Ham and cheese pizza never looked so good

Oh well, maybe it has. This is another one of the fast dinners that I made. This time round, I used the same Dr Oetker's pizza as I did for the 7 cheese version I made. I simply added shredded breakfast ham which you can purchase from Cold Storage. Place the ham over the frozen pizza, sprinkle some shredded parmesan cheese over the top of them and it's ready to go into the pre-heated oven. Next step, pretend that it's Parma ham. Watch out Da Paolo. Lol.

The Big Bird, Balmoral Plaza

One of their claims to fame according to the news clippings on the front of this chicken rice restaurant was their fiery chilli sauce - which the owner refused to discuss when inquired regarding the ingredients. I thought that chilli from The Big Bird (217 Bt Timah Rd, #01-07 Balmoral Plaza) deserved mention because it tasted different from most of the other chicken rice chillis. Believe it or not, I came back two evenings in a row because of the chilli sauce which I hear is also available off their shelf. That stuff made me want to eat a lot of their chicken rice.

Big Bird's chicken rice ($1.00)

half a fried chicken ($14)

eggs and chicken liver ($0.50 per egg/liver)

crunchy poached vegetables ($5)

lotus root and peanut soup ($3.50)

lala (stir fried clams in some spicy garlic sauce $10)

Besides steamed and fried chicken, Big Bird has a bunch of other dishes. Such as poached vegetables, stewed eggs, stewed tofu and chicken innards. There's other cooked food as well and some of them were apparently positioned as their signature dishes like the lala (clams), cold crabs and assam fish head. Prices were arguably reasonable. Except for the rice which I thought was a little expensive at a dollar a bowl. The flavour of that rice was also different from most of other chicken rice. These were not the beady or fluffy variety and the colour was a shade darker. I had initially thought that the rice wasn't so remarkable on it's own. But then the chilli worked its lip burning magic. Made me down two bowls of that "unremarkable" rice. The chicken was served warm and that probably meant that I got some fairly freshly fried birds. Tasty with the skin still slightly crisp.

Their lotus root soup had a very robust flavour. To the point that I couldn't really tell it was sweet or salty since it tasted like both. It was piping hot, tasty and for what they charged - a very good deal. Those poached vegetables were fresh as they looked. I thought that the lala (clams) were also quite good and packed a punch with the spicy garlic sauce. I could still taste that after having my tongue numbed by the chilli sauce.

Hai Tien Lo, Pan Pacific Hotel

This restaurant definitely ranked up high in my books for Chinese food after today. Located on the 37th storey of Pan Pacific Hotel, it's dining with a view. Albeit one that wasn't as spectacular as Jaan or Equinox.

Peking duck

meat from the peking duck

Not sure where on the scale of good this Peking duck was but this was definitely one of the better ones that I've had. Thin crispy skin and just enough fat for flavour. Enjoyed it. We had the meat deboned and sliced up instead of having them destroyed in fried rice or noodles.

steamed prawns with mashed garlic served in a bamboo basket

These steamed prawns were served piping hot. Delicious crunchy prawns with a light soy sauce and generous portions of minced garlic. I'm thinking that if I ever do return, I'll get these again.

sauteed slivers of ostrich with honey pepper sauce

The ostrich sadly tasted like another unidentifiable meat substance. Could have been pretty much any meat for all I knew. No small thanks too, to that honey pepper sauce which was actually pretty good. This also meant that the meat was reduced to become a textual accompaniment since the flavour was mostly just from that sauce.

sauteed scallops & lobster with garlic

Sautéed scallops and lobster. This dish tasted much like the way it looked - which meant pretty good by the way. The menu didn't mention that it came with pan fried asparagus and deep fried golden mushroom.

sauteed snow peas with deep fried crispy dried scallops & fermented mustard vegetables

I didn't know what to expect of the snow peas until it arrived and noticed that they're exactly the same thing that came with the ostrich. In fact, the ostrich dish looked like it had more of these crunchy snow peas than this snow pea dish did. Those deep fried crispy dried scallops were probably there for garnishing rather than taste since they didn't add much to the flavour.

