Pohang Seafood and Butchery @ Aperia Mall

Heard about this place from Hence and Tracy, and finally, we managed to get together for a dinner at Aperia Mall to try some Korean sashimi. Thank you Tiara for making the reservations!

shopfront

I think we're having one of these for dinner

looks good

Was given the non-BBQ table, which was ok since we were there to try out the sashimi and other cooked food. Dinner was with Ivan, Kris, Alvin, Tiara, CK, Tracy and Hence. For the eight of us, the group decided on the (L) Flat Fish and Tuna Set @$390++ which was indicated for 4 pax. Supposed to have live octopus included in this but it was out of stock, so the staff said it will be replaced with something else.

table setting

banchans

juk (porridge)

The side dishes were quickly brought out as soon as we placed our order. We started with a small bowl of juk. It was served mildly warm. So best to eat soonest. The porridge had some good flavours albeit mild, and it was rather soothing.

There was one abalone to be shared, so we had a bite each. Hmm, abalone sashimi was rather crunchy.

fresh abalone

Staff informed that the sliced boiled octopus was the replacement for the 'live' ones. Hmm, same same but different. Hehe.

sliced octopus 문어

The porridge was quickly devoured and we munched on banchans while awaiting for more food to arrive. My favourite was the kimchi. Nicely fermented and tangy. 

kimchi

Banchans are refillable, so just need to inform the staff and they will kindly refill it for you.

salmon sashimi

cheese corn

salad

We chatted and tried the various sides that came together with the set. There was one dish that caught my eye because of its unique look.

can you guess what this is?

It was like a bowl with coloured iced shavings piled ontop of it. Was thinking, if that would taste spicy or what sort of flavours... Ahh, it turned out to be cold noodles with shredded vegetables in it. The frozen feeling of this dish somehow reminded me of the meal I had with Wendy ages ago in Insadong.

mixed it all up and enjoy the icy sensation

Other things that we ate included pancake. It wasn't a big slice but I wasn't a fan of it. The insides of the pancake was rather mushy and it was a tad more sour than expected.

pancake profile view

We had small fried fishies too. Not too sure what type of fish these were. Soft flesh and need to be careful with its bones.

fried small fish

Let's get to the main course, shall we. The flatfish sashimi was an all white dish (mostly). The chewiness of the meat depended on which part it was sliced from. First piece that I had was rather chewy but the subsequent ones (the leaner ones) were rather enjoyable. 

Flat fish sashimi 광어

I had mine with the sesame dip. Could also wrap the fish up in lettuce or seaweed for more variety in texture.

let's wrap it up

close up view

There was a small bowl of peppery mussels soup too but I forgot to take photo of it.

assorted tempura of prawns and pumpkin

Tuna sashimi was looking so incredibly enticing! I was in awe with it. It tasted as good as it looked! Fatty mouthfeel, and each bite was to be savoured slowly.

Tuna Sashimi 

Towards the end of the meal, staff would bring out the soup made with the fish bones and one could opt to top-up some money to add ramen sari (plain noodles) to the soup.

pot of soup

sliding the noodles in

there it goes

There's rice too served in a small hot stone pot. Carbs to end the meal!

colourful bibimbap

mix well and enjoy!

Happy to celebrate Ivan's birthday with the foodie gang! May you enjoy more success, more travels and more good food!

Pohang Seafood and Butchery 

Address: 12 Kallang Avenue, #02-10, Aperia Mall, Singapore 339511

Website: https://www.facebook.com/Pohang.Seafood.Butchery/

Contact: 9010 4781

Business Hours: 

Daily 11:45 am–3 pm, 5:30–10:20 pm

[Tasting] Green & Wholesome Freeze-Dried Snack - Tasty and Natural

When I was a kid (yeah, I'm at that age now, in case you were wondering...) , there was that time when it was a trendy to try 'astronaut food'. I must have been like a pre-teen or teen at that time. Many years later, I guessed the right term to use, should be 'freeze dried' food. Memory indicated that the cube was light, airy and tasted of something. It was too long ok, so can't remember much. But memories came flooding back, once I had a taste of Green & Wholesome Freeze-Dried Snack.

Was at a gathering when we got to try all the 8 varieties available at the moment; Mangosteen Yogurt, Mango Yogurt, Mango with Coconut Milk [Vegan] , Mangosteen with Coconut Milk [Vegan], CocoSnow [Vegan], Dark Chocolate with Coconut Milk [Vegan], Durian with Coconut Milk [Vegan], and Monthong Durian [Vegan].

The crowd favourite amongst us? Dark Chocolate with Coconut Milk was the one many agreed on. 

Dark Chocolate with Coconut Milk

Eating freeze-dried chocolate somehow seemed to be messing up my perception a bit. It was kind of a novelty to be holding an almost weightless, square of chocolate in your hand, and then it just melts in your mouth.

