Showing posts with label Chinese. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chinese. Show all posts

24 August 2014

Moon Struck! with Swensen's mooncakes 2014



This Mid-Autumn, tantalize your taste buds with delicious icy treats in 6 exotic flavours. Relish in this festive joy of the Autumn season with Swensen's premium ice cream moon cakes.


Thank u Swensen's for the Moonstruck Mooncake collection! 




I chose the new flavour Queen of Earl Grey, together with other all-time favourites like Durian Royale, Strawberry Fields Forever and Sticky Chewy Chocolate!


(Clockwise beginning from the top left: Durian Royale, Sticky Chewy Chocolate, Strawberry Fields Forever, Queen of Earl Grey)

More on all the 6 flavours below:

Sticky Chewy Chocolate
Filled with signature Sticky Chewy Chocolate ice cream and wrapped in a soft chewy pastry skin, this is pure decadence in every bite! Fall in love again with this signature creation.

Queen of Earl Grey
Invigorate your senses with a lovely frozen treat that tingles your tongue, presented to you in an enticing medley of Earl Grey ice cream infused with Almond bits. One of my personal favourite!

Mango Fantasy
Experience a succulent sensation in every mouthful of exotic Mango ice cream, conjuring visions of a tropical paradise to soothe your soul.

Strawberry Fields Forever
Refreshingly zesty, the delightful Strawberry ice cream mooncake will surely tingle your taste buds as it leaves a lingering sweetness in your mouth. The lovely shade of pink and true lingering sweetness makes this one of my personal favourites as well!

Durian Royale
Savor the rich, creamy flavor of the King of Fruits with an ice cold twist. Made from authentic D24 durians, this rich and creamy favorite promises to satisfy the durian fanatics! My parents could smell the durian scent from their room as soon as I sliced the mooncake into smaller pieces, and came out kaypoh-ing lol.

Pink Guava Romance 
Featuring delectable Pink Guava ice cream enrobed in a luxuriously smooth pastry skin, this will re-ignite your passion for the exotic fruits.



Spot the almond bits in the Earl Grey flavoured mooncake that gives the tradition snow-skin ice cream delicacy an extra crunch to it. Naturally this becomes one of my favourite and I must say I'm really glad to try out this new flavour Swensen's came up with!
Has anyone tried it too? Leave a comment if you have tried the new flavours too or the all-time signatures! :)



Price
Swensen’s Moonstruck! Mooncake Collection comes at S$32.80 for each box of 4, or S$8.60 per piece. 
Available from 1 August 2014 to 8 September 2014 at any Swensen's or Earle Swensen's outlet. No pre-orders required.

Card Promotions
ANZ, Citibank, DBS/POSB, OCBC, UOB and HSBC cardholders get to enjoy Early Bird Special prices at 15% off and 10% thereafter.
Swensen's Cool Rewards & Kids' Club members can enjoy 20% discount as Early Bird Special & 15% off thereafter.

Early Bird Special period is from 1 August to 29 August 2014. 
Get yours today! 

Moon Struck

x

13 August 2014

Wan He Lou Restaurant @ Maude Road

If you love lobster porridge, which is so hard to find in Singapore, you would be delighted to know that there is an award-winning lobster porridge at Wan He Lou Restaurant, conveniently located at Eastern-Central part of Singapore - Maude Road.

Thanks to MollyMia, I went with the M&Ms to savour the famous lobster porridge at Wan He Lou Restaurant one weekend!



Wan He Lou Restaurant

65 Maude Road

Opening Hours
Daily: 11:00 - 14:30
Daily: 17:00 - 22:30

Contact Number
+65 62948057

Website
http://www.wanhelou.com/



Parking is readily available right opposite the restaurant by per-entry fees for weekday evenings and weekends.

For non-drivers, you can take the public transport to either Lavender station or Farrer Park station, and the restaurant just within 10-15 mins by foot! Good for a walk after meal :)



Being excited, we reached super early, before the official opening hours lol.
Being a Chinese restaurant, the interior decor is of Eastern Asia tone needless to say. The huge hanging lanterns adds on to the Oriental characteristic, without taking up unnecessary space for more tables and seats!


