Full review - http://midas400.blogspot.sg/2015/08/dinner-at-miam-miam-tampines-one.html

Have heard and seen a lot about this Jap-French style cafe before my visit to Miam Miam. The food and drinks menu here is extremely similar to Hoshino Coffee, another hugely popular Jap-French style cafe. However, Miam Miam does chocolate flavor desserts while Hoshino only does Matcha and original flavors. I am here specifically to try their chocolate dessert.

The cafe has a cozy industrial style decor, the vibe is neither French nor Japanese though, but I do like the sight of the cheerfully colored chairs.Menu with lotsa pictures and description to aid patrons in their food choices.I picked out a main course of pasta, a chocolate dessert and a drink to go with the meal. The Ice Matcha Latte w/ Softee $8.80++ was not too bad, the matcha ice cream dissolves slowly into the latte making the green tea taste richer as dinner progresses, nice.The Chicken Teriyaki Spaghetti $16.80++, came with pan seared chicken slices, shimeji mushrooms, Japanese leeks, smoky bacons, topped with thick Nippon sauce and sprinkles of Japanese nori and roasted sesame seeds. This dish hits the spot with the tender juicy chicken in delish teriyaki sauce, complimented by big chunks of savory bacon to accentuate the taste, which pairs perfectly with the al dente pasta. I love it!Big chunks of bacon

Chocolate Molleaux $9.80++, dark chocolate cake with molten center served with vanilla softee. Very good quality dark chocolate was used in this dessert, the choco flavor was really dense and aromatic. The warm molten center did not flow out like lava but was moist and creamy, rather well executed I would say.My solo dinner at Miam Miam went better than I expected, the food though pricey was well prepared, with good quality ingredients and scored well in the taste department. I would recommend it for an occasional splurge.

As the country gears up for the celebration of its 50th year of independence, many local F&B establishments are holding their own kind of events to commemorate the Golden Jubilee of SG50. At Food Republic, friends and families from all walks of life will be able to take part in the 'Let’s Makan Food Trail' free of charge! Here's a glimpse of what to expect at the Food Trail.The bloggers food tasting session was held at the Food Republic @Wisma Atria, the revamped Foodcourt which spans 23,000sq feet with seating capacity of 800. The food stations and 60s-inspired kiosks curving around the perimeter of the space are accented with chengai wood individually sourced from Asia Pacific, and mosaic tiles filled with Southeast Asian inspired motifs.The Food Trails event began with a spokesperson introducing the dining concept of the newly revamped Food Republic at Wisma Atria, and the interactive games and fun activities we will be experiencing during the tasting session.We were first divided into several groups of 4-6pax, and had to come up with a Foodie team name and team flag. Our team leader, Maureen (a.k.a. MissTamChiak), blessed with talents in arts n crafts, helped drew the super cute team flag!The hawker food makan session kick started with a popular snack of Popiah, followed by a main course of Hokkien mee and a side of BBQ chicken wings. In between the makan session, a mini game of 'Kopi challenge' was introduced to give everyone an insight to SG's unique kopi 'ordering system'.Waiting for the professional to finish taking pics with her 3 cameras  Can you identify the Kopi O, Kopi C, Kopi siew dai and Kopi kosong?Our team Rep for the Kopi challenge

The foodie fun continued with 'Guess the Dish' word puzzles for the subsequent 3 main courses where the team must consume the dishes in the fastest time possible. Stress level overload...The activity pace then slowed down a little with simple quizzes for teams to win themselves some food vouchers, over a plate of delicious roast meats from my fave stall, Guan Chee HK Roast.To end the event on a sweet note, we got to have some fun with the DIY dessert of Ice Kacang. Pauline, who used to work for McDonald's was an absolute pro in this!This was indeed a fun-filled afternoon, where friends and families bonded over games and yummy food. Wanna experience this yourself? Join the fun at the Food Republic Let's Makan Food Trail at:

Session 1

Date: Saturday, 29 Aug 2015

Time: 1pm - 3pm

Venue: Food Republic @ Wisma Atria

Session 2

Date: Saturday, 5 Sep 2015

Time: 1pm - 3pm

Venue: Food Republic @ VivoCity

Online Registration Website: www.foodrepublic.com.sg

Seats are limited for both sessions (40pax each), so hurry and register online now!

