Binge - One Last Blast To CNY

One final week before CNY descends. If you haven’t finished your prep, here’s a quick run through of goodies you can still get your hands on, or head to without missing a beat.

For “Yan Yat”, or ‘Everybody’s Birthday’ on the 7th day of CNY, bring home Hilton Singapore’s Organic Yu Sheng which is a lot more exciting and luxe than it sounds. Wild caught salmon strips, shaved truffles, truffle oil dressing, golden persimmons, fresh seaweed and lemon-apple compote and lemon leaves make this a dish with a difference. On top of that, strawberries, honeydew and beetroot tossed in make this even more unique. Very pretty and lovely. It gets my vote! $288++ for 10 pple. 3 days advance order required.

Tel: 6730 3392

Who says you have to toil over the stove if you want Reunion Dinner at home? All you languid lovelies who want your cake and eat it can turn to Chef Yong Bing Ngen who’s done up a full takeaway set menu from Jing Restaurant. You get salmon yu sheng, a small poon choy (with stewed with abalone, fish maw, japanese mushroom, dried oyster, prawn, black moss and sea asparagus, etc), chilli crabs with golden buns, and fried rice with Chinese sausage and pineapple. $318 for 4-6 people. Pick up from the restaurant and just buy dessert.

#01-02/03

1 Fullerton Road

Tel: 6224 0088 for details

Talking about dessert, the mandarin mousse cake from Swissotel Merchant Court is quite a find! So the hotel may be a little off the central drag, but it’s got some lovely offerings well worth a drop-in. The said mousse cake is a long rectangular confection, nicely glazed with mandarin jelly at the top and a delightfully light, smooth and fragrant mousse underneath. Decorated with two mini ‘mandarins’ and for added luck, two tiny koi fish made from white chocolate, it’s all too cute to eat! Good to serve guests as hostess with the moistest, for its high ‘awwww’ impact!

Also worth mentioning, they’re offering a Cantonese poon choy for takeaway. A nice old fashioned vat of waxed duck, prawns, Chinese sausage, mushrooms, and sea cucumbers braised in fragrant rice. ($168 for 6 people; $288 for 10). Sometimes, you really just want something nice and traditional. Final orders on 4 February.

Tel: 62381848 or email: emc.reservations@swissotel.com

20 Merchant Road

 

If you’re looking for a place to dine in, Majestic Restaurant’s 10 CNY set menus look tempting, I must say! They aren’t the usual run of the mill dishes, and it won’t totally disseminate your bank account either. For instance, at $480 for 4 people, you get 8 dishes including toro lohei, sea treasures soup with sharks fin and truffle, Peking duck with foie gras, baked Boston lobster with superior soup, braised abalone with beancurd, eight treasures brown rice with prawns, scallops, etc, walnut cream with glutinous rice dumpling and nian gao. Not bad, no? Set menus start from $98 for two. Nice little prezzies for pick up here too, including a nice jar of XO dried scallop chilli sauce ($18.80) and yuan yang nian gao, which combines white radish and yam nian gao with preserved meats and Chinese sausage ($20.80).

31-37 Bukit Pasoh Road

Tel: 6511 4718

 

For a really nice CNY prezzie, I like Marina Mandarin Singapore’s Fortune Gold Coin Nian Gao ($68), from its Chinese restaurant, Peach Blossoms. It’s a real treat featuring four small puddings: Radish Cake with Preserved Meat, Yam Cake with Japanese Sweet Potato, Kumquat and “Shanxi” Red Dates and a huge, wonderfully made traditional Nian Gao with Coconut Milk. Having tasted them, I can say the radish and yam cakes were particularly good – very flavourful and smooth; and the nian gao was excellent – smooth and tender, but not adhesive like some can be! The huge pink and green box this gift set is packed in makes a fantastic looking gift – only for Mum or a favourite aunt!

