Tash Tish Tosh Part III

Is it my imagination or is it every time we visit Tash Tish Tosh, the food keeps better and better?
Since our last review, they have actually shifted operations from Onan Road over to Alibabar in Katong. Well, you'll be glad to know that the change in location has not lowered the standard of the food being served!

And when the Hungry Go Where Guest Instagrammer project came along, we knew it was time to visit TTT once again in search of Halal pasta!

White Star ($14.90 for 9-inch / $19.90 for 12-inch)

You're probably thinking back to our last post on TTT and saying to yourself "Eh... I thought you all already makan this White Star pizza... The one with the Shittake Mushrooms right?"
Well, you're right to say it's the same pizza but with one major difference!

In our last post, we showed you how thick the dough was for the pizzas at TTT.
Well, they've decided to make a change...

YEAH!!! THIN CRUST!!!
All pizzas at TTT now come in a thin crust which is the bomb! It's still ooey gooey and it's still plenty tasty but you won't need to have a chewing battle with the dough anymore. Important to note it's not a crispy thin crust but still a thin crust nonetheless.

Mr Porno obviously agrees with the decision as you can see.

Allo Allo ($8.90)

We decided to try the pasta at TTT for the first time and we started with a classic Alio Oglio which was renamed and jazzed up with some chicken ham and shittake mushrooms. And yes! Those are chilli padi slices waiting for you to chomp down!

But don't worry it's not that spicy. But it is pretty filling being pasta and all.
And does anyone else get the pun with the name? (Think British comedy!!)

Beef Carbo ($8.90)

You might remember this from our Guest Instagrammer feature spot on HungryGoWhere. Definitely the first pasta of its kind that we've sampled I can tell you that much.

A creamy based pasta with asparagus and beef bacon. Haven't seen that combination anywhere else I'll say that. Definitely unique! Generous serving with everything on the plate so prepare to be stuffed!

But no matter how stuffed we are...

We'll always have space for the famous TTT Buffalo Wings aka THE BOMB

Adam's Verdict:
White Star 4.5/5 -- Allo Allo 2.5/5 -- Beef Carbo 3.5/5 -- Buffalo Wings 5/5

Azlan's Verdict:
White Star 4/5 -- Beef Carbo 3/5 -- Buffalo Wings 5/5

Raffiq's Verdict:
White Star 3/5 -- Buffalo Wings 4/5

A more laid back environment at the new location so you can go and lepak with your friends and family and have a chillax time-out. Buffalo Wings mau lebih!!

PS check out their new and improved menus! Complete with quote from The Halal Food Blog!
Hebat!!

And don't forget to check out the article at HungryGoWhere.com for the 5 Halal pasta dishes you MUST try featuring TTT!

Tash Tish Tosh

125 East Coast Road (inside Alibabar)

Tel: 90095628
www.facebook.com/tashtishtoshps

Operating Hours:
12pm to 2pm / 6pm to 10pm (Mondays to Fridays)
12pm to 11pm (Saturdays and Sundays)

Mooncakes Special 2014 - Singapore Airlines

When I first heard about the Singapore Airlines Mooncakes, I was for some reason, damn excited.
Maybe because I read the brochure on the types of mooncakes they were offering or maybe it's because the packaging looked really nice?

Well, you can imagine my excitement when I found out that the SIA Mooncakes were certified Halal!
That's right - certified HALAL!!!

The Singapore Airlines Mooncakes collections is made up of 8 different mooncakes.
2 are 'Heritage' aka traditional flavours, 2 are exclusive flavours and the other 4 are called 'SIA Selections' are have a bit of a twist on traditional mooncake recipes.

We'll start with 2 of the traditional ones first...

White Lotus with Double Yolk

One of the most traditional and popular mooncake flavours ever!
White Lotus Seed Paste encapsulates two exquisite salted duck egg yolks that eagerly await for you to devour them LOL

One of my faves and I'm sure the fave of so many as well.

White Lotus with Mashed Yolk

 

This one also has a super smooth White Lotus Paste within its baked shell of goodness but instead of the whole salted egg yolks, the salted egg yolks are mashed which means you get an even spread of the yolk and everyone goes home happy.

