Black Canyon Coffee @ Fusionpolis

Black Canyon Coffee is a local Thailand brand that has a history dated back to 1993. It has more than 190 branches all over Thailand. It is one of the coffee house I would visit whenever I am in Thailand. It has an extensive food menu covering western, eastern and local Thai cuisines.

I am glad that someone has franchised Black Canyon Coffee to Singapore. It sort of got be excited when I get to know that it is conveniently located near One North MRT station.

Thai Ice Tea and Lime Juice 4/5

I am here for the Thai food so for beverage I have to order my favourite Thai Ice Tea.

Chicken Green Curry 4/5

The Chicken Green Curry is the perfect pairing for the plain rice. I love the thick creamy green curry over my rice. The chicken was also very tender. Unfortunately the Thai eggplant was a bit tough, cooking it a few more minutes would be perfect.

Prawn Tom Yum Soup 4/5 

I thought the Prawn Tom Yum Soup was a bit different. The restaurant used quite a lot of shallots in the soup. Not sure if that is the reason, the soup tasted not as sour. It lacked that sour kick I was looking for in a bowl of Tom Yum Soup.


Black Canyon Coffee
Fusionpolis (Connexis Tower)
1 Fusionpolis Way
#02-01/02
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BlackCanyonCoffeeSingapore
Website: http://www.blackcanyoncoffee.com/
Nearest MRT: One-North (CC Line)

Opening Hours:
Mon-Fri: 11am - 930pm
Sat, Sun & PH: 1130am - 930pm

Direction:
Alight at One-North MRT station. Take exit B. Take the escalator up to level 2 to destination. Journey time about 3 minutes.

Pondok Rasa @ Beach Road

Pondok Rasa is 2 Indonesian words put together meaning humble cottage of flavours. The 4 month's old restaurant located at Marrison Hotel along Beach Road prides itself in offering authentic Medan food, with traditional home style recipes handed down over generations and exotic local spices imported directly from Medan (North East coast North Sumatra, Indonesia).

Nasi Tim Ayam (Stewed Chicken Rice) 4/5

At a glance, the Nasi Tim Ayam looks like the Taiwanese Braised Pork Rice. The fragrant rice is topped with a stewed mix of chicken, button mushroom, black fungus, shitake mushroom. If you are a fan for Taiwanese Braised Pork Rice, you will love the Nasi Tim Ayam at Pondok Rasa.

Grilled Chicken Set 4.2/5

The sumptuous Grilled Chicken Set comes with a huge grilled chicken drumstick accompied with Tofu, Tempeh and Vegetables sides. The grilled chicken although a bit charred on the skin tasted fabulous with the tender and moist chicken meat. The freshly made Sambal Balacan provided that extra kick to excite your taste buds. A must try dish.

Kari/Curry Chicken with Rice 3.5/5

Living in a diverse Singapore society, I have tried many different varieties of curry. The Kari/Curry Chicken at Pondok Rasa is rather different in my own option. Maybe I am more used to the thick, heavy and creamy types of curry gravy that is commonly found in Singapore, I find the curry here kind of bland and watery.

Soto Medan (Prawn) with Rice 3.5/5

The Soto Medan came with a beautiful greenish gravy with fresh prawns swimming inside. Like the Kari/Curry Chicken's gravy, I prefer something more thick, heavy and creamy.

Pecel (Vegetables in Peanut Sauce) 3.5/5

This is another uniquely Indonesian dish. Pecel which is vegetables in peanut sauce. The vegetables were long beans, bean sprouts, tapioca leaves, cucumbers and round cabbages. In addition, tofu, tempeh, emping and prawn crackers were added. I have mentioned in previous posts that I don't fancy this dish as I personally find the combination weird.

Indonesia Fried Rice 4.2/5

The simple and plain looking Indonesia Fried Rice is defintely the surprise of the day. The fragrant fried rice was very flavourful. Definitely something I will go back for.

Mi Sop Ayam (Chicken Noodle Soup) 3.8/5

The Mi Sop Ayam has a light and refreshing soup that is served with a mix of yellow noodle and vermicelli. Shredded chicken, carrort, spring onion, fried shallot completed the dish. For customers that like it to be spicy, they can add their signature dark coloured freshly made chilli into the soup. The restaurant does sell the chilli in bottled form but you need to pre-order a day in advance as they are freshly made to order.

