While I was busy scrolling through my pc to do my work, I saw a couple of photos that were taken last year while I was in Singapore. Of course they were photos of food which most of it were taken while I was out with friends, having lunch by myself or I was just playing with my iPhone camera!
Apart from the locally popular nasi padang, chicken rice, satay and noodles, I would like to mention a few local food which is not so commonly known among tourist in Singapore. Or maybe you might have seen it and tried them before.
Chinese Popiah
These two little cutties are made from fresh soft popiah skin roll commonly known as spring roll but these are not fried.
Stuffed with “bangkuang”(jicama),peanuts,carrots and shrimp paste. There are many different versions of recipes on the stuffed filling of these popiahs. Popiahs can be found in food courts in shopping mall, hawker centres or coffee shops. (The term “coffee shop” in Singapore literally means an area or shop with a few stalls in the neighbourhood areas selling food.)
Masala Thosai (Masala Dosa)
A popular dish among the Indians and locals, this crispy South Indian recipe Masala Thosai is a flat rice pancake filled with chunks of potatoes and onions. A simple and a great delicacy to eat for breakfast or lunch! Served with curry, coconut chutney,sambal,mint chutneyetc. One of my favourite local food! You can find thosai in Little India restaurants or certain food court. (The term “foodcourt” means a spacious air-conditioned area that sells food normally inside a shopping mall. Normally there are more than 10 foodstalls in the food court. However food court prices are lower than cafes and restaurants.)
Iddiyappam
Iddiyappam is the name of this South Indian dish. Commonly known as “putu mayam” by the Malays in Singapore (also known as string hoppers in English!) The Iddiyappam is made from rice flour and sieve to make vermicelli like noodles. Served with fresh grated coconut and sugar. This is a breakfast dish. Nowadays it is not so common to find this dish in Singapore. Perhaps in some foodstalls in Little India in Singapore.
Food Court in Singapore
A typical food court in Singapore. Delicious and inexpensive food and most importantly hygenic! Self-service air conditioned food court and this one is in a hip shopping mall in downtown Orchard Road. Food courts can be crowded during lunch time and you have to find an empty table yourself.
The difference between food court and hawker centre is simply that hawker centres are not airconditioned, prices for food in hawker centres are lower than that in food courts. However both have a non-smoking ban rul and have to comply with the strict hygiene standards.
Roti Prata
A simple yet unpretentious Indian food- The roti prata. Roti prata is made from flour and then fried. Usually locals eat roti prata for breakfast and sometimes lunch. There are a few variations to roti prata; roti prata with eggs-filled with eggs, roti prata with banana,roti prata with eggs and onions etc. Served best with fish or meat curry!
Soya Beancurd
Commonly known as “Tau Huay” in Singapore, soya beancurd custard (tofu) is made from soya bean and is my favourite. You might think this as a yucky slimy tofu but it is in fact fresh,soft and silky. The best soya beancurd is one that is smoother and silkier! Scoop into a bowl with spoonfuls of sugar syrup. Soya beancurd- Melts in your mouth! There are only a few places in Singapore that sells the best soya beancurd. One of my favourite place is at Selegie Road. Another version that I really love is the fresh soya bean milk! The canned ones from the store cannot be compared to the real fresh ones. Totally different in taste. The fresh soya bean milk are heavenly pure! Drink it warm or cold.
Teh Tarik
Literally means “pulled tea”, it is the way the tea is being poured forth and back a few times at at certain height to give it a frothy foam on top of the glass. Black tea and condensed milk is being used to make this special tea. Teh tarik is popular not only in Singapore but also in Malaysia. Found in all outdoor stalls, kopitiams (breakfast and coffee shops), restaurants etc.
A typical 24hours Indian restaurant in Singapore.
There are a lot of eateries in Singapore which open till the wee hours in the morning or even operate 24 hours. You will be surprised to see locals going to these eateries at 10pm and having snacks, drinks or just chatting with friends. Even at 12 midnight the coffee shops are still buzzing. Most of these 24 hours eateries are located in the neighbourhood area.