Signature Lobster Porridge (招牌龙虾粥) $29.90 onwards



The story of the award-winning lobster porridge began with Chef Lau, an avid diver, out on a routine leisure trip with his friends when he caught a lobster and decided to cook it for dinner. As they were on an isolated island, he could only find rice from the locals so he decided to make porridge using seawater and the lobster. The fresh sea flavours of the lobster worked so well with the porridge that Chef Dee continued to experiment and refine the dish after he had gone home.

That was how 萬合樓 (Wàn Hé Lóu) signature dish - the award winning Lobster Porridge was born. This is but one of many delectable dishes created by culinary ingenuity of Chef Lau. Besides Chef Lau's other awards and achievement, this particular dish had won the top prize at a culinary event which was part of the 2008 Beijing Olympics.



The lobsters were scooped up for each individual once the dish is served to prevent the lobsters from overcooking in the piping hot porridge.
Having tried this some time back, the porridge is exactly what I remembered it to be!
Fresh, flavorful soup with loose rice grains, and delectable lobster halves. The flavor of the lobster broth/soup is intensified with lobster roe, not just any concentrated stock, giving us a bona fide lobster broth experience.

Serving of the lobsters is also quite generous - prices go by number of lobster halves, not by weight! :)
Also, the lobsters are perfectly cooked with the flesh remaining tender and springy to bite.

Gonna bring my family back again to enjoy it once more!



On a side note, I like how the dishes come in two sizes - small and large - to cater to smaller groups so that we can relish more variety of food by ordering smaller portions each!


Pan Fried Kurobuta Pork $14.90 / $26.90


Also commonly known as 黑豚肉. Kurobuta is the Japanese name for Black Pork.
This premium pork is done well, tender and juicy with Wan He Lou's special sauce.
The dish was polished off pretty fast and I grabbed the last piece of meat despite the fact that I'm not a pork-lover (can even say I quite hate the taste of pork). Shows how good it is! :)



Green Dragon Vegetable with Dried Shrimps $9.90 / $17.90


This is the next best dish we had, after the lobster porridge and kurobuta pork.
As simple as it may look, I just can't put in words how GOOD it taste! The vegetable is so fresh and crunchy, done with dried shrimps which makes it really tasty and aromatic.
Many of us have not heard of this vegetable before and the owner gladly enlightened us that it is a variation of chives (though it taste nothing like chives) and is in fact, "creme of the crop" quite literally:

The farmer lets his chives grow for six weeks before chopping off the top half of the leaves to be used as mulch and fertiliser. He then covers the remaining chives with a thick nylon netting for 10 days in a process known as blanching before harvesting them. Limiting sunlight made the chives more tender and delicious as they contained less fibre.

The vegetables can be prepared in alternative styles, such as sauteed with chopped garlic, sambal belacan, spicy bean paste, or anchovies just to name a few!


Crispy Lotus with Salted Egg $11.90 / $19.90


I'm sure we are all familiar with lotus root in soups and salted egg yolk in liu sha pao. Combine the both together? We get a whole new innovative creation.
The lotus root is sliced thin and deep fried with a coat of salted egg yolk.
AWESOME.
This acts as a good appetizer while waiting for the mains, or a good side dish to pair with the porridge, or even an after-meal munch.

To sum up, it is simply yummy anytime! :D


Hokkaido Scallop with Hawthorn Sauce & Asparagus $20.90 / $39.90


Another green dish, the asparagus, comes with huge, expensive Hokkaido scallops to top it off and an unique sauce made with Hawthorn.

So you get a little of the sourish tang of the (Hawthorn) fruit with sweetness of the scallops.


Next up is the Fresh Vegetable Juice which I really couldn't stop gushing about!


The drink is a concoction of pineapple, sour plum and cai xin that turns out so well that nobody could believed it. I could only taste the pineapple and sour plum, which is refreshing and appetizing, and at the same time, so good for the body with the cai xin blended in (don't worry! the cai xin remains pretty "anonymous" for non-veg lovers).

I almost wanted to have a THIRD glass that day. 
If only there could be more space in my tummy, lol!



Dessert of the week $3.90 onwards
Lychee pudding with chocolate ice-cream
Laoban-style beancurd with chocolate ice-cream and chendol


Quite a unique combination. 
Clearly, the ladies preferred the lychee pudding and M was almost left with only the beancurd lol.


