lunch

A Taste of Italy @ Oliva

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Author: James

M and I have been exploring the Arab Street region this week! Why this area? Because we both firmly believe that there are many hidden gems there!

Good news if you are huge fan of Italian cuisine because one of that not to be missed is the Oliva Italian Restaurant lining the Arab street !

This is truly a hidden jem. You may have walked past it a lot of times but not step foot in. That was what happened for us as well until the food tasting.

It has a very cosy exterior. We sat outside because we wanted to chill, eat and chat while doing some people watching at the same time. Who knows! We sat there from 6pm to 10pm. Gosh. It was such a relaxing day.

So much for the exterior! What about the interior you might ask. We felt the interior is even more amazing! (unfortunately we were too eager to try the delicacy that we forgot to take a pic of the interior. Ops! ><).

But a shoutout to the Dudes out there for a nice Valentine Day venue! For the ladies, hint your guys! The restaurant interior ambience is surprisingly nice, with candles and warm lighting, absolutely PERFECT for a romantic dinner. Shall save it for you lovebirds to explore the mystery!

Anw, M was down with eye infection so she had to go lenses-free. But no lessen my affection for her cos we are already in the Vday mood! Lol!

The lady boss, Diane is a very dedicated person and sat with us throughout our dinner to share the highlights of her menu.

One of her pride and joy is their Brushette (below): $7.50

I would say this is definitely one of the MUST TRY if you visit the restaurant. Even for a not-so-bread-eater like me, i find the texture of the bread very palatable as it wasn’t too hard but yet able to maintain its crunchy feel.

Next came the mains! *stomach growls*

I was pretty happy with the mains even at the first sight of it!

Why? Cos personally i have seen too much of restaurants trying to cut their operating cost at the expense of their customer’s growling appetite. Worst, they charge a premium for it! Booooo!  But here, it was totally different story! The restaurant was very generous with their serving, enough to satisfy BIG eaters like me! So first tick checked!

M, being an avid carbo lover kickstarted her meal with her usual pasta choice!

Ocean Lovers $24.90

Don’t be deceived by the pale complexion of the noodle (in this pic)! The savoury & peppery taste is gonna set you going for the glass of water if you cant take even a bit of spice!

But for M, who doesn’t really take much spices enjoyed it nonetheless!

What about me, the avid Protein-eater!

Lamb shank $25

I fell in love with this tomato-based dish with the generous portion of Lamb shanks (Definitely enough for a normal guy! Ladies, be ready to share!) that is served with a more herb-ish version of bolognaise sauce.

There you have it! Our meal for the evening..

‘You mean that’s all & you dare call yourself a big eater, J?!’ So Yes, that cant be all if J is in the house!

The pasta was the restaurant’s specialty. So how can i let go of such good opporunity to try more right? Next, we ordered another portion of their Crabmeat pasta. *with real crabmeat (not those crabstick kind!)

So much for savoury. What about some sweet? Especially that kind of Sugar Sweet in Adam Levine latest song: Sugar. Here we have it!

Oreo Cookie smoothie $5.90

Upclose with the thick and creamy Avocado Smoothie. Good for the skin, ladies!

By the time we reached the dessert, M’s stomach was already putting up the white flag! But upon hearing her favourite Panna cotta, the white flag become green flag! For me with the sweet tooth, it’s a no-brainer! Bring it on, sugar!

Overall, this restaurant is my new favorite in Arab Street. Unfortunately, they have a few wine selection and desserts which I have not tried as we were busy having an equally  hearty conversation with the nice and humble boss of the restaurant. Will definitely return to try it.

Tips for readers:

*Try to go down during the evening to experience the nice and zen ambience within the restaurant as i have mentioned. You can make reservations as well.

**For us Singaporeans, we love promotions right?

Oliva Italian restaurant offers promotions for dinner!

Set Dinner – Only $12.90 (Sunday – Thursday)

Lastly,

Find them at: 34 Arab Street, Singapore 199733
Ring them at: 6291 2297

New Heritage Croissant from Délifrance

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Outfit of the day for a tea time event with James.

Guess where? Which place would you think of when you have craving for a croissant? This place that I am writing about has a long history and it’s butter croissant, made of premium French ingredients is highly praised in Singapore…..

And that place is…….

