Where can you find a quirky indie café, great comfort food at value-for-money price, relaxing corner to chill-out with your friends and at the same time give back to the society? The answer is Food for Thought, a social enterprise café that endeavours to generate profits to support and serve the community we live in.

Conveniently located opposite National Library, the café has been helmed by our own local boy, David Heng, who graduated from Le Cordon Bleu in Sydney, and used to work in Le St Julien, under the tutorage of Chef de Cuisine Julien Bompard.

Watermelon Mint & Lychee Sage Freeze ($4.00 each) was the initial order of the evening. HFB can’t think of any good reasons why one wouldn’t love these drinks. Simply revitalising!

Our appetiser falls under the “Premium Salad” category of Honey Mustard Smoked Duck Salad ($12.90). HFB simply dig the smoked duck. The thin layer of fats gave it a nice marbling chew and the meat is tender and succulent. The dish is also well complemented with orange slices. Can I also add that the serving is pretty generous?

What’s best to pair with a premium salad? It’s none other than a “Premium Sandwich” of Cuban Ham & Pork Steak ($10.90) – made of Grilled Gamon Ham, Hand-shred Slow-roasted Tender Pork Shoulder, topped with a sliced of Grilled Pineapple. Sandwiched within home-baked Foccacia Bread, drizzled with creamy mustard dressing and homemade barbecue sauce, this is definitely one of the better sandwiches that HFB has polished off. My only nitpick is that the mixture of over zealous dressing and sauce, coupled with the meat’s natural juices, cause the bread to turn soggy a little.

What’s a meal without its dessert? The Butterscotch Peach Crumble ($7.90) is created with bubbling homemade butterscotch sauce, filled with Peaches, Raisins and Roasted Almond Slices. Topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, HFB thought that the combination was a little too generous for it’s own good. Being a hot dessert, the ice cream tends to melt quickly into a mess. Perhaps a better option is to serve the ice cream on the side.

The Vanilla Caramel Crème Brulee ($7.90) was nothing extraordinary to say the least – the custard was smooth with a hint of caramel goodness all right, but the caramelised crust was disappointingly too thick for HFB. However, using fine icing sugar should eliminate the problem.

Rating
Food: 4/5 (Salad and sandwich is good, dessert could be better)
Service: 4/5 (Friendly staffs)
Ambience: 3/5 (Slightly cramped)
Price: 3.5/5 (Pretty value for money)
Total: 14.5/20
#01-06 North Bridge Centre
420 North Bridge Road
Singapore 188727

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***********************

With the conclusion of the SOYJOY Challenge, HFB finally found some time to put together a small makan session for his faithful readers at Food for Thought. With the recession in mind, this makan session will be that of a sampler menu at a recession-price of $29.90 nett, limit to 12 pax only. You can find more details below, so hurry and confirm your name and no. of pax, contact number and email to hisfoodblog@gmail.com by 6 July (Mon)!

Date: 9 July (Thu)
Time: 1900hrs
Price: $29.90 nett
** Limit to 12 pax only **

HFB Makan Session IV – Food for Thought Sampler Menu

Soup of the day

Salad
Chinese Chicken Caesar and Thyme Roast Beef Salad

Sandwiches
Slow Roasted Pulled Pork Shoulder and Mama Heng Braised Pork Belly

Pizzas
Gammon Ham with Roasted Tomatoes and Smoked Duck with Mushrooms

Dessert Sampler
Old Southern Red Velvet Cake with Dark Orange & Lemon Marmalade
Very Chocolatie Brownie with Creamy Banana Butter
Vanilla Ice cream with Purple Dragonfruit Jelly

Drink
Lychee Sage Freeze

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Almost a month has passed since HFB took on the SOYJOY GI-Joy Blogger's Challenge. It has been a tough but fun journey, and along the way, HFB even pick up the winner tag for Task 2 - "How I like to Enjoy SOYJOY Best" with his very own created Secret SOYJOY Salad Recipe.

With the challenge now coming to a close (yep, this is the last challenge), kindly allow me to present to you my very own "Much effort, Little effort" video. HFB dedicate this video to those who faced the same inner demons like HFB during noon in office, or at home. Hope you enjoy it!

And this is the last week to vote for HFB - so do remember to vote for him every 3 hours!!! And also do leave your comments if you love the video!

Congratulations! The following are the prize winners of SOYJOY & Glycemic Index - What Say You? Weight Management Tip Contest. All winners will be contacted shortly.

1st Prize: Autographed copy of Celebrity Chef Bobby Chinn’s Wild, Wild East
dayanmei - "Place your fork down between bites and learn to appreciate your food."

