#FIJIWaterLimeTruck Pop-up raised $9,821.00 for Charity - Willing Hearts.

On 15 and 16 August 2014, The Lime Truck, winner of Food Network's "The Great Food Truck Race", in a collaboration between FIJI Water and Kerbside Gourmet whipped up some great food at Orchard Gateway.



It was a pop-up event that had all proceeds going to Willing Hearts (http://www.willinghearts.org.sg), a local charity / soup kitchen that provides 3000 meals daily to the needy in Singapore.

For the 2 days, the #FIJIWaterLimeTruck raised $9821.00 for Willing Hearts. For all of you who were also there, thank you for your generosity in buying the food.



That's Daniel Shemtob serving food to the crowds!

Daniel's the CEO of The Lime Truck and he's quite a talented guy who have 2 successful restaurants in LA. For more details, you can go to www.thelimetruck.com



There sure was a huge crowd and the food was sold out quite quickly. All thanks to these people who bought a few sets, they helped raised funds for Willing Hearts.

Willing Hearts do need volunteers, to help prepare the food and also to deliver the food. When I was more energetic, I woke up early on Saturdays before sunrise and took a bus the soup kitchen and cut and cut and cut lots of onions, vegetables etc. If you have time, go volunteer your time and energy!



This truck you see is actually Kerby. I am sure you have seen Kerby without this temporary green skin at my pop up events.  I was standing there looking at them serve out food and the crew are such happy people.



Here's a short clip that I took on Instagram on 15 August.
Love the way they shouted the orders that came in.



The menu for the 2 days. Each was $10 and it all came with a bottle of FIJI Water.



Braised Pork Belly Taco with Tomatillo Pico de Gallo and Sriracha.
Oh, it was so so lovely, the pork belly and the Sriracha that was drizzled over it. The fatty pork belly went very well with the Mexican salsa. It cuts through the fats of the pork belly and quite yummy with the hot sauce.
 

Fresh Fish Ceviche Tostada
The fish cured with citrus juices was very appetizing. One of it is not enough and it makes you even more hungry!



Blue Crab Jicama Taco
A very different kind of taco. Never thought that the bang kwang we usually eat can be made into tacos. Ideas for the next house party!




I hope they come back for Round 2 soon!

CP presents Chef Petite, Cooking with Forest Leong @ Forest, RWS.

I thought this would be interesting for some parents and their kids. Parents who are fans of chef couple, Chef Sam Leong and his wife Chef Forest Leong will most probably be the ones interested. I know my aunt and mum are fans of them.

This coming September holidays, if you have some hands-on activity with your kids, you can enrol 1 parent and 1 kid to this cooking class with Chef Forest Leong.

It's an event by CP, so 'ahem', they will feature cooking with some products from CP.



There are only 20 pairs per session available the two dates listed below.

Event details
Date: 6 and 13 September 2014                   
Time: 2pm-5.30pm (High-tea will be served prior to class)
Location: Forest 菻 Restaurant, 8 Sentosa Gateway, Level 1 Equarius Hotel, Resorts World Singapore.

Transport: 2-way transportation & entry tickets are provided (Pick-up point at HarbourFront Cruise Centre at 1:45pm)
Fee: $50 (1 adult and 1 kid; includes CP goodie bag worth $38)

Registration: Contact Senna or Shamin from CP Foods at +65 6538 7020 on weekdays from 9.30am-5.30pm.
Registration starts now till 29 August, Friday.

Details and updates will be available at: http://www.cpbrand.com/sg/

Pince & Pints @ Duxton Road

Is lobster your kind of food?

If you are not allergic to them, or you personally prefer bigger prawns because you think the texture of prawns are superior to lobsters, or you think think bringing your date to a lobster place will give him/her higher expectations for future dates, then sorry this place is not for you.

If you like lobsters and you think a place that only sells only lobsters will be able to do it well, then you might want to consider this place to dine in.



Your feed on Facebook or Instagram would have been filled with lobster dishes from this place in the months of July and August. I hope the mad queue would have died down now, and posting this now is a good time, i.e., you don't have to wait too long for a place in this restaurant and bar.

