Ken Eat, Ken Drink

Nothing upsets me more than a poached egg that doesn’t...

Wed, 03 Oct 2012 11:13:23 +0800

Nothing upsets me more than a poached egg that doesn’t ooze. This shouldn’t happen at a respectable restaurant.

Duck confit risotto at The Kitchen Table at W Hotel Singapore. A...

Sat, 29 Sep 2012 19:24:39 +0800

Duck confit risotto at The Kitchen Table at W Hotel Singapore. A must have. Delicious. Makes you want two portions.

Since various Thor meme is trending on Facebook right now. I...

Thu, 12 Jul 2012 11:20:00 +0800

Since various Thor meme is trending on Facebook right now. I thought I’d chip in. (Yea, i know. It’s not food related. But what the heck) LOL.

Banana Gelato Pie with chocolate almonds and hot fudge at...

Mon, 14 May 2012 12:17:03 +0800

Banana Gelato Pie with chocolate almonds and hot fudge at Pizzeria Mozza. A side restaurant by famed chef Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich (you know, that bitchy/acid spitting judge on US Masterchef), is one of the few decent places to eat at Singapore’a Marina Bay Sands integrate resort.

The mains are pretty good. Of course, as the name of the establishment goes, the pizza is pretty decent. A real gourmet wood fire oven taste with delicious quality ingredients. But if you’re looking for one of those cheese oozing, New York slice type, forget about it. It’s pretty scant on cheese and looks pleasantly imperfect in a home-made sort of way.

But the real stunners of this place is the dessert. And this is my favorite. The banana gelato pie. Not overly sweet, and the almonds and thick fudge gives the dessert something to bite into. Crazy good, this.

If you’re looking for well priced, hearty and tasty...

Mon, 14 May 2012 03:10:40 +0800

If you’re looking for well priced, hearty and tasty Australian portions, look no further than Robert Timms. The pasta on the menu beats those pseudo-Italian bistro chains that keeps multiplying in malls (ahem, spageddies and pasta mania).

The mussels are lovely in the wine sauce, when they are available. It’s only ever on the menu about twice in all of the six times I’ve been to this place.

When I am here. I tend to over order. The photo you see is our order for two persons.

Robert Timms. Singapore. Wheelock Place.

I’d give it a 6.5 / 10 (comparing to those in its price point and genre).

The must order at Spago’s. As loved by Hollywood movie...

Sun, 13 May 2012 17:40:50 +0800

The must order at Spago’s. As loved by Hollywood movie stars, glitterati, celebrities and debutants. Wolfgang Puck, Hollywood loved him so much, they made him the official caterer for the Academy Awards. This culinary genius and charming entrepreneur makes American flavors and European cuisines explode in a hegemony of orgasms in your mouth. Ok, that sounded wrong. But you get my drift. Spago’s. Hollywood.

The best bomb Alaska in town, if you ask me. At Spruce...

Sun, 13 May 2012 17:17:41 +0800

The best bomb Alaska in town, if you ask me. At Spruce restaurant, Tanglin Road (Singapore).

Ku De Ta. Yes, now that this Bali chill out institution has...

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 00:21:09 +0800

Ku De Ta. Yes, now that this Bali chill out institution has opened a bar and restaurant of the same name atop Singapore’a building a la mod, the Marina Bay Sands, it’s time to revisit its roots and what made the place so well-known in the first place.

Kudeta Bali located in the Seminyak district has much to offer - An astounding view of the sun setting into the ocean, amidst an amber glow arising from the horizon, sexy house music blaring around the compound filled with beautiful people grazing on trendy light bites on sun beds at the deck. They’ve been open since 2000 and it’s changed quite a bit since then. Even my from my first visit in 2005 until now, Ku DeTa has reinvented itself oh so slightly to keep up with the times. And as a trendy hangout, it really fits the brief.

Mimosas and cocktails for the trendy set, completes the experience at the so hip it hurts lounge and beach club.

Noticed how I never mentioned the food? There’s a reason. They are BAD. The sushi/handrolls can take ages. Which is a puzzle. Since they don’t have to cook anything. The pizza is sloppy.

The actual sit down dining area serves better food. But somewhat overpriced for its quality. Something that also rings true for its Singapore counterpart. Well, at least we can say they are consistent?

While in Jakarta, I came about a lovely bakery with a penchant...

Sat, 07 Jan 2012 02:20:59 +0800

While in Jakarta, I came about a lovely bakery with a penchant for everything superfluous and fabulous. It’s a shop called Cafe Sweets by Jacqueline Bastiaan Wijaya. They offer a variety of decorated cupcakes, macarons, cookies, all-occasion cakes, and customized wedding cakes.

So here I am, walking a relatively upscale mall called Pacific Place in Jakarta, walking past what looks like an Hermes Birkin bag. I took a second look and it is made of icing! Now how fabulous is this?!

Apparently they can customize anything you want on the cake. And you could pimp your butter cream cake up like your wallet only knows how. The sky is the limit. Apparently most of the ingredients are imported from France. So you could truly call this Birkin, made in France (sort of).

These Indonesians sure know how to live it up.

