The Travelling Gourmet goes to Switzerland…

 Story and photos by Dr. Michael Lim The Travelling Gourmet

All rights reserved

All photos are of REAL food with NO photoshop or props

The indomitable Travelling Gourmet doesn’t really go to Switzerland but to a bakery called Swisslink in a remote part of…

MARVELLOUS and sunny Singapore where the Chicken Pie that has big boiled eggs inside…this pie is absolutely scrumptious! Enjoy with lashings of sharp but not too spicy HALAL Chilli Sauce by Maggi ,which has no MSG and less salt…so it is better for you. The flaky and light crust is 4mm thick and the filling is NOT all potatoes! There are good chunks of carrot, green peas and chicken meat to bite into, and the flavouring is nice, although a bit too much white pepper for my taste.

Just a small critique, as overall it is very satisfying. You can take away or dine in…and watch Kung FU serials with lots of jumping side kicks on Channel 8 on a wall mounted flat screen Toshiba TV, no less. Decor is not opulent but if you are more into food than posh surroundings, you will like this place. I like it…and I always sit at Table Number 1 for obvious reasons…just like my friend, former Director of the National Bureau of Investigation of the Philippines, General Alfredo Lim.

Enjoying good food is truly “un joie de vivre”! Not all good food is found in expensive ‘haute cuisine’ restaurants…He is no fool who plays it cool, baby!

Swisslink Bakery and Cafe

Sunset Way

Blk 109 Clementi St. 11,

01-07

Singapore 120109

Tel: 6778 7858    Hours: Daily 9.15am to 8.30pm

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Cafe Swiss for Fondues, Schweinshaxe, Air-Dried Beef, Gruyere Cheese, Raclette and more!

Some very yummy Extra Virgin Olive Oils from Spain and Italian Balsamico fomr Modena in Cafe Swiss, Raffles City, where I dined last night…

Terrific Triple 3!!!

Story & photos by Dr. Michael Lim The Travelling GourmetTM

All rights reserved

All photos are of real food with no photoshop and no props

The inspiring Travelling Gourmet goes to No.333, Orchard Road to savour the tempting specialities of  Mandarin Orchard’s All Buffet restaurant where the…

MARVELLOUS  King Crab from Russia is so very delicious with a sweet-salty taste and marvellous fine texture and the aftertaste of umami is sheer gastronomic bliss! The Citrus spiked “Kaiser ” Pork Ribs are drop off the bone tender and I cannot get enough of them, Delicious is an understatement! The pork ribs are carefully marinated with a secret mix of citrus juices and rest seductively on a futon of cute corn niblets. Chef de Cuisine Sam Chin who hails from the Pearl of the Orient, namely Penang, is a youthful but skilful Chef who really has a love and passion for his profession. A true gourmet can always tell when the food is cooked with love. Lobster grilled to perfection with green crunchy Edamame Beans…sexily caressed with a light, fluffy, Emulsion of egg, clarified butter and Dijon mustard was for me the ‘piece de resistance’! A true gourmet’s delight!

 

                             

The emulsion has just the right amount of savouriness to enhance the naturally sweet ocean flavours of the USA spiny lobster. A bold and expressive New Zealand 2012 Sauvignon Blanc “12,000 Miles” bursting with gooseberry flavours and hints of lemon grass on the 3rd nose, matches very well with the ‘fruits de mer’ (fruits of the sea).

Wagyu Beef from Japan with a lovely layer of delicious far and just drizzled with Sesame Sauce and garnished with brunoise of scallions is ‘superbe’.

 

I relished the beef wih a New Zealand Shiraz which was better than expected, and almost as good as the Old Vine Shiraz from the Barossa Valley of South Australia.

 

 

Chef Sam’s style is simple but very appetising, and he brings out the true flavours of the ingredients, and lets them speak for themselves. Salmon just seared so it is still rare in the middle with a dollop Dijon Mustard Emulsion  is another must-try. Wunderschoen!

My favorite table is number 15 where I can see all the ‘action’ in this trendy restaurant and have a view of Singapore’s answer to London’s bustling Bond Street, which is of course, Orchard Road. There are numerous live cooking stations so this is a “Theatre Restaurant” where you have as much fun dining as watching the Chefs do their thing! The Indian section is worthy of mention with a beautiful but not too spicy Chicken Curry, that is not too oily too. Have it with ueber-crispy Poppadom and Garlic Naan and …Tandoori Chicken with that slight tang from the plain yoghurt used to marinate the meat. I always like the sweet chunky Mango Chutney!

