Shang Palace Shangri-La Hotel Singapore

I'm currently still in a dim sum mood and therefore you have to read all about these delicately crafted and flavorful morsels that come in various forms, steamed, baked, or fried. On the menu this week is the new dim sum menu by Shang Palace Shangri-La Hotel Singapore, created by their new dim sum chef Li Shou Tao who has 23 years of dim sum making experience. 

That sets the bar pretty high doesn't it. Let's see if it matches our expectations. 

While sipping on their fine teas, our Steamed lobster dumpling with bittergourd arrived in a beautiful lacquered carrier (chef handpicked these). Chef's skill is displayed in that translucent, slightly chewy and springy rice flour skin that encased the juicy meat. This was a light and refreshing start to our meal. 

Next, a combination of steamed, baked, and fried, like I promised. A steamed Boleghs Aereus dumpling (Chinese mushrooms) mixed with crunchy lotus root and long beans; Saucy baked BBQ pork bun in a crunchy polo bun shell. Oh that Cantonese style chunky meat; And a deep fried shredded turnip pastry with foie gras that had me admiring its lovely layers for a bit. Such a work of art! How can anything fried be so light and delicate? That said, the filling was on the bland side and I didn't taste the foie gras at all.

Carrot cake is a must order for me every time but the Yam Cha (oh they so punny), a steamed turnip cake with egg white and conpoy, was mushy and bland. A touch of soy sauce saved the day and brought out the flavor of this dish. It would have been even better if there were some XO sauce instead of a bean paste chili. 

It seemed that Chef goes easy on the seasoning (perfect for the health conscious). I added several dabs of the chili sauce to the Siew Mai with fish roe, prawn and mushroom. Quality meats are used here and they are not overly minced to retain the bite and juiciness. 

Loved the Steamed rice roll with BBQ pork and parsley. That smooth springy skin!! 

We also sampled some of the Hairy Crab offerings. I'm not a fan of Hairy crabs because it's too much effort for too little meat, but I'm perfectly happy when it's served in an easily accessible version, such as this Pan fried bun with chili crab meat. Again, stellar fluffy bun with a sesame crust. I thought the starchy tomato based chili sauce could do with more spice and flavor. I guess the bun stole the thunder. 

Mind you, hairy crabs are terribly expensive. This bowl of braised tofu, hairy crab meat and roe would set you back by 36 bucks. 

The Braised hairy crab with shiso leaves and a thicker cut glass noodles ($96/portion) is another way to enjoy the rich crab roe, if you need some carbs to go with it. 

Well in comparison, the Hairy Crab Set Menu ($138/pax) appears to give you more value for money, and is also more filling. 

Make sure there is space for desserts! I gobbled the Steamed layered cake which is essentially a dry salted egg custard bun with desiccated coconut! Give me a basket of this please!! Make sure you have something warm to balance the 'cold' hairy crab, like this sesame glutinous rice ball in spicy ginger tea. 

Lovely meal at Shang Palace Shangri-La Hotel Singapore. Check out the hairy crab menu before it runs away!

Shangri-La Hotel Singapore 

22 Orange Grove Road 258350 Singapore
Tel: +65 6213 4473/ 4398
Mon - Fri: 12 - 2.30pm, 6 - 10.30pm

Weekends & PH: 10.30am - 3pm, 6 - 10.30pm

Olaplex Hair Treatment at Silkcut Salon

I've not gone without colored hair since i was 18 (oh but that was just a couple of years back HAHA). Anyway, with all that chemical treatment, the only way to keep my tresses strong and healthy is with lots of hair treatment! I was introduced to the latest Olaplex hair repair treatment by Silkcut Salon and Geri informed that this treatment is taking the hair community by storm (especially in Hollywood)! If you have bleached hair, this is definitely the best treatment for you. 

Well, for me, since i color my hair so often (once in 2 months), it's good to know that Olaplex can be mixed in with the coloring products to minimize the damage to my hair. It can also be used as a separate treatment if you don't color your hair.

Other than making your hair stronger and healthier, Olaplex also makes the color last longer. 

