Brought hubby to Symmetry cafe for his birthday lunch as he wanted to eat good quality food with nice ambiance. I've read a lot about Symmetry's good food and service and have always wanted to try it myself. So here we are, at Symmetry Cafe on a Wed afternoon armed with a confirmed table reservation.Symmetry cafe is located on a small street called Jln Kubor, about 15mins walk from the Exit B of Bugis MRT. It is house in a restored colonial style building, painted all white with bright green windows...nice.We were greeted by a friendly waiting staff and ushered swiftly to a table at the back of the cafe. The cafe was only half full at 2pm. I was able to take some pictures after we had placed orders for our food.
This place has an industrial themed decor with hanging factory lighting and kerosene lamps, and unfinished brick walls, wooden fixtures and metal shelves. Intriguing paintings lined the walls that piqued our interest...such as 'The Last Supper' scene with an amusing twist.Table setting and Lunch menu...We each ordered a beverage and a main course, and one starter dish and waffle for sharing.
My Hot Chocolate w/ Marshmallows $6.50++, served with a crunchy gingerbread man cookie on the side. I love this thick and chocolaty drink dressed with toasted tiny marshmallows that dissolves delightfully in my mouth on every sip...slurp!Hubby's Cafe Mocha $5.50++, also served with a gingerbread man cookie. He's very happy with his choice.Prawn & Courgette popcorn $17++, deep fried battered prawn balls with minced courgette served with piquillos pepper remoulade. The prawn balls were super crunchy and succulent, and goes well with the non spicy remoulade sauce, very addictive to eat.My Tiger Prawn Aglio Olio $22++, Spaghetti tossed with garlic, togarashi, konbu, chive, olive oil in white wine sauce. There was a good amount of de-shelled halve prawns in this dish, and the togarashi chili pepper seasoning was pretty spicy...giving the dish a fiery boost on flavor. The prawns were very fresh and pasta was done well too, seriously delish!Hubby's Snapper Meunière $24++, pan fried whole snapper fillet with brown butter and lemon confit, served with capers, almond, kelp, wakame & cherry tomatoes. The fresh and juicy white fish meat was cooked to perfection with a strong buttery flavor. Hubby was singing praises about this fish dish after devouring it within mins.Our enjoyment didn't just end here, the highlight of the day Waffle $16++, served with berries compote, peanut butter, nutella, maple syrup & blueberry ice cream topped with chantilly cream. The thick and fluffy waffle was expertly prepared with slight crisp crust and soft spongy center, and it smelt really really good when served. Apart from the impressive plating, it tasted incredible too with the 6 different kinds of accompaniments, one dish with 6 types of flavors...what more can I say.We thoroughly enjoyed our meal here at the Symmetry cafe, food quality was outstanding and service was very good too. The serving staff didn't need to write down our orders and she remembered that I had specially instructed to serve my pasta w/o cheese. The cafe also has a nice ambiance to boot. It is such a great feeling to step out of a restaurant feeling full and truly satisfied...I will definitely be back in a heart beat!

For full review - http://midas400.blogspot.sg/2014/06/lunch-at-symmetry-cafe.html

For full review - http://midas400.blogspot.sg/2014/03/design-my-magnum-at-magnum-pleasure.html

I've been a Magnum ice cream fan for the longest time. I first heard about this DIY Magnum concept last year. This mobile store has been making its rounds around the island, moving from place to place every few months, and it has finally found its way to the heartlands, at Nex Serangoon (from mid March to end April 2014).The store is located at Basement 1, Market Sq (opp Shabu Sushi). It has Al Fresco seating around the store.The Menu, with choices of designed desserts, fondue and a handful of main courses.The Design My Magnum ice cream $7 is not stated in the menu. Just go to the cashier and request for one and make payment first, and then pass the receipt to the staffs at the Customization counter.Steps to Design your Magnum
1. choose a coating for your Magnum (Dark/Milk/White chocolate)
2. choose up to 3 different toppings for your Magnum (18 choices includes gold flakes, dried flowers, wolfberries, chili flakes, assorted nuts etc.)
3. choose the drizzle topping (Dark/Milk/White chocolate) and the Magnum logo choco chip (Milk/White) to complete the customized ice cream.And viola...my very own Magnum! Dark chocolate coating with Tricolor chocolate crunchies, Cereal gold flakes & Rose petals, topped with Milk chocolate drizzle and M logo.The dark chocolate coating was really thick and crackles loudly when I sink my teeth in. The vanilla ice cream inside was soft and velvety, combined with my chosen toppings which are all my fave...simply divine!
I will be back for MORE!!!

