What Chinese food to order for your foreign friends/business clients

Most of the foreigners would like to try local Chinese food when they come to Asia. But what Chiense food to order to make your friends happy and enjoyed the meal?

Here are some tips:
1. Don't try the style that they have never experienced before: such as steam boat. They had no idea what to expect so they always think they could handle it.

2. "adventurous" means differently to your foreign guests. I know you love intestines or chicken feet, but please don't even ask them to try, unless they mentioned that kind of Chinese food to you.

3. They love seafood, unless they are vegetarians or allergic to it.

4. They love Chinese food prepared with sweet and sour source.

5. please get the restaraut ready with the fork and spoons for them or they will be really tortured to see the food only rather than have them. trust me, they could pratice the way to use chopsticks already, but not enough!

6. the food shouldn't be too spicy.

this is a general guidline, and when it comes to certain country, it might be different. I will write about it in later posts.

curry rice

lunch cooked by Ule.

Hi Ule, u wanna say something about this curry rice? it looks really nice!!

Eating by your blood type

Individuals who fall under the Type A blood group should basically stick to fruits and vegetable. Their blood types is generally thicker than other blood types, and possess a sensitive immune system. These individuals should not consume (or should reduce intake) dairy products, animal fats and meats. They are also at a heightened risk for cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer. Type B blood groupers should consumer a balanced diet of fruits and vegetables, grains, dairy and meat. However, they should try to refrain from chicken, and increase intake of red meat such as duck and beef. Unlike the other blood types, Type B individuals have the best chance of bypassing or overcoming everyday types of diseases, as well as heart disease and cancer.

Introduced by Peter D'Adamo, the Blood Type Diet is based on the assumption that everyone is an individual. And who are we to argue? Logically, just because we share the same row and column in the BMI chart, it shouldn't define the way our dietary habits are. The Blood Type Diet makes interesting claims that people fare better (which includes weight management) when their diet is tailored to their specific blood type. For Type AB individuals, intake of a mostly vegetarian diet is recommended. And only on rare occasions should they indulge in some fish, meat (not chicken) and dairy. Those that fall under the Type O blood type should basically stick to a high protein diet, low carbs, as well as a balanced intake of fruits and vegetables. However, food foes for Type Os include most grain food such as corn and wheat germ. They should also try to avoid dairy products. Type O types are commonly affected with hypothyroidism, high stomach acid (leading to ulcers), and thinner blood with greater resistance to blood clotting.

- seems my diet is totally opposite of what it suggested here for blood type A.

Chinese Food and Chinese Restaurant!!

It is funny that i haven't recommended any Chinese food and Chinese restaurant yet though i love them the most! Maybe because i can easily access to it? or it's just a coincidence that i haven't been to Chinese restaurant recently?? Wait, i just went to the imperial treasure on Thursday! haha, must be because the Chinese food there is really mouth watering and it takes time for me to linger them around and write about it. Well, if you ask me to recomment one and only one Chinese restaurant in Singapore now, my heart and vote will go to Imperial Treasure Palace. (if 6 months ago, it would be still crystal jade though)

i will write about Chinese food and Chinese restaurant soon and more often!!

dissapointment in Akashi Vivo City

Friday night, i went to vivo city to meet friends. We have queued 40 minutes to get our table cos i don't want to eat at the counter table. the renovation of the whole place is nice, but feel not as exclusive as the one in the city link. The menu is with lots of great photos which really promotes the dishes. we ordered 3 different set meal: salmon; Sanma and beef soup. i have to say the beef soup is a very good choice. the beef is tender and there are different vegi in the soup to enhance the sweet taste of the soup. the pity is the Chinese cabbage is dried so you cannot really chew it well.

My disspointment came from the miso soup. though it is a simple dish, it shows the skill of the chief. the miso soup here has the burned smell. i cannot tell whether it is because they overdone it or because the smell of the new bowl has come into the soup. either way, it shouldn't happen in a restaurant like Akashi. there must be a consistency of the quality to protect the reputation and branding. i feedback this to them and hopefully there is an improvement.

i will upload the picture another day as they are with my friend.

Organic Food

What You Should Know About Organic Foods Just what does it mean when a food is labeled organic? The U.S. Department of Agriculture finally issued a new national seal designed to bring clarity and assurance to consumers that foods bearing the seal are certified organic following USDA standards which were 10 years in the making.

Beginning Oct. 21, only foods certified as at least 95 percent organic - that is, produced without most pesticides, toxic fertilizers, growth hormones and antibiotics - will be allowed to carry the official "USDA organic" seal.

One caveat: The new rules apply only to food produced on or after Oct. 21, so it may be several months before the seal becomes commonplace in grocery aisles, particularly on packaged foods where the turnover is slower.

