Loving Pork Buns (Cha Siu Bao)

I love cha siu bao. If anyone wants to bribe me or win me over, all they have to do is bring me a tray of these fluffy buns filled with lean pork meat. They are my absolutely favourite even as a kid. Here I am at Si Chuan Dou Hua Restaurant at Park Royal Hotel eating my very own cha siu bao. They have a buffet dinner where you order whatever you like from the menu and they make it for you. It's reasonably priced at less than $40 per person so I met up with some girlfriends tonight for dinner after a very long and tiring day at the office.


PS: Those arms do not really look as fat as they do in the picture (or at least I would like to think so anyway)

Lynette

More renovation updates

I created a small island of green on our balcony today. The trolley is from a flea market in Geneva, Switzerland. I carted it all the way here when I moved to Singapore back in 2002. The cart contained all the alcohol in the dining room before we moved it to the wine cabinet yesterday.

Today, they delivered most of the Brandt kitchen equipment. I'm so glad we are getting new products to use at the school.

The 150 bottle wine fridge is finally in!

The hobs are in too! So the small stove tops are banished forever!

The kitchen island is torn apart so that it can be cut to fit the new hobs

On Friday, they will reinstall the main island kitchen table and the rest of the hobs. The new dish washer will also be installed replacing the old TEKA one. On Tuesday next week, we install all 4 ovens! And turn on the additional air cons!

And I am off to Siem Reap on Thursday so I am hoping there are no hicups. We have 4 classes over the weekend and they will be the first participants to try them out.

After the hassle of last week, the studio is looking pretty good! I am quietly excited to come home and take a peek at it on Sunday evening when I fly in.

Lynette

Renovation updates

Today, the wine cabinet and the 3 in built cabinets arrived for our stove tops. It went alot smoother than last week as the electrician seemed abit over whelmed with everything he had to do. They were also less messy and more organised today which helped alot. I always like it when contractors clean up after themselves instead of leaving a trail of dust and mess behind.

The new cabinets to fit our stove tops so no more small burners on the table!

The wine cabinet with all our liquor and all our wine glasses. The wine chiller arrives tomorrow and should fit into the gap. The closed cabinet houses our stereo system.

Our slightly revised balcony with an additional 2 air con compressors at the end of the balcony and some plants to cover it. We also made a small sitting area and put up a Brandt poster to create a cosy corner

Tomorrow, most of the Brandt appliances will arrive and the contractor will remove our main island table to cut out the new holes to fit the new stove tops. We are also getting 4 new ovens so hopefully by next weekend, we will have finished most installations.

I will keep you updated on the progress.

Lynette

A sea of red

A sea of red and lots of action in our Lion Capital Corporate Class

We started using our Palate Sensations aprons and it's a sea of red (as you can see from the pictures below). The air con contractors worked until 1.30am on Friday putting the air cons in place. We are not able to turn them on yet until final testing is done and that won't be until next week at the earliest. I hope the air cons will make a difference as it's incredibly hot when all the stoves are used.We held 2 corporate classes back to back on Friday so I was in the studio early on Friday morning to clean up and prepare for the class. I managed to fit in a short gym session in between but I spent most of the time cleaning up since it was very dusty with the amount of work done there.

A team in discussions at Danny's Japanese Shojin Ryori Class with Lion Capital

The studio will be closed most of next week to prepare for the second phase of the renovations which is changing the appliances from TEKA to Brandt. I hope it'll go smoother than what we encountered last week.

I am off to Siem Reap towards the end of next week but I will leave you in April's capable hands. She is helping me out while we continue to look for a new Studio Manager.

Lynette

Getting up close and personal with Chef Fabio

On Saturday evening, we held another dinner party at my house. We're all making sure Fabio is putting his new found skills to good use. This time, with a recovered stomach, he made us the real cordon bleu. The kitchen was madness in the end so I only managed to capture the beginning of Fabio's 'techniques' and not the finished product. Nevertheless, the cordon bleu was tender and extremely agreeable with everyone at the dinner table.

In fact, we have convinced Fabio to cook another dinner for us this week. In the mean time, here is Fabio with his demonstration of how to slice and prepare chicken for stuffing.

First, you put your hand on top of the chicken to get a good grip

Then you slide a sharp knife into the middle of the chicken breast

And you keep working at it until it reaches almost to the end

And then you open it up ready for stuffing

So now we are ready to write and shoot a cook book!

Lynette

A cup cake affair

It's action stations all the way today at our cup cake class. All the participants got right into it.

Our youngest participants in today's class - 2 Fifteen Year old boys (yup girls, if they can do it, so can you!)