This place has only 38 pax seating and 8 pax on the bar. So, you would expect to wait a while before you can get a place. Either that, go earlier! It opens from 5 pm to 9 pm, and a bird whispered to my ears that if you go before 6 pm or after 9 pm, your waiting time is acceptable.



Since there's a crowd outside, the menu has been kept to only 3 things, one which can be done in 2 styles. So, don't take too long to decide, order, eat and let others have a chance to come in!

The 3 things on the menu:
1) Live whole lobster: You can have it grilled or steamed.
2) Lobster roll: For those of you who think prying up a lobster is too tedious, this gives you 160gm of lobster meat all pealed out for you.
3) Chilli lobster: For those who think crabs are too tedious to eat and think lobsters are sexier.

All the three items have the same price. $48++
The lobsters here are from Boston, Maine or Canada, wild caught and flown in live.



The menu is actually made from a lobster cage. I must admit I haven't seen a real cage before and this was a first for me. I haven't also seen the word "dorsal view" since secondary school days when I did biology! I remember drawing specimens and naming them, but we were only drawing prawns!


Menu Item 1: Live Whole Lobster



Whole live lobsters. You can choose if you want them grilled or steamed. It's personal preference.

Grilling will slightly dry out the meat, so if you like them this way, and with a nice char aroma, order them grilled. If you want them really moist, have them steamed. Why don't you try it and let me know which one you prefer?



My dining companion is an expert in prying out lobster meat. Here's a video of it that I loaded up on Instagram.



I have been told the lobsters here weight around 600-650 grams when taken out of the tank. So with the shells off, you can get around 160 grams of lobster flesh.

Also, it's only when you place your order, is the lobster taken out of the holding tank to be cooked.



This sauce served with it is called herbed butter sauce in the menu.
It's melted butter, with some mayo below and with herbs on top. It's extremely sinful, but it taste rather good with the lobster.

The lobster that I had just nicely grilled. I enjoyed it the natural sweetness of it and I prefer this to the cold versions at some buffets. Comes with a salad and shoe string fries.


Menu Item 2: Lobster Roll



Lobster rolls have suddenly become so popular in Singapore. Suddenly so many places are serving it. I haven't tried them all, so I can't tell you the best place to have it. I can tell you what I know about the lobster roll at this place though.



The lobster is steamed, then simply marinated with mayo and salt. It's also a whole lobster (body and also the claw), around 160 grams of it. The bun is sourced from a traditional bakery, spread with butter than pan fried, so you get a crispy side. The lobster is then stuffed into the bun. It's then topped with some chopped chives.



I didn't arrange the chunks of lobster. It came like this and I just took multiple angles of it. Just too beautiful that I took so many shots of it. Here's the lobster roll, done New England style.

The rolls comes with a salad, shoe string fries and very addictive garlic aioli.


Menu Item 3: Chilli Lobster



If you like to spice things up, order the Chilli Lobster. Doesn't it just look tempting?

No, the 'kepo' inside me asked if it was cooked inside a claypot. Serving in a nice claypot keeps it warm a bit longer.  We usually see big woks used to cook chilli crabs. Yes, they use big woks too, you can see it for yourself if you want, it's an open concept kitchen here.



Fried carbo, I mean Mantou are served with the chilli lobsters. If you need more, you can see they are quite generous with the sauce, order another set of 5 for $3.50.



Tomato-ish tasting, with enough spice level to bring the shiokness out. It all depends on your tongue, as our spice tolerance will be different. I will say "I like lah....".


I tell you, just use your hands and eat it. Don't worry about being messy. I tell you pulling out the lobster meat with your fingers make it taste extra nice! See I really used my hands, I have to asked someone else to take photos for me!

They have L'occitane hand wash for you to wash your hands. Yes, I spotted that.




I have people asking me, saying: "wah, so expensive at $48++". I have this photo to help me answer it. I took this photo at a Fairprice Finest near my home. This is the same Maine Lobster they serve at Pince and Pints. A frozen version, not cooked yet, no sides, no service staff to hire, no rent to pay, it already costs $25.50. If you are Lennardy, maybe you can transform this into beautiful meal in your home kitchen. For most people, I think your $48++ can be spent here, just don't come during peak hours and get yourself angry waiting at the queue