***Thank you Food Republic for hosting us, we had fun.***

Full review - http://midas400.blogspot.sg/2015/08/sg50-celebration-at-food-republic-lets.html

Been eating quite a bit of Korean lately, especially since many Korean chicken joints have set foot in SG. Many are doing brisk business with crowds and queues at peak dining hours. My most recent visits were to Chicken Up at Century Square, and Ssiksin Chicken at NEX.

Chicken Up

Located at a corner of Century Square, opposite Starbucks at Tampines mall, Chicken Up has both indoor and Al fresco dining areas. Other than fried chicken, they also serve up a few Korean delicacies to add some variety to the menu.We picked out two types of fried chicken, a noodle dish and 2 sides for sharing. Onion Bomb $12++, Kimchi Fries $18++, Jabchae $14++, Ganjang Wings $12++ and Spicy Up $18++.The Onion bomb was much smaller in size than expected, taste alright with the unique batter dressed with Korean spices. The Kimchi fries was a disappointment, fries were not well executed, and the sauces wasn't nice at all. The Korean fried glass noodles, Jabchae, was good but too pricey for a vegetarian dish without seafood or meat. As for the fried chicken, the Spicy Up had crispy skin and tender meat but wasn't well marinated, meat was completely tasteless. The Ganjang soy sauce wings fared better though but also lacks wow factor.

To end the meal we ordered the photogenic and overpriced Melon Bingsoo $20++ for sharing. The rock melon itself was good but overall not worthy of its price tag.

 

Full review - http://midas400.blogspot.sg/2015/08/korean-chicken-craze-chicken-up-ssiksin.html

Been eating quite a bit of Korean lately, especially since many Korean chicken joints have set foot in SG. Many are doing brisk business with crowds and queues at peak dining hours. My most recent visits were to Chicken Up at Century Square, and Ssiksin Chicken at NEX.

Ssiksin Chicken & Snowman Desserts

This Korean chicken joint is situated together with the Daessiksin 大食神 Korean BBQ under the MOF shop space. Its tiny dining area gets filled up fast during dinner hours. The menu offers several fried chicken options and a couple of Korean specialties for variety.Our party of 3pax ordered 6pcs of fried chicken (3 flavors) and a Bulgogi for sharing. Ohsamdak Bulgogi $35++, spicy marinated pork belly, chicken meat and squid rings with Korean rice cakes, cabbages and pumpkin slices. We all loved eating this dish, it's real spicy, meat was well marinated and flavorful, the sauce was yummy.For the fried chicken, we had the Original Fried Chicken ($8++ for 2pcs), Seasoned Chicken and Soy Sauce Chicken ($9++ for 2pcs). We all agreed that the Seasoned and Soy Sauce chicken were nice while the Original ones were overcooked and hard. I personally liked the Soy Sauce ones better than Seasoned ones.We ended the meal with Bingsu again. The desserts here are sold under the Snowman Desserts brand name. The Melon Bingsu $14++, is similar to Chicken Up one, not as tasty due to the lower quality rock melon used but otherwise tasted exactly the same. My conclusion is, I shall stay away from such Bingsu in future as I don't really like the milky shaved ice.Ssiksin Chicken fared better than Chicken Up overall, in my opinion, I will go back again for their Soy sauce chicken and spicy Bulgogi.

Full review - http://midas400.blogspot.sg/2015/08/korean-chicken-craze-chicken-up-ssiksin.html

Full review - http://midas400.blogspot.sg/2015/06/goodwood-park-durian-fiesta-taiwan.html

Evil sistas food adventures continues, and our latest haunt is Coffee Lounge at Goodwood Park Hotel. There is a Durian Fiesta promo going on (30 May - 2 Aug 2015) and special durian pastries are offered as part of the Dessert buffet spread, on top of regular desserts, for daily Lunch and Dinner sessions.