The new USDA national standards replace what had been a mishmash of certification systems run by individual states and private groups. The USDA seal will ensure consumers are actually purchasing a product that is truly organic rather than a creatively worded package that advertises itself as organic when only a few ingredients actually are.

Under the new rules, foods will be labeled as belonging to one of four categories:
1. Food that is 100 percent organic may carry the new "USDA organic" label and say "100% organic."
2. Food that is at least 95 percent organic may carry the new seal.
3. Food that is at least 70 percent organic will list the organic ingredients on the front of the package.
4. If a product is less than 70 percent organic, the organic ingredients may be listed on the side of the package but cannot say "organic" on the front.

Advice on shooting nice food photos needed

Hi all,

if you have any idea how to shoot a nice photo of food, please feel free to let me know. I am really shy of posting my photos now though there are a lot because after comparing to others, mine looks so not pro...

Prego in Koh Samui

In fact, i love Prego in Amari Palm Reef Hotel in Koh Samui. The taste is original and the portion is made just nice for person to have it from the appetizer all the way to dessert. though the price is not local standard :-) also with the Thai waitress' pretty smile and sweet voice, what else do you still want?

the Chief is there to walk around and have a small chat with guests to ensure the food quality. you may also see him during day time in the swimming pool and trust me, you really cannot associate these two different figures. try it yourself and see whether you can spot him in the pool.

The Italian Restaurant - Prego

There was a promotion in Prego so i went there with my friends to have pizzas.

As you know, they always give out the freshly cooked bread as an appetizer together with the nice sauce made by dry tomatos or you could choose to have it with olive oil and venigar. it's warm outside and very soft inside. i love it so we had another one. (just FYI, it would be free)

There was a performance put up by a bald Italian guy. He basically flip the dough to make it bigger and bigger, though very difficult, i personally don't find it entertaining and for sure, it will not make me want to have more pizzas.

The taste of the pizza is nice and the cheese is melted together with all the other ingredients. however, i am not sure whether they add too much MSG or other seasonings cos i find myself very thirsty afterwards.

The service compliments the food as the waiter had lots of "product knowledge" so he was able to give recommendation and really take care of us during the whole dining. i guess the waiter and the guests ratio is around 1:6 so you will never feel being left out ;-)

3 of us had 2 pizza, 1 saldine fish starter; total price around S$90. and if you have UOB or Citibank credit card, even better as you will have 10% discount.

coca-cola and mentos

I have heard this a few times that it is dangerous to have them together. Don't know how true it is. here are some photos so you can see it yourself...

queue that stops me for having roti prata

After i finished the wonton noodle, the queue was still as long. Can you imagine it was already 1.45pm!

Photo of the Wonton Noodle@ Congress Kopitiam

Wonton Noodle@ Congress Kopitiam

Suntec city is like a food heaven. You can find all kinds of delicious food from with your choice of pricing.

Wonton Noodle at Congress Kopitiam is the stall I visit often when I am nearby. The filling of the wonton is definitely as good if not better as any other branded restaurant like crystal jade or imperial treasure. It’s fresh and made of fresh prawns I believe. No other unnecessary ingredients put inside. The Char Siew is just nicely barbequed. (I’m wondering did they do it themselves or bought it from a supplier?). the vegetable is also freshly made on the day and you want to add more just by telling the assistant without extra charge. And the noodle is chewy but not hard. I am having the soup separately and you could taste it is the soup from prawn and without MSG.

In fact I want to have roti prata here as well. But the queue was so long. So I decided to have the noodle first and wait for the prata. But sadly, the queue is as long even after 1 hour when I finish the wanton noodle. I have to go for a meeting soon maybe taste it for dinner?

Japanese food @ IZAKAYA NIJUMARU

When I decided to go for Japanese food tonight, IZAKAYA NIJUMARU restaurant (居酒屋 二重丸) is the first comes to my mind.

IZAKAYA NIJUMARU is located in the 2nd floor of the Cuppage Plaza. The first time I went was 5 years ago, recommended by a local friend with unlimited craving for Japanese food. He’s ever claimed that he has been to ALL the Japanese restaurant in Singapore and believe it or not, because of his love for Japanese food (and cartoon books too?), he now speaks fluent Japanese. What an inspiration!!

It’s a very cozy place; you don’t feel like having some serious dinning here, rather a place for you to relax with delicious Japanese food and friends. To most of the Japanese, it is a replacement of the restaurant in the hometown. Thus, all the food is prepared by Japanese which may make them less homesick. There are 3 Japanese chefs take turns to be in the kitchen or at the bar counter. 2 chubby and 1 slim guy with smiles. They are cute as they peep from the kitchen sometimes to see whether the guests enjoy the food they prepare. My friend told me that when Japanese comes to Singapore, they are given a list of Japanese restaurant that they should go for the best Japanese food in town. And this is one of them. I am not sure about this, so if you have more information, please comment.