Happy New Year to all. Here’s to new beginnings. And the...

Sun, 01 Jan 2012 01:59:45 +0800

Happy New Year to all. Here’s to new beginnings. And the end of the talk of Armageddon in 2012. Eat, drink, be merry! Have a blessed year ahead.

There’s this steak, pasta, salad, everything...

Sat, 17 Dec 2011 12:40:08 +0800

There’s this steak, pasta, salad, everything “western” restaurant (a very common concept in Malaysia), called George & Dragon that’s really popular in Johor Bahru.

The first time I ate there wasn’t too bad an experience. But today, while at the Johor Premium Outlet, I saw a George & Dragon restaurant and decided to give it another shot.

What a mistake. Stay away from this place. The mushroom soup is runny. And would make Heinz look like it’s a gourmet experience. The grilled black pepper sirloin and chicken combo I had which costs RM68, was really disgusting. The sirloin was really dry and lean. The waiter didn’t even ask me about the done-ness.

The sauce was just starchy tasteless goo. I’ve tasted better snot.

Never coming back here. To top off the experience, the service was pretty clueless.

The saving grace? Hmm. Well they have plain water. And wifi.

Online Marketing Scam

Mon, 12 Dec 2011 15:00:05 +0800

Do you take advice from “online marketing” experts who wants to teach you to make $20,000 month on the internet?

I’ve come across people like Mike Johnson on FB. Fr what I see, someone who couldn’t even afford proper resolution photo in his Twitter or Google+ account. Giving me a lecture on online advertising and copywriting.

So a few mental questions as you acquaint yourself with a new stranger giving you advice on marketing through Facebook post.

Who is this person? Has he ever done any copywriting? Ever written anything that wasn’t a twitter post with a self-marketing goal attached to it? Has he ever worked on a real multimillion dollar campaign? Online marketing huh? If you could teach someone else to earn $20,000 a month online, why aren’t you earning $200,000 and retiring to your Malibu beach house? Instead you are sitting in front of the computer, trying to speak from a intellect high ground and telling people who actually have done copywriting and manage a multimillion advertising campaign?

If you’re so great at search engine optimization. When I type Mike Johnson. Why does your online marketing help site not show up on the first page in Google?

A quick check in your LinkedIn profile shows that you graduated from Austin Peay State University in 2000. But haven’t listed any work experience till 2008-2012 as owner of some Internet an Affiliate Marketing business? Come on, you’ve got to give us more than that if you’re thinking of making money out of teaching people to market themselves? How do you do that if you can’t credit yourself even in your own LinkedIn page?

So the next time you see someone offering to show you the path to earning $20,000 by blogging, or $50,000 by knitting sweaters at home. Look up their credentials.

Never take marketing advice from anyone who has no significant marketing background or real world experience. Would you let your plumber perform a tonsillectomy on you? Thought not.

You’ve seen cute ones. Luxuriously decorated ones. Black...

Wed, 23 Nov 2011 10:52:43 +0800

You’ve seen cute ones. Luxuriously decorated ones. Black ones. Greasy ones. Great tasting ones. Foul tasting ones. Sweet ones. Sour ones. (I am talking about cupcakes here).

But have you tasted cuntcakes?

(Sorry for the bad name. I just couldn’t help it. Apologies if I offended anyone)

C’s at Grand Hyatt has the best grills and steak in town....

Sat, 19 Nov 2011 23:24:44 +0800

C’s at Grand Hyatt has the best grills and steak in town. But the price? Stratospheric. Foie Gras entree for US$40? Even 3 Michelin star restaurant don’t charge this kind of prices.

View feecha

Legendary Photog Annie Leibovitz's Surprising Camera Recommendation

Thu, 17 Nov 2011 11:10:28 +0800

Legendary Photog Annie Leibovitz's Surprising Camera Recommendation:

Annie Leibovitz. I love her work. They’re a reflection of our times. Our pop culture. They’re subtle and sublime at the same time. Who could forget Demi Moore’s pregnant poise in Rolling Stones mag. John Lennon nakedly hugging Yoko Ono. Exemplifying the subtext of John Lennon’s obsession with Yoko.

And one of the most influential photographers of our time thinks the iPhone is the snapshot camera of today. No, she doesn’t recommend the iPhone over a DSLR. Nor does she say it is better than a Rollei.

As the famous saying goes “The best camera is the one that’s with you”. How true. The best photo taking tool is one that’s with you all the time when you need it.

And today, I use predominantly my iPhone 4S for the photos for this lil’ blog. It’s easy. It’s fun. And I really don’t want to wait another extra second fiddling with a camera before I dig in to the delicious (and sometimes yucky) food.

We all know Jamie Oliver by now. Perhaps maybe some remember him...

Wed, 16 Nov 2011 23:56:00 +0800

We all know Jamie Oliver by now. Perhaps maybe some remember him better as The Naked Chef. (I would rather not). He is a charismatic personality on screen. But he is also an English chef, restauranteur and media personality, known for his easy-to-prepare cookbooks.

I happened to be in Brighton (UK) last year, on a side trip from visiting the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championship. Since Brighton is only an hour something away from London I thought a visit to this picturesque seaside town would be a nice break from the hustle and bustle of the city.

