Goodbye 2013 & Hello 2014!

Hello~ Sorry for the lack of updates...things have been really really busy, with my brother catching the viral fever just a week before his wedding, our 1st family trip onboard the Royal Carribean (will blog on that later - I promise!) and lastly being buried under heaps & heaps of work as everyone has gone away for the Xmas holidays...boo!

Since today is the last day of 2013, I shall do the obligatory recap of this year. 2013 has been a fast paced year for me, with me going back to the workforce after nearly 5 months of maternity cum annual leave. Ever since my little girl arrived into our lives, my life has becomes much busier than I've ever experienced and of course the, new skills I've acquired - shuttling to & fro the infantcare, 5mins shower, gobbling my meals as I feed her etc. But, these are just the joys of motherhood. At least it is for me :)

The meaning of New Year Eve for me and hubs is a holiday aboard for countdown in other countries that have lower temperatures than in Singapore (Hey, what's Christmas without the freezing temperature & better yet, snow right?). But this year, partly because I have to rooster my Xmas leaves with my colleagues, little one is also too young to venture to somewhere colder. So yup, this is the 1st time, we are at home, instead of jostling with the crowd awaiting the countdown. However, that doesn't mean we won't be celebrating! As I am jotting down this post, our dinner is cooking in the oven.
Partying for us will starts once little one is in her lala land (sorry babe, booze will start for you only when u hit the legal age!)

For 2014, I wish for continued blessings of good health, peace and happiness for myself and my family. Another year of peace for my country. And maybe...maybe we might decide to add another kiddo to our nest... :P

Well, goodbye 2013 and welcome 2014! I wished everyone a blessed New Year1

Sunday Brunch @ 10 at Claymore (Pan Pacific Orchard)

Since we are on a buffet roll, I decided to bring hubs to 10 at Claymore for its Sunday Brunch to celebrate his birthday.

Conveniently located at the lobby level, we have no problems locating it upon arrival at the hotel. We are also wowed by its live kitchen, where the dishes were prepared before our eyes. We also learnt that many hearts of buffet fanatics were won with the popular ‘Plates of Pleasure’ - à la carte buffet concept, where guests can enjoy unlimited servings of premium meats and other seasonal specialities presented in petite portions and served à la minute.

 



At first sight upon entering the restaurant, we were attracted by the offerings on ice - Alaska crab legs, lobster, bamboo clams, scallops, prawns. This was the first time we see bamboo clams at a buffet and we were very very impressed.

 

There were also freshly shucked oysters and freshly sliced sashimi (salmon, tuna, swordfish, octopus)

These were very fresh but however service for these counters were a tad slow as there were not enough chefs around to assist.

 

The starters :

 

 

                            DIY Salad bar                                                    Bread Station

                   Crème of Wild Highland Mushroom                  Cantonese Lotus Soup

 

We were impressed by the variety of salad and bread available. Soup wise, we prefer the Crème of Wild Highland Mushroom, which is thick and chunky and rich in flavour. There were mushrooms in every mouthful!

 

The mains :

 



                      Gratinated Cauliflower                            Baked Snapper Kam Heong Style

 

              Cilantro-Lemongrass Chicken Organic        Home-made Spinach Tofu with Chicken Gravy

                  Doubled Boiled Herbal Prawn                    Cantonese Eight Treasure Rice

                  Doubled Boiled Herbed Duck Leg             Slipper Lobster w/ Ginger Garlic Gravy

 

                  Braised Sea Cucumber w/ Roasted Pork            Braised Lamb Shank

                  & Dried Oysters 

 

 

Braised Taiwanese Baby Cabbage, Minced Pork Gravy

 

I would say the variety of the mains were quite good, however to us, only a couple of them are really worth the space in our stomachs :-

 

Doubled Boiled Herbal Prawn  - The soup was very sweet and the prawns were fresh

 

Cantonese Eight Treasure Rice - This came as a surprise and for hub who is not a glutinous rice  person, he even agree this was really good.

 

Doubled Boiled Herbed Duck Leg - So tender that you know a lot of time and effort went into the double boiling process

 

Slipper Lobster w/ Ginger Garlic Gravy - Fresh with sweet and spicy gravy. Almost like our Chilli Crab

 

Greatest 10 Plates of Pleasure :

 

 

 

 

 

 

It's no wonder that this restaurant is well-known for these Greatest 10 Plates of Pleasure. We were simply blown away by each and every dish and the serving were just right for us. We even have seconds for the sea perch and scallops!