I always like this hotel, the Mandarin Orchard. I loved the revolving restaurant, Top of the M with Tournedos Rossini and Cherries Jubilee flambe at table side. The Mandarin Orchard is ‘la grand dame’ of Orchard Road, and the General Manager, Danny Wong is one of the nicest and most capable Hoteliers I have ever had the pleasure of knowing.

Sweets for the Sweet!

Mind boggling treats like Macarons, ice cream, Brownies, Fruit Tartlets, Yoghurt Cake…and more will delight those with a sweet tooth. I especailly recommend the zesty, sour-sweet Yuzu Sorbet made from that most delightful of Japanese citrus fruits. ‘Red like the lips of sexy Madonna’ Cranberry ice cream  and Vanilla ice cream with little seeds of Vanilla inside are excellent with the Bread & Butter Budding!

 

Profiteroles are topped with a medallion of toffee caramel and garnished with a peaked meringue volcano. Eat, drink and be merry because if you work out the number of seconds in 100 years, it is only…3,136,320,000 seconds. Think about it, it is not a lot…

If you want to be  Champion Survivor in this crazy world, eat well to be well! Outlast, Outplay, Outwit, Outsmart and Outmanouvre…ENJOY!

Tax Free World Association in sunny Singapore!

Story & photos by Dr. Michael Lim The Travelling GourmetTM

All rights reserved.

The debonair, indomitable & resourceful Travelling GourmetTM visits Marina Bay Sands where TFWA is being held in…

MAGNIFICENT opulence for the very first time in MBS. Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Center is huge and well equipped. The MBS hotel known fondly by its nickname as “The Surfboard” has high end very expensive luxury shopping, a 5 star hotel and many restaurants which are exports of celebrity Chefs like the excellent Guy Savoy and yummy Bistro Moderne Daniel Boulud…

Remember the classic Clint Eastwood movie in which Clint was “The man with no name”….

The Good, The Bad & The Ugly…

THE GOOD

Petrossian Caviar impressed me and now according to affable and charming Bruno Gils, Export Sales Manager, “There is no more Caviar from the Caspain Sea or Russia or Iran…now it is from Israel, France and Bulgaria and China…” Yes, there have been many changes since 1989 and the Fall of the infamous Berlin Wall and the end of Communism.

At Fauchon, I tasted exquisite macarons air flown from Paris and Fauchon’s own label Champagne! The Exhibition this year is very lavish and well organised with many stands showcasing perfumes, chocolates, wines, Rum, and much more. At the Franciacorta stand, I tasted Amaretto form the Franciacorta DOC and DOCG regione.

The BEST!

SAS Silhouette! *****

 

 

Sexy And Strong SILHOUETTE spectacles are 100% made in Austria, no China rubbish here. They have been around since 1964! They also make Adidas Sunglasses. I kid you not, these Silhouette sunglasses and regular spectacle frames too are ‘tres magnifique’! Eighty two separate processes go into making one sunglass! I especially adore the Silhouette 100% Titanium Sunglasses which are so strong and durable and incredibly light, as well as being corrosion resistant. Moreover, they are the ONLY spectacles/glasses that are SCREWLESS!!! It is a patented process. Amazing and almost unbelievable but TRUE! I am a huge fan. The polarized Adventurer model is really cooool! These glasses are for sophisticated individuals of intelligence and very good taste. Need I say more…

When I travel the world in search of exotic food and unique wines…in the snow or ice or when skiing or ‘apres ski’ in St. Moritz or Cortina d’Ampezzo in the Italian Dolomites…

or in the hot rainforests of Le Ile Maurice with sun kissed beaches, Silhouette is MY preferred partner!

SILHOUETTE : The Official Sunglasses of THE TRAVELLING GOURMETtm

www.silhouette.com

facebook.com/silhouette

twitter.com/silhouette_com

Tintamar – Créateur de sac intelligent et pratique ****

 The Travelling Gourmet and the Founder of Tintamar, Edith Petit

The concept : Very Intelligent daily bags for men and women…

Created in 2003 by Edith Petit, Tintamar has become an iconic & exclusive brand in the handbag and accessories industry with the sole aim of simplifying plus improving the quality of daily life.

The Tintamar concept combines practicality and aesthetics through shapes, colours and materials. Fashion, hobbies, travel, jobs and family life: everything and anything is a source of inspiration to create products pairing functionality with design. The Travelling Gourmet values FUNCTIONALITY above all else!