Sprinkling the cup cakes with lots of side accessories

Some serious pipping on the way

Our next cup cake class is on June 22nd so if you are into making and decorating your own cup cakes, this is definitely the class for you. We can also hold private cup cake parties for you so why not invite a bunch of friends for a uniquely different party.

Lynette

Studio renovations in progress

With minimal disruption to our cooking classes, we are currently trying to renovate our studio by upgrading our electrical supply from 1 Phase to 3 Phase so that we can install 2 additional air cons and change all our electrical appliances.

The workers putting the wiring together for the air cons near the main kitchen island

One of the additional air cons being fixed on the wall near the entrance in the main studio. The second one will be added to the dining room.

Everything is moved from the reception area to the tables

The back kitchen where most of the mess is as the electrical box is changed from a 1 Phase to a 3 Phase meter box

It's been a particularly stressful time for me since I have to manage the day to day operations such as take the bookings, schedule the classes, liaise with the clients and chefs, be present at every class, continue with business development activities and oversee the studio renovations which requires alot of co-ordination with various contractors. We have had some problems here and there and things as a result have been delayed. I am keeping my fingers crossed that the electrical wiring and the air cons will be completed tomorrow. Next week, we are adding a new wine cabinet and wine chiller and hopefully replacing some of the main kitchen appliances. It will be a tight squeeze as we have classes on sometime during the end of next week.

I am hoping that it will all work itself out but there has been many frustrations and hicups the past few days, enough to give me a headache and think very seriously about locking up the studio, throwing away the key and taking the first flight home to Sydney.

Deep down, I know if I hold out over this storm, it will all be worth it. However, at the moment, it seems like the renovation will never end.

Lynette

Spoke too soon about Nokia

Well my N95 switched itself on and off today at least 10 times so I had no choice but to put it in for service again but this time through my friend at Nokia who will bring it to someone in Nokia directly at the head office.

So I am just hoping that it will finally get fixed (again!).

But really, I think this is unbelievable. As if I don't have enough problems already!

Lynette

Update on Nokia (Success - maybe!)

After almost 3 months of screaming at Nokia and chasing them about my Nokia N95, I finally received a phone call every half hour from Saturday onwards practically begging me to pick up my phone. They even reminded me about the opening and closing times so that I won't miss it.

I couldn't help but think it was all because I had to resort to my Nokia contacts to get my phone repaired. I don't usually like to pull favours but after almost 3 months of frustration, I had to call up a girlfriend and beg her husband to check on my phone. He has a very senior position in Nokia. So after I hung up, I got a call from the Nokia Service Center straight away.

Strange!!

And I never thought I had to resort to this in Singapore!

Now I am just keeping my fingers crossed that it won't break down for the 4th time! If it does, there is no way I am going to get it repaired. It is definately destined for the rubbish bin.

Lynette

Cooking with Fabio

Fabio is Daniela's husband and while she is in Italy, he is fending for himself in Singapore. Tonight, he came over to our house to cook a dish for us. We never thought he could cook since Daniela did all the cooking at home but apparently, he cooked a similar dish for Daniela 25 years ago when he was courting her.

Tonight, I made broccoli risotto and Fabio made pan fried chicken topped with fresh ham and cheese. We ate this with a garden salad. For dessert, we had one of the pound cakes made at today's baking class and Chris brought over a chocolate cake from Goodwood Park Hotel. Both were marvelous and we almost finished all the dessert.

My left over risotto which dried up already by the time this photo was taken but it tasted delicious (if I can say so myself!)

So here is Fabio in action wearing his Palate Sensations apron:

Fabio doing his preparation in my air conditioned kitchen (that's the best decision I made with this house because I certainly cannot cook in all that heat!)

Fabio in action over my stoves

The chicken cooking in my super duper extra long handle and extra large oval frying pan

We had great company and a great meal tonight and that my dear friend, is worth living for!

Lynette

Intensive Baking Session - Cake Mix Methods

Today, we held a one day baking class on cake mix methods from 11am to 4pm.

The participants worked individually with Nan showing the way.

They made 3 cakes each:

Marble Cake

Golden Yellow Cake

Fudgy Chocolate Cake

It was also our first class where we used our Palate Sensations aprons.

Here are our lovely participants modelling the aprons for me

We aim to give all our participants their own aprons so that they can continue cooking when they go home!

Lynette

Another typical day!

I was really quite stressed out at work today as the phone did not stop ringing and I was helping out with our corporate class while answering e-mails in between and fielding queries from particpants and taking orders from the chef. This job is all about multi tasking so if you are not super efficient and can't think on multi levels, you are going to end up with a heart attack! I hope I don't end up with a heart attack myself!

