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Sarang, Korean for Love

7/25/2013

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Gorgeous views and tasty Korean food at Sarang, Korean for Love... Located at Orchard Central, 7th floor, it is quite the oasis in the heart of the city. I was there on a weekday afternoon, so Justin and I were the only guests.

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Getting there was quite confusing as there were so many lifts, but where there is a will, there is a way!

A sampling of the menu...I have never tried Korean Tapas before, so it was quite an experience, Thank you Justin for the meal!

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The rice with wheat wine was really tasty...Makgeolli impressed me so much I wanted to order a few more, but it was extremely alcoholic.. Or perhaps it's because I was there at 3pm and it was kind of too early for drinks.

I was still wondering what I drank, so I went to google... Here's the wiki definition!

Makgeolli, also known as "makkoli", "makoli" or "makuly (takju)", is an alcoholic beveragenative to Korea. It is made from a mixture of wheat and rice, which gives it a milky, off-white color, and sweetness.[1] It is made by fermenting a mixture of boiled rice, wheat and water, and is about 6–8% alcohol by volume. Most makgeolli contains rice these days. $5

Terrine of ginseng with chicken was quite unusual. I loved the delicate flavor of the red dates combined with the smooth chicken terrine and the single ginseng right in the middle gave it more "bite". For me, I like the taste of ginseng, so I ate the ginseng, gnawing on it to release its full flavor. $16

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Close up of the ginseng chicken terrine

Even though you see whole cloves of garlic, it wasn't overpowering as I think the garlic must have been pre cooked before being added to the terrine. The garlic was sweet, reminiscent of baked or steamed garlic, but without the "skin".

Complimentary servings of Kimchi and a spicy unidentified dish was very welcome indeed. I loved the kimchi- it tasted slightly spicy with a lot of crunch and "juice".

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Spicy chewy rice cake was really lovely, with a fantastic chewy texture. The sauce, though bright orange, wasn't overly spicy though I reached for my water quite a few times. It was a burst of flavor, with the sweetness of the vegetables still intact. $7

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Close up of the spicy chewy rice cakes with vegetables and a sprinkling of sesame seeds.

The fish cakes made the dish taste even better, as the saltiness balanced out the sweetness of the sauce beautifully.

My best friend Justin! He gave me a "start work" treat because I started writing for his blog, www.justinlee.sg

Whatever is beneath that beautiful cover must be tasty too, and it really was! Army Stew! With such a name, I had expected much less... I later found out it's what they used to serve to the US army stationed in Korea. That's why there's so much spam!

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Tada! Army stew revealed! I was a little concerned that we couldn't finish everything, but we did, it was really really really yummy with the sweet well cooked vegetables and tasty, salty spam! Yumminess to the extreme, highly recommended! $18.80

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Quite the experience, just that service staff were terribly inattentive though there were only two of us there. Water was not topped up and we had to wave quite vigorously before any one of the three staff talking at one corner responded. I will be back, for more $5 rice wine though!

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Modern Thai cuisine at Tamarind Hill

7/24/2013

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I was walking and attempting to keep fit at Labrador Park when I chanced upon the beautiful Eco Cafe. Unfortunately, most of their desserts were sold out, and the main courses were not exactly what my Thai friends would enjoy, so when the staff suggested that we try Tamarind Hill instead, and helped us make a reservation as well, we were very surprised and happy with their service. I definitely want to try the food there someday!

Eco cafe was beautiful, but nothing prepared me for the sight of Tamarind Hill.

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Tamarind Hill is located at the very top of Labrador Park, in a majestic colonial building
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Simply gorgeous black and white building, with a impressively decorated interior.

When we walked into the Restuarant, we were greeted by a lovely lady who explained that Eco Cafe was their second Restuarant in Singapore and Tamarind Hill is their first. They already have restaurants in a few countries, and they have plans to expand their concept to include beach villas and a spa as well.

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The beautiful bar with comfortable looking seats.

Walking into the Restuarant, you will see the bar first, before the dining area, and the bar looked so lovely I wanted to sit and have a drink first... If only I wasn't so hungry!


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Hawker Heros Vs Gordon Ramsay

7/7/2013

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Singtel brought Gordon Ramsay to Singapore in a huge faceoff challenge, who won? 

According to Justin Lee, ( Photos are from him too! ) our Hawker Heros fared much better. If you are wondering what is this big challenge all about, check out Singtel's main site. You can also click on the banner linked to their site, image taken from their site.

