Chef Yamashita : my birthday cake

I ordered a Mont Blanc from Chef Yamashita, again. The shop is nestled amongst the others at Tanjong Pagar Plaza, helmed by Chef Yamashita Masataka. He was trained in Tsuji Culinary Institute, a well-known culinary institute in Osaka, Japan. He worked at different patisseries in Japan and started his own in Nara before moving to Singapore. He took charge of Glace Patisserie and Flor Patisserie before starting Chef Yamashita. 

There are a few sizes and this is 17 cm x 12 cm for $45, for 4 to 8 pax. I ordered it online and indicated the message to be displayed on the cake. It tasted fresh and good, it has never disappointed. A simple but well-made cake can bring so much joy and happiness. 

I am another year older, wiser, and definitely more grateful.  

CHEF YAMASHITA

Block 1 Tanjong Pagar Plaza #02-44 SINGAPORE 082001

Operating Hours: 10.00 am to 6.30 pm (Closed on Mondays)

[Hong Kong] ABC Kitchen : My Birthday Dinner

If you wonder, ABC Kitchen is just like our kind of hawker stall located in a one of those food centres in Hong Kong. I was there once and quite enjoyed the lunch i had there. This time, i managed to make a reservation for dinner on my birthday through an email. They replied promptly and acknowledged the reservation. As i have overlooked their operating hours and indicated in the email that i would like to have my dinner at 6.30 pm, which is 30 minutes before their operating hours. They suggested that i could just go in early, order a drink first then order at 6.45 pm, and they will start serving it from 7 pm. 

It was a Sunday. I got there at about 7 pm, it was not as crowded as i expected. There were quite a few tables lined with checked tablecloths with table setting around. I approached a service staff and mentioned that i have a reservation and quickly led to one of those tables and presented with the menu thereafter. After decided what to order for the starters and the main dishes, i checked with the gentleman that was taking my order whether i should order my desserts first or do it later. He suggested that i should just order it and they will serve it accordingly. 

Though they are serving an extensive range of alcoholic drinks, juices and even gourmet coffee but we decided to go with just soft drinks at HKD $15 per can. It was served right after the order was taken. The serving staff did not just leave it there but they actually opened the can and poured it into those glasses. 

The complimentary buns and butter came right after. The buns were still had a slight warm and with a soft texture. This was a good start as the main dishes took quite a while to arrive.

The Soup of the Day was Pumpkin Soup at HKD $33, one of the starters listed in the menu, it was served with few pieces of croutons in it. The texture of the soup was rather thick and not too creamy. 

Next up was another starter, a Pan-fried Foie Gras with Apple Sauce at HKD $128.  A thick slice of Foie Gras was nicely pan-fried to slightly charred it without compromising its juiciness and served with a handful of garden salad and buttered toasts. 

One of the main dish that we ordered was their signature Spanish style Roasted Suckling Pig at HKD $178, it was accompanied with mashed potato and honey beans. It was evenly roasted to give the skin a delightful crispiness, you could clearly hear the cracking sound when bite into the extremely crispy skin just lightly. It was perfectly done to retain its tenderness within the meat and served along with mustard to go with the dish.

The Beef Tenderloin at HKD $208 came after a long wait. The dish consists of a chunky piece of perfectly grilled beef done to a right texture. It was seated on a pile of sauteed spinach together with kipfler potato then topped with half a slice of mushroom. This was a lovely dish that i totally enjoyed.

Lemon Meringue Tart at HKD $48 was one of the desserts that we ordered. It was served along with some lemon sauce with berries. This was a refreshing choice for dessert though it tasted a bit too sour to my liking but a good ending to complete a meal nonetheless.

Next dessert was Vanilla Panne Cotta served with mixed berries compote at HKD $48. It was rather pleasant as well.

This was a memorable birthday dinner, though the serving time in between the dishes was a bit too long but definitely worth the wait. Food was good with an exceptionally impressive service that was quite unexpected in such an environment. 

A BETTER COOKING (ABC) KITCHEN

CF 7 1/F Queen Street Cooked Food Centre No 38 Des Voeux Road West 

Sheung Wan HONG KONG

Operating Hours: 12.00 pm to 2.30 pm (Mon to Sat) / 7.00 pm to 10.30 pm (Mon to Sun)

Happy Birthday, Grandma!

We celebrated our Grandma's birthday early on 27 December 2014, it was her 86th Birthday. It was a quiet affair at home as we postponed our initial plan to celebrate at Gim Tim Restaurant. My wish for her is to stay healthy and happiness always. 

A belated birthday gift.

A belated birthday gift from dearest sister. I didn't expect her to remember it so it came as quite a surprise for me. Though we are not as close as we used to be when we were much younger but it's still nice to know i have a sister there. 

Grandma's Birthday Cake

I wanted to surprise my dearest Grandma with a beautiful cake on her birthday. I went to Pine Garden in Ang Mo Kio Avenue 10. I was told i have to select at least a 1 KG cake for approximately $42 or higher then to pay at least $15 for their workmanship to have basic design on the cake. I walked away without placing an order.

I was at AMK Hub just other day and visited Four Leaves. I saw the picture of this cake in their catalogue and i wanted it without much hesitation.  The price stated is $41 for 21 cm inclusive of the design work on the cake. The price is definitely much more reasonable as compared to Pine Garden for a similar cake.

I was told that i need at least 3 days in advance to place an order. I was given the selection of Strawberry Shortcake, Blackforest, Almond Fruits Top and Chocolate Classico to choose. I was told that i can choose to pay the total amount in full or partial. I chosen to pay the full amount and i was given the order chit.

I went back on Saturday to collect the cake. I was served by the same friendly assistant. She took out the cake from the fridge. She opened the box to show it to me though she did not pull it out as the cake occupied the entire box and it might not be too easy to put it back. She slotted in 2 pieces of disposable ice pads to raise the cake slightly so it would be easier for me to pull it out later. She asked me to handle it with extra cautious when she passed it to me. I truly appreciate such a good service provided by this assistant.

I could not forget the happy smile on the face of my Grandma when i presented the cake to her. And, she agreed that it was a pretty Birthday cake.

The Strawberry Shortcake tasted absolutely lovely. The sponge cake was very soft and fluffy with generous bits of strawberry sandwiched in between. The fresh cream was delicious with just the right amount of sweetness.

It was a Happy Birthday for my dearest Grandma and we enjoyed the cake a lot.

My Birthday

Part of the celebration for my birthday.