Thye Moh Chan Mooncake 2013

Baked and snowskin mooncakes with different fillings are the more common mooncakes offer by restaurants, bakeries and hotels during the Mid-Autumn festival. The iconic Teochew confectionery shop Thye Moh Chan in its 3 generations since 1943 unveils for the first time an exquisite Mid-Autumn collection of its signature Teochew mooncakes, unique and unlike conventional Cantonese style versions.

Sweet Tau Sar Single Yolk

Handcrafted with finesse, the Sweet Tau Sar with Single Yolk (Medium 4pc/box $24.80, Large 1pc/box $22.80) boasts ethereal light flaky pastry skin filled with silky smooth mung bean filling that are laboriously made by hand. Enveloping a single salted egg yolk, the sweet rendition is topped with white sesame.

Salty Tau Sar with Single Yolk

The Salty Tau Sar with Single Yolk (Medium 4pc/box $24.80, Large 1pc/box $22.80) is the savoury version that comes with a blend of salty mung bean paste with fried shallots, white sesame and is seasoned with white pepper.

Yuan Yang

The Yuan Yang (Medium 4pc/box $24.80, Large 1pc/box $22.80) is brimmed with generous filling of savoury mung bean paste, fried shallots, white sesame, spicy pork floss and salted egg yolks. The savoury delight is accented with a proprietary mix of spices.

Double Delight

The Double Delight (Medium 4pc/box $24.80) traditional treat comes with a layer of red bean paste and a unique crystal filling made with winter melon, melon seeds, dried orange peel, white sesame, spring onions and glutinous rice flour.

Thye Moh Chan's quintessential Mid-Autumn selection is beautifully pacakged in an elegant royal purple or gold boxes that bear intricate peony or lotus motifs. The boxes are designed such that it can be stacked forming a multi-tier package. As the artisanal mooncaks selection is only produced in limited quantities, customers are encouraged to place their orders in advance for collection between 5 August and 15 September 2013.

Promotions
From 13 July to 31 August, enjoy 25% discount for purchase of 10 or more mooncake vouchers.
From 13 July to 31 August, OCBC Cardmembers enjoy 20% discount for purchase of 2 boxes or more.

Corporate sales discount:
- 25% for 10 boxes and above
- 30% for 50 boxes and above

Mooncake booth location
Chinatown Point
133 New Bridge Road
#01-45 Singapore 059413
Tel: +65 66048858
Operating Hours: 10am - 10pm daily

Parkway Parade
80 Marine Parade Road
Food Republic, B1, Singapore 449262
Tel: +65 63448885
Operating Hours: 10am - 10pm daily

The Lawn Grill & Salad Cafe @ Shenton Way

Meat your greens, the healthy eating concept from The Lawn has spread their wings and opened a new outlet at Shenton Way. Since my visit to The Lawn at Biopolis, I realized healthy eating can be fun and it does not mean you need to forgo your meat.

The ordering steps are still the same but with a little changes to suit the busy office crowd . Instead of choosing your grill, greens, toppings and dressings at the counter, patrons simply pick up a piece of the ordering sheet, tick the items for their salad and pick up when its ready for collection.

The beauty of The Lawn is that it allows one to create your own salad. The Salad Bowl ($9.90) comes with a medium size mesclun salad, 5 toppings and 1 dressings. If you are feeling hungry, feel free to top up with a selection of 10 tantalising grills ($3 to $5). In short, there is no limit to your creation.

Crunches with Munches 4/5

Hunky Dory 4.2/5

With their customers in mind, The Lawn at Shenton has also created 3 Chef's Pick chosen from their top salad combination, Sweet & Chic ($12.90), Crunches with Munches ($12.90) and Hunky Dory ($13.90). This is very convenient for the office crowd who is looking for a quick bite or takeaway.

Olive Rice 3.8/5

If you are those that need your carbo intakes, besides having the salad you can ask for Olive Rice ($8.90) instead. The olive rice will come with a side salad and 1 dressing. Top up with a grill at ($3 to $5) to complete your meal.

Cakes from Gobi 4/5

Tiramisu from The Tiramisu Hero 4/5

Coffee from Smitten Coffee Blend 4.5/5

With the opening of The Lawn at Shenton, The Lawn has also introduced some new items on the menu. On the new menu there are desserts and coffee. Cakes are from Gobi while the Tiramisu is from The Tiramisu Hero. They are worthy desserts to check out during tea break, off site meeting or even to complete your meal on a sweet note. Grab an aromatic coffee to go with the desserts. The coffee blend is from Smitten/Necessary Provision.


