Mark & Spencer’s Croissant – Singapore vs. London

Posted on October 20, 2012 by K

I like the buttery croissants I had in London’s M&S.  I love butter (sorry heart, I will try to eat such sinful food moderately) – I remember an incident when I put a large slab of butter on a small piece of bread and my colleague asked me whether I was eating bread with butter OR butter with bread. 🙂

[LEFT] London’s M&S Bakery – Freshly baked trays of goodness.
[RIGHT] Singapore’s M&S Foodhall – I walked past them easily in the past. Pre-packed bread just don’t appeal that much.

Singapore M&S Croissant – I bought a packet of croissants in the Parkway Parade branch to see whether they are as good as the ones in London (and no, they do not sell the “Singapore Noodle”.)

Verdict – The answer is a comforting YES.  I will be back for my buttery croissants fix! 🙂

Posted in Bakery, French, Paya Lebar, Product, Take-Away, United Kingdom - London | Leave a comment

Plan B

Posted on October 19, 2012 by P

Here I am, back in school. Yes, this wasn’t the initial plan…but such is life – it doesn’t always turn out the way you suppose it would be.

One week into my job in Restaurant F (an up and coming one-hatted restaurant), I threw in the towel. Reasons aplenty —
1) Working hours – 15 hours of work with just a 10 minute break in between
2) Safety – location of workplace is not exactly the safest place in town and to end work past midnight just doesn’t help
3) Job nature – Lifting a kitchen Aid 1 metre above one’s head is a true hazard but just one of those many things you have to do multiple times a day
4) Traveling time – 1.5 hours door to door, 3 hours to and fro each day – how much time do I have left for shut-eye?

Working in a great restaurant with a nice menu, respectable head chef and lovely colleagues made the tough work enjoyable, but at the end of the day…

Personal well being VS Furthering a passion – I chose the former.

Posted in Random | 2 Comments

[LCB] Superior Cuisine Week 1 to 5

Posted on October 18, 2012 by P

Exactly 1 school term ago, I embarked on my Superior Cuisine journey. Personally, I found Superior Class to be quite similar to Intermediate in terms of pace – however, there was clearly more emphasis on the plating and there is a slight shift to a more modern era in terms of dishes we prepared.

[LEFT] Duck Liver Parfait with Cumberland sauce, salad of curly endive and toasted brioche (by Me)
[RIGHT] Pan-Fried Fillet of Salmon with Potato Crust, Wilted Asian Greens and Wasabi Beurre Blanc (by Me)


[LEFT] Crépinettes with Warm Kipfler Potato Salad (by Me)
[RIGHT] Lime Tart with Roasted Pineapple (by Me)


Gruyere and Caramelised Onion Tartlet with Rocket and Red Wine Vinaigrette (by Me)


[LEFT] Seafood and Saffron Risotto (by Chef Josef) – One of the best dishes of all time. Seafood, saffron, shellfish butter….what more should I say!
[RIGHT] Roast Veal Fillet Wrapped in Spinach and Prosciutto with Sage and Tomato Jus and Soft Polenta (by Chef Josef)


[LEFT] Prawn Mousseline in Tomato Broth (by Chef Ross)
[RIGHT] Pan Roast Pheasant with Pancetta, Braised Red Cabbage and Spaetzle (by Chef Ross)


[LEFT] Pan-Fried Dory Fillets with Parsley and Fennel Coulis, Steamed Clams, Saffron Potatoes and Cauliflower Purée (by Me) – one of the more sophisticated dishes…love the colors involved in this dish.
[RIGHT] Double Chocolate Cake with Armagnac Creme Anglaise (by Chef Josef)


[LEFT] Game Consommé with Poached Breast of Pigeon and Solferino Garnish (by Chef Ross)
[RIGHT] Duck Confit with Beetroot and Apple Compote and Port Wine Duck Glaze (by Me) – Classic!


Berries in Orange Jelly (by Me) – My favorite dessert of all time! I very much enjoyed plating up this dessert but regretted not making a sauce which would have completed this dish, imho.


[LEFT] Coulibiac of Salmon (by Me) – my fish shaped coulibiac…totally unsophisticated but well, it’s cute 😛
[RIGHT] A slice of my coulibiac presented in a more sophisticated manner with dill sauce and roe.


[LEFT] Civet of Hare (by Chef Ross) – A very labor intensive dish…imagine the amount of time and effort to clean out those rabbit ribs for the crown!
[RIGHT] Orange and Almond Cake with Orange Glaze and Citrus Sauce (by Me) – one of my least favorite cakes, ever. Well, it was made using Splenda (artificial sugar)….hence the reason.


