Chock Full of Beans

I have a secret affection for Changi Village, the local equivalence for holiday chalets and urban escape. I also enjoy my morning cuppa. So imagine my excitement when I learned about this new coffee joint recently landed in Changi Village on The Ponderous Pilgrim. Never mind the travelling. I hopped on to Bus 29 from Tampines last weekend and reached my destination in a little less than an hour a blink of an eye .







They get their beans from Highlander Coffee, a four bean blend I heard. Not the best cup I had, but these clever latte arts really made my day.



Penne with Roasted Summer Veggie

With the current lunch promotion, we got our pasta dish, soup of the day and coffee at just $14.80.



Smoked Salmon Sandwich ($13)

Also on promotion was their sandwich lunch set at just $13 (inclusive of soup and drink).

The smoked salmon was succulent and the portion generous, as the picture can tell. I have had smoked salmon sandwiches at many cafés, but what I liked about the rendition here was the use of cream cheese and pickled pepper which added some extra savouriness to it. Yummy~



Seeing many tables around us having their signature Dark Chocolate 70% Cake, kiasu we were that we also ordered one slice with (Gryphon) Camomile Tea, again a set ($8.50). The cake was smooth and intensely chocolatey, but didn't really taste like 70% in my opinions. Our tea which was served in a pot came surprisingly with two cups for the pair of us. A small gesture it might seem, but it was service with such thoughtfulness that made dining experience memorable.







So next time when in the neighbourhood, whether you are heading down to Pulau Ubin or simply visiting to chill, here is one perfect place for your quality coffee and savoury bites.


Chock Full of Beans (Facebook)
4 Changi Village Road, #01-2090
Tue - Fri, 11am - 10pm
Sat - Sun, 9am - 10pm
Closed on Mondays
6214 8839


With 2012 just round the corner, Amasou Umasou would like to wish everyone a Happy New Year! Thanks for all your supports and friendship this past one year. May you have the most wondrous and fulfilling year ahead.

Last but not least, have fun at your new year celebrations. Cheers :)

Noble House @ UIC Building

After many years operating from UIC Building, Noble House has officially closed to make way for a brand new building.



We were there a few days before its official closure. The decor of Noble House is rather unique, and after its closure, only Paramount at East Coast will spot a similar design.



We each had a Crispy Deep Fried Lobster with Chilled Fruits (S$28 per person). The lobster was crispy due to the batter.



We like the soups in Tung Lok restaurants. Their Double Boiled Soup with Chicken & Fungus (S$38 for 1 pot) tasted good and did not have any "herbal" tastes which some may not like.



After serving the 1st bowl of soup, the service staff will usually "fish out" the ingredients in the soup. Here, we have a whole chicken thigh+drumstick and the fungus mushrooms used to brew the soup.



Next up, Steam Fish Slices With Tofu, Black Fungus & Brinjal (S$12 per person). Fish was fresh and tasted sweet.



The final dish was my favourite - Stir Fried Aloe Vera Noodles with Scallops (S$8.80 per person). According to the restaurant, this Aloe Vera noodles (texture is almost similar to a hybrid of mee pok and kway teow) is really made of aloe vera. The noodles is quickly cooked in hot water, and then mixed with a spicy seafood sauce.



Before desserts were served, we had their signature fruit juices served in test tubes.



Dessert consisted of the ever popular Herbal Jelly with Mango Pudding (S$10)



And a special dessert of Coconut Dessert with Tangyuan (S$16).



So it's goodbye to Noble House at UIC Building.


Noble House
5 Shenton Way
#06-13
UIC Building

Santi @ Marina Bay Sands

Unknown to many people, Santi over at Marina Bay Sands has launched a Sunday brunch at a pocket friendly price.



Available between 12pm to 2pm every Sunday, it serves some of the well known dishes available in this restaurants. Started our brunch with a bottle of sparkling San Pellegrino (S$15 for 750ml)


Having Sunday Brunch (S$88 per person) at Santi during daytime is quite an experience. As most of the celebrity restaurants are opened only in the evening, so it's quite unique to admire the day time view of Marina Bay Sands from the restaurant.



Started our brunch with Roederer Brut (S$36 per glass) and Roederer Rose (S$42 per glass) .



I like how they served the sparkling wine on a wine tasting table.



Bread sticks were served with the sparkling wine.



The breads were a bit cold since it was left on the table. But the cold bread was redeemed by the wonderful olive oil that was served together with creamy French butter. The olive oil had a nutty and full taste, and was excellent with the breads.



We had a complimentary amuse bouche of Tomato Gazpacho plus a tuna appetizer. The tomato gazpacho was cold and tangy, and it "opened" our appetite for more delicious food to come.



The first appetizer was Calamari "a la plancha" amb romesco sauce and leeks. It's basically calamari cooked on a metal plate, and is a popular Spanish way of cooking calamari meat. The leeks are battered dipped and fried till crisp.



The Scrambled eggs with asparagus, eggplants and chorizo was an instant hit. The creaminess of the eggs with all the ingredients.



The salt and paprika powder containers.



Next was the Traditional mushroom rice with prawns. The prawns still retained the crunch, and the rice had absorbed the mushroom flavours.



