Tung Lok Signatures @ Changi City Point

For those living in the east, the Tung Lok Signatures at Changi City Point is one of the better restaurants located in this latest shopping mall in the East.



The restaurant is located on the 1st floor, right above the concourse.



Those who have sharp eyes would have noticed that a few Orang Utan are left hanging in the restaurants. We are not sure why, but I think it's rather unique.



Appetizer is the Crispy Mini Roasted Pork (S$10) - Tung Lok's version is pretty good. Crunchy skin on top of the juicy pork meat.



Another appetizer we had was the Deep Fried Egg Plant with Pork Floss (S$8).



We were delighted with the presentation of our Daily Boiled Soup - Pumpkin Soup (S$14 for a pot). The soup was actually being "cooked" directly on a plate. Created quite an entrance.



Their pumpkin soup was one of the best double boiled soup I have tried at Tung Lok. There is creaminess due to the pumpkin, and sweetness from both the pumpkin as well as the pork.



Another dish we had was the Duck Meat Foie Gras (S$12.80), which is an "all-duck" dish.



We like the Bamboo Clams (S$12.80)



Traditional Style Steam Live Giant Su Mei Fish (S$128). It's quite expensive considering the price of most items here. However, you get what you pay for. And the Su Mei fish is indeed very fresh. And since it is deboned, what you get is 100% fish meat.



Rice (S$1 per person)



I really like the Crispy Pork Knuckle (S$28). Skin is crispy, not too much oil, and the meat is tender and juicy. Dunk the crispy skin into this black vinegar sauce for extra taste.



Sesame Balls with Salted Egg Yolk (S$4.50) with complimentary desserts. The desserts were not too "heavy". Fans of salted egg yolk would enjoy this Cantonese dessert.



We also ordered 3 different version of their mini chilled desserts: (From left) Chilled Mango Pudding (S$5), Purple Rice with Coconut Ice-Cream (S$6), Chilled Herbal Jelly (S$5)



And as always, the friendly service staffs brought out their signature test tube fruit juice after desserts.


Tung Lok Signatures
5 Changi Business Park Central 1,
#01-26/27
Changi City Point

Hong Kong: Lunch at Po Lin Monastery

The chefs at Po Lin Monastery's vegetarian restaurant easily put their Singaporean counterparts to shame. I avoid local Chinese vegetarian food stalls' greasy fare and icky mock meats like the plague, but my opinion of vegetarian fare has been transformed after lunching at Po Lin Monastery.

Not only was my meal tasty and inexpensive (a standard lunch set costs an inexpensive HKD65/pax while a deluxe meal comes at HKD100/pax, my family of four opted for the former), it did a fine job of detoxifying my system after four days of non-stop eating!

I'm not a fan of Luo Han Cai, but as with all the other courses, the flavors in this dish were very clean and light. It's quite amazing how the chefs bring out the natural flavors in the ingredients without employing commonly-used aromatics such as garlic and onions, which are prohibited in Buddhism.

Who knew that soup prepared without meat could be so flavorful?

I adored the superbly fresh and silky beancurd in this sweet corn dish as well. As with the soup, the vegetable dishes came in very generous portions and we were all stuffed at the end of the meal!

Plump with crunchy turnip ribbons, the spring rolls were fried to crisp perfection. While they were the only deep-fried items on the table, the spring rolls contained barely a trace of grease.

The firm tofu pieces tossed within this colorful mix of vegetables were delightfully chewy (somewhat reminiscent of fish cakes!).

I daresay that no visit to Ngong Ping is complete without sampling the food at Po Lin Monastery. Do give the food here a try on your next visit to Hong Kong!

Meal coupons can be purchased at the base of the nearby Giant Buddha or at the monastery itself.


Vegetarian Kitchen
Po Lin Monastery
Ngong Ping Road, Ngong Ping, Lantau Island

Grin Affair

Just last week alone I made several trips to Everton Park near Outram Park MRT. No, it wasn't the famous Ji Xiang ang ku kueh that I was after, but a new gem that I recently discovered.



Grin Affair was still less than one-month-old when I first visited. Its owner is a young lady in her early 20s.



Passionfruit & Mango Cubes ($2.8)



Strawberry Kiwi Sparkling ($2.8)





All there menus here were nicely hand drawn by the owner. Great efforts aside, its kawaii-ness was also appreciated.

