[Media Invite] FYR Cycene Ond Drinc Presents Modern European Recovery Brunch made with Josper Charcoal Oven‏

Was invited to a media tasting: FYR Cycene Ond Drinc Presents Modern European Recovery Brunch made with Josper Charcoal Oven at 19 Boon Tat Street‏‏! 

Yam & Sweet Potato with cheese sauce and tomato Salsa

I like the texture of the of the yam and sweet potato strips that complements well with its cheese and tomato salsa! You cannot stop once you start munching it.

Grilled Squid

The grilled squid has a nice pillowy texture that was not too chewy. Not to forget the crispy onion that tasted equally good!

Baked Java Curry Chicken Ragout

The chicken stew is spiked by the flavours of kidney beans, sweet corn as well as coriander. The spring onion crepe can be used to soak up the delicious gravy. It goes well certainly goes well with the spring onion crepe. If you are a beans lover, you will definitely adore this dish more.

Baked Beef Hash

The traditional dish gets a sophisticated spin. The enticing ribeye comes with corned beef and spring onion crepe. Honestly, I adore this dish that pretty much. It tasted neither too flavourful nor blend. The Beef hash was nicely prepared as well.

My Hot Vino Tinto

A refreshing red wine-based cocktail infused with orange, apple and cinnamon. It tasted rather pleasant and sweet. I like it pretty much!

Grilled  Steak & Eggs

The glorious slab of meat is accompanied by toasted bread and a perfect sunny side up. It could have been better if the steak was less cooked as it was quite tough. Not to forget the garlic butter that goes so well with the toasted bread.

Baked Blinis

Blinis is a a thin pancake made with yeasted butter. Served together  with  grilled  salmon,  Avruga caviar and grated Bottarga, it makes a hearty meal to kick start the day. I like the texture of the blinis that was rather fluffy. The salmon itself tasted good as it was well-prepared. The meat was rather tender and juicy. 

Baked Pistachio Melt & Pandan Ice Cream

The combination of Pistachio flavoured lava cake and homemade pandan ice cream with a tinge of sweet cinnamon makes this indulgent dessert a tour de force. If you have a sweet tooth, you will certainly enjoy this dessert!

You may wish to know that FYR brunch menu is only available on weekends from 9am till 3:30pm.

FYR Cycene Ond Drinc

19 Boon Tat Street 069619

Opening Hours:  

Monday – Friday: 11am – 11pm 

Saturday: 9am – 11pm 

Sunday: 9am – 4pm

【IMAKATSU】new menu food tasting session

Was invited to Imakatsu food tasting session at The Star Vista on Monday evening! This time, I am there to try out their new menu! Previously, I have attended a food tasting session to try out the food and blog about it here as well.

Introducing the 4 new dishes:

Premium Oyakodon 

(a bowl of rice topped with chicken and eggs)

The onsen egg, chicken meat and rice complement well its the special sauce. It tasted good and not too flavourful for me. A good appetizing dish! 

Mentaiko hot udon

Bonito stock and Mentaiko from Fukuoka was added to the broth to make this an authentic dish. I enjoyed the springy texture of this bowl of Udon. However, the added mentaiko was quite strong that I can hardly taste the original flavour of its broth. 

Spicy Pork Don

Premium pork from Kagoshima is used for this dish. The texture was slightly tough but rather chewy and juicy. The special spicy sauce was open your appetite to finish up your food. A good blend between sweetness and spiciness. 

Onsen egg cold udon

Personally, this was my favourite dish among the new menu introduced. The broth tasted not too blend nor salty for me. The onsen egg complements well with its springy udon and Surimi!

Premium Pork Loin

I adore the texture of the pork from Kagoshima that offers a real "taste" and sweetness" of its meat! It was thick juicy and tender!

Chicken Fillet Cutlet 

This is Imakatsu specialty dish. The chicken fillet tasted tender and juicy though it was slightly oily. Eat the chicken fillet while it is warm else it will not taste as good as it is when it turn cold.

