The Tastings Room @ Marina Square

Yet another visit here, due to a friend's incessant bugging. But this time, I really felt that I have been coming here too often, so I don't foresee a next visit at least within the next three months or more.

Truffle Wild Mushroom Risotto, $24.90

Compared to their previous servings for risotto, this looked quite... small. They have been coming out with a slew of discounts and offers via Groupon and so on, and I guess this has caused them to scrimp a bit more on the quantity. 

I thought that they added a bit too much truffle oil, actually. Prior to this, I thought truffle oil was something very expensive, but recently I found out that most truffle oil do not contain any truffles at all. Most of it is made up of olive oil that has been artificially flavoured using a synthetic agent. In this case, the truffle oil was a bit too overpowering and distorted the taste of the risotto somewhat. 

Confit of French Duck Leg, $29.90

The duck was supposedly imported from France. I have always hesitated to order duck confit, because the majority of duck confits ended up too dry. This dish was no exception.

Past visits:
2nd June 2012
29th May 2012
17th April 2012

Happycall Pan and steaks

After I got the Happycall Pan, cooking steaks has become an entirely different game. For one thing, I am much more inclined to fry steaks now instead of roasting or baking, as it is so easy and convenient. One big inconvenience with frying steaks using a normal pan is that the kitchen usually ends up in an oily mess due to the oil splattering out from the pan, but with the Happycall Pan, this isn't an issue anymore. Additionally, if the steak has some visible fat on it, you don't even need to add any oil.

However, steaks cook faster using the Happycall Pan, so the timing would have changed significantly. After various experimentations and attempts, this is what I summarised, assuming all steaks are medium rare:

Normal steaks (around 2cm thick)

1 min 30 seconds for each side, then turn off the fire and let it stay for another 30 seconds for the steak to continue to cook more uniformly and for the juices to come out.

Thick steaks (around 2.5cm to 3cm thick)

1 min 45 seconds for each side, let it stay for 30 seconds.

Thin steaks (around 1.5cm thick)

1 min 15 seconds for each side, let it stay for 30 seconds.

Foie gras

I got this right on my first attempt, fortunately! Just 25 seconds on each side would do. But the foie gras I bought was quite thick, so after I turned off the fire, I flipped it onto its sides for a while more to cook it more evenly.

Update as of 6th October 2012: 
The timings above are all based on two steaks in the pan. I tried putting more and the steaks turned out too uncooked. So if there are three steaks, perhaps you can fry it for 15 to 20 seconds more per side.

Modified events on MS Outlook not appearing on iPhone

Still couldn't solve the issue with modified Microsoft Outlook events not updating correctly on my iPhone, so I turned to the Google Product Forums for help. I went to test a variety of scenarios before posting, and here they are:

Create new event on MS Outlook --> Google Calendar updated correctly --> iPhone updated correctly

Modify existing event on MS Outlook --> Google Calendar updated correctly --> iPhone not updated

Create new event on iPhone --> Google Calendar updated correctly --> MS Outlook updated correctly

Modify existing event on iPhone --> Google Calendar updated correctly --> MS Outlook updated correctly

Create new event on Google Calendar --> MS Outlook and iPhone updated correctly

Modify existing event on Google Calendar --> MS Outlook and iPhone updated correctly

The issue is obviously very specific. I found a way to get around it though, which is to go to my iPhone Settings --> Mail, Contacts, Calendars --> Exchange, disable Calendars, and enable it again. This would wipe out all my calendar events, and then subsequently download them from Google Calendars again. This would ensure that everything is updated, but it is only a temporary solution. Another method is only to update events on my Google Calendar (instead of MS Outlook), but again, I would prefer a permanent solution.

Mythbusting #2

I am sure all of us have heard this before.

"Don't pluck your white hairs! If you pluck one, three more white ones would grow out!"

This has to be one of the most ridiculous and silly myths ever, but many people still believe it. If it is true, it means that to grow more hair, I can just start plucking away all my white hairs. I will end up with three times the hair I plucked out, and I can just dye all of them black and end up with a shining mane of black hair. Duh! 

As for the research, the best I got was from here. It basically says that our hair turns white when the pigmentation cells in the follicle surrounding the hair die. When a hair is plucked, a new one should grow in its place, assuming that you are not balding. As the pigment cells are no longer producing pigment, this new hair will also be white. But one follicle only produces one strand of hair, so surrounding hairs will definitely not turn white after you pluck one. And that follicle alone will obviously not cause three more white hairs to sprout from a single root!