I always order fish here as they are fresh and nicely prepared. Be it sashimi or shioyaki. Once in a while, they have fishes caught by the day in Japan delivered to the restaurant for guests to enjoy. The price of such fish is slightly higher but still reasonable and within all our reach: Sanma Shioyaki is priced @ S$20. Since the fish is fresh, there is not much a seasoning or spices needed. The chef only puts a bit of special sea salt. And when he grills it, the aroma has filled the room immediately. Today I am in a very good mood so I ordered this pricy dish. When it comes to me, I could not wait to eat it. As usual, I don’t add anything as I want to taste the original fish taste. The texture of the meat is solid but not hard, so once again proves its freshness. The skin is beautifully grilled, not over burned, but crispy. The aroma of the charcoal has blended nicely with the fish which creates a unique taste that is lingered in your mouth; and you just want to keep it there a little longer and try to figure out what taste is this.

With another S$2.50, you get a whole set. It includes rice; miso soup; a side dish and piece of fruits. I highly recommend the side dish. It differs from time to time. It could be stewed chicken or beef with radish etc. And the chef for sure did not spend less effort on it because it’s just a side dish. Actually, quite a few times, I ordered extra side dish or I stole it from my friend’s.

Together with my friend, we spent S$37.88. I would say it’s really worth it! The 2 things you may want to get prepared is that 1) the menu is in Japanese and no picture shown. Though they translate it into English, it’s still difficult for a non-Jap to order. So maybe for the first few times, bring a friend who knows Japanese or ask waitress there for the best food to order. 2) you may smell like the restaurant if there are lots of orders on the charcoal prepared food. So if you have other business or intimate activities immediate after this, please make a different arrangement. I don’t think my client is going to give me the business if I smell like a restaurant =D

Information of the restaurant:
Tel: 6235 6693
Add: 5 Koek Road #02-10/12, Cuppage Plaza, Singapore
Business Hours: Mon-Sat. 12 noon-2.30pm for lunch;
6-11pm for dinner.
Sunday dinner only.

Entrance of IZAKAYA NIJUMARU

This is the entrance of IZAKAYA NIJUMARU restaurant I talked about yesterday. Very cozy, isn't it? Maybe you could also have a feel of their food by looking at the photo. Sorry that I forgot to take photos of the food - simply because it's just too nice! I am sure you understand :-)

Some Table Rules in Japan

• Blowing your nose in public, and especially at the table, is considered bad manner.
• It is considered good manner to empty your dishes to the last grain of rice.
• Talking about toilet related and similarly disappetizing topics during or before a meal is not appreciated by most people.
• Unlike in some other parts of East Asia, it is considered bad manner to burp.
• After finishing eating, try to place all your dishes in the same way as they were at the start of the meal. This includes replacing the lid of dishes which came with a lid and replacing your chopsticks on the chopstick holder or into their paper slip, if applicable.

plus: when you eat noodles in Japan, slurping means that you appreciate it. But please do not do it in other coutries where such behavior is considered rude.

Photo of PRIMA TASTE

Prima Taste

I just had lunch in Prima Taste.

you can really get simply, fast, cheap and decent local food here! and with aircon. i normally order chicken related dishes as i think the rest is average only. what i am impressed the most is the marketing of this place: from the location to the renovation; from the signboard to the menu.

And most importantly, the picture of the food they show on the menu is the same you are getting. Unlike some places, they put 5 prawns in the photo and you are getting only 2 in reality.

There is also a TV set showing the yumi food with a funny story line. So as a customer, you don’t get bored if you were to wait for your friends to join you.

Their set meal A is $8.50, for this price, you can have a main course, a drink and vegetable which is really a very healthy and economical combination.

Photo of the Watercress and Corn Soup

wanna win your mother-in-law's heart? cook this delicious soup!

Watercress and Corn Soup

Lots of people think making soup is complicated and troublesome: lots of ingredients; long preparation time before cooking and the order of putting different ingredients.

Today I’d like to introduce a simple yet nutritious soup: Watercress and Corn Soup. (西洋菜粟米汤)

Ingredients:
400g Watercress;
2pc Sweet Corn
240g Pork (lean meat)
4 Preserved Chinese Dates
1/4pc Tangerine Peel
8cups Water

Seasonings:
A little salt

Cooking:
wash and drain watercress;
wash and section the sweet corn;
wash and water blanche the pork;
Add all ingredients in saucepan, cook for 1.5 hours and season to taste.

Knowledge:
Watercress provides as much as vitamin C as oranges, more calcium than whole milk and more iron than spinach.