[Wingzone]

Originated from USA, Wingzone was started by 2 men, Matt Friedman and Adam Scott. They came by developing this recipe of buffalo wings in year 1991, all because of Florida university students. At that time, pizza delivery was the only food for students studying late, which gave Matt and Adam an opportunity to provide an alternate choice to these students' boring pizza life. These buffalo wings recipes successfully conquered the hearts of USA and by year 2009, Wingzone went on their way to Global expansion.Currently in Singapore, there's two Wingzone outlet. One situated in Bugis Plus shopping mall and the other newly set up store at Buangkok. I chanced upon Bugis outlet while shopping with my friends and we decided to give it a shot.Wingzone menu was quite extensive, from their signature buffalo wings to drumsticks, hand-breaded tenders, burgers, salads, sides and desserts. As for choice of flavours for the meat, there were 15. We chose cool ranch, honey, buffalo bliss, garlic parm and thai chili. We ordered the buffalo wings set meals instead of ala carte, which came with side wedges fries and a drink at $10.95 per set. There's also option to top up additional $0.50 for Wingzone signature dips and dry rubs for the wedges. We added blue cheese dip and blackened voodoo rub. Lastly, cheese lovers like us couldn't leave the counter without ordering mozzarella sticks!

Mains:
[1] Buffalo Wings (ala-carte $7.95)

[a] Cool ranch - Naked wings tossed with spices and herbs. Crispy skin but was a little salty. Most votes went to this flavour.

Honey Q

 

- This flavour brought out a smokey taste unlike what the name describes. It wasn't sweet like honey but more on the bbq side.

[c] Buffalo Bliss

 

- These 3rd flavour we tried was sourish. The tangy aftertaste resembles tabasco. Not a crowd pleaser..

[d] Garlic parm

 

- This flavour ranked my 2nd choice apart from the cool ranch wings. They tasted very garlicky, although slight salty but I still love them!

[e] Thai chili

 

- There wasn't any wow factor for this flavour. Too sweet, simply the common Thai chilli that we could get bottles from supermarts.

Sides:
[2] Wedges Fries

 

 

- We had both the original wedges fries and also the blackened voodoo seasonings. Original ones were still the best! Voodoo tasted weird with spices that my tongue couldn't accept. Hahaha.. I guessed that's the reason behind how it was named!

Not forgetting to mention these wedges fries comes in crinkled shapes. I do agree with my fellow foodies that these shapes did improve the biting texture of fries in our mouth.

[3] Mozzerella Sticks

 

- Anything with cheese usually won't go wrong because we all love cheese! Although Mozzerella sticks were commonly sold in any western F & B but we still love them. Eat them when hot to enjoy the gooey cheese within

** Although Wingzone uses fresh chicken wings instead of frozen ones, but I find the size too skinny. I still prefer big fat wings. Taste wise, the 5 flavours that we tried didn't pretty impressed me much. Nevertheless, I might come back for other flavours if I'm in this area. **

📍 Wingzone (Singapore)
201 Victoria Street
Bugis+ Level 4
Singapore 188067
Open daily 11am - 10pm

