Honey and Milk Yogurt Dessert Bar

180 Kitchener Road #02-K14 City Square, Singapore 208539

Tel: 6834 3040

Website: http://www.welovemilkandhoney.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/milkandhoneysg

Being a yogurt lover, I have been dying to try Honey and Milk for a long while, but never found the time to do so. Opportunity presented itself today after an appointment at Owen Road, and I had some time to kill in between - so I popped over to Milk and Honey @ City Square Mall.

Nice to note that there's a cozy little cafe instead of just a buy-and-go stall. I could sit and do my work stuff while enjoying a cooling yogurt parfait in this hot weather!

Yes, Milk and Honey specialises in delicious artisan yogurt parfait made of unique flavours and topped with handcrafted decor such as tiny macarons and meringue.

Besides froyo, they also have beverages and jars of cookies for sale. Anyway I decided to try the Liliac Dream (SGD$6.80) first. A sweet, dreamy looking dessert delight made up of yogurt with lavender seeds at bottom, lavender sauce, lavender meringue, jello and blueberries.

The soft-served, natural yogurt was silky smooth and light on the palate, flavour enhanced dramatically by the aromatic lavender items used, especially the tiny lavender seeds at the bottom. I loved the soft fragrance of the 1macaron as well as the very crunchy mini meringue.  I am happy to give this darling yogurt parfait full scores for its lovely taste and burst of textured all within a cup of goodness.

Also visited Milk and Honey at Jem, Jurong East. This is more of a takeaway concept.

50 Jurong Gateway Road #B1-32 Jem, Singapore 608549

Tel: 6268 7608

Here I tried the Chocolate Divine Yogurt Parfait (SGD$6.80) , made up of chocolate macarons, brownies, Stracciatella sauce, Valrhona noir pearls and chocolate ganache.

It was really delicious at first few bites, thoroughly enjoying the rich chocolate sweetness against lightly sour yogurt flavour; and the Valrhona pearls added crunch. However it got a little cloying for me halfway through. Nonetheless, it still made for a tantalising dessert.

If you are not interested in their standard parfaits, feel free to create and customise your own - they have a wide range of sauces and toppings as well.


For full list of Yogurt reviews:
1) Berrylite Yogurt
2) Yoguru Yogurt
3) Llaollao Yogurt

[Movie Review] The Huntsman: Winter's War

Photosource: http://screencrush.com/the-huntsman-winters-war-posters/

Part of the Huntsman series, Winter's War strives to tell a long-ago story of what transpired before Snow White's tale was made known. Cast includes Charliez Theron, Chris Hemsworth and Emily Blunt etc, this movie seeks to draw the viewers into a fantascial adventure filled with magic and beauty.

The plot was largely vengeful, a little whimsical, pricked with lots of strong emotions (centering around love and hatred) and some predictable twists.

Photosource: http://www.movementmagazine.com/reelreport/the-huntsman-winters-war-new-trailer/

I enjoyed very much the beautiful getups of the two glamourous queens, each powerful in her own way. I also loved the stark beauty of the snowy settings, a frost that touches the soul but warms the heart.

A line by the evil mirror also struck a chord, resonating with my sentiments; it said to the vain Queen Ravenna, "I am merely a reflection, your mind is already made up"...

Go for the movie for its lovely settings and entertaining fights between men and creatures, good and evil - a rather good rendition of a very dark fairy tale.

Lunch at Osteria Art Italian Restaurant @ Raffles Place

55 Market Street, Level 1, Singapore 048981

Tel: 6877 6933

Website: http://www.osteriaart.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/osteriaart

The chosen venue for lunch today was Osteria Art Restaurant and came highly recommended by a colleague. Osteria Art Restaurant is an elegant Italian restaurant led by Beppe De Vito, where quality and fresh ingredients are being valued.

When we first set foot into the beautiful, sophisticated restaurant with dark ornate wood and dazzling lights, we were being greeted warmly with smiles from the various crew members. This brightened our moods instantly, and we had a feeling that service would be efficient and friendly – we were not disappointed.