French…… Croissants……

Delifrance!!!

Here’s James looking smart and all ready to attack the new flavors of Heritage Croissant.

I believe there is NO NEED for the introduction for their croissants because they are pretty famous enough for them already. So let’s just get into what’s new!

There are currently 4 flavors with 2 being savory and 2 sweet. As much as I am a very dessert person, I would go for the savory ones because they have cheessseeee!!

Almond Poulet:

I like how well the almond goes with the poulet because it makes the entire chewing process cripsy (the almond and the croissant) and juicy (poulet) at the same time.

Turkey Bacon & Chicken Ham:

Ham and Cheese are Singaporean’s favorite. How about adding another favourite? This is my favourite among all four.

The two croissants above are fulfilling enough to be your lunch or dinner. You can order them in sets as well

1 x Premium Coffee/ English Breakfast Tea/ Iced Lemon Tea/ Coke + 1 x any croissant above for $9.50 —- From 6 Jan to 13 Feb 2015.

Didn’t they make your work lunch hours even more convenient?

There are also 2 seasonal flavors below where they only cost $3.90 each. Top up $2 for any of the drinks above.

Cream Cheese with Strawberry Toppings:

Cream cheese is often seen in cakes for layering or flavoring. Having it in croissants is a little new and different. It has a buttery inner taste while the outside remains crispy. The strawberry adds a little sourness to it. Sounds interesting yea?

Hazelnut Chocolate with Almond Flakes set:

James’s favourite is this since he love anything with chocolate and almond/hazelnut. Having both in one is nothing but a bonus for him!

These 2 croissants are suitable for dessert or tea any time, any day!

We also had a hands on. The chef helped him with the Eiffel Tower drawing on his croissant lol! For mine, I stuffed it with a whole chuck on cheese and ham!!!

The croissants are already available in restaurant since last week.

Hop down and try maybe?

You will love the croissants as much as I do! I can even eat it plain and still love it!

Miam Miam Singapore

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Newest French-Japanese Cafe kitchen offers delectable dishes made from scratch with top-grade ingredients and the prices are pocket friendly to the highest priced item only at $18.80.

Miam Miam, the French-Japanese fine casual cafe kitchen is a labour of love globetrotting friends with a passion for food. Marrying French techniques with Japanese inspired flavouries and ideologies, the team at Miam Miam is engineered to deliver a consistently excellent experience.

As you can see, it is located near BHG (level 2).

 

The dining space is casual and warm with the busy percussion of the kitchen playing in the background. The open space gives a full view of their centerpiece kitchen, living up to its cafe kitchen name.

For me, I am a noodles person rather than a rice person. I would pick ramen or pasta anytime in replacement of rice.

Talk about pasta, what I loved about them is the consistency of the pastas and Miam Miam pasta is definitely one of the best that I had tried so far.

The speciality is their Miam Miam Spaghetti which is priced at $15.80. I really gotta praise them on their generous servings of food. What you see in the picture is also what you will get when you dine there. Value for money!

Squid Ink Pasta at $16.80

Lobster Bisque Pasta ($18.80) was served with a grilled tiger prawn. It was the most expensive item in the entire menu but trust me, you can’t find this main outside for just $18.80.

My favourite main for that night was their Carbonara at $15.80. Unlike the usual carbonara you eat outside, the sauce is more watery than the creamy kind. The taste is very dependent on the egg yolk you see right in the middle.

Now for the rice, the Riz Au Curry ($15.50) is also one of the highly recommend. It is actually baked rice served with homemade Japanese Curry, pork frankurters, cheese, broccoli and egg. We all know that Japanese Curry ain’t really spicy, so the same for this, not exactly spicy at all!

The Souffle De Nauge ($15.50) was something that I wanted to try long ago. This top is made of egg and cheese. Like the Riz Au Curry, you can find bake rice underneath the richness.

A meal isn’t complete without desserts.

You gotta try Miam Miam Souffles. There are three flavours to choose from – Vanilla / Matcha / Chocolate.

Caramelised Apple Pancake ($12.80)

I was taken aback by the taste of the pancake because I had imagined the pancake to be bland and fluffy, but to my surprise, it was actually sweet and addictive (for me). I like it when the ice cream melts and made the entire pancake soggy 🙂

Chocolate Molleaux ($9.80). This is one really sinful devil! Chocolate and Ice cream. I think I can have 2 servings at one go!

