[iRecommend] Hachi Tei Japanese Cuisine

“It does not not charge GST nor service charge. The food is good and cheap.”
— Leonard Png, blogger

Hachi Tei Japanese

MEET the talent behind the blog “The Chronicles of Leonard“. His name is Leonard Png, 30, and he works as a laboratory executive at NTU.

“I blog almost everything under the sun, mostly about myself, my thoughts, the food I ate, the movie I watched, the places I went to, the events I attended, the countries I went to, the photographs I took, rants, occasionally gossips,” says Leonard.

Here, he recommends his favourite Japanese restaurant in Singapore.

Sushi Cake, Anyone?

It would make a fantastic centrepiece — even better than a naked woman
By James P. Ong

Sushi Cakes

EVER heard of sushi cakes? Neither have we, until we stumbled onto this photo (see original post) from a blog. Apparently, the bride and groom were known to love sushi so much that their friends decided to bake them this cake made with avocado, edamame, wasabi, raw salmon, tuna and roe. And topped with wasabi icing and drizzled in soy sauce!

We were intrigued enough to start looking for sushi cakemakers in Singapore, but alas, we found none. But we did spy an advertisement in 88DB.com promoting the culinary courses of California-Asia Sushi Academy, which teaches its students fun ways of preparing Japanese food.

Read more about Sushi Cakes.

Burger King Ad Controversy

Tray liners portray an onion getting strip-searched

Burger King Tray Liners

AN ADVERTISING agency in Europe has created controversial tray liners for Burger King that shows an onion clearing the airport security, stripped and with its pants down. Yes, you read right. An onion. With its pants down.

According to the website www.ideasandbox.com, the artwork is part of a series called Veg City, created by an ad agency called .start. The campaign seems to be for use only in certain European countries, and thus won’t make it to Asia or Singapore. Earlier themes included a Red Light City, Halloween, and New Year’s Eve.
Read more about the Burger Kind Ad Controversy.

Fancy Mooncake Liqueur

Interesting twist to old Chinese favourite at Szechuan Court

Mooncake Liqueur

IT’S that time of the year again: August, the month of mooncakes. And Szechuan Court at Fairmont Hotel has come up with a fresh take on these centuries-old Chinese favourite: mooncake laced in liqueur. For that you have to thank Szechuan Court’s very own “Mooncake Empress”, chef Mandy Yeo, who prepares to enchant mooncake lovers anew with a robust selection of unique combinations such as Champagne Truffle & Chocolate Ganache, Baileys Chocolate and Rum & Raisin Chocolate Truffle, and all-time baked wholesome favourites of Double Yolk in White Lotus Paste and Peach-shaped Single Yolk & Macadamia Nuts in White Lotus Paste.

Free delivery to a single location is available for a minimum order of 50 boxes and three days advance order. There’s also a special 20% discount from 1 – 10 August 2008 for a minimum purchase of two boxes.

Read more about the different fancy mooncake liqueur.

Mother’s Day Feasts

Choose from four restaurants at Fairmont Singapore hotel when you take Mum out this Sunday

IT HAS been said that the hand that rocks the cradle, rules the world. On 11 May, the world will momentary stop rocking and spinning as it pays homage to its true, dominant rulers — the Mothers. On this special day, Fairmont Singapore hotel (formerly Raffles Plaza hotel) will elevate matriarchal power and authority to a higher level, courtesy of its multifarious culinary spectacle to remember.

With an array of indulgent offerings and a cacophony of ways for Mothers to bask in the lap of luxury even only for a day, Prego will be leading a sumptuous epicurean tribute to fête all hard-working Moms and give them a fighting chance to enjoy a heart-warming, tummy-thrilling and soul-satisfying meal — a meal they did not whip up themselves.

Read more to find the best treat for Mothers.

