While I was waiting for my order, I was mesmerised by the aroma of the tofu puffs barbecuing over charcoal. The uncle was patiently flipping the puffs and fritters to ensure every side was well grilled to crisp. I am impressed because such traditional way of preparing tow kwar pop is really rare these days. Most if not all rojak stalls I have visited only use electric grill or oven to crisp their fritters and puffs to save time and manpower so I really salute this stall for doing it the old school way.At $3, the tow kwar pop were served with accompaniments of sliced cucumbers, turnip, red apple and pineapple just like a rojak. The portion size was good enough for sharing between 2 persons. Though there wasn’t a queue when I was there and I had to wait quite long for my order, I thought it was still worth the time because the tow kwar pop were served fresh, hot and crispy. I liked that the puffs weren’t soaked completely in the shrimp paste so they remained crispy to the last bite. With extra shrimp paste and chilli sauce plated separately, we could just dip each cube into the respective sauces whenever we wanted to. The shrimp paste was rich and fragrant but not overly salty.

Every tofu puff was stuffed with cucumber and bean sports that were blanched perfectly so you’d get this crunch from the vegetables with every bite. The ground peanut that was sprinkled on top complemented the sauce very well, giving it a lovely nutty flavour.

Overall, this was an excellent plate of tow kwar pop. Definitely one of the best I’ve had. This is a must try if you come to Tiong Bahru Market. Two thumbs up!

For full review and pictures, please go to http://www.springtomorrow.com/2014/01/30/tiong-bahru-market-tow-kwar-pop-%E8%B1%86%E4%B9%BE%E8%96%84-stuffed-tofu-puffs/

I first chanced upon Saizeriya when I was at Liang Court 2 years ago and it was also my first time enjoying a half dozen escargots in garlic butter at a mere $5.90 even though its standard was comparable with some French restaurants here. The prices for food were incredibly cheap for a decent restaurant like this, plus there was no GST or service charge too. This restaurant is perfect for group dining so more side dishes and mains can be ordered for sharing without breaking the bank.

Saizeriya is actually a Japanese chain of family-style Italian restaurants with over 750 outlets in Japan and Asia and is well known for its low, affordable prices since the late 1960s.The variety on the menu is pretty impressive with soups, salads, appetisers, baked rice & gratin, pizza, pasta, grill and desserts.Freshly made, creamy mushroom soup that tastes more of milk than mushrooms. It is mediocre, nothing spectacular. Still better than canned soup and at this price, I have no complains, really.This is the best focaccia I’ve ever had! Fresh from the oven. Crispy on the outside and light on the inside. The garlic butter spread on top is so good, it makes this focaccia one to die for! I like to eat it on its own rather than dip into the soup because it’s just so buttery and fragrant yet not overly greasy. Yum.Octopus slices that are lightly torched on the outside for a slightly smoky flavour. I thought the octopus would be really hard and chewy but I was wrong. The interior is done medium so it’s actually quite tender when I bite into it. I could taste butter, olive oil and parsley in the sauce that was drizzled over the octopus. This is a welcoming alternative to sashimi.Mussels cooked in a tomato & garlic sauce. You really have to like garlic to like this dish because a lot of minced garlic goes into the sauce and the flavour is quite overpowering. Despite the strong garlicky taste, I still like it because it manages to mask any possible shell-fishy flavour from the mussels. There was one piece of mussel that didn’t open up so it’d be good if the chef could check on such details next time before the dish gets served to customers.

For full review and pictures, please go to http://www.springtomorrow.com/2014/01/31/cheap-italian-fare-saizeriya-ristorante-e-caffe-toa-payoh-central/

I love traditional confectioneries as they have played a pivotal role in shaping the local pastry making scene but yet they remain underrated as modern bakeries are now claiming a bigger share of the market with more innovative, trendy creations.

I was first introduced to Tong Heng by my mum many years ago as she loves its egg tarts, walnut cookies and lao po bing (wife biscuit). Whenever I’m near this part of Chinatown, I’d definitely pack a box of its signature egg tarts which I think have remained unrivalled to date.What beats enjoying a hot, fresh-from-oven egg tart? Unlike most egg tarts that are round or oval in shape, Tong Heng’s egg tarts are diamond shaped. The crust is neither a puff pastry nor a shortcrust pastry but it is flaky like the skin of a tau sar piah and tastes like an evenly baked biscuit, packed with a lovely crisp crunch. This is definitely why this egg tart is unique and different from others. I like that the crust is not greasy to the touch and its thickness is about right too.

The custard is wobbly and soft, not overly sweet and has a nice, rich eggy flavour to it. What can I say? This is just addictive!

