The Marmalade Pantry At The Stables (Fairways Drive)

The Marmalade Pantry has always been on many people's list of favourite place to dine. You can tell by the crowd at ION Orchard. They served food that's what many consider comfort food. The branch most familiar to all is the ION Orchard branch. Do you know that they have a branch at Fairways Drive too?

The Fairways Drive or Stables as they call it has a very 'countryside' feel to it. It's opposite to Rider's Cafe if you know where that is. Depending on the time, you might see horses at the area too! A nice place to escape to if you want to get away from the city rush.

We booked our parents for brunch last weekend at the stables. We know they would like the breakfast / brunch fare here and it's also quite near their home.


So much greenery, and this place is also the Central Kitchen for the Marmalade Pantry group. There are two main dining area here, the air-conditioned part in the building, and the natural air at the verandah of the building.


The Marmalade Pantry at the Stables only open for dinner on weeknights and all day weekends.
If you are coming here, I recommend you drive or take a taxi.


The mother-in-law had the Eggs Any Style. ($20)
It's the big breakfast with eggs done your choice. Eggs your style! MIL likes fried eggs.

There was a choice of Grilled English Sausage or smoked bacon. MIL had the bacon.
It comes with quite delicious sauteed mushrooms, roasted tomatoes, home made baked beans and whole wheat toast.



Father-in-law wanted something light and he ordered the Spicy Oriental Roast Beef Salad. $22.
A nice big bowl of salad, Thai Style with roast beef slices.

Green mangoes, basil, mint and chilled glass noodles. For those who don't take carbo, this is a good option. Very delicious too!


I had the Steak Sandwich ($24), medium done. Oh, the steak was really juicy! Look at the juice oozing out and all sucked up by the bun. The steak was also slightly red part in the middle, yum yum!

The buns were spread with wasabi mayo and there was caramelized chunks of onions below the piece of steak and rockets above it. I am glad I ordered it, steak for breakfast, camouflaged like breakfast!  I wished there was more wasabi though. :-)


Comes with a bowl of salad too. The side were yam and sweet potato crisp.


KopiKosongGirl had The Pantry Club ($24).
When it came, you could see she was really happy. Their version club sandwich was very tasty.

Honey baked ham, roast chicken, eggs, gem lettuce and roma tomatoes. There was also tasty yam and sweet potato crisp for sides too.



How can one not order their marvelous cupcakes when one goes to Marmalade Pantry?
This was the Bananarama ($4.50) that we shared. It's very delicious banana walnut cake with caramel cream cheese.

Note: At this branch, you will a nice big table that displays all the cupcakes. It's like you are visiting someone's house and they displayed all the cakes and desserts for you to choose. It's so tempting!

We noticed FIL's face was delighted with this cupcake. The caramel cream cheese was so tempting!



Oh.. we ordered this and we absolutely loved it and we think you should try it too!
This was the Sea Salt Caramel Cheesecake ($8).

It comes served very cold and one bite and you can finish it all! A firm texture that melts into creamy goodness when it's in your mouth. A sweetness with a slight saltiness really excites the tongue!

It goes quite well with the range of Gryphon Tea that they serve here. Parents in law shared a pot of White Gingerlilly that was so fragrant.



Some of you know that I juice quite often at home from my Instagram photos. I tried 2 glasses of this 'liquid salad' some time ago and really love it. So I ordered it again. It's called "Flush" ($8).

Liquid salad because it's all veggies in it! Spinach, carrots and beetroot! The wife think it's horrible, but I really love it! (She loves salad, but I think liquid salad's not for her!)



We like this venue and the countryside view. You can see families coming here for their weekend brunch. It's kids friendly place too. We were enjoying a nice quiet meal until one family came in. They have two very cute kids with nice golden hair, but they were screaming and running non stop for over 10 minutes! We know they are definitely not French, for French kids always sit quietly at dining tables. (You read about bringing up kids the French way right? It's so interesting!)

Running outside in the grass area is ok, but not inside the restaurant when servers are bringing out hot food and liquids. Thank goodness the screaming and running finally stopped when the mum realised it's an accident waiting to happen.



We saw this on the table and thought I should quickly rush this post out so that some of you can take advantage of it.

Tonight, if you are there, you get your 4th main course for free!
Some of you may 'leap' for joy with this offer! Only once in 4 years! A Leap Year offer!
Grab 3 other friends and head there tonight!