[Purple Sage ]
A hosted dinner organized by Purple Sage Group , together with local foodies/ bloggers, to try out Purple Sage catering latest festive season menu at ifly Singapore, Sky Garden.
Purple Sage, 1 of the leading caterer in Singapore, has been in the market for more than 15 years. After they were awarded with halal certification in year 1999, their growth was rapid and from a used-to-be a small factory till today's large factory at Pandan loop. Determined to keep up with their 3 important values: "Prestige", "Perfection" and "Passion" so as to give their customers their best food quality and service with 100% passion put in.
The menu we tasted today was called "A taste of Christmas" (website states "Festive Tidings") Per pax is $38, min 30pax to order.
For appetizers, we have:
(1) Seafood Salad- River Prawn, Mussel, Squid, Dutch Cucumber, Tomato and Spanish onions tossed with Dill & Calamansi Dressing. An eye-catching starter with all the vibrant colours. The seafood were fresh and squid not overly cooked. Together with the sourish zesty dressing, it increased my appetite for more food.
(2) Insalata Di Asparagus- Romaine, Walnut, Cranberry and Asparagus accompanied with Fruity Dressing. I love my salad with walnuts and asparagus as they increases the crunchiness of my greens. Dried cranberries adds on to the overall sweetness and its antioxidants too. The homemade fruity dressing tastes very interesting, like a combi of mixed berries with caesar sauce. Nice aroma and not too sweet.
(3) Asparagus and Chestnut Volute with Cream Fraiche- This soup was smooth and creamy but a little too bland for me. Each mouthful filled with asparagus and chestnut bits, how I wished there were toasted baguette or croutons to go along. Take it pipin' hot as its a great tummy-warming starters.
For main dishes, we have:
(4) Steamed Saffron Rice with Raisins and Almonds- This rice tastes rather plain on its own and I could only taste the raisins. Almond flakes already lose its crispiness when we dig in..
(5) Baked Turkey Breast with Cajun Spice accompanied with Cranberry sauce- Turkey breast were well marinated on the skin and very thinly sliced for easy consumption. Texture was firm and slight dryness was common for turkey breast. Dip with the cranberry sauce to give that additional kick to your white meat.
(6) Roasted Potato with Pesto Sauce- These mini potatoes were nicely roasted with slight crisp on the skin while keeping the flesh soft and moist on the inside. Pesto sauce on the other hand wasn't really distinctive, I almost can't feel the existence.
(7) Roasted Australian Chill Striploin accompanied with Whiskey Peppercorn Sauce- Probably because beef were covered too long in warmer, they seemed to be overly-cooked. Fortunately it was sliced thinly otherwise it would taste even more tough and chewy. Whiskey peppercorn sauce did worked well with the red meat. The alcoholic sauce smells good and peppercorn taste not too overwhelming.
(8) Vichy Baby Carrots and Broccoli tossed with first pressed Olive oil, Parsley and Pine nuts- I find this tray the most cheery dish among all other dishes. The orange and green veggies were so pretty. I love the natural sweetness found in these french carrots. Broccoli were done well too, not over-cooked and slight crunchiness still remains at the stem portion.
(9) Oven baked Atlantic Salmon glazed with Red Miso and Furikake cereals
- The salmon were already soggy when we had it, all slices were clumped together. Like the beef, salmon were covered in the warmer for too long, the cereals' batter coated outside the salmon were wet and soft. Red miso marinades were also too salty. It's not a pleasant dish to consume.
For desserts, we are served with:
(10) Purple Sage Christmas  logcake- Without any complicated design or cream frostings, this Purple Sage log cake was only covered in a layer of purple glazed. Seems to be telling us "Simplicity is Elegance". Inside is chocolate mousse with cherries, sandwiched between layers of vanilla sponge cake. It's fluffy, soft and surprisingly not too sweet.
(11) Homemade Chocolate Mousse with Sangria Wild Berries- A very beautifully crafted plate of desserts filled with many elements that I love. Can you believe they're serving this at buffet? Wow! The chocolate gelato was creamy and the cookies crumbs gave the crunch. The sourish wild berries neutrals the sweetness of the whole dessert and trust me, it's really good!Verdict: This whole dining experience was pleasant. Although not all dishes were fantastic but for buffet catering, the taste were considered above average. The table setup for the whole event were great too.
Do give Purple Sage a call if you're planning for any festive parties. Quote "A taste of Christmas" to get 10% off for Roasted Traditional Turkey and/or Purple Sage Christmas Logcake.
Purple Sage Group Pte Ltd
157 Pandan Loop
Singapore 128355
Tel: 6396 6990
Find out more information at:
http://www.purplesage.com.sg/christmas-menu

[ 1 Tyrwhitt Bistro . Bar . Cafe ]
A partnership of 04 started this food venture along Jalan besar area around 3 months ago. Comprises of a married couple, Paul & Karen, whom specializes in providing domestic help/ maid services for the past 12 years and their 2 other friends.
The whole unit was big and spacious. Area was divided into 02 sections, bar counter with tall tables and chairs occupies half the unit and dining takes up the other half. Bosses may want to create a cosy feel for all patrons by using yellow bulbs throughout the whole bistro, but resulted in causing the whole place to be quite dim at night.
(A) Crispy mid wings $10
Snacks before the dinner starts. These wings are so crispy smacking good even after more than 10mins of photography. Great choice to go with beer.
(B) Black truffle egg pizza $23.80
The appearance of this pizza already wins my heart when landed on the table, so pretty! Very instagrammable too. Taste? Very truffle. No need much description as truffle covers any taste. If you're a truffle person, loves truffle on any of your dishes, then this is your jackpot.
(C) Aglio e olio pasta $16.80
A common pasta dish found at most Italian restaurants but chefs at 1 Tyrwhitt bistro did a great job in their own version. Toss the al dente spaghetti with the broth, garlic and wild mushrooms all together, take a big mouthful of it and it's fireworks! Prawns are fresh and crunchy too.
(D) Meat lovers pizza $19.80
To all non-beef takers out there, a piece of good news. This meat lovers pizza consist of 0% beef whereas those sold elsewhere usually consist of beef pepperoni. Ingredients used here are American pork pepperoni, ham, chicken, pork sausages and topped with mozzarella cheese. A very hearty piece of hand crafted pizza filled with generous meat portions & oozing cheese. Great choice for meat lovers indeed!
(E) Seafood Marinara pasta $17.80
A bowl filled with generous servings of seafood such as squids, mussels, prawns, scallops and fish. Base was homemade tomato sauce but the overwhelming sourness of the sauce eventually covers all the natural sweetness of the seafood. What a pity. Linguine texture was soft too.
(F) Grilled salmon $20.80
I'm not a fan of cooked salmon but this dish tastes decent to me. The lemon butter sauce highlighted the smell and taste of this grilled salmon with a little zest.
(G) Chicken chop $16.80
Accompanied by sauteed mushrooms, whipped potato and savoury brown sauce that has hints of ginger. Meat was well marinated and tender. No wow factor but a decent choice for dinner.
(H) Pork chop $16.80
Meat portion served was very thick and it was slightly undercooked in the center. Slow cooked with herbs and drizzled over with brown sauce. I only wish the meat could be least tough and done well.
(I) Cheese Lover Pizza $19.80
A tasty hand tossed pizza . This Pizza consist of 05 types of cheese: Feta, Gorgonzola Blue Cheese, Scarmoza, Mozerrella & Taleggio. Pizza crust was so thin and blue cheese taste was very prominent. It's either you love it or hate it and I choose to LOVE IT.
(J) Carbonara Bacon Pasta $16.80
This is my first time trying out carbonara with egg already blended in the sauce rather than exposing on top, didn't work out for me. The dish was too heavily creamed, I can only swallow half mouthful of it. As for the Bacon slices, they should have been done more crispy to enhance the flavour.
(K) Tiramisu $8.80
Heavenly match of Espresso & rum. Heavily soaked in coffee ladyfingers were so soft and moist, presenting us the "melts in the mouth" texture. The baker who made this dessert sure is generous in the alcohol content, it nearly got me drunk.
(L) Panna Cotta $8.80
Panna cotta was really jelly and smooth. Mixed Berries & rasberries coulis pairs well with the silky pudding, leaving the fruity aftertaste lingering in my mouth.
Verdict: Staff are very polite and attentive. Prices here are reasonable too. Strengths are in their pizzas. I will come back again to try out other pizza choices.

