Custard Apple from Sheng Siong Supermarket

Custard Apple from Sheng Siong Supermarket

I tasted this rather strange looking fruit for ths first time. It is called a Custard Apple. Found it amongst the supermarket shelves at Sheng Siong Loyang Point, Pasir RIs Block 258.

This fruit actually tastes much better than it looks. The fierce looking outer layer of skin bears resemblance to some reptilean creature like a terrapin. The custart apple's skin is rough, tough-looking but flexible.

Underneath this scarry skin, you will find an amazing transformation. The flesh is white and soft to touch, akin to a papaya texture. I like the sweetness of the custard apple. There is however a grainy kind of texture when introduced to the tongue.

Large seeds are also noted inside the custard apple. I have removed them before taking this photograph. You can see the pockets of holes where the seeds used to be.

Custard apple is certainly a fruit that I will want to sample again!

Recommendation:
Score for Apple Custard sold at Sheng Siong Supermarket = 8.5 out of 10.

Merry Christmas To Pasir Ris Not Paris Readers

MERRY CHRISTMAS

and

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

To all Pasir Ris Not Paris readers,
Enjoy the festive occasion

With lots of feasting and dining.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Editor
Pasir Ris Not Paris

Avocado Milkshake, Nihon Mura

Avocado Milkshake, Nihon Mura

Thick and milky is the comment I get when I pass this glass of avocado milkshake (center, yellow in colour in photograph) around my family members.

We love this unusual drink as there are not many restaurants in Singapore that serve avocado in a milkshake drink.

The size of this avocado milkshade has been described as a "satisfying amount", as it comes in a concentrated formulation and fills up the tummy completely after trying other dishes at Nihon Mura.

This avocado milkshake is great for those who love something fruity and milky.

Recommendation:
Score for Avocado Milkshake at Nihon Mura = 9 out of 10.

Lasagna From Spize Restaurant

Lasagna From Spize Restaurant

The lasagna that my companion ordered at Spize restaurant in Bedok Shopping Centre looked very presentable and appetizing. You can take a look at the lasagna in the picture that I took (above).

Their version of lasagna was halal made. I took one bite of the lasagna as a sampling and was impressed. It tasted as good as an Italian restaurant's lasagna. The layers were soft and melted in my mouth. The minced beef could be discerned although its presence was not obvious.

The sauce looked and tasted like sphagetti sauce, with just the right amount of sweetness, seasoning and not too oily. The lack of an oomph could be due to the mild presence of cheese, which anyway is not my favourite condiment. Their version of cheese does overpower my senses and so it earned my accolade.

I would prefer that the oil/sauce stains on the white porcelain bowl was removed before being served to make it look less oily. Anyway this is a small matter. I came to this kopi-tiam-like cafe to taste the food, not to pay extra for fine dining.

Recommendation:
Score for Lasagna from Spize restaurant = 8 out of 10. (more beefy flavouring would up this score)

Lasagna from Spize Restaurant
Price = $10.50 (before GST)

Address:
Spize Restaurant
338 Bedok Road
Bedok Shopping Centre

Fried Fish Fillet at Manhattan Fish Market

Manhattan Fish Market Seafood Platter For Two

The famous fried fish fillet in their Seafood Platter For Two was ordered at Manhattan Fish Market located in Plaza Singapura branch.

Their version of the fried fish fillet (of cod) had about the the same crispiness in the crust as other restaurants. What I like about their fried fish fillet is that it appears less oily and less salty compared to those I've tried.

The cod in their fried fish fillet as part of the Seafood platter for two had a firmness that I liked. The taste of fish did not overwhelm the entire dish yet allowed enough fragrance to seep out of its flesh.

It was no wonder that in their individual orders of fried fish fillet, you can choose one of three types of fish to taste, at different price ranges. I will be looking forward to taste test the other two more expensive types of fish.

Manhattan Fish Market Platter For Two:
Price $33.90

Manhattan Fish Market address:
Plaza Singapura at Orchard Road

Manhattan Fish Market Seafood Platter For Two

Manhattan Fish Market Seafood Platter For Two

This Seafood Platter For Two was ordered at Manhattan Fish Market located in Plaza Singapura branch.

For two persons, the Manhattan Fish Market seafood platter for two it is really a huge platter dish. It comes with fried fish fillet, fries, garlic rice, calamari, oysters and prawns.

I especially like their yellow grained rice, as I am more of a "rice bin" person. The rice from their Platter for Two is coated with garlic sauce and tastes as rich as its colour.

Those with a palate for french fries can also enjoy their crispy fries as both rice and fries are served in the seeafood platter for two at Manhattan Fish Market.

The Platter For Two at Manhattan Fish Market has several tasty dishes that I shall talk about later.


