This event was part of the "Let the Feast Begin" gastronomical experience made possible by omy.sg. You can read more about it
here. Am lucky to be one of the participants for this fun-filled, laughter-induced and tummy-filling experience, so here's an account on the happenings of that day.
Our group of bloggers first convened at Jumbo Seafood Restaurant. Expectations were high and images of chili crabs were conjured in my mind. Indeed, we were not disappointed. On our sampling menu, were two of their signature dishes; Jumbo Chili Crab (awarded The Best Chili Crab in Tiger Beer Chili Crab Championship Series 2006) and Salted Egg Golden Prawns (awarded Best Seafood Dish in Tasty Singapore Chef RAS Culinary Competition 2007).
Their amiable executive chef, Chef Ng Chong Guan made an appearance for us to explain a little on our dishes. Did you know the number of ingredients found in the sauce of chili crab? Thirteen, he told us. For me, there is no need to crack my skull thinking of what went into the ingredients, as Jumbo is also selling the chili crab paste so that you can recreate the taste from the comfort of your own home.
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| friendly Chef Ng and Ms Estelle Tan |
What about the food? Here are the pictures.
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| salted egg golden prawns |
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| chili crab |
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| thick luscious sauce |
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| fried 'mantou' or buns |
The prawns were of a good size, and retained its outer crunchiness. Each prawns were evenly coated with thick layer of salted egg sauce. There wasn't much of a spiciness in here. Just pure salted egg goodness. Best to eat it while it's hot!
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| prerequisite prior to eating chili crab, a bib |
The spicyness of the chili crab was certainly something that was distinguishable. One sip and it hits you. But almost as immediately, that heat dissipates and an overall sweetness envelopes the tongue. An agreeable taste, I would say. Fresh seafood is a must and the crab that I had, certainly was fresh as the flesh was meaty and firm. The fried mantous were so good! The mantou was kind of small (2-bite size) and it was slightly sweet to begin with. Dip it into the sauce for a heavenly pillowy spicy sweet combo.
After our mini sampling in the airconditioned enclave of the restaurant, we piled out for an outdoor photography shoot where there is better lighting.
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| outdoor seats by the river |
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| Salted Egg Golden Prawns |
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| Jumbo Chili Crab |
Next stop, Cafe Iguana.
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| cafe iguana facade |
Game for a sampling of tequila? Why not? We chorused. Hahaa! How about a margarita? YES! This was my first time at Cafe Iguana, and being a Mexican restaurant, one would expect fajitas and tequila shots. I know, what limited knowledge of Mexican food! We were met by Ms Erin Frey and she explained our food and drinks itenary for this stop. We were to try their featured margarita of June, which is Jose Cuervo Tradicional Margarita. And also to sample their "Red Snapper Enchiladas". According to Erin, this dish is not that well-known amongst diners but for regulars, it is one of the favourite item to order.
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| Jose Cuervo Tradicional (40% alcohol) - tequila reposados (aged in wood for 2-12 months) |
What is tequila by the way? According to Wiki, it is a spirit made from blue agave plant and the spirit is so named tequila because it is grown in the city of Tequila. If you want to know what is a blue agave plant, click
here.
The small sampling of tequila that I had, tasted smooth and very light in colour. Best if it was chilled.
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| margarita with salt-crusted rim |
The margarita tasted lovely, on the rocks, sweet and the right amount of alcohol. The salt does give the drink an extra kick! After satisfying our thirst, it was time to refuel with food.
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| red snapper enchiladas (sampling size) |
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| red snapper fillet |
The red snapper enchiladas was likeable. Served warm and drizzled with tomatillo sauce and melted cheese.
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| tomato and onion bits |
I had a blogger who does not take much fish, and she did partake in this dish. And that says a lot! The fish was well-cooked and tasted pretty much like chicken. I liked the tomato and raw onion bits that gave the dish that extra dimension in taste. This is a non-spicy dish. The tortilla was quite filling, and soon we were all stuffed.
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| actual serving size (the Mexican rice was nice too! Bursting with tomato taste) |
Next up, Harry's Bar.
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| bar counter |
We were seated at a cosy corner. So cosy that I forgot to take a picture. Ms Roza (Marketing Manager) was very personable and she sat with us to give some background information on Harry's Bar islandwide. Harry's has currently reinvented itself from being a jazzbar, a gastrobar and now, a sports bar. With so many outlets everywhere, it is easy to chill and relax at Harry's.
We were there to sample their fish and chips, so here are the pictures.
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| fish and chips (half size for sampling) |
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| fish fillet |
The fries were nicely crisp and only lightly salted. The fish was thinly coated with batter and fried till golden brown. Its meat was firm and it disintegrates nicely when popped into the mouth. Good to eat without any sauce too!
There is a saying, "When in Rome, do as the Romans do". So when in Harry's, what else do we need to do? Get a drink, of course!
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| caipirinha |
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| cider |
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| peach bellini |
Hey, not all are mine, ok... I had the caipirinha which I offered to everyone else (well, almost), and it received many thumbs up! The apple cider was Bryan's while the Peach Bellini was Irene's.
By this time, everyone was quite full but we shall not rest, till we are at the finishing line. Last stop, was at Brewerkz. As Brewerkz and Cafe Iguana are under the same group, we met up with Erin once more.
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| beer tasting session |
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| gosh, how many glasses are we having? |
We drank in the order of light to more intense. First up was Kolsch beer (Germany), which was light but still hoppity and bitter. Next up was the steam beer from California, which was medium bodied. And apparently, this beer used to be cheaper than soda! Gosh! Scholar Red sounds interesting. Made from black glutinous rice, and was drunk by scholars in China during the imperial examination period. Most full-bodied and bitter amongst the three, and with lingering smokey aftertaste.
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| kolsch |
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| steam beer |
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| scholar red |
To accompany the beers, we had buffalo wings. They had categories of spiciness for the buffalo wings and they are called 'mild', 'hot' and 'suicide' in ascending order of heat. But frankly, the heat was just minor. Didn't even break a sweat.
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| buffalo wings |
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| colourful beers: pilsner, oat-stout and dragon fruit beer (from left to right) |
And that ends, our wonderful gastronomical journey for Waterfront Feast at Riverside Point. Below is a summary of the restaurants that we trawled:
- Jumbo Seafood @ Riverside. Address: #01-01/02 Riverside Point, S058282.Website: www.jumboseafood.com.sg
- Cafe Iguana. Address: #01-03 Riverside Point, S058282.Website: www.cafeiguana.com
- Harry's Bar. Address: #01-04 Riverside Point, S058282. Website: www.harrys.com.sg
- Brewerkz. Address: #01-05/06 Riverside Point, S058282. Website: www.brewerkz.com
And dear readers, here is a
link (http://blog.omy.sg/let-the-feast-begin/promotions/) to a series of promotions that lasts till end of July 2011. Hurry!
Also special thanks to Alvin Lim for the invite, and the rest of the blogger gang on that day! Peeps, you were good fun!
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