[Dilmah Tea Appreciation Workshop at Earle Swensen's]
This is my first visit to Earle Swensen's, situated at Vivocity, unit #02-117. The name Earle Swensen's was actually the name of the founder and was also the same giant behind F & B group, Swensen's. The whole restaurant here at VivoCity was very spacious and also halal certified.
Meats, Pastas, Burgers and desserts are the main focus here but they do have a huge salad bar too, with quite a number of greens varieties to choose from.
My main purpose today (7th Oct) was to attend the tea appreciation workshop organized by Openrice Singapore & Dilmah Tea Singapore. There are around 20 of us attending. We were first greeted by Dilmah representative, Ms Patricia. Thereafter followed by Ms Patricia telling us the history of tea way back from 2737 B.C and understanding the progress of tea leaves making till the finished products we had today, through PowerPoint slides shown on projector.
First 02 types of Dilmah tea served to us after the presentation was the Dilmah Exceptional English Breakfast and Pure Peppermint tea. We are told to pair them with the chips & slaw sandwiches provided for us. My personal preference is to pair the sandwiches with Dilmah Exceptional English Breakfast tea rather than Peppermint. The latter choice was way to strong to go with the sandwiches as the minty taste totally overtakes the taste of the sandwiches.
As for the Chips & Slaw Sandwiches, they was made up of toast, chilled coleslaw and potato chips. The buttery toasts' texture was crispy and toasted to a beautiful golden brown. I'm rather new to this combination of chips and coleslaw as fillings in my sandwiches but I'm quite surprised it did work well together even though it's meatless.
After the wiches, we were each served with a slice of Classic ice cream cake by Earle Swensen's. It was the 3 layers' strawberry, vanilla and chocolate ice cream cake which i had it umpteen times when I was younger so it wasn't new to me. It still tastes as good as before, only the serving size was smaller now.
For this round of dessert, we are pairing it with Dilmah Exceptional Elegant Earle Grey and Ceylon Green Tea. We were taught the right way of brewing our tea bags in our glass for a duration of only 3-5mins and not exceeding 5mins, to get the perfect taste. Ms Patricia also explained why the purpose of triangular cone shaped tea bags rather than the common flat ones is to allow the tea leaves in the bag to have the space to open up fully.
Ceylon Green tea tasted very light and refreshing but when you taste it together with the ice cream cake, it was too light to distinct. But ironically, while the Earle Grey tea tastes too spiced for my liking, it pairs better with the ice cream cake. Ice cream seems to neutralize the spice level of the Earle Grey tea and made it taste more enjoyable down my throat.
Other than these 4 types of Dilmah tea we tried, there were also other different varieties of Dilmah tea on display for us to see. There are much more infusions now.
Pictures taken at this event were already posted on my Opensnap "jellylovesfood" page. The overall experience at this tea appreciation workshop was pleasant, short and simple, although I expected more. I initially thought we will have hands-on activities like seeing, touching, smelling of real raw tea leaves or different varieties of ready processed tea leaves, rather than only taste them from tea bags only.
As for Earle Swensen's, I have to return again to try the mains before I could make more precise comments about this restaurant.
The last but not the least, thank you Openrice Singapore & Dilmah tea for having us