Adam Road Nasi Lemak - simply shiok!

We had this sometime back but I still remember how good it tasted!
This definitely is on par with the likes of Changi V or Boon Lay Power nasi lemak. 

There are two stalls, with the Muslim and Chinese side by side.

Each had their own queue and looked equally popular.... 

But since Nasi Lemak is a Malay dish, we decided to choose the Malay one. 

So Selera Rasa it was and boy, just look at the food:

A good spread for $5 each, damn shiok; partly because it was cheap too heheh.

We loved the crispiness of the chicken wings and each bite produced a satisfying crunch:

The sambal was definitely kickass and had a fragrant taste of ikan bilis.

I had to blow my nose a few times and we were perspiring in the middle of the meal; 

very tak-glam but for good food, we persevered on.

It paid off, as the spiciness went very well with the fried ikan bilis indeed!

Then came the egg in a gorgeously fried ball, in my favourite style:

Slightly crispy on the edges, with an oozing yolk:

It was so good, and gone fast and furious...

Leaving only the long grained Basmati rice behind:

Deceitfully plain, it was mighty fragrant mind you!

And simply perfect with the thick and spicy otah:

In one hashtag:  #Shiok!

We finished off the spicy meal with a simple ice kachang from the dessert stall right opposite Selera:

Also got queue and newspaper cuttings all. 

Damn power! 

See lah, type until miss this already. 

We will be back, maybe next weekend?

Selera Rasa Nasi Lemak 

#01-02

Adam Road Food Centre

2 Adam Road

Hp: 98434509

Open daily: 07:00 - 22:00 

(perfect to tapao for those late night Mahjong sessions!!)

Casa Tartufo - House of Truffles: Suave Italian food that makes me wanna wax lyrical...

This was an impromptu dinner but what a nice gathering (for our delighted tastebuds) 

it turned out to be! 

Little did I know that this was a restaurant with several accolades to it, with a speciality in truffles found in many of their dishes mmm. They are served according to different periods of the year, namely the Winter Black Truffle (Jan - Mar) , Summer Black Truffle (Apr - Aug) and White Truffle (Sep -Dec).

Casa means home and Tartufo means Truffles, hence "House of Truffles". Nice name. Located in the quiet Forum mall, Casa is filled with soft lights and a welcoming ambience, making it perfect for a romantic date ;)

Upon stepping in, I was put at ease immediately by the friendly (& good looking as well. Sorry baby :p) man who greeted me with a wide smile. I suspect it was Alex, the Italian owner of the restaurant. Read more about their story here.

There were six of us, so it was a perfect excuse to splurge. I mean, order many dishes to share. 

We were served bread in thick squares, with a texture reminiscent of the chinese pancake aka mun chiang kueh. It was neither hot nor crispy but strangely enjoyable with the sour balsamic & olive oil dip on the side.

For starters, we shared the San Daniele - Proscuitto with cheese ($24):

My precious pieces of cold cuts:

Haha I'm not a huge fan of cold cuts, but this was some good aged ham with a nice marbling of fat all around. It was served with Ricotta cheese, providing a firm and tangy bite to the palette every now and then.. wonderfully paired!

Then arrived the Casa Risotto with Sea Urchin & Truffle ($36): 

Merciful lords.. this was so richly infused with truffle that every bite left a lingering scent on my tongue. Who knew sea urchin tasted so good with truffle and risotto? Maybe Casa has the midas touch. Or maybe it was the ambience.. but it was amazing how the soft and slightly firm paste of sandy urchin melted perfectly with each rice grain.. sending oohs of gastronomic joy each time there was urchin discovered. What a worthy dish of decadence indeed!

Next was the Tarjarin Black - Home made egg noodles cooked in Sage and Butter, topped with Shaved Truffle ($34):

Upon tasting these strands of supple noodles, what suddenly striked me was how deceivingly simple every dish looked at first... THEN the pungent flavours explode on your tongue, startling one out of a hazy stupor and into a joy so unbridled that it was almost estatic.

No kidding guys; this pasta was done so well as it seemed to have soaked up the very essence of the truffle, leaving a light earthy aroma in the mouth after each swallow.  

Did I also mention how the rich scent of truffle assailed our senses even before it reached the table? 

This dish is truly a star on its own.

Just imagine my sadness after I finished my portion.. even I am lost for words. :'(

And finally, the crazy Fiorentina - 1 kg T bone steak ($170), served with a side of truffle fries ($12):

This was the picture that sealed the deal for us when L asked for dinner and sent this pic. How lovely to see it in the flesh, then sink our teeth into the meat for real. There was silence as some medium raw carnivorous delight took over for a few moments. I would say the meat was done nicely, and it was juicy with a robust flavour but the other two mains simply outshone this meaty contender. 

