Shokudo Japanese Coffee House With Video

In recent years, there has been an increasing number of new Japanese cafes that specialises in western fare, especially Italian pastas and pizzas.

I remember a few years back, I used to frequent Waraku Pasta in Clarke Quay Central, and back then, it was very packed and had a novelty feel about it.

Since that time, Waraku seems to have expanded this concept to a few more outlets, and Sakae has gotten into the act. Unfortunately, Sakae just did not seem to have the same quality and their Wheelock outlet has since reduced to half its original size.

I found this Shokudo Japanese Coffee House sometime last year, and was quietly impressed by it the first time I was there for a simple coffee and light meal.

I happened to be in Bugis Junction over the weekend and wanted to bring Pauline to let her try it out for herself. Thankfully, it is as I remembered from last time.

Macha Latte

Pauline started off with a very greenish macha latte and it was a good start indeed. Not too milky, and just enough of the green tea macha flavor without too overpowering.

Iced Yuzu Soda

My own iced yuzu soda was even better. It was refreshing and the little bits of lemon zests really gave this soda a real zing and zip to it.

Unagi and Mushroom Ultra Thin Crust Pizza

Pauline had this very sumptuous unagi and mushroom pizza. It was shaped rectangularly, similar to Crust Pizza, and had this super thin crust which was rather crispy. The mix of unagi and mushroom was quite nice, except that the mushrooms were a bit dry.

Salmon Spaghetti with Wafu Butter Sauce

I had this very tasty pasta dish, which was essentially pan fried salmon on top of a spaghetti tossed in a slight butter sauce. I particularly liked the generous amount of garlic and slight chilli for the extra heat. The highlight for me personally.

Caramalised Bananas on Thick Toast with Chocolate Sauce

Japanese cafes tend to do very funky and pretty looking desserts, and Shokudo is no exception. This thick toast did look pretty, but tastewise, it was a letdown. The toast was a bit too thick and dry, and though the notion of bananas and chocolate was a temptiing one, here it just did not work out.

Tofu Cheesecake

The tofu cheesecake was a totally different experience. Not only was it beautiful to look at, it was also a delight to consume as well. It has a nice, creamy and soft texture that was both sweet and savory at once. And the chocolate sauce on the side just perfectly complemented it.

Shokudo is a cafe that is designed more for the younger crowd, and the ambience within was definitely colorful and cosy. But as a place to have some light and tasty meals, Shokudo is definitely appropriate and serves as a nice alternative to other Japanese pasta cafes.

Shokudo Japanese Coffee House
200 Victoria Street
#01-53
Bugis Junction

Written, filmed, edited and directed by Silverchef Productions.

Shot and edited entirely on Apple's Iphone 4 in Bugis Junction.

No unagi pizza was harmed in the shooting of this video.

"Innocent" performed by David Cook.

Dear Jessica Simpson, I Love Your Shoes! Sincerely, Lisa Fergus

Okay, how absolutely amazing are these shoes?! I have been seeing them everywhere and could not stand to not own them any longer! I went to Jessica's online store and they had them in grey and purple, but black and brown were sold out! I actually found that brown was sold out at a LOT of places! I finally found them at Shoes.com and pressed that "add to cart" button faster then you can say Jessica Simpson! lol
I can't wait to wear these bad boys all summer long! They are actually my first pair of 6 inch heels! Thank God my hubby is 10 inches taller then me! ;)

My sons new favorite dessert

Last week I read on Momnivore's dilemma about a great ice cream alternative. I found out about her blog because both our sons have the same developmental therapist. I am so glad to have found her here on blogspot. I can not tell you how many recipes I steal from her! lol I am currently in the same boat as her and am always looking for more gluten free ideas for my little man! This one is so simple, but it is darn good so I figured I had to share it with people! ;)

What you'll need:
Bananas
Enjoy life Chocolate Chips
wax paper
cookie sheet
freezer

Directions:
1.) slice up your bananas and place them on the wax paper lined cookie sheet
2.) Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave
3.) Dip the slices in the melted chocolate or spoon it on the top (I went with the messy free route while my little man ate chips out of a measuring cup!)
4.) place in freezer

That's it!



I'm a huge fan of frozen bananas so this is something we all like! If you or your kids are on a gluten free, dairy free, soy free diet I strongly urge you to check out her blog! We also use her hulk shake recipe and alternate fruit and veggies for breakfast a few days a week!

In other news, you can now shop my closet, jewelry box, and shoes! So many more items to come in the next few weeks!!!

Sole Pomodoro With Video

I was privileged to be invited along for a pizza tasting session at Sole Pomodoro over last weekend, and this was quite a new pizza place located at Mackenzie Road, just off Selegie Road.

It is owned by two very passionate Italians who are very proud of their pizzas and how they actually make them. The place itself is a refurbished kopitiam, but made to look more like an Italian alfresco cafe.

We were there primarily to taste the difference between a Naples type of pizza, which is of the heavy crust variant and more doughy type, against the thinner crust and more crispy version which the owners prefer.

Looking around the cafe, I could see that they have preserved the art of making pizza very well here, including using charcoal fire instead of gas or electric fire for their stove.

Accordingly, this will create a better tasting pizza and making pizzas is all about making the best dough and crust, and having the right tomato base. Any other topping is simply bonus to the basic margherita pizza. That said, they did give us quite a few different toppings of pizzas to try.