Good to know, too, Peach Blossom is also serving luxury CNY dim sum this year, like Steamed Pork Dumpling with Diced Abalone, Steamed Xiao Long Bao with Foie Gras, Steamed Prawn Dumpling with Shark’s Fin. These are available on their a la carte menu.

Tel: 6845 1111

If you need to get a few more gifts, get hold of Hong Kong Mei-Xin Almond Fingers ($4.90 per pack), light as air confections which netizens from China and Taiwan voted as one of the best gifts to get. Incredibly crisp, light and lovely, these really stand out among the hoardes of cookies and confections available out there. It may not be ‘freshly baked’ over the counter, but it certainly tastes that way. Really top notch. I like the original flavour almond fingers, though there are also chocolate and coffee flavours. Apart from these, you can also get your hands on their Walnut Cookie with Almond (very delicious; $4.20 per pack), Walnut Cookie with Cashew, Sesame and Walnut Cookie, Macadamia Nuts Cookie and Walnut Corn Flakes Cookie . Alternatively there’s also a gift box of assorted flavours at $26. Cheap and exceedingly good!

Tel: 6862 2166 or

Log into www.frosts.com.sg for details and to order

Or available at Takashimaya and Great World City until 1 Feb

- Ee Waun

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Binge – Chinese New Year Takeaways, Poon Choy and the Return of the Rabbit

Szechuan Court's Lucky Bunny Yu Sheng - too cute to eat!

Are we frantically working out ahead of the Lunar New Year feast-fest? I am, but perhaps to little avail, and I see myself hurtling into a whirl of intensive eating, snacking and drinking come 2 Feb when the Reunion Dinner is served, marking the Chinese New Year, and the Return of the Rabbit.

This year has added significance for me ‘cos my daughter has reached her first full cycle of the Chinese zodiac. Yup, she’s a bunny baby, and it’s been 12 years since I had her. So on that note, I am quite prepared to celebrate a little harder this Chinese New Year with even more goodies.

At the same time, the onslaught of CNY always presents the issue of getting all the CNY gifts – or ‘nian huo’ – for family and friends, particularly aunties. Every year, being the filial niece, I potter out to pick up all manner of traditional food gifts which I think the aunts would appreciate – dried longans, bak kwa, dried scallops, eight treasure tea, dried shitake mushrooms, waxed meats…yes, the usual traditional items. But that is pretty time consuming and this year, I've decided to make life easier and buy each a single gift from the swanky takeaway counters and be done with it.

Don't you just wanna take them dinky things home?

These lucky lavender koi nian gao are from Szechuan Court, too.

And while we’re talking about making life easier, I have finally seen the light and appreciate poon choy. My rather cynical mother had commented before that this huge vat packed tightly with braised foods seemed a little vulgar and crude and it never featured at her table. But when I ate it not too long ago, it dawned on me – okay, rather belatedly, but the scales took time to fall from my eyes – that cooked well, it is very indulgent in its richness. All you really need was one huge vat to feed a dozen hungry guests, add in a large yu sheng for fortune and fibre, a nice nian gao for dessert and you have all the essentials for a CNY feast.

So on that varied and wandering note, here’s what caught my eye for CNY goodies around town.

Szechuan Court's poon choy with a bunny that's not that lucky. It just got eaten!

The Fairmont Singapore can always be trusted to dish out novel yu sheng dishes. This year, its ‘Lucky Rabbit’ yu sheng (top) is, like my daughter said, too cute to eat. The white radish forms the shape of a bunny, and features beetroot and pomegranate. If you can stomach eating the luckiest animal in the zodiac, Szechuan Court is serving up a Spicy Sichuan Soup Pot with 18 Treasures and rabbit meat (from $198; above). Apart from eating the golden goose – or shall I say, the golden rabbit – the dish also serves up house-smoked abalone, beef tendon, fish belly, fish fillets, fish maw, fish cartilage, shredded fish lips, dried scallops, clam topshell, oysters, meatballs. I say, give me everything, just hold the bunny. If you want something really pretty for a gift, pick up their lavender-infused nian gao ($8 each) which also sports a sprinkling of coconut. See the lovely fishes? Aren't they just irresistible?!  

