For full post and pics: http://dairycream.blogspot.sg/2014/11/foodology-fresh-ura-centre.html

Just right next to Maxwell Hawker Centre is Foodology Fresh, a gourmet deli place that adds to the list of healthy eating places in this increasingly health-conscious urban landscape. Push open the door, get a tray, and start assembling your lunch from the extensive menu of soups, salads, sandwiches and even desserts. How does a sugar-free Sun dried Tomato and Mozzarella muffin sounds?
The quiches, dessert pies and pastries are definitely the least healthiest food there but no harm indulging in one or two. Instead of the Apple Crumble, Summerberry Yoghurt or Lemon Tart, I prefer the Mascarpone Creme Brûlée Tart as it was close to my favourite Tiramisu. The dust of cocoa powder imparted a subtle bitterness which made this not overwhelming rich and sweet. All the chilled tart-based desserts might not deliver that perfectly pert shell or flavour but decent for the price of $5.80.
But the most stirring moments came from something that I often overlooked, the muffins. For full post and pics: http://dairycream.blogspot.sg/2014/11/foodology-fresh-ura-centre.html

Full review and pics: http://dairycream.blogspot.sg/2014/11/restaurant-home-rail-mall-bbq-peking.html

Unlike most Chinese food local restaurants, the cuisine here is unpretentiously tasty and quite healthy. I highly recommend the Lobster Oba Leaf braised with noodles as you can hardly find the exact same interpretation elsewhere. The oba leaf imparts a rustic aroma to the lobster, which is fresh and very sweet, complementing the fine strands of egg noodles which have absorbed the essence of the braised lobster. Other interesting dishes include the Lychee Roasted Duck and the Baked Claypot Soon Hock Fish.

 
Full review and pics; http://dairycream.blogspot.sg/2014/11/paul-boulangerie-sg-new-menu.html
The repertoire of 26 new dishes include hearty salads like the Salad de la Mer ($20.90++), a seafood salad that would make an ideal satisfying light lunch option with plump shrimps, mussels, octopus and creamy avocados. The zesty grapefruit and in house french dressing lends the greens a bright zesty flavour that resonates with me. Both main courses reflected the simplicity of French cooking and natural flavours of fresh, seasonal ingredients.

The Longe de thon ($29.90++) was essentially a long steak of seared tuna whose core remained pinkish and tender, adorned with white sesame seeds. Magnificent in its own right, the fish fell out of sync with the sweet cranberry sauce and the side of tangy roasted seasonal vegetables, which were so appetizing that they could possibly steal the limelight of the plate.

On the other hand, the Confit de Canard ($28.90++) may be an old-fashioned French classic but never fails to please the palates. Rubbed with herbs and cured in duck fat for one day before slow-roasted for 4 hours, the unctuous duck meat, albeit tad salty, streaked off the bones in strands. It might be quite a distinct version from most of the crispy-skinned versions here but the duck is fragrantly meaty and not greasy. The same side dish of roasted vegetables did complement the duck but perhaps pairing it with some chestnut velouté with mushrooms may inject some variety? New iced teas like the Rosemary lime or Lemongrass Ginger were great options to refresh the palates and get one ready for desserts. However what piqued my curiosity was the beguiling Macaron Drink ($9.50++) shown below. Available also in Raspberry, Vanilla and Chocolate, I opted for the Pistachio flavour. Predictably a sweet maestro of pistachio macarons speedily whizzed to gritty bits with milk, it turned out to be less sugary than the original macarons, tempered to a balanced creaminess with a characteristic texture. Leaning gingerly against one another, the golden Waffles ($13.90++), as sturdy as the Pyramids of Egypt, were understandably more similar to the light crunchy Brussels waffles than the dense, chewy Liege waffles. Yet too much of a good thing may warrant a concern to oral pleasure as these square parcels were rather rigid inside-out.

In all true French fashion, a better option is the Eclair Paris Brest ($7.50++). The pillowy hazelnut cream delivered a soothing finish to the meal, with not much icing sugar dusted the lovely golden pastry shell to distract the palates. Above all, I am heartened that Paul stays true to its boulangerie roots and delivers the promised quality in their forte areas, the bread. Out of all the new dishes I've tried, the Tartine Boeuf ($19.90++) secured a special place in my heart.

A touch of herb cream cheese, hints of tart balsamic vinegar and a smattering of soft caramelized onions on succulent sirloin steak is all it takes to bring the humble countryside bread a whole new level. Even the starter basket of crusty baguette (below) sprung to life with just a slight dollop of its creamy unsalted artisan French butter. As you can tell, tradition reigns on the new menu and the honest straightforward dishes may traffic in nostalgia amidst the cosy French bistro settings, especially when the aroma of fresh bread from the oven calls out to you. Full review and pics; http://dairycream.blogspot.sg/2014/11/paul-boulangerie-sg-new-menu.html

