Hey everyone!

With March coming to an end, what better (and safer) way to start April than with an April Fool's gift of candies & chocolate from Sophisca!

What is Sophisca?

Hailing from Taiwan, Sophisca is a specialty candy brand that produces quirky and cheeky confectionery. For this upcoming April's Fool, Sophisca launched a collection of “tricking treats” like Brown rice “Sushi Bento”, “crayons” and Chocolate "Colouring Pens"  to make perfect presents to punk friends and family with this April.

Let's have  a look at these "Tricking Treats"!

Brown Rice “Sushi Bento” (玄米壽司便當), $11.90

A party tray consisting 25 chocolate brown rice crispy treats disguised as sushi! These are made with 100% natural brown rice, coated with Belgium-imported white chocolate, that are wrapped individually to ensure freshness and hygiene.

Besides the tray of "Nigiri sushi", I also found a candy tray of a similar concept in Sophisca. I personally like the look of this better, because the candies are shaped and coloured to look like sushi rather than just a use of packaging like the brown rice snacks.

Crayon Candy Sticks (小羊粉蠟筆糖 ), $9.90

These melt-in-your-mouth candies, disguised as "colouring crayons", come in 12 flavours (honey peach, tropical fruit, mandarin orange, pomelo, lemon, green apple, mint, blueberry, grape, strawberry, chocolate and yoghurt) which are reflected in suggestive colours too. Unfortunately, these are not to be used for actual drawing/ colouring.

Choco Colouring Pens (巧克力彩繪筆), $17.90

Out of all the confectioneries in Sophisca, these DIY ‘soft pens’ appealed to me the most! These "colouring pen" comes in six chocolate-flavoured colours that you can use to on your own bakes and sweet treats! Suitable for decorating chocolates, cakes, breads, toasts, biscuits and more! To use, simply warm the chocolate up by placing the tube in a bowl of warm water before drawing!

Besides these 3 featured products, here are some that I found really interesting!

These candies come in either a milk carton or bottle ceramic that will look pretty for storing the candies, flowers or even makeup brushes after!

And out of all the candies I tried, these fruit gummy tasted the best to me. It has the right amount of sweetness and flavour, and these come in a cute fruit box packaging.

Readers' Perks

Win $20 worth of Sophisca Vouchers via Instagram

1.  Snap a photo of your favourite Sophisca sweets at any of the Sophisca stores and post it on Instagram, telling them why you love that particular candy;
2. Follow @SophiscaSG and hashtag #iLoveSophisca.

One winner will be picked by random every week.

Discount Code Purchase

Quote "JODULU" at any Sophisca stores during payment and get to enjoy 10% OFF your purchase!

It's that easy!

All of the above contests and promotions will be running from 20 March to 20 May 2016.

Where To Find Sophisca?

Marina Square Shopping Mall, #02-32

AND

Changi Airport T3, #B2-19

Happy Shopping for April Fool's Day!

2 weeks back, I had an interesting evening where I got to indulge my tummy.

Under the wing of Migme, I got to be part of the #foodiemigup which involves a dinner tasting session to try out SELA's new menu by celebrity chef, Benson Tong

For those who are not aware, SELA is a modern Asian restaurant located at the heart of Singapore in Seah Street, offering the essence of Asian cooking with a European twist on classic favourites. SELA also offers carefully curated range of wines, award-winning Japanese craft beers and premium sakes, leading you to a dinning experience that is unforgettable and memorable.

Or so that's what they state on their website, my job was to taste and experience the culinary difference that SELA can offer.

So without further ado, let's dive straight into the food offered for this gastronomic experience!

STARTER

Procuitto Ham & Melon, Wild Rocket, Compressed Rock Melon, Pickled Beetroot, Balsamic Gel

S$16.00

A very interesting dish that has a mixture of tastes and texture. It was sweet and savory with the melon contrasting with the ham and a variation of texture with the selection of fruits and vegetable.

I enjoyed this dish.

Pan Seared US Scallop, Forbidden Rice, Red Radish, Yellow Frisee, Salted Egg Cream

S$16.00

I wish I have good things to say about this dish but I found the scallop too salty for my liking (plus the salted egg cream... it was an overkill) and I feel that that took away the beauty of how perfectly cooked the scallop was and the interesting choice of the rice.