Kaya Toast
Kaya Toasts! Yummy! This is a popular dish among locals for breakfast in Singapore and Malaysia! Just imagine a different version of peanut butter or jam on a toast. The kaya is spread on a thinly toasted fresh bread with cold thin slices of butter. Served with coffee or teh tarik! Some people even love to dip their kaya toast in their coffee! Also served with the kaya toasts are soft eggs with soya sauce.
Kaya is made from eggs, sugar,coconut,milk and screwpine leaves as a flavour. There are a few variations of kaya in Singapore- “orange” in colour which means no screwpine leaves flavoured , the green ones are with screwpine leaves flavour and the brown ones supposedly cooked in palm sugar.
There are so many good food and lots of variety in terms of food in Singapore. We are a food culture society. We love to talk about food, we are picky about food, food has to be good and delicious, we know which food stalls or restaurants are better than the other in Singapore, we complain when the food is not properly cooked, we do not settle for less because we know there are other places we can turn to. Singaporeans enjoy eating and love food very much. So much so that food stall and restaurant owners have become very competitive in terms of producing good food, new varieties just to entice the people. From local food to western food and fusion food, you name it Singapore has them. You will be spoilt for choices when you are or live in Singapore. From the simplicity of eating in an inexpensive SGD$3 (1.50 euro) local lunch to fine dining in five star hotels and great restaurants which may cost SGD$100 per person (50 euro), the food is and will always be fabulous.
I bet if you leave Singapore the first thing you will miss is the luxury and choices of good food. Do not be mistaken, Singaporeans love to spend not only on shopping but also on food and drinks. There are fabulous high tea places in Singapore, buffet in hotels, the great Sunday brunch in hotels, Champagne brunch, French restaurants, Italian restaurants, Mexican restaurants, Thai restaurants, Vietnamese restaurants, Lebanese restaurants, Fusion restaurants, Belgian restaurants, American restaurants, Cocktail bars with pages of long listed cocktail drinks and virgin drinks (non-alcoholic), lots of restaurants with live music and beautiful outdoor setting and the list goes on.
Wines are also considered expensive in Singapore than in Netherlands. A cheap drinkable wine in a supermarket ; an Australian white wine cost around SGD$16 (8 euro). However it is easy to find big names such Chateau Margaux and plentiful of good wines in Singapore. I think people are more aware of good wines and they buy to enjoy and drink good wines rather than to buy wine just for drinking. It is part of a lifestyle for most people who drink wines in Singapore.
One last note, my first taste of Dutch food outside of The Netherlands was in Singapore…. the bitterballen! It was in a lovely traditional Belgian brasserie called Oosters.
Piedmont, Italy June 2010
Relais Villa Pomela
On our last stop over from Genoa, we booked an accommodation in Novi Ligure. My first impression from the website was Wow! I could not wait to see it! When we reached Novi Ligure, I was completely stunned.
Relais Villa Pomela was so enchanting and also an elegant luxurious hotel. Not only was the place so well maintained, the service was excellent and we were greeted with such a warm welcome.
After 20 hours of ferry ride, it was a welcoming relief when we were presented with our welcome drinks and a platter of cheese.
Interior
The area was surrounded by lush grounds. Our room had a big balcony overlooking the fountain. It was a wonderful atmosphere.
On top of that, we had a very delicious dinner at their restaurant Al Cortese. Al Cortese is known for its excellent cuisine in this region.
The hotel also has its own wine cellar and has a farm; Azienda Agricola Cascina Perpetua estate. Cascina Perpetua estate is situated between Piedmont and Liguria and is located close to the hotel. The vineyard lies in the Gavi region. We love their Spumante Brut and their DOC Rubinum (Langhe Nebbiolo).
Pasta Corzetti Novi Liguri Style
Meat
Things to do:
Wine tastings at Cascina Perpetue Estate.