The husband decided to try the curry puff and pork crisp too. I took a bite of each. While I didn’t think they were spectacular, they were still special because of their Chinese style pastry skin and sweet tasting filling. It’s worth a try if you haven’t had them before but the egg tarts are not to be missed! Die die must try!

For full review and pictures, please go to http://www.springtomorrow.com/2013/12/20/traditional-eggs-tarts-from-tong-heng-confectionery-chinatown/

This 12-piece set consists of 6 drumlettes and 6 mid-joints i.e. 6 full chicken wings. The wings come in two flavours, spicy & soy garlic and you can request for a mix too which we did with our order.

The difference between Korean fried chicken and other standard fried chicken is that it is fried twice hence the skin is much more crispy. But this also means the chicken wings would end up looking skinny and shrivelled with barely any meat underneath the skin. So if you think this 12-piece set can probably feed 2-3 persons, no, it can’t. I can devour the whole box and still not feeling satisfied from it because the wings are just small!

I can’t compare these wings with others because these are more of a snacky type of food and you’d love them if you love crisp and crunch. The chicken itself doesn’t have much flavour but the marinate sauce & spices rock. I prefer the soy garlic to the spicy one because it’s rich, sweet and salty at the same time. The flavours just explode in the mouth with every bite. The spicy wings lack ooomph as they are quite bland in flavour which is a pity as I love heat but these are below my expectations.

If you prefer your chicken to be tender and juicy, then this Korean style of fried chicken is probably not your cup of tea. I call such chicken wings beer food because they are more like pub grub which you can enjoy over beers but not as a meal on its own.

For full review and pictures, please go to http://www.springtomorrow.com/2013/12/27/4-fingers-korean-style-crispy-fried-chicken-wings/

When I blogged about Rive Gauche Patisserie earlier, one of my readers asked if I had tried Flor’s Napoleon as it would ‘blow me away’. I did try before. It was good but not good enough to win me over. Especially not when Rive Gauche’s Napoleon is still sitting on the top spot.

Flor is a Portuguese word for flower and is pronounced as ‘fu-ro-ru’ in Japanese. My husband looked surprised when I told him that but I guess it’s probably easier for us to just call it ‘flor’ as in ‘flor-ida’.

Quality of ingredients is the key element to creating decadent treats at Flor. Even a common ingredient like sugar is also sourced from Japan. According to the chef, Japanese sugar tastes more natural and thus results in better cakes.

What I actually like about Flor’s confections is the extensive use of different fresh fruits with vibrant colours that make them look like little pretty pieces of art. It’s truly an art of Japanese cake making and it’s all about the presentation. Best of all, only natural ingredients are used so there’s no trace of any stabilising agent or preservative, not even baking powder.

“The soft yet moist quality of FLOR’s cakes is achieved from the natural aeration of eggs being whipped to their full peak, the careful emulsification of melted butter though the expert folding action of the chefs’ hands, and the precise timing and temperature of baking in the oven. Scrumptious yet delightfully healthier pastries made entirely of natural ingredients are what customers can expect from FLOR.”Flor truly lives up to its name as its range of decadent cakes & pastries is like a myriad of colours, just like a flower garden. I couldn’t make up my mind on what to buy but I’m sure I’d get to try everything one day.Neatly packed in a pretty boxMy all time favourite French pastry is the classic Napoleon. I like the extra touch of strawberries and jelly on the top which makes it look pretty on the whole as compared to Rive Gauche’s which is just plain-looking.

Unfortunately taste wise, the pastry is a bit overdone (hence darker in colour) so it has a very slight burnt taste to it. The texture was a bit flat for me because the middle sponge and pastry cream are too thick. It’d be nice to have another layer of pastry in between to give it that extra depth. The taste of the strawberry jam on top is too overpowering so the only flavour you get in your mouth with each bite is just jam.This is a slow baked cheese souffle with fresh cream & strawberries and crushed almond butter biscuits at the side. As per Flor’s signature baking style, this sponge is indeed moist and dense, unlike other sponges that are light and fluffy. I like the cream cheese flavour that is not too heavy. Overall, it is not overly sweet and doesn’t make me feel sickly. The only downside is that the blueberries are quite sour.

My verdict? Flor’s pastries have this distinctive lightness in flavour that is different from typical heavy French pastries. While I appreciate that Flor doesn’t use baking powder or soda to create fluffy sponges, moist ones like theirs aren’t really my cup of tea when it comes to cakes. To each his own. You just have to try and see.

For full review and pictures, please go to http://www.springtomorrow.com/2013/12/29/flor-patisserie-by-chef-yamashita-takashimaya-food-hall/