Mayo's favourite (ovo) Infinity Challenge~Fashionistas

Mayo's dinner #3

Gobo Wei Shan (Dioscorea) - Also known as the Chinese yam, dioscorea has been utilized in traditional Chinese medicine for centuries. Although there are approximately 800 different species of dioscorea, the Chinese yam is native to China, Japan, Korea and Taiwan. Some of it's medicinal properties include aiding in weight loss, helps digestion, soothes cough, anti cancer abilities etc. For example if you cook the dioscorea with lean pork, it helps make the skin translucent & glowing with health.

Point to take note when handling the 'wei shan' is to wear gloves as the 'sap like' liquid within it is prone to cause skin irritation.

Lean pork meat

Dried scallop

Pour all the different ingredients into a high pot & just add in quality chicken broth to the mix and leave them to simmer to a boil.

Wei Shan soup

Carrot & cucumber slices wrapped with bacon.

Stir fried cucumber and carrot with dried shrimp.

Braised chicken with mushroom and egg with dark soya sauce.

Old Hong Kong Kitchen

It was a beautiful afternoon for a yummy luncheon with my friends. We decided on this Cantonese cuisine Hong Kong restaurant located within the new hip 'Korean' themed Square 2 Shopping Mall.

Food: 3.5/5
Ambience: 3/5
Service: 2.5/5

Old Hong Kong Kitchen
老香港小鲜
10 Sinaran Drive, Square 2 #02-80,
Tel: 81802370

We were led to this outdoor table seating but decided on the air conditioned version instead.

'Ocean' motif overhead dining lamps

Simple but delicious steamed peanuts

Very art decor 'China' plates

Miss Park carefully choosing which 'Dim Sum' to order. Heavy responsibility!

My favorite dish, the century egg congee (porridge), topped with deep fried salted fish meat, chopped deep fried dough fritters (You Tiao) & sliced spring onions. So satisfying yet so not sinful. :p

Fulfilling Shrimp Wanton noodles in clear chicken broth.

Our overflowing table filled with hot 'Dim Sum' delights. In random order: Steamed Glutinous rice with chicken, Char Siew 'Chee Cheong Fun', Shrimp 'Har Cheong Fun', Crystal skin shrimp dumplings, deep fried shrimp dumplings & custard buns.

Mayo's Kimchi Ramen

Who said instant noodles should be boring? Here's what you can do with your off the shelf instant noodles.
I chose the kimchi flavoured version offered by Nongshim (Korea brand) and together with cocktail sausages, a half-cooked egg, fried chopped garlic & spring onions, does it still look boring to you? I always feel that food always taste best after midnight, don't you think?:p

Suggestion: For maximum results, only throw in the noodles when the water comes to a boil. If noodles are put in too early and left to boil with the water, it will definitely become too soggy.

Mayo's dessert

This was taught to me by my mum as a quick & easy way to satisfy your sweet tooth. Introducing mayo's green bean soup recipe! :p

~Ingredients~
A cup of green beans
2 stalk of pandan leaves
black sugar (adequate)
500ml of water

~Method~
1. Soak the green beans in cold water for a few hours(approx 2-3hrs).
2. Boil the water and put in the pandan leaves & green beans to boil for an hour.
3. Add in brown sugar when it has boiled and stir evenly

Facts: black sugar is good for detox purposes

Pandan is a type of tree that grows in tropical areas of Asia. Pandan leaves have a sweet, unique flavor that is commmonly used in Southeast-Asian countries to enhance both desserts and savory dishes. The leaves are long and bright green, and when pounded or ground, they lend a sweet taste and aroma to many Thai desserts and some drinks. They can also be used as a natural replacement for food-coloring, imbuing desserts with a bright shade of green.

Pete's Place @ Grand Hyatt Hotel Singapore

Was looking forward to my authentic & highly rated Italian restaurant dinner after work. Nothing beats the Monday blues better than a good hearty dinner. As we made our way down the stairway to the entrance of Pete's Place at The Grand Hyatt Singapore, the fragrant smell of freshly oven baked pizza & herbs filled the air welcoming us with open arms. This is going to be good. :)

We were greeted by a big friendly warm smile by the staff & promptly led us to our reserved table which was at a quiet corner away from the very animated & passionately animated authentic Italians seated sporadically in the restaurant. The menu was limited but the ingredients were not! Full bodied herbs, assorted cheese choices & fanciful servings made us salivate.

We finally selected our main course for the night & strangely enough both of us picked the house special 'Ciopinno Marinara Pasta'! The only difference was one plate was the tomato based sauce & the other was served Aglio Olio style. We were politely asked to help ourselves at the salad bar but we wanted to reserve our growing appetite for our main course. When our dishes arrived, it was a visual feast for the eyes.

Each huge dinner plate had 1 large half lobster, 2 large scallops, 3 tiger prawns, 4 clams served together with piping hot well cooked pasta marinated in their respective sauces. The smell was heavenly! I have to admit all the seafood were cooked just right with the correct amount of freshness left in them. The pasta was deliciously moist & firm but slippery with every mouthful. To be honest, we finished the plate off at a pretty fast speed & we didn't waste a single morsel of herb on our plates.

