Thursday, February 22, 2018

Little Hokkaido, in Singapore!

Our family had always loved Japanese food, and basically most things Japanese! Ramen and udon are the kiddos' favorites, and they had also been having sashimi since young! If given a choice, I am pretty sure that they would want to have them for every meal! The last time (and only time actually) that our family visited Japan was 3 years back. I can still recall my fascination with their many beautiful confectionery that looked good and tasted great!

Just over the last December holidays, many friends popped by Hokkaido and raved about the great the great snow-clad sceneries and the FOOD! The freshness of the seafood and the experience of eating soft-serve Hokkaido milk ice-cream in winter! It made me so jealous of them and I wonder when it would finally be our turn to experience it. But before we actually make the trip to Hokkaido, we can definitely try some of their goodies here in Singapore! It is no secret that Liang Court caters largely to our local Japanese community and of course to all those who loves all things Japanese as well.


The Hokkaido Dosanko Plaza located within Meidi-ya Supermarket at B1-31, features a wide variety of best-selling confectionery from Hokkaido and boosts a wide selection of over 250 types of products from the prefecture. We browsed through the shelves and were introduced to many famous brands and top-selling goodies in this Hokkaido local specialty shop. This would be a great place to find the local products that you had been sorely missing since your last holiday trip, or to get a real taste of Hokkaido even before flying over! Do yourself a favor and get a Hokkaido milk soft-serve cone while you are there too, as they were really delicious!

These Melon Castella cakes are simply delicious and flavorful! 
Choose from a variety of flavors, including cheese or original!

Yummy soft-serve ice-cream made from real Hokkaido Milk!




Oh and do you know that a little Hokkaido corner had popped up on The State of Fun, Sentosa island not too long ago? Step out from Waterfront Station and look right for the rows of 3 shoplets, namely Ohara Farm (Ice Cream), Watanabe Coffee (Cakes & Drinks) and Hokkaido Sushi Bar (Sushi) that makes up the Little Hokkaido. We visited that over the weekend and were treated to some pretty awesome Japanese fares! We all know how the weather can ridiculously HOT at times, and we found that a serving of Hokkaido soft-serve or a cup of ice-cold coffee could do wonders! Grab their special $8 CNY promo set which consists of a slice of cake and your choice of iced coffee or iced matcha latte which you are there. Or you can also choose to upgrade your drink to a frappuccino for $2 more. They do carry a range of Snaffle's catch cakes that were really soft, cheesy and suits my sweet tooth just fine!

Walk out from the Waterfront Station.
Follow the delicious-looking banners on the left.
And you will this little corner called Little Hokkaido!
Lots of desserts, all made with authentic Hokkaido ingredients!
Melon is a must try but Steffi was attracted to Lavender but I ended up finishing the flower-infused ice-cream for her!
Check out their $8 CNY Promo happening right now!
Soft and cheesy Snaffle catch cake!
Steffi went along with the promo set, but we upgraded to a frappuccino! 
Our family had the great pleasure of trying out their oishi sushi sets, even though the sushi bar was not opened to public yet. The island is not exactly known for cheap food, but the sushi bar does serves up great tasting sushi that were not that detrimental to my wallet! I would totally describe the experience as restaurant quality food at supermarket takeaway prices. BUT take note that there are only 3-4 sets of tables and chairs in the alfresco dining area. The boss also explained to me that this would be exactly how the sushi rice tasted in Hokkaido, as they followed the exact proportions of the rice and vinegar etc. The Japanese embraces technology and in this small bar, the pressing of the sushi rice is actually automated, with each equally-sized rice piece then lovingly topped up with the right ingredient by the chef. It was productivity without the loss in quality but I am really no sushi connoisseur, hence I would not have noticed any difference if I was not told. There are many sets to choose from, with price ranging from $8.90 (Tamago Inari Set, 8 pieces) to $22.40 (Hokkaido Set, 10 pieces) if you feel like indulging in premium seafood.

The Hokkaido Sushi Bar serves Sushi sets, Chirashi Don and Temaki too!
Hokkaido Set ($22.40) - Ebiko Gunkan, Hamachi, Maguri, Salmon, Spicy Salmon Gunkan, Amaebi, Unagi Tamago & Engawa)
Authentic Set ($12.60) - Salmon, Maguri, Tako, Saba, Hotate, Ebiko Gunkan, Ebi and Ika.
Grab yourself a seat in the dining area in front of the stalls and enjoy the feast!
So there you have it, now you know exactly where you can find authentic Hokkaido goodies without the need for air-tickets! But if you insist on tasting them personally in Hokkaido, you can also try winning yourself a trip there simply by visiting the Hokkaido Smile campaign at https://www.passp.asia/hokkaido and filling up a simple survey there. For travel enquiries to Hokkaido, feel free to check with Hokkaido Government Representative Office based in Singapore or visit http://www.hokkaido-asean.org! This post is brought to you in partnership with the wonderful folks from Little Hokkaido. 
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Friday, February 2, 2018

2018 Yu Sheng 发发发

This coming CNY is going to be extra special for our family, because our newest family member will be joining the family in tossing Yu Sheng just two days before CNY. Things may be getting busier for us, but nothing is going to stop us from having our Teo Family tradition of having Yu Sheng (鱼生) from the eve to the fifteenth day of CNY!

A lot of people think we are crazy to be having the same dish for 16 days in total but having the whole family participating in the toss, is really a happy thing to do. And you know what people say about being happy? Once you are happy, luck will come naturally! There are indeed many restaurants out there that try to come up with their own rendition of this famous CNY die die must-have dish, and I am glad to share where you can find some of them available at the malls of Frasers Property Singapore.



Served with an array of quality ingredients and tossed together with premium seafood and specially concocted Yu Sheng sauce, PUTIEN's Prosperity Yu Sheng represent all the blessings you'd want for the New Year ahead!