Overall:

Food: 4/5 stars
Services: 3.5/5 stars
Ambience: 3.5/5 stars

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Miam Miam is currently located at:
#02-14 Bugis Junction (Outside BHG) 200 Victoria Street Singapore 188021

Tell: +65 6837 0301

Websites: https://www.facebook.com/miam.sg, http://miam.sg

Their second outlet in Singapore is also opening soon! Where? Westgate mall!

I can’t wait!

A date with Love at MooJaa

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Dated the busy boyfriend out for a dinner date at MooJaa Mookata. And I must say that It has been a long time since our last and proper dinner together. We would usually just eat somewhere nearby or our very-usual-dining-place-Ajisen before movie instead of just meeting up for a dinner because both of us live at each end of the island.

I wanna thank MooJaa Mookata too, for this private food tasting session. I really appreciate private food tasting session because at times, all we want is to just eat with people whom we are close with and we can be ourselves instead of being awkward.

I have tried Mookata before and they gave me a different feel from this MooJaa Mookata. Reason being that was probably the ingredients used in the previous place was NOT FRESH. Some places can be quite dirty as well – Well, I am just speaking from my truthful experience.

Steamboat can be messy, smelly and hot. But MooJaa is clean and air-conditioned. I like the fact that it’s air conditioned. I am not the one who loves to perspire while enjoying my steamboat LOL.

They have this modern yet thai-ish feel.

NANANANANA. Their pig logo! So cute! If you’re wondering why is it a pig, it is because “Moo Ka Ta”, for the uninitiated, literally means “Pork Skillet” in Thai and refers to the special cooking apparatus created to enjoy both barbecue and hot pot at the same time.

While waiting for our table to be cleared, and Boyfriend (Mr. D) was feeling gloomy because he was very hungry. Mooooo.

Here’s a peek into their menu. As you can see, you can go for different sets of Mookata. For me, I feel that 1 set of mookata is sufficient for 3. Probably because I can’t eat much too.

The very thoughtful boss also served us their signature Thai Iced Tea while waiting too. I am a milk tea lover and I must have it EVERY single day. No joke.

The tea is nice. It has a special taste that I can’t explain. Mr. D had two cups of it!

Their special sauce which was imported from Thailand themselves! The sauce on the left is the sweet and sour seafood sauce and it GOES WELL WITH PRACTICALLY EVERYTHING. I wish I could bring one bottle of it home.

We have eaten cheese tofu, cheesy hotdogs, but what about cheese balls made of chicken meat?

And if you had noticed, they use white (Japanese) charcoals instead of the black charcoals.

It is not healthy to eat Mookata with black charcoals as the ashes and all could get into the food, resulting in your food in becoming more acidic, which could subsequently lead to health problems :/

Thumps up for the good choice of spending more to get these charcoals just to keep us safe!

The soup base for the hot pot section is brewed for five hours to create a chicken and pork bone broth that’s tasty and light in the beginning, and turns incredibly flavourful and complex by the middle of your Moo Ka Ta session from all those meaty juices, kissed with a smoky hint from the charcoal fire.

Not that I want to praise this eating place, but Mr. D really love the broth.

Here comes the most important part: ALL THEIR INGREDIENTS ARE SUPER SUPER FRESH!!

At MooJaa, you never have to worry about oxidized, clumpy meat that has been exposed to room temperature or under-marinated because it’s prepared in mass batches. MooJaa’s head chef personally handpicks the seafood and meat every morning and then marinates it herself in a secret marinade that is MSG free. The resulting meats are tender, juicy, and bursting with great Thai flavours.

One of the staff will always be there to help you arrange and start the dining experience. You can subsequently add on from there.

After setting up and waiting for the food to be cooked.

MooJaa also offers more upmarket options for those with discerning palates – Kurobuta Pork and Angus Beef are available for you to Moo Ka Ta.

No luncheon meat or cheap hot dogs – instead, expect Hokkaido scallops and Surimi crab sticks.

Mr. D cleared this plate of Angus Beef :O

Their white rice tasted different too. It tasted like butter rice but it isn’t. I just can’t explain. But you could just finish the bowl of rice without the need of having other side dishes. (For me, actually) lol.