Not only the drinks, all the sweets here come packed in a see-through glass jar, reminiscent of the mini 'aquaria' I once liked to make with sand and seashells. 'By having our cakes in a glass jar instead of flimsy materials like paper cups, it gives one a substantial feel when holding it,' owner Jody revealed, 'moreover, as you know glass is a recyclable material, we encourage customers to bring back the glass jars on the next visits.'



Honey Lavender ($4.8)

The honey lavender mousse layer was very moist and smooth, with fresh whole blueberry bites in between. Sponge was on the other hand extremely soft and melt-in-month delicate.



Durian ($5.5)

Their durian cake was equally remarkable. Though I didn't really like the bottom layer of breadcrumb, the dense durian mousse packed with chucks of durian pulp was the real killer. You won't wanna miss it even if you don't fancy durian.

Currently there are 12 flavours on the menu. Although I have yet to try them all, these two that I tasted have definitely raised the bar for what to expect on my next visit, and the next, and the next...









To promote reuse and recycling, you get a jar of dried cranberries for every 10 used jars you return.


Grin Affair
3 Everton Park, #01-77A
Mon - Sat, 12pm – 8pm
Closed on Sundays
8282 7375

Plain Vanilla Bakery

I was most delighted when a sweet friend of mine sent me some goodies from Plain Vanilla Bakery! Cupcakes stores are dime a dozen nowadays, but PVB distinguishes itself from the fray with its refined offerings.

 If you only have space for one cupcake, I urge you to try Strawberry White Chocolate. The vanilla cake was faultlessly airy and moist and surprised with a center of fresh, sweet strawberry bits. My favorite component had to be the cloudlike white chocolate frosting though...this was arguably the yummiest cupcake I've ever had and possibly the best cupcake that I'm ever going to have.

Chocoholics will surely take to PVB's chocolate hazelnut cupcakes. Swirled with impeccably smooth chocolate hazelnut frosting that's sweetened just right, the dark chocolate cake base is suitably richer and denser than its vanilla counterpart, and comes filled with a gooey Nutella centre. Although these cupcakes are best kept at room temperature as storing them in the refrigerator may cause them to dry out, I like to stow them into the fridge right before serving such that the frosting hardens up slightly!

This cupcake oasis dishes up mean brownies as well. Rich and fudgy with a gorgeously crunchy crust, they are best savored at room temperature if you like your brownies with a bit of chew. Alternatively, heat them up before serving if you like your brownies on the gooey side. 

If you're too lazy to head to Holland Village, PVB does delivery for a charge of $8 with a minimum order of six cupcakes. Or you could spread the love with a gift of these mouthwatering delicious cupcakes!

Price: $3.20 per cupcake, $18 for a box of six

Plain Vanilla Bakery

34A Lorong Mambong

Look for a doorway leading to M.A.D. about Hair (which shares a unit with PVB), located near El Patio

Tel: +65 6465 5942
Opening hours: 12pm – 8pm (Tues-Sat), 12pm-6pm (Sat), closed on Mondays

COVA Pasticceria @ Paragon

Sunday heralds the end of the precious weekend, but it also is the day where most people like to sit back and relax over breakfast.



Not much restaurants and eateries were opened in the early morning at Paragon, but Cova, a world famous pastry cafe from Milan, was one of the few along Orchard Road that was opened in the morning. We were ushered to a quiet spot and ordered a cup of coffee to start the day.



Had this assortment of breads. They were warmed slightly in the oven, and an assortment of spreads such as their Cova jams were available to go with the toasts.



Also had a glass of carrot juice to wash down the pastries.



Their breakfast set which includes sunny side eggs, bacon and veal sausages.

Would recommend coming to Cova for a quiet breakfast if you are in Orchard area.


COVA Pasticceria
290 Orchard Road,
#01-20A
Paragon Shopping Centre

The Merry Men

Chanced upon The Merry Men while checking out a new bakery at Robertson Quay.

As much as I can remember reading about it, this bar-cum-restaurant is the venture of four young chaps who pooled their savings to start this 'drinking place, one that they could proundly call their own', despite that none had any F&B experience. Some of them even gave up their high-paying jobs to oversee the day-to-day operations of the bar.

On weekdays, this place is a waterhole for white collars to unwind, over their extensive menu of beer and wines. When it comes to the weekends, it becomes a popular brunch spot on the Robertson waterfront for family and friends to enjoy some quality get-together.



Their Sunday brunch menu is pretty much straight forward comprising your brunch favourites like Eggs Benedict ($12) and Sunday Toast ($24), as well as some tasty nibbles to go along.