The Lawn At Shenton
AXA Tower
8 Shenton Way
#B1-11
Singapore 068811
Tel: +65 65348749
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheLawnAtShenton
Website: http://thelawn.com.sg/
Nearest MRT: Tanjong Pagar (EW Line)

Opening Hours:
Mon-Fri: 1030am - 9pm

Direction:
1) Alight at Tanjong Pagar MRT station. Take Exit D. Walk to AXA Tower basement one. Journey time about 5 minutes. [Map]

Signature Stone Restaurant @ Havelock Road

Signature Stone Restaurant is the new kid at the row of shop houses along Havelock Road where it houses the popular G7 Liang Kee, Mu Liang Zai Liang Kee and several other eateries. The concept is quite similar to claypot rice except that it uses stone pot that retains the heat and keeping the food warm. As I was worried that the lunch would be heavy, I asked Nicole and Kimberly to join me.

Stone Pot Big Prawns Soup 4.2/5

We started lunch with the Stone Pot Big Prawns Soup ($10.90 small, $19.60 big). Swimming in the pot of hot piping soup, the tiger prawns were big and crunchy. The hearty soup was packed with a nice balanced of herbs and distinct prawns flavours which really surprised me with its watered down appearance.

Wine Chicken 3.5/5

When I ordered the Wine Chicken ($8) side dish, I thought it was a dish similar to the Shanghai Drunken Chicken. I did not expect that it is served in a stone pot of chicken pieces, mushroom and chilli. While the dish was nice and enjoyable, I could not taste any traces of wine  in the dish.

Onion Cheese Mushroom Omelette 3/5

I was craving for egg so I ordered the Onion Cheese Mushroom Omelette ($6). The omelette was nothing fancy just homely cooked food that was thick and fluffy. Maybe I was unfortunate cause I did not manage to find any mushroom in my omelette. It was also not as cheesy as I would have like.

The highlight of Signature Stone Restaurant is their version of claypot rice using stone pot. To suit the palate of the younger generation, the restaurant has introduced a western version of claypot rice such as Stone Pot Ham & Cheese Rice, Stone Pot Lemony Scallop and many more.

The stone pot serving is for individual portion. Upon serving, the server will drizzle some sweetened dark soy sauce over the rice and fold it. If you prefer your rice to be darker, you can add more of the sweetened dark soy sauce.

Stone Pot Garlic Herb Salmon 4.2/5

For the western flavour Stone Pot, I ordered the Stone Pot Garlic Herb Salmon ($12.30). It was a good choice with the aroma of the garlic instantly hit the nostrils when it was served. There is also an advantage of using stone pot over claypot cause you get layers after layers of burnt crispy rice. Why so? The first fold of the rice brings the burnt rice to the top. While eating the top portion of the rice, the stone pot is still cooking the rice at the bottom. Hence when we fold again, we get to enjoy another layer of burnt crispy rice.

Stone Pot Sliced Pork with Salted Fish 4/5

For a taste of tradition, I tried the Stone Pot Sliced Pork with Salted Fish ($8.20) that comes with sliced pork, chinese sausages, mushroom and salted fish. I like the fact that beside the salted fish in the stone pot, it also comes with a separate saucer with finely diced salted fish to be pour and mixed with the rice so each mouthful comes with a good blend of salted fish, sweetened dark soy sauce and rice.

Overall I like the concept of Signature Stone Restaurant. However for an individual stone pot serving portion, I think is a bit pricey. Probably they can provide a little more ingredients for the stone pot so that it gives the customer an impression that they are getting value in return.


[CLOSED]
Signature Stone Restaurant
729 Havelock Road
Singapore 169649
Tel: +65 62719918
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SignatureStoneRestaurant
Website: http://www.signaturestonerestaurant.com/
Nearest MRT: Tiong Bahru (EW Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 11am - 10pm

Direction:
1) Alight at Tiong Bahru MRT station. Take Exit B. Walk to PSB Academy. At the junction of Jalan Bukit Ho Swee and Bukit Ho Swee Crescent, cross the road walk towards the HDB flats. Cut through the HDB flats and walk towards block 40. Walk to the shop houses behind block 40 along Havelock Road. Journey time about 8 minutes. [Map]

Yan Ting Mooncake 2013

Yan Ting an award winning purveyor of authentic Cantonese delicacies, presents a collection of hand crafted treasures to delight the palates of discerning gourmads and food lovers alike.