The Tintamar universe evokes the French Caribbean island of Tintamarre, a natural reserve that has become a place of creative inspiration. Just like the animal and vegetal species which live on the island, a bag species called Intelligent Daily Bags is flourishing on Tintamar. The native bird is aber natuerlich, the exuberant and uproarious Tintamar!

La VIP and other similar products are works of Genius! They are not for everyone…only for the discerning and intelligent few with good taste. Those who only want to show off their lack of good taste, and I mean the ‘nouveau riche’ especially those from China, will not like these bags. They will go for brands like Prada, Louis Vuitton and others which they need to bolster thier inferiority complex. These plebian ‘hoi polloi’ call the bags LV…simply because they cannot pronounce ‘Louis Vuitton’. Pathetic…

Ingenious, lightweight, functional and tres chic too…je’adore Tintamar! The Creator and Founder, charming Edith Petit told me…”It started as a bag for cyclists and developed from there…the idea for the Vest Bag came from a fan (of Tintamar bags) in Australia and I developed the concept. C’est tres practique, n’est pas!”

18°7’7″N   62°58’48″W Tintamarre Island, St. Martin

Land Area 8 acres, 150 inhabitants

 

Pretty in PINK! ****

Italy’s incredible appetising women’s cosmetics “Pink Sugar” were so very gooood….The aromas can make you swoon in hunger…it did that to me! The two ravishing Italian ladies were so warm and helpful and explained their products to me so well..that ..if I were a woman, I would surely buy them for my daily use. They really smell incredibly good!Selectiva is a Company of Paglieri Group, a prestigious Italian industry estabilished more than 10 years ago and leader in personal and home care with its “authentic essence” trademark. Selectiva esports in more than 50 Countries main in exclusive retail distribution.

Selectiva S.p.A. 15122 Alesandria, ITALY

http://www.selectiva-spa.it/eng/chi_siamo

Remy Cointreau had me sampling a Moscow Mule Cocktail made with Ginger Beer, Lemon and Vodka! Who can resist Cointreau with its heady orange flavours and parfum as a ‘digestif’ after a very lovely dinner…? I can’t.

Stolichnaya also featured many unique cocktails like spicy Bloody Mary and Salted Caramel. I liked too the Raeusch Chocolates (since 1920) from Berlin with Cacao from Papua New Guinea, Grenada and other exotic locales…I like my Vodkas from Russia or Poland although many are now made elsewhere…That is Globalization. C’est le monde.

THE BAD & THE UGLY

We do not have any samples of Inniskillin Ice wine for you!

At Stand P30 which is the Constellation Wine stand on Thursday 16 May, 2013 at 16:42:44 , I was met with a rude and discourteous, and to my mind insulting statement from Canadian Randy Dufour: We do not have any samples of Inniskillin Ice wine for you! Shocked and Suprised, I answered calmly: I did NOT ask you for any free samples of your wine. I am a personal friend of Donald Ziraldo, the C0-Founder of Inniskillin Ice Wine and I WAS thinking of writing about your wines… I have made my extreme displeasure known to friends in high places for immediate ACTION…People who are not native to Asia and have NO respect for the Asian mindset, culture and way of life have NO business trying to promote and sell and hawk whatever products they have. No matter how good your wares are, if your basic knowledge of the Asian way of life and the Asian way of doing business is ZERO, you have NO business in Asia. There is a recent classic hot movie about Ip Man, who was the late Kung Fu Master of Bruce Lee. I always recommend to every non-Asian who wants to do business in Asia: “Watch “Ip Man” and you will start to get a little understanding of the Asian Way…as Bruce Lee put it so well…The Way of the DRAGON.

I have friends in very high and in very low places…it is not a good idea to upset…

IL Padrino della Gastronomia.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIm1qMXEfNM

Enjoy!

Charming Cafe Swiss…

Story & photos by Dr. Michael Lim The Travelling GourmetTM

All rights reserved

All food photos are of REAL food with NO photoshop

The Intrepid and implacable Travelling Gourmet finds the BEST Schweinshaxe in Singapore at…

MARVELLOUS Cafe Swiss in Raffles City…where a titanic and mouthwatering Schweinshaxe arrived before me in a black solid cast iron Staub dish with sour pickled Gherkins, cute crunchy fresh red Radishes and healthy cancer-fighting Broccolini, plus whole grain Pommery Mustard! I bit into the ueber-crispy Crackling to hear loud satisfying crunches reverberate in my skull! The skin is as crispy as hand fried artisanal potato crisps! Plus the 3mm thick layer of melt-in-the-mouth fat was so full of flavour. Do not get too worried. A McDonald’s Big Mac probably has more fat than the small amount here in this classic Swiss-German-Bavarian speciality. Live to eat baby! ENJOY!