HFB totally agree with this statement. Like wine, I feel that people should learn to appreciate food - the techniques, the style, etc. by the chef - not just merely consuming it.

2nd Prize: $40 Food Junction voucher
Benedict - "Why not have a soyjoy for lunch?"

Although HFB wouldn't recommend that since SOYJOY bar isn't meant to be a meal replacement - alas, his hard-sell tactics won him the prize!

3rd Prize: $20 Food Junction voucher
raz - "Its best that u break your fast with nutrition n low fat breakfast. no you tiao, no nasi lemak, no deep fried food. no high carbo food."

It reminded HFB to cut down on his high carb intake during breakfast. I like!!!

Cafe 211 located @ Holland Road Shopping Centre

Roof Terrace Café

Hidden Paradise - Discover the Magic!

Breakfast Set A ($7.00) - Choice of Egg (Sunny-side or Scrambled) w Crispy Streaky Bacon with Whole Meal Bread, Butter & Jam - Look at those Bacon. Yummy!

The Scrambled Egg

Breakfast Set B ($6.50) - Choice of Egg (Sunny-side or Scrambled) w Sliced Honey Baked Ham with Whole Meal Bread, Butter & Jam

Love the Ham!

The Whole Meal Bread with Butter

Cafe Latte ($5.00)

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Dear HFB,

You are a food blogger, but how do you maintain your weight? Is it because of SOYJOY? What exactly is this SOYJOY bar, what does it consist of?
Well, SOYJOY bar is made of high-quality, non-genetically modified whole soybeans. And whole soy contains rich fibre and heart-healthy soy nutrients that is packed full of antioxidant isoflavones, high-quality protein, vitamins, minerals, polyunsaturated fatty acids, fiber, and all nine amino acids essential to human nutrition. Plus, whole soy is low in saturated fat and cholesterol free, i.e. SOYJOY bar is THE choice for your body.

And what’s with all the talk about Glycemic Index (GI)? What exactly is it? And how is it helpful to our bodies?
The Glycemic Index is a numerical index that ranks carbohydrates based on their rate of glycemic response (i.e. their conversion to glucose within the human body). The index uses a scale of 0 to 100, with higher values given to foods that cause the most rapid rise in blood sugar. Pure glucose serves as a reference point, and is given a Glycemic Index (GI) of 100.

Your body performs best when your blood sugar is kept relatively constant. Eating a lot of high GI foods can be detrimental to your health because it pushes your body to extremes. If your blood sugar drops too low, you become lethargic and/or experience increased hunger. And if it goes too high, your brain signals your pancreas to secrete more insulin.

Insulin brings your blood sugar back down, but primarily by converting the excess sugar to stored fat. Also, the greater the rate of increase in your blood sugar, the more chance that your body will release an excess amount of insulin, and drive your blood sugar back down too low.

Therefore, when you eat foods that cause a large and rapid glycemic response, you may feel an initial elevation in energy and mood as your blood sugar rises, but this is followed by a cycle of increased fat storage, lethargy, and more hunger!

So what are some examples of low GI and high GI foods?
Refer to table below:


GL = GI/100 x Net Carbs
(Net Carbs are equal to the Total Carbohydrates minus Dietary Fiber)

Interestingly, nutritionists used to believe that all simple sugars digested quickly and caused a rapid rise in blood sugar, and that the opposite was true for "complex carbohydrates". But that's not always the case. While many sweet and sugary foods do have high GI's, some starchy foods like Potatoes or White Bread score even higher than honey or table sugar (sucrose)!

So what happens if you maintain a low GI diet?
- Low GI diets help people lose and control weight
- Low GI diets increase the body's sensitivity to insulin
- Low GI carbs improve diabetes control
- Low GI carbs reduce the risk of heart disease
- Low GI carbs reduce blood cholesterol levels
- Low GI carbs reduce hunger and keep you fuller for longer
- Low GI carbs prolong physical endurance

Also, switching to eating mainly low GI carbs that slowly trickle glucose into your blood stream keeps your energy levels balanced and means you will feel fuller for longer between meals. So when you are really hungry in the afternoon, eating snacks high in sugar and low in healthful nutrients e.g. chocolate bars can cause an unhealthy spike and then crash in blood sugar. SOYJOY, however, is baked with a delicious combination of whole soy, real fruit and other all-natural ingredients that are converted to energy gradually by the body, making it the perfect afternoon snack!

***CONTEST***

Have a good weight management diet to share with fellow food lovers? All you have to do is to share your tip in the comment box with your name/nick and email address by 14 June (Sunday). Best three tips stand to win attractive prizes!