Margherita Pizza

This is the most basic of their pizzas. Just an excellent tomato sauce, layered with some beautiful cheese and a few leaves of basil. We tried both the thicker and thin crusts, and to be honest, both were equally excellent as the dough was really good. It did not taste too doughy, but the thin crust felt more balanced with the toppings and just had a more lovelier, crispier texture to it.

Ricotta Cheese and Sun Dried Tomato Pizza

In essence, all of the pizzas had the same crust and base, but with different variations of toppings. The ricotta cheese and sun dried tomato was really delicious when you had the richness of the ricotta nicely balanced with the acidity of the tomatoes.

Sole Pomodoro

The best of the lot was this beautifully made sole pomodoro pizza, which is their signature pizza as well. It consisted of roasted sun dried tomatoes, potatoes, and flavorful Italian sausages bathed in a rich yet not overpowering cream base. The flavors came together wonderfully on the crispy crust.

For a rather new kid on the block, Sole Pomodoro has already established itself as one of the premier and authentic pizza places to go to in Singapore. Coupled with their passion and enthusiasm, pizza lovers should really give this a try.

Sole Pomodoro
12/21 Mackenzie Road #01-01

Written, filmed, edited and directed by Silverchef Productions.

Shot and edited entirely on Apple's Iphone 4 near the former Rex Cinema.

No pizza was harmed in the shooting of this video.

"Apologize" performed by Kris Allen.

My new picture wall

For as long as I can remember I have always wanted a picture wall. Well, more of a collage wall, but a picture wall non the less! I finally started collecting frames of all shapes and sizes and mirrors starting back in September. Since I had NO IDEA how to do a project like this without ending up with a wall full of holes, I asked Lindsay from Yams Designs to help. She surpassed my expectations and then some!! She come over with craft paper and traced all my frames (making marks on the paper were the hooks are and everything) and began taping them up my wall! Here is what we came up with using the frames I had at this point:

I decided I was going to want more frames, so I went on Amazon.com and found a 10 pack for $29.99. When those came I added them to the existing collage. Here is what I have up as of now:

It's not done yet! I still need to add a custom piece that Lindsay is making to the top left of the wall. I also need to fill some of the frames that are up and undoubtedly I will probably add a few more frames.
I was so lucky to have Lindsay to help me on this project. She is a design consultant, so this is a smaller job then she usually takes on, but she was more then happy to help. You can check out her blog here and here Etsy store here! And if you ever need design help, I urge you to use her. She really has a great eye for design. You should see the chair she picked out for my front room/office. Well, that's a work in process and another post! ;)

Adding a little color to my day

Cardigan: H&M
Tank: NY&CO
Jeans: Target
Earrings: Closet Swap (F21 in Las Vegas)
Ring: Jewelmint
Necklace: Self made

I'm finally feeling like my pre-baby self again. I have 9 pounds left to loose and my tummy is still like a bowl of jelly, but hey, it's been four months and I'm darn proud of the way my body bounced back again!
I decided to embrace my new size and wear something a bit more figure hugging then normal (well, tighter then I have worn in the past year anyway!). I love the orange color of my top with the turquoise in the earrings and the hot pink nails. Great color combo, don't you think?! And this ring is my new favorite! It was my February selection from Jewelmint and I keep wanting to style everything with gold so I can wear it over and over! Something about the placement of the 2 stones on it...I just find myself drawn to it!

Grandma's At Nex With Video

I have always walked past Grandma's in town, but just never really got around to patronising it. And it is only when I was at the newly opened Serangoon Nex that I finally had my first taste of Grandma's.

At Nex, there is really a wide choice of eateries found on almost every floor of this huge complex. We happened to decide to venture into this rather well known home styled restaurant.

The first thing that strikes you is how homely the surroundings are, and that is clearly reflected in the menu as well. Filled with an almost nyonya exuberance, we were keen to see how the food actually fared.

Hokkien Noodles

The hokkien noodles was quite tasty, especially with the addition of clams and seafood which really brought out the sweetness of the noodles really well. It was also steeped in the familiar dark sweet sauce and felt really hearty.

Honey Chicken

Next, we had the deep fried honey glazed chicken. It had a nice sweet flavor to it, but did feel as if there was MSG involved. The chicken was slightly dry inside, but otherwise it was pretty alright. It was crispy on the outside, though.

Otak Otak

The otak was really the highlight for us. Very nyonya like, it was very lemak and coconuty, and yet the fish flavors came through really well through the spices. Well not the best otak we ever had, it was still really good value for money.

T

Teh Tarik

We finished off the meal with a couple cups of teh tarik. Nicely tossed and displaying the bubbles that you find so familiar with this beverage, it was smooth but not yet as fragrant as the best teh tariks we have had.

Grandma's certainly tries to bring a sense of home cooked food to the masses in a comfortable setting. I just wish they had use less MSG in their dishes though as that would have really brought the home cooked feeling home really well.

23 Serangoon Central
#B1-25 NEX Mall

Written, filmed, edited and directed by Silverchef Productions.

Shot and edited entirely on Apple's Iphone 4 and in Serangoon Nex.

No honey chicken was harmed in the shooting of this video.

"Things Have Changed" performed by Barb Jungr.