Friday, 26 April 2013

Mother's Day Cake From Icing Room plus Giveaway

Photo credit: The Icing Room
This coming Mother's Day, The Icing Room introduce two special design cakes to pamper all mothers who plays the most important role in their family. These two elegance cakes are known as Perfect Mum (top) and Say It with Love (bottom) at a regular price of S$29.00 each which can be served up to 6.

And if you place your pre-order of the Mother's Day Cake(s) mentioned above from 02nd - 09th May 2013, you could also enjoy a 20% discount off plus received an adorable lollicake from The Icing Room.

Photo credit: The Icing Room
Perfect Mum - Strawberry cake made from classic vanilla chiffon and layered with strawberry mousse and jelly. 

Photo credit: The Icing Room
Say It with Love - Made from light and fluffy vanilla chiffon that filled with cocktail fruits and heavenly Chantilly cream which represent the tender sweetness that a mother showers on her children.

On top of that from 12th April 2013 onwards, lovely treats from The Icing Room would be made available from their new delivery website @http://theicingroomdelivery.com.sg/ so that it would be a breeze to order your cake(s) and get it delivered to your doorstep.



MOTHER'S DAY CAKE GIVEAWAY



Thanks to The Icing Room, we are giving away a voucher worth S$29.00 to 1 Lucky readers/followers of Cuisine Paradise to redeem the "Prefect Mum" Cake starting from 02 May - 09 May 2013.

To participate:-
1. LIKE and SHARE this photo on Facebook. (remember to leave a comment that you have liked and shared)

2. Leave a comment at this post sharing one of your favourite homecook dish that you wish to learn from your mum?

Terms And Conditions 
* This giveaway ends on Monday, 29 April 2013 (2.00pm, Singapore time).
* Only for readers living in SINGAPORE.
* Participants must follow the instructions mentioned above to be eligible for the giveaway.
* Please leave a valid email address when filling out the comment form so that we can contact you immediately if you are the winners.


[UPDATED ON:- 30 April 2013]


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Monday, 15 April 2013

[Day 5] Kaminarimon (雷門) @ Asakusa

Asakusa (浅草) is located in the center of Tokyo with Sensō-ji Temple (金龍山浅草寺) as its main attraction. Kaminarimon Gate (雷門) or also known as the "Thunder Gate" is the outer of two large entrance gates that leads to the Sensō-ji Temple. With its Giant Red Lantern and statues this attraction is popular with tourists as well as hot spot for photos taking too.

Asakusa is accessible by the Ginza Subway Line, Asakusa Subway Line, Tsukuba Express and etc. And from Asakusa you could also take a 20 minutes walk across the Sumida River to the new Tokyo Skytree (東京スカイツリー) attraction.

From Tokyo Station
Take the JR Yamanote Line to Kanda Station (2 minutes, ¥130 Yen) and transfer to the Ginza Subway Line for Asakusa (10 minutes, ¥160 Yen).

From Shinjuku Station
Take the orange JR Chuo Line to Kanda Station (10 minutes, ¥160 Yen) and transfer to the Ginza Subway Line for Asakusa (10 minutes, ¥160 Yen).

Since we were at Ginza area after visiting the Tsukiji Market (read more HERE) , we decided to take a 10 minutes subway ride to visit the well-known Kaminarimon gate.


Kaminarimon gate was built more than 1000 years ago and it is the symbol of Asakusa. Cross the gate, there is this Nakamise shopping street that leads from Kaminarimon to the temple grounds.

As you could see, Nakamise Shopping Street (Nakamise-dori) stretches from the entrance of Kaminarimon gate to the main grounds of Sensoji Temple. Along the stretch it is lined by more than 80 over shops which offer local specialties, food and array of souvenirs for tourists.

BBQ Rice Crackers


Matcha Mochi Manju with red bean filling @ ¥80 (SG$0.80) each

Osenbei (rice crackers)

Ningyoyaki
Pastry master making Ningyoyaki which is small cake filled with red bean paste. These small cakes various in shaped like hello kitty, animals, traditional lanterns and etc.