In summary, I've gotten photos from one of the judges so you can all take a look first hand, before the official release! So, what is the big hooha all about? Why is everyone at Newton Circus for the big cookoff? Check out some photos of the LIVE event that was also streamed LIVE.
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The huge turnout at Newton Circus on 7th July 2013
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Gordon Ramsay preparing Chicken Rice, Singapore style!
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Laksa is an alien life form reincarnated as food...Gordon Ramsay's face says it all when preparing Laksa. Deep concentration!

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Chilled food from NTUC

7/5/2013

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Went to NTUC today, and saw chilled cooked food all nicely packed. The menu looked good, with different type of pasta dishes. Thought it would really be easy to just reheat and eat up if I was too lazy to head out and eat, so I bought one to test out first

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Packaging was simple and it came with a fork! Yeah... No washing needed, everything is disposable!

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I put it in the microwave for 90s as instructed and at exactly 45s, the smell of tasty tomato based pasta sauce started wafting out. My tummy grumbled and I nearly took it out of the oven... But I waited till the full 90s was over. If you are microwaving this, remember to peel back the plastic flap so that the steam does not buildup under the plastic - you might get a nasty steam burn.

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Taking it out of the oven and peeling back the flap was easy, my only gripe is the little price of scotch tape that held the fork to the packaging...then again, I should have just peeled it off first instead of yanking the fork out before putting the yummy looking package in the oven. Look at how yummy it looks!

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2 small slices of ham, four meatballs and some cheese (now melted) stared at me and I stared back with my camera.

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Tasty! The spaghetti was done al dente and the sauce was flavorful. The tomato base mixed beautifully with the ham and meatballs, and I'm a happy girl! The chicken meatballs were slightly springy which was a little strange and bland, but the sauce did a great job of covering it. Would I buy it again or try the other packs? Yes I would! Tasty and easy to heat up... Now, if they had soup and dessert too...

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Feng Shui Inn and Dumplings!

6/12/2013

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Happy Duan Wu Jie! It's dumpling eating day, 5th day of the 5th lunar month, which is today, 12th June 2013! 

I had seen Feng Shui Inn's advertisement for their dumplings, and thought it would be fun to have dumplings there today.

Was I disappointed? Yes I was... with such beautiful photos and good food the last time I visited Feng Shui Inn, I expected the pork in the dumpling to be tender - it was incredibly hard, and it is difficult to believe that they were using Kurobuta pork. Also, for $32++ for one dumpling, I would have expected it to be tastier with more ingredients. More on that later, but here's the dumpling I ordered. 

Kurobuta Pig Trotters Rice Dumpling served with Premium Soy Sauce Dip $32++ per piece
Ingredients: German “Kurobuta” Pig’s Trotter, Japanese Flower Mushroom, Thailand Glutinous Rice and American Yellow Bean


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Delicious Dug Deep

6/5/2013

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I love Chee Cheong Fun made LIVE, and this was quite fun watching. I initially thought that this was quite cheap, but apparently, there is one in Jurong East MRT Station, Kopitiam that is even cheaper, at $2.60 a set with fillings and a drink. ( Thank you Claire for letting me know! )

After you place your order, they spoon a ladle of rice flour mixed with water onto a cloth laid out on a metal drawer. The drawer is then placed in the steamer and after just a minute or two, the cloth is taken out of the steamer and the sheet of rice flour mixture is placed onto another metal drawer that has been oiled. The rice flour is then rolled up and cut into pieces. 

Verdict: The rice roll, though plain, is light and the layers are so thin it is a joy to roll your tongue on the chee cheong fun and light soya sauce with the sesame seed sprinkled liberally. Only $2 for the plain version, they have other flavours too, even abalone, which is their priciest at $16.80.
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Other stalls at this market have great food too, and char kuay teow ( Wok fried noodles in sweet sauce and egg ) here is only $1.50 and wonderfully fragrant and fried slightly wet, so the balance of the sweet sauce with the noodles was superb. And Oh...I had so much egg too, and all for only $1.50. I am so definitely coming back to this amazing hawker center with so many stalls selling food under $2.50!
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Ocean by Cat Cora - Lunch

5/26/2013

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Ocean by Cat Cora Revisited after a month

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As mentioned in the earlier review, I was going to revisit Ocean after a month to see if service and experience has improved and I was pleasantly surprised.