Full review: http://dairycream.blogspot.sg/2014/11/sync-korean-tapas-bar-serangoon-gardens.html
The bustling Serangoon Gardens welcomed the first Korean Tapas bistro in Singapore that is run by the same folks behind Sync Korean Bistro at Westgate. There is a strong effort to create a Korean ambience; TV screens showing Korean MTVs or dramas and Korean songs in the background, but the food could be further tweaked to showcased a more distinctive Korean personality.For example, the crispy minced pork and mushroom dumpling ($9.90++) with a rather flat "salsa" of raw green peppers and onions, as well as the deep fried spicy chicken with ricotta & chilli ($9.90++), were more reflective of modern chinese influences. Flavours have the potential to be further extracted and merged better with the ingredients as I could not detect much ricotta from the chicken earlier, nor the chilli yuzu dressing from the Samgyupsal ($10.90), a pork belly salad that was tad greasy due to the excessive seepage from the less than char-grilled meat that coated the greens. Of the more substantial plates, the Chicken Paella ($38.90++) that arrived hot in a large pan was much better. The grains were beautifully cooked; moist but not too clumpy and flavours were as rich and piquant as the colour imparted from tomato and kimchi. Hotteok($8.90++)All's not lost with the adventurous desserts here. I truly enjoyed the Misugaru lava cake ($8.90++), a nice Korean interpretation of the western lava cake by using Misugaru, a traditional Korean multi-grain powder most likely very new to most Singaporeans. Warm, earthy with a subtle malt fragrance, this was more outstanding and unique than its other matcha lava flavour. Crunchy and chewy, the Hotteok($8.90++), humble korean street pancakes are elevated inordinately with just the right amount of smooth piping hot red bean and peanuts. Savour them when they are fresh and hot with the ice cream.

Get a few friends, order the comforting paella, excellent beef jowls, a few tapas/desserts to share and chat along with some soju shots. It's more about the fun and company than the food.

Full review and pictures: http://dairycream.blogspot.sg/2014/11/fuku-fine-fugu-kaiseki-restaurant.html

I had just eaten the world's most celebrated and deadly fish at the first Japanese fugu restaurant in Asia. To be honest, I wasn't thinking much about the potential dangers as I would have done if I were eating this at some Fugu restaurant in Osaka. I could gladly leave my life in the safe hands of Executive Chef Koji Tsukamoto and Sous Chef Toshi Miyanagi because they have more than 20 years of experience as licensed Fugu practitioners in Shimonoseki, also widely known as Japan's puffer fish capital. Moreover, all of the imported puffer fish have been removed of toxins and undergone the vigilant checks by the Japanese authorities. 

Torafugu or Tiger Puffer fish, the highest quality among more than 100 species, is flown in twice weekly to Singapore. The Fugu Kaiseki Courses is priced at $150/pax for 6-course Ebisu up to a $580/pax Wild Fugu Course. The course begins with the usuzukuri, fugu sashimi expertly sliced so thin that they are nearly transparent and resembling chrysanthemum, arranged in a traditional flower pattern on exquisite porcelain plates. Every work is like a plate of art and science. This is served alongside with a sprinkling of blanched fugu skin (picture below) at the side.The fugu sashimi taste nothing of the sweetness you get from raw scallops or the melt-in-your-mouth texture of maguro. Being high in protein and low in fat, it is taut and fairly chewy. Just skin-dipping it into shoyu or ponzu sauce together with Japanese baby leeks and spicy radish would suffice, lest the natural flavours be masked. Packed with natural collagen, the strands of gelatinous fugu skin has a borderline addictive crunch like the Chinese marinated jellyfish.Deep Fried Fugu (karaage)

Like all other fish, I usually prefer them cooked rather than sashimi style, so I couldn't be any happier than to enjoy them as deep-fried golden nuggets. Firm, meaty yet not sinewy flesh, they are equally tasty when boiled in hotpots together with the genetically-blessed vegetables imported from Japan. This is followed by the ritualistic procedure of using the remaining sweetened broth to prepare the zosui, a comfortable bowl of rice porridge that evoked nostalgic memories of my last hotpot experience with the sumo wrestlers in Tokyo.

As a self-confessed coward who shy away from raw shirako (fish milt or sperm), I never expected myself to be attracted to fugu shirako (available also as ala carte $80), which some Japanese men swear by it as a natural virility aid. There isn't any of that detestable fishiness or overwhelming creaminess, instead the texture is spongier than Chinese tofu and it tasted very much like an 80% cooked eggplant; tender flesh firmly tucked beneath an elastic skin.

The grilling, natural seasoning from the sea and squirt of lime definitely helped me to appreciate this white creamy blob better, to the extent that I went for my second and third helping. Imagine the double potency if you have this with the hirezake, hot sake with sun-dried fugu fin that is gently heated for that extra flavour and aroma. And finally, the sweet satisfying desserts of Avocado ice cream with honey syrup and the soy milk pudding with Kinako and Azuki bean. While fugu cuisine is the core of this restaurant, there is a good range of ala carte courses featuring non-fugu items like this colorful plate of super fresh sashimi ($40/platter of 6 types), assorted sushi, grilled King crab and even that prized Omi beef Shabu shabu.

Now you may ask, why are some people so fanatic with "river pig" (another name for puffer fish) since it tastes so mild? Well, the thrill is perhaps the small dosage of toxins that remain in the flesh, which sends a tingling sensation on the lips as one savours the deceptively plain-looking delicacy. For most first-time fugu eaters, it is only natural to feel apprehensive but you soon realized that it is nothing sort of the inflated notoriety, especially when the most fatal parts (gonads, the liver and the intestines) are out of reach in Singapore. The best thing of the fugu experience, how light and healthy it can be.

At least you won't leave with a belly as swollen as that cute pufferfish. Full review and pictures: http://dairycream.blogspot.sg/2014/11/fuku-fine-fugu-kaiseki-restaurant.html