The Marmalade Pantry at the Stables 55 Fairways Drive Singapore 286846 Tel: +65 6467 9328 Web: www.themarmaladepantry.com.sg

Glamabox, a surprise every month for your partner!

Have you heard of Glamabox?

I have only recently heard about it and thought what an interesting idea it is! Most ladies I know love surprises. I also noticed that ladies love to receive packages! Put them together and most ladies will be so so pleased indeed.

I was asked if I would like to give a surprise to the wife. I was given the link (www.glamabox.com) to see what it is about. I took a look and thought if I subscribe to this, the wife might be pleased with me. I am one who is not good at surprises. I was also quite shocked that for beauty, women would use snail cream!

I said why not to Glamabox and got the following package sent to the house!
I should have posted this just before Valentine's Day, but the wife flew to Beijing for a romantic Valentine's Day getaway.


The wife was excited when this box arrived. (I blanked out the address)

I am wondering, are most ladies as excitable as my wife to open boxes? I let her open all my presents that people give me!



The rippppp!



Oh wow! A box inside another box!
Must be double happiness to get to open another box!


I exclaimed it was so pink! and I got a stare from the wife.
Me:  So girl I said!
Wife: Of course it is! It's meant for ladies.


A welcome note from Lisa S, the founder of Glambox. She's a TV host and the wife of Daniel Wu.
(Yes that HK actor, director, producer Daniel).


For $18 a month, 5 items - skincare or beauty products and services from luxurious and reputable brands all selected by Lisa S from around the world are packed in a box and delivered to your home.


Current beauty partners include Perfective Ceuticals, Revlon, Talika, Elishacoy, Enprani, Crabtree & Evelyn, Thann, Bioessence, Sleek Makeup, Nail Nail, Private i, YMCK Nail, DrD, Suisse Programme, Capra Latte, Marine Elements.

What's in the box for February?


Something for the teeth and lips and also the hair.

I hope this hair product works for her. I know women usually change their shampoo, was told it's no good to use the same ones all the time. 

Talking about teeth, women will endure pain to have nice teeth! Both my sister and wife both went through the torturous process of putting on braces. KopiKosongGirl, to have nice teeth for our wedding, she endured 2 years of painful braces. Things ladies will do to look good!



Face mask and oh... an energy bar too!
If KopiKosongGirl doesn't want the bar, I will gladly have it!


I wanted to laugh when I saw the little bottle of cream! It says bust lift!

It reminds me of something we saw on Beijing TV in the hotel (Raffles Hotel Beijing) that we stayed in. We were initially watching ChannelNewsAsia and it made us felt really at home, but we decided to switch to some local channel. What did we see? It was advertisement about having bigger bust and it went on and on and on! We could not believe it and we laughed and laughed.

So this is BIG business it seems.
The extra gift for February, the little charm for either the phone or bag.


For those who wants to read more about the products, you can click on the photo and it will bring you to Flickr and you can select the biggest resolution photo to read it clearer.

So that's the surprise box!

.........................................................

For Guys:

Hey hey guys... do you think this is a good idea to give your wife/girlfriend a surprise every month?
If you think it is, you can get a subscription for her. Here's how:

Step 1: Visit www.glamabox.com, click “Get Started Now”, and register for an account.
Step 2: Subscribe Glamabox and choose "Gift Option". Enter your billing details, recipient’s email address and gift message.
Step 3: She will receive a Glamabox gift email with a link for her to activate her account and fill in her own beauty profile. She is now ready to receive her first Glamabox the following month!

.........................................................

For Ladies, a Giveaway!

Ladies out there, do you want to get a Glamabox surprise too?
You can subscribe to the service too yourself or you can participate in the Glambox giveaway!
The kind folks from Glamabox are giving 2 readers each a Glamabox!

What do you have to do to get selected?
All you need to do is:
Step 1. Like the Glamabox Facebook page.
Step 2. Leave a comment here, letting everyone here know which item you think is the most useful in February's Glamabox. Use a 'nickname' if you wish to remain anonymous.
Step 3. Send an email to me at keropokman @ gmail.com with your contact number and 'nickname'.

A random number generator will pick the winner on 10 March. If you are the 2 lucky ones, I will pass your details to Glamabox who will deliver a Glamabox to you.