They DID AWAY with the Buttons! What a relief! The buttons were the worst part of my entire first experience, and when I arrived at Ocean, I was actually dreading to see them, but they were gone. Friendly staff greeted me instead, and I must say, it was an amazing difference that was very welcoming.

Instead of showing you the food first, you must take a look at the amazing view that will keep you company throughout your entire meal. This is the very best part of the entire experience at Ocean. Pure bliss, almost meditative if the restaurant wasn't filled with so many guests. The children who were at Ocean that day were enraptured by the glass panels filled with so much life, and many of them were sitting at the panels, mesmerized. I would sit there too, if I wasn't so hungry.

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Raffles city Marketplace

5/19/2013

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Going back to the place I helped launch in 1997 is memorable, more so because The Marketplace by Cold Storage has replaced the Japanese supermarket that used to be there, and all the shops have also radically changed. In fact, it is so different that the only constant is the fountain. I would say the changes are great though, because even though the shops got smaller, there is alot more variety to look at, with loads of food for selection!

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A Crustacean Affair

5/17/2013

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Walking from Mapletree Business Park where my gym is, I saw a lovely orange glow above Pasir Panjang Mrt and couldn't resist taking a shot.
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The smell of barbecued meats and seafood started wafting over as I arrived at Pasir Panjang Food Center. I came here thinking of having the fantastically cheap thai food, but ended up with a feast.

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Curry times

5/16/2013

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I have been walking past Curry Times at ARC, Singapore, for a while now, and was curious about their automatic ordering system. This is a very interesting intuitive touch screen system that allows you to order the sets or you can also order ala carte. I still had to look up at the menu to see what the sets included though, and the "drink" in the set was not described, so I opted for ala carte instead.
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Pay with flash pay or nets! Really fast and easy.
After making payment via flashpay which was really super fast but posed a security issue as anyone with your atm card can just flash it on the machine to make payment. However, payments via flashpay has a cap, which is at $100, so your risk exposure isn't that high. The receipt that is dispensed has your order number, so remember to wait for your number to be flashed before taking your food. You will also receive a nets receipt, so remember to take both receipts.

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Alexandra Village Hawker Center

5/15/2013

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Parking is difficult here due to the numerous car repair shops here, together with the top three local banks planting their branches here. You can find DBS, OCBC and UOB here.
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This makes it all worthwhile! The fish head curry is only $17, but it is full of red snapper, lettuce, brinjal, ladies fingers and tomatoes, all stewed in a fragrant curry sprinkled with chili padi. The taste is simply mind blowing, and as i am writing this, images of the fantastic curry is making my stomach growl again.

This shop is located on the second row, right smack in the middle. Known as a Zhi Char stall ( meaning cook to order ), it is located next to a bak kut Teh stall. The next time I head to Alexandra village, I would definitely take a photo!

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Feng Shui Inn at Resorts World Sentosa

4/5/2013

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Feng Shui Inn 

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My friend had a $100 voucher for Feng Shui Inn, so I thought it would be the perfect time to try some of their food. Besides the ala carte chinese food they specialized in , they also had a lovely array of ala carte dim sum. I liked everything that was on the table, so I decided to make a photo gallery of all the photos taken.

The bird nest dumpling in soup was especially tasty, and totally different from what I expected bird nest to taste. It tasted and reminded me of clear shark's fin soup, and the dumpling was bursting with seafood and birds nest.

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Ocean by Cat Cora

3/29/2013

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Ocean by Cat Cora at 
S.E.A Aquarium Resorts World

This is the entrance that will greet you if you are going through the entrance which does not require entry into the Aquarium, and after a bumpy and fun ride on the buggy provided by Resorts World ( Ocean does not have their own dedicated buggy ) you would arrive at this beautiful entrance. Nothing outside will prepare you for the view inside though.

When you step into the restaurant, the first thing that hits you is the sense of being underwater. A huge, unobstructed view of the ocean - underwater, gives you a immense feel of how small we all really are. Beautiful rays swim across while you eat, if you are able to get the table nearest the viewing panel, which is said to be the largest in the world. The view is just awe-inspiring.

Then Reality bit.

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Chanchop.com - Things I like!

Adventures in Singapore and faraway, featuring food, fun, beautiful views and more. Reviews are the author's own opinion and she has not been compensated in any sense for featuring the businesses in her blog. She enjoys testing out new apps and products too, and will write short reviews. Enquiries for Advertorials are welcome, do drop her a line on the comment form or email her at [email protected]. You may view our privacy policy and terms of use by clicking here.