View of Tokyo Skytree from Nakamise shopping street

About 100m towards the entrance of the Sensō-ji Temple, on the right, you would be able to catch a view of the magnificent Tokyo Skytree. We are unable to go up to the Skytree tower due to the festive crowds (Thanksgiving Day Holiday in Japan, 23 November) and tourists who had already pre-purchased the tickets.

History of the Sensoji Temple

Main entrance of the Sensoji Temple

Sensoji (金龍山浅草寺) is a Buddhist temple located in Asakusa. It is also one of Tokyo's most colorful and popular temples that was built in 645 making it the oldest among all. Often there are various events held throughout the year in the Sensoji Temple area. The biggest of them is the Sanja Matsuri which is an annual festival of the Asakusa Shrine that helds in May.

Amazake (甘酒) @ ¥300 (S$4.00) per cup

Along the way back due to the cold weather, we decided to try this Amazake (甘酒) which is a sweet Japanese drink made from fermented rice. It tasted slightly sweet fragrance which makes it a best hot beverage for cold winter night.

Due to winter, the street gets darker earlier like what shown above even though it was only around 5.30 pm in the evening.

Opposite the main entrance of the Kaminarimon gate, there is a famous Dorayaki (銅鑼焼き) shop know as Kamejyu (亀十) which is just seconds away from Tokyo Metro station and Kaminarimon has being serving Dorayaki for more than 80 years.

Most people come for their Dorayaki but other than that, the also have Kintsuba (Sweet red bean paste), Monaka (Sweet red or white bean paste in wafers), Mamemochi (Sticky rice cake with beans), Candice Blackbean/Chestnut and etc.

Above shown is their signature Dorayaki (銅鑼焼き) which comes with either sweet red or white bean paste at ¥315 (SG$4.00). These are definitely the best Dorayaki that we had which is soft and fluffy, filled with refined fillings that made with beans from Hokkaido.


KAMEJYU 亀十
2-18-11 Kaminarimon, Taito-ku, Tokyo
(東京都台東区雷門2-18-11)
Telephone: 03-3841-2210
Website: http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3004.html

Opening hour:
10.00am - 8.30pm





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Friday, 12 April 2013

MELODY, the latest Automatic System by Nescafe Dolce Gusto

NESCAFE Dolce Gusto is having a roadshow plus launch of New NESCAFE® Dolce Gusto® MELODY from from 11 - 14 April 2013 at Marina Square level 1 Atrium! At the roadshow you could also be among the first to own a MELODY and enjoy exclusive machine and capsule promotions plus sampling of their three new variants such as Cafe Au Lait, Espresso Intenso and Grande Intenso.

NESCAFE Dolce Gusto roadshow @ Marina Square level 1 Atrium


At the roadshow there are a few service counters where you could  make enquries on the different types of NESCAFE Dolce Gusto Automatic Systems like MELODY (Retail Price @ SG$279.00), Genio, Circolo and etc.  On top of that, there are also THREE newly launched single capsule variants such as:-

3 NEW Variants: Espresso Intenso, Cafe Au Lait and Grande Intenso 
1. Espresso Intenso produce a 50ml short black coffee with an extra strong intensity which similar to 8 on the strength scale of Espresso range to give you that perk-me-up effect.

2. Cafe Au Lait which is the first and only capsule product that offers coffee with frothy milk in one single capsule in less than 1 minute.

3. Whereas for Grande Intenso, it has an intense and bold flavour that makes a 180ml long black coffee for a slow slips enjoyment.

Making Latte Macchiato with NESCAFE Dolce Gusto MELODY

Delicious Hot Chococino in less than a minute.
With the convenience of the NESCAFE Dolce Gusto single capsule variants and their automatic machines, it is so easy to prepare a premium cup of cafe-style beverage at time of the day either at the comfort of our home or office and create enjoyable moments with family or friends.


Other than launching of MELODY and new variants flavours, there is also a "member's lounge" area whereby NESCAFE Dolce Gusto members (to register, refer to this link here or you could register manual at the roadshow) can access and get to try the Tiramisu Cupake made using Espresso Intenso or some Mocktail using Vanilla Macchiato or Peach Tea variants.

