I love Tiramisu because.. i love cream cheese and coffee (and alcohol)! It has been my favorite dessert since young and i can never resist ordering it at any restaurant. Nothing beats digging into a wicked tub of creamy sweet with a tinge of bitterness. I finally checked out L'atelier Tiramisu after hearing all the great reviews about the place.

 

Despite my familiarity with The Central at Clarke Quay, i spent a good 15 minutes walking round and round the basement maze searching for this little store. You'd pass by it if you take the train underpass into the shopping mall and it has taken over the dance studio for wannabe hipsters (yay to that). The other landmark is Rupini, which is a great place to get your brows threaded for cheap.

The shoebox cafe only serves tiramisu, along with coffee from Liberty Roasters and tea. Four flavors are available– classic, lychee, dark cherry and matcha and they are made from a French family recipe of the owner's in laws.

A slice of cake would set you back by $6.80 but it was a rather generous slice with Liberty espresso soaked ladies' fingers and liqueur with Marsala wine. Here is a close up of the Classic.

The sponge was like a spongy chiffon that soaked up all that delicious elixir. I would prefer for it to be entirely soaked though as i thought the center was a little dry. I guess soggy ladies' fingers wouldn't be as appetizing or structurally sound but who cares!

The mascarpone cheese with dusted cocoa was simply irresistible, so much that i practically inhaled it. The cream was light and fluffy instead of rich and heavy as per my usual preference but it allowed me to easily devour the entire slice on my own.

The tiramisu was yummy enough for me to get another slice for S. I didn't think that the 5 mini cup samplers ($15) were sufficient for a good taste of the tiramisu so just stick with a slice (or two). The Dark Cherry was kinda like a blackforest cake with plump sweet (not artificial) cherries in the mix. It's nice as a cake, but it's not really a tiramisu to me. Yes i'm conventional that way. 

Will certainly head back to sample the Matcha cake since we love matcha so darn much. I so deserve a HUGE tiramisu cake ($48) for providing you guys with 2 years of droolicious posts don't you agree? Ok maybe 2 cakes. :P Enjoy!

L’Atelier’s Tiramisu
6 Eu Tong Sen Street #B1-09, The Central, Singapore 059817

Tel: +65 9389 8582
Weekdays: 12 - 9.30pm

Saturday: 1 - 8pm
Sunday: 1 - 7pm

I was invited to FIJIWater Signature Creations food expedition some time back in September and had a blast traveling around Singapore to sample some delicious degustation plates endorsed by leading food critics in Singapore. It was a full 6 hour of eating, drinking and having fun with friends (old and new). So here is what we sampled at the various restaurants and you could do the same food itinerary if you wish!

First stop was Absinthe. We started off with some bubbly and a lot of FIJIWater!  

Our first dish was the Foie Gras Terrine with Warm Brioche by Chef Francois Mermilliod. 

The brioche was fluffy and buttery and i had to repeatedly remind myself that this is only the first dish and i shouldn't be gorging myself! The brioche was great on its own but even better with the smooth Foie Gras. In fact, there was more than enough to spread on the brioche. Slices of cured meat layered the terrine, giving it some additional flavors. This dish was paired with Konrad Gewurztraminer 2010. 

2nd Stop was Hashi.

We had the Fresh Live Prawn, Hokkaido Scallop and Mixed Vegetable with Japanese Jelly by Chef Tadashi Takahashi. Paired with Evolucion Chardonnay 2011.

Refreshing dish it was, with interesting textures and savory taste. The cold jelly is made of dashi stock which surprised our palates. The dish on the whole was a little on the bland side and i didn't think the prawn was particularly fresh. Perhaps you could try something else on their extensive menu. The lunch sets and omakase menu are rather affordably priced.

In between eating and drinking, we took time to camwhore a little. Here's fellow food blogger friends, Alexis and LeRoy. Making use of the cute backdrop made of patterned bales of cloth at Hashi.
We headed down to Dempsey to check out Tippling Club next. The Pigeon, Celery, Quinoa, Goats Curd is Chef Ryan Clift's signature style. Great texture with well balanced flavors. I'm fearful of pigeon ever since i had the bloody disaster at London's Hibiscus but this was well cooked, crispy golden brown exterior with a pink center that was tender and juicy. Pair this with Mount Fishtail Pinot Noir 2008.

The fourth stop was The Pelican at Fullerton where we had The Pelican Lobster Thermidor by Chef Issac Tan.

Maximum flavor was teased out of this dish. The succulent lobster meat was baked with double cream and Parmesan cheese.

The highlight of the dish however , was the bomba rice cooked in a rich and savory brandy and lobster stock. The rice wasn't done al dente as promised, instead it had a mui fan texture ie. soggy, but it was better this way imho. 

This is the degustation portion. The regular size comes with a full sized lobster. Dayums! Pair this with Konrad Gruner Veltliner 2011.

Fat Cow was next. I've heard great things about Chef Dan Segall's Wagyu No Kakuni and was looking forward to it the entire expedition. I wasn't disappointed. The Japanese wagyu rib meat was simmered in a sweet ginger soy with fresh Yuzu.