Cappuccino ($4)



My Cookie & Cream Milkshake ($10) was forgettable. Not only that it was too milky for my likings, its all but unlikable texture was a major turn-off.



Heart Stopping Hashies ($14)

A pair of hash brown topped with scrambled eggs in Hollandaise sauce. Although hashie is not really my thing, the scramble was made scrumptious with sautéed mushrooms and bacon bits.



Asparagus and Eggs ($16)

My main was more than just filling, with the three thick slices of Gammon ham. Also worth mentioning was the asparagus, which was well seared to a flavourfully juicy crisp.







At the moment there isn't any no-smoking policy in place for its outdoor area. I really hope they would do something about it as the waterfront seatings are popular among families with kids. Otherwise, here is a perfect spot for you to enjoy a carefree brunch with friends.

OCBC credit card gets 10% off total bill.


The Merry Men
86 Robertson Quay
#01-02 Robertson Blue
6735 9667

Antoinette @ Penhas Road

It's our first visit to Antoinette. Took some time to find where their main outlet was - It's actually behind Citylights condo located next to Lavander MRT.



The decor inside Antoinette is quite a contrast to the surroundings. It's located in a shophouse, and the shops outside are mainly small repair shops. Personally, I find the decor quite pleasing to the eyes. It's bright, unlike other French restaurants which tends to look rather dim.



A word on the service here: After returning home, I read quite a few comments on HungryGoWhere. And they all had the same complaints: Service. We ourselves encountered bad services here too. Save for this friendly Filipino waitress, the service from the rest were rather terrible. Especially for one local Singaporean guy who literally "threw" our food on our small table when there were no more space left on our table. I hope Antoinette will retrain their service staffs as the food and dessert is of good standards. Pity about the service though.



This was taken at around 2pm on a Sunday afternoon. As you can see, it's full house. And only the outlet at Penhas Road allows reservation, and it's strongly recommended.



I like how iced water is served in these glass wares.



Ordered a salad: Salade Antoinette - Crab Meat, Boiled Egg, Yuzu Dressing, Tomato, Pine Nuts, Toasted Brioche and Mixed Greens (S$14.50). The salad had a citrus and tangy flavour, and the vegetables were fresh and crisp.



This 24 Hours Baguette with Serrano Ham, Emmental Cheese & French Butter (S$14) was suppose to be their signature, but I didn't think the Baguette, which had been allowed to be ferment for 24 hours, was really that exceptionally good. Rather average.



On the other hand, this Club Honey Baked Ham (S$15) - Pain de Mie toast, honey baked ham, omelette, mayonnaise, tomato, potato chips, fresh lettuce and petit salad with house dressing, which used your typical white bread, tasted much better. Perhaps due to the fillings.



As it was tea time, we selected 3 types of tea - Lapsang Souchong Imperial (S$9), The'de Porcelaine Rose (S$9) and Ange de I'himalaya (S$8). We enjoyed the light taste of the tea, as they went well with our food and later on, our desserts.



Savoury Crepe Concorde (S$18.50) - Roasted Chicken with Bacon and Creamy Morel Mushroom Sauce served on the side. On first look, this looked like a salad dish, but it's actually quite substantial. The mushroom sauce went well with the succulent roast chicken.



The last mains we had was the Ballotine de Poulet a' la Grandmere (S$26) which means Grandmother's style styffed chicken leg - Roasted Chicken Leg roulade a'la chasseur with pomme puree and seasonal vegetables. We are always wary of ordering chicken as it may turn out to be too dry for our liking, but the poultry dishes here are pretty good, and they were all tender + juicy.



Finally, it's time for desserts, and this is what this restaurant is famous for. The first was their signature Antoinette (S$9).



The ball on top contains a special raspberry sauce, and it went well with the earl grey cake. A point to note is that the cakes here are not overly sweet.



Violette (S$8.50) - A very floral cake with a violette cake base + cream and raspberry jam.



Religieuse of Caramel with fleur de sel (S$8) - I always like the combination of salt + caramel. However, the version here is a bit too dry.



Saint Honore L'amour (S$8.50). Not sure if this qualifies as a cake, because it is made up of a few mini choux pastry. On top we have rose cream and an edible rose petal with little "water droplets". The pastry again was a bit dry, but fortunately the rose cream balanced the dryness.



We "tarpao" Macaron (S$30 for 12 pieces) back home. If you are a macaron fan, I think you will like those sold here.



Final word on Antoinette is that they must improve their services. It's really such a pity that they invested so much on their food and decor, but not on their services.


Antoinette
30 Penhas Road