Many items on the ala carte menu interested me, particularly the Black Cod and Kale Fettucine dishes. However, since the colleagues were all going for set lunches, I decided to choose one of these attractive sets too. Each set lunch is priced at SGD$35.00 and comes with a starter, an entrée and a dessert as well as tea / coffee; it was very value for money.

To start us off, there was Bread – piping hot, utterly crispy on the inside and fluffy on the inside; we devoured every bit ravenously dipping in the olive oil and butter provided.

My appetiser was the Foie Gras with Pumpkin Cream and Almonds. The first cut into the fatty slice set it wobbling, and it was so buttery, so soft it melted on the mouth deliciously. However, I tried to distance my treasured foie gras away from the pool of thick, saccharine pumpkin cream it was sitting amidst. The taste just did not jibe, the creamy, sweet sauce was a sharp contrast IMHO.

Colleagues who had the Cauliflower Soup with Garlic Chips complimented it for its tastiness.

For mains, I had the Red Wine Braised Lamb Shank with Potato Puree. Usually I would’ve gone for the fish or lobster (especially during this period that I am supposed to be on my rigid diet), but today I needed some “tonic” so red meat was the right choice – an excellent choice, in fact. The flesh was so tender it fell off the rack upon gently contact of the knife, shedding itself beautifully. Into the palate, the succulent flesh teased ever so lightly yet flavorfully, yet there wasn’t a single hint of the supposed gamey taste most other lamb meat contain. This was a marvellous dish executed well, and the red wine infusion though subtle, was beautiful.

Grilled Seabass with Rucola Salad and Pachino Tomatoes was another delightful dish – crackling top layer concealing moistened flakey flesh. The natural taste of fresh fish was distinctive, heightened by the slightly tarty sweetness of tomatoes.

The Linguine with Lobster and Martini was described to be very scrumptious, pasta springy, broth saccharine with lobster bisque’s richness and lobster meat fresh.

Dessert time came finally. Our Mango Cake was dainty in portion – served in tiny cubes, in fact, surrounded by an assortment of colourful fruits. Once the teeth broke through the cottony-soft sponge of the cake, taking in the velvety smoothness of its texture – the mango aroma came flooding through the palate, filling it nicely.

We ended the meal with some good Tea and Coffee, as well as Candied Almonds as accompaniments. You tell me what is there not to love about this non-pretentious, posh restaurant and its well-thought dishes!  I would love to bring my friends and The Beau back here for dinner.

Dinner at Serenity Spanish Restaurant @ Vivocity [Revisit]

1 Harbourfront Walk, #01-98 / 99, Vivocity, Singapore 098585

Tel: 6376 0105

Website: http://www.serenity.com.sg

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Serenityspanishbarandrestaurant/

Some places are very worth revisiting, such as Serenity Spanish Restaurant (review here), so we decided to head over for a meal together.  There were 2 outlets - Vivocity and Takashimaya, but the latter is closed, leaving the flagship remaining.

I shall not go into details about the concept - authentic Spanish fare in a serene, Mediterranean setting and polite staff. Lots of artifacts line the inside of the restaurant, and there is a huge alfresco area for those who prefer Sentosa's sea view.

We started with some side orders aka tapas, such as the Salteado de Coles de Bruselas con Jamon Serrano (SGD$18.80) - better known as Sauteed Brussels sprouts with Serrano ham. We loved the sweet crunch of these balls of vegetables, dipped into a savoury gravy and complemented further by the gently-saltish bits of ham.

Then we had the Pulpo A La Gallega (SGD$19.80), aka the Grilled Spanish Octopus - pieces of chewy, crunchy octopus atop boiled potatoes, garnished with garlic, paprika and extra virgin olive oil to give it a lovely spicy touch.

Chipirones Fritos con Aloli (SGD$18.00) - Fried Baby Squids with Aioli Sauce. Always one of my favorites - this crackling, battered fried baby squids tapas was addictive to pop into the mouth- biting through the exterior for the succulent, chewy flesh within, savoring in its gentle taste. The aioli (garlic and olive oil) sauce ave the light flaour a heavier taste.