MAINS

Miso Chilean Seabass, Confit Shimeji, Crispy Leek, Wilted Arugula, Lemon Dashi Broth

S$32.00

I was told that the seabass was fermented with miso, and while I like the seasoning... this dish was once again too salty. 

Kakuni Style Pork Cheek, Arugula, Charred Corn Kennel, Braised Leek, Roasted Parsnip, Granny Smith Sauce

S$20.00

If you like meat, this dish was quite good after the previous two. I like how the soft and tender pork cheek broke apart. It was slightly salty as well but it was saved by the parsnips.

DESSERT

Semolina Cake, Passion Fruit Curd, Torched Meringue, Vanilla Ice cream, Passion Fruit Coulis

S$12.00

I thought that this was nicely plated, but there wasn't anything that created an impact on me.

Dehydrated Pineapple Pavlova, Charred Pineapple, Vanilla Ice Cream, Thyme, Paprika, Salted Caramel

S$10.00

Best $10 you will ever spend on a dessert!
I love love love the pavlova and how the vanilla is naturally flavored!
MUST TRY.

And to end everything off, we were treated to a slip (or more if you can take it) of Mernaya Honey & Pepper Vodka. It has a powerful burn with a hint of the pepper but not much of the honey.

Overall, I ended with a full belly and a lust for the Pavlova dessert.

Special Perks

Do you want to win a free full course dinner for 2 at your own home (worth $500)?

Chef Benson and his team will personally bring all their equipment and go to your house to cook for you and your plus one!

All you have to do is snap a picture of you at Sela Restaurant and post it on instagram with the hashtag #restaurantsela and tag me @Jodulu to stand a chance to win!

Contest runs til the end of August, so start posting now!

Hey hey!

I decided to take a short break from beauty topics to bring you something tummy-worthy.

As the title states it all, I've been down to Orchard Central to explore this year's latest F&B Tenants (located at B2). To be honest, I hardly explore the basements of Orchard Central... and I usually eat "above ground".

So, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that the Basement is pretty cool too!

And without further ado, the first tummy-yummy mention is:

 Green Rabbit

Crepe & Salad Gastrobar

A casual quick-serve eatery that serves salads and crepes for not only health-conscious individuals but anyone who is seeking to eat something unique.

Yup, unique because Green Rabbit offers pre-designed salads that consists of innovative creations like "Mona Laksa" (Laksa inspired ingredients and dressing) and "Tom Yummy" (Tom yum inspired ingredients and dressing) amongst other popular classics, all available in satisfying portions and at dead-set affordable price points!

So, that being said~

I got to put my taste buds to use and taste how yummy salads can be!

Although, I should warn you that I'm biased from the start because I'm a huge salad fan.

VERDICT

Ingredients:
Romaine, Prawns, Mushrooms, Carrots, Cherry Tomatoes, Vermicelli, Capsicum, Tofu, Thai Tom Yum Dressing

Price: $9.90

Thoughts on Taste:
If you are not a fan of spicy food, then this is not for you. It's nice with the first bite and you can taste the tom yum, but onto my third mouthful and my tongue was burning. I am never good with spicy food anyway.

Ingredients:
Romaine, Prawns, Egg, Alfalfa Sprouts, Carrots, Croutons, Onion, Creamy Laksa Dressing

Price: $9.90

Thoughts on Taste:

In terms of spiciness, Mona Laksa has it at the ideal level. I love the creaminess of the dressing, it's really like having a bowl of laksa just way lesser noodles and heaps of vegetables! I would order this again!

Ingredients:
Romaine, Smoked Salmon, Tofu, Corn, Soba Noodles, Broccoli, Sesame Seeds, Cherry Tomatoes, White Miso Dressing

Price: $9.90

Thoughts on Taste:
Out of all three salads that I tasted, this is mildest in taste. Nevertheless, I'm a fan of this combination! It's not as rich but so satisfying and filling. I can order 2 more of this!

Ingredients:
Strawberries, Nutella, Fresh Cream, Almonds Flakes

Price: $5.90

Thoughts on Taste:
The crepe mix is made fresh daily, so that's always good. I like how it isn't too heavy with cream, I find that the portion was just right and I like the amount of strawberries served.

OVERALL

I will definitely go back to Green Rabbit for more salad, I was also told that customers can request for more dressing which is awesome! They have a range of innovative dressings like Blue Cheese or even Soy Sauce Wasabi!