Available 17 Jan - 17 Feb

Tel: +65 6431 6156 or email: dining.singapore@fairmont.com

Chef Hiew's unusual take on nian gao was inspired by a favourite

snack of one of China's famous Sung sisters.  

If I were having the Reunion Dinner out, I’d make a reservation at Mandarin Oriental Singapore’s Cherry Garden. The classy restaurant is always so refined and its relatively small capacity keeps it intimate and elegant. Plus of course, the fact that it’s Chinese chef Hiew Gun Khong is very creative and talented. On the CNY menus, must have’s are the yu sheng with salmon and crispy fish skin, wok-fried spare ribs with mandarin orange and chocolate sauce, mini Buddha Jumps Over the Wall with cordyceps, and whole five-head abalone in traditional style, and end with snowskin nian gao dumplings with macadamia nut and coconut crumbs or the black glutinous rice with coconut crunch ice and mango.

Cherry Garden's so refined Treasure Pot isn't too expensive, surprisingly! 

Set menus for a minimum of two persons begin at $118 per person, while set menus for a minimum of four persons are priced from $88 per pax – pretty good value compared to prices at fine western restaurants. Our internal sources reveal that many buy their reunion dinner in its entirety here, and bring it home. If you’re not planning to cook, make an order for the Cherry Garden Treasure Pot (S$238) featuring 13 ingredients, and the casserole-cooked jasmine rice with waxed meat and sausages (S$98). An intriguing gift is the Royal Steamed Red Bean and Nian Gao Layer Cake (S$26), Chef Hiew’s version of a favourite dessert of one of China’s famous Sung sisters.

Tel: 6885 3538 or e-mail mosin-cgdn@mohg.com

How cool and stylish can 'nian-huo' get?

This gold and black seasame nian gao from Mandarin Court

is as gorgeous as it is yummilicious.

You’ll find some unusual nian gao at Mandarin Orchard’s Chinese restaurant Mandarin Court this year, in particular Chef Sunny Kong’s brow-raising bak kwa nian gao ($38,80) which is an odd combination of sweet and savoury, and which proved a hit and miss. You either like it or loathe it. What was really good though in looks and taste were the black sesame nian gao (above), a controversial black, smooth confection with gold flakes and rich with the flavour of nutty black sesame, and the fragrant green tea and osmanthus nian gao ($33), all sweet and delicate.

The new chef has also rolled out a really fabulous poon choy. For $338, you get the Fortune Pot (left)  packed with 20 delectably braised ‘treasures’ – fish maw, baby abalone, sea cucumber, prawns, clams, goose web, roast duck, etc. At $468, you get a poon choy with five-head abalone. Both serve up to 8 people and all these items are available for takeaway too.

Tel: 6831 6320

Email: mandarincourt.orchard@meritushotels.com

- Ee Waun

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By The Way – Mr President, Handbag Set For You?

We all love prezzies, yes we do. We are all gracious people and appreciate it deeply when people buy us gifts – really we do. Whether breathtaking or ugly, thoughtful or ridiculous, in good taste or bad, we know it’s the thought that counts and we are so happy you went through the trouble. We know what to do with the ‘hits’ but honestly, gently, discreetly, what should we do with the ‘misses’? Eeek, and cringe.

After I poked about at the Singapore National Museum’s recently launched exhibition, Presidential Presents, I suspect the First Ladies, past and present, were often thrown in the same dilemma too.

From now until 9 January 2011, the exhibition displays 50 official gifts received by Singapore’s presidents from heads of states and dignitaries of various countries. They are particularly significant, the curator explains, as they are carefully chosen to symbolize the good relations between the countries and the heads of states, etc, etc…..

I hear – though admittedly unconfirmed – that the Istana was very keen to support this exhibition, and offered to loan the museum its entire collection of gifts. But I am told the museum politely decided to pick out only 50…..the nicest 50, of course.....(Sigh, First Ladies' dilemma you see.....)

