Royal China l Don't be a bull in a china shop!

I cannot emphasize how long I've been waiting to go to Royal China. The first time I heard about it was a year back, and I told myself I'd give a visit some time soon.

Well that never really happened. Why?

First time I called for my mom and I , they were fully booked for the next 2 weekends. I decided to head down with my mom the second time it was 2.45pm and I didn't know they close at 3. The third time I went it was 6pm and somehow I never registered the fact that dim sum was only for lunch. The fourth time I went... They ran out of just about all the dim sum. 

So can you imagine how exasperated I felt every single time I left not satisfying my dim sum craving?! The food monster inside me was full of rage, all ready to go all hulk mode on me. (Yes I have this tendency to get extremely frustrated when not having the meal I intended to have)

Anyway, enough of the blabber. Thboy and I managed to head down for dim sum and I was ecstatic.

Sliced Fish with Conpoy Congee ($6.80)

Salted Egg with Lean Pork Congee ($7.80)

Thboy had sliced fish and I picked salted egg. We both agreed that they use the same base, but it was the ingredients that make a good porridge. If there's any kind of porridge I like it's a good cantonese style porridge. 

What is cantonese porridge? It can be said that the white rice is boiled in many times its weight of water for a long time until the rice breaks down and becomes a fairly thick, white porridge. And it differs from the regular porridge you'd have at home or teochew-style porridge you'd find in hawker centers. It's bursting with flavour, and many condiments complement the dish.

I've honestly had better congee in my life, but this wasn't too bad. Of the two I'd much prefer the century egg congee (and have always had) so if you ever would like to give it a try, give that one a go.

Sliced fish with conpoy congee - 3/5

Salted egg with lean pork congee - 3.5/5

Char Siew Sou ($4+)

I was contemplating whether to get the char siew pau or this, but ended up getting the latter. Not too thick nor thin, the crust was flaky and full of butter. They were extremely generous with their filling and it was nothing shot of one of the best I've had in Singapore.

4.5/5

Chee Cheong Fan (Prawn)

I haven't had this in a long time, but these were pretty good stuff. A very simple dish, the prawns were fresh and extremely big. I find that Royal China is extremely generous with their filling. 

4/5

Liu Sha Bao (Comes in a box of 3)

I make it a point to always order this at every more well known dim sum place I'm at. Reason being I'm in love with these babies and secondly, am a sucker for anything that flows out and is sweet. 

But to my dismay these weren't the least bit hot when I picked them up! I expected it to be piping hot, burning my tongue as the custard slid down my throat but in delight because they were going to be so good, but no. I'm not saying they're bad, in fact I'd rank this as the 3rd best liu sha bao in Singapore (With Paradise Pavillion being the 1st and Imperial Treasure being the 2nd). It oozed, just how I liked it. It was sweet and the filling was, as usual, generous. So do make it a point to order these when you're there, especially if you love liu sha bao's like me.

4/5

Har Gao (Comes in a box of 4)

Hands down the best har gao I've had in Singapore. The skin was thin and the least bit chewy, the prawns were fresh and full of flavour with every bite, and the accompanying chilli sauce given was an added bonus. 

So what do you have to do when you pay a visit? Order their har gao. I'm pretty sure you won't regret it.

4.5/5

Egg Tartlets (Comes in 3)

I'm a huge fan of all things sweet, as you cannot already tell. However these were a little disappointing. Lacking the buttery flavour I'd deem worthy of an egg tart, these were a little bland albeit the thin exterior.

3/5

All in all I'd say Royal China is definitely worth a revisit. A small restaurant which could fit about a maximum of 30 groups of people, the ambience was relaxing and the staff were pretty efficient. There's a 15% discount for UOB cardholders too. So if you ever want to find a place to have good dim sum at pretty affordable prices, go down to Royal China and give this a try.

Royal China

03-09 Raffles Hotel Arcade, Raffles Hotel

1 Beach Road, Singapore 189673

6338 3363

Opening Hours:

Mon-Sat 12–3pm, 6–10:30pm

Sun 11am–2pm, 6–10:30pm

Au Chocolat l Chocolate lovers, say I!

Au Chocolat

French Inspired Bistro for the young and young at heart

Taking up a whopping 4000 over sqft, Au Chocolat was a place that was on my To-Eat list since @dtjy blogged about her experience there. It piqued my interest and I told myself that, being a chocolate fanatic myself, I should pay a visit. I didn't expect to see the restaurant/bakery occupying about one whole section of the 1st floor.

Located above the skating rink at level 1, Au Chocolat's like a mini Willy Wonka wonderland. A french inspired bistro and confectionary filled with candies such as gummy bears, licorice to other more fancy items such as tarts and cakes. It's little wonder how one can not be captivated by the ambience. There's even a train that circles around the restaurant above you as you eat! Now how much of a child's dream is this?