Food is Life! Delectable D’Bun and Tempting Tea Time Treats…

Story & photos by Dr. Michael Lim The Travelling GourmetTM

All rights reserved

All food photos are of real food with NO photoshop!

Food is Life! Water is Life!

Live to eat and NOT eat to live.

Satuurday 11 May, 2013: Tomorrow I am going to 10 Scotts in the Grand Hyatt Singapore to celebrate Mother’s Day! We celebrate with food and drink because they represent life and love too!

Today is Sunday 12 May, 2013, which is Mother’s Day observed in USA and Singapore. Mother’s Day in the United Kingdom is celebrated on another day, much earlier in the year. Before that most British of culinary traditions, Afternon Tea, I took a stroll down Memory Lane to Joo Chiat Road where…

MEMORIES came flooding back as I strolled into D’Bun along Joo Chiat Road…at No.358 to be precise. It was 21 years ago when I went in to try their Tim Sum and Pow delights and to write something very nice about them in The Food Paper. The Food Paper was big in those days, a tabloid size magazine owned by my friend, Violet Oon. I was her Star writer, and did all the special features on Tim Sum, Cocktails, Whisky, Mooncakes and much, much more. Like a good premium wine, Old World wine like Chateau Smith Haut-Lafite or New World, like Penfolds The Grange…the offerings in D’Bun have happily improved with age. I love the Tua Pow (literally BIG Dumpling) with a big chunk of hard boiled egg inside, and the Char Siew Pow.  Char Siew Pow is Hokkien for ‘barbequed pork’. Lots of lean tasty pork without any red food dye, tasty but not too salty. They also have Hor Yip Fan or savoury rice of the glutinous variety with lots of the usual goodies inside. Their unique Pow from the YUAN Dynasty shaped like a gold ingot is pink in colour and is vegetarian with Carrot, Shitake Mushrooms, Black Moss, Bamboo Shoots  and lots of other healthy ingredients. The affable and cheerful boss, whose wife and her sister started D’Bun told me, “We sell lots of these pows at Chinese New Year!” Please take note that their yummy Bak Chang or Rice Dumplings are tied up with cord, and NOT unhealthy, potentially toxic raffia string which is made of plastic. I also recommend the moist, grainy and not too sweet Tapioca Cake. Excellent with a double Nespresso coffee made with ONLY Arabica beans! Visit soon, Tar Pow some Pows and put some POW in your life! ENJOY!

D’Bun

358 Joo Chiat Road

Singapore 427603

Order Hotline: 6345 8220

Postscript: Joo Chiat Road used to be a little seedy but now is MORE seedy and risque especially at night with Bars, KTV and even some restaurants which by day are respectable but not by night. Darkness reveals “filles de joie” ou “filles de la nuit” from Communist China, Vietnam, Thailand and everywhere you can think of with wierd, colourful tattoos on their ankles and other body parts abound. Foodwise, breakfast and lunchtime is fine…Later at about 2300 onwards, the denizens of the dark emerge to hunt their prey…It is a cold, cruel, heartless and dangerous world. It is after all, the world’s oldest profession. Do you know what is the world’s second oldest profession???

I’ll tell you…Spying. That is another story…Eat well, be well and take care…

www.dbun.com.sg

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NO bad food at NO.10

MANY addictive delighjts can be enjoyed at No. 10.

No, not No. 10 Downing Street, the home of the British Prime Minister but 1o Scotts in the luxurious Grand Hyatt Hotel in sunny Singapore, gourmet capital of Asia. The US GIs always tell people they do not like: You are Number 10! and to those they like: You are No. 1!

Well, 10 Scotts is Number One in my book. Air dried Beef only 0.5mm thin is excellent on wholemeal bread as is the Peking Duck in Rice Crepe with sweet and tangy Hoisin Sauce. I simply adore the little tarts topped with red and luscious Framboise (raspberries). Chocolate Ice Cream too and of course gourmet Coffee, whether Latte, Cappuccino and premium Teas…La Dolce Vita indeed in plush and super comfy surroundings. OMG YUMMY!!!

 

To be continued…

La Brezza

Story & photos by Dr. Michael Lim The Travelling GourmetTM

All rights reserved

All food photos are of real food with NO photoshop

Friday 10 May, 2013

It was getting late. Dinner Rush was over. I was hungry. I went to La Brezza which means ‘the breeze’ if you do not speak Italian. It is next to the pool on level 2 of the St. Regis Hotel.