This treatment is compatible with all hair types from virgin to extremely compromised chemically treated hair.

A second step is added after coloring for additional repair and strengthening. 

Look at that shine and bounce! 

It is recommended that you take home the Olaplex No. 3 Hair Perfector for continued use at home. Even after all that sun and sea in Koh Samui, my bleached hair ends are still pretty strong and not frayed as usual. You can check out this treatment at Silkcut Salon and the price starts from $80. I'm gonna head back soon for another treatment. :)

Silkcut Salon

22 Havelock Road #01-693, Singapore 160022
Tel: +65 6275 6108
Weekdays: 11am - 8pm
Weekends and PH: 11am - 7pm

MEATliquor Singapore

If you need something to prep your stomach for a night of drinking, MEATliquour SIN, by popular burger joint from the U.K., will line your intestinal walls with hearty (and greasy) patties. The Duxton outpost is the first out of the U.K and provides a convenient stop for you the get the party started with their hangover food (when you're drunk the order doesn't matter). 

Communal dining is the way it is here. Food is served on customized trays that cover the entire table top and then it's all hands on deck. You never have to wait for your companion's food to arrive because they will be served together. 

The classic Dead Hippie ($22) rules the lineup imo. 2 x mustard-fried beef patties, dead hippie sauce (can't get the recipe out of 'em), lettuce, cheese, pickles, and minced white onions. The double patties gives the burger a better mouthfeel and it's a party going on in there with each bite.

USDA Chuck is used for the patties and the slightly tougher meat brings more flavor to the burger. Wagyu fats are added for the extra juiciness. The buns are made in house and they perfected that dense butter roll texture which holds the meat perfectly. 

New kid on the block is the saucy HDB Tower Burger ($21) (Geddit? Hurhur.) which features a deep fried chicken fillet, hash brown, jalapenos, cheese, slaw and Russian sauce (a ketchup mayonnaise yogurt base). Well I would call this a Russian sauce burger instead of a chicken burger actually since the sauce stole all the thunder from the dry meat. 

Perhaps chicken isn't MEATliquor SIN's strong suit but their sauces definitely are. The Buffalo Chicken Burger ($20) was on the dry and tough end despite being slathered in their house-made hot pepper sauce. The sauce is reminiscent of Buffalo and is just a tad spicy but I missed the mild Blue cheese sauce altogether. Perhaps some of that on the side?

Give the newly debuted Fish Burger ($19) a miss. The beer batter was bland and thick, with a sea bass that lacked seasoning as well and tasted slightly muddy. Well, fish is not meat anyway but I guess we gotta feed the pescetarians. Oh they also have something for the vegetarians too. 

When I thought the chicken couldn't get any drier, the Thai Thighs were served. I would have liked for the Thai spices to be in the seasoning rather than as a side dressing for the bland and dry Panko breaded thighs (which were more like chicken breast). S was like, "the chicken is dry but if you soak it long enough it's still ok". Oh boys. But that's the market MEATliquor is going for so I guess it works. 

The burgers do not come with sides so pick the fries for sharing. Our table liked the Shambal fries ($12), which is an expat take on the local sambal sauce (so it's super mild and a tad sweet). This definitely needs more sauce and a runnier fried egg (or 2) to coat the golden crispy fries with goodness. 

I preferred the Chili Cheese Fries ($18), which packed in more punch with their tangy beef chili and crazy jalapeños. Of course cheese, mustard, and onions on top. 

The Onion Rings ($9) are gigantic and if you like anything fried, this is it. We loved the sweet whole onion rings in it but did not enjoy much of the super thick batter which turned slightly rock hard when cold. Order this to share. 

After all that grease, a refreshing Pina Colada ($19) was much needed. Isn't the presentation lovely? That's a burnt coconut meringue, which tasted so good I wanted to ask for a topping of that to go with my unfinished drink (I would have asked if I was high enough but I wasn't). 

MEATliquor SIN is a burger joint made for the boys. The expats really dig this place. For me, I can only justify that Dead Hippie with an insane workout before and after (which I did). Even still, i think i can only manage one visit in 6 months.