Manhattan Fish Market Platter For Two:
Price $33.90

Manhattan Fish Market address:
Plaza Singapura at Orchard Road

Palek Paneer At Muthu's Curry

Palek Paneer At Muthu's Curry

Palek Paneer from Muthu's Curry Photo (above).

Muthu's Curry Restaurant at Suntec City Mall was the place that I sank my teeth into this Palek Paneer dish. This north Indian dish of cottage cheese and spinach is an unusual delicacy that diners must try to gain an insight into another culture's culinary specialty.

Their North Indian version of the cottage cheese with grounded spinach was presented in a thick seaweed-green coloured paste that had chunks of cheese within.

I liked the taste of the spinach gravy as it does not have the vegetarian taste of spinach at all. The cottage cheese was firm yet soft. The Palek Paneer remined me of tou fu or bean curd.

Somehow, the sweet and spicy Palek Paneer gravy complemented well with the simple almost bland taste of the cottage cheese.

Recommendation:
Palek Paneer from Muthu's Curry = 6.5 out of 10.

Bacon Wrapped Enoki Mushroom

Bacon Wrapped Enoki Mushroom

If you think all mushrooms look and taste the same, try these Enoki Mushrooms wrapped with bacon at Downtown East's Nihon Mura restaurant. Their Enoki mushrooms - those long white skinny ones that look like tau-gay (bean sprouts) - taste well with the juicy bacon strips.

At first glance, I wasn't really impressed with the bacon wrapped Enoki mushrooms. Specks of black (I think its the burnt bits that came off the pan) dotted the six pieces of bacon that hugged the enoki mushroom as if trying to strangle them all. To add insult, a satay stick was used to pierce the bacon and mushrooms!

One bite of the bacon wrapped enoki mushroom and my negative thoughts were banished. The initial taste came from the salty part of the bacon with each release of sweet juices as I chewed on the stuff. The enoki mushroom complemented the bacon with its fresh bland taste. At the same time, the springiness in the enoki mushroom was evident with a firm almost rubbery texture that went well with the firm bacon bits.

This chewable combination was a pleasant sensation, akin to chewing aromatic and high quality bubble gum. Best of all, the healthy mushroom took away the sinfulness of eating fatty bacon streaks.

I like my bacon firm yet chewy with a lard-like fragrance, which is not what many people can tolerate. This bacon wrapped enoki mushroom exceeded my expectations.

Recommendation:
Score for Bacon wrapped Enoki Mushroom = 7 out of 10. (could be higher score if the presentation improved, minus the specks)

Hotate Butter Yaki (Grilled Butter Scallop)

Hotate Butter Yaki (Grilled Butter Scallop)

This interesting Hotate Butter Yaki (Grilled Butter Scallop) is presented in a plate of four pieces, inside four authentic shells. I took this photograph at the dining table of Nihon Mura at E-hub Downtown East.

Their white-fleshed Hotate Butter Yaki (Grilled Butter Scallop) is grilled on one side, while the other is unburnt as it is attached to the shell. There is an orange coloured liver-like layer wedged between the Hatate (scallop) that has been sliced along the waist.

The Hotate butter Yaki (Grilled Butter Scallop) was soft to bite, had firm texture on the surface and was soft on the side that was stuck to the shell. The orange coloured layer tasted like a kind of cheese, soft and sweetly palatable. This orange stuff is the Butter, that does not taste like the standard yellow-coloured butter sold at supermarkets.

An unusual way to prepare and present Hotate Butter Yaki (Grilled Butter Scallop) that offers diners a different culinary experience.

Recommendation:
Score for Hotate Butter Yaki (Grilled Butter Scallop) at Nihon Mura = 8 out of 10.

Chocolate Cake at Cafe Connect

Chocolate Cake, Cafe Connect

I like chocolate and I like cake, as do many people I know. When you combine chocolate with cake like in a chocolate cake, you get the best of two worlds.

This Chocolate Cake was bought recently from Cafe Connect at Courts Superstore, off Tampines Avenue 10 (where Giant Hypermart and Ikea are).

I liked the colour and size of this chocolate cake wedge. The staff had trouble fitting it into the first takeaway plastic container. He had to change another container to hold the entire chocolate cake within squashing it on closing the lid.

Even with a small bite out this wedge of chocolate cake, the richness of the chocolate is evident. I felt the chocolate dissolve between your tongue and palate into a sweet chocolatey cake spread. Oh...heavenly.

Their chocolate tastes sweet and not bitter, the way I prefer. There is enough cake flour in the piece of chocolate cake to bulk up the spread inside my mouth for a satisfying tea break.

I had to share my chocolate cake with other chocolate lovers in my family and they were clamouring for more.

Recommendation:
Score for Chocolate Cake at Cafe Connect = 8.5 out of 10.