Green Rabbit can be found at:

Orchard Central

#B2-06

Opening Hours:

Mon-Sun, 11am-10pm

Ongoing Promotion

Spend a min. of $30 (max. 3 same-day receipts) at selected Basement 1 and 2 Food & Beverage stores to receive a $5 Far East Organization Mall Voucher.

Limited to 1st 200 shoppers only. 

*Terms & conditions apply*

The food featured in this post are the courtesy of Orchard Central.

If you do head down to give Green Rabbit a taste test, 

feel free to share with me your experiences!

Post Number Two today will focus on something yummy and romantic!

What better way to wake up to than to a homemade breakfast of love!

Now, I'm no Master Chef and in fact, my guy is the better cook... So, if I can do this~ So can you!

It's quick, easy and simple to prepare! All you need is a little practice and love to make this!

So what are we making?

Crepes with Blueberries and cream!

This recipe is good for 1 portion, roughly 2-3 crepe depending on your pan size.

So, please do go ahead and double up if you are making it for 2 people.

Crepe Mix

Dry Ingredients

You will need:

4 Tablespoon of All Purpose Flour

1 Teaspoon of Sugar

A Pinch of Salt

8 Tablespoon of Milk

1 Egg

1 Teaspoon of Vanilla Extract

Wet Ingredients

And here are the steps:

 1. Sift the "Dry" ingredients into a mixing bowl.

2. Add in the egg and mix the ingredients up.

3. Gradually pour in the milk will stirring your mixture.

4. Finally, add  in the vanilla extract.

5. The crepe mix should be runny, almost watery.

Cooking Steps

1. Heat the pan up with a medium heat. Butter your pan lightly once the pan is hot.

2. Pour the mix into the pan starting from the sides and working the pan to help spread the mix out.

3. Flip once you start noticing the sides of the crepe bending up and turning golden brown.

4. Heat this side for a quick 30 secs and it's done!

5. Repeat steps for the remaining mix.

Serving Ingredients

You will need:

Whipped Cream

Blueberries

Alternatively, you may use cheese cream and other berries

Plating Suggestions

I leave it up to you to decide how you want to plate it but here's 2 examples of what I did with my crepes!

To plate the way I did in to photo above, simple fold the crepes into quarters and add a big spiral of whipped cream on top. Scatter blueberries all over and add a few lumps of whipped cream around the plate.

 To achieve the way I plate the crepe in the photo above, simply squirt a row of whipped cream and a handful of blueberries in the center.

Fold in the crepe's sides, like a popiah. Repeat the same steps for the other crepe.

And once you are done with the 2 crepes, add a spiral of whipped cream in the center of the two with more blueberries!

And that's all!

A sweet yummy crepe dish for the perfect Breakfast In Bed :)

Do feel free to share with me if you tried this out!

XOXO

Jody Liu

2 weeks ago, I headed down to The Soup Spoon Suntec branch to put my taste buds to the test and have a pre-reunion dinner with 3 other ladies from the Blogging Realm (Ena, Wen Hui & Alene). This is the first time The Soup Spoon is having a DIY Collagen Hotpot set, to cater to the popularity of the collagen hotpot and the festive season (Chinese New Year). As locals and most Chinese around the world know... that means Reunion Dinner with friends and family, be it in restaurants or at home!

With that aim, The Soup Spoon wants to enhance the experience by enabling us to enjoy this collagen hotpot at the comfort of our own homes, because that's what reunion dinners truly are -- having a good meal together with our loved ones at the comfort of home (with no worries of last orders or the closing time).

We got to sample the whole experience and taste of The Soup Spoon's Collagen Hotpot Premium set that came with:

• Three 1.5L Soup Stocks (Collagen Chicken /Kimchi /Clear Chicken)
• A Whole Cordyceps Chicken ( Reared without antibiotics and growth hormones)
• Six Prawns and a bag of seasoned minced meat
• Assorted Vegetables
• Mian Tiao aka Noodles 
• 2 sets of Three Dipping Sauces (Soya ginger vinegar / Homemade chilli / Ginger scallion)
• A container of Osmanthius Jelly

All of these food are packed in The Soup Spoon Thermal Bag. All you need to have at home is a Steamboat/ Hotpot Kit and all the bowls, chopsticks and spoons needed.

Now, for those who are not aware~ Collagen is the most abundant protein in the human body. It is regarded as the substance that holds the whole body together and can be found in the bones, muscles, skin and tendons.