Tender beef but not soft till it completely melts. I loved the stewed vegetables in this one. Now where is my rice! Pair this with Chateau Timberlay Rouge 2008.

Our last stop was Prive Grill and we had the Hokkaido Corn and Shrimp Fritter with Lime Aioli by Chef Robin Ho. There was an attempt to do a tempura style fritter but it was too floury and doughy for my liking. However, you can hardly go wrong with a crunchy sweet Hokkaido corn. The grilled shrimp was a little tough for my liking as well. Pair this with Konrad Riesling 2009.

Overall it was a great event. Kudos to FoodNews for the enjoyable event. Thank you FIJIWater for hosting me. Looking forward to the next one! But please remember to add desserts to the list! Alexis, S and i added a concluding stop at Nana's Green Tea (here's an old review) to round off the food tour. 

Do share with us what you'd plan for a food tour in Singapore!  

Pop up stores are fast becoming a feature in Singapore, like in many great cities in the world (NYC duh). The 'limited time offer' concept confers exclusivity to the event, pulling in the crowd who doesn't want to miss out on something that could be great. And Temporium is one great pop up that you shouldn't be missing out on.  

Located in the flavorful Little India district, Temporium houses a store, diner and gallery within two conservation houses on Dunlop Street. Unique pairings and cross collaborations of several homegrown brands, including Papa Palheta, Wild Rocket and BooksActually will be showcased at the spot till 8 Feb 2014. 

W and I visited the concept diner, Compl(e)ments Of, a 20-seater which sees the works of 3 Singaporean craftsmen who complement each other come together; Artisanal coffee by Papa Palheta, Ceremics by Weekend Worker, and cuisine by Wild Rocket.  

The main changes every month. Notice that it is singular, for there is only 1 option for lunch and dinner and another option for breakfast. We heard great things about Sep's Salmon red rice donburi with jicama salad which we missed as we just crossed into Oct. The main costs $16, though i'm not too sure if the price changes each month as well. But do go for the set, of course, because the items are supposed to complement each other. For $26, you'll get a coffee, the main and a dessert or cake.

The October menu is a Chili Crab Burger, which is a tempura soft shell crab in chili crab sauce sandwiched in a charcoal squid ink sesame bun. The sambal chili packed a punch and had me downing ice water in an attempt to put out the flames. I would gladly go through hell to taste that piquant jam again.

While the squid ink bun was lacking in the smoky flavor (I have yet to taste any that resembles squid ink), the pillowy bun had a light sweetness that complemented the fiery burn from the crunchy crustacean. And beware that chili kaffir papadums, i choked on the spiciness of the powder due to my carelessness. My my, i'm turning out to be the clumsy diner. 

We expected nothing less of Papa Palheta's coffee, after all it's the founding father of the third wave movement in Singapore. It had to be iced though due to the terribly humid weather that day. 

For desserts, we had the sugee cake with coconut ice cream and a double peanut fudge ice cream. Both scoops of  ice cream were intensely flavored and delicious. The coconut ice cream reminded me of the awesome one that i had in Bangkok Chatuchak Market. It paired very well with the nutty and buttery sugee cake.

Head on down quickly before you miss out on Oct. We heard a rumor that the Salmon donburi may be brought back by popular demand. Yay! Anyhow, with the changing menu, there's great reason to visit Compl(e)ments of every month.

Temporium/ Compl(e)ments of
72 - 74 Dunlop Street, Singapore 209400
7 Sept 2013 - 8 Feb 2014
Tue to Sun: 10am - 8pm (Diner opens at 9am) 

As a jetsetter, nothing can be more derailing than travel screw ups and last minute surprises. At the frequency i'm flying around, a comprehensive travel insurance plan is certainly required. It was a dark dark day when i missed my connection and was stuck in Dubai for a good 12 hours with little juice on my phone and without my personalized toiletries. Nightmare for every girl I swear. Or that time when our new camera was stolen at the start of our London trip. Thankfully insurance covered some of that emotional trauma with some monetary compensation. 

So i was out about town over the weekend, shopping for yet another upcoming trip and i chanced upon the DBS Travellershield booth at Ngee Ann City. The folks are promoting an exclusive new benefit, called TravelAlert Service, which keeps you informed with SMS alerts on safety and security related information about your travel destination - from extreme weather to transport strikes and more. This is certainly a service I can do with, especially in countries without much connectivity (e.g. No wifi, no roaming, no cable tv.)

Here is how it works.

TravelAlert Service is exclusive to the new TravellerShield Single Trip Premier Plan and Classic & Premier Annual Plan purchases via the DBS website or branches.

For more information on DBS TravellerShield, visit their website. Remember to get yourself covered!

Fusion is a dirty word in Singapore, mostly due to the many ridiculous restaurants jumping on the bandwagon and giving fusion a bad name. Thankfully, there's Pidgin Kitchen and Bar to the rescue, doing a creative fusion that has never been attempted before. This 2 month old restaurant in Dempsey (it was formerly Pamplemousse) does some mean South East Asian inspired dishes that are bold, playful and refreshingly fun!