Appreciated to be invited once again to Imakatsu food tasting! (: 

Imakatsu Singapore
The Star Vista (Buona Vista MRT)
#01-78-1
Singapore 138617 
Opening Hours: 11:30am – 10:00pm

Jurassic World Movie Review

Steven Spielberg returns to executive produce the long-awaited next installment of his ground breaking Jurassic Park series, Jurassic World. Colin Trevorrow directs the epic action-adventure from a screenplay he wrote with Derek Connolly. Frank Marshall and Patrick Crowley join the team as producers.

Watched Jurassic world with my church mates yesterday evening! Personally, I felt that the story was compact and rather classic on its own. The story flow well though the introductory may appear brief without much depth. 

The plot was predictable but I enjoyed the intense scenes that was depicted. Good that certain humour element was injected to brighten up the show. Through different obstacles faced, it certainly strengthen the kinship between the two brothers (Ty Simpkins & Nick Robinson) where both initially are not in close terms.

It was a pleasant reminiscence to see items surfacing in Jurassic park, back here in Jurassic world. Not to forget watching T-rex appearing towards the finale!

Ratings: 3.35/5

[Media Invitation] Soft Opening of the First Concept @ Eat At Seven, ENBU - Singapore’s first-ever Warayaki and Charcoal Grill Izakaya‏

Was invited to the soft launch of the First Concept @ Eat At Seven, Enbu Singapore’s first-ever Warayaki and Charcoal Grill Izakaya!

Enbu is the first in Eat At Seven’s line-up to be launched. With a meaning that translates to “Dance of Flame”, ENBU offers a dining experience that perfectly complements Singapore’s exciting dining scene. The restaurant’s calling card is grilling with straws and charcoal grill, which lend a wonderful smoky fragrance to its wide array of fresh and exquisite cuisines. 

Smoked Salmon with Homemade Cheese Tofu

This dish tasted pleasantly good. Surprisingly, the smoked salmon complements well with the cheese tofu. It could have been better if more tofu was injected for better texture.

Deep fried tofu with Uni sauce

Crispy and flaky on the outside; soft and smooth inside. I thought that it already tasted good on its own. However, you may wish to dip it with the uni sauce.

Taco Salad

This dish here appear more to me as a Mexican cuisine. Salads are poured into the crispy tortilla. After which, the homemade beef/pork meat sauce and cheese were added as a topping. An appetizing dish you got to try!

Sashimi Moriawase

The assorted sashimi certainly tasted fresh with good texture! I enjoyed the uni (Sea Urchin) and tuna sashimi pretty much!

Oyster and Spinach Teppanyaki

This dish tasted pretty good! Definitely one of my favourite. The uni sauce complements well with the grilled oyster (slight crispy texture) and spinach. 

Chicken Warayaki With 

Special Spring Onion Sauce

Katsuo Warayaki

 Homemade Steamed Tofu

The texture of it was soft and silky. Do remember to mix it with the ponzu sauce else it tasted rather blend without much flavour.

Jya Jya Men

I like the springy noodle texture. However, the minced meat sauce over the noodle tasted rather flavouful for me. 

You may wish to know that Enbu will officially open in early July 2015.

Enbu 

3 Temasek Boulevard

Suntec City Mall

#03-307

Singapore 038983

Tel: 6268 8043

Opening Hours: 11:00am – 11:00pm

Pho Street New Menu Launch Media Tasting Invite‏

Was invited to a media tasting: Pho Street New Menu Launch‏ at Bedok mall! I liked the nice decoration settings. A pretty cosy place to dine in with your loved ones.

Pho Street is a quick service restaurant which serves authentic Vietnamese street food to people from all walks of life as represented by the street. Knowing that there is a lack of good authentic Vietnamese food in Singapore, Pho Street aims to reignite the Vietnamese food culture in Singapore with an emphasis on the vibrancy of Vietnamese cuisine. Indulge yourself in our signature Beef and Chicken Pho, with the savoury stock promising to wet your taste buds.

Lemon Cooler with Peppermint & Basil

These 2 beverages tasted pretty good. It was neither too sweet nor blend. The basil added complement well with both beverages. A refreshing drink to order when you visit this restaurant. 

Fresh Summer Rolls with Prawn, 

Pork Belly & Fresh Herbs

These summer rolls tasted fresh and certainly goes along well with its sauce. It could have been good if they go easy on the lettuce, for better taste texture. 