Traditional Cannelloni Catalan style with Bechamel sauce, which is cannelloni pasta cooked with traditional French white sauce. Lot's of different ingredients and flavours.



Midway through our brunch, we ordered the Emilio Lustau East India Sherry – Jerez – Xérès – Sherry, Spain (S$25 per glass)



The main course. A popular selection here is the Catalan fish stew with Iranian Saffron. The fish was really tender after being stewed for hours. The gravy had a very nice and beautiful aroma.



Smoked chicken with potato and cabbage cake. Although the chicken was tender and juicy, but I find it paled in comparison to the fish stew.



Desserts were finally served. First was the Apple tart with caramel and cinnamon ice-cream.



I prefered the 2nd dessert of Roasted pineapple with coconut and mango. The pineapple was very sweet after being roasted as the sugar inside had caramelized.



Petit Fours was also served as we ordered tea after our brunch. I was surprised (in a good way) that Santi had used Oreo cookies as the main ingredient for one of their petit fours.



The Black Nectar Tea (S$12) was served in a very classic Narumi cup, saucer and plate. Also had Espresso (S$8) too.



Overall, a very value-for-money Brunch at one of Marina Bay Sands' celebrity chef restaurant. Although Chef Santi has left this world, but his chef has managed to maintain the excellent standard of the late chef.


Santi
10 Bayfront Avenue,
#L2-03,
Casino Level 2,
Marina Bay Sands

Jewel Coffee

The CBD coffee connoisseurs are never short of craft coffee options with the high concentration of indie coffee joints brewing in the area. Jewel Coffee, located at One Shenton may not be the newest in town, but is probably the only local café that solely focuses on single origin beans for all their coffee drinks.

Taking care of your cuppa are veteran barista Shinhao who has years of experience under his belt, and the stunning La Marzocco Strada from Italy. Not forgetting the Macro Über Boiler which allows precise brewing perfection. On the other hand, you may also choose a manual brewing style if you have the time, be it the Chemex, V-60 dripper or a syphon.



Here I had my latte ($5.8) made from Lintong, from Sumatra. It was an intense body with nice nutty note and a lingering herbally sweet aftertaste. Oh man, I never knew single origin could make such an interesting cup until I took that sip. Oh, did I mention that all espresso-based drinks here are double-shot?



The café currently has over 20 beans, rotated on a weekly basis. Surely this is something worth you frequent checking back for. Tasting classes are conducted on some of the not-so-busy weekends to promote higher coffee appreciations. Be sure to stay tuned to their facebook page for event updates.








Jewel Coffee (Facebook)
1 Shenton Way, #01-07
Mon – Fri, 7am – 9pm
Sat, 8am – 5pm
6636 9452


Today is Christmas Eve, here is to wish my dearest readers and friends a Merry Christmas!

Old Hong Kong Legend @ Raffles City Shopping Centre

When I saw the name "Old Hong Kong Legends", the 1st thing that came to my mind was that is this another HK Cafe kind of place serving Instant Noodles + Luncheon Meat or Pork Chop Rice?



Apparently, it's from this Old Hong Kong group of HK cafe, but this particular one at Raffles City serves totally different food.



In fact, there is nothing "Hong Kong Cafe-ish" about this place. Decor is like a Chinese restaurant, food too, and so are the prices.



The restaurant doesn't serves braised peanuts or candied walnuts as appetizer, but a Korean kimchi (S$0.80) instead.



Started our dinner with this cold appetizer: Black Fungus with Vinegar (S$8.80) - It's basically crunchy black fungus marinated with vinegar, coriander and spring onions, served cold.



We also enjoyed the Double-Boiled Sakura Chicken Soup with Snow Lotus (S$28). However, it's quite pricey as S$28 is only enough for 1 diner. In other restaurants, a S$50 portion can feed 4 diners comfortably.



One of their signature appetizer is the Chinese Yam Paste 山药 with Blueberry Sauce (S$9.80 for plate of 3). We think that this is a unique dish from Old Hong Kong Legends, and that "whipped cream" is actually a thick Chinese yam paste. To counter the creamy and dense yam, blueberry sauce is used to balance it. Of course, the crunchy and juicy watermelon base also helps too. Worth a try if you have never tried before.



Seeing that the Triple Delights roasted Peking Duck (S$20 for half) is available for a special price, we decided to order one.



However, we were quite disappointed with it. The skin was not as crunchy as the better ones served at Imperial Treasures at MBS and Paragon. The wrapper was too thick and dry.



We also had the normal staples like this Peach Sweet And Sour Pork (S$13) - Quite good.



But the star dish for the night was this Stir Fried Fresh Milk with Scallop and Crab Roe (S$24). It was creamy, milky and the sweetness of the seafood was brough out by the milk. It was served on a bed of deep fried vermicelli.



Another of their most popular dish is the Flaming Kurobuta Pork with Special Sauce (S$26). Beware as the waiter will "light up" the dish on your table. But after all the drama, this dish tastes and looks like your ordinary black pepper pork.



Didn't ask them to stir fry the duck meat with noodles, so we had them as a meat dish. The meat was quite tender, but lacks flavour.


Old Hong Kong Legend
252 North Bridge Road,
#02-18
Raffles City Shopping Centre