We started with some drinks and i had the Pigeonmail ($28) made from Diplomatico Reserve Rum, Lime, Ginger, Honey and Cava.

Snacks & Bites section

*Must eat* Chicken Rice Arancini ($8). This is one chicken rice that i'd gladly have on a regular basis. The ingredients and execution is Italian, with Carnaroli rice and Scarmoza cheese used. The rice was cooked in chicken fats, giving it that fragrant and savory flavor. The garlic chili jam (it's not spicy) hit all the right notes without any of that pungent aftertaste. Love it!

Crab Otak Croquettes ($12). These were more crab cakes than the otak (a coconut and chili seafood paste). The 'otak' component probably came from the Asian spices used, mainly lemongrass. The Chye Poh remoulade that it came with added a nice creaminess to the dish but i didn't taste any salty preserved vegetable though. 

Lamb Meatballs ($12) were inspired by tulang merah (bone marrow) sauce. The balls were bouncy as no flour was used in making them. I'm not a fan of the sauce but the meat paired well with locally sourced Hay's Dairies goat milk yogurt. 

Fish & Seafood

*Eat This* Spicy Tuna Tartare ($24), in cube form. I love Japanese Furikake seasoning on anything but it's the first time i had it paired with toro. Sambal belacan (prawn and chili) oil added a light spicy tingling sensation to the aftertaste. 

We are all familiar with Tau Suan, a sweet and starchy mung bean dessert but a savory Razor Clams Tau Suan ($20) was the first for me. The stock is a clam dashi which was very lightly flavored. I still can't wrap my head around it. Go figure. 

Pasta

*Order this* Bak Kwa Mac & Cheese (sweet BBQ pork jerky) ($20) was one of our favorite dishes. Al dente penne was served in a liquid Gruyere cheese sauce with truffle oil and was well complemented by the sweet chunks of bak kwa. While the sauce may appear watery and diluted at the start, you'd appreciate the lightness in flavor as you progress through the dish. 

Doesn't the Lobster Wonton Capellini ($26) look like the regular wanton mee? This is the atas version of course. The pasta was tossed with the umami lobster oil and sweet sauce, thinly sliced chorizo Iberico. A waft of sweet Canadian lobster could be inhaled as one bites into the crispy wanton skin. Comes served with home pickled green chilies!

I realized that their pastas are all on the slightly sweet side. The Uni Tagliolini ($28) was in a rich pink crustacean cream sauce which was sweet as well. 

Next on Kampong Eggs.

I wasn't too impressed with the Oyster2 Egg ($19). Actually i hated the fishy dried oyster taste but that's me. The fresh oyster from Hai Loong farm was pearly and juicy though. 

Vegetables
*MUST EAT* I loved the Quinoa ($13) salad very much and would certainly order this again. The chenopod was cooked in tomato and pandan broth in a pressure cooker to give it that rich flavor. Tossed with preserved Chinese olive vegetables, Parmesan and almonds, the dish had a risotto-ish texture. I'm craving for this right now.

Meat & Poultry
*MUST EAT* Pork. Bone. Tea ($24), inspired by local favorite Bak Kut Teh. Tender Sous Vide Pork Ribs smoked with apple/cherry wood, beef bone marrow smoked with oolong tea, and a reduction of the garlic-pepper ba kut teh sauce. Absolutely mind blowing. 

*Worth a try* Foie Gras with Rojak Sauce ($28). I was surprised that the pungent prawn paste could replace the typical acidic fruit compote so well. The fried Tau pok (beancurd skin) was also an interesting stand in for brioche. 

Lamb Rack ($38) was average.

Desserts

*HOT FAVORITE* Kaya Bread & Butter Pudding ($15) was the RAVE. The homemade kaya (pandan and coconut jam) had a long lingering fragrance and it came with a Hojicha milk tea ice cream. ZOMG. This is da bomb. Try it and you will know what i mean.

*Order this* Chocolate lovers would dig the "Milo Dinosaur" Version 2.1 ($15). Super GAO milo ice cream is paired with a 72% dark chocolate flourless with milk streusel and dulce de leche. 
Bandung Panna Cotta ($12) was ok. Tangy rhubarb sauce, intense rose syrup milk pudding. 

Chef Adrian is constantly coming up with interesting creations and was experimenting with some ice cream flavors that night. We were the first to sample the Charcoal Vanilla, Goreng Pisang and the Pineapple Sorbet ($8 each). The banana was exceptional!

Camera showdown with @thechosenglutton was judged by @thehungrycow. MOO.

 

Pidgin Kitchen and Bar certainly deserves a spot on Ms Skinnyfat's Favorites list. I love the fun and playful dishes and flavors and you definitely would appreciate the thought that has gone into the creation of the sharing dishes. Definitely worth checking out! 

Pidgin Kitchen & Bar
7 Dempsey Road #01-04, S249671
Tel: +65 64750080
Mon-Sat: 12 - 2.30pm, 6.30- 10.30pm