Es Cendol (Ice Chendol) 3/5

The lack of sweetness for such a traditional dessert was the disappointment for the Es Cendol (Ice Chendol). Presentation has lot of rooms for improvement too. It will look more appertizing if it was served in crushed ice form instead of having a few ice cubes swimming in the bowl.

Sekoteng 3.8/5

The Sekoteng at Pondok Rasa reminds me of the Chinese dessert Cheng Teng. It was sweet and refreshing with ingredients like corn kernel, dried orange skin and slasih. Likewise, presentation can be improved if it was served with crushed ice.

Pisang Bumbu (Banana Fritter & Peanut Sauce) 4/5

The Pisang Bumbu is the owner's favourite childhood food and the Chef has recreated the dish with a little twist. The Banana Fritter is served in a peanut sauce which is the exactly the way the owner likes to eat it in his childhood days. Is this a dessert dish with the sweetness from the banana and savoury from the peanut sauce? Nevertheless, the fish and chips looks alike banana fritter without the peanut sauce is already a winner.

Cold and Hot Kolak Pisang 4.2/5

I find the Kolak Pisang similar to our local dessert Bo Bo Cha Cha. It has the same ingredients such as sweet cocont soup, tapioca and sweet potato. In addition, it can be served either cold or hot. The different is corn kernel and banana are added to the Kolak Pisang.


Pondok Rasa
Marrision Hotel
103 Beach Road
#01-02
Singapore S189704
Website: http://www.pondokrasa.sg
Nearest MRT: Bugis (EW Line, DT Line)

Opening Hours:
Mon-Fri: 11am - 230pm, 530pm - 9pm
Sat: 11am - 9pm
(Closed on Sun)

Direction:
Alight at Bugis MRT station: Take Exit C. At Bugis Junction Shopping Mall, crossed North Bridge Road. Walk to Tan Quee Lan Street. Walk down to the end of Tan Quee Lan Street towards Marrison Hotel. Journey time about 5 minutes.

Mouth Restaurant @ City Square Mall

With the major renovation at Chinatown Point, the first Mouth Restaurant which was operating there for the past 25 years pulled down its shutters on 13 Oct 2011 and moved to its new premise on level 4 of City Square Mall.

Congee with Pig Intestine 3.8/5

The Congee with Pig Intestine has an interesting chinese dish name called 猪八怪粥. The congee was smooth and has a lot of ingredients such as meat balls and fried innards. The congee also has a tad of spiciness which was rather interesting but can be subjective to individual's taste buds.

Spare Ribs with Pumpkin 4/5

Spare Ribs with Pumpkin, the dish sounds interesting and I was looking forward to what sort of unique creation or flavours that will excite my taste buds. Unfortunately, it was just having a few slices of pumpkin sitting at the bottom of the dish steamed with the spare ribs together. I couldn't taste any pumpkin flavours anywhere in the dish except for the pumpkin slices. Nevertheless, the spare ribs were nice and meaty. I hate to have those that only have ribs but no meat.

Chicken Claws with Chilli 4.2/5

My favourite Chicken Claws and a must order dim sum dish for me. Like the sauce and the used of chilli to enhance the taste.

Shanghai Pork Dumpling 4/5

I enjoyed the Shanghai Pork Dumpling. I am particular if the dumpling skin is too thick. The dumpling definitely passed its mark here.

Steam Carrot Cake 4/5

I wanted to have Fried Carrot Cake but the restaurant only served Steam Carrot Cake. The steam version was light and in a way refreshing with the taste of the radish melting in the mouth.

Fried Rice Roll with XO Sauce 4.5/5

I thought the waitress mixed up our order when the Fried Rice Roll with XO Sauce. I was expecting the norm steam rice roll that is usually rolled up with either prawns or char siew fillings. Interestingly, it was done like fried Char Kway Tiao substituting the noodles with rice roll. It is a must try dish.


[CLOSED]
Mouth Restaurant
City Square Mall
180 Kitchener Road
#04-15
Singapore 208593
Website: http://www.mouth.com.sg
Nearest MRT: Farrer Park (NE Line)

Opening Hours:
Mon-Fri: 1130am - 3pm, 6pm - 10pm
Sat-Sun, PH: 10am - 10pm

Direction:
1) Alight at Farrer Park MRT station. Take Exit I. Walk to City Square Mall. Journey time about 5 minutes.