Besides these 2, the other 2 'Exclusive' flavours are Osmanthus Fragranced with Crisp Plum and Red Bean with Milk Paste.

Orange Lotus with Walnuts

Next up are the mooncakes classified as SIA Selections which are a bit more unique.

White Lotus Paste is infused with a "whisper" of Orange and some Persian Walnuts thrown in for good measure. I thought the walnuts were a nice touch but somehow the orange flavour turned out to be a bit overwhelming for me.

Passion Fruit with Rosella

Between this and the Orange Lotus, I preferred this one.
When you think of Passion Fruit, you think you're going to get an overload of sourness but this was definitely not the case here.

A very subtle flavour but the unique Rosella was a very nice touch. Although not overly sour, this was also not overly sweet and was a very refreshing take on the mooncake.

The other 2 SIA Selection Mooncakes are the Pandan with Five Grains and the White Lotus with Black Sesame.

Collectible SIA Emblem Magnet

I simply loved the packaging!
You get a collectible SIA emblem magnet as a souvenir (great for all you collectors!) and the boxes themselves reflect the signature SIA style.

And those little boxes holding the mooncakes are quite solid so you can keep them and use them to store stuff once you're devoured all the mooncakes!!

The SIA Mooncakes used to only be available to passengers but this is the first time they are made available to the public so this is really good news if you ask me.

You can either choose to drop by Takashimaya to buy (and try) the SIA Mooncakes or you can purchase via Mail Order where there will deliver to you.

It's $64 for a box of 4 mooncakes (Heritage Flavours) and $68 for a box of 4 Mooncakes (Exclusive/SIA Selections). You can also mix and match the mooncakes so you can choose your faves while trying something new if you'd like at $68 for a box of 4 mooncakes.

SIA KrisFlyer PPS Club members will enjoy a 15% discount while KrisFlyer and UOB cardholders will enjoy a 10% discount. On top of that, every box of 4 mooncakes entitles you to a lucky draw where you stand to win a pair of Business class tickets to Shanghai!

Singapore Airlines Mooncakes

Basement 2 Takashimaya Atrium, NgeeAnn City

Collection period:
7 August to 7 September 2014, from 1000-2130 hrs

Mooncakes Special 2014 - PrimaDeli

Next up our special Mooncakes series this year is the collection from Prima Deli!
I know that Prima Deli is the name that comes to mind when you wanna get cakes and waffles (!!) but they also make some pretty good mooncakes too! And we're going to run them down with you!

That picture above is from Prima Deli's website and gives you a view of all the mooncakes they have to offer. Looks good right? But do they look like that when you buy them too?

So there are 9 exciting and pretty interesting flavours for you to enjoy in their box set. They also have traditional flavours like Pure Lotus and White Lotus with Yolks but we're gonna cover just the special edition flavours they have okay.

And for you fans of Snowskin Mooncakes, you'll be happy to hear that they're ALL Snowskin!!
And they're also Mini mooncakes so you'll be able to sample them all without being too full.
So let's go through them one by one.

Mini Green Apple

Mini Orange with Valrhona Chocolate Pearls

Mini Soursop with Guava

Mini Black Sesame with Mochi

Mini Strawberry Chocolate

Mini D24 Durian

Mini Mango Lemongrass

Mini Oreo Chocolate

Mini Cranberry Cheese

So there you have it! 9 special flavour creations from PrimaDeli for this Mid-Autumn Festival!

Of all the 9, I have to say that the Mini D24 Durian was definitely the best. You can really taste the durian! The Mini Mango Lemongrass came in second place (most probably because I happen to like Lemongrass!) The rest of the mooncakes were... well...

I have to say that I found the mooncakes very sweet. A little too overwhelmingly sweet to be honest. And even though I have a sweet tooth and these were just mini mooncakes, I still found myself feeling very 'muak' after awhile.

Maybe this is partly because I kinda like the traditional baked mooncakes. And on top of that, I prefer the traditional Lotus Paste variety. Never really took a fancy to the whole snowskin craze. I can see why people like it but I guess I'll never catch on.