MEATliquor SIN

99 Duxton Rd, Singapore 089543

Tel: +65 6221 5343

Mon - Wed: 5pm - 12am

Thu - Fri: 5pm - 2am

Sat: 5pm - 3am

Capella Singapore Cassia Cantonese Restaurant

Capella Sentosa is my piece of un-Singapore in Singapore. That ocean view and lush greenery gives Bali a run for her money and the Knolls has a great pool and ocean view the last time I dined there. This time I checked out their fine dining Cantonese restaurant Cassia and sampled some signatures and seasonal dishes. 

The meal started with dimsum and these were lovely crafted pieces of joy. My favorite would have to be the Signature Steamed Barbecued US Kurobuta Pork Bun with Black Truffle 黑松露蚝皇克猪叉烧包 ($4.80 for 2 pcs). It's so hard to get a simple bao skin right but this was light and fluffy and chef nailed the bun to char siew ratio. The truffle perfume was intoxicating when I broke the bun open to reveal that dark brown sauce with black fragments of the prized fungus. Oh and juicy Kurobuta pork... 

Luang Prabang Laos Guided Tours or Free & Easy

Random musing about knowledge, power, and money. I'm old school but knowledge is everything. And that is why sometime i would go for selected guided tours on my trips just to learn a bit more. I don't like the idea of leaving my entire itinerary to someone else as there is no flexibility and well i'm just too Type A la. So while on our sleepy holiday in UNESCO World Heritage Site namely Luang Prabang Laos, we did 2 such tours. 

If you travel like i do, and are not quite convinced, here are 3 reasons for going on a guided tour in Luang Prabang specifically. Actually it kinda applies to most guided tours anywhere in the world.

1. Find something that fits your needs

I knew exactly what i wanted to see and didn't want all the nonsense frills (you know the typical visit to some crappy souvenir shop) so i went searching with something specific in mind.

In Luang Prabang, I wanted to visit the Pak Ou Caves and Kuang Si Waterfalls in a day. I shopped around the various tour agencies, some provided separate tours to the 2 spots and that would waste more time (not that there's much to do) and cost more as well. So finally after all that snooping around, we found Green Discovery Laos which fit the bill and we had an English speaking guide who accompanied us. Oh plus they are quite legit (i'm such a sleuth thanks to all the CSI i watch).

Crab in Da Bag

Seafood is best eaten with your bare hands. How else would you be able to taste all that yummy sauce and also get to the crevices where the sweet briny flesh is hiding right? You've heard all about the Louisiana seafood boils in Singapore (I really love the Boiler) but how about one that adds on a zi char flavor to it? Check out Crab in Da Bag then, which has some interesting Asian spices tossed with their fresh seafood. 

The Kallang Wave Sports Hub outpost is the second outlet, because the one at Big Splash has been a hit. This outlet is huge and if you come at the right time, you'll be able to enjoy the gorgeous sunset over the city skyline. 

We started with some not too healthy Crinkled Cauliflower ($8) i.e. deep fried paired with a sourish Tahini sauce. Well at least it's cauliflower and not potatoes..

The Crispy Chewy Baby Squids ($12)  comes right out of a local zi char menu. Gosh these crunchy morsels were irresistible. Tossed in a sticky black sauce with some chili in the mix, they make for a really good beer snack. 

I really love the Ultimate Curry sauce and we had it with the Venus Clams ($21). I'm pretty sure this Northern Malaysian Curry  mix, stir-fried with aromatic curry leaves and chili padi would go well with any seafood of your choice. It's super rich in Indian spices and flavor. I think it would be perfect with prawns too as you can easily mop up the sauce! I'm salivating just thinking about it.

The salted egg Tiger Prawns ($26) has Louisana herbs and spices added to it but I thought it was fairly meh. The lack of salted egg custard was a disappointment for me and the batter was too stodgy. 

