He wanted a simple lunch. And his definition of ‘simple lunch’ is simply healthy sandwiches and salad.

I like their laid-back, cozy and non-pretentious environment.

Simply Bread at Cluny Court has been around for more than a year.

But it’s only recently that we went there for lunch. Well, we wanted to head there for breakfast but we simply woke up too late! J

Caesar Salad

The Caesar dressing wasn’t too sour. It was refreshing. Fresh Lettuces, nicely hard-boiled eggs and bread croutons. It’s my all time favourite.

Their Roasted chicken sandwich was pretty tasty as well. Toasted Bread with good roasted chicken breast meat, lettuces, cheese and tomatoes. Their Toasted Sandwich and Salad was certainly up to our expectations.  

While I gobbled up the delicious sesame bread and exclaimed to him it’s warm and nice, he simply nodded and buried his head in the newspaper (Sports Section -_-).

Oh well, guys!

Oh! They also have a range of enticing breads at their entrance.

If you want more details, you can always head to  Simply Bread’s Comprehnsive Website. They have pictures for all their items!

Kichn – the new kid on the block takes up a pretty small outdoor seating area at Albert Court (Seating Capacity to be approximately 30).

It’s definitely a good place to host a small birthday parties or small-scale events.

The guys from pupilpeople did an awesome job in the corporate identity for Kichn.

We had a good walk from The Cathay to Kichn. Lady luck was smiling on us. It was a breezy walk that day.

Their Menu – in the form of newspaper-style.

At Kichn – you are the chef (sorta-of).

For the main dishes, you get to play around with the following; (Kichn’s Menu)

1. Choose your Base (Spaghetti, Fusilli, Home-cooked Noodles)
2. Choose your Main (Currently, there’s about 10 choices.)
3. Choose your Sauce (Cream, Tomato, Chilli Crab, or Featured Special)

We had the following combination;

(Spaghetti + Chicken Cutlet + Chilli Crab)  and (Spaghetti + Portobello Mushroom + Cream-Based)

Likewise, for the drinks, take your pick and decide your own concoction mixture.

My Concoction (Chocolate + Ribena) was Oomph!  Strong Taste of chocolate with sweet taste by Ribena!

The boy had Lychee + Green Tea.

We love the laid-back and casual dinner. The very friendly and bubbly lady at Kichn – Jewel is definitely an excellent host!

We totally enjoyed our meal at Kichn and yes, they’re certainly cooking up a storm at Albert Court.

We look forward to our next visit.

Mon–Thu : 9am – 9pm
Fri–Sat : 9am – 11pm
(Closed on Sun)

My one and only one proper shot at Antoinette.

There’s something for everyone at K-ki.

As for me, Antoinette still tops my list of my favourite piece of cake-art at K-ki. Their cakes are pieces of art filled with love from both Delphine and Kenneth.

It’s not hard to understand why people love K-ki and their cakes. Delphine is always chirpy and friendly. They serve good coffee too (The Nespresso Capsule ones). You get to shop around at the Little Drom Shop with their huge variety of knick-knacks.

I would say that it’s truly a taste that grows on you.

Enough said. Can we have more of such shops please?

Previous Post 1 and 2.

 Far beyond the ordinary restaurant, Vanilla Pod is a cosy garden atmosphere restaurant at Mandai Orchid Garden.

Due to its serene location, it’s actually a good place to consider for wedding solemnization.

The usual complimentary butter and bread.

At Vanilla Pod, there’s pasta, pizzas and a few choices of their chef’s special.

For Starters, we went for the Portobello mushrooms and the crab cakes.

Portobello Mushroom served with Scallion Butter

A plus-sized crispy Portobello mushroom, complemented by the subtle flavours of their in-house Scallion butter.

  The Portobello mushroom was crispy, fresh and juicy on the inside. 

Crab Cakes

Home-made Crab Cakes made with lightly pan-fried sweet Australian crab meat 

  To pick one dish that I enjoyed, it has to be the crab cakes.

We had both the linguine Aglio Olio and  Spaghetti Vongole.

Vanilla’s rendition of  linguine Aglio Olio was decent. The linguine was al dente and neither too spicy or dry.

The Spinach was nicely done and not overcooked. The use of sun-dried tomatoes and Portobello mushrooms,  enhances the flavour of an otherwise ordinary Aglio Olio.

 Strawberry Mille Feuille

My sweet tooth told me that i would very much prefer a sweeter version of this.

 Overall, Our experience at Vanilla Pod  is pleasant . We enjoyed the casual yet beautiful garden-atmosphere and the beauty of the fresh orchids.

  I love the place for its serenity. The food , however, wasn’t that impressive to me. It was good but it’s lacking in a distinctive taste and flavour.

And if you are worrying that there might be mosquitos. Fret not. You can always opt for their indoor comfortable air-conditioned dining.

And lastly, can you spot the smiley face?

Sun–Thu : 12pm – 10pm
Fri–Sat–PH : 12pm – 11pm

It’s an extremely crazy weather today. It’s not exactly the best day to sweat it out at the Hawker Centres. It’s not wise. The sun is scorning hot. It’s insane! !

Vanilla Bar & Cafe still smelt as good as the first time I’ve been there. The Credits goes to the Vanilla scented candles.

I’m craving for eggs after looking at Brad’s list of Best Brunch Places. So it’s Traditional Breakfast for me for Lunch!

