The good thing about working in a foreign company is you get to meet lots of people from different walks of life from different nationalities, discovering different cultures and traditions. In my company, I have worked with Americans, Dutch, Swiss, Japanese, Korean, Malaysians, Indians, Filipinos and Chinese to name a few. And it was one day that my Korean colleague introduced me to Korean food at this place. She said she find the standard of food served here similar, if not better, than most of the other Korean restaurant she has been to so far - for a fraction of the price.

Taking her word for it, we ventured to Le Meridien for one of our lunches. Lunch was Spicy Beef Soup with rice plus a choice of condiment between Kimchi, Cucumber, or Anchovies.

Serving was generous with the bowl filled to the brim with Beef, Tofu and stalks of Spring Onions (It helps that I love eating spring onions!). The soup with a dash of Sesame Seeds was served piping hot and although MSG laced, the hint of spiciness make the soup truly enjoyable to taste.

The beef slices could have been bigger but for a meal costing less than $10, I have no complains against the serving and standard of the food.

Food: 4/5 (Generous Serving, piping hot soup)
Service: 3.5/5 (Fast and efficient, self-serviced)
Ambience: 3/5 (Spacious foodcourt)
Price: 4/5 (Value for money)
Total: 14.5/20
100 Orchard Road
Orchard Le Meridien Food Court
Singapore 238840

Just touched down not too long ago from a 10-day family holiday to Sydney for my sister’s wedding (photos and food reviews to be uploaded real soon I promise!). And one of the best rewards that came out of this trip was - I have finally completed my compilation of Absolut bottles!

I managed to place an order of Absolut Peppar 1L at one of the local liquor shop in the city and completed the collection by purchasing the Absolut Level in Changi DFS. Here is the elusive one after many months of searching.

According to Wikipedia, “Toast is sliced bread, which has been browned by exposure to dry heat… Toasting warms the bread, making it more pleasant to eat for some, and makes it crisp such that it holds toppings more securely… Toast is often served with butter, cheese, marmalade, or any number of other toppings.” Last Sunday afternoon, I was hungry and I decided to make something light for tea break. An idea struck when there happen to be French Loaf Slices, Foie Gras Spread in the fridge that I bought from Paris airport, some leftover Braised Duck from lunch (We had Teochew Porridge at home), and some Coriander Leaves from the kitchen. Topped it up with a hint of Japanese Mayonnaise and some Oregano Leaves from the bottle – and my master creation of Mayonnaise Braised Duck, with Foie Gras spread on French Loaf is born!

Whoever said Toast was boring?

Ingredients:

French Loaf (sliced)
Foie Gras Spread (can be substitute with pâté)
Duck Breast (sliced or shredded)
A pinch of black peppar
Japanese Mayonnaise
Coriander Leaves
Oregano Leaves

Method:

1. Toast both sides of the sliced French loaf
2. Once slightly browned, remove from heat and apply foie gras spread on top of the bread. Toast another 5 secs to melt the spread
3. Remove from heat and spread evenly the foie gras
4. Placed duck meat on the bread and toast for another 2 mins
5. Remove from heat and add mayonnaise, coriander leaves, oregano leave and black peppar
6. Dished up and serve
   

Cooked using long grain Basmati Rice and Glee, the Dum method of cooking stews food in a pot sealed with foil to prevent the steam from escaping. The food gradually steams in its own natural juices, captivating the subtle essence of the spices and herbs added at the start of the cooking process. I usually avoid this stall during lunchtime, as heavy lunch just doesn’t work for me. But the curiosity got over me, as day in day out, I always see a queue snaking outside this modest stall. At first glance, the serving doesn’t look appetising – everything looks orangey red (but then doesn’t all Briyani look like this?) but it was truly a heartily satisfying meal.

The rice was palatable and not as greasy as I thought it would be and the curry was a great complement to it. The spices captured by the chicken also gave it an aromatic and fragrant taste to it but at the end of the day, it was the texture of the flesh that won me over.

It was VERY tender and succulent unlike many others that I have tried before, so much so that it caught me by surprise!

