bartender about whether it was possible to make a Virgin Daiquiri (ie. without alcohol) – the waiter said he didn’t think it would be possible, the bartender said it was too difficult, we all shouted for a third time “It’s on your menu!”, and eventually the drink appeared.

Nobody was particularly complimentary about their choices – a mixture of Cosmopolitans (but of course), Lychee Martinis and a Strawberry Mojito failed to excite us, but perhaps by now we were just a little tired of how difficult it had become to get a decent drink.

So, you guessed it… we grabbed our handbags and tottered across the road to the Bellini Bar… where our friends and a chilled bottle of Sauvignon Blanc awaited us…

Wood - http://thecaffebar.com/wood/

A Favourite Lunch Spot

Din Tai Fung is one of my favourite lunch spots and I usually pop in here alone if I am out and about for a gut-filling, good-for-the-soul noodle soup. This time, I happened to be with some friends – which can only mean one thing…extra dishes!

I am terribly unadventurous whenever I come here, but I just cannot see past their Noodle Soup with Pork and Prawn Wanton, so predictably that is what I ordered today, and it was as satisfying as ever.

We also ordered a few side dishes – the Kang Kong with Garlic,

some Xiao Long Bao, for which Din Tai Fung is famous, although I am not entirely sure that this fame is justified – don’t get me wrong, they are good… just not that good…

And some new additions to my Din Tai Fung usuals: the delicious Crispy Prawn Pancakes

and the Vegetable Dumplings (which I didn’t actually get a chance to try so can’t comment).

I don’t think you can really go wrong with Din Tai Fung, it continually delivers the goods… although I’m not sure about their ‘no photograph’ policy… and no brownie points go to the waiter who rudely told me to put my camera away…

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

Lunch with New Friends

I made some new friends in my yoga class and so suggested a Dim Sum get-together for us all. I had read a few complimentary reviews on the net about Imperial Treasure Nan Bei on the fifth floor of Takashimaya, so booked us a table there. Being first to arrive, I had a few minutes on my own to get excited about their extensive lunch menu, which is divided into three – a Hong Kong Dim Sum, Shanghai Dim Sum, and Soup/Noodles menu (these are in addition to their normal a la carte menus).

Once the girls arrived, however the challenge of choosing dishes became somewhat more complex as it turns out amongst five of us we had one vegetarian (who thankfully eats seafood), one vegan (who clearly doesn’t) and one diabetic (who luckily isn’t too restricted by Dim Sum).

Despite this, we still managed to order a generous spread, including many of the favourites:

Char Sui Bao

Har Kau

Teochew Dumplings

Char Sui Sou

Crispy Prawn WanTon

Vegetarian Spring Rolls

And one of my all-time favourites, Barbecued Pork in Honey Sauce:

I also tried Custard Buns for the first time… I know, I know, how could I be such a massive Dim Sum fiend and never had the custard buns? Well usually I am just too pigged out to be tempted, but today on the advice of my friend, I tried them and damn, were they good! My friend was somewhat less impressed, but having not had any previous experience with which to compare, I was suitably satisfied.

All in all it was an extremely pleasant afternoon, and the staff were happy to let us sit and natter over copious amounts of Chinese tea long after the Dim Sum had been cleared away. However… Given that the Crystal Jade Palace, where we recently had an extremely good lunch, is a mere escalator ride away… I’m afraid the quality of the food here just won’t have me returning for more…

Imperial Treasure Nan Bei - Ngee Ann City #05-12/13