The Assorted Snowskin Mooncakes ($67.80) comes in elegant golden white box designed like a little cabinet tower where the little treasures are hidden inside the drawer. Each box comes with 8 mooncakes.

The Assorted Snowskin Mooncakes comes with 4 different flavours. They are Green Tea Snowskin Mooncake with Melon Seeds, Mixed Berries Snowskin Mooncake with Strawberry Paste, Royal Milk Tea Snowskin Mooncake with Red Bean Paste and White Chocolate Champagne Truffle and Purple Sweet Potato Snowskin Mooncake.

Yan Ting has also created the Pure Mao Shan Wang Durian Snowskin Mooncake ($108) which comes in a box of 8. However it will not be available for the Assorted Snowskin Mooncakes selection.

For those that prefer the classic traditional baked mooncakes, Yan Ting will delight you with the Double or Single Golden Yolks in Premium White Lotus Paste or the Baked Mooncake with Premium White Lotus Paste filled with Assorted Nuts for the extra crunch.

The selection of mooncakes will be available at The Patisserie, Lobby Level and Yan Ting, Level 1U from 19 August 2013 to 19 September 2013.


Mooncake Enquiries
Tel: +65 65066887
Email: yanting@stregis.com
Website: http://www.yantingrestaurant.com/midautumn

Mooncake Booth Location
The Patisserie (Lobby Level), ST. Regis Hotel
YanTing (Level 1U), ST. Regis Hotel

Brasserie Les Saveurs @ St Regis Hotel

Brasserie Les Saveurs at St. Regis Hotel is on the top of my to visit list for a while and after several missed opportunities, I am glad that I finally visited the beautiful restaurant last week. At the same time taking the chance to check out the new ala carte menu from its new Chef de Cuisine, Antoine Bonnet who has more than 20 years of culinary experience in contemporary French cuisine.

Walking into the grand restaurant with chandeliers hanging down from the high ceiling, full floor to ceiling window with water fountain as the backdrop. The place is simply elegant, beautiful and stunning with its interior decoration.

Amuse Bouche 3.5/5

Starting with the Amuse Bouche is Pan Seared Scallop with Potato Espuma with sesame oil. A delightful glimpse into the new chef's approach of his interpretation of contemporary French cuisine.

Salad Nicoise 3.8/5

Next up is Salad Nicoise ($36). The bowl of salad comes with black pepper seared yellow fin tuna, mesclun leaves, quail eggs, marinated anchovies, green beans and kalamata olives. A nice refreshing and healthy to dinner.

Bouillabaisse Facon Les Saveurs 4.5

The Bouillabaisse Facon Les Saveurs  ($19) is slow simmered with fennel and saffron. Each sip of the rich and robust fisherman's seafood stew felt like the waves after waves of the sea hitting the palate with the lovely medley of the sea.

Le Homard Thermidor 4.8/5

The Le Homard Thermidor ($75), a classic French dish is definitely the star of the night. The creamy mixture of cooked boston lobster meat is flamed with cognac, grantinee gruyere and served with a mushroom bechamel sauce.

Australian Prime Rib Carving Trolley 4.2/5

Served at table side on a craving trolley is the Australian Prime Rib ($48). The beautiful roasted meat was served with roasted potatoes and tomatoes on the side with either a wine reduction or horseradish sauce. I personally like pairing the flavoursome beef with pungency of the horseradish sauce.

Le Gateau A La Banane 3.5/5

Dessert was Le Gateau A La Banane ($14) which is banana mousse cake and apricot compote, mango salsa, banana and ginger ice cream. This is not my plate but SiHan's. SiHan who blogs at Fundamentally Flawed is flying off the next day to Sydney. SiHan who is a trained pastry chef is moving to Sydney to work. She will be missed and I look forward to her return as well as tasting her pastries.


Brasserie Les Saveurs
St Regis Hotel
Lobby Level
29 Tanglin Road
Singapore 247911
Tel: +65 65066860
Website: http://www.brasserielessaveurs.com/
Nearest MRT: Orchard (NS Line)

Opening Hours: 
Breakfast: 6:30am - 10:30am (Monday to Sunday)
Lunch: 12pm - 3pm (Monday to Saturday)
Brunch: 12pm - 3pm (Sunday)
Afternoon Tea: 3pm - 5pm (Sunday to Friday)
Afternoon Tea Dance with Live Band: 3pm - 5pm (Saturday)
Dinner: 7pm - 10pm (Monday to Sunday)
*A La Carte Menu is available from 12pm daily

