Bella Notte, meatball romance

Nothing warms my heart like a guy who lets me have the last meatball.  That's true love.

A taste of Guy Savoy [Food Diary]

Zwiesel Kristallglas hosted us at Guy Savoy last week (Zwiesel is the first company to discontinue the production of lead crystal in 1991, and have since been one of the market leaders of crystal glass making today).  The owner of Zwiesel, Dr. Andreas Buske is a big fan of Guy Savoy, and I'm glad. It means I finally got to taste some of Guy Savoy's signature dishes.  (And that leaves only one Marina Bay Sands restaurant left that I haven't tried:  CUT.  May I suggest Zwiesel host their next lunch there?)

Myriad of Spring Peas

Tout Petits Pois ($50)

Artichoke and Black Truffle Soup, Toasted Mushroom Brioche and Black Truffle Butter

Soup d'Artichaut a la Truffe Noire, Brioche Feuilletee aux Champignons et Truffes ($90 ?!!)

Roasted Atlantic Cod with Asparagus "en Soupe et Salade", Lemon Sabayon

Cabillaud Roti, Asperges en Soupe et Salade, Sabayon au Citron ($90)

[ no pic because I nommed it all ]

Chocolate Orb "Exotique" ($50)

Hefty price tag.  Thank you Zwiesel, because there is no way I'd pay $90 for soup otherwise.  I don't care if it has diamonds flakes in it.

My only favourites are the peas (so sweet, along with the slow cooked egg yolk, oozing richness over the surface) and Pastry Chef Alain Herber's beautiful toasted mushroom brioche (see Appetite's upcoming July issue to learn how to make it).

Guy Savoy
Casino Level 2, Marina Bay Sands
Singapore
Tel: +65 6688-8513

Memory is the diary that we all carry about with us

Memory is the diary that we all carry about with us.  - Oscar Wilde, "The Importance of Being Earnest"

The Fullerton Hotel, a heritage icon since 1928

I'm a big fan of snail mail and have a soft spot for nostalgia.  The Fullerton Hotel is launching a lovely contest that invokes both of these things.

The "Post A Memory" contest welcomes creative submissions of letters, photographs, videos, music and art of any Singaporean resident or international traveler. They are asking all of us to share our fondest memories of the hotel as part of their 10th anniversary celebrations.  I would have done this regardless (sucker for these kinds of things, like I said), but to make the contest all the more sweet, the best 3 submissions will win a weekend stay at the luxurious Fullerton Suite, Loft Suite and Heritage Room.

Old school post boxes from the colonial days

I'm assuming the only limitation is that your entry has to be able to fit within the mouth of the gorgeous red post boxes located in their lobby.  The Fullerton Hotel was once home to Singapore's General Post Office, The Singapore Club and the Chamber of Commerce.  The now 400-room luxury hotel is proud of its heritage since 1928 and hasn't done much to change its lovely architecture over the years.  Within the hotel are Red Pillar Post Boxes, the same post boxes found along the streets of Singapore during the British colonial rule in the mid 1800s.

The contest ends at 5pm on 31 August 2011.  The winner will be announced on 30 September.


The Fullerton Hotel
1 Fullerton Square
Singapore 049178

Photos provided by Fullerton Hotel

Size does matter.

Have you ever had one of those moments when you're getting hot and heavy with a man.  You get to the point where you eagerly unzip his pants... only to be woefully disappointed with the goods? Or maybe you remove a bra, ready with heightened anticipation for bountiful pillows to spill out... only to realize it was all a lie.

Then things deflate fast.

East Coast Seafood Centre

I wouldn't know how any of that feels, but I have a pretty good idea now.  This past Monday, after I cracked open my sri lankan crab claw at No Signboard Seafood, I stared at the dinky limp flesh that stood in its deceptively large shell.  I pried the puny, flaccid meat out, now lacking the initial enthusiasm I had originally walked in with.

Chili crab

I don't know if there's a term for these occasional cases of dinky crabs, but I'm going to call it DISAPPOINTMENT.

Goodbye Food Pyramid, hello pie!

Trying hard not to look at it like it's pie.

Our First Lady Michelle Obama, a long time crusader against yucky school lunches, and the US Agriculture Department have trashed the Food Pyramid that our generation have grown to recognize as our guide to healthy eating.  Instead, they present a Plate that they hope better represents how we should portion our food.

Half the plate is fruit and veggies, while grains play a lesser role than what the food pyramid suggested.  Portions in general, should be smaller.

The new healthy eating guide, presented to America on 2 June 2011

The eating module we were taught since middle school; now dismissed.

“It’s better than the pyramid, but that’s not saying a lot,” said Marion Nestle, a professor of nutrition at New York University.  Let's hope this new USD $2 million project plating leaves us with less obese people.

See more here, New York Times' coverage.