I did manage to get 2 quick shots of our class with Bayer Healthcare today.

Part of the team plating their appetizer - coconut tempura prawns with green mango salad

A close up of their handy work

Everyone was excited because we gave out aprons as souvenirs (can't wait for the Palate Sensations aprons to arrive) and also wooden spoons to all the participants.

I'm working late as usual as that is the only time I can catch up on my e-mails and proposals so that by the time you guys wake up in the morning, your e-mails are answered and are siting in your inbox waiting for you!

Till next time,

Lynette

In anticipation of Hanoi in June

A few of us are heading to Hanoi in June and I put together the following itinerary. We decided not to stinge (only the best will do!) We are concentrating our 5 days on eating and getting to know Hanoi. It's my third trip there so I want to make sure I walk away with some knowledge of the culture of Vietnam. I am not a shopper so I will be spending all my spare time eating and checking out the markets or perhaps lazing by the pool or working all the fat off our meals at the fitness center.

Timing 19th June - Thursday
12.30pm arrival into Hanoi, check into Sofitel Metropole
Afternoon Picnic basket lunch, Qi Spa
8pm Dinner at Bobby Chin (unfortunately Bobby is in HK during this period so we won't get to meet him)

20th June - Friday
Morning Walk with Hidden Hanoi
Lunch Hoa Sua
8pm Dinner at Press Club

21st June - Saturday
11am to 2pm Cooking Class - Village Menu at Hidden Hanoi
8pm Dinner at La Verticale

22nd June - Sunday
11am Brunch at Sofitel Metropole
Afternoon Walk with Hidden Hanoi
8pm Dinner at Quan An Ngon

23rd June - Monday
1.30pm Depart Hanoi for Singapore

Palate Sensations will be launching our own gourmet tours with cooking classes attached very soon so I am kinda testing this one out on myself.

Lynette

Dine at your own home with our personal chef service

Last week, we organised a dinner for a client of ours at her home. It was a birthday celebration for 2 of her friends. I played the waitress pouring wines, serving and collecting plates and plates of food. Every plate came back clean which is always a good sign.

Her beautiful home

Her beautiful dining area for 10 guests

The 5 course menu which you can read if you click on the picture

Chef Bertrand cutting some garnishing for his dish

The citrus marinated yellow fin tuna with confit of orange & rocket salad

So if you are too lazy to cook and want someone else to do it all for you, you can call us! We will send a chef and a waitress (most probably me!) and design a menu for you so you can sit back and relax and enjoy!

Lynette

Mothers Day Lunch at Xi Yan

My cats were not exactly forth coming in making me a Mother's Day Lunch so a few of us animal mothers got together to enjoy our lunch at Xi Yan. Xi Yan only has about 6 tables but like a normal restaurant, it can seat up to 60 guests at a time. Today's menu was $68 +++ and we ate the following delicious menu:

greenhouse tomatoes in sesame sauce

fried radish patty in XO & cheese sauce

deep fried soft shelled crabs in sour plum sauce

sichuan salivating chicken with century eggs

zhenjiang spareribs

shrimp paste grouper with pomelo salad

abalone ginseng chicken soup

tofu ice cream on pandan rice with coconut cream

Since Lynn came after 3 courses, I left the expert to take the photos hence there are no more photos for now. The food was great and we all bought all 3 of their cook books since they publish the recipes in there. I can't wait to try them out.

This is definately a special place that you can bring your colleagues and your family. They require a minimum number of people. For lunch, it is 2 and for dinner it's 6. Today, we had 5 for our lunch. I had been to Xi Yan once before for an alumni dinner and that was at least a year ago. The experience was great then too and I wondered what took me so long to come back. We met Thomas, the owner who explained to us that Xi Yan has 3 restaurants in HK. That is where they began before starting a private dining restaurant in Singapore. We will meet again sometime this week as I have just found a foodie friend and now we can try out some restaurants together in Singapore.

Lynette

Basic Baking Module 4

These are the certificates we gave out to our participants on completion of their Basic Baking Modules today.

In our final module, we made biscuit sponge which is bascially the biscuit you use in tiramisu.

Here is Nan doing a demo first before the participants went ahead and did the same individually

Their individual equipment and work station. In all of Nan's classes, the participants work individually and we do not use machines. Everything is done by hand - good for the muscles!

Nan demonstrating the piping to everyone

This is the base of the charlotte which is then sprinkled with icing sugar so that they don't crack and then they are popped into the oven for baking!

We hope you are inspired by these classes to come join us. The next set of Basic Baking Modules will start on 5th July over 2 weekends.