2120 The Manager, Mr. Nathan showed me to my table by the wall with a view of the pool. “Would you like still or sparkling water?”

“I’ll have regular water…with ice” Regular water is tap water but Singapore’s tap water is eminently drinkable. I’m fine with it.

2126 No water was served and no order taken…although the menu as big as a small billboard had been given to me.

2127 Order taken and water served…

The Manager, Nathan was running around serving wine and serving pizza while another waiter and another waitress seemed to be not doing much,

2132 Foccaccia Bread and home made breadsticks arrived but they were cold,

2141 Pizza Fruitti di Mare arrived, Mussels, prawns, squid on a thin crust about 3mm thick. Not bad.

2143 Pappadelle with Venison Ragout was served, Rich, flavoursome dark sauce, slightly sweet, and the pasta was al dente. Quite nice!

2153 I am enjoying the food but my water goblet is empty and no serving staff has refilled it…The staff are not alert. They are not pro-active. They need training…

Nathan is setting up the next table with glasses.

2156 Nathan notices my empty glass and fills up my glass with ice water.

At least he noticed…finally.

Yes, my friends, this is one of my reviews a la  ”Anton “Ratatouille” Ego”…

2158 I had to ask the waitress for more bread,

2159 Bread arrived, now it is hot! Well, good!

2209 Plates are cleared.

2215 Dessert order is taken. An unusual dessert…Poached Peaches and Polenta Cake with Merlot Wine Sorbet

 2219,

Dessert arrived but the chocolate sauce was runny and the whole plating was a mess!

2221 The waitress brought it back to do a new plating.

I find out that Chef Stefano Arrigoni previously from Ochre in Orchard Central from Italy is off tonight, and it is his Indian Sous Chef.

2225 The new dessert arrives. Good news! The Merlot Wine Sorbet is very nice, and so was the Peach tart with a crumbly velvety texture but it needs more peaches. The plating and garnish is better but there is room for improvement…

I have learned from reliable sources that Nathan will be replaced. C’est la vie…

Life goes on…

Red Wine, Recorking and…PENFOLDS!

Story & photos by Dr. Michael Lim The Travelling GourmetTM

All rights reserved

The indefatigable & inspiring Travelling Gourmet learns all about Recorking and Recertifying Penfolds‘ wines in St. Regis Hotel Singapore…where

MR Peter Gago, my good friend and chipper Chief Winemaker of Penfolds waxed lyrical about Penfolds COMPLIMENTARY Red Wine Clinic. Here, Penfolds afficionados can bring their wines of 15 years or older for assessment and recorking plus recertification by experts. On Thursady, 9 May 12013, Penfolds carried out its 2nd Clinic in Singapore.

I believe in what Socrates, the famous Greek Philosopher always expounded: The only true wisdom is when we realise we know…nothing. I learned so much including the double corkscrew technique to remove old and crumbly corks, wine oscillation in the bottle due to temperature fluctuations from incorrect cellaring and much MORE! I found out too that Peter is a “Geordie” born in Newcastle upon the River Tyne. I was at the University there…but that is another story.

Penfolds do not make good wines…Penfolds make GREAT wines! Wines from the New World that can put some Old World wines to shame. If the Penfolds Grange were a woman, it would be Lola Montez. Voluptuous, extremely colourful, sometimes wild, curvaceous and never boring. Loved by many.  Lola Montez, who the Germans would describe as having…”grosse Augen”. Dangerous too, if you knew her too well. Wine if drunk in excess is dangerous too, to your health…A wine to grow hairs on your chest and maybe elsewhere…Ha! Ha!

Something on

Lola, Lola, Oh Madonna…

Born Eliza Rosanna Gilbert (1821-1861) in County Sligo, Ireland, Lola was a wild child sent from school to school until she eloped with a young officer at the age of sixteen. Lola wanted his money as he had come into an inheritance. Alas, it was a disastrous match and Lola soon fled Calcutta and reinvented herself as a Spanish dancer, debuting in London in 1843. Scandal after torrid scandal followed Lola around Europe as she added various great men to her list of conquests, including Franz Liszt and Ludwig I, the king of Bavaria, who made her the Countess of Landsfeld to the anger of his people, and Alexandre “Count of Monte Cristo” Dumas and more…She was, legend has it, the inspiration for Sir Arthur “Sherlock Holmes” Doyle’s character Irene Adler in “A Scandal in Bohemia”. Luscious Lola was armed at all times with a pistol and a riding whip and would whip her lovers until they fled in terror if they did not perform…to her satisfaction. The femme fatale to judge all other femme fatales by…

To be continued…