Update:
The winners are  Candy and Whatevergirl!
I have passed your details to Glamabox PR, they will contact you shortly.

Obolo Galeria @ Rochester Mall

For those of us living on the western side of Singapore, this might be a piece of good news. Obolo has opened a branch at Rochester Mall. They have named this branch Obolo Galeria and fans of their macarons don't need to travel all the way to 112 Katong or Serangoon Gardens now.

Rochester Mall is just next to Buona Vista MRT and opposite Biopolis. A 10 minute short walk from the MRT station.


They opened on 9 Feb and they their hours are till midnight. On Friday and Saturday nights, they are opened till 1 AM.


Their delectable macarons inside the refrigerated display.


If you must try, try the Champagne Macarons.
As I am a fan of chocolate, the chocolate ones are quite good too.

Their macarons are not too sweet, so even if you are not a sweet tooth person, try it.


Quite tempting don't you think?


If your friends or colleagues are desserts people, but you are not, don't worry.
They do serve hot food. I tried the wild mushroom soup which I think was very heart warming.

Their small pizzas like the one above is quite nice when it's warm.
(That means don't waste too much time taking photos! haha)


The shop is not very big here, the space might be a little cramp inside, but they have alfresco dining option.

I like their cookies in little red boxes. Head over to their online shop at: http://www.obolo.com.sg/ if you want to see those cookies and other cakes.

Obolo Galeria 35 Rochester Drive #01-08 The Rochester Mall Singapore 138639 Tel: +65  6570 0102 Web: www.obolo.com.sg Facebook: www.facebook.com/oboloinc

Lao Ban Soya Beancurd

The soya beancurd seems to have evolved a bit. There are now 'pudding' and the preparation has evolved to satisfy the ever changing food habits of locals.

Recently I was 'stopped' by some students on some fund raising campaign. 50% of the time, I will gently decline, but this is the 50% that I stopped. I saw that they were selling Lao Ban Soya Beancurd. (permission granted to laugh at me)

I actually forgot how much I paid or what the fund raising was for, I was just interested in getting my hands on the soya beancurd without queuing at the Old Airport Road Food Centre or Maxwell Food Centre. 


A container that fits nicely in the palm of my hand.
Lao Ban means old companion in Chinese. 

Old romantics (maybe young ones too) should eat this. May you have it and grow old together.
Even when there's no teeth left, you can still eat this stuff.


Oh... the beancurd is different from the usual ones.

There are no dark or clear syrup on the beancurd when you open the container. They have added the sweetener in the preparation process.

Come to think of it, it saves them time too ya? Shorter queue, and you need less manpower for preparation. It's hard to employ people to work in the food industry nowadays right? 

Note: If you don't take sugar or sweet stuff, then this is not for you. You should take the traditional type and ask for no syrup.


The mouthfeel is like pudding or a solidified creme brulee.  It's quite pleasing to the mouth.
Now I know why some people will buy 10 or more containers and they are willing to queue for it.

I bought 2 and one was given to my office mate. We always buy food and an extra portion to pass to the office mate.

Lao Ban Soya Beancurd 老伴豆花 51 Old Airport Road, #01-127 Old Airport Road Food Centre, Singapore 390051 Tel: +65 8181 2201 Hours: Tue–Sat: 11.30am – 8pm / Sun: 1pm – 8pm 1 Kadayanallur Street, #01-91 Maxwell Food Centre, Singapore 069184 Tel: +65 8299 8211 Hours: Tue–Sun: 11.30am – 2pm

Skyve Elementary Bistro & Bar @ Winstedt Road

Turning old buildings into something modern and contemporary. That is what is happening to many old places in Singapore. Dempsey, Telok Ayer Conservation Area, etc are some examples. Monk's Hill Secondary School is probably the latest to join in.

Skyve Elementary Bistro & Bar, located at Winstedt Road was the previous Monk's Hill Secondary School. One friend of ours, AromaCookery was once a student at this school and she said coincidentally, Skyve is located in the building where the school canteen was! The school canteen never looked so nice!

What an interesting name right? Skyve. Anyone visiting could be caught skyving!
I was skvying (invited skyving) with AromaCookery and Camemberu together with TheHungryCow.


The owners of this place previously operated Table66. I like the feel and look of this place, a bit school like in the furniture, yet chic and contemporary at the same time. I love the light you see in the photo above!