 

The desserts :

 

"Live" Crepe Station

 

My favourite section in every buffet. The desserts were quite decent and our favourites were the Durian Cake, Blackforest Cake, Pineapple Cheesecake, Greentea w/ Azuki Bean Swissroll. There were also a good variety of fruits. Crepe was alright and we choose the durian paste topping. However, I made a mistake by adding the lemongrass ice-cream, it put us off the crepe. If you are a lemongrass lover, then you will definitely love it, so this is a very personal preference.

 

 

Fruit juice, tea & coffee were also included in the buffet. And we were delighted to see that Gryphon Tea were served.

 

Overall, food wise, we were satisfied with it, especially the Greatest 10 Plates of Pleasure.

Service was prompt in clearing our plates and attentive as they kept checking if we were satisfied with the food. Only disappointed that they did not serve hub a birthday cake, as promised when I was asked if there was any special occasion for our visit when I called to make the reservation.

Ambience was quiet and peaceful, even LO was enjoying herself and even receive many attention from the friendly staff.

 

Pan Pacific Orchard

10 Claymore Road, Singapore 229540

Brunch: 12 noon to 3.00pm (Sunday) @ $68++

Telephone: 6831 6686

 

 

 

 

 



Easy Peasy Mushroom Soup

Had bought fresh shitake mushrooms and thus decided to make mushroom soup for LO.
It makes a very quick and satisfy meal. How do I know if it was satisfy? LO was the best judge on my culinary skills (or the lack of it...haha).

Ingredients
A handful of Fresh Shitake Mushroom - Sliced (or button mushrooms if you prefer)
1 small scoop of FM (to make 30ml of milk)
1/4 tsp of unsalted butter (Optional)

Equipment
Avent Steamer & Blender

Preparation
1) Steam the mushrooms for 15mins
2) Once the steamed process is completed, add in the scoop of FM with the water residue in it
3) Add in butter for taste
4) Blend to desired consistency
5) Serve with bread

Steamed Cheesy Couscous with Chicken & Vegetables

I had invested in an electric lunchbox last month. Yeah yeah, I have jumped onto the bandwagon of this latest craze but I'm glad to say this has not been a white elephant in my kitchen...haha!

Happened to see a promotor at a make-shift stall near my workplace, so I stop and looked at his demostration. Quite impressed that it will auto-shutoff if the water has dried up. Which means I can run out for short errands trips without worrying that my house will be burnt down. yeah~

 

 the electric lunchbox

 

 

Ingredients
Butter (unsalted) - Optional for flavor only
1 clove of garlic
Choice of vegetables (Diced) - I used zucchini, carrot & pumpkin
Chicken (Diced)
1 cup pork bones Stock
Couscous
Grated Cheese (I used Bega brand)

Preparation
1) Add all diced vegatables, garlic, butter, chicken, soup stock into the bowl and steam for 10mins
2) Add in couscous and lay grated cheese on top
3) Steam for 5mins
4) Let it simmer for another 5mins if soup stock is not fully absorbed by the couscous
5) Ready to serve

 

I have included a picture of the cheese I have used, in case you would like to look for it too.
For babies & young children, pls only go for cheese with sodium level not more than 680mg/100gm.

Happy cooking! :D

Sunday Brunch @ Indulge at Park (Grand Park City Hall)

Indulge at Park is located at the lobby area, with a waterfall backdrop, in the rustic charm of old shop houses. The outdoor area (which is actually right next to the lobby area) offers a sense of space and natural light along while you feast. 
I love to sit at the outdoor area where I can enjoy my food while gazing lazily at the waterfall backdrop. However, because we are lunching with LO in tow, the indoor area is much more accessible for us as there are steps leading to the outdoor area.

For the month of November, it is all about Chocolates! So in additional to the usual fare of seafood and internation delights, there will be more chocolates desserts & delights available. Yumz!

I shall let the pictures speak for itself and minimize words :) 

 

 

 

The appetizers & salad bar

 

Look at the offerings on ice! There are the usual prawns, mussels, sashimi, scallops, crayfish, oysters. We were presently surprised that there are Alaska crab legs and lobsters too! All these are really fresh. For someone like me who don't eat oysters, I manage to woof down 5 oysters. That is how fresh it is. No fishy taste at all.