Vietnamese Snack Platter

- Crispy Fried Pork Rolls

- Roasted Chicken Skewers

- Vietnamese Crabcakes

I liked the presentation of this dish when it was served. I enjoyed the crispy fried pork and crabcakes pretty much! It complements pretty well with the chilli sauce provided. The chicken skewers tasted okay but its spiciness overpowered the original taste of it.  

Sesame Rice Crackers with Fragrant 

Minced Meat and Spices Dip

An appetizing dish you got to order when you visit this place. The minced meat complements well with the spices! It was well-marinated with the correct amount of spiciness added. Also, it goes along well with the sesame rice crackers.

Crispy Fried Chicken Mid-wings served 

with Caramelised Sweet Dip

This dish tasted okay. It will be good if they improve on its battered as it was way too crispy for me. The sweet dip certainly enhance the overall taste.

Pho Beef Combination

I like this dish as the broth tasted light and not too flavourful for me. The beef slices however, tasted rather tough. For the beef lover, you definitely cannot miss this Pho Beef Combination consisting of beef slices, balls, shank, tendon and tripe.

Banh Mi Combination

Another option you can get will be the toasted Banh Mi. A good combination of bread stuffed with meats, mayonnaise, pickled carrot & radish, cucumber, chilli and fresh cilantro. However, the texture of the bread can be improved as one may get rather tired munching it. 

Roasted Pork Chop with Rice

I felt that this marinated pork chop tasted slightly flavourful for me. 

The texture of the meat can be improved as it was slightly tough.

Cream of Mung Bean with 

Coconut Sauce & Crushed Peanuts

If you adore the taste of coconut, you have to give this a try!

Pho Street

Bedok Mall 

B1-40

Daily: 11:00am – 10:00pm

《心谜》Mind Game Drama Review

Mind Game is thriller-romance drama with many unexpected twists and suspense. Liang Wen Jie (Tay Ping Hui) is a paralegal at a law firm; he is in-charge of many mysterious cases that requires thorough investigations. In each case, suspects are extremely careful as they plot elaborate lies to escape from detection. However, none of them can escape from Wen Jie who has a sharp analytical mind and is attentive to even the smallest details. 

《心谜》是一部既惊险又浪漫的电视剧，故事情节曲折、悬念重重。梁文杰(郑斌辉) 是一家律师楼的助理律师。他处理的案件都比较特殊，也非常具有挑战性。在每个罪案例中，嫌犯都会精心设计重重陷阱与谎言，避免暴露自己。但没有人能够逃脱文杰敏锐的观察力以及判断能力，他有着惊人的天赋，再棘手的案件也难不倒他。聪明过人的文杰虽然对查案了如指掌，但对自己所面对的生活问题却束手无策。

The following are the main cast:

Just finished watching《心谜》Mind Game on channel 8. Personally, I enjoyed this drama as it constantly kept me in good suspense with the different cases presented. Each case was nicely crafted with an unexpected twists. Though certain occurrence may appear somewhat coincidence and predictable, the story flow was commendable. 

Having similar plot like Against The Tide 逆潮, I thought that《心谜》Mind Game scores better in terms of the chemistry and acting capability among the cast. The story was more compact and convincing to a certain extent.

Honestly, The main and supporting casts acted well in their given roles. However, the 2 obvious ones that did exceptionally well would be Zhang Yao Dong and Joanne Peh! 

Hope to see more similar genre of drama being aired in channel 8! I am sure to watch it! 

Ratings: 4.35/5

Earl grey lavender ice-cream waffle @ Creamier

As I was at Toa Payoh for an external course, near to creamier. I decided to visit this cafe and give the waffle a try! I heard many good reviews not only about its waffle but the ice-cream as well! 

Personally, I like the texture of the waffle that was nicely done. The earl grey lavender ice-cream had a unique taste which was commendable! Not to forget the nice presentation presented as well (:

Creamier

128, Toa Payoh Lorong 1

#01-835

Singapore 310128 

Tel: (65) 6250 1476 

San Andreas Movie Review

After the infamous San Andreas Fault finally gives, triggering a magnitude 9 earthquake in California, a search and rescue helicopter pilot (Dwayne Johnson) and his estranged wife make their way together from Los Angeles to San Francisco to save their only daughter. But their treacherous journey north is only the beginning, and when they think the worst may be over… it’s just getting started. 

