Wawa's Ramblings

For starters, we had the half onion loaf ($8.50) and calamari rings (($10.50). The onion loaf is a signature dish at Tony Roma's and is best shared due to the sheer quantity of onions, even for half a loaf.

The deep fried calamari rings were crisp and had a good bite, without being too oily.

For the mains, we shared a full slab of their original baby backs ($31.90)

and the Tony Roma's star studded sampler ($31.90), consisting of original baby backs, carolina honeys and tony roma's red hots. Honestly, we could not really tell the difference between the ribs!

We struggled to finish the 2 plates of ribs between the five of us as the servings were huge. Service was a bit slow as the restaurant was full and there seemed to be a lack of waiters. Total cost of the meal was very reasonable, at $138/-, after the 20% discount voucher for the birthday month.

Labels: american food, ribs

Completed my first 10km race at the New Balance Real Run 2007. It was fun preparing for the race the night before with CK and KT clowning around as they tried out their gear. For adequate carbohydrate loading, I cooked pasta and claypot chicken rice (in my new Le Cruset pot) for dinner. Unfortunately, we did not take any pictures of the food as everyone was so hungry.

Arrived at the Changi Exhibition Centre about 6.20 am. The race was very well organized, with ample parking space, adequate drink stations and hassle free collection of the goodie bag after the race. On hindsight, the Shape Run was much more chaotic and not as well organized.

President Nathan was present to flag off the race at 7.40 am.

The route was quite flat except for the run along the sand on Changi Beach which was more challenging. The most difficult part of the race was the final leg (~2.5km) on the runway, with no shelter, a never ending road and facing the relentless heat of the morning sun. CK paced me throughout the race and we both finished at the same time, while KT came in three minutes later. It was sheer relief at the finishing point, with Co busy snapping pictures of us.

Official time was 1:15:34, not too bad for a first attempt. Next up, the Standard Chartered Marathon on 2 Dec, where I hope to complete the race in 1 hour.

Labels: race

Our latest addition is a sweet basil plant. The mint and rosemary are flourishing and the chillies have turned red.

Labels: plants

I have always wondered why mama named this dish bubur rojak as there is no resemblance to any bubur (porridge) or rojak! This is one of Co's all time favourite dish and I think mama would have approved of it too. It had the right amount of spiciness and the gravy was delicious over white rice.

Labels: chicken, home cooking, shepherd's pie

For the main dish, we had the green curry chicken ($7) and stuffed chicken wings ($6.50). The green curry was surpringly flavourful and tasty and was delicious with steamed white rice.

The stuffed chicken wings were huge and tasted much better than the ones at Thai Express.

The lunch time special for the tom yum soup was only $2 and was good value as it had a generous amount of prawns and fish.

Overall, a decent place for Thai food as the food was generally tasty with reasonable prices.

Labels: thai food

Happy Birthday Co

Went to Zambuca to celebrate Co's birthday. We had tried the Amex one for one set lunch a couple of months back and liked the food and service.

The lighting in the restaurant was pretty dim so it was hard to get a decent shot of the food.

For starters, Co had the soup of the day, corn chowder ($12) while I had the seafood bouillabaisse ($16). The seafood bouillabaisse had slices of fish, squid, clams, prawn and mussel in a tomato based broth. It was a tasty and hearty soup but not something that Co would have liked as it was too 'seafoody'.

For our mains we chose the beef tenderloin with foie gras and truffle jus ($46) and the chef recommended tortellini stuffed with smoked duck and foie gras ($36).

The tenderloin was quite a thick piece of meat but was tender and juicy. And aah, the foie gras (duck liver). This was the first time that I have tried foie gras but I concluded after a few bites that it was too 'ducky' for my taste. I am not sure if the taste would be different if goose liver was used instead of duck, but I really cannot understand all the expense and fuss associated with foie gras. Co, who is averse to all the insides of poultry and meat, remarked that it tasted less 'liverish' than pork liver. Perhaps it is an acquired taste but I much prefer the pork liver in my porridge or mee sua soup.

The tortellini stuffed with smoked duck and foie gras was an interesting dish but I found it was a tad expensive for only 5 pieces of tortellini. The price was no doubt inflated by the foie gras. The tortellini had a nice bite and this time, the taste of the foie gras did not overwhelm as it was well complemented by the smoked duck.

Desert was a complementary slice of tiramisu and creme brulee with tri-berry sorbet ($12). The tiramisu was light and not too sweet. The creme brulee had a nice caramelized crust and went well with the tangy strawberry and gelato.

We initially chose an Italian Pinot Grigio to complement our meal but it was unavailable and so we had to settle for a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc ($16 per glass). Service was attentive and personal and we sat at the booth seats, which was more private and comfy. A good place for Italian fine dining.

Labels: italian food

Labels: chihuahua

I grilled the balance of the butternut squash together with french fries and garlic, and it was delicious too, sprinkled with homemade rosemary salt.

I also cooked a pot of curry chicken for the next day's dinner. The curry is again a modified recipe and I used a combination of yoghurt and evaporated milk for a more healthy dish.


It was the perfect meal to tuck in to after we came back from training for the upcoming Standard Chartered Marathon.

Labels: beef stew, curry, home cooking, yam cake

The roast baby pig tasted like Chinese roast pork, except that it was served with prunes and peaches, a nice combination.

We still had room for desert after devouring all the meat, and ordered the apple strudel ($10.00) and another 0.5L mug of the Oktoberfest brew ($16.90). During this period, the only brew available is the Oktoberfest and is only served in 0.5L and above, unless it comes with the set lunch which is 0.3 L. We really enjoyed the smooth brew as it was ice cold with a nice head of foam.

The apple strudel with vanilla sauce and ice-cream was delicious. It had only a thin layer of crust and was chock-ful of stewed apples. A definite winner.

Total cost of the meal was $87.57, a fairly expensive meal for a weekday lunch. But its the weekend and Co's birthday month, a perfect excuse to eat, drink and be merry. Cheers to good health.... burp....

Labels: lunch

Overall, a satisfying meal and a good place to go for tonkatsu. The portions were big and most of the set meals were reasonably priced between $18-$25. The photos here did not do justice to the meal as it was taken with my phone (we did not bring along our camera as this was an impromptu dinner). Definitely worth a return visit.

Labels: japanese food

the raw ingredients, including fresh rosemary from our herb garden

searing the lamb

The smell of the lamb that permeated the kitchen after the first hour of cooking was heavenly, and even our dogs were salivating! The meat was fork tender and infused with the lovely fragrance of the herbs (rosemary, bay leaves and thyme), vegetables (parsnip, carrots and potatoes), bacon and wine.

Paired the meal with a nice full-bodied Australian Shiraz. This dish is a definite winner and I will probably cook this again for Christmas Eve dinner this year.

Labels: home cooking, lamb

Labels: plants