I went to Au Chocolat with the impression that they only served chocolate-related items. Little did I know they also served savory items like duck confit and burgers.

And look at their adorable coasters!

We settled for the Au Chocolat Benedict and their star burger which I've sadly forgotten the name of it. Yes my memory is that bad. I just had this about 2 hours ago.

Truffle Fries ($15)

Our first order. Thick strips of fried potato deep-fried in truffle oil with BBQ and mayonnaise sauces by the side. In all honesty I've no idea what the whole truffle oil hype is, but this was good. Although I feel the fries could be thinner, this was still worth the calories.

4/5

Au Chocolat Benefict ($18)

Described as 2 perfectly poached eggs atop crispy bacon, spinach, tomato on an english muffin drenched in their 'secret' hollandaise sauce which consists of chocolate infused with red wine.

Anything with chocolate draws me, so I decided to give this a go. It wasn't as fantastic as I expected it to be sadly. Maybe I pinned my hopes too high on it, but the egg lacked 'taste' and was surprisingly didn't have the after-vinegar taste normal poached eggs would have. The bacon was well done though, cripsy and to perfection. The sauce was a winner too, suited for people who are willing to try new flavors. I especially loved the vinaigrette dressing that came along with the salad! It was far from your regular dressing and definitely worth eating your greens for.

3.5/5

My partner in crime ordered the house burger in which I've forgotten the name of ($24) Hugeass juicy portobello mushrooms, a slice of oozing cheese, beef tenderloin, tomato and greens sandwiched between 2 lightly toasted sesame buns. Comes with a side of fries and salad.

According to her, the beef was a tad bit tough. No praises nor problems about this burger apparently! But be warned, this is one HUGE burger. The fries are definitely different from truffle fries, in which I'd prefer the latter.

---

Service was, in general, fast and efficient. Waiters kept checking on us every 5-7 mins, looking to see if we needed any help. The staff was generally friendly, too. Will I come back? Most probably. I'd definitely wanna try some of their desserts and their duck confit!

Au Chocolat
2 Bayfront Ave, #01-03
The Shoppes @ Marina Bay Sands, Singapore

Opening Hours
Mon – Sun: 11:00am – 12:00am

& what's life without dessert? Before heading back for class, I told partner in crime "Eh follow me to Merely, I wanna get some ice-cream." She looked at me like I was crazy but hey, I've got a stomach and it needed dessert.

I opted for the Horlicks Panda ($3.30 for NAFA students), after hearing the rave reviews by classmates. Creamy and milky with bits of what I would think are horlicks bits inside, this was the perfect way to end lunch.

4.5/5

Merely Icecream

91 Bencoolen Street, #01-13

Sunshine Plaza, Singapore

Opening Hours

Mon–Thu: 11.30am – 9.30pm

Fri–Sat: 11.30am – 11pm

(Closed on Sun)

Now off to exercise the fats away and prepare for my trip to Taiwan with Thboy! Live life, run fast and eat while you can fellow foodies.

Xoxo

Thehungryunicorn

Long Distance... What?

Long Distance Relationships

Who the hell would want to be in them?

Meet Thboy. Standing at 178cm, he's intellectual, good looking, an eloquent speaker, a burst of energy, a stubborn mule, too good a debator but practically my soulmate. 

I've only known him for about a year or so, but it feels as though we've known each other forever. We have the same attitude towards many things. Food, our sense of humor and life in general. We snigger at the same things and we're the most stubborn people on Earth. I never thought I'd get together with such a person till I realized he's someone I've been looking for almost all my life.

But here's the catch. He studies in England. It might not be a big deal for some of you, but to me being apart from a person months at a time for about 3-4 years is no childs' play. The amount of miscommunications that arise and the major time difference sometimes takes a toll on us. The amount of trust that has to be placed in this relationship doubles, too.

So today I'm here to give you my 2 cents worth on how to be in a LDR.

1. Ask yourself: Are you certain this is someone you would wish to spend the next few years (if not, a lifetime) with?

Well if the above picture pretty much sums up your answer, then frankly speaking don't bother. 

Being in a LDR requires a lot of patience, time and trust. If you can only foresee yourself being with him/her for the next few months/1 year, then chances are the relationship won't work out. Cut yourself some slack and find someone else worth hanging on to. If you think he/she is worth the blood, sweat and tears you're about to put it with then read on.