For full review - http://midas400.blogspot.sg/2014/02/lunch-at-putien-food-fair-tampines-mall.html

My friend's food photo posts on FB has awakened my craving for the Braised Intestines from Putien. I have not been to Putien for quite a while, time to check out what's new there!Instead of the usual peanuts, they served a mini selection of crispy seaweed and crackers together with the roasted peanuts. This was yummy and costs $2.50 which is kinda pricey for the tiny portion.Something special at the TM outlet, economical set meals (only available at TM). At $13.90++ each, the set consists of a main course, a soup or side dish and a set of 3 mini appetizers. Customers can top up $1.50++ for a drink (soursop or bayberry juice), pretty good deal I would say.Grandma's Bayberry Tea 杨梅茶 (warm/cold) $1.50++, this was very sourish and sweet at the same time, I like it...reminds me of the preserved bayberries I used to eat as a kid.I ordered Set B $13.90++ which has a bowl of Lor Mee, a slice of Deep fried ikan tenggiri (mackerel fish) and a 3x appetizers set.
This is the first time I'm eating the Putien Lor Mee, its nicer than it looks. The pale colored broth is not the starchy gooey kind, but it was loaded with flavors from the quality ingredients such as pork belly, prawns, clams, dried scallops, mushroom, veggies etc. The noodle has a nice and smooth texture...very yummy.The Deep Fried Ikan Tenggiri was done homecooked style, simple comfort food.The 3 Mini Appetizers consists of Vinegar seaweed, Spicy jellyfish and Braised mushroom. 3 contrasting flavors, all delicious in their own unique way.Last but not least, the dish that I've came here for, Braised Pig Intestines 九转粉肠 $13.80++. Made by hand daily by meticulously folding multiple thin layers of intestines neatly together, then braised in homemade sauce till fully infused with flavor. I love the bouncy and chewy texture...thumbs up!Food and service at Putien was great. I would recommend the economic set lunches to everyone!

For full review & more photos - http://midas400.blogspot.sg/2013/11/pre-show-dinner-at-salt-tapas-bar-by.html

Our long awaited ballet performance, Swan Lake by the world renowned Bolshoi Ballet Company has finally arrived in SG. Prior to the show, we girls met up at City Hall MRT to get dinner. Salt Tapas & Bar was our choice for the night. The restaurant is located just outside the Raffles City Shopping Center's main building. For a moment, we felt that we had stepped into a quaint little alley at a quite corner of England. The red brick building looks every bit European. Check out the rounded corner building design, the red brick arches around the glass window panes and those nostalgic street lamps on the brick walls. This place has a garden style Al Fresco dining area, a cooled indoor dining area and an extensive bar counter. The restaurant is designed to exude a Spanish vibe with a laid-back Aussie ambiance. Plenty of custom designed industrial-chic lightings, raw brick walls, dark wood furnishing, imported authentic Spanish tiles are used to create a welcoming dining atmosphere. The gigantic bar counter is adorned with a good ol' classic marble bartop.At one corner of the bar counter, a display of an upscale Fermin's jamón ibérico de bellota cured ham, one of the finest Spanish ham makers in the world.We each ordered a main course and a drink for dinner. I didn't realize that the serving portion for Nibbles category is very tiny. I had initially picked a Pork belly sliders $13++ for mains and had to order another dish to add on to that.These bite size mini burgers were very delish. The roasted pork belly has a good crispy bite and pairs well with the crunchy pickled cucumber, onions and chili.