All sparkly, and glittering and shiny, there were lots of gold things, bejeweled daggers and swords, silver tableware and boxes, punchbowls and tea sets (we can relate to that), beautiful Japanese porcelain and even what looked like a crystal kopitiam spittoon! What caught Madam’s eye? An amazingly intricate gold, diamond and emerald handbag set from Morocco’s King Mohammed VI to President Nathan, complete with lipstick and perfume holder, plus powder compact. (How strange!..) The 'most valuable artefact on display', this is a definite 'must-eyeball'! (Pictured at top but you can't see the diamonds in the pix - that's why you need to GO and see it.) I loved the chameleon-rich South African Ardmore kettle, the adorable pumpkin teapot from Vietnam (tiff image, so can't upload) and the giant seabass wooden salad bowl from Swaziland (below)!

If you’re in the vicinity, pop in. You'll probably take it all in within 15 minutes, but it's fun to see.....even if it’s just to see the blinged-out handbag set!

National Museum of Singapore

The Balcony, Level 2

Free admission

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ADVERTORIAL - Life’s Moments Gifts & Father's Day Giveaways!

If you’re putting together a party some time, take a look at Life’s Moments, a dinky online store specialising in pretty party and corporate favours. Started by a bunch of fun loving, like-minded moms, Life’s Moments behind this outfit require a relatively small minimum order – starting from 10 ready-to-go gift packs, or up to 50 pieces of standalone items.They are pretty strong on goodie bags for baby’s first month with updated gifts; birthday goodie bags and individual gift items for corporate events.

So what do they offer here?

Our absolute favourite is the customized lollipop bouquet ($60) bursting with 10 lollipop cookies carrying cute designs or personalised messages. You can buy just one bouquet or a minimum of 20 individual lollipops ($6 each) ….a lovely gift for a girlfriend, hostess or a new mom. They've done it for Chinese New Year (with auspicious Chinese characters on it) adn its great for birthdays too.

We also like their dinky Baby’s First Month gifts like the specially created miniature shortbread ‘ang ku kueh’ with a choice of peanut or jam filling complete with a banana leaf backing and red egg shortbread cookies covered with a layer of red fondant with personalized wordings….Just that we are possibly freshly past our own egg-laying stage in life. Then again, you can pick more generic items or cookie designs for birthday parties and such....Personalised individual items like chocolate bars, rock candy with wordings embedded, peanut candy and honey are cool, too, especially if you pop them into customized wrappers.

The little ‘matchboxes’ with your choice of packaging design are really sweet. Fill with Japanese Candy, designer chocolates, chocolate red eggs, 'ang ku kueh' biscuit or premium teabags. Nice for weddings, corporate events or just big bashes with lotsa guests!

We also like their unique packaging, from personalized gift tags and cards to gift boxes and our favourite – little hobo bags (above and left) in seasonal colours and prints. And if you have a big enough order, you can get some wrappers personalized too.

Get in touch with them at www.lifesmoments.com.sg

WINS!!

So with Father’s Day round the corner, Life’s Moments is giving away 5 Father’s Day Hampers (worth $60 each) to SimplyFab readers!

It’s a treasure trove of 22 packets of assorted flavours of Gryphon Teabags, 20 pieces of Valrhona “carres” chocolate in assorted flavours, a 70g jar of rock candy customized with the wordings, “Happy Father’s Day” and 2 pieces of 8cm cookies personalized with “Happy Father’s Day” & “No. 1 Dad”.

All you have to do is answer the following questions:

1. What’s the minimum order for Life’s Moment gift packs?

2. What’s our absolute favourite gift from Life’s Moments?

Email your answers to us at simplyfabulicious@gmail.com by Tuesday, 15 June 2010 together with your name, phone number, email address and NRIC.

*Note: Winners will be notifed by email together with details for self collection of hampers from a Bishan address.