Having a high sugar consumption behavior, smoking, over exposure to sunlight, and aging will affect the quantity and quality of collagen in our body. Hence, besides allowing your body to generate collagen on its own, consuming it helps too and you can reap its benefits regardless of gender and age!


Collagen helps to:
Enhances metabolism

Strengthens blood vessels and boosts blood supply

Decelerate the effect of arthritis

Repair and rebuild tissue to encourage strong muscles, joints and skin

Strengthens the structure of bones, tendons, cartilage and ligaments.

Encourage muscle mass to regenerate

Strengthen blood vessels and improve their elasticity and circulation throughout the body.

The list of benefits goes on and on, just Google them!

The Soup Spoon actually simmered the stock for more than 16 hours to derive this Collagen Stock and I've got to tell you that it really does taste as good as it looks and smell. With no MSG, Preservatives, Flavorings and Colourings used, this stock is pure goodness and really something to cheers to!

My mouth was watering as we were waiting for the food to be cooked and it was a super satisfying meal. We simply chatted and ate until all the other stores and restaurants around us closed!











It is very easy to prepare the meal, all the stocks are frozen in a bag and containers and all the food (meat, seafood, assorted vegetables, noodles) are individually packed and vacuum-sealed to retain their freshness.  So all you have to do before the hotpot session is to cut the food out from the bags, place them nicely on a plate (all the veg. have been pre-cut), heat up the stock, bring the dipping sauces out and you are ready to go!

The Soup Spoon also gave us a Collagen Hotpot Premium (Good for 5-6pax) set to bring home to share with our friends and family. Unfortunately, my parents were overseas... So, I had to split the set up and I got my man and brother to experience this gourmet sessions with me for 2 days! After all, men eat more than woman... especially a man after work and another after school, so that makes up for the lack of numbers for the meal :)

Day 1 of Hotpot Session with the Collagen and Clear Chicken stock!

Day 2 of Hotpot session with Kimchi stock and extra ingredients we got for ourselves!

VERDICT:

Both my guy and I love the collagen and kimchi stock, the clear chicken stock works well as a refill to ensure that there is enough soup to help cook more food. If you aren't that good with spiciness, do go ahead and dilute the kimchi stock with the clear chicken stock. I recommend a ratio of 1:2 (Kimchi : Clear Stock).

The other item I love are the noodles! They are so QQ/ bouncy~ the texture is just amazing!

I also found that it was so nice of The Soup Spoon to include a dessert to the set and I've got to say~ Osmanthius Jelly is the right choice made as an ending dish. It was perfect! Lightly flavored, sweet and cooling, the jelly helped to cleanse my mouth and well~ it's always good to end things sweetly (pun intended).

And the last thing I need to rave about are the dipping sauces!

I am not a fan of chili but the chili given in the set is the bomb! It has a slightly crispy texture and the right amount of sweetness and spiciness that I ended up eating chunks of the chili after the meal. The Soya ginger vinegar is another sauce that I love, it tastes slightly different because of the lemon ginger that is added into it! Salty with a hint of the citrus taste~

I wish there were more sets of sauces because the amount given is just right if you ration it right... so do take note! Maybe, The Soup Spoon could also allow people to purchase more of the sauces!

And that's the end of my wonderful pre-festive meals, thank you The Soup Spoon for the generosity!

If you are interested to ordering a Hotpot set for the upcoming reunion dinner, head over to The Soup Spoon! You can choose between a delivery or a pick up, however, do note that Pickup/Delivery on 18 Feb is strictly from 12-2pm and there are limited pickup locations on different dates.

And one last thing, you can get to enjoy 10% off (min. spend of $50) all online orders!

Simply enter 'TSSCNY' before you checkout in the promo code section.

Cheers to the New Year!

Prepare your tummies for the yummies!

Last weekend, I attended Panasonic cooking demo session that was co-organised with OMY.SG and taught by women with experience! It was held in a pretty small room, with Panasonic home appliances all around and mind you, we are talking about convectional and microwave ovens!

What with Christmas approaching, this session taught us how to ultilise Panasonic bread maker SD-P104 to make breads, buns and even the local delight, muah chee! I'm amazed by how one little appliance can  be used to create so many things, one of the lady even made jams with it! 

It was a demonstrating session, and it was challenging to see from the back, would have loved the session more if it was a hands-on (because doing is learning) but overall it was a nice session with lots of chats and food!