Our beautiful master piece :X

Check out the picture below for a little bonus!

After eating, Mr. D told me to rub his tummy because something was stated on the cover of the menu. Do check it out there yourself if you’re curious! Hehe.

Check them out on their Facebook: www.facebook.com/MooJaa.sg
Instagram : @MooJaa_Mookata #MooJaa

Now open till 6am!
Reservations number : 6536 4780

You really have to make a reservation as they are ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS full house. So a call can really help you save a whole lot of waiting time!!

They have only ONE outlet at Keong Saik Road which is of walking distance after alighting from Outram Park MRT Station.

Crab buffet @ Plaza Brasserie

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Most Singaporean loves crabs. But have you ever find crabs expensive and can never bear to spend too much on them?

Well, crab lovers, I have a good deal for you!!

Are you interested in Crab buffet???!!!! It is available on Monday to Sunday!

Let me name you some dishes to make you salivate first before showing you the pictures.

Some of the appetizers they have includes:
Dijon Crab Cakes with Coriander Paste,
Chicken Salad with Pesto,
Tang Hoon Salad,
Spicy Tuna Salad, Bread Crab Claw,
Mini Crab Meat Samosas,
Olive and Potato Crabmeat Balls with Pesto,
Crabmeat Paste,
Baked Whole Salmon with Spicy Dip
and a variety of Dim Sums.

ALOT OF CRABS already right?! Now look at the pictures below.

Besides the popular Chilli Crab and Black Pepper Crab, you can look forward to savouring Chef Jackson’s new crab recipes, Crab with Tang Gui, Baked Crab, Nonya Curry Crab, Butter Crab, Stirred Fried Crab with Egg Yolk, Salted Egg Crab and XO Crab.

My favourite is still the Chilli Crab and Salted Egg Crab. But Nonya Curry Crab and Crab with Tang Gui sounds too special not to be missed!

Look at the golden salted egg! Yums!

Nonya Curry Crab.

Their pratas are also as unique because they have fresh Durian prata!!

Our table had quite a few servings of it that night.

Chocolate Prata. Crpisy looking no?

Hot varieties includes Stir-Fried Squid with Celery in “XO” Sauce, Oatmeal Prawns, Nonya Curry Chicken, Eight Treasure Duck, Steam Fish in “Hong Kong” Style, Fried Baby Kai Lan and Crabmeat Fried Rice, Crispy Soft Shell Crabs and Braised Sea Cucumber with Roast Pork and Mushrooms.

Seafood soup which looks a bit like Shark fin soup. I love thick thick soups 🙂

Crab meats are found inside the soup too!

So international! Crabs, Prata, now Sushi! Konichiwa?

Fresh oysters! They opened them up infront of us.

Sauces for your meat like duck.

I was told to try the special laksa which is also included in the new menu!

I requested for more eggs for mine and the person gave me ALOT of eggs. Weeeeee.

This was William’s normal laksa.

And this was taken while waiting for our Laksa to be cooked.

Never too full for desserts 🙂

If you have a sweet-tooth, savour in the range of delicious desserts ranging from Sweet Potato, Water Chestnut, Bubur Cha Cha, Mini French Pastries, Chocolate Truffle and Cheese Cake, Assorted Ice-Creams, Fresh Fruits, Almond Beancurd, Chin Chow, Rice Pudding with Vanilla Sauce, American Cheesecake, Chocolate Fondue served with Fresh Fruits, Dried Fruits and Marshmallows.

Definitely a great place for family gatherings, friends gathering, birthday buffet and so much more.

I am so glad I found this place. Both my parents were extremely happy that night. Thank you Plaza Brasserie for hosting us. Thank you for making both our heart and stomach happy!!

Being a crab lover, my dad rated it 4.5 out of 5 stars! Trust me, you won’t regret dining there 🙂

The buffet period for this menu is available from 5 June to 31 August 2013.

Dinner (Mondays to Thursdays): Adult $55 Child $33
Dinner (Fridays to Sundays): Adult $58 Child $35

Prices are subject to10% service charge and 7% Goods and Services Tax

For enquiries or reservations, please call Plaza Brasserie at 6505 5710.

Plaza Brasserie is located at 7500 Beach Road, Singapore 199591.