CHERRIES TIRAMISU

Adding cherries to the tiramisu makes a great difference!

TIONG BAHRU BAKERY

Many cafes have sprung up in the quiant neighbourhood of Tiong Bahru and one of the popular ones is Tiong Bahru Bakery.  It is situated at Eng Hoon Street and enjoys brisk business daily.  When we went there for brunch it was full and waited for a while to nap a table.

The shops, including the one in Raffles City, are set up by Spa Espirit Group teamed up with French baker, Gontran Cherrier

The cafe has a nice ambience.  The place is so busy that you are at the liberty to help yourself to the cutlery and bottles of water

We were enticed with a visual display of whole range of their cakes, pastries and burger

Patience is a virtual of display in drinks and payment

Orders of their multiple pastries and croissants.  What I like most is their Kouign Amann, a crisp round pastry with caramelised sugar coating its exterior. The interior was buttery and sweet with a hint of saltiness.

Best seller  -  Squid ink burger

Berries bar

Almond pear tart

Without a trace

A graphical moment in deciding your coffee

POACH PEARS WITH ICE-CREAM

The poached pears pair well with ice-cream

POACH PEARS

Bought some European pears during marketing and used 2 to poach

Prepare syrup by heating sliced sugar candy, ginger, cinnamon stick and water till sugar melted

Slice pears and boil in sugar syrup till soft.  As these European pears are hard they need to boil longer

Boil till pear slices are soft and caramelized.  Put pear slices into a glass bottle

Pour syrup onto pears and bottle up

When cold tighten lid and refrigerate till use

TEA TWG

What a lovely day!  Had a ladies lunch at Tea TWG and followed by chilly crab dinner at home.

My daughters and me had lunch at Tea TWG in Takashimaya.  It was not crowded when we arrived at 12 plus but that cannot be said for after 2pm.  The Emperor set was too large a portion for 1 person and we shared but ordered an extra main dish.  The set comprised of orange juice, smoked duck salad, baked scones and a piece of pastry or cake.  We individually ordered a tea.

The scones with jelly and fresh cream to eat with.  The jelly was wonderful and quivered at a slightness touch

The duck salad was smoky and paired well with mozzarella cheese and brined olives.

Egg Benedict with salad  -  the eggs were gooey with creamy hollandaise sauce

Main course for Full-Set  -  Pan-seared scallops with smoked salmon and roe in ginger sauce

Soft tender Beef Tornedos.  The beef was medium rare with lovely brown sauce.  Crispy french fries in pastry holder

A selection of dessert at the end of the meal

Soft caramel raspberry creme brulee pie.  How I loved the creamy sweet custard that glided down the throat.  The custard balanced well with the sourish raspberry

Luscious red strawberry tart

CHILLI CRABS

Chilli crabs for dinner on National Day. We bought 2 big Sri Lankan crabs from Bedok market and cooked in sambal chilli and tomotoes sauce.  The flesh is fresh and firm and came off easily from the shell.  The dish was accompanied by steamed bun to soak up the mouth-watering gravy.  Normally I would attack the crab shell first given that it is brimming with egg roe.  Cannot help licking our fingers after the last piece.

UDON

Udon is often served hot in a mildly flavoured broth topped with thinly chopped scallions. Other common toppings include tempura fritter, or deep-fried tofu pockets.  A thin slice of fish cake is added.

I like eating it dried with chilly and soya sauce.  I add in ogonori (a light and delicate seaweed sold preserved in salt.  This seaweed is normally eaten cold), whelk meat together with dried shrimp chilly paste and tomatoes pasta sauce.  Add in a dash of sesame oil and light soya sauce to bring out the flavor of the whole dish.

SANXIA DESSERT

After walking for sometime in the cold wind we needed to find food to warm our body.  There was a dessert shop near the museum.  We each ordered a bowl of hot sweet soup.

The sign board indicated the prices of red bean and peanut soup to go with different types of glutinous balls, yam, sweet potatoes and plain type.  2 big pots of red bean and peanut soup were boiling vigorously with ingredients soaking in clear water.

The sweetness of both soup were just right with chewy soft glutinous balls

Fresh fried fritters were made and deep fried on the spot.  Hot crispy fritters went well with the soup

There were also cold almond pudding but no thanks with this kind of weather