Hai Tien Lo Homemade Beancurd with Minced Pork & Pine Mushroom Sauce

I'm not so good at describing tofu. They're usually soft and smooth and the rest of it depended heavily on the sauces. This was nicer than what I normally get. There was a fragrance from the skin. That and it was slathered in a semi-spicy sauce with ground pork and shimeji mushroom. Tasted much like the way it looked.

cod, baked and glazed with Moët & Chandon champagne sauce

close up of the cod

The cod in Hai Tien Lo came in various options. I picked the Moët & Chandon sauce option because I thought it was the only one that sounded interesting, compared to the mundane sounding choices like barbeque sauce, preserved vegetables or a Portuguese styled bake which I have no idea is what. The meat was a little dry but on the whole, the fish was decent tasting with the light and semi runny champagne sauce which still had the taste of alcohol. Interesting fish dish.

stewed fish noodle with ginger & spring onions served with king prawn

prawn wide open

These fish noodles were flavourful, superb and recommended! Though the menu described them to be stewed, I noticed some char marks which indicated that they could have been wok fried over high heat. The char add a depth to the fish infused flavour of the noodles. I liked them so much that I felt that they were on par with the prawns. Which were also delicious on its own merits. I found myself lamenting over the tiny portions of the noodles.

Prego, Raffles The Plaza

I've never really eaten at Prego (Level 1, Raffles The Plaza) before so was my first time visit. The previous couple of visits in the past many years ago involved only tiramisu. I've also been hearing the usual ramble about how this place used to be much better in the past and that the quality of the food has noticeably declined over the years. Well, I don't know anything of that from the past so I guess there will be nothing but a clean slate, unblemished by real or imagined prejudices.

Service from the wait staff was very prompt and attentive. That's pretty much about the only thing I pay attention to in most circumstances and anything more is a bonus. Frankly, prompt and attentive service is a yardstick that many places claim to do and fail so miserably. But I am digressing.

The menu comes with pretty standard offerings for starters, salads, pizza, pasta, mains and dessert.  The differences between the restaurants hence lies in the execution of the dishes. And certain in house specialties that set themselves apart. Prego serves a tasty wheeled bread which is accompanied with a chilled tomato pesto of sorts which I thought was pretty good.

The Parma ham starter which I had came with a blob of fig preserve on the side which I was initially skeptical of. It turned out that the preserve was an excellent accompaniment to the ham and melon.


The osso buco had very delicious meat. I ate the whole thing with a fork since the meat fell off the bone that easily. The only gripe was that there was no marrow to be had. So this was like a veal shank than a real osso buco since the marrow is suppose to be part of what made the dish. The shank was served on lemon scented carrot strips and a bed of saffron risotto which tasted only lightly of the saffron but much more of cheese. It definitely felt like a cheese risotto with a hint of saffron rather than just a saffron risotto. It was enjoyable, just not what I had expected.


This dessert on the menu was known as ravioli al Gianduja, Composta al Rabarbaro e Fragole. It's described to be a chocolate dumpling with a rhubarb & strawberry compote and liquorice ice cream. The ice cream in the photo looked like chocolate because it was chocolate. We swapped out the liquorice.  I didn't think I would have enjoyed liquorice anything and it was definitely a good call that we did swap because the chocolate ice cream was probably the best thing from this dessert. And that was not because of the quality on the ice cream, but rather, the round "dumpling" which I could only describe as 'just like Ferraro Rocher'. Crispy outer shell filled with a creamy hazelnut chocolate centre. How does one spell unremarkable again?

Triple C penne (home edition)

Tripe C here refers to gouda cheese, parmesan cheese and curry. There's nothing exotic here, it's just something that I've whipped up for dinner.


Firstly you'd need to get a packet of penne. I'm using dry ones which I've bought for times like these when I don't feel like leaving the comfort of home to look for dinner. Pastas are pretty easy to cook. Throw some salt into a pot of water and heat it to a boil. After that add in the pasta.


The gauge of the duration comes partially from experience and partially through the actual checking of the pasta. These dry ones should be in there for a good 5 minutes or so before you need to dredge them out to see if they are soft enough. Another sign that they might be ready is the bloat after absorbing the water which makes them noticeably bigger than when you popped them into the water. I'll skip the picture of the pasta soaking in cold water after the cooking process.


This is local, cheap and tasty. I prefer this one better than the chilli flavor tuna. Open one can of these and heat the contents in a bowl with a microwave oven.


I've some remains of a slice of Dutch Gouda in the fridge. They're sliced and can be added into the pasta after you have added in the heated curry tuna and given them a first round of tossing.