Serravalle designer outlet lies 1.5km away from Relais Villa Pomela. www.mcarthurglen.it
Exclusive golf courses just a few minutes away from the hotel. http://www.pomela.it/golf-gb.html
Website of Relais Villa Pomela: http://www.pomela.it/hotel-gb.html
Since we have visited most parts of Italy, naturally Sicily is on our “to do” list. All set to go in June, pre-holiday season, we had no clue what to expect of Sicily.
Our journey from Amsterdam to Genoa with a stopover in Switzerland was a smooth one. From the port in Genoa we took the Grande Navi Veloci ferry to Palermo. Long story short, our 20 hours ferry trip was quite an unpleasant one. The service was very bad and the staff barely speaks English. Most passengers on board were Italian, French, German and Dutch and most of them do not speak Italian. We were not happy that GNV advertised on their internet they were pet friendly which was not at all the case.
Grand Navi Veloci
We found out that pets were not allowed in any of the restaurants, lounge areas and coffee bars! We had to take turns to go to the miserable self-service “restaurant” as locking our beloved pet in the kennel next to the noisy engine of the ferry was not an option. I had to queue for about 40 min for food and had no idea what was on the food counter as the queue was strictly one way in. The only place that was allowed for pets was the walkway in front of the cabins on level 8 and the route upstairs (open air) for pets to do their “thing”. It said “Fido Park” for pets and we were not the only one who was unpleasantly surprised, not to say angry, that there was actually no “park”.
Nevertheless when we reached Palermo, we drove out towards Trapani. Driving in Palermo was really challenging as we had to go with the flow. No one seemed to bother about traffic lights or giving way to each other. A two way lane means in Palermo 4 to 6 cars lane… Upon reaching Baglio Vecchio agriturismo (Tenuta Zangara) which was located between Partanna and Castelvetrano, we were stunned by the beauty of the place. The newly built apartment was so beautifully located between the olive trees and facing a gorge. We instantly fell in love with the place. It was so serene and mind blowing. Apart from that, Eugenio, the manager, and his wife were so friendly and we felt really at “home”.
Temple
After Baglio Vecchio, we moved towards Mount Etna. We stayed in an agriturismo 700meters above sea level and on the northern slope of Mount Etna. We drove up the windy road on the northern slope of Mount Etna to about 1700meters by car and bought a ticket for a volcano trip.
View of Mount Etna at 2800meters
A 4×4 bus jeep picked us up and slowly went up higher to the crater at about 2000meters. Then we continued by jeep to 2300meters to see another crater. It was really breathtaking and an unforgettable experience. The last and the most spectacular was the drive to about 2800meters. From this distance, we could see the top of Etna which was about 3300meters. What beautiful scenery!
For 3 weeks, we discovered and travelled to most parts of Sicily, the temples, beaches, towns, food, wine tastings, nature reserve of Etna, food and wine festival etc. Truly memorable and Sicily is so different from other parts of Italy. Italians are a friendly bunch, but Sicilians are even friendlier! It was a great experience for us and we truly enjoyed the beauty and all that Sicily has to offer.
Places to visit:
Selinunte temples, Selinunte beach, Sciacca, Marsala, Castelvetrano town, island of Favignana, Trapani, Erice, Segesta, San vito lo Capo beach and the nature reserve, Agrigento , Gole Alcantara, Stromboli , Mount Etna and the surrounding nature reserve and inland town such as Corleone.
In Marsala, do not forget to make an appointment to visit Donnafugata wine cellar. We had a wine tastings of 7 different wines and we liked it so much that we bought Mille e una Notte, Sedara, Vigna di Gabri, and the most enchanting sweet wine Ben Rye Passito di Pantelleria. Unlike many sweet wines, Ben Rye is refreshingly light with notes of honey and figs.