 Mango with Coconut Milk

Mangosteen with Coconut Milk 

CocoSnow 

Mango Yogurt

more info

Suggest to start with the ones without yogurt first. This allows the taste buds to solely focus on the fruity flavours. However, I kinda liked the yogurt versions more with a slight switch up in the flavours and more creamy.

As these are still sweet snacks, so I did a quick check of the nutrition info at the back of the package and to remind myself that daily intake of sugar should be no more than 24 grams. Moderation is key, or share the goodies with others so that you have less chances of finishing everything on your own!

Mangosteen Yogurt

freeze dried goodies

have a taste

It's easy to keep on popping those squares into the mouth and it just disappears! But if there are some left, no worries as its bag is resealable.

Were you wondering if the freeze-dried Monthong Durian would be void of any smell? Haha, that was my personal curiosity. The answer would be no, it still has that distinctive smell of the fruit albeit toned down by quite a bit when you're not eating it. Once it goes into your mouth, there's no mistake that this is durian.

Having sampled these freeze-dried snacks, I think it makes a good gift for family/friends as it can be enjoyed by almost anyone, any time. These are made of real fruits, with no added sugar, vegan, gluten free, wheat free, and nut free. 

Price ranges from $10.95 to $12.25 and below are some of the places where you could get your hands on one of these Green & Wholesome Freeze-Dried Snacks:

• Foreveryoung.com.sg
• Shopee
• Qoo10
• Fairprice 

Thank you Hence and Tracy for introducing these goodies!

For more information on GREEN & WHOLESOME Freeze-Dried Snacks range, please visit https://www.foreveryoung.com.sg/productcategory/greenandwholesome/

(An Attempt To) Buffet @ Seasonal Tastes | The Westin Singapore

You know how we get to meet lots of people during the course of our work or hobbies/ECAs, and then some may connect that tad further for subsequent activities. That's how it is with most of my activities groups at the moment. It all started from food (most, even my work buddies groups previously where we bonded over Friday night dinners after a stressful week of work) and then more food. Hahaha!

Always thankful for the invitation to join different friends' group and this time, we're going to try Seasonal Tastes at The Westin Singapore. Was first to arrive, and ahead of the dinner buffet start time.

The buffet is at Level 32 where the hotel lobby is located, and had time to watch the sceneries while waiting for Ziqing to arrive.

relaxing at the lounge

let's stare into space

tall ceilings and reminiscence of a library 

Then, it was time to feast. Let's go for a tour of the available sections for the buffet.

cheese counter

rojak corner

As you walk to your designated table, one would be walking past the cheese/bread/pastries section and at its opposite, you'll see the Make-It-Yourself rojak section. First thought that invaded my mind then was "Nice, but would require some work to make a plate." I think my introvert inner was showing, as I worried for a bit if it'll be a rather self-conscious moment standing there attempting to make a plate of mixed fruits rojak while diners are waiting in line thinking what's the hold up. Hahaha!

cold seafood section

fresh oysters

What do you usually start with at the buffet? For me, it's always the cold seafood and specifically, probably just the prawns and oysters.

prawns and oysters

white wine

Thanks to Ziqing, we got to enjoy a glass of white wine with the seafood. And since we had wine on the table, let's go get some cheese to munch.

of cold cuts, cheeses and crackers

It was nice to have conversations while we work our way through the food. Staff was clearing off the empty plates pretty efficiently too.

Pasta Station

One of the highlight of the buffet, would be the lobster pasta. So we got ourselves a plate. Or rather, Ziqing got herself a plate and I just wanted to try half a lobster. She wanted cream sauce so we went with that. 

Lobster Pasta with cream sauce

Hmm, thought the sauce was rather mild and lobster meat was easily extracted from its shell. Pasta was al-dente and lovely.

Let's go get some meat. I like how the staff at the roasted meat counter would ask us what's the preferred portions that we would like to have. I'd be like "2 pieces each for the duck, roast pork and char siew."

Roasted Beef Striploin

chicken, roasted duck, pork (roast pork and char siew)

meat haul

roasted beef striploin

Beef striploin was good. It has a good chew and natural flavours. The roasted duck, roast pork and char siew were nice too. No complaints. The only complaint, was my stomach space was getting maxed out too soon.

If you are craving for some flavours of across the causeway, there's black Hokkien mee and herbal bak kut teh available as part of the buffet.

KL Hokkien Mee

Herbal Bak Kut Teh

What's my verdict after trying out these two dishes? Overall, nice flavours. Though, the bak kut teh could do with stronger herbal flavours and the Hokkien mee could do with a more savoury and less sweet flavour profile.

luscious thick strand

Lastly, I tried the Singapore laksa to see how it compares across all the Singapore laksa amongst the many hotel buffets. It came loaded with plenty of ingredients, flavourful broth (though can be more spicy) and overall pretty good. Nice to eat, especially after a few glasses of wine.