Pork belly w/ cauliflower puree, pickle & mustard leaf $29++, 5 chunky slices of roasted pork belly with thick crackling skin, served with chopped pickles and mustard leaves. The pork belly was fabulously done with juicy lean meat and not-too-oily fatty layer and superbly crispy skin. The plating is also aesthetically pleasing to the eye. Thumbs up.My friend's Paella of prawns, mussels, chorizo & chicken $38++. Topped with thin slices of beautifully cured ham. She was raving about how the rice is wonderfully soft and fully infused with flavors of the fresh seafood and saffron. I had a bite of it and was impressed too!For drinks, I had the non alcoholic Apple sling $11++. Apple, pineapple & strawberry puree topped with soda. It was sweet and fruity, like a nice fruit punch...slurp.We certainly had a great time enjoying good food and the lovely ambiance here. We all agreed that they served exceptional food that are reasonably priced. Service was decent, waiting staffs knew what they are doing most of the time. The laid back Aussie ambiance has crept into our good books and we will definitely visit again!

For full review & more photos - http://midas400.blogspot.sg/2013/11/food-photography-workshop-by-dr-leslie.html

My friend and I signed up for a Food & Makan Photography Workshop by famed food blogger Dr. Leslie Tay. The event was organized by Canon Imaging Academy, course fee was $55 (including a 3 Course Set Lunch valued at $38++ at Forest restaurant).

We took a complimentary hotel shuttle and hopped off at the entrance of the Equarius Hotel. Forest 森 restaurant is located at the left side of the hotel lobby. The forest themed restaurant has tall ceiling with wooden laminated pillars stretching out to the top like trees with 'branches' spreading across the entire ceiling. The decor and furnishings here is chic and contemporary with strong influences from the nature's flora and fauna, an extension of the nature-styled decor used throughout the Equarius Hotel. The restaurant has a spacious private dining room and also al fresco dining area set within the lush greenery.This place features a 'Theatre Kitchen', an open concept kitchen with unobstructed view of the chefs working on their creations. I caught a glimpse of the Head Chef, Mike Tan, carefully crafting out the first dish of the set lunch with his culinary team.Dr. Leslie shared with us on common challenges encountered when photographing food and some tips on getting better shots in different situations. Basic settings like lighting, composition, white balance and depth of field were discussed, and some simple food styling tricks to bring out the point of interest in a shot.

It was already 4pm+ when we're done with the workshop and I was famished, so we quickly settled down to have our late lunch. Our 3 Course Set Lunch consists of an Appetizer, a Main course and a Dessert.

The Appetizer, Deep fried mushroom coated in wasabi mayo w/ avocado & tomato salad. A modern take on an oriental dish made with traditional ingredients but prepared in a western way. The contemporary styled plating is definitely pleasing to the eye, with 3 layers of distinct color stacked on top of each other.This dish is not just pretty to look at, it tasted wonderful too...the crispy battered mushroom was very juicy and goes really well with the mixture of creamy avocado and savory mayo sauce. The thick cut tomato at the bottom was refreshingly sweet...a pure joy to eat!

The main course, Wok-fried Japanese pearl rice w/ squid ink & XO sauce topped w/ Hokkaido scallop. This dish is an east-meet-west fusion dish, with Japanese ingredients prepared the Chinese way and infused with western flavor.The plump and juicy scallop was huge in size. It was pan-seared perfectly with lightly charred edges but still retains its tender center. The fried rice was well executed with lotsa wok-hei, we could taste the sweetness from bits of fresh crabmeat inside it...delish!

To end the meal on a sweet note, we had Chilled lemongrass jello w/ sweet Thai mango, young coconut & wolfberries. This is more like a Thai style dessert served with western fruits topping.This dish will appeal to diners who like the taste of lemongrass, the jello has a pretty strong lemongrass aroma. Its soft and silky smooth and slipped into my throat effortlessly. The fresh fruits and tender young coconut compliments the jello perfectly. Thumbs up.

We enjoyed our dining experience at Forest restaurant tremendously. The ambiance here is lovely, food and service quality is definitely top of the line. It is worthy of an occasional splurge. For price conscious diners, try their set lunches..they are great value for money!