Another highlight is Baffo’s Castle in Castelvetrano. It is a huge family restaurant with good service and ambience. There is a huge selection of antipasti buffet for €6, a long list of pasta and meat dishes and they serve wood oven pizzas!
Taormina is a must see with touristic shops and good restaurants and a stunning location. Food prices in Taormina are higher than in other towns.
Taormina!
Outside Taormina, a 4-course meal: antipasti, pasta, meat and dessert with table wine cost around € 25 per person.
Sicily is best for its pastries. There are lots of pasticceria around and cakes are made with sweetened ricotta. If you cook, visit the morning fish market or even the big supermarket. There you can find fresh catch such as swordfish and octopus.
Sicilian food to try:
Gelato, Cassata a classic Sicilian dessert combines with creamy ricotta and marzipan, Cannoli are fried pastry tube filled with ricotta, Arancini, olives and olive oils.
Cappucino,Arancini & Cannolo
Extra virgin olive oils direct from the producer are really great such as the ones from Baglio Vecchio (500ml, €8)
Grape varieties in Sicily to try:
Nero d’Avola , Etna Rosso, Grillo,Zibibbo,Inzolia(Ansonica),Frappato,Nerello Mascalese,Malvasia di Lipari,Catarratto,Grecanico.
Wines to try:
Benanti, Donnafugata, Graci, Biondi,Tenute Delle Terre Nere, Planeta, Azienda Agricola COS, Baglio Di Pianetto, Feudo Montoni, Tenuta Rapitala.
Donnafugata wines
Things to avoid:
Tourist meals as the food can really be bad and overpriced.
Things to note:
There are toll roads from Cefalu via Messina towards Catania so expect to pay a few cents or euros. Other than the touristic places, some accommodations do not have internet connection or “pin” machine to pay when you checked out. Not all places except credit cards. However there are quite a number of ATM machines (Bancomat) in the villages. If renting a car, best is to drive a small car as it is hard to squeeze through narrow roads or even parking! If you drive in Palermo, be aware that people do not follow the rules, to say at lest. Best is to go with the flow! Driving in Palermo can be challenging and intimidating. One petrol station in Sicily that you will not find is Shell even if your navigation says so! In general Sicilians are friendly so do not be surprised if they just start talking to you.
Check out ongoing festivals or performances at the temples when you are in Sicily.
To those going to Sicily; enjoy its beauty, food from its soil, wines, the history and the laid back lifestyle!
Websites to check out:
www.tenutazangara.it
www.donnafugata.it
www.baffoscastle.com
Wolf Centre Conservation Belgium
The article today is not about food. In my weblog, I love to talk about animals, travelling, wines etc. So what is this wolf thingy all about?
A visit to the Wolf Centre Conservation in Belgium 1 week ago. What brought us to this place? Angelina the wolf!
It was just one of the spontaneous things we did last week. Yes let’s see her today! We email Peter the Chairman and we were off on the road with Ottokar (our Czechoslovakian wolfdog).
It was a long 3 hours drive from Amsterdam. Luckily for us there was no “file” traffic jam (I love this word pronounced as “fi-le” commonly used in Amsterdam and Utrecht highway). The wolf centre is situated in Limbourg Bilstain , Belgium (Ardennen). Low hilly green and beautiful picturesque area.
The area surrounding the conservation centre
Why Angelina?
Well long story short, our friends adopted Angelina for us- a gift for our wedding. Angelina is a solution for us because we or I do not want to adopt or buy another puppy dog. Adopting this way is easier as we can visit her now and then. The reason for choosing Angelina is that she is a Carpathian wolf. History: back in 1955 the Czechoslovakian Wolfdog (CSV) is a breed of a crossing of a German shepard and a Carpathian wolf. In 1982 the CSV breed becomes a national breed FCI (herding dogs) (wolves are no longer involved in the breeding of CSV). Thus Angelina is being adopted for us. Ottokar looks like her..
Tala the wolf!