And as I was walking around Brighton’s charming streets, I came across Jamie’s Italian! And since Jamie Oliver’s specialty is actually Italian food, I felt this would be the perfect opportunity to sample some of his heart-warming food. Yes, Italian food is like comfort food for me. Italian food portions brings a smile to your face. The colors of tomato/meat and the carbs like pasta and risotto just begs for you to dig in!

BUT not at Jamie’s Italian. The fettucini that I ordered came swimming in half a bowl of watery thing I am not sure passes off as sauce. It actually looks like someone couldn’t make enough of the sauce and decided to water it down. Jamie’s Italian is supposedly the authentic, affordable Italian food place. Well, I am not sure which part of Italy watery sauce pasta is from, but I’ve been to some parts of Italy and I have never had pasta like this, ever. The other dish we ordered didn’t fare any better. The black angel spaghetti was equally tasteless.

Only very rarely, I ever not finish my Italian meal. And with this meal, I just kept making a sad face for a terrible waste of pasta and ingredients. The dessert of creamy pannacotta served with a compote of seasonal fruits was a little more pleasant. But you can’t help but feel very disappointed and underwhelmed with the food here. He may be championing healthy eating and quality ingredients but this restaurant has taught me that things that don’t taste good, doesn’t get to plead its nutritious case. Jamie, sorry. I am not a fan. You may be able to cook a good looking meal on TV, but I’ll find it hard to believe they actually taste as good as it looks.

Verdict: Go for the desserts and appetizer. Leave some space in your tummy for the mains elsewhere. I am finding it harder to believe the Brits know good food. Truly disappointing.

Who the hell comes up with these names? Afghan biscuits? Why?...

Wed, 16 Nov 2011 15:06:05 +0800

Who the hell comes up with these names? Afghan biscuits? Why? Was Iraqi cookie taken?

Apparently Afghan Biscuits are a Kiwi favorite. Made from cocoa powder, butter, flour and cornflakes, topped with chocolate icing and walnut. I just wish the name wasn’t so racist.

Quite possibly one of the world’s best macarons. These...

Tue, 15 Nov 2011 01:52:00 +0800

Quite possibly one of the world’s best macarons. These tiny cakes are simply delicious! They aren’t just pastries, it’s essentially art pieces of colors, taste, aesthetics and perfection. So much so that the macarons in the patisseries around the world are imported from Paris. Yes, so that you don’t get to use the excuse - the chefs made it better in Paris. Every macaron you put in your mouth anywhere in the world is made the same, from the same people, at the same place.

The macarons are nice and lightly crisp on the outside, airy soft in the middle. Sandwiching a delightful whisper of luxuriously flavored ganache. A far cry from what your Singapore and Malaysian dessert places would be offering. Also really good! Try the millefeuille while you’re there.

Interesting Factoid: Laduree is known as the inventor of the double-decker macaron. With 15,000 sold every day.

http://www.laduree.fr/

Verdict: This is an institution. Laduree is a must-go for any visitor to Paris. (And now available in London, Tokyo, Istanbul and various cities in Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, UAE, Luxembourg, Kuwait, Monaco, Switzerland, Italy, Ireland and the USA). Delicate, delicious and delightful to the palate. I dislike overly sweet desserts, and I love these macarons. Great for kids and adults. (And as souvenirs).

They move along slowly like tranquilized houseflies. 6 service...

Mon, 14 Nov 2011 00:37:00 +0800

They move along slowly like tranquilized houseflies.

6 service staff, manning just 3 counters and I still had to wait 15 mins for my turn. All they had to decide was original or spicy?!

To Singaporeans looking for a good meal in JB via second link...

Mon, 14 Nov 2011 00:31:00 +0800

To Singaporeans looking for a good meal in JB via second link (because Woodlands is so crowded and jammed up). You can look up Claytisfy. Pardon the silly name but the clay pot rice is one hot delicious meal. I arrived in Johor Bahru when it was a cool rainy evening. And clay pot seemed like the perfect thing to have.

The restaurant only has 3 main varieties to offer. Clay pot chicken rice or clay pot sliced pork with salted fish or the claytisfy’s own signature chicken in clay pot. And flip the menu over you’ll see about 4 different vegetables to help your digestion of those carbs.

The food takes 15-20 minutes to prepare, so don’t arrive hungry and grumpily impatient. The food is relatively good for JB standard, where coffee shops and restaurants thrive on Sg inbound very non-discerning taste buds. A lot of the bullshit JB restaurants put out there is utter crap. Seriously.

So if you’re passing by JB or Bukit Indah area next time. Do check out Claytisfy. Address: no 24, Jalan Indah 8/15, 81200 Johor Bahru, Johor Malaysia.

Verdict: They do one thing, and do it well. Everything is well flavored and clay pot rice is grainy and technically ‘al dente’ (the way claypot cooked rice should be. Ask them to throw in the salted fish when they help you mix the rice (before serving). It needs that bit of saltiness and strong flavor, IMHO. Generous helping of chicken in the rice. And they say the medium pot serves 2 person. But these 2 persons had better be really hungry big-eaters.