Looking like a bound thesis ready for submission, they are the menus!
Keeping with the school theme it seems.

It reminded me of a recent discovery. I was searching for something at my parent's place and I found that mum kept my primary school report book!



Bread rolls here though not baked on the premises, is baked offsite with the chef's recipe.



Skyve Sous Vide Egg Benedict ($12) 
*Available for breakfast and weekend brunch. A dinner version available at $18.

What you see is a soft poached egg on top a grilled portobello. The soft poached egg was actually sous vide at 52.5C for about an hour! If you are an egg person, especially a runny egg yolk person, try this!

I really liked the confit of cherry tomato too. Look how shiny it is!


Skyvefella Oyster ($30- 1/2 dozen, $56- 1 dozen) 
*Available for dinner and bar snacks

The oysters are from Coffin Bay Australia. For those who do not like the taste of raw oysters, order the Skyvefella Oysters. It's partially heated, slighty grilled so it does not taste so raw. The chives sauce, iberico ham and parmesan biscuit makes it quite tasty!

You can easily gulp down 1 dozen of these!



Skyve Seared Beef Tartare ($22)

Not everyone I know like beef tartare, but if you a fan of raw beef done this way, try their version here.
Look at the egg yolk. It's truffle miso infused creamy egg yolk on a bed of chopped spring onions.

The light strip is light wasabi mayo. Served with crouton.


I like the way it was done. Not heavily seasoned with salt or pepper. Gives you the raw taste of beef, but with the egg yolk and spring onions, it cuts through the rawness. If you want more kick, mix in the light wasabi mayo.

Mixed it all up like what you see above.


Served on croutons. I know it's either yummy yummy or yukky yukky.



Char Grilled Beet Burger ($30)

The grilled burger comes with beeT or beeF. Yup, for those who do not eat meat, the chef has cleverly make the patty from beet root. What I found interesting was how the patty has texture that is similar to minced beef. I wonder how long the chef experimented to get this right.

 
Served with melted aged cheddar cheese, lettuce, gherkins and sliced tomatoes.

On the sides were truffle frites!
I personally wish they have a stronger taste of truffles in the truffles frites. LOL



Sous Vide Crispy Pork Belly $34
 
Pork belly that has been braised and the skin roasted till its crackling. I like the pork!
The sauce was prune sauce which kind of cut through the fat and crackling skin. I suggest you share this with someone to share the calories!

Served with it was potato and apple gratin. A combination that somehow gives a slightly nice texture in the bite. The fennel salad was nice too, I don't prepare fennel at home because I think I have to waste so much leaves just to eat the middle part it!



Sous Vide Spring Chicken ($32)

Tender spring chicken that had been marinated with lemon myrtle spice. Served with cream corn and brocollini. Served with chicken jus reduction.

If you appreciate sous vide method of cooking meat, it's tender. I think after sous vide it has been grilled to give such a nice colour. 



Confit of Duck Leg ($34)

Crispy duck leg that is so tempting. I have a soft spot for crispy ducks.
From the photo you can just imagine how crunchy it is right? I like the sweet tamarind sauce that goes with it too.
 


Ricotta Hot Cakes ($12) 
*Available for breakfast and weekend brunch.

These ricotta hot cakes reminds me of ricotta hot cakes at Bills in Sydney. Not really the same style of pancakes, but their version is not too shabby. That's passionfruit butter and it's topped with caramelized almond flakes.



Homemade Maple Ice Cream ($12)

See the wafer between the maple ice cream, it's to create something 'local' in this previous school canteen! Something old school that has been jazzed up with caramelized apple infused with cinnamon and fleur de sel.

Something very tempting! Look at the caramelized apple!

For those who love to skyve, their Skyving Hours are....
Weekdays 8.30am-8pm; Weekends 10am-8pm and they have:
- $5 half pints Hoegaarden and Stella Artois on tap
- 1-for-1 housepour wines and champagne by the glass 

Skyve Elementary Bistro and Bar No.10 Winstedt Road Block E, #01-17 Singapore 227977 Tel: +65 6225 6690 Web: http://www.skyve.sg Facebook: www.facebook.com/SkyveEBB Hours: Tuesday to Friday: 8:30am to Midnight Saturday and Sunday: 10am to Midnight Public Holidays: 10am to Midnight (Monday closed till further notice)