When we arrived at the wolf conservation, it was so serene and a well kept place. We saw Carpathian wolves, Artic wolves and Saarloos wolfdogs. It was really nice to see the effort and tremendous hard work of the people in the conservation area in nurturing, feeding and looking after these wolves. One of the wolves was brought in to this place as she had been badly treated by her own pack from another place. She had recovered and most likely the conservation centre will bring in a partner for her.
We had news that Angelina had given birth to 5 wolves pups. Unfortunately we were not able to see the wolves pups until they are old enough to be reunited back with Angelina. Right now they are safe and warm in the home of Peter the chairman. Cute videos of the wolves pups: http://www.wolf-center.eu/nl/foto-album
Lucke and me!
We were so happy to be able to go into one of the enclosed area of Tala and Lucke. Lucke was the friendly one, he came and approached us and I had the chance to touch and stroke his fur. It was amazing. So was it Lucke or Luckyme that he allowed me to pat him? ! Then Tala slowly came nearer to pick up her food but still cautious as a wolf she kept her distance. Peter however told us that Tala seemed more relax and came down within less than 5 minutes to see us. Normally it took her 10-15 minutes before she would appear to her visitors. Like Peter said, it could probably be that we had experience with wolfdogs and our body language and how we approached the wolves were different.
It was a memorable day for us. We were so happy to be able to see these wolves in real and also be close to them. It makes me feel so close to nature when I see them and being in their surroundings. I hope that many of these wolves would be adopted by generous people who love animal and wolves. Adoption cost 55 euro per year for the first wolf and the second wolf 25 Euro. You will receive a certificate. Alternatively you can also be a member. These wolves need your help to be given a good life. Through your contribution the conservation centre will be able to afford and give the wolves more land- outdoor space area.
Contrary to popular beliefs that wolves are aggressive animals and attacked people, wolves are naturally shy and cautious animals. They will move away from you when being approached unless otherwise being threatened by humans.
Visit them on the open days: Sunday 23rd May and Monday 24th May 2010 from 10am to 6pm. Or email them to make other appointments. Check their website: http://www.wolf-center.eu/nl/home
The website is in Dutch, German and French language. The people at the conservation centre speak English.
April 2010
Koelner Philharmonie
Joseph Haydn -The last 7 words..
Last weekend Easter, i had a special surprise from my hubby! He had organized a weekend of cultural activites for both of us. First we went to watch the classical concert orchestra. The Koelner Philharmonie played Hadyn classic -The last 7 words of Jesus. Brilliant and i had a wonderful night.
The next day was a more spectacular surprise- Opera!
We were in suit and dress and watched Don Carlo. From beginning till the end it was just beautiful. ( There was a german translation board above the stage). It was also a full house.
(unfortunately i didn’t bring the camera as it was too bulky for my little purse. Had a few pics on my iphone.)
Chocolate Museum (picture above)
Another place to visit! Check out the shop on the ground floor.. everything from chocolate beer,chocolate fondue etc…
And of course who will miss the Dom !
What i like about this city, it is really a big city that reminds me of Singapore. Good shopping area, the food is good decent value for money and you can find cafes and restaurants at every corner of the street. From argentinian steak, italian food, mexican food to thai food. Even the cocktail menu card is superb! Long list of long drinks,coctails,margaritas etc.. You can take the whole night choosing your drink. They even have mocktails! (non alcoholic cocktail!)
And my favourite? Of course the conditorei! I love german breads and cakes. From my good old days living in Munich, i always visited cafes and conditorei to have my cup of tea or cappucino and a slice of cheese cake. Mind you the cheese cake is not the quark cake that you find in Netherlands and the cheese cake is lighter in taste than the american cheesecake. The german Berliner bol is my favourite too. It’s fluffy, light and the strawberry jam is not too sweet. This combination of a light donut and not too sweet jam is fantastic.
What more can i say.. I love the food and i enjoyed the weekend! Check out my reviews about the food under “Food Review”