What Makes KFC sogood! (KFC $10 Voucher Giveaway to 3 Lucky Winners)

You may have seen the latest KFC marketing campaign, What Makes KFC sogood!

What Makes KFC sogood? Not only is the food finger lickin' good, KFC enables the whole family to share a fun and satisfying experience with all the affordability and convenience of a quick -service restaurant. Tell them what makes KFC sogood to you, visit http://www.facebook.com/KFC.SG

For me, it is the memories I shared with my friends. Back then in my younger days, there were not many air conditioned restaurant that offers affordable food. This is where we gathered, laughed and studied for our examinations.

Since the first restaurant opened in 1977 in Singapore, KFC has continued to innovate and introduced new menu to suit the the taste of the new generations, at the same time keeping the tradition of their ever finger licking good KFC Fried Chicken. That makes them So Good!

HO HO HO! GIVEAWAY - KFC S$10 VOUCHER FOR 3 LUCKY WINNERS

To share the festive joy, I will be giving away KFC S$10 VOUCHER to 3 lucky winners. Strictly for Singapore readers only.

Just follow the simple steps,

1) Go to my SG FOOD ON FOOT facebook page and LIKE it. Click Here.
2) Look for the What Makes KFC sogood? blog post and LIKE it.
3) Click SHARE it to share the post on your facebook.

Contest ends on 30 December 2011 2359h

Bumbu Restaurant @ Kandahar Street

I get to know of this restaurant after watching a TV shows on buffet places. It was a Saturday and I was with my friend's family going around Singapore taking pictures of the life-size elephant exhibit of the Elephant Parade Singapore 2011 and I suggested Bumbu Restaurant for dinner.

Walking into the 2 storey pre-war house is like stepping back into a bygone era. The restaurant is decorated with antique furniture and artifacts everywhere as if it is a antique museum.

The Indo Thai restaurant offers both ala carte and buffet on their menu. We went for the buffet which cost $16.80+ per adult and $8.40+ for children under 10 years old. There were about 23 mains and 16 desserts/drinks on the buffet menu.

Tahu Telor 4.2/5

Unlike the usual Tahu Telor that is served in one big piece, the Tahu (Tofu) here came in small pieces. It looked mediocre but it was really very good. The Tahu was very soft and smooth.

Seafood Fried Egg Salad

What a weird combination of Seafood and Fried Egg as a salad dish. The Seafood Fried Egg Salad was served in a lime sauce with a tad of spiciness that married both the seafood and fried egg into a delightful salad.

Gado Gado

Gado Gado is a typical Indonesia dish whereby vegetables are served in peanut sauce. I don't fancy the dish because I find it weird to eat vegetable in peanut sauce. Nevertheless, the peanut sauce itself was really nutty and flavourful.

Steam Fish Spicy Lime Sauce 4/5

The Steam Fish Spicy Lime Sauce was simple, fresh and nice. The boneless fish slices were not too spicy for the kids and they enjoyed it.

Fried Fish Slice House Chilli 3.5/5

I find the Fried Fish Slice House Chilli was rather pedestrian. The house chilli did not manage to wow me.

Sweet Sour Chicken 4/5

Bumbu supposed to be a Indo Thai restaurant and I really not sure why the Sweet Sour Chicken dish is on the menu although they substitute pork with chicken since it is a Halal restaurant.

Stir Fry Prawn with Egg 4.2/5

The Stir Fry Prawn with Egg has a nice fluffy and creamy texture. It was the kids favourite dish.

Sambal Kangkong 4.2/5

I think Sambal Kangkong is my favourite vegetable dish. I realized I usually order it when I dine outside. The belacan chilli infused with the kangkong was really shiok. It was not overcooked with a tad of crunchiness that I like.

Black Pepper Beef 3.5/5

I was a bit disappinted with the Black Pepper Beef. The beef was a bit rubbery which did not justify for the flavourful black pepper sauce.

Cold Tofu with Preserved Egg 4.5/5

You don't often get to find Cold Tofu with Preserved Egg served at restaurant. I remembered the first time I tried this dish in Taiwan and I fell in love with it. The cold tofu was tasteless but paired with preserved egg, salted egg and sauce, it just turned into a very beautiful dish.

Mini Spring Roll 4/5

The Mini Spring Roll surprised all of us. The restaurant used Otak for the spring roll's filling! It is an interesting and unique combination. The spring roll was fried perfectly with a nice colouring and the skin was very crispy.

You may realized I did not post any dessert pictures. We were so full that we could not eat anymore desserts!