2. Don't be an insecure sonofabitch

So there you are going about your daily life, when suddenly a notification from FB pops up "xxx (your boyfr/girlfr) has changed his profile picture"

Your heart stops. Could it be that he/she changed his/her picture to a picture of us? You unlock your iPhone and FB starts loading. You click on the notification. But wait a minute.... He/she changed his/her profile picture to a picture of him/herself. Sonofabitch! Am I not good enough? Do I not look good in any picture that I'm not worthy to be a profile picture?

Sounds a little familiar? Possibly. The usual case of the green monster prying its way through, finding excuses that you aren't good enough or your partner just thinks the worse of you. It happens, yes. To us girls especially. But if you think your emotions need a constant security blanket by your partner, you might want to rethink being in a LDR because, in all honesty, half the time you won't know what your partner's up to.

3. Occupy yourself with other activities

Put Nyan Cat on repeat, do the gangnam style moves in the comfort of your own home, pave your way through a box of cookies (yes I've had my fair share of that) or do the more normal things one would do. Read a book, catch up with some friends, go out shopping, watch an action packed movie with good looking guys (for girls), spend time studying, mapping your future. There are just about a million things you can do to occupy yourself and prevent yourself from over-thinking.

I've had times when I couldn't seem to do anything. I didn't want to do my projects nor did I want to meet my friends. I spent my days in the gym and being in my own bubble thinking about why I had to deal with being in such a relationship. My mind would go into overdrive and it did me no good.

But I've come to the point whereby I've accepted the fact I can't do anything about it. If he's going to be away for months at a time, then I'll have to find a way to cope with the distance. 

I decided to focus in school, to plan my time and my future and spent more time at home with my mother, the sole bread maker. Not forgetting my lovely dog which has been keeping me company. It was then that I realized, although he is almost my life, over thinking wouldn't help me nor anyone else. Instead it made me miserable.

4. 'We' vs 'Me' Time

We time - A time when you both sit down by your 13" laptops, load Skype and see the top half of your partner for about 30 mins - 3 hours, talking about your day and wishing he/she were by your side.

Me time - A time you allocate yourself to improve yourself, think about how you can better further your studies and catch up with the news or read a book you've been wanting to read in a quaint little cafe by the river.

There's a time for everything. Thboy and I would Skype daily, and although some of you might think it might be a little too much, we feel that by doing so we become more connected.

But won't you guys get bored of each other?

I'm not saying you've to Skype each other 3 hours a day and go to school with eye bags bigger than your eyes, or whatsapp each other every 5 minutes till the only topic you guys start talking about revolves around the weather and just about anything passing by you. What I'm trying to say is that you need to dedicate time to each other. Making time for your other half shows how much you value the relationship. Making the effort to say 'I love you' every so often and sending random mushy texts make a whole lot of difference.

So basically, all I'm saying what a famous person once said: I'm not telling you it's going to be easy. I'm telling you it's going to be worth it.

Thboy's been back for about 4 months now, and he's leaving very soon. I'd probably flood the whole of Changi Airport when he leaves but I know we both have the strength to preserve. 

Because I know the best things in life are worth fighting for.

Xoxo,

Thehungryunicorn

Maison Ikkoku. A safe haven.

I'm back again. This time cos I happened to chance upon one of the cafes I've been eyeing on for quite some time. Walking along Iskhandar road w Thboy & his friend, we were in search of a place to chill before the day ended. Suddenly my eyes lit up and I went "Maison Ikkoku!" and the girl outside the cafe stared at me like they served the best food in Singapore. Oh well, free advertisement.

A cozy cafe that is just about as spacious as a 4 room HDB flat located along Iskhandar Road, the aroma of coffee filled the air as we entered. There were few people, probably about a handful of 4-5 customers minding their own business or chatting with their friends. 

So I decided for this:

Chicken on wholewheat bread with a side of arugula and toasted almonds, (+/-) $14

Since MI's mostly known for their breakfast sets, I didn't pin my hopes on this. But wow did it surprise me. The chicken was bursting with flavour. A tad bit of moroccan spice coupled with the tenderness of the chicken and arugula atop wholewheat bread, this was a dish pretty much worth forking out an exorbitant amount for. The salad was evenly dressed, with balsamic vinegarette adding a tinge of sourness to it.

Red Velvet Cake, $7

And cos I wasn't full, I bugged them to get the red velvet cake too. We had a hard time deciding between the carrot cake or this but we decided on the latter cos the other table was having it too (And very slowly which now makes me wonder why people take their time eating sth so good so slowly)

Moist, rich and loaded with butter. This is how I would describe it. But it's in no way bad. In fact, I really enjoyed this. Topped with walnuts, I could've eaten the whole slice myself. The batter was light and fluffy and the frosting was the least bit heavy. Something, yet again, I'd gladly pay for.