Espresso Intenso Tiramisu Cupcake by Tiramisu Hero. The cupcake is light, not to sweet nor creamy but with a hint of lovely Espresso flavour that perk up your afternoon. Best to go with a cup of Cafe Au Lait or Chococino.

For non-coffee drinker or something light to go with the cake, you could try Tropical Spritzer which blend with NESTEA Peach Tea, Apple Juice and S Pellegrino.

Beside the Cupcake and Beverage, we also get to try the Baci Chocolate which is one of the Freebie given when purchasing any 8 boxes of NESCAFE Dolce Gusto capsules.

Capsule variants are available at the roadshow

Some of the freebies given for the exclusive capsule promotion.
Just for your information, if you are not able to visit the roadshow this weekend, NESCAFE Dolce Gusto MELODY Automatic System and the range of Beverage Capsules are available in all electrical chain stores, selected departmental stores, supermarkets and hypermarkets too.

From 15 April - 31 May 2013,  there are some SPECIALS gifts for customers who purchase the followings:-

1. Receive a complementary Parco capsule holder worth S$55.00 for any Automatic systems purchased - Genio Automatic (SG$259), Circole Automatic (SG$339) or MELODY Automatic (SG$279).

2. Received an additional 2 boxes of Capsules (Latte Macchiato and espresso) with purchase of MELODY Automatic.

3. Receive a complimentary Latte Macchiato Glass with any 5 boxes of capsules purchase.


Lastly I would like to thanks NESCAFE Dolce Gusto and Emily from Asian PR Werkz for the media invite.


*Photos taken using Canon EOS M, M18-55 lens on Manual mode


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Tuesday, 9 April 2013

[#sgmemory Project] Nostalgia Tour with My Home, My Library Project

Talking about #SGMemory, what is the first thing that come across your mind? Is it the old school "Zeropoint" game that you used to playing during recess time, 30 cents fishball noodles from the school canteen or trying to set record for the pokemon games on your "Gameboy"?  For me when I think about it, I could recalled many wonderful childhood memories which I would love to share with my kid.

Last Saturday, my kid and I were thrilled to join in the Nostalgia Food Tour (together with DanielFoodDiary, Keropokman, Camemberu and Melicacy) which was conducted by the Singapore Memory Project as part of this year event to capture and document precious moments and memories related to Singapore. During the nostalgia tour, we visited 4 heritage eateries and delicacies where our host Daniel (danielfooddiary) shared the history and food culture of these places.

Our 1st stop was at Singapore Zam Zam Restaurant which established since 1908 (about 104 years old). It is one of Singapore's best-known Muslim restaurants running by the 3rd Generation of  Mr Abdul Kadir (founder of Zam Zam). For your information, Zam Zam is named after the well that provides the water to billions of people from throughout history especially during the Hajj pilgrimage.

Zam Zam occupy a 2-floor dinning area where the second level provides air conditioning for customers who ordered their Murtabak and Briyani only.

They even put up a notice at the drinks counter showing the ordering requirements.

Friendly speaking it was my first visit to Zam Zam and I was surprised to see the large crowds even after lunch hours on a drizzling Saturday afternoon.  From a glance around the tables we could see most of the customers were having their famous Murtabak which comes in either beef, mutton or chicken fillings.

Personally I prefer their Murtabak more than the Chicken Biryani and I would like to drop by another day to try other items on the menu too.


Singapore Zam Zam Restaurant
697 North Bridge Road
Singapore 198675
Telephone: (65)6298 6320

Opening Hours:
8:00am – 11:00pm (daily)


As a cake love, I fell in love with these awesome soft, fluffy and delicious Kaya Swiss Roll from Rich And Good Cake Shop. This 20 years old bakery is managed by Mdm Lily Liu and the shop offers items like cake and biscuits but their specialty is on Swiss Roll which comes in a wide variety of flavors like strawberry, orange, durian, coffee, chocolate, kaya, green tea and blueberry @ S$7.50 each.