The Mum’s Pasta in da Bag  ($16) is a Asian home cook's interpretation of a vongole linguine. How else would you explain this sweet and sour brown gravy with bratwurst thrown in, and a linguine that tastes more like our local Hokkien mee? Anyhow, I could do with a thicker cut sausage but honestly I'd skip this. 

Now the highlight of any seafood boil would be the huge mountain of crustacean and shellfish that the restaurant pours onto your table for the feast. The Titanic Pot ($299 for 4) would feed 6 easily in fact and consists 1 Boston lobster, 2 Sri Lankan crabs, Alaskan king crab legs, yabbies, tiger prawns, Boston Bay mussels, Venus clams, Bratwurst sausages, corn on cob, potatoes, onions and lemons boiled in Louisiana herbs and spices.

Instead of being tossed in the sauce (there is also that option), this massive mountain of seafood is accompanied with 3 dips- Louisiana garlic butter, Malaysian Sambal, and Thai Green Bird. The Asian sauces fare better with more flavors and punch. My favorite was the Thai green chili fish sauce which is piquant and pungent. Well honestly I really wouldn't mind having the entire pot in the Curry sauce! For real. I found it a tad bland to have the seafood this way.

Overall, hits and misses at Crab in Da Bag. I did enjoy some of their special Asian sauces. The other plus is the less crowded environment though it may seem a little sterile. Definitely go with a bunch of friends to enjoy the food better. 

Crab in Da Bag

902 East Coast Parkway, Big Splash Block D #01-25 Singapore 449874 

Tel: +65 6440 0083

8 Stadium Walk

#02-05 Water Sports Centre

Singapore 397699

Tel: +65 6384 3511

The Refinery Brunch

Jalan Besar is certainly a good spot for cafe hopping/brunch these days though i must say that the options at Tiong Bahru and Duxton fares better. Nevertheless, there is charm in this industrious enclave. The Refinery took the decor of its workshop neighbors and put it in their 3 storey space, providing patrons with a hippie-chic restaurant-bar-designer studio concept (gosh all that hyphens).  

Level 1 is the restaurant which has a Japanese yakitori thing going on but for the for the weekends, there's a brunch and you know how we live for weekend breakfasts right.. 

First things first, coffee. The Flat White ($4.50) was pretty smooth and balanced, a tad milky though, and way too little coffee. The small cup was gone before any food arrived.

5 Must Eat Dishes in Nagoya

Japan is one of my favorite destinations and i think it's quite perfect for a foodie because every region/prefecture has its own specialties and they have such great seasonal produce as well and therefore it never gets boring even with repeated visits. On my last visit, we stopped by Nagoya (well SQ flies direct) and it being a short transit before we make our way to the slopes, i made sure we covered most of the must eats. So here is my list! 

HITSUMABUSHI- Broiled Eel Rice Bowl 

There is the regular unagi, and then there's the Nagoya unagi. Nagoya is the country's largest producer of fresh water eel (unagi), which is slit open along the belly, grilled without steaming, slathered in a rich, dark sauce, and served over rice. I'm not going into the whole Tokyo v.s. Nagoya unagi but anyhow this is damn delicious. 

There's no better place to try the eel other than at Atsuta Horaiken, an unagi institution founded in 1873. They trademarked their method the Hitsumabushi, which sees the eel being served in a traditional wooden tub accompanied by a rice bowl, a plate of condiments and chazuke (broth).

The Hitsumabushi method splits the serving of eel into four portions. Portion 1- have it the original way to savor the smokiness of the eel with sweet soy. Portion 2- have it with the sides of spring onions, nori, a touch of wasabi. Portion 3- add on the ocha to Portion 2 to make a chazuke. Portion 4- eat as you like it. I liked the condiments with my unagi, and the chazuke style was really yummy too. 

For ¥3600, the Hitsumabushi is a tad pricy but it was too darn good really. The portion is massive but nobody shared their bowl. There are other unagi sets which are slightly cheaper but you don't get as huge a portion of unagi. Make sure you try the Umaki (eel in omelette) as well! It's super darn good.