Watched San Andreas with Gary yesterday evening. Personally, I felt that the story was rather compact with a rather good flow. With a good introductory, I was anticipating a convincing story-line. However, I was slightly disappointed with certain occurrence that appear not only coincidence but also predictable to me.

Nevertheless, I enjoyed the intense scenes which was nerve wracking. Not to forget the nice visual effects presented that made this show worth watching. It educated us on the importance of kinship and to possess positive team spirit. Great to see some humor element injected which lighten this heavy hearted show a little.

Overall, a decent disaster film. Do not expect much on its plot but rather the good visuals and intense scenes that may 'wow' you one way or another.

Ratings: 3.5/5

[Media Invitation] Launch of Chabuton’s latest spicy ramen with five levels of spiciness‏

Was invited to a media tasting: Chabuton’s latest spicy ramen at Chabuton Millenia Walk! They are unveiling a new dish - Yoruton Ramen (S$12.90), which has five levels of spiciness! 

Yoruton ramen is a super spicy offering  that  boasts  a  piquant  taste  of  garlic.  A juicy slice of pork rests atop the ramen, which is swimming in a thick and rich broth. The spicy broth is a blend of a special chilli paste with Chabuton’s signature tonkotsu soup.

Basically, I felt that the yoruton ramen tasted okay but the spiciness was rather overwhelming for me. I am not a spicy food lover thus this might not be my pick for a ramen dish unless I go for level 2 instead of level 3 maybe?

Yoruton  ramen appears too spicy for you? Fear not! There are other regular ramen where you could choose from:

                                  

                                                              Tonkotsu Ramen                      Tonkotsu Kara Kara Ramen

                                    Char Siew Ramen                                       Shoyu Ramen

                             

I tried Chabuton's Tonkotsu Ramen and Shio Ramen previously at 313 somerset. Honestly, I prefer their shio ramen with my preferred customised selection. I guess each has its own preferences ya? Remember to request for a customised selection else you will get the normal broth and noodle texture.

Hitokuchi Gyoza

Nice thin cripsy gyoza with good seasoning. 

It could have been better if they are more generous for their fillings.

Sweet Fried Prawns 

Definitely a side to order to go along with your ramen!

Soup Gyoza

Desserts

The Yoruton Ramen will only be available until end of July 2015. Patrons who order the Yoruton Ramen will receive a loyalty card. With every order of the Yoruton  Ramen, patrons will receive a stamp. With every five stamps collected, patrons will receive cash vouchers. 

The completed card will also be entered in the Grand Lucky Draw, where participants will stand a chance to win an iPhone 6 Plus. 4 iPhone 6 Plus to be won!

Chabuton @ Millennia Walk

9 Raffles Boulevard

#02-15 Singapore 039596 

Opening hours: 11:30am to 10:00pm 

Tel: 6837 0335

Pitch Perfect 2 Movie Review

The Barden Bellas are back in Pitch Perfect 2, the follow-up to summer 2012’s smash hit. The comedy is helmed by Elizabeth Banks, co-star and producer of Pitch Perfect, and produced by Paul Brooks, Max Handelman and Banks. Writer Kay Cannon returns to the team to pen the next chapter.

Watched Pitch Perfect 2 with Ting feng and Cynthia yesterday late afternoon! Personally, the story was good and rather entertaining on its own. Though the plot may not be as beautifully depicted as before, I thought it was commendable as it trigger memories one may have during high school. 

It was nice to see individuals with different personality and common interest come together, accepting one another strengths and weaknesses for that same goal. The different characteristic certainly bring many joy to the viewers. The chemistry among the cast certainly made this film an even watchable one.

Though certain funny elements injected appear quite lame; some were still quite humorous! It showed us the importance of teamwork and educated viewers never to be complacent but to continuously strive for improvements. 

Nice ballads performance though I expected more could be delivered. Nevertheless, a decent film to catch!

Ratings: 4.2/5