A couple of dining options are available during the Durian Fiesta:

- $35.80++ per person (Dessert Buffet with Durian Pastries only)

- $28.80++ per person (Top-up of Dessert Buffet with Durian Pastries w/ any ala carte main course order)

- $49.80++ per adult, $24.90++ per child (Taiwan Porridge A La Carte Buffet, inclusive of Dessert Buffet w/ Durian Pastries)Greedy us opted for the Taiwan Porridge buffet with the Durian Dessert buffet option. The Taiwanese porridge at Goodwood Park have been an all-time-favorite for decades, and I've finally got the opportunity to savor it, together with my fave durian pastries!

The porridge buffet menu includes unlimited order of Sweet potato porridge, and an ala carte selection of 31 Savory dishes to go with it. We ordered over 10+ items from the 8 different categories, and really stuffed ourselves silly with yummy food.Shredded bamboo shoots w/ chilli oilSalted eggs & Salted fishDeep-fried pomfret w/ black soya sauceSauteed prawns w/ dried chilliBaby squid in sweet oyster sauceHome style tofuPrawn paste chickenFried omelette w/ chye pohPork w/ preserved vegetablesFrench beans w/ dried shrimpsBroccoli w/ garlic

All of the dishes were very good, my personal fave are the crunchy and refreshing Bamboo shoots, crispy Pomfret fish, the fresh and mildly spicy Prawns, sweet and crispy Baby squid and the flavorful bite-size Prawn paste chicken. There are several dishes that I'm still keen to try but couldn't make space in my stomach anymore.

And so, we made our way to the Dessert buffet station and check things out.Live station á la minute Durian PancakesDurian Mousse CakeDurian PuffsDurian Chocolate Wafer RollsDurian Cappuccino CakeDurian MacaronsTau Suan & Red bean soup hot dessertsNonya kuehsIn addition to the usual dessert spread, 7 Durian creations are available;

- D24 Durian Ice Cream w/ Rainbow Bread (one serving per guest, or ala carte at $7.50++ per serving)

- Durian Macaron

- Mini Durian Chocolate Wafer Roll

- Durian Cappuccino Cake

- Durian Mousse Cake

- Durian Puffs

- Live station á la minute Durian Pancakes

As I'm already feeling quite full, I only took the 6 durian pastries from the buffet station, and ordered the last item through the waiting staffs.Durian Ice Cream w/ Rainbow Bread

My fave items were the Durian Pancake, Chocolate Wafer Roll, Durian Cappuccino Cake and the Macarons. The Durian Mousse Cake and the Durian Puffs which weren't chilled anymore, tasted quite disgusting. That is not the case if I buy them frozen from the Deli, and kept them fresh in the freezer. I'm also a little disappointed with the Durian Ice Cream w/ Rainbow Bread, the colorful bread was really dry and we ended up only eating the ice cream which was very delicious.

The Durian Fiesta doesn't just end here, well at least not for me. I bought more durian goodies from the Deli (the bakery beside the main lobby), and took advantage of my UOB credit card's 15% discount. Some of the items were bought earlier, but I shall share all of them here.Durian Rainbow Ice Cream Cakes ($11.75 each)Durian Puffs (2 for $8.55/ 6 for $21.40/ 20 for $51.35)Durian Macarons ($22.45 for 6pcs)The 20pcs Durian puffs are a must buy for me every year (they have a temp. kiosk at Compass Point yearly). The puffs are one of the best in town, with durian cream filling of at least 1 inch thick, and it's always satisfying to have them with warm beverages. The Macarons are new creation for this year, the chocolate shells matches the durian center perfectly, but they're quite sweet though. And lastly, the photogenic Durian Rainbow Ice Cream Cakes tasted as excellent as they looked.

Although a tad pricey, I feel they are an occasional indulgence I have no qualms about paying for once a year.