Wan He Lou also has lunch buffet available.
Ooh lala, can consider for TGIF lunches :p


With 14 items on our buffet menu, the spread is one to behold. These 14 items are carefully chosen by our decorated Chef 'Lobster' Lau to encapsulate a sampler of quality for not only degustation but to fill your stomach! The culinary journey begins with the star of our buffet - The signature shrimp porridge. Grains of white rice cooked in the same signature broth used in our lobster porridge, the shrimp porridge is a less decadent cousin (of our Lobster Porridge) but still with the same richness and sweetness in taste. With 5 other seafood dishes: Seafood Gyoza, Crispy Shrimp Roll, Shrimp Porridge, Crispy Soft Shell Crab, Half Shell Scallop with Minced Garlic, La La in Superior Broth. Diners can expect quality from our lunch buffet spead. Some of the exquisite disher found in the buffet includes: Chef's Style Smoke Duck, Tangy Honey Chicken Wing (Kids' Favourite), Crispy Lotus with Salted Egg, Silky Tofu (Cold) with Bonito Flakes, Japanese Style Chicken Skewers, and many more...These dishes are designed to be enjoyed by people of all ages so call us for your reservations today!


Wan He Lou Restaurant

65 Maude Road

Opening Hours
Daily: 11:00 - 14:30
Daily: 17:00 - 22:30

Contact Number
+65 62948057

Website
http://www.wanhelou.com/

31 March 2014

Extra Virgin Pizza x The Entertainer Singapore 2014

Have you caught on the recent café-hopping bug? Or living the high life at the prime of your youth but find that dining out and other enjoyments are getting more and more expensive? :( We all have to agree that Singapore can be quite an expensive city to live in, especially dining at a decent restaurant which can easily cost $40-$60 per pax. 

But recently I’ve managed to visit new restaurants and bars at ONLY HALF THE PRICE, all thanks to The Entertainer App! Yayyy! 


The Entertainer, an international Dubai-based company offering a portfolio of ‘buy one get one free’ incentive vouchers has launched a state-of-the-art app following its success of the voucher book which landed in Singapore in 2013.

The Entertainer Singapore is packed with over 1,150 buy one get one free offers for Singapore's hottest restaurants, bars, informal dining, spas, activities, attractions and more. With 3 vouchers per merchant, you can visit our partners more than just once or include your family and friends in the 1 for 1 fun. Also included is the Entertainer Travel Asia & Indian Ocean edition, which features over 380 free night offers for hotels and resorts throughout Asia & the Indian Ocean. The Entertainer Singapore 2014 could Save you more than SGD 150,000 this year!

For those who enjoy luxurious dining places such as the Prime Society, Michelangelo’s, b@Rochester, Moonstone, The White Rabbit, Au Petite Salut, Marriott Cafe, The Disgruntled Chef, Balaclava, Fat Cow, and etc, at only half the price! 
For café-hoppers, some popular hunts which you may be familiar with - the Department of Caffeine, Habitat Coffee, Lola;s Café, Toby’s Estate, Windowsill Pies, Canopy are all on the app!

Not only these fine dining restaurants, nightspots, and modern & contemporary dining, The Entertainer Singapore app gives you vouchers for daily quick snacks and drinks at places like ShareTea, Ben & Jerry’s, Cupcakes with Love, The Yogurt Place, Dunkin Donuts, Maggie Moo’s, just to name a few.

There is currently a 20% off for the full version of the Entertainer app if you use the discount code @oyhz Meaning, it costs ONLY $76 instead of $95, which is a pretty small price to pay for near $150,000 of Buy-One-Get-One-Free savings available in it!

Discount code @oyhz is valid til end of April, so hurry to get your entertainment deals soon. The earlier you get the app, the more you save ;)




How to get the full version

To use The Entertainer Singapore 2014 simply
1. Download & install The Entertainer app from your app store
Apple | Android


2. Register your details, and set a 4 digit passcode for your redemption usage in future (so, do remember the code :p)

3. Go to 'Buy' and select Entertainer Singapore Mobile 2014 and click on 'Buy now'



4. At the shopping cart, enter the promo code @oyhz and select 'Apply coupon'





5. Proceed to checkout and you'll see that final price of the app is only $76!



6. Enter credit card details and The Entertainer Singapore Mobile 2014 will be unlocked in your app after a few minutes.

7. Enjoy redeeming your Buy-One-Get-One-Free offers~!!

In less than two weeks, I've managed to save $124 for my dine-outs. 
(Which means more $$ for shopping, whee~!)