 

Mains began with Paella Valenciana (SGD$53.00), serves 3-4 pax, and requires cooking time of about 30 - 45 minutes - is made up of saffron, chicken, chorizo, tiger prawns, squids, mussels and bomba rice. It was aromatic with saffon's distinctive spicy pierce, and rather tasty of crustacean goodness - I would've preferred it more crispy and dry in texture.

Next, the star of the night, which we had to order at least a day in advance with 50% paid deposit - the Chonchinillo Asado (SGD$338.00) aka Suckling Pig - we ordered the whole pig and it could be shared between 6-8 persons. The crispy suckling pig came with roast potatoes on the side, as well as 3 types of sauces.

Having been marinated with sherry wine, white wine, herbs and vinegar and slowly roasted for 6 hours, the suckling pig was tender on the inside and fragrant with infusion of wine and herbs into its flesh. The skin was so crackling good that it was being sliced through using merely a plate (the plate would then be broken and discarded by the staff to signify tossing away of bad luck) - an interesting and old Spanish tradition.

Finally, homemade Spanish Churros (SGD$10.80) served with hot chocolate. Instead of being light and crispy, this one was doughy and somewhat too solid for our liking.

Some drinks and Cocktails were being enjoyed throughout the course of the meal, such as the Tinto De Verano (Lemon Sangria),  Sangria De Ponsetia (Flower Sangria) and my signature Guantanamera  etc.

If you are a fan of Spanish food, or are looking for an interesting place to chill, pop by Serenity and be serenaded by yummy food and lovely cocktails.

Lunch at Wong Kee Noodles at Timbre @ Ayer Rajah Crescent

 

73A Ayer Rajah Crescent, Level 1, Timbre+, JTC@ LaunchPad, Singapore 139957

Tel: 9653 4819

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/wongkeewantonnoodle

 

Recently I started seeing many foodies posting photos and reviews of Wong Kee's tomato and spinach on Instagram, with surprisingly good reviews. As such, my curiosity was piqued. It is located very out of the way but fortunately for me, a work appointment happened to be fixed at JTC LaunchPad, so I knew I had to grab the noodles .

On a side note , I was expecting to find the noodle stall in one of those dark, dim and stuffy underground foodcourts - a few years back I met a client around this area, under such conditions! Instead, Timbre+ turned out to be really cool  - a huge, open space foodcourt with many food trucks, a live band station and heavy on graffiti art.

Friends warned me to avoid lunch time so I went around 2.45pm and finally found the famous Wong Kee Noodles stall. To my astonishment there was a queue even at this hour. The menu consists of several items - mainly noodle dishes and some sides such as oyster sauce veg, fried wantons etc.  Price was standard foodcourt price and staff crew was pretty polite.

Decided to try the Beef Brisket Spinach Noodles (SGD$5.50) first. The spinach noodles were utterly smooth and literally glided through the palate; flavour was very mild despite the intense color. The beef brisket were moistened and rather succulent - but not as melty as I was hoping they would be. Portion was good and the entire dish was enjoyable.

Then the other signature, the Char Siew Dumplings Tomato Noodles (SGD$4.50), served with a bowl of wanton (meat dumplings) soup on the side. The tomato noodles was quite smooth as well, though not as satiny as the spinach one; there was a slight touch of zest to it and it was nice - as though I've ordered wanton noodles with tomato sauce (an old-school delight). Char Siew was well-roasted with a nearly-charred exterior, the way I like it - lots of tender lean meat and very little fats.

The plump wantons were another story altogether - tasty minced meat with prawns wrapped within silky skin, flavour made very aromatic by tiny strips of shitake mushroom found within. The water chestnut added crunch and reminded me of my mom's wantons. Again, no fats within the tightly-wrapped meat.  Of course, the extra touch of fresh vegetables within the noodle dishes made for a good balance.

I was glad I came here to try this stall, even though it is all the way up western-north.

Other Wanton Noodles Review:
(i) Seng's Noodle Bar
(ii) Mak's Noodle
(iii) Crystal Jade Kitchen