So if you're ever along Haji Lane and dying to rest those weary legs with a nice cuppa coffee, head to MI. I assure you your legs will thank you for i

Maison Ikkoku

20 Kandahar Street, Ground Floor Heritage Centre, Singapore
Tel: +65 6294 0078

Opening Hours
Mon–Thu: 9am – 9pm
Fri–Sat: 9am – 11pm
Sun: 9am – 7pm

I'm back. Or am I?

After going MIA for about 2 weeks, I've decided to write a post again since work hasn't been the most exciting thing today and I'm about to snooze off if I don't do something.

Being an avid fan of food (especially sweet treats), I found myself browsing through a series of food blogs and dessert recipes for keepsake. 

So what makes a food blog appealing? Having always been a person who heavily relies on her sense of sight, the rule of thumb in every food blog should be this.

1. Have visually appealing pictures of your food

Sure, beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder. But I'm certain that unless you don't want readers not patronizing the restaurant/cafe you went to (Either because the food's too darn good or bad), you would want your pictures to turn out good. Even if you don't like your vegetables and you hate the taste of tomato and cucumber in your burgers, just bear with it for a second or two to snap that one perfect shot. 

 Plus point? Shows you how well your photography skills are.

2. Words, fonts and colours do make a difference

With the invention of apps like Instagram, Snapseed and Phonto, you can easily transform your pictures from zero to hero. Even people with nada experience in photography can get this right, surely. Apps like Instagram have pre-sets for you to meddle around with. Phonto allows you to add text (and they provide awesome and unique fonts) to any picture you want. Btw, have I mentioned all these photos are from my iPhone? The beauty of technology.

3. Never. NEVER, take pictures with your in-built flash

I was at Bedok 85 one night and being a IG addict, just had to snap a photo of the BCM boyfriend and I ordered. From past experiences, I gathered that flash photography would almost never turn out good. But being the insistent person I was, took a photo. In the midst of the darkness a bright flash went off, the next table filled with guys stared at me and I told myself "It'll be worth it. It'll be worth it." And look what happened.

The second one was at Balzac, the french restaurant located at Hotel Renaissance. The food was spectacular, and so was the ambience. Filled with french and the more sophisticated, the restaurant was romantically candle-lit. And once my flash went off. Well.... The rest was historyy.

To put it simply, sometimes it's best not to take a photo if it's going to turn out bad. Sure, the presets in instagram and all the other apps I used helped make it look better. But I sure as hell am never going to resort to taking photos with a built-in flash.

Last but not least,

4. Use adjectives to bring your food to life

I love to read. Fictional, non-fictional, autobiographies. You name it I'd probably read it. (I mean if I managed to complete the entire first book of the fifty shades trilogy I can read just about anything now. Kidding!)

But when typing out a post for a food blog, try your best to use adjectives, verbs and a more detailed description of what you're blogging about. Would you rather read a long and boring post or a short but well put together one?

50 shades of... Boring?

Alright, who's hopped on the Fifty Shades bandwagon, raise your hands.

And yes, ashamed as I am to say, I have contributed my fair share of $12.50 to E.L James. But unlike the thousands of rave reviews, I have to say I beg to differ.

The story centers around 2 people in Seattle, a businessman Christian Grey and a college graduate Anatasia Steele and their erotic and unusual relationship that forms during the course of the first book. Mind you, I never had the intention of buying it. But upon my friend (who barely reads) singing praises about the trilogy, I figured it had to be good. After all, E.L James has even taken over J.K Rowling's long time position of Best Selling author.

Maybe it's my taste in love making, or my preference in men, but halfway through the book I lost interest. The constant use of flat, boring vocabulary and the repetitive love making scenes which consisted of mostly (or only) BDSM elements. 

I would like to believe it is only because there are a limited number of books that involve the secret fantasies of a 49 year old author having a mid life crises and becoming a millionaire for it in return and the power of word of mouth and technology that this book has gained so much recognition in such a short amount of time it's being made into a film.

So what's the hype? Honestly, I've no clue. Don't take my word for it though, I could be wrong.

I'm back. For good?

After taking what seems to be the longest hiatus, I'm back for good. Hopefully.

I've decided to turn this blog into not just a food blog, but with reviews on travel, lifestyle, entertainment & (my favourite) food.

Social networking has since taken a turn for the better since the early 2000s and what better than to use this as a platform to reach out to people who (to put it very bluntly) don't want to be guinea pigs - Like me! Constantly googling '(insert restaurants' name) review' or 'healthy simple recipes for dinner' and hoping you'd get the answers you're looking for from the Almighty Mr Google engine.

So do check back from time to time to see what's in store! I'm definitely not the best writer or critic out there, but I can promise you I'll deliver honest goods.

:)