1st Prize: Autographed copy of Celebrity Chef Bobby Chinn’s Wild, Wild East
2nd Prize: $40 Food Junction voucher
3rd Prize: $20 Food Junction voucher

Disclaimer: Only one unique answer is allowed per user. Answer entered after 14 June 2359hrs, will not be entitled to the prizes. Winners will be notified by email. All decisions made by the publisher are final.

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• Secret SOYJOY Salad Recipe - How HFB Enjoy SOYJOY Best
• SOYJOY GI JOY CHALLENGE - TASK 1 "Feed The Office"
• HFB Revealed: SOY JOY GI JOY CHALLENGE!
• Veggies Delight!
• Toast for my afternoon teabreak

After months of intense preparation, Tetsu is proud to present their exciting new menu. With the lunch crowd in mind, they have even offered a variety of items for those looking for a quick meal with their no-fuss Bento set and Katsu Curry Rice. The latter at $16.50 per serving isn’t exactly cheap, but certainly makes an ideal lunch dish. Specially created for the local palates, Tetsu’s version of curry is smooth and not too overbearing. However, HFB did find the curry a little too sour for his liking.

The Sashimi Salad ($9.80) is ideal for those interested for a quick and light lunch, as well as a refreshing appetiser for two to share. The generous portion of sashimi pieces consisted of Maguro, Salmon and Tako and nicely drizzled with Wafu dressing.

If one is keen for a little game of Russian roulette, you can do so with a mere $10.00 to savour the Fugu Mirin Boshi, or Dried Puffer Fish. The fish snack was chewy and addictive, akin to Bak Gwa, but otherwise lacked the wow factor.

The Renkon Chips, or Deep-fried Lotus Root ($4.00) was surprisingly delectable. Despite its humble appearance, the chef painstakingly prepared each chip by slicing with the finest, thinnest precision and fried at the exact temperature to achieve its crisp texture.

This was not the first time that HFB sampled a Kawa Ebi Karaage, or Deep-fried River Shrimps. For $8.00, one can pop a mouthful of entire shrimp into your mouth and enjoy the crunch. However, for reasons unknown to HFB, it just wasn’t as satisfying as my previous experience here.

The Kamasu Shio, or the Barracuda prepared with salt base ($18.00) was very sweet and fresh. A seasonal fish that Tetsu brings in on occasions, one has to be fortunate to taste it. However, the only irk was the numerous tiny bones within its flesh.

The highlight of the day was definitely the Special Tetsu Sushi Roll that was specially brought out by Chef Ken. An off-the-menu item, it consisted of a mixture of tuna and salmon that was fried and rolled within seaweed, coupled with the outer crust coated with sesame seeds and crispy crumbs. The whole package provided a crunchy finishing that was all but satisfying.

The Salmon Belly Sashimi was definitely not something new, but Chef Ken was generous enough when HFB mentioned he was actually craving for some raw fish. Thick, oily piece of fish – this is how every sashimi should be! Perfect.

The Yaki Niku, or Beef Tenderloin was hand-grilled producing a succulent piece of meat. It was good on its own, but HFB did find the accompanied sauce a little too overwhelming sweet, paralleled to that of char siew.

If beef is not your type of meat, one might opt for the Buta No Shogayaki, or Stir-fried Pork with Ginger ($13.50) instead. The meat was tender, but perhaps owing to personal preference, HFB did not quite take to the dish.

The Anago or Seawater Eel ($15.00 for a pair) came different from the usual sushi. Wrapped nicely into a ball, it came served with a spoon. Halved it and one could find warm flavoured rice instead of the usual cold sushi rice. It was definitely something different and another unique creation by Chef Ken.

The best way to round off a meal is to finish it with a dessert. And how wrong could one go with the winning combination of Macha Ice Cream with Azuki & Shiratama ($4.80).

However, if one preferred a palate cleansing dessert, the newly introduced Yuzu Ice Cream on Strawberry Sorbet ($5.80) would suit you instead. With a hint of tangerine, grapefruit and pine, one would be awed by the delicate and subtle taste.

163 Tanglin Road
#03-18 Tanglin Mall
Singapore 247933

Disclaimer: No ratings would be given, as this is an invited taste test. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Pris, Jason, Chef Ken and Tetsu for their generous hospitality.

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How you would enjoy SOYJOY best? Enjoy it over a cup of hot brew coffee? Or snack at it in the cinema while watching movie, when others are munching over their popcorns and nachos? Well, if you ask HFB, he enjoys his SOYJOY best over his healthy serving of salad. In fact, it’s so yummy that he is going to share his secret SOYJOY Salad Recipe with all you readers out there!