And and here's a tip - make sure you keep them refrigerated because the snowskin will go really soft and mushy on you really really quickly.

You can drop by any PrimaDeli to pick up your mooncakes.
They have some special discounts up til 8 September and Citibank cardholders get some extras too.

So if you like fruity and sweet Snowskin Mooncakes - head down to PrimaDeli!!

Badoque

So I've known about Badoque for a damn long time. Seriously long.
I have no idea what took me so long to visit because pretty much every single person who told me about Badoque has told me to visit ASAP cos it apparently rocks.

I guess maybe I was waiting for the right time? Or maybe that's just an excuse?
Well, I finally decided the time had arrived when the HungryGoWhere project came around and I thought what better time to finally visit Badoque.

And I know I only mentioned the pasta in my HungryGoWhere Guest Instagrammer feature but the truth is - I had more than just pasta!

Garlic Chilli Chuka ($7.50)

When they say "Chuka" here, they mean the baby octopus. Yes, it took me awhile to get it (I was thinking of cuka as in vinegar... I'm slow I know... LOL). But for those of you who love baby octopus (maybe in your sushi?), this is a must have.

The baby octopus was cooked to perfection and not tough or chewy at all. Had a great bite to it and you could definitely get the hints of the chilli without being to spicy. Scoop it up with some of the chopped garlic there for a great mouthful. If you're a fan of garlic like me, you're gonna wish they gave more garlic.

Smoked Duck Pasta Putanesca ($24.00)

This was the reason I made my way down to Badoque during Ramadhan to iftar on a rainy evening.
It was either this or the Squid Ink Pasta. I decided on the duck because I was feeling a bit quacky.

I'll be honest and say that the pasta and the accompanying tomato sauce was pretty okay. I mean, there wasn't anything wrong with it but I guess it was overshadowed by the smoked duck. That's right, the star of this dish is definitely the smoke duck (like duh it's in the name right).

It is not easy to find Halal duck anything these days let alone Halal duck that is prepared well. And this smoked duck is super duper in my books. Some might say it's a little tough but I think it's pretty okay actually and I really enjoyed the smokey flavour.

So if you're a fan of duck or smoked meats for that matter, you should try this dish.
No doubt, it may not be for everyone but I think quite a lot of people love this (especially judging by Badoque's Instagram page!)

And they are super generous with the serving of smoked duck and also the pasta. Actually, I guess they'd better be with a $24 price tag on this dish.

Iced Salted Caramel ($7.50)

To wash it all down, I decided on another item I kept seeing on Badoque's Instagram page.
And boy oh boy I found out why this was so popular.

If you have a sweet tooth, you're gonna love this. It's sweet and a hint of salty with the caramel flavour completely taking you in. Nice and refreshing and you're going to find it hard to just sip this slowly. I ended up taking bigger and bigger gulps each time.

And they are not stingy with the caramel either.

Adam's Verdict:
Garlic Chilli Chuka 3.5/5 -- Smoked Duck Pasta Putanesca 4/5 -- Iced Salted Caramel 3.5/5

I'd heard mixed feedback about the service at Badoque with some reviews online saying that the staff was top notch and the rest saying the opposite. Well, my experience was power! The crew were very friendly and even took the time to chat for a bit while waiting for my food, checking if everything was okay while I was eating and even after I'd paid and was ready to go. And it was a full house too and it seems like the managed pretty well.

I think one of the reasons for Badoque's popularity (besides the food) is that it's run by people who love what they do and they're not afraid to have some fun while they do it. They try to inject a light-hearted mood into your experience without being too irritating. One good example is the menu. Quirky quotes and making small jokes is a winner in my book. PS that's my uncle in the picture.

Lots more on the menu to try at Badoque so I foresee visiting lots more times. Next in my sights is their Ribs aka Monster Ribs aka Daging Gedegak!!

PS they have 2 outlets - one is Simpang Bedok and one in Thomson - and some items are available only at one store and not the other so check first.

And don't forget to read the article on HungryGoWhere.com!!

