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Lake Toya, Japan

Spot of Tranquility.

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Little India, Singapore

Spices, gold and splashes of colour!

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Singapore Flyer, Gardens by the Bay

Garden City, City in a Garden.

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Bryce Canyon, USA

Thor's Hammer

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Chocolate Test, Singapore

"All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt." -Charles M Schulz

Sunday, March 19, 2017

Osmanthus Jelly

We had a gathering where we wanted to prepare some food. Taking into consideration the target audience in mind, which consisted mostly of people above 60 years old, with a number of young adults with their kids, we wanted to prepare something that was delicious, healthy and presentable.

After some googling, we decided on osmanthus jelly. The osmanthus jelly they sell in restaurants are exorbitant, once you know the cost of making this jelly.

The first task was to hunt down some osmanthus. Osmanthus is supposed to improve complexion and rich in antioxidants. We bought a bottle of osmanthus from Hockhua Tonic for $7 (60g).


The fragrance of the osmanthus hit us the moment we opened the bottle- it is a very delicate, sweet and subtle fragrance.


The reason why I used a glass tray instead of a konnyaku plastic tray was because people were worried that the plastic tray will melt. That said, we still managed to cut the jelly into pretty diamond shapes- just that it will wobble around when you plate it. 

Receipt modified from Noobcook and Misstamchiak:

Ingredients

1 packet of konnyaku jelly powder 
500 ml water (use the amount stated on the box)
2 tsp dried osmanthus flowers
2 tsp wolfberries soaked in water until puffy and drained 
Chia seeds soaked in water and drained 

Directions 

1. In a pot, add water and bring to boil. Lower heat and add osmanthus flowers. Simmer for about 2-3 minutes.

2. Add konnyaku jelly powder. Stir until the powder is fully dissolved. Switch off the flame.

3. Pour the mixture into a jelly mould, or in my case a glass tray. Add about 2 to 4 wolfberries to each mould. 

4. Add chia seeds (which will give an added crunch) to the mixture. 

5. Let the jelly cool down in room temperature and chill in fridge until jelly is set. 


The jelly is inexpensive, healthy, presentable and a crowd pleaser. 

Sunday, March 5, 2017

Elemen (Thomson Plaza)

The vegetarian landscape in Singapore is changing. Gone are the days when you can only find vegetarian food at hawker centres and old restaurants near temples. Now, nearly every menu has a vegetarian option and more exquisite vegetarian food are aplenty. 

We visited Elemen which reminded me of Sufood. The set meals at Elemen are cheaper, at a price point which is more palatable. 

We got the 5 Course Set ($23.80++ per person) which comes with an appetiser, salad / soup, main, dessert and beverage. 

When the appetiser came, we were told to eat the appetiser from right to left, supposedly from sweet to sour. The mushroom with edamame sat on bed of teriyaki sauce / soy (?) sauce and we didn't really taste the sweetness in that. In the centre was tofu with sesame dressing- anything with sesame dressing is delicious! To the left is a large juicy cherry tomato in tart plum sauce. 


As I am a fan of mushrooms, I chose the Mushroom Salad. This is a mushroom lovers' dream. I haven't seen / tried such big mushrooms before. They were chewy and released a burst of juice with every bite.


This was my favourite dish. Eating the Spicy Shiitake with Purple Rice Roll felt entirely guilt-free: purple rice, shiitake mushrooms and crunchy carrots. To add to that, the chilli added a slight kick to the rice roll.


Drinks are served after the main course is completed. I chose the Iced Lychee Green Tea and totally didn't regret it. Light hints of lychee without being too sweet, and a sweet big juicy lychee at the bottom of the glass!


Alas, the meal ended off flat with the Raspberry Vanilla Dome. On first bite, I was horrified by how sweet the dessert was- could it be because the rest of the meal was so light and clean tasting? The bright pinkish-red hue of the dessert was enough to throw me off (but I won't complain about that since I ordered the dessert knowing that this was how it looked like). The dessert comprised layers of incredibly sweet mousse and vanilla cake. I took two bites and left the rest to be cleared away.


Service was friendly and efficient. Minus the Raspberry Vanilla Dome, this is certainly a nice presentable place for vegetarian dining options. Comparing Sufood with Elemen, Sufood is more creative with its food options but at a more expensive price tag. 

Elemen @ Thomson Plaza
Thomson Plaza
301 Upper Thomson Road
#01-113
Tel No.: 6452 0351