Rating

Food: 4.5/5 (Very tender chicken!)
Service: 4/5 (Fast and efficient despite the queue)
Ambience: 3/5 (Food centre)
Price: 4.5/5 ($4 for a heartily satisfying meal - worth it!)
Total: 16/20
665 Buffalo Road
#01-324 Tekka Food Centre
Singapore 210665

Singapore Business Review recently organised a Restaurant Awards Night - our local version of the Michelin Guide and their Stars - on 27 Feb, where the awards were presented in four categories ranging from 3 Chefs Hats, as the highest accolades, to an Order of Merit Star. The full lists of winners are as follow:

3 Chefs Hats Category

• Il Lido
• The Cliff
• Mezza9
• Senso
• Lei Garden

2 Chefs Hats

• OSO Ristorante
• Ristorante Da Valentino
• Crystal Jade Golden Palace (Paragon)
• Shang Palace
• Hua Ting (Orchard Hotel)
• Saint Julien
• Flutes at the Fort

1 Chefs Hat

• IndoChine Club Street
• IndoChine Waterfront
• Garibaldi
• La Strada
• Ember
• The China Club
• Halia (Botanic Gardens)
• Au Petit Salut
• Nogawa
• Les Amis
• Min Jiang at One-North
• Inagiku
• Morton’s the Steakhouse

Order of Merit

• Michaelangelo’s
• Samy’s Curry
• Jade (Fullerton Hotel)
• Rang Mahal
• Original Sin
• Song of India
• Tatsuya
• Au Jardin
• Crystal Jade Palace – Ngee Ann City
• Blue Ginger
• Esmirada at Chijmes
• Imperial Treasure, Great World City
• Long Beach Seafood, Marina South
• Jumbo Seafood, East Coast Seafood Centre
• Oosh
• The Universal
• Keyaki
• Le Papillon
• Raffles Grill
• Novus (at the National Museum)
• PS Cafe
• Chat Masala
• Banana Leaf Apolo
• Magma
• Majestic Restaurant (Majestic Hotel)

SPECIAL CATEGORY WINNERS

• Best Restaurant Bar - Il Lido
• Best Wine List - Les Amis
• Best Brunch - The Line (Shangri-La Hotel)
• Best High Tea - Bar & Billiard Room, Raffles Hotel
• Best Yum Cha – Crystal Jade Palace, Ngee Ann City
• Chinese Restaurant of the Year - Lei Garden, Chijmes
• French Restaurant of the Year - Saint Julien
• Japanese Restaurant of the Year - Nogawa
• Indian Restaurant of the Year - Rang Mahal
• International Restaurant of the Year - Mezza9 (Grand Hyatt)
• Italian Restaurant of the Year - Il Lido

Furniture were well spaced so one would not feel confined. The fixtures were very cosy with thick cushioned armchairs, in a myriad of colours and tones, and there's a stylish casualness about the place, without being pretentious, it gives customers a very peaceful ambience to dine in.

Pride itself of serving “Good Food”, the outlet comes with many interesting items on the menu – organic, Thai, noodles, Raw, gluten-free, raw and even ZEN to name some of them. You probably need time to scrutinise the menu to fully understand the kinds of items available to delight your palate. For starters, we order the Raw Deal, a Raw Vegetable Salad consisting of Beetroot, Apples and lots of Nuts and Seeds. I eat raw salad, but even I think this dish was too ambitious for me – perhaps because I am not a big fan of beetroot. The shredded apples though add a nice sweetness to it.

For the mains, we shared the Prawn and Spinach Brown Rice Risotto. It was a good balance between the spinach and the creamy-rich risotto, and the prawns add a delightful bite to this dish.

The other main we shared was the Rebelde Lina, an interesting Pizza topped with Spanish onions, Mushrooms, Bacon, Spinach and Tomatoes but most importantly – a whole EGG!!! Yes, at Oomphatico’s, all egg lovers will delighted to know that they have a pizza come served with an egg cracked all over it (Although this photo doesn't do justice to the pizza - trust me - it looks better in real).

Service was also a joy, with plenty of friendly staffs to attend to our needs. One lady (which I assume to be the boss) also made the effort to go around each table and chat with the guests, which made us feel very welcome. Overall I think this restaurant offers a refreshing experience from many others. From the food it offers to the service to the décor and furnishing, there will definitely be something you will be enticed by.

Rating

Food: 3.5/5 (Interesting twist)