Food: 4.5/5
Ambience: 3/5
Service: 3/5

Pete's Place, Grand Hyatt Singapore, Basement, Grand Wing.
10 Scotts Road Singapore 228211
Tel: 6738 1234
Opening hours : 12noon - 2.30pm & 6.00pm - 10.30pm

Ciopinno pasta with tomato based sauce, S$38

Ciopinno aglio olio pasta, S$38

Our special takeaway pizza, S$22

Our pizza revealed! Ready for supper! Yumz

This is my own concoction apple vinegar cider with honey & lemon to wash down the sinful but fulfilling pizza :p

Mayo's siew mai

Anybody interested to learn mayo's Siew Mai recipe? :p
My fuss free version will make you a Siew Mai expert in no time. Lesson starts now!

~Ingredients~
wanton skin
300gm minced pork (finely chopped)
200gm shrimp (finely chopped)

2 tsp corn flour
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1/2 tbsp light soy sauce
salt & pepper (adequate)
1tbsp cooking wine
1/2 tsp sesame oil
2 stalk of spring onions (finely chopped) - proportionate to the meat portion

Suggestion: can have some salted egg, carrot cubes or fish roe for garnish.

~Method~
1. Mix all the ingredients together with chopped minced pork & shrimp.
2.Set it aside in the fridge to marinate for 30 mins or longer.
3. Put 1 tsp of filling in the center of the wanton skin & press the skin tight till it is cube sized.
Make sure the bottom is flat.
4. Can have some salted egg, fish roe or carrot cubes to garnish the top of the siew mai.
5.Arrange the siew mai onto a greased plate and let to steam in a rice cooker for 10 - 15 mins.
6.Serve hot with chili sauce/shrimp paste chilli sauce.

Suggestion: Can steam the siew mai in a traditional wok or a rice cooker. Just place on a tray in the rice cooker and add 500ml of water into the base of the rice cooker to steam the siew mai.

Piping hot siew mai is ready to serve.

Mezza 9 @ Grand Hyatt Hotel Singapore

Was invited for dinner for a private celebration at the highly acclaimed Mezza9 restaurant at Grand Hyatt Singapore. Upon entering the place after a flight of stairs (to work up a appetite!), we were greeted by the friendly counter staff whom led us to our reserved table. Seated just beside the well stocked wine cellar, overlooking the main lobby, we sat there scrutinizing the menu. To be honest, the selection was disappointing in limited variety of food choices & cooking methods.

Went ahead with the best of the grill (The grilled lobster & grilled Tiger Prawns), a Kurobuta pork chop & grilled asparagus with tomato salsa. We were served a half cut french loaf with a salsa dip to begin with and our drinks were a glass of passion fruit juice & a raspberry smoothie. The smoothie won hands down. :p

The dishes were served one after another which was well timed by the kitchen. With knives & forks in hands, we attacked! The lobster that we ordered was fresh but the meat was slightly overcooked which left the lobster meat rather dry and tough to remove from it's shell. The flame grilled taste was somehow missing from the dish which was disappointing. Next up, we had the grilled tiger prawns which was better than the lobster but still the elusive flame grilled taste was missing. :( The Japanese pork chop cutlet was tender and moist with the fatty part of the meat intact & succulent. Paired together with the side dish of sweetened caramelized sliced onions, it was rather tasty & interesting. For the final dish, we were introduced to a plate of grilled asparagus with salsa toppings. What seemingly was a simple vegetable dish was actually the best of the dinner. The asparagus was crisp & fresh. The juices were still well contained within each stem & best of all, the subtle hint of a well done flame grill was apparent in it's flavor! The salsa was a nice compliment to the dish allowing the freshness & sweetness of ripe tomatoes to wash away the meat aftertaste of the earlier dishes.

As we sipped our drinks, the restaurant staff kindly offered us a complimentary tasting of their renowned chocolates from their dessert bar which ended the night rather 'sweetly'.

Food: 2.5/5
Ambience: 3/5
Service: 4/5

Mezza 9, mezzanine level, Grand Hyatt Singapore 10 Scotts Road Singapore 228211
Tel: 6738 1234

Walk-in wine cellar

Grilled lobster

Grilled asparagus with tomato salsa

Grilled tiger prawns

Kurobuta pork chop

Mezza 9 chocolate

Mayo's dinner #2

With ample time on my hands, I set out to improvise some simple dishes to unleash my culinary ideas. They may look easy but I had a great time cooking them.

Pan fried dory fish topped with Japanese bread crumbs that was cooked in olive oil & spices (garlic, black pepper & spring onion) which subsequently was left to bake in the oven

Spinach, garlic & eggs stir fried before immersing them into a thick vegetable broth with minced seafood bits.

My favourite fish maw soup with assorted mushrooms!

Mayo's breakfast #3

How does a hearty breakfast that fuses east & west delicacies sound to you? Well it sounded great to me this morning & taste even better! :p Toasted chicken sausage on a bed of angular cut sized prata slices with melted cheese in between with a side of soft lightly beaten eggs and hot sweet baked beans completed my breakfast menu. With the 'leftover' ingredients, I wrapped every morsel of the yummy food in a prata wrap for emergency hunger attacks. :)