Alternatively you could try their Mango Swiss Roll which was not as sweet as compared to the Kaya Swiss Roll which I think is good for those who don't have sweet tooth. And I also happened to see one my Instagram friend, Celest bought their Chocolate Swiss Roll after we featured ours in the #sgmemory. Would like to try their Chocolate and Durian Swiss Roll during my next visit.


Rich and Good Cake Shop (裕佳西饼店)
24 Kandahar Street
Singapore 198887
Telephone: (65) 6294 3324

Opening Hours:
08:30am - 17:00pm (Mon - Fri)
08:30 - 16:00pm (sat)

3rd stop was at Seow Choon Hua Restaurant which is a 70 years old street food eatery located at Sultan Gate. And according to Daniel, their specialty is Red Wine Chicken and Foo Chow Lor Mee.

First time trying Foo Chow style stir-fry rice cake which consists of ingredients like chicken liver, fish cake and some Chinese cabbage.  For me this dish is has a very homely feel combination which I would like to try replicating it at home soon.

Another interesting and must try dish is their Foo Chow Fishball and Yan Pi. The fishball is made using four types of fish like; Ikan Parang, Grouper, Red Fish and Yellow Eel together with some seasonings, flour and mixed together to form a ball and then stuffed with minced meat.


Seow Choon Hua Restaurant
33 Sultan Gate
Singapore 198481
Telephone: (65) 6298 2720

Opening Hours:
10:00am – 10:00pm (daily)


Last stop we headed to Tiong Bahru Galicier Pastry where they have a wide varieties of homemade Nonya Kueh like Kueh Dadar (sweet nonya pancake roll with coconut fillings), Kueh Lapis (steamed layer cake), Layer Sago Kueh, Kueh Kosui, Lemper Udang, Ambon (honeycomb cake) and etc.

Other than Nonya Kueh, they also have pastries and bread which are worth trying too and my kid loves their milk bun which is so soft and fluffy. Aunty Jenny (shop owner) also mentioned that Galicier actually started as early as in 1975 near Killiney Road selling only western confectioneries and cakes. It was only when they moved to Tiong Bahru around 12 years ago when they started off with Nonya kuehs kuehs which was taught by their Uncle Tan’s Nonya grandmother.


Tiong Bahru Galicier Pastry
55 Tiong Bahru Rd
#01-39
Singapore 160055
Telephone: (65) 6324 1686

Opening Hours:
09:00am - 9:00pm (closed on Monday)


Other than the Nostalgia Food Tour, from 25 March to 29 April 2013, in conjunction with the Singapore Memory Project there will be a a My Home, My Library exhibition held across all the libraries island wide which you could find the location here.

At the exhibit area, there is a memory submission stand in the shape of our familiar carnation milk tin whereby visitor could penned down their memories on the special design postcard and depositing it into the tin too.

These Memories are split into 2 themes such as My Home and My Library featuring memories from residents who are living in the neighborhood which I am sure you already spotted them in the "huge" Tinbox during your recent visit to the library. If you have not being to the library recently, perhaps you could drop by anytime before 29 April and take a look on at the exhibition which might even bring back some old memories of yours or your family too. 

Apart for finding back those old memories, there is also a SNAP AND SHARE contest where visitors could snap a photo(s) of anything related to the exhibition, post the image with #sgmemory on Instagram or Twitter and stand a chance to win a weekly draw of S$200.00 worth shopping vouchers.

My collection of #sgmemory over the years...

Lastly, on top of the SNAP AND SHARE contest mentioned above, you could also do your part to contribute your #sgmemory thru Instagram Photos towards the Singapore Memory Project like what we have done above. The photos can be  from your past memory on Singapore food, heritage places, buildings, things or etc which you would love to keep it as part of #sgmemory gallery. So remember to hag tag your photos with #sgmemory and if you like you could also tag "@cuisineparadise" and share with me your photos as well.


Lastly I would like to thank Daniel (DanielFoodDiary) for hosting this tasting; Singapore Memory Project and Joy from DDB for the invite.


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