Bumbu Restaurant
44 Kandahar Street
Website: http://www.bumbu.com.sg/
Nearest MRT: Bugis (EW Line, DT Line), Nicoll Highway (CC Line)

Opening hours:
Daily : 11am - 3pm, 6pm - 10pm

Direction:
1) Alight at Nicoll Highway MRT station. Take exit towards The concourse. Follow the overhead walkway all the way to Keypoint. Turn right into Jalan Sultan Road. Turn left into Pahang Street. Turn right into Kandahar Road. Journey time about 15 minutes.

2) Alight at Bugis MRT station. Take exit B. Cut across Raffles Hospital. Turn left onto North Bridge Road. Walk towards Masjid Sultan Mosque.Turn right into Kandahar Street. Journey time about 10 minutes.

YIFON Bottled Mushrooms Cooking Session with Chef Eric Teo (20 Limited Edition 2012 Recipe Calendar Giveaway)

Many of you may have seen these bottled YIFON's mushrooms at the supermarkets but do you know that they are brought to you by Yit Hong Pte Ltd a 57-year-old company with the popular Narcissus Canned Mushrooms, MaLing Luncheon Meat and many (refer to picture below) under the company.

The ready to eat YIFON Bottled Mushrooms are available in a delectable range of five different mushrooms in six different flavours. There are YIFON Assorted Mushrooms, YIFON Bailing Mushrooms, YIFON Spicy Bailing Mushrooms, YIFON Spicy Golden Mushrooms, YIFON Spicy Nameko Mushrooms and YIFON Teatree Mushrooms. Each bottle costs only $1.95, halal-certified, contains no preservative and artificial colourings.

For a person that does not cook, I was very nervous when I was invited to cook with Singapore celebrated veteran chef, Eric Teo who is also the ambassador for Yit Hong Pte Ltd. Being the first Singaporean to be appointed president of the Singapore Chef's Association, Chef Eric Teo brings nearly two decades of culinary experience to Yit Hong Pte Ltd.

For the cooking session with Chef Eric Teo, I get to cook 3 innovative and interesting recipes developled by Chef Eric Teo using Yit Hong products. The jovial chef greatly calms down my nerve. I guess I have watched too much Hell Kitchen! He even went around our bench judging our dishes. It was really a fun night cooking with Chef Eric and fellow bloggers.

These were the ingredients for the cooking session with Chef Eric Teo.

XO King Scallop with Spicy Golden Mushrooms & Crispy Rice Crackers (by Chef Eric Teo)

The first dish is XO King Scallop with Spicy Golden Mushrooms & Crispy Rice Crackers. This is the most complex dish among the three. To get a good coloring on the scallops, the pan must be over medium to high heat with oil. A tip from Chef Eric on how to know whether the scallop is cooked is to use your fingers and press the scallop. If it feels spongy, it is almost done.

Recipe (serves 2)
Ingredients
1 Bottle - YIFON Spicy Golden Mushrooms, drained
6 pieces - King Scallops
6 pieces - Rice Crackers, deep fried
1 tbsp - XO Sauce
1 stalk - Spring Onions, sliced
1 piece - Red Chili, diced
1/4 tsp - Sesame Oil
Method
1. Heat up wok over medium to high heat with oil.
2. Pan-fry scallops for 30 seconds on each side, add XO sauce and toss well.
3. Separately, mix YIFON Spicy Mushrooms with chilli and sesame oil.
4. Assemble YIFON Spicy Mushrooms with scallops and rice crackers, sprinkle with spring onions   and serve.

XO King Scallop with Spicy Golden Mushrooms & Crispy Rice Crackers (by SG Food on Foot)

And here is my final product! I have a bit of difficulty cooking one of my scallops as it was rather big but I still managed to pull it off. I also managed to slice up some chilli and spring onions to garnish the dish without cutting my fingers. Phew! I managed to cook a dish without any injuries.

Pork Luncheon Meat Bruchetta (by Chef Eric Teo)

The second dish is Pork Luncheon Meat Bruchetta. A simple and yummy snack. You can cut the thickness of the luncheon meat to your own likings. If you like it to be crispy on the outside and soft in the inside, use high heat.