Google Calendar issues

Last year, I blogged about how to sync Microsoft Outlook's calendar to the iPhone automatically without any cable connections. The key lies in using Google Calendars as a medium between the iPhone and Microsoft Outlook, and my post can be found here. 

Recently, I realised that calendar events were not updated in my iPhone. By updated I mean that if I create a new event on Microsoft Outlook, it turns up on my iPhone fine. But if I update it, my iPhone doesn't reflect the new timing. It's odd, because it used to work perfectly fine.

I went to Google Calendar to take a look, and yes, the event had been updated there. So the connection between Microsoft Outlook and Google Calendar was fine; apparently the issue is with the connection between Google Calendar and my iPhone.

I tried to delete my Microsoft Exchange account on my iPhone and activate it again. The initial sync managed to reflect all the latest events, but once I tried to update an event (on Outlook) again, it did not reflect on my iPhone. 

What could be the issue? Arghhh. I need to do more research.

Transformers Masterpiece MP-12 Sideswipe

Transformers Masterpiece MP-12 Sideswipe is out for preorder! Have been waiting for this for quite some time. For those who are unaware, the Transformers Masterpiece series consists mainly of figurines from the original Transformers Generation 1, and more recently, from the live-action movie. Compared to all other Transformers figurines, they are considered one of the highest quality, being larger and more detailed as well as having superior poseability. 

Some screenshots of MP-12 Sideswipe, taken from www.e-hobby.co.jp:

MP-12 Sideswipe, robot mode

MP-12 Sideswipe, vehicle mode

Just ordered four pieces of this for myself and three other friends. MP-13 Soundwave should be out for preorder soon too; I am looking forward to Soundwave even more than to Sideswipe...

My Humble House @ Esplanade

Second visit to My Humble House. This time, quite a few dishes we ordered were not from the menu, but were specially recommended by the waiter.

Roast Marinated Rack of Lamb with Herbs in Port Wine Sauce, $18

The lamb was tender, but I felt that the taste of lamb wasn't strong enough. The seasoning was quite good though.

Crispy Spiced Kurobuta Pork Rib in Sun-dried Tomato Reduction, $14

This was very disappointing. The pork was very tough, and very dry - obviously overcooked. It was so bad that I told the manager about it.

White French Asparagus, $15

I recently read from the newspapers that now is the season for French asparagus, so we decided to give this a try. This was still not bad, though we had no idea what the rich black sauce was. The crab meat was a good addition to the dish and was a good complement with the asparagus. The asparagus was a bit tougher than expected though.

Wagyu beef fried rice, $12

Somehow, I think using wagyu beef in such dishes is a big waste of wagyu beef. Firstly, because the beef is sliced into such small pieces, you could not really taste the real flavour of the wagyu beef. Secondly, when it is fried, the quality of the meat does not matter that much anymore. 

Still, the dish was still quite all right, if we treat it as normal beef. 

Foie gras with duck meat, $18

The picture isn't clear, but the black rectangular object is actually a slab of foie gras with duck meat below. While the portion of the foie gras was quite generous, it wasn't really pan-fried well enough to bring out the flavour of the foie gras. And the duck meat was minced and mixed with some other stuff, which failed to impress. Finally, I thought the foie gras and duck didn't really go well together, and we ended up eating them separately.

Crisp-fried Fish Skin with Oatmeal, $8

This dish, along with the two below, were ordered from the tapas menu. We were told that we had to order two main dishes first too to be able to order from this menu. I am glad we ordered this; it was certainly one of the better dishes tonight. The fish skin was fried perfectly such that it was crisp and yet not too dry. The oatmeal was a good variation of this dish too.

'避风塘' Style Crisp-fried Ocean Scallops, $12

I have no idea what '避风塘' style is, but I assume it has to do with the toppings as shown. The picture shows six scallops placed into a small box-like thing (which is edible, but I don't know what  it is exactly). The scallops still retained some of its juiciness, so it was quite good. As for the toppings, I think it consists of some dried prawns, chilli, salt, and sugar.

Crispy Golden Tofu with Special Spicy Powder, $6

This was also fried very well such that the outsides were crispy and the insides were tender. The spicy powder was a nice touch to the normal 'crispy fried tofu' dish.