Utilized a few vouchers at the following:
Extra Virgin Pizza
Tony's Estate
The Bank Bar Bistro
Laksania
ShareTea
(Will do reviews separately soon!)


First tried this amazing app at Extra Virgin Pizza.
Here's a review plus a step-by-step usage of the app :)

Extra Virgin Pizza

United Square Shopping Mall #01-14

Opening hours:
Sun-Thu: 11am - 10pm

Fri-Sat: 11am - 11pm

Contact for delivery:
62475757

http://www.extravirginpizza.com/

https://www.facebook.com/extravirginpizza








How to use

View offers in app by location and category.



You will see the list of participating restaurants under the first icon (bottom) :)




If you're already at the place, click on the search icon (2nd at the bottom) to search for your restaurant vouchers.







Click on redeem and you'll be asked to confirm your outlet and prompted for that 4-digit passcode set when you downloaded the app.


Next, the staff will key in the merchant's code and ta-dahhh~!
Successful redemption!


The app automatically track your savings each time you use an offer – After every redemption, you’ll see your estimated savings. The Savings Calculator function allows you to see just how quickly you redeem the cost of your Entertainer product, and how much you save throughout the year.


***

The Extra Virgin Pizza outlet has a warm and casual ambience and the new branch at the United Square is spacious enough for long tables - great for large groups gatherings!
We were told that the pizzas are the mains available for Buy-One-Get-One-Free.
So it was PURE PIZZA night!

All pizzas are hand-made and baked to order at Extra Virgin Pizza. And as the name suggests, Extra Virgin Pizza uses quality and pure extra virgin olive oil, and only globally sourced premium ingredients such as Italian double-zero flour, california organic Saporito tomatoes and premium imported cheeses and toppings.


With more than 10 unique flavours for pizzas, we spent quite a bit of time making our choices!
There were two chef recommendation/favourites ordered - Spotted Pig and Pistachio Pesto.

Spotted Pig Pizza $26
with tomato, mozzarella, pepperoni, pork sausage, applewood smoked bacon, parmigiano reggiano





Pistachio Pesto $24
with pistachio pesto, mozzarella, baby arugula, lemon vinaigrette, pecorino, provolone



While the two recommendations above were delightful, my personal favourites are actually Mushroom Bianco and Seafood Pizza!


Mushroom Bianco $22
with mozzarella, roasted mushrooms and onions, fontina, rosemary, pecorino, truffle oil


This was sooo good even though it's basically just cheese and mushrooms! (okay, with a drizzle of truffle oil)
There wasn't any pizza sauce used, which allows the natural flavour of the mushrooms to ooze out as you bite into the pizza.
Do try this if you're a mushroom lover like me! :D


Seafood $26
with bechamel, prawns, clams, squid, cherry tomatoes, chili flakes, parmigiano reggiano, pecorino, lemon juice, shaved garlic



This came as a surprise favourite for myself as I don't usually take spiciness well. The seafood pizza came with some chili flakes which was considered mild and adds on to the flavour perfectly.
Ingredients used were very fresh. I like especially the squid which was Q and springy!


Yummy homemade sodas to wash the palate. The raspberry mint is a must-try!



Here's a sample of The Entertainer Singapore and Travel vouchers in hardcopies.
Imagine having to lug the heavy books around just in case you pass by any places to use the vouchers *sweats*



The app is SO MUCH MORE convenient with the exact same offers!
Besides, with the app, you can view your offers by location – all your offers load in proximity to you or you can view the Entertainer map which features individual pins for every available Entertainer offer!

Also, for additional Members Offers (additional buy one get one free brunches, activities, massages and more), you just have to load directly onto your phone, instead of having to print from the website!

As mentioned earlier, the app not only provides dining deals, it also features a Hotel Supplement which is available for redemption on the App. Ideal for staycations or exotic breaks, the Supplement includes 4 and 5* hotels in the Middle East, Africa, Europe, Asia and the Indian Ocean.

On top on these, it also contains other local entertainment and activities eg:





There is currently a 20% off for the full version of the Entertainer app if you use the discount code @oyhz Meaning, it costs ONLY $76 instead of $95, which is a pretty small price to pay for near $150,000 of Buy-One-Get-One-Free savings available in it!

Discount code @oyhz is valid til end of April, so hurry to get your entertainment deals soon. The earlier you get the app, the more you save ;)

The Entertainer app from your respective app store
Apple | Android

xoxo