Their All-Day Breakfast menu is definitely not as extensive as brunch places. Traditional Breakfast includes the Chipolata Sausages, Bacon, Fresh tomatoes, Side Salad, hashbrowns and one sunny side up. ($9.50)

For more – the previous review of Vanilla Bar & Cafe

Photos were all taken by iphone.

It’s not everyday that the boy will follow me to a Scrapbook shop. Last weekend, we went there for a purpose.

Guys being Guys. Basically, he’s clueless of what to get at Made with Love. He’s always intimated by the range of materials they have over there and at the end of the end, he simply dosen’t know what to get.

So I suggested a mini scrapbook session for us at Made with Love. Even though the end product wasn’t wow! But it’s the process and effort. Glad that he enjoyed that.

And the Strawberry milkshake at Made with Love was surprisingly pretty good!

 After a good lunch and good company, we walked past Eu Yan Seng and I was attracted by the strong fragrant smell coming from the pot of Herbal Eggs. Woo.I have always been a fan of their Herbal Eggs (The Herbal Eggs from Eu Yan Seng, (The Eggs at Compass Point are usually sold out by 8pm.)

(Eggs are priced at $0.80 each)

Photo Credits to renwom's Flickr 

 Herbal Eggs, (茶叶蛋/五香茶叶蛋), a Chinese specialty, also commonly referred to as Tea Eggs has a long tradition and is a typical Chinese savory snack found in most Chinese communities throughout the World.

  I did a search and managed to find a number of recipes on Tea Eggs.

Please find below the list of people who took aesthetic appealing photos of their Tea Eggs.

Ann_ming’s Recipe

(Their 茶叶蛋 looks absolutely adoring!)

 10 Hard Boiled Eggs

(Lightly Crack – Do not peel)

Using a Separate Pot – Combine the following ingredients;

1. 3-4 Tbsp Pu-Erh / Black Tea, Shaoxing Wine, Light Soya Sauce (酱油)
2. 1-2 star anise (八角) & Cinnamon Sticks
3. Few Slices of Ginger & Dash of Five Spice Powder (五香粉)
4. 4C of water
5.  Simmer on low heat for 30-40 Mins
6. Add the cracked hard-boiled Eggs & Simmer for another 30 minutes (Leave overnight)

The other Tea-Egg Lovers;

Jaden from steamykitchen.com 

She did a pretty comprehensive guide to her Tea Eggs too! The eggs look lovely! Recipe’s here.

Photo Credits to Jaden from Steamykitchen.com.

And also,

Jen from tinyurbankitchen.com

Jen  did a very neat write-up on the Tea Eggs too.  I love her Tea Egg Photos.

She has an easy Recipe over at her side but the Eggs look fabulous too!

Recipe’s here.

 And lastly,

 some tips: Some people don’t recommend the usage of super fresh eggs as their membranes are so thick that the marinade won’t seep in that easily and hence the marble effect won’t be as visible.

茶叶蛋, 蛋白嫩。口感棒！味道香浓！我喜欢！

Now, I should probably have a house party and ask my “guinea pigs” to try those eggs.

Please Eat in Moderation *Note to self*

It’s been a long hiatus. But it was a good one with my family and friends.

Besides the usual chinese new year practices, we do our customary prayers to ancestors and gods;

I’ve been really busy eating but just at home. And I’m not complaining.

I absolutely love home cooked meals.

The wonderful dishes by the 姑姑(s) and Mom, that we will see every year;

Stir-Fried Broccoli, Cauliflower with Carrots, Mushrooms and Egg Tofu

The Huge Spread of food.

I think i’ve had enough of pineapple tarts, chocolates, Bakkwa and all the chinese new year goodies.

 May the year ahead be a better one for all of us.

 The long awaited break we’ve (I am!!) been all looking forward to. Regardless of whether you are travelling, or just staying put in Singapore for family/friends gathering, have a good one!!

Happy Fridays! Happy (Long) Weekend!

Happy Chinese New Year

Happy Valentine’s Day

And of course, Gong Hei Fatt Choy!

♥ Reiz

Photo Credits to nipic website.

What is a must have for you this Chinese new year?

I love the wide variety of frozen meats at Cold Storage/NTUC.

One of the must-have items for steamboat for my family definitely includes the Frozen Pork Collar Shabu Shabu from the Supermarket.

 Don’t be put off by the Frozen Pork Packaging. They actually taste pretty good. I’m afraid I don’t have a photo to share for this but it’s easy to recognize the packaging. Head for the Frozen Pork Sections. The Key words here are “Collar” and “Shabu”. You won’t go wrong with this.

Thinly Sliced Pork Collar (五花肉猪颈肉) doesn’t even need any marinating to taste good! The Pork Collar is an excellent choice for steamboat as the meat remains juicy and tender when cooked.

Why do we call it 五花肉 or ‘Five-Flower’ Pork? This is primarily due to the alternating layers of meat, fat and connective tissue on the pork belly. Hence, this lead us to call it the ‘Five-Flower’ Pork.

I love ♥ 五花肉

Besides the NTUC/Cold Storage, you can check out the following stores.

• Meat The Butcher – Their Shabu Shabu Menu looks good!
• Mmmm, Meats, Marinats & Much More - Specializing in Meats.

And lastly,

• Meidi-Ya offers a wide choice of Sukiyaki, Shabu Shabu items which can be used for our steamboat.

新年快樂!!

Happy Chinese New Year guys!

(Photo Credits : nicpic website)

-Edited-

That’s the one i’ve gotten from Cold Storage. At NTUC, the brand is Por Kee.

Surely, it dosen’t looks appealing but when thaw, and you use it for your steamboat! It’s pretty good!