Talking about food, let's move on to the recipes! 

Do note that all of the food below are prepared with Panasonic bread maker SD-P104, if you do not have the same machine, adjust the instructions accordingly to yours or prepare the dough with hands and bake accordingly!

And the best part of making breads/ buns at home on your own?

You know what you are consuming!

FRAGRANT MIXED  BREAD 

75g Whole wheat flour 

175g Bread flour 

10g Butter 

1 tsp Salt 

2 tbsp Castor sugar 

1 tbsp Milk powder 

200ml Cold water 

1 tsp Instant yeast 

10g Black sesame seeds 

30g Raisins 

10g Melon seeds

30g Sunflower seeds 

Method: 

1. Place above ingredients (except mixed nut and yeast) in the bread pan. 

2. Place yeast into the yeast dispenser and nuts into the nut dispenser. 

3. Select Menu no.2 for “Rapid “ mode, and select “Raisin” mode, next press start. 

4. Once ready, remove bread from pan, leave to cool before cutting. 

*Note: Best baked in Panasonic bread maker SD-P104

Baking time: 2 hrs using “Rapid” mode

GLUTINOUS RICE KUEH (MUAH CHEE)

250g Glutinous rice flour ---mix with--- 375ml Water 

1 tbsp Shallot oil 

Serving: 

60g Fine sugar 

150g Ground peanut 

Some roasted sesame seed (blended) 

(Mix above together only when ready to serve) 

Method: 

1. Place glutinous rice flour, water, and shallot oil in bread pan 

2. Select mode no. 2, press start. 

3. In last 10 minutes, stir dough with wooden chopstick. 

4. Once ready, cut dough into bite size and coat with peanut mixture. 

5. Serve. 

Note: Cooked in Panasonic bread maker SD-P104

FLAVOURED BUN ROLLS

A. For dough: 

280g High-gluten flour 

1 tsp Salt 

50g Butter 

25g Egg (beaten) 

3 tbsp Castor sugar 

2 tbsp Milk powder 

160ml Cold water 

1 tsp Instant yeast 

Some black sesame seeds

½ Egg (for egg wash) 

B. For fillings: 

Tuna

Yellow/White Onion

Mayonnaise

C. For toppings: 

30g Mozerella cheese 

Some paprika 

Method: 

1. Add all the ingredients into the bread pan except yeast into the yeast dispenser. 

2. Select bread dough no.9, next press start. 

3. Press “Stop” when you hear the beep sound. Take out dough. 

4. Use spatula to divide the dough into 12 even pieces, shape them into balls, cover with towel, rest for about 15 mins. 

5. Shape them into desired shape.

6. Spray water on it and allow it to ferment for about 50 mins ( till dough rise double in size at a temperature of 40C).

7. Egg wash bun, and make an incision in the middle of the buns, length-wise and fill the center with the tuna mix.

8. Sprinkle cheese and paprika on top and bake in a preheated oven at 200C for about 14-15 mins. 

Note: Dough best prepared in Panasonic bread maker SD-P104. Best baked in Panasonic microwave oven NN-DF383B.

FRESH FOCACCIA 

A. For bread: 

350g Bread flour 

1¼tsp Salt 

1 tbsp Olive oil 

 225ml Cold water 

1 tbsp Castor sugar 

 1 tsp Instant yeast 

1 tbsp Milk powder 

B. For toppings: 

200g Cherry tomatoes 

80g Black olives 

2 tbsp Olive oil 

Some Black pepper 

Some rosemary & paprika 140g 

Mozzarella cheese (cut into 1cm cube) 

Method: 

1. Place all the ingredients into the bread pan except yeast in the yeast dispenser. 

2. Select menu 10 and press start. Display shows 45 minutes. 

3. Once ready, remove dough from the bread pan and knead it on a lightly floured surface until elastic and springs back when touched. 

4. Divide dough into 2 portions, shape dough into a flat circle and place it onto baking paper. 

5. Press the cherry tomatoes, black olives and mozzarella cheese into the dough. 

6. Leave dough to rise at 40C for about 50 minutes or till it doubles in size. 

7. Brush the surface with olive oil, sprinkle with black pepper, rosemary and paprika. 

8. Bake in a preheated oven at 210C for about 16 minutes.

Note: Dough best prepared in Panasonic bread maker SD-P104. Best baked in Panasonic microwave oven NN-DF383 / NN-DS592.