Lynette

A very expensive lunch at KHA

I met Cianti for lunch today and we decided to go to KHA, a newly opened modern Thai cuisine restaurant at 33 Hyderabad Road. It's at Hort Park which is a new garden/park (I think!). The restaurant is beautiful and classy yet casual. The service is still being ironed out. I booked a table for 1pm and when we were half way through our meal, I received a call on my mobile phone from the receptionist at KHA asking me whether I was turning up for my restaurant reservation. I lifted up one arm and waved at her.

The lunch menu is very small with 9 items consisting of noodles or rice dishes. The dinner menu is much more substantial and it is what you would usually find in a Thai restaurant. They also serve Sunday brunch/breakfast but it's almost strictly a Western Menu from what I recall.

The restaurant feels like you are in the middle of the Botannical Gardens which is only a good thing. We ordered:

2 Ruby Scarlet (ice blended drink with pomegranate) $13 each

1 Phad Thai $18

1 Jasmine Rice with green beef curry & eggplants $17

1 Fried banana $12

The food came in large portions and we could easily share among us. I really enjoyed the meal. It was quite nice and the experience was pleasant. It wasn't too crowded (not yet!) and noisy and the waiters were friendly and professional. I count this as important as the quality of the food itself. I don't usually make a big deal about the bill because I believe I should pay for good food and service but this one came up to a whopping $86 for 2 people ie: $43 each. That, I think is quite costly for a casual lunch meal. I will have to rethink a lunch here.

However, we were intrigued enough to want to come back for dinner so I shall see how that goes.

Lynette

PS: I just finished eating the Marks & Spencer bag of salt & vinegar chips I started on yesterday. I only have 1 packet left so I need to portion it out otherwise I will reverse all the good I have been trying to do to myself with all the recent gym sessions.

Marks & Spencer Salt & Vinegar Chips

I have to confess that my biggest weakness left over from my Aussie days is salt & vinegar chips. These days, they sell Kettle ones at Cold Storage. I bought one in a moment of weakness but I found them much too vinegary and left my mouth dry and thirsty. I don't know how to describe it.

Today, I went to Marks & Spencer for a meeting and saw they had them too. I grabbed two 150g packs since they were crinkle cut and were the healthier option (not that I believe it!).

Well, let's just say that I just neutralised any benefits at the gym today because I am almost all the way through the first pack of 150g of chips.

They cost $4.90 each - who cares because they taste so damn good!

Lynette

5 Week Regional French Cuisine Workshops

These 5 series of hands on workshops will fully immerse the participant in French cuisine. We will be cooking by the regions of France.

Workshop details:

Week 1 - Burgundy Region (wine growing region most famous for pinot noir. If is far from the sea so there is no seafood on the menu)

· Beef ragout Burgundy style
· Vol au vent of frogs legs

Week 2 - Lyon & The Alps (hearty food)

· French onion soup
· Sausage in brioche
· Gratin Dauphinois

Week 3 - Normandy, Paris (dairy region so there is a lot of butter and cream and the food is generally on the heavy side)

· Gratin of scallops diepoise
· Paris brest cake
· Macarons

Week 4 - Provence (Mediterranean, herbs, olive oil, fresh produce, seafood)

· Bouillabaisse
· Roast lamb leg with rosemary and ratatouille

Week 5 - South West (duck, truffles and foie gras)

· Terrine of Foie Gras
· Duck confit

When: Every Saturday from 10th May to 7th June

Time: 3pm to 6pm

Fees: $700 per person for all 5 modules or $150 per workshop (includes a full meal served in our private dining room after each module)

Black Box Challenge for graduating students of Advanced Skills - Western Techniques

Our Black Box Challenge Team (from left: Nicholas, Angeline, Jenny and Anthony)

For the graduating students of our Advanced Skills workshops, we held a Black Box Challenge on our last module. Each participant could bring a 'helper' with them to help them cook a 3 course meal in 2 hours. For some of the menus, we sometimes found that the final presentation didn't quite match the description we received! Nevertheless, it was quite nerve wrecking to begin with but everyone kept their cool and tried the best they could. No one knew what parsnip was and how to use it as part of their sauteed or roasted vegetables and Nicholas wanted to use it in his tart.

Francois in the office preparing for The 12 Week Basic Skills Workshops starting in September

Some of the black box ingredients

Some of the common ingredients

Menu for Nicholas

Salmon and prawn with tomato onion salad

Chicken with garlic ginger mashed potatoes
Raspberry and parsnip tart

Nicholas' team arrived late because they thought it started at 3pm instead of 2pm so they were already behind with their menu planning. He left out some of the ingredients because he forgot and the chicken which he served was raw in the middle so we couldn't try it. Anyway, he's only 16 years old and although he didn't win, we hope now that he has started on his culinary journey at Temasek, he will show a drastic improvement and become a big name in the culinary scene in the future.