For a place that supposedly serves fine dining food, I guess the price was still arguably reasonable - after the 50% discount from the Palate membership. The food wasn't too impressive either, with dishes ranging from disappointing to decent to 'not bad'. Nothing was fantastic or really good. And when you  compare My Humble House to the likes of Tong Le Private Dining which I visited two months ago, this place falls short. 

Past visit:
7th March 2012

Mythbusting #1

I am always amazed by how easily people believe random things they find on the internet or hear from someone. For example, someone told me this a few months ago.

"You shouldn't feed your dog with so much bread! My friend told me that bread is not good for dogs..."

I scoffed at her, and told her to show me the proof first. She went to check, and came up triumphantly with this from here:

"Yeast dough (dough prior to cooking) - the yeast can continue to rise in the dog's stomach and cause painful bloating, gas and even rupture of the intestines or stomach."

I pointed out that the description already states that yeast dough is dough prior to cooking, so it is different from bread. Further research yielded merely opinions rather than facts. The most ridiculous one was that dogs should not eat too much bread because the excessive carbohydrates may cause them to get fat.

Erm... doesn't the first part apply to all food in general and even to humans, in the sense that we all should not eat too much of something? And the fact about the excessive carbohydrates are basically 废话 because too much carbohydrates would obviously make anyone fat, dog or human! I might as well say that 'dogs should not eat too much lard because the excess fat and oil may make them obese'. 

Menya Musashi @ Raffles City

Visited here again for lunch. This time, I tried their red soup.

Red Cha Shu Ramen, $12.90

I was a bit apprehensive after I ordered this, because I thought the spice may ruin the soup. Fortunately, they only added a bit of it, so the spice was not overpowering. And the soup was still very rich and good, but this time it was saltier than my first visit.

The noodles this time were now a bit too soggy. And the char siew was nowhere as good as that from my first visit. The texture (less chewy), thickness (thicker) and taste (this time it was too salty) were all entirely different! Looks like their standards have not been very consistent.

Past visit:

2nd June 2012

Menya Musashi @ Raffles City

I have passed by Menya Mushashi several times before, and there was always a long queue outside. Today, I went there at close to 330pm in order to avoid the queue. True enough, there was no queue, but even at this odd hour, the restaurant was around 80% full.

White Cha Shu Ramen, $12.90

I suppose their white broth is the original version. This was really good; the soup was rich and flavourful, but still not as salty as that from Nantsuttei! A few minutes of research helped me to realise that their soup was a mixture of pork bones and dried saury fish, something which definitely helps to differentiate themselves from all the other ramen out there.

But I found the noodles to be a little too tough. And the vegetables were obviously too old - they were extremely tough as well. The char siew was a different thing though. While they were actually slightly chewy and not the melt-in-your-mouth kind, they were still very good and I actually ate everything, fats and all. I am glad the char siew was sliced thinly; if not it would have tasted so good.

Black Kakuni Ramen, $14.90

The reason for the black colour was due to them adding fried onions and garlic into the broth. It tasted richer than the white version, but again still not too salty. The noodles and vegetables were both too tough though, similar to their white counterpart.

But the braised pork was really good too. There was a very slight tinge of sweetness in it, no doubt due to the gravy used to braise the pork. It was sliced much more thickly than their char siew, but was still very tender and almost melted in my mouth. Almost.

Menya Mushishi was a pleasant find for us. Will definitely visit here again and try their red soup base.

The Tastings Room @ Marina Square

Finally had the opportunity to visit here for brunch. It's a pity they only open at 11am though, as I would prefer to come here earlier for breakfast instead.

'Sous Vide' Eggs Parma, $18.90

This did not impress me at all. The bread did not seem appropriate for such a dish, the hollandaise sauce wasn't good, and the egg yolks weren't runny enough.

'Sous Vide' Eggs Royale, $18.90

The same applies to this dish for the bread, hollandaise sauce, and egg yolks. But where's the salmon? Upon further probing, we found the salmon under the eggs. It was supposed to be smoked salmon, but it tasted more like salmon tartare, and was chopped into pieces rather than left in slices. 

I have visited here several times, and I must say that their eggs dishes weren't really special. This is in contrast with their other main dishes, which I really enjoyed. Will probably stick to dinner here instead of brunch.

Past visits:
29th May 2012
17th April 2012