Price: $28.80++ (small) | $36.80 (medium) | $49.80 (large)

Check out the list of ingredients used in their Prosperity Yu Sheng -

Layer 1: Pickled White & Red Ginger, Preserved Melon, Vegetable, Leek and Cucumber Strips, Lime, Strips of White Radish, Green Radish & Carrot, Candied Strips of Persimmon, Winter Melon & Brown Melon, Jellyfish, Pomelo, Lemongrass.
Layer 2: Seaweed, Cinnamon Powder, Peanut Oil, Pepper, Toasted Peanuts & White Sesame Seeds, Golden Crips, Yu Sheng sauce. Raw Salmon Slices

Available from now till 02 Mar 2018 at this Michelin One-Star restaurant!

Waterway Point, #01-30

Dian Xiao Er

How not to prosper with their Prosperity Smoked Salmon Yu Sheng with slices of premium Norwegian smoked salmon or get an upgrade to their Prosperity Gui Fei Abalone Yu Sheng for just a few dollars more!


Price: $32.80 (medium) | $56.80 (large) for Smoked Salmon 
or
Price: $36.80 (medium) | $62.80 (large) for Abalones

So take your choice of fish or mollusk, available from now till 02 Mar 2018. You can also check out their CNY takeaway menu here.



Their Prosperity Abalone Yu Sheng is served with strips of cucumber, carrots, radish freshly grated in the restaurant while the rest of the condiments are prepared by their central kitchen to ensure the consistency in taste and quality. Be treated to tasty baby abalones that looks so much like gold ingots too!


Price: $39.80++ (Dine-in, up to 6 pax) | $62.80++ (Dine-in, up to 12 pax)
or
$48.80+ (Takeaway, up to 10 pax)

Besides Beauty in The Pot, this Yu Sheng is also available for takeaway or dine in at Canton Paradise, Paradise Dynasty, Paradise Classic and Paradise Hotpot from now till 04 Mar 2018. Check out their website for restaurant info.

The Centrepoint, #04-17/18

Kyoaji Japanese Dining

Kyoaji Yu Sheng - Their Yu Sheng is truly unique and with all the condiments prepared in house, tastes really "Japanese" too! Their salmon slices are fresh and succulent, but it is really the special mixture of various seeds and condiments that makes it really special, not to mention their special sauce too.


Price: $68.00++ (suitable 2-4 pax)

This dish is only available from 05 Feb to 02 Mar 2018, for both dine-in and takeaway. UOB card members enjoys special price of $45++ too! Check website for restaurant info.



Reunion Baby Abalone Yu Sheng - This is as traditional as it gets, with the usual suspects and their homemade plum sauce, but it comes with fresh baby abalones instead. You can opt for salmon instead too, if you still prefer fish.


Price: $42.80 (suitable for 5 pax) | $68.80 (suitable for 10 pax)

Available for both takeaway and dine in, and you need to order 3 days in advance if you wish to do that online here before 27 Feb. Purchase at outlet will be till 02 Mar 2018. Do note that collection for CNY eve is before 3pm and collection is also not available from 16 – 18 Feb 2018.

Then again, this Yu Sheng is also available at Crystal Jade Kitchen and Crystal Jade Jiang Nan too!

China Square Central, #01-56(part)/57/58/59/ 60/61/62

Mouth Restaurant

Mouth's Abalone Yu Sheng - In support of the Health Promotion Board's healthier meal initiatives, the restaurants added in lots more green and reduced the sugar for its home-blended sauce. Now you can enjoy the Australian baby abalone with less guilt! But for those who still prefers real fish, you can also opt for the special Duo Fish version that uses Crispy Fish Skin (Dace fish) and Silver Fish (White Bait Fish) instead.


(Mouth's Abalone Yu Sheng) Price: $53.80++ (M) | $69.80++ (L)


(Prosperity Duo Fish Yu Sheng) Price: $39.80++ (M) | $49.80++ (L)

The ala carte Yu Sheng is available for collection till 04 Mar 2018. Check our their CNY menu on their website and I suggest that you check them out now as I sighted some really good discounts!

Causeway Point, #02-08/09 | Waterway Point, #02-35 | Northpoint, #02-12

 Swensen's

Fortune 18 Yu Sheng - Toss to an abundant Year of the Dog with this yusheng, a classic quintessential with 18 auspicious ingredients such as fresh pomelo bits, preserved white and brown melon, shimeji mushrooms, crispy wonton skin, golden crackers, sweet and sour plum sauce, and slices of smoked salmon. This Halal-certified rendition is also perfect for company luncheons, where dietary restrictions may come into play. Takeaway boxes come with a special ‘Cai Shen Ye’ sticker; download the ‘ePrism’ smartphone app and scan the sticker to be greeted by a cute Augmented Reality (AR) God of Fortune holding a large ingot.


Price: $23.90++ (Dine-in), $36.90+ (takeaway, good for 4 - 6 pax)

The Yu Sheng is available from now till 02 Mar 2018 and you can easily order online here too!



Prosperity Yu Sheng - A traditional platter comprising of fresh vegetable strips and the usual various pickled condiments and topped with fresh salmon sashimi. A true classic.


Price: $28.80++ (suitable 1-3 pax) | $46.80++ (suitable 4-6 pax) | $62.80++ (suitable 7-10 pax)

Available for both dine-in and takeaway (only GST applies).  Their outlet at AMK Hub was convenient for our family since it is in our hood, but you can check out website for their outlet locations.


I will be updating this post as more information comes in so stay tuned. Meanwhile here's wishing all our readers, a wonderful Year of the Dog and may your every Yu Sheng dish brings you even more luck and happiness throughout the new year! Huat ah!
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