Atsuta Horaiken

3-16-1, Sakae, Naka-ku, Nagoya-shi, Matsuzakaya Nagoya Shopping Center South Building 10F  (go to this one as it is slightly less crowded i think. Yabaton is on the same level!)

Jingu 2-10-26, Atsuta-ku 名古屋市熱田区神宮2-10-26

MISO KATSU- Fried Pork Cutlet in Miso Sauce

Nagoya is crazy about miso and i love them for that. They can put miso in everything and i'll eat it up. For some delicious Miso Katsu (fried pork cutlet), join the queue at Yabaton, a Nagoya franchise established in 1947. A thick cut breaded piece of juicy Southern Kyushu pork is drenched with a thick Aka Miso (fermented red soybean paste) sauce, thickened with broth and seasoning for that super umami flavor. It tastes familiarly of the red chee cheong fun sauce (Singaporeans and Malaysians would know what i mean) but the enhanced version. Don't be greedy. Each portion can feed 2 easily.

Yabaton (みそかつ 矢場とん )

3-6-18 Osu, Naka-ku, Nagoya

COCHIN CHICKEN & MISO-NIKOMI UDON 

Kill 2 birds with one stone by eating the Cochin Chicken Miso-Nikomi Udon at Yamamotoya Honten, one of the best known restaurants hawking this flat chewy udon noodle cooked in a miso-bonito stock dish (yes miso again!) The cochin chicken is kinda chewier, leaner and richer in flavor than the regular chicken. I think it's the Japanese version of the Malaysian Kampong chicken, or wild/free range chicken. It's a prized meat that even the Japanese don't have this often. We weren't that impressed with the meat but i would have that udon anytime. Perhaps a better way is to enjoy the meat would be the yakitori style. For that, you may want to check out Kinboshi.  

Yamamotoya Honten

Nakamura-ku, Nagoya, Sakae 4-1-1, Chunichi Bldg B2F. (Underground arcade at Sakae subway station)

Kinboshi

4-3-25 Meieki Minami, Nakamura-ku, Nagoya-shi, Aichi-ken; 052-541-3050.

TEBASAKI- Chicken Wings

Who can resist deep fried chicken wings? Tebasaki is so famous in Nagoya, it's one of those gifts that Japanese will take home when they visit Nagoya. #SRSLY Well head on over to Yamachan for crispy wingtips that are seasoned first and then fried without batter (they double fry it for extra crispiness), and then basted with sauce on both sides while being turned, seasoned with salt and pepper, and coated with white sesame seeds. This is perfect bar grub for ¥400 (for 5 wings). You can also get miso-katsu at Yamachan but don't miss the tebasaki. 

Yamachan 世界の山ちゃん

Many locations around Nagoya. There's one right at Nagoya Station.

TENMUSU- Tempura Rice Balls

Rice balls are done a little differently in Nagoya and they prefer some fried shrimp tempura in their rice instead. The Nagoya people treat this like an art, focusing on how well they wrap the tenmusu. First timers may find it a little bland as the rice is not seasoned, and so it's all left to the shrimp and nori to give the snack its flavor. This is simple take away food really and rather convenient to eat. Since i've never seen these anywhere else in Japan, I got some of these for my train ride to Gero Onsen.

Jiraiya (地雷也)
1-739 Tokugawa, Higashi-ku, Nagoya
Senju - Nagoya-Famous Temmusu (めいぶつ天むす 千寿)
4-10-82 Osu,Naka-ku, Nagoya

DESSERTS?

Well, there isn't a specific specialty dessert in Nagoya i think so i'm just throwing this in for good measure. I fell in love with Sadaharu Aoki's macarons after tasting them in Nagoya. I would say that this is the best Asian substitute for Pierre Herme (sadly none in Nagoya. i checked.) Love the shells, the light sweetness, and intense flavors. Very nicely done. If you can't get PH, SA is yums.

Sadaharu Aoki Patisserie 

JR Nagoya Takashimaya B1F

1 Chome Meieki, Nakamura-ku, Nagoya-shi, Aichi

So that's my 5 Must Eat dishes in Nagoya Japan. What's your top 5 list?