25 °C Is Hot

Every month, this restaurant/bookshop in Chinatown recreates a recipe from one of the many cookbooks they’re selling — this May it’s miso-steak by lifestyle guru Harumi Kurihara, regarded as Japan’s Martha Stewart
By James P. Ong

WE’VE all heard the story before: friends who love food so much they decide to open a restaurant and café. For sure, it’s not a new trend, and definitely, it’s not an original idea. But to be able to create a restaurant that’s both original and trendy — well, that’s something we’ll always welcome in Singapore.

At 25 degree Celsius in Chinatown, which opened six months ago, owners Sally Tsai and Karin Chan have hit upon a brilliant idea: a bookstore and dining outlet that also happens to be a test kitchen.

Read more on this food review.

4 Out Of 7 Golds For Aussie Wines

Other winners at Wine&SpiritsAsia Challenge 2008 — which heightens a wine’s international recognition and marketing exposure — include Germany, Austria and Italy
By James P. Ong

AUSTRALIAN wines emerged with the most number of gold awards at last week’s Wine&SpiritsAsia Challenge (if you’re wondering why the words are so close to each other, it could be because the logo designer was doing some wine-tasting on his own!) at the Singapore Expo.

What happens at a Wine Challenge? “A Vineyard Story” tells us: “Wines in such competitions are always tasted blind and in a controlled environment: temperature of wines, aroma-free tasting glasses, good lighting, and of course, good servers. All wines will be tasted in flights (batches), to be completed in a given time frame. And NO, you are not allowed in such a ‘tensed’ environment of tasting, no visitors allowed! Authorised personnel only! And I’m sorry if your Gold Medal Wine from somewhere only gets a Bronze Medal here, no appeals will be entertained.”

Read more about the Wine&SpiritsAsia Challenge 2008.

More Japanese Dishes From PastaMania

On its 10th year, PastaMania adds seven new fusion dishes to Japanese menu
By Mavis Ang, Photos: PastaMania

Thanks to PastaMania, we’ve been enjoying yummy classic Italian food at very affordable prices all over the island. Along with various activities to commemorate their 10th Anniversary this April, PastaMania satiates fusion fans by introducing seven new choices under their ever-popular Japanese menu.

Read more about the new Japanese dishes at PastaMania.

Lumont’s Top 10 flavours

The best of coffee, classic, and fruity chocolates
By Cheryl Chia

When I heard that I was going to try out chocolates from Lumont Chocolatier, I was excited – no, not just because I had an excuse to stuff my face with chocolate, but I remember admiring their pieces through the glass and thinking how colourful and interesting they look.

Lumont’s chocolates are made from the finest Belgium chocolate, and I can definitely vouch for that, having experienced all the goodness of their chocolates and its bite-sized joys.

Seriously, if there’s one thing that I’ve discovered about Lumont, it’s their attention to details. Each piece is handmade and crafted to perfection, unlike most of the up-market ones, which only has well designed packaging. Besides its flowery appearance, Lumont’s chocolates are also made up of innovative flavours and textures.

Read more about Lumont’s Top 10 flavours.

In Search Of Eurasian Food

It’s widely believed that the only way to taste authentic Eurasian cuisine is by visiting a Eurasian household—Quentin’s challenges that belief
By James P. Ong / Photographs by Leigh Mojares

BY THE time we reached Quentin’s, the avenue alongside it was already enjoying a reprieve from vehicular traffic and the skies were ready to turn sunset orange. So when the waitress offered to sit us inside the dimly lit dining area, in one of those elegant tables covered in two layers of cloth, red and black, we opted to dine al fresco. You know, the way people used to in Singapore back when they still lived in proper houses with balconies?

For those who are unaware, Quentin’s first opened in November at a charming shop house along East Coast Road. It immediately attracted a cult following; such is the rarity of restaurants that serve Eurasian food. It is widely believed that the best place to have this type of cuisine is at a Eurasian household. Quentin Pereira, the restaurant’s owner, is said to use recipes from his grandmother.

Read more of In Search of Eurasian Cuisine.