Singapore Laksa

And of course, we need to get dessert. Never leave without ending with some sweets. Got myself an ambitious bowl of gelato + sorbet. Got all the available flavours that night and thus, ended with 4 scoops. Nice!

all flavours; gelato - gula melaka, vanilla and lychee (bottom) and mango sorbet

But of course, don't forget the cakes. A bit of something. I had a taste of cheesecake, raspberry and chocolate. I enjoyed the small bites of cakes with a cup of coffee. Coffee was nice.

petite cakes

An enjoyable evening with Darren, Jeff, Jennifer and Ziqing. Thank you for the random jio!

Seasonal Tastes

Address: Level 32, 12 Marina View, Asia Square Tower 2, Singapore, 018961

Website: https://www.seasonaltastessingapore.com/

Contact: 69226968

Nozomi @ Star Vista

After work dinner with Eric and Wendy, and Japanese cuisine it was! They had dined there before, so my turn to try, I guess? Hahaha! We were on the waitlist as it was Thursday and the place was busy. It took about 20 minutes before we got a table.

menu

 

I had the Salmon Trio and Ikura Don, while Eric had the Unagi Don and Wendy chose the Scallop Truffle pasta.

Salmon Trio Ikura Don @$24

The don came with their signature red sushi rice. The vinegared rice was rather mild and loved the overall oily mouthfeel of the fatty salmon especially the aburi'd ones. Came with wakame clear soup which was tasty.

Complimentary iced water is available upon request.

Unagi Kabayaki Don @$24

The rice bowls at Nozomi was kind of on the smaller side of things. 

Scallops Truffle Linguine @$36

The overall taste was rather mild for the pasta. Loved the scallops. We were enjoying our talks and dinner until we finally noticed that we were the only diners left in the shop at 930pm. Thank you to the staff who waited patiently for us.

Thank you Eric and Wendy for the dinner treat!

Nozomi

Address: 1 Vista Exchange Green, #02-20 The Star Vista, Singapore 138617

Website: https://www.nozomi.sg/

Contact: +65 9759 3622

Business Hours:

Mon: 11:30 AM–2:30 PM, 5:00–9:00 PM

Tue - Fri: 11:30 AM–2:30 PM, 5:00–9:30 PM

Sat: 11:30 AM–9:30 PM

Sun: 11:30 AM–9:00 PM

H&C Halcyon and Crane Cafe @ Paragon Shopping Centre

This is one of the more popular places at Paragon on a weekend morning. For us, we chose to have brunch there on a PH morning and arrived early at 1130am. The brunch crowd was not there yet.

Did you know that H&C has a Granola menu? Dearborn granola is available here. An extract from Dearborn's website states that it is a "hand crafted, small batch breakfast food that is proudly made in Singapore. Ingredients are sourced with the same intent, with a keen focus on traceability and sustainability." Let's support local.

Granola Menu

We opted for the simplest version with milk for a taste test. 

Dearborn Granola and milk @$9

Dearborn Granola

I suspect that am probably too accustomed to the taste of commercial granola and those generic cereal packs to understand the differences. Dearborn granola has natural tasting and knowing that the ingredients were sourced with sustainability in mind, probably made me feel better eating it.

Ivan chose the Dan Dan Spaghettini, and it was a repeat order for him. There's a choice of spicy or non, and we opted for non-spicy version. 

Dan Dan Spaghettini (non-spicy) @$26

Give the noodles a good mix before tucking in. Noodles were good, tasty with the minced meat bits but leaning towards the sweeter side.

Crispy Squid in the menu was quickly noticed by both Tracy and myself. It turned out to be a good choice. Chunky, tender squid well battered and fried to a golden brown. This was so tasty! My favourite.

Crispy Squid @$18

Hence ordered an orange coffee and it was interesting. Orange juice was served separately and the coffee was in cube form.

Orange Yuzu Passionfruit Coffee Cubes Latte @$14

in goes the orange

ta-dah!

The last main dish was the Grilled Tiger Prawn  Risotto. The dish looked vibrant with its beautiful colours. However, I was confused by that piece of bread served together with the risotto. 

Grilled Tiger Prawn Risotto @$32

This dish was rather refreshing with the diced zucchini, oriental corn, multigrains and pumpkin 'risotto'. Again, strong flavours and overall enjoyable!

For dessert, we were unanimous in choosing the Nutella & Banana French Toast. It came with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream.

Nutella & Banana French Toast @$23

On first bite, I was intrigued by that one singular taste that was familiar but can't really pin a name to it. We debated amongst us for a very short while before having the eureka moment of revelation. "The fritters taste from the goreng pisang!" Hahahaa!

Overall, the food at H&C have good variety and delicious. Will be back to try the other dishes. Spent about $34 per pax.

H&C Halcyon and Crane @ Paragon Shopping Centre

Address: 290 Orchard Rd, #03-09 Paragon Shopping Centre, Singapore 238859

Website: https://linktr.ee/halcyonandcrane

Contact: +65 9727 5121

Business Hours:

Sun - Thur: 9:00 AM–8:30 PM

Fri - Sat: 9:00 AM–10:00 PM