Badoque

298 Bedok Road (Simpang Bedok)

Tel: 64466928
www.facebook.com/badoquecafeSG

Operating Hours:
12pm to 10pm Daily

Mooncakes Special 2014 - Eatzi Gourmet

That's right kiddies! Mooncake season is upon us again!
We had our special feature in 2013 and it seems that people have started to read up on the old post (probably thanks to Google!) so we thought we'd better update everyone with the 2014 edition!

First installment is from a familiar name - Eatzi Gourmet!
In case you haven't heard, Eatzi Gourmet is run by JP Pepperdine which are the same people who brought us Jack's Place! Surely you remember our recent visit to Eatzi Gourmet right?

Well, they have Eatzi Gourmet Bakery which has churned out some special Mooncakes!

You can see from the promo material they look really good! And they also have something for everyone because we all know how different peoples' tastes can be right?

They have the traditional White Lotus Single Yolk (picture above on the right) for all you lovers of the old-school mooncakes. But they also have some special and interesting flavours too!

5 exciting flavours to choose from and surely something for everyone!
Besided the White Lotus Single Yolk mooncake, Eatzi Gourmet also offers the Mocca Royaltine and Chocolate Lotus for all those of you with a sweet tooth and also the Green Tea Lotus and Black Sesame Lotus mooncakes too!

Don't worry! We'll be going through them one by one for you! :)

Mocca Royaltine Mooncake

Let's start with the mooncake with the most interesting name! :P

So what exactly is the Mocca Royaltine?
It's a Coffee Lotus Paste mooncake with a Crunchy Praline Croquant in the middle. Croquant is kinda like a toffee so you'll get a sweet caramel flavour which will go well with the Coffee Lotus Paste.

Green Tea Lotus Mooncake

Next up is the Green Tea Lotus Mooncake. I'm pretty all you Green Tea lovers will be rushing for this one am I right? :)

Chocolate Crunchy Pearls and Sesame Mochi is capsuled within Green Tea Lotus Paste.
The Green Tea flavour is VERY evident here which is why I know a lot of people will enjoy this one.
And you'll be pleasantly surprised by the Mochi!!

Black Sesame Lotus

Another somewhat traditional one here for you.

Black Sesame Lotus Paste wraps up the Green Tea Mochi in the middle. I guess there's just something about it that Black Sesame and Mochi always manage to go well together.

Chocolate Lotus Mooncake

Last but definitely not last on our list is the Chocolate Lotus Mooncake.

I took a bite before I read the description of the mooncake (too excited lah!) and I actually thought the middle was a traditional salted egg yolk... but I was pleasantly mistaken!

Chocolate Lotus Paste and Dulcey Crunchy Pearls in this mooncake and the middle is actually...
Mango Pineapple filling! Surprising right!!

And I know some people pay very very close attention to the packaging and the box when they buy mooncakes and this one is quite a beauty!

Box External

The Treasures are within...

From what I gather, the Eatzi Gourmet Mooncakes try to stay true to tradition while trying to infuse some modern twists to the popular mooncake. That's why their flavours like Chocolate and Green Tea are mixed in with Lotus Paste instead of just the flavour on its own.

You can also tell that they do not include too much sugar and preservatives in their mooncakes. They are not overly sweet at all which means you can watch your health while still enjoying good flavour.
In fact, they infuse honey into their mooncake 'skin'.

All the mooncakes are the traditional 'Baked' variety and every single is HANDMADE by the chef!! No machines involved!

You can buy a single mooncake at $10.70 each but you might as well get a box of 4 for $42.80.
If you use a DBS/POSB Credit Card, you will enjoy 15% off if you order online.
JP Pepperdine members enjoy 15% off plus 300 points!

Even though they use premium quality ingredients, the price is still so affordable! Great deal!
Head down to their website at http://bakery.eatzi.com.sg/ or call their hotline 6287 6298 now!

And before we forget! There's a contest where you can win some mooncakes!

Just need to head down to the Eatzi Gourmet FB page and follow the simple steps!
Like, Share and Win!

https://www.facebook.com/eatzi.gourmet

Eatzi Gourmet Bakery

http://bakery.eatzi.com.sg
Tel: 6287 6298