There were two soups choices - Creamy mushroom and Lobster bisque. Both were flavourful and rich but a tad too salty. But nonetheless, still very good.

 

At the craving station, there's roasted beef, lamb and pork knuckles. The lamb was good, no strong lamb smell. The pork knuckle was crispy without being too oily. Just the way we like it. There's also small portions of roasted suckling pig with apple jam. The pairing with the apple jam is quite unique, however the suckling pig was not the crispy type that we were used to in Chinese crusine. The baked fish wsa fresh but its skin was a tad tough to slice through. However, fret not, the friendly chef was on hand to assist. Two thumbs up for the service!

 

                Spanish chicken meat ball (Albondigas)       Roasted cauliflower, carrot and sultana gratin

Oooh, these Spanish chicken meat ball (Albondigas) are crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. we can't stop ourselves from getting a second helping.

Roasted cauliflower, carrot and sultana gratin was not too cheesy as hubs who don't take cheese, was able to stomach it.

  

                           Seasonal Greens               Brown rice with chestnut, bacon, pine nut & vegetables.

The Brown rice with chestnut, bacon, pine nut and vegetables was something different from the usual fried rice/noodle. Wholesomely healthy.

                  Baked salmon En Papillote                        Smoke Duck Breast with lychee sauce

Somehow the Smoke Duck Breast with lychee sauce reminds me of roasted pork, in a good way.

 

                 Sweet potato and Russet Dauphinoise         Braised short rib with Chocolate and Rosemary

These ribs have no chocolatey taste but the ribs were so very tender.

 Pan seared parmesan crumbled chicken with sage    Crispy Mackerel with Szechuan Hot Bean Sauce

 Oven Roasted Lamb Rack with Oreo and Macadamia Crust

 

 A little tough so not easy to slice the flesh off the rack but again, lucky there wasn't any strong lamb smell.

 

 

 Oven Roasted Lamb Rack with Oreo and Macadamia Crust

 Butter Tagliatelle Pasta

 Ok, by now, I was a little restless. There were really alot of cooked dishes. But I am a dessert person, so I zoomed straight to the dessert section. There were sooooo many choices available!

 

 Chocolate Douceur Lactee Cake

 Apple Crumble & Passion mousse with Cocoa Glaze (foreground)

Vanilla Chocolate Panna Cotta, Orange cream brulee with Frudge (background)

 

 Cheese cake & assorted Macaroons

 

I really love macaroons and theirs were good! Love the earl grey and lemon best.

 

 

 

 Assort Pralines

 

 Fondue - Chocolate, Orange, Ivory, Green Tea

 

 Chocolate Bread & Butter Pudding

Assorted Gelato (I super love the green tea!)

 Assorted Fruits & Signature Durian Pengat

 

If you love durian, their durian pengat is a must-try. Not overly sweet nor artifical. You know some places, their durian mousse have so much cream added that all you are eating is just the cream?Well, this one is almost like the real thing.

 

 Mini Baby cupcakes, Chocolate Passion Petit Four

 Assort Cookies

  Brownies, Raspberry Mousse with Five Spice Chocolate Fudge

 

This was not our first visit to Indulge at Park. We wedded two years ago at this very hotel and held LO's first month celebration right here as well. So this hotel holds many precious memories for us. Honestly, I would say their buffet spread had indeed improved over the past two years, with more varieties available now. Of course, with the revamp in the food menu, the prices have made a slight adjustment upwards as well. But overall, I feel the new price is worth every bit and the service rendered here by their service staff is very attentive and helpful. On the downside, there are not many baby chairs available. LO could not get one that day, we wasn't sure if it was due to a wedding going on that day? But nonetheless, the service staff was very apologetic about the lack of baby chair for LO. Oh well, nothing we can do about it, so LO stayed in her stroller throughout the lunch.

 

Grand Park City Hall - Indulge at Park

10 Coleman Street Singapore 179809
Call 6432 5888 or email fnb.gpch@parkhotelgroup.com for enquiries/reservations.
 

Sunday Buffet Brunch : 12noon to 3.00pm (Sundays)
$50++ (Adult) / $25++ (Child)