After the last piece of steak was polished off, I suppose we all got high on good food and ordered 5 out of the 7 desserts available when the waitress asked us. No wonder my throat never got better.

Featured below is the Pistachio ice cream with Chocolate sauce ($12), where I asked the waitress to hold the pose for me and she gamely obliged to my Singaporean request haha! 

Next to it is ze lemon tart ($12):

The tangy lemon tart came with a thin soft base that crumbled easily, making it very easy to swallow mouthful after mouthful.

Close up of the Pistachio ice cream brownie:

Despite being coated with a thick, dense darkness for a sauce, the nutty dessert was surprisingly light and was well complemented by the chocolate. Afterall, you can't go wrong with nuts and choc!

This, my friends, is the chocolate tart ($12):

Again, Casa serves its food unprententious looking and tried to fool me once more. But this tart packs a punch with each bite of the dense chocolate that is just a tad bitter, making you yearn more.

And of course, one's gotta save the best for the last. See that simple scoop of ice cream in the background? That's Truffle Gelato ($8) for you, and it is simply mindblowing:

I kid you not, there was a collective exclamation by everyone (I'm guessing with the exception of V who commented it tasted like garlic haha!) at the overpowering taste of truffle in the ice cream. It was almost like there was the real thing inside our mouths... and the treasured scoop was gone in a few minutes. 

THIS ONE MUST TRY. 

And I do feel kind of bad for the Tiramisu ($12) that came after, because it was much milder so it seemed bland in comparison despite it being a famed Italian dessert. However, after the initial excitement of the truffle gelato wore off, I found the tiramisu to be of good quality, with a consistent marscarpone cream and crisp fingers. Might stand a fight with the gelato if it was more infused with coffee or alcohol though! 

Or... maybe not.

For truffle lover, I implore you to make a trip down to this place soon. 

The simple yet rich dishes will leave you very happy. 

Warning: Might get breathless occasionally as you get blown away though.

Casa Tartufo

Forum Shopping Mall 

583 Orchard Road #01-17

Tel: 68364647

Opening hours: 

Lunch: 1130am - 230pm

Dinner: 6pm - 10pm

Closed on Mondays

Hope you all get as high as we did.

WLF.

Oasis Taiwan Porridge - Superb shiok comfort food that leaves you wanting more!

It was a night when I felt like having porridge, where it also turned out that we were meeting L &  A for a dinner-turned-supper. And L, the suggestor of good food, recommended Oasis for its delicious sweet potato porridge. 

Me: "SWEET POTATO PORRIDGE?? ON."

Just check that beautiful piece of tuber out:

I love this kind of porridge, where the texture was soft and mashed yet still slightly grainy with a good amount of broth. A plus was the fact that the potato retained a tinge of sweetness, making it a perfect combination with the fermented beancurd ($1.50 per serving) available.

And did I mention the porridge only costs $1.50 for unlimited servings? Really eat until shiok.

Next up, one of the best Braised Pork Intestines I've had for only $8: 

Tender yet firm and very fragrant, with zilch "porky" aftertaste. You know how some intestines leave a bad taste in your mouth after you swallow it right? Be assured, this has none of that and oh dear lords, you just cannot popping them one after another. They were all gone halfway into the meal :'( haha and the pickled vegetables on the side also served as a nice palette cleanser after each bite.

But... the star of the day was definitely the Stewed Pork Belly ($10):

We've always been fans of fatty pork belly and it was truly an orgasmic moment to have this version in our mouths. The meat was wonderfully stewed, as the gelatinious fats complemented the soft pork. Every bite was delightful and we did not get gelat. 

Not even..... o.n.c.e.

Next dish up: Dou Miao ($12):

This was refreshing, crisp and a good change to our "sins" previously haha! But frankly, one does not need vegetables with Porridge though it was nicely done.

Chai poh egg ($8):

Fried to crisp perfection, with a juicy centre and fragrant chai poh. There are some things you just fall in Love with, and this dish was one of them. 

Cockles in sweet & sour sauce  ($9):

I was expecting a drier version with the shells still intact and did not really fancy this though the crustaceans were fresh and plump. I guess it probably goes better with rice!

And viola! 

Our five course supper of the night:

Oasis is definitely recommended and we've been back a 2nd time now! I bet you will enjoy stuffing your faces with the comfort food like we did.