Direction: 
1) Alight at Orchard MRT station. Take Exit E. Walk towards Wheelock Place via ION. Exit Wheelock Place and turn left towards Liat Tower. Continue onwards to Forum Shopping Mall. Walk further down to Orchard Parade Hotel. Turn left onto Tanglin Road. St Regis is just beside Tanglin Shopping Centre. Journey time about 15 minutes. [Map]

Hinoki Japanese Dining @ China Square Central

Opened in April 2011, Hinoki Japanese Dining at China Square Central of the Epicurean Concepts group which also owns 2Fifteen Kitchen and Moonstone welcomes renowned masterchefs, Santaro Li with 40 years of culinary experience and highly respected as one of the first to introduce Singapore to authentic sushi. Considered the forefather of sushi in Singapore and one of the top chefs in Singapore, Li-san is a ryori-jin (masterchef) specialising in Kappo Ryori also known as fine Omakase. From sushi to grilling, stewing and boiling, Chef Li-san has mastered and conquered all aspects of Japanese cuisine.

Zensai 4/5

We started the meal with a trio of Zensai ($15) which is Japanese for hors d'oeuvre. Starting with the Shiraou (silver fish) in a shoyu sauce, I like how it was presented in a short glass. The shiraou was rather fat and beautifully balanced with the flavourful shoyu sauce. Moving on we have the Oyster in Mayonnaise. While I enjoyed the smoky torched mayonnaise taste, it was too overpowering for me to taste the oyster. Lastly we have the Pitan Tofu which is one of my all time favourites in Japanese cuisine. While century egg maybe an acquire taste for some, I simply adored the combination of creamy century egg paired with the chilled tofu.

Sashimi 4/5

The plate of Sashimi ($55) came with the freshest Hamachi, Salmon, Toro Belly and Botan Ebi for the day. The Botan Ebi stood out for me with its sweetness and freshness.

Zakana Foie Gras 4.2/5

The Zakana Foie Gras ($25) was an exquisite execution from Chef Li-san. The pan fried Hamachi is wrapped with foie gras, topped with shaved truffle and seaweed covered with a thin sheet of crunchy seaweed and plated on a sakura leaf. Amazingly everything on the plate is edible. As the dish is rather oily, the sakaru leaf helped to cleanse the palate.

Imo Manjyu 3.5/5

Deep fried to golden brown, the Imo Manjyu ($15) is crispy on the outside and moist inside. The delectable mixture of yam, unagi and shrimp came with nice chunky yam bits finished with a tonkatsu sauce.

Shabu Shabu 4/5

Hinoki will be introducing a Shabu Shabu ($35) in their next upcoming promotion and we have the privilege to be the first to sample it. The Shabu Shabu set consists of a hotpot kunbu soup base hotpot, assorted vegetables and US wagyu beef. Two dipping sauces are served. Special ponzu sauce for the beef and goma sauce for the rest of the ingredients.

While most Japanese restaurants do Omakase or Kaiseki, Chef Li-san who has cooked for MM Lee Kuan Yew specializes in Kappo Ryori which casually put it is omakase lifted to the highest degree of Japanese gastronomy, impeccable taste and expertise to dictate course after course of gastronomic surprises. It is a fine meal experience where Chef Li-san uses the best seasonal ingredients with seafood air flown directly from Tokyo's renowned Tsukiji Market twice a week.


Hinoki Japanese Dining
China Square Central
22 Cross Street
#01-50/53
Singapore 048423
Tel: +65 65367746
Website: http://www.epicurean.com.sg/
Nearest MRT: Chinatown (NE Line, DT Line)

Opening Hours:
Mon-Sat: 1130am - 230pm, 6pm - 1030pm
(Closed on Sun)

Direction:
1) Alight at Chinatown MRT station. Take Exit E. Cut through Chinatown Point and walk to Hong Lim Complex. Cross South Bridge Road using the overhead bridge at Hong Lim Complex. Continue straight for about 30 meters to destination. Journey time about 12 minutes. [Map]

Goodwood Park Hotel Mooncake 2013

Celebrating this year's Mid Autumn Festival, Goodwood Park Hotel introduces a repertoire of fruity snowskin delights and traditional baked favourites.

The Snowskin Combo ($54) comes with 4 pieces of delectable mooncakes in an elegant box. Inside the box, there are Pink Guava with Passionfruit and Rambutan ($26 for 2pc, $46 for 4pc), Mango with Pomelo ($26 for 2pc, $46 for 4pc), Cempedak ($32 for 2pc, $56 for 4pc), Mao Shan Wang Durian ($42 for 2pc, $72 for 4pc).