Menu for Angeline

Stuffed mushroom with butter sage sauce

Panfried seafood with potato & parsnip mash
Lemon & ginger cream tart with mixed berries

Angeline will be leaving for Le Cordon Bleu in Sydney in September. As a serious foodie, she put in a great showing and won the competition. The food was beautifully presented and plated and almost all the dishes were really fantastic. Her tart was the best dessert. We are sure that Angeline will be a force to be reckoned with in the culinary scene in the future.

Menu for Jenny

Tempura salad with cheese & garlic

Roasted chicken with mashed potato & parsnips with sauteed vegetables
Jelly berries

Jenny arrived early for the first time but was locked out by us because we were still busy preparing for the competition. She was all gigles and took ages to decide on her menu. Without knowing how much gelatine it took to set her dessert, she had to abandon it half way as it did not set at all. What we did get in the end was really jelly berries, so hard it was difficult to eat. However, her chicken was voted the best main. It was really tender and the vegetables were done just right.

Menu for Anthony

Salmon stuffed mushroom burgers

Blueberry grilled chicken & shrimp
Mixed berry flan

For Anthony, he was first off the bat with a menu that was innovative and exciting. With the most time, he started with his dessert which although tasted great, the custard was far too liquid. He definately had the most innovative main course, combining blueberry in his marinate for his kebabs. He came in second with consistently good plates of food!

The judges - Trina (previous Black Box participant) and Francois

Patrick, Executive Chef, Au Petit Salut who won Chef of The Year at the recent World Gourmet Summit, and Margaret Quai from Scanpan

Our winner Angeline with Margaret and Francois

The team at the end of the session

We are starting our 5 Week French Regional French Cuisine workshops on Saturday 10th May so do join us if you are free and want to immerse yourself in French cuisine and culture.

Lynette

Basic Baking Modules at Palate Sensations

These basic baking modules which are run every 2 months have become extremely popular. Run by Pastry Chef Nan Ong who is a Le Cordon Bleu graduate , they consist of 4 modules over 2 weekends on Saturdays and Sundays. Our next module starts again on Saturday July 5th. Our 4 modules are hands on as you can see from the pictures. Each participant works individually for the dough portion and shares the pastry cream. The modules are divided as follows:

Shortcrust pastry

Choux pastry

Genoise sponge

Biscuit sponge

The class working away on their dough

The chocolate pastry being moulded into the pastry cases

A closer look at a participant working on her pastry

So do come and join us if you like baking and want to learn the fundamentals.

Lynette

Flutes at The Fort, consistenly good food and great service

When I want to eat good food and don't have to worry about the service level, I always return to Flutes at The Fort at Fort Canning. This is not only because I know Chef Francois but because I have never been disappointed in all the years I have eaten there. This restaurant is in a black and white colonial house next to the ROM on Coleman Street. They keep a very low profile and do not do much advertising, nor do they resort to gimmicky discounts because they are full every night. Their customer base is very strong and they keep coming back for more. What I like about it is that the service is always non intrusive and extremely polite and efficient. The service staff have tables they look after and they stick to it, something I don't always see in the other restaurants. The food is Australian and reminds me of the standard I get at home. It is probably one of the few restaurants I cannot criticise. I doubt if this restaurant will go all out to get a Michelin Star although they certainly would deserve one! We paid $200 for our dinner without wines.

We started off with:

Chilled Boston lobster salad with guava pomegranate and mango dressing

Roasted fresh figs with rosemary, salad of rocket pecorino and pine nuts, balsamic glaze

(I am a sucker for fresh figs so if I find this on the menu, I order it straight away)

Followed by tasting portion of:

Hot wood smoked salmon with baby fennel and broad bean salad, chervil dressing

(This was delightful. The salmon was just smoked through so it was nice and tender and served warm. Delicious!)

With our main courses:

Grilled John Dory fillet with crushed potatoes and green asparagus, vanilla bean beurre blanc

(I don't usually eat fish but fish at this restaurant is so good how can one resist?)

Roasted black cod with teriyaki sauce, roasted butternut pumpkin and wilted tatsoi

And the finale:

A huge multi dessert platter

So if you are looking for a restaurant that serves consistently good food with great service, there is only one place to go - Flutes at The Fort. I guarantee you won't be disappointed.

Lynette