Out, WLF.

Oasis Taiwan Porridge Restaurant:

Toa Payoh Town Park

303 Lorong 6 Toa Payoh

Opening hours:

Daily (yay!) 0700-1500, 1730-0600

Restaurant Ember; affordable fine dining

This place at Keong Siak Road is very popular with the nearby lunch crowd, and we were the youngest there, if I dare make a quick judgment :p

Our second time here since a year ago, and the food was consistent. Best thing? Price still the same yay!

We ordered the Xmas set lunch, and it was all seafood, to make up for a sinful evening of steak at W hotel the night before. Boy, everything was so fresh and sweet.

1) Appetisers:
Fresh Hokkaido Scallops with ponzu and sesame vinaigrette, seasonal cress

It was served sashimi style, where the acidic dressing did the cooking, resulting in a really fresh and luscious dish. I think we ate it too fast for it to be even cooked!

Crab cakes with mustard with hazelnut tuile and crab bisque:

Gotta be one of the best crabcakes we've ever tasted, and my picky bf liked it too, even though he doesn't really eats crabs. The crab flesh was juicy, succulent and very sweet. A perfect tango with the salty bisque that wasn't too fishy and the very crispy tuile.

2) Mains:
The stars of the day have arrived.

Marinated cod with black miso, sweet peas and herbed potatoes:

Sweet mother of fish, how can you taste so fatty, firm and yet saccharine at the same time? 

Ember's chef really made a masterpiece out of this. 

The miso enhanced the sweetness of the cod, and its fatty skin was such a delight to bite into... 

We were fighting for every bite of this fish!

Pan seared Chilean seabass with mushroom and smoked bacon ragout, on a bed of truffle yuzu butter sauce:

I forgot that I ordered this previously, but thank goodness it was still good. Not as fatty as the cod, this was more firm to the bite and less sweet, which made perfect sense as the strong flavours of the ragout and truffle sauce made a great pairing with the fish.

And the cod wins.

3) Desserts:
Frozen nougat with seasonal berries & lychee sorbet:

Trying something different this time, and it was literally frozen nougat ( you know, the kind you can get in NTUC? With original, hazelnut and green tea flavours from Swiss? Yes that kind.) 

It was good and pleasant but I didn't fancy it, although the sorbet is really refreshing.

Warm Valrhona chocolate fondant with vanilla bean ice cream:

ALL TIME FAVE. And ember does it so well, with a light cake and rich velvety dark Valrhona chocolate. Fantastico with their fragrant and smooth vanilla bean ice cream. 

Still can find bits of the bean somemore! Can go off happy now.

Highly recommended place for an affordable lunch, and service is fuss-free, quick and friendly. This waitress came to clear my bf's fork and said: " He is stealing your food right? Let auntie help you!" Girl power... me likey! 

We will be back to try dinner anytime now :)

50 Keong Siak Rd
63471928

Operating hours:
Lunch: 11.30am to 2pm
Dinner: 6.30pm to 10pm

Closed for lunch on Saturdays and Sundays. Closed for dinner on Sundays

Ootoya, an all time favourite!

If you haven't been there yet, I beseech you to. It has always been consistent, and who doesn't love fresh and delicious Jap food? UOB cards got 15% discount somemore. Cannot don't go!

This time I was at the Clementi branch with mum and sis, and tried a few new items. Boy, it certainly was a wonderful adventure for our taste buds!

1) Buta Shio Koji - Grilled pork loin with shio koji sauce

The enticing name begged the dish to be ordered, which I did, much to our delight! Imagine grilled thick chunks of firm pork, with interlayers of melting fats, and the crunch due to the slight charring as the meat enters your mouth.... Shiok ahhhhhh.

2) Potatoe croquette - my sister insisted on having this as a her main, were we glad she did! I expected nothing out of the ordinary but it was wonderfully fried, with a very crispy outer skin. Inside were chunks of soft potato, both chunky and mashed, mixed with minced pork. The textures had such good chemistry, and when drizzled with a sweet sauce, you just can't go wrong.

3) Hokke Yuan - grilled Aka mackerel fillet. So fresh, so good. No complaints from me, as the fish was firm and tender, with a fatty skin. Just the way I like it. Sis found it full of bones, to which I said "Just be careful, if not I eat for you". Win-win situation.... right? :p

4) And finally, desserts. Anmitsu maccha and Maccha mousse. These are, once again, perfect for green tea lovers. Light and fragrant, they were a good way to end the meal!