Follow that up with some shaved parmesan. I used packaged ones that can be bought from Cold Storage. You are free to substitute them with any other cheeses. I just thought that the sharper parmesan could add more of an edge to the more subdued goudas.


After adding the cheeses, toss them for another round. Put the tossed pasta into the microwave on high for about 30 - 45 seconds to get things heated and after, it is ready to be served. The purpose of heating the pasta is actually to get them warm rather than getting the cheese to melt, so there is no need to keep it there for much longer than my prescribed time unless you intend for the pasta to be gooey. The can of heated tuna can only do so much to the ice soaked pasta, so this last step helps get it up to a good warm temperature. The cheese in the pasta are softened by the heat, but still remain in solid state enough to be picked up using a fork.

Lunch @ Sushi Yoshida

Lunch with Junie & Chris. This secluded sanctuary (reservations required) looked like one of those shrines of Japanese food where people with discerning palates should make their pilgrimage to at least once for the experience. Incidentally, Sushi Yoshida was one of those that actually did not disappoint after being washed thoroughly by the eddies of hype though multitudes of reviews, professional and private. Deep inside, I had quietly suspected that it was probably as good as people said it was. Or close to the praises it has received. I've been planning to visit (10 Devonshire Road) for quite a while, but never quite found the time and company until today. I mentioned that it was secluded and that only applies to those coming for the first time without specific instructions to the actual location. After the first enlightenment, you'll know where to look out for the small sign atop large potted plants that front the inconspicuous entrance of the restaurant.


The interior is wallpapered in a dull wasabi green and clad in dark wooden furnishing creating a stark and darker, but much appreciated reprieve from the blazing afternoon sun that filtered in from various tinted windows. Counter seats are limited to 10 with approximately 20-25 table seats and and a private dining room. The highlight of lunch came from their chiraishizushi (sashimi on rice box) at $38. Speaking of which, prices have been upped from the previously much more economical $28. Prices listed are on nett basis so one expect to pay just exactly as the menu states.


Their onsen tamago was the starter. Served chilled and bathed in light soya sauce that was flavoured with yuzu. On the top, a sprinkle of seaweed and a dollop of grated wasabi. The wasabi which awoke the taste buds. I had thought that I'd be getting a runny yoke but apparently it was poached enough to be in solid state, albeit very soft. I thought this is pretty damn good.


I think what I got was hokkagai, unagi, hirame, chutoro, ikura, shitake mushroom and crab sticks (??!!). Maybe hamachi as well but I'm not too sure if it was. This chirashi box was pretty looking. There were a few gripes. I thought that a couple of more pieces of sashimi would have been great so that it wouldn't just be only the ikura and the sakura denbu at the end. I would have been happier without pickled ginger as well. The rice was incongruous mix of sour from the vinegar, the seeping pickled ginger, daikon and more purple pickles at the bottom. It was hence much more infused with flavour than I expected. As my lunch mate aptly put across, crab sticks perverses the Japanese of this lunch. 


This was indeed otoro sushi ($17 a piece, so go easy). While many claim to attain some sort of epicurean nirvana while having this, it was ultimately just a tasty and oily piece of tuna belly. It will not give you an orgasm. Sorry to burst your bubble if you had one but the truth is not always as pretty as fat marbling.


The asari butter itame piqued my interest because of the word 'butter'. This dish is essentially round necked clams stir fried in a butter sauce. It was both salty and tasty. The sauce almost overwhelmed the natural flavours of the clam though. I thought it would have made great beer food.


Lunch also came a soup of choice between clear and miso. I like miso. It had some pieces of salmon. This one is really sweet in a good way. So good that I was tempted to mention a particularly dreaded three letter abbreviation that begins with M, followed by S and ends with a G. But I won't.

I managed to sample a spoonful (uni-ful as well) of their kaisenmushi (chawanmushi with ikura and uni). I'm surprised that this dish came into existence as I personally thought very little of it. I maintain that uni should be served fresh and un-tempered by heat. Interesting as it may have appeared, I didn't think it deserved the $30 price tag that was attached to it.

I can see myself coming back. The place can get a little noisy from the chatter of the crowd but it was paired with very attentive service (albeit mechanical). While they're not Aoki, they're also not as expensive.