Specially mentioned is the newly created Pink Guava with Passionfruit and Rambutan Snowskin Mooncake is a fine refreshing balance of sweet and tangy flavours from a novel blend of pink guava and passionfruit, as well as juicy rambutan bits for bite. The light aromatic scent of passionfruit makes the pale jade gem even more beguiling.

True to the hotel's legacy of creating durian delicacies, this year's range of durian snowskin treats will not disappoint. Other than the signature D24 and Mao Shan Wang Durian, the highly popular Red Prawn Durian makes its snowskin mooncake debut.

The ultimate treat for durian lovers, the limited edition Premium Durian Snowskin Combo showcases a quartet with fillings made with quality durians, Mao Shan Wang D24, Red Prawn, D88 and Butter. Worth coveting is the limited edition Durian Snowskin Twin Treasures; a pair of giant 12cm masterpieces generously made from the fresh pulp of D88 and Mao Shan Wang.

In keeping with tradition, the hotel also showcases a handcrafted selection of baked mooncakes such as White Lotus Seed Paste with Single Yolk, Lotus Seed Paste with Double Yolk and Assorted Nuts with Ham.


Mooncake Enquiries
Time: 9am - 7pm (Mon-Fri), 9am - 1pm (Sat, Sun & PH)
Tel: +65 67301867/1868
Fax: +65 67301891
Email: mooncake@goodwoodparkhotel.com
Website: festivepromotions.goodwoodparkhotel.com

Mooncake Booth Location
Collection and direct purchases,
Deli at Goodwood Park Hotel Lobby, 9am - 9pm (5Aug - 19Sep)
Collection of pre-orders only,
Festive Deli next to red carpeted stairs, 10am - 8pm (3Sep - 19Sep)

Takashimaya B2 Square (21Aug - 19Sep)
Jurong Point (26Aug - 18Sep)
VivoCity (28Aug - 19Sep)
Junction 8 (2Sep - 18Sep)
Parkway Parade (2Sep - 18Sep)
Lot One (2Sep - 18Sep)
Chevron House (2Sep - 19Sep, Mon-Fri, excl. PH)
Nex (2Sep - 19Sep)
Jem (3Sep - 19Sep)
Century Square (4Sep - 19Sep)
Compass Point (6Sep - 19Sep)

Singapore Restaurant Week October 2013

The bi-annual gourmet event Singapore Restaurant Week organised by DiningCity is back in its 7th edition from 7 to 13 October 2013. For this edition, a healthy gourmet options will be available for health conscious food lovers. In addition, new dining experience and establishment such as Oca Grassa, Blue Bali on Cluny, East8, Fern & Kiwi Bar & Eatery, Hashi and Prive Grill will be joining Singapore Restaurant Week October 2013 for the first time.

Restaurant Week concept comes with a 3 course meal at participating top restaurants. Embarking on an exclusive Tasting Trail to get a taste of what Restaurant Week is all about, our first stop is at Taratata Bistrot at Keong Saik Road helmed by Chef Bertrand Raguin and Chef Philippe Nouzillate who prepared our starter. Starter was Cassolette d'Escargot aux Champignons et Concassee de Tomate, oven baked cocottee of escargots with mushrooms and tomato concasse.

Moving on from French to Italian, our 2nd stop brought us to Latteria Mozzarella Bar at Duxton Hill. The trendy casual dining trattoria is helmed by Chef Beppe de Vito. We were treated to the mains that will be featured on the restaurant week's menu, Grilled Halibut with Saffron Potato and Lobster Sauce and Suckling Pig Porchetta with Peaches and Salmoriglio.

The last course of the tasting trail which is dessert brought us to Hashi Japanese Restaurant which is helmed by Tadashi Takahashi. We were very privilege to have the Wagashi that is flown daily from Ganyuudou, Shizuoka to Hashi which is a traditional handcrafted sweets and desserts for 5 generations since the Meiji era, 1868, inheriting the craftmanship from generation to generation. 5th generation Master Wagashi Chef Hiromori Uchida keeps the tradition of handcrafting to shape the mochi (finely milled flour) into flowers, such as cherry blossom, chrysanthemum, lily of the valley, and peony.

Booking online will start from 11th September 2013 at www.restaurantweek.sg. American Express Cardmembers^ enjoy exclusive priority booking privileges from 4 September 2013 before booking is open to the public.

^Applicable to all American Express Cards issued directly by American Express International Inc. in Singapore (excluding American Express Corporate Cards and American Express Cards issued by DBS, UOB and EZ Link Pte Ltd)