[LEFT] Fillet Mignon with Red Wine Jus, Spinach Timbale, Potato Galette, Wild Mushrooms and Truffle Mayonnaise (by Me) – as much as I love anything truffle, the truffle mayo was simply out of place! The spinach timbale turned out to be one of our exam component in Superior Cuisine Practical Exam.
[RIGHT] Vanilla Panna Cotta with Berry Compote and Pistachio Biscotti (by Chef Josef) – This is the dessert chosen for our Practical Exam….an easy one I would say!


[LEFT] Veal Sweetbreads with Herb Salad and Caponata Dressing (by Chef Ross) – fancy meat is clearly not my cup of tea. But well, I will choose sweetbreads over brain, any day.
[RIGHT] Poussin with Herb Mousseline and Wilted Spinach (by Chef Ross)

And this marks the mid-term of my Superior Cuisine Class – highly enjoyable but also rather exhausting as I was balancing a 6-day school week together with Intermediate Pastry. Watch this space for more on Superior Cuisine, Intermediate Pastry as well as the all exciting Restaurant Services!

Posted in Le Cordon Bleu Sydney - Australia | 1 Comment

2am Dessert Bar – A True Inspiration

Posted on October 17, 2012 by K

 2am Dessert Bar – Located at a corner of Holland Village. Certainly not the easiest place to find but not a major problem when the master directions navigator, P is around. 🙂

Kayambe H20 – 72% Michel Cluizel chocolate, Evian

P – A dark chocolate mousse infused with Evian resulting in a hollow block with a salted caramel liquid centre – marvellous piece of art indeed! I have always thought Michel Cluizel’s chocolate is too acidic for my liking but it was not the case in this dessert – I LIKE.
K – Very well deserved of the signature dessert title in 2am. This was not my choice of dessert but ironically,  I like this best out of the lot.

Popcorn – Sweet and salty, Yuzu

P – Popcorn and Yuzu…..these are a few of my favorite things! Great flavors when eaten separately….but I thought there was something lacking to bind the entire dessert together. Nevertheless, it remained a highly enjoyable dessert.
K – I read about “Popcorn” in many other blogs  and was really excited to try it. Unfortunately, it fell short of the high expectations. Like what P said – the “binding factor” was missing.

Cheese Avalanche – Biscotti, Sous vide cantaloupe, Candied figs

P – My least favorite of the 3…not because it was not well executed but simply by personal preference (K has always been the cheese lover between us).
K – This makes a great dessert for me since I would gladly choose a cheese platter over sweets any day. I could not figure out the sous vide cantaloupe though- it tasted exactly like fresh melon.

Overall – We applaud Chef Janice’s innovation. Her passion and dedication is clearly reflected in her works – hence, it is little surprise she clinched the Pastry Chef of the Year Award in World Gourmet Summit Awards of Excellence. Chef Janice’s goal is “to elevate the status of desserts to that of their savoury counterparts in top restaurants in Singapore and the world”….well, a true inspiration indeed.

2am Dessert Bar
Tel: +65 6291 9727
Opening Hours: Mon – Sat, 6pm to 2am. Closed on Sun.
Add: 21a Lorong Liput, Holland Village Singapore 277733
Spent: 51 per pax

Posted in Bar, Dessert, Restaurant | Leave a comment

[Hunter Valley] Enzo – Gravitation

Posted on October 15, 2012 by P

This is one establishment I find myself going to every time I drive down to Hunter V (Total Count YTD: 3). Located  in a tuscan inspired village (complete with sandstone buildings and all), this nice cafe restaurant is located in the heart of hunter valley wine region.


Al Fresco dinning at the front of the restaurant – perfect setting to just lay back and chill with a glass of wine and a hearty meal. They also serve Campos coffee…which never goes wrong!


PRAWN LINGUINE – The reason I find myself gravitating towards this restaurant every time I visit hunter valley. YES….it is THAT GOOD. The entire combination of succulent prawns, savory chunks of chorizo, roasted cherry tomatoes, fresh ooh-la-la herbs, EVOO, crunchy baby spinach and generous portion of parmesan slices comes together so well it creates “culinary fireworks” (for lack of a better term) in one’s mouth.

So, it’s hardly surprising that I am finding every reason to finish up the last of my bottles at home…

Cafe Enzo on Urbanspoon

Posted in Australian, Café, Restaurant, Sydney - Australia | Leave a comment