Celebration @ Boon Lay Raja Restaurant!!

Dear all, =)

We had an advanced Birthday celebration for Dad as Dad and Mum will be in Europe on his Birthday. We decided to go to Boon Lay Raja Restaurant for lunch as Grandma likes the food.

After much deliberations, we decided to order individual dishes instead of a Set. Reason being I was having a sore throat and most of the Sets comprise some fried dishes. And we get to order what we like.

We picked 8 items from the menu:

1. Crayfish Salad with 4 Other Sides Cold Dish

You will have to check with the waiter or waitress if you want to find out the names of the other sides in this Cold Dish. There is a moderate selection of Cold Dishes. Each with a different "Main Character", e.g. Abalone, Lobster. I love the sweetness and chewy texture of Crayfish, thus this is an obvious choice. The other sides are: Baby Octopus in Thai Sauce, and Mini Pacific Clams ("Bao Bei"). I did not eat the other sides as they are fried. My overall rating for the Crayfish Salad, Baby Octopus and Mini Pacific Clams is 2.5/5. The reasons, the Crayfish Salad was average, the Thai sauce for the Baby Octopus was too sour and the Mini Pacific Clams taste horrible. All in all, the Seafood does not taste fresh and it was a disappointment!

2. Fish Maw Soup

The Fish Maw Soup was not too bad in terms of appearance, aroma and taste. The ingredients were rather plentiful and fresh. Unlike the usual clear Fish Maw Soup found in Nyonya Restaurants, this soup has a thick mouthfeel. My rating is 3/5.

3. Fried Tofu with Spinach

My Grandma loves Fried Tofu with Spinach neatly packed on them. So we decided to order this. However, the Tofu is too oily and the Spinach is too dry. The Spinach does not add any flavour to the Tofu. A heartbreaker. My rating is 2/5.

4. Hong Kong Style Steamed Marble Goby ("Soon Hock")

The Marble Goby is supposed to be one of the best tasting freshwater fishes. The meat should be smooth, tender and sweet. For the dish we ordered, the fish is indeed smooth but not so much of tenderness and sweetness. My rating is 2.5/5.

5. Braised Duck with Sea Cucumbers

The Duck is roasted and the meat is tough. Not what I had hoped for. The Sea Cucumbers are another disappointment. Most of them are hard and not chewy. My rating is 2.5/5.

6. Mixed Vegetables

There is a handful of nutrients in this dish. The vegetables include Broccoli, Flat Beans, Carrots, Baby Corns and Mushrooms. The gravy complements the vegetables quite well. It tastes a little like Shark Fins' Soup. My rating is 3/5.

7. Longevity Noodles and 8. Longevity Buns

What is a Birthday without a symbol of our Well Wishes towards Dad? Longevity Noodles or Longevity Bun is commonly eaten by the Birthday Boy or Girl in the Chinese culture.

I hope you will find the above useful. The location of Boon Lay Raja Restaurant is Blk 135 Jurong Gateway Road, #02-337, Singapore 600135. For more details, you may visit the website at http://boonlayrajarestaurant.com/

P.s. I love you, Dad!

New Energy Drink in Town!

Dear all, :)

Energy Drink is for people who need an energy boost.

Recently, I have spotted a new Brand of Energy Drink in Singapore. It was spotted in NTUC Fairprice in mid-September 2011. The brand name seems to be 235. I am not sure how it got its name. But the words appearing in mind are "Casual", "Fun" and "Energizing".

This is the image of the Energy Drink:

What is special about this Energy Drink? To me, it's about the blend of flavours - Plum + Cranberry! I have not seen this mix of flavours in the Energy Drink category in Singapore.

The energy-boosting ingredients in this Energy Drink are - Sugar, Taurine, Caffeine, Inositol and Glucuronolactone. Taurine and Caffeine are well-recognized by the Consumer for energy boost. The product is also fortified with Vitamins B3, B5, B6 and B12. These ingredients are quite common in the Energy Drink category.

I believe that there is an opportunity for addition of natural ingredients like Ginseng and Gingko Bilbo Extracts.

Hope the above is useful for those who simply love to rock with the "Power" of Energy Drinks!

p.s. Personally, I wouldn't recommend more than one Energy Drink a day. The key is moderation.

What's for Dinner? Episode one

Dear fans,

I consider myself lucky. I have a great mother who is a fantastic cook. My mum will cook at least thrice a week. :)

Here are some photos for your sweet admiration (taken on 13/10/2011):

Fried Eggs with Onions and Prawns

Braised Bittergourds with Pork

Yong Tau Foo

Ah Char
(My mum bought this for our Appetizer)

Isn't the above lovely? I hope these photos will inspire you to be an "iron chef" for your loved ones! :)

p.s. Stay tuned for the next Episode! :)

Home-made Breakfast!! =)

Dear Readers, =)

Recently, I made a heart-warming breakfast for my family. Pictures are as uploaded. :)

First Occasion:
Scrambled Eggs, Cheese Chicken Sausages, Biscuits and Baby Tomatoes
+ a Glass of Milk
(The Biscuits are similar to the Popeyes's Biscuits)

Second Occasion:
Scrambled Eggs, Cheese Pork Sausages, Pancakes and Baby Tomatoes
+ MacDonalds Coffee
(I used "White Wings" Instant Pancake Mix. On the packaging, there is a label that states "Just Add Water". When cooking the pancakes, it is critical to use low to medium heat. Make sure your pan is hot enough first. Use a drop of water to test. If it dances and evaporates, your pan is ready.)

I hope the above pictures have enticed you to prepare Breakfast for your loved ones. If you have any great Breakfast ideas, please feel free to share them with me. =)