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Bytes – In Case You Missed Out On The Man Bag For Dad…

Sweeties! Did you see the uber-cool Tods Man Bag in Elaine’s post (‘Quirky But Useful Father’s Day Gifts’ – 25 May)? Don’t we just absolutely love it for good old Dad or even our guy, for that matter?!

Well, if it runs out of stock while you’re rushing down to grab it – and we can just SEE the frenzied queues of people tearing the house down just to get hold of one – don’t despair! There are robust alternatives out there that will soothe both you and your deprived dad. Here’s our picks of more Father’s Day gifts.

A camera is always more exciting than a tie or pair of socks. Of course, it comes nowhere in comparison with the Tods Man Bag but at least Dad can take his mind off it by photographing the grandkids, the birds and bees and stuff around him. The Olympus SP-800UZ is the smallest compact digital camera in its class and the first in the world to incorporate a super powerful 30x optical zoom. Combined with digital zooming, the total effect is increased to 150x which means you can zoom right in on the craters of the moon. So cool!

It’s also got a wide shooting range with focal lengths ranging from 28mm wide-angle (think Himalayan panorama) to 840mm telephoto (craters of the moon or ex-boyfriend’s face). High resolution 14 megapixel CCD means good clear pictures, a 3-inch wide screen means Dad can see the pretty pictures without straining his eyes, and CCD-shift image stabilization function and high-sensitivity imaging means no blurred pictures whether Dad is shaking or the object in this viewfinder is. A big bonus – he can record HDTV movies on this camera too. Lots of other bells and whistles are packed into this little sweetie, and it’s so small it fits just nicely into the Tods Man Bag (if only we got it!) and also in the palm of your hand. Only comes in titanium silver, priced at $748, with 8GB mSD card.

If he is into sound, Creative’s ZiiSound D5 – it’s flagship wireless speaker system – is easy peasy for even the most technophobic dad to plug into. Just launched, this rather compact wireless speaker system is locally designed and developed and gives great, rich sound (I heard it myself and was so impressed!) and is so easy to use. Essentially, you blue-tooth it to any blue tooth-enabled gadget – be it your laptop, notebook, iphone, ipad, etc – and it will deliver the fantastic sound that rivals any hi-fi system. No complicated installations or downloading programmes from a CDRom - it's just literally plug and play. I saw the demo.

It won't fit into the Tods  Man Bag but it's so light, Dad can bring it around the house with him and soothe his (Tod's Man-)Bagless woes away with crystal clear music. An added bonus – the speakers charge the iPhone or iPod while they are docked. What I can’t understand is why it isn’t compatible wirelessly with its own Zen MP3 players! Duh!! Still, I say, buy local!! Costs S$399 and bundled with USB Transmitter for the launch period (worth $59) while stocks lasts. Available at  Creative stores at International Buisiness Park, Marina Square and authorised dealers.

Finally, SingTel and Samsung Electronics has just announced that the hotly anticipated Samsung Galaxy S smartphone will be available from 4 June 2010 – the first time it hits Singapore’s shops. The Android-powered Galaxy S has an ultra-responsive SUPER AMOLED screen, super sharp viewing of images and movies, 80% less reflectivity even out in the sun, video play and record functions, and allows you to record, edit and play HD video, browse the Internet, and read e-books. You can also check emails, listen to music and send messages without having to open and close applications, and it fits niftily into the Tods Man Bag. In fact, with this smartphone, he can keep track of the new shipment of Tods Man Bags the moment it hits the stores, with just a call to the boutique, anywhere, anytime! 

SingTel is introducing three enhanced Galaxy 3G Flexi price plans at launch from $39/month including unlimited LIVE MobileTV Basic Pack viewing for up to 24 months, free additional 200 minutes of talktime*, free local mobile data of 12GB (capped at $30), plus free access to SingTel AMPed offering unlimited music downloads. You can get it from today online at www.singtel.com/galaxyS and Singtel stores from 4 June.

- by EW

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