Recipe (serves 2)
Ingredients
1 Can - MaLing Pork Luncheon Meat
1 Roll - French Baguette, sliced
4 - Quail Eggs, hard-boiled and halved
30g - Red Cherry Tomatoes, halved
30g - Shallot, sliced
20g - Sweet Basil Leaves
30g - Pineapples, diced
Seasonings
2 tbsp - Olive Oil
1 pinch - Black Crushed Pepper
1 pinch - Salt
Method
1. Slice MaLing Pork Luncheon Meat into 4" by 2". Pan-fry until both sides are crisp and brown. Set aside
2. Toast sliced baguettes for 3 minutes.
3. Mix hard-boiled eggs, pineapples, tomatoes, sweet basil leaves, shallots and seasoning.
4. Top toasted baguette with luncheon meat and above mixture. Serve.

Pork Luncheon Meat Bruchetta (by SG Foot on Food)

Finally a dish without breaking a sweat. The toughest job was actually peeling the quail egg. Chef Eric commented that I need a ruler to slice my luncheon meat to size. Ha Ha Ha.

Mini Ham and Cheese Pizza with Assorted Mushrooms (by Chef Eric Teo)

Last dish is Mini Ham and Cheese Pizza with Assorted Mushrooms. With Christmas and New Year around the corner, many of us will be holding parties. Instead of ordering pizza delivery from Pizza Hut why not try your hands in making some pizzas using YIFON Bottled Mushrooms? The dough can be readily purchased at any supermarkets and you can let your creativity runs wild.

Recipe (serves 2)
Ingredients
1 Bottle - YIFON Assorted Mushrooms, drained
2 pieces - Pizza Crust
3 tbsp - Tomato Sauce
10g - Red Onions, diced
30g - Turkey Ham
5g - Salad Leaves
1/4 tsp - Olive Oil
1 pinch - Salt
1 pinch - Pepper
Method
1. Pre-heat oven to 180 degree, bake pizza crust for 3 minutes. The pizza crust should be golden brown but soft in the center.
2. Spread tomato sauce evenly. Top with YIFON Assorted Mushrooms, salad leaves, ham and cheese.
3. Drizzle olive oil, salt and pepper. Bake for another 5 minutes then serve hot.

Pizza (by SG Food on Foot)

This is my pizza creation. My tomato based pizza had YIFON Assorted Mushrooms, pineapples, red onions, shaved ham and rocket salad. I remembered watching some TV shows that pizza should not have more than 3-4 ingredients, so I tried to keep it simple. So happy when Chef Eric's wife asked for a slice of my pizza.

VOTE FOR ME AND YOU GET TO WIN TOO

Currently Yit Hong Pte Ltd is running a blogger contest on its facebook page. If I win, 3 lucky voters who voted for me will walk away with fabulous Yit Hong products and a limited edition 2012 calendar autographed by Chef Eric.

Just follow the simple steps,

1. Go to Yit Hong Pte Ltd Facebook Page and LIKE it. Click Here.
2. Find SG FOOD ON FOOT and LIKE my blog post.

Good Luck!

GIVE AWAY - LIMITED EDITION 2012 CALENDAR

I have 20 copies of the limited edition 2012 calendar to give away to my readers. The calendar features 12 innovative recipes using Yit Hong products formulated by Chef Eric. All you need to do is leave a comment on my blog with your email address. The first 5 readers will walk away with a limited edition 2012 calendar authographed by Chef Eric.

Hainanese Delicacy @ Far East Plaza

Whenever I am down at Orchard Road, I would have difficulty deciding where to go for lunch/dinner mainly because of the crowd and price. Last weekend I was at Orchard Road shopping for Christmas gifts and I happened to walk passed this interesting Hainanese Boneless Chicken Rice restaurant on the fifth floor of Far East Plaza.

The restaurant is rather small with a narrow walkway. Do expect to share tables with others and sitting shoulder to shoulder with other customers.

Hainanese Chicken Rice 4.2/5

The restaurant serves both the Boiled Chicken and Roasted Chicken. I had the Boiled Chicken which was tender and came with a thin layer of jelly like skin. The skin was not as fat compared to some I have eaten though. The chicken meat also seems whiter in colour. Not captured in the picture, was the chicken rice. It is lighter in fragrant and not oily.


Hainanese Delicacy
Far East Plaza
14 Scotts Road
#05-116
Singapore 228213
Nearest MRT: Orchard (NS Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 10am - 8pm

Direction:
1) Alight at Orchard MRT station. Take Exit A1 or A2. Walk to Far East Plaza. Journey time about 10 minutes.