Tag: American

choPSuey cafe, cool, kitsch Chinesey food in Singapore

To be honest, I had kind of avoided Chopsuey Cafe when it first opened. Early reviews by both press and bloggers weren’t entirely favorable. But, a few months ago, my sister-in-law J, who has impeccable taste, recommended that we go there for brunch. And I’m so glad she did. Since then, I’ve been back several times, each time becoming more and more enamored with this elegant yet oh-so-kitschy restaurant tucked away in a corner in Dempsey Hill. In the end, I’ve come to the conclusion that all of those critics who pooh-poohed this marvelous little Chinesey eatery, well, just simply didn’t get it.

Restaurants6 August

Brooklyn Hide makes bagels boom in Sydney

Sydney’s latest craze for bagels, milkshakes and sloppy joes has seen a number of cafes and restaurants pop up with specialty items. A standout is Brooklyn Hide.

Recipes3 July

Orangette’s seriously chocolatey chocolate cake

I picked up Molly Wizenberg (of Orangette)’s book over a year ago when I was preggers, following J around on his work trips and doing nothing very much apart from putting away spectacular amounts of food (especially cakes and sweets) and devouring large quantities of food narratives, which often come with lovely recipes.

Recipes28 June

Pantry Basics: Easy Chocolate Ice Cream Shell

It’s definitely ice cream weather right now! You would think that to get a thin coat of chocolate on your ice cream would be a simple matter of dipping it into some melted chocolate. Well, think again. I’ve made some spectacular mistakes. It doesn’t help that doing something like that in the sweltering tropics makes it doubly complex. But I’m happy to report that I’ve finally found a simple chocolate ice cream shell recipe that works: chocolate and refined coconut oil. I did try the venerable Thomas Keller’s recipe first, but it still resulted in a shell that was far too thick. It was the Chocolate Bombe Shell recipe from the fabulous Jeni Britton Bauer of Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams that did the trick.

Recipes25 June

Comfort food – my mother’s recipe for macaroni and cheese

I grew up in the Southern part of US. And what everyone now calls “comfort food” was just regular ‘ole food to us. Southern food is rich – with dishes like fried okra, ribs, creamed corn, BBQ, buttermilk biscuits, mashed potatoes and such being part of the everyday diet. When I go home and visit my mother in North Carolina every year, I start thinking about my mother’s cooking…and when she asks me, “do you want me to make anything special for you?,” it’s her homemade mac and cheese that tops the list.

Restaurants12 June

The CW Burger Breakfast from The Market Grill, Singapore. My current favourite burger.

Any regular reader knows that one of the dishes I hold most dear to my heart is the burger. I adore burgers, both western style (topped with condiments and served between buns) and Japanese style (covered in a thick demi-glace sauce and served with rice). Unfortunately, while it is relatively easy to find a burger when dining out, it is hard to find a truly exceptional one. One that will make you go, “Wow!”, immediately start texting friends about, and return just a few days later for another serving. The CW Burger Breakfast, available at The Market Grill on Telok Ayer Street (in Singapore), though, is just such a burger.

Restaurants6 June

Meeting Jean-Georges Vongerichten and recipes for cooking at home

I first became aware of Jean-Georges Vongerichten when I was living in New York. I was in advertising, it was the early 1990s and expense accounts were fat (people in America not just yet ;); and I was just beginning to learn what it meant to eat really well. My first meal with JG, as he is known by foodies worldwide, was at JoJo in 1992.

Restaurants28 May

Highlights from Portland and the Oregon coast

I often take the best things in my life for granted, such as my wonderful hubby J who manages to squeeze time out from his non-stop work schedule to take me to my favourite country for a quick break. This time, we decided on Portland and the Oregon coast, road-tripping all the way. We flew into San Francisco airport, did a quick overnighter and then drove out bright and early the next day up towards Portland, stopping by Ashland, spent a few days in Portland, and back down by the spectacular Oregon coast.

Continue reading Highlights from Portland and the Oregon coast

Recipes23 May

World Peace cookies

I’ve found a new pen pal in my editor, Charmaine, who’s based in Hong Kong. We write each other about once a week, mostly just girl/mommy talk, but discussions inadvertently find their way back to food. One of our latest topics has been what we bake when we need a little pick-me-up, something that lifts our spirits on a dowdy day, or a sweet treat when we are simply in a gluttonous mood.

Restaurants14 May

Called to the bar at Gramercy Tavern, New York City

One of the great things about New York City is that you can eat at the bar counter at many great restaurants. As I travel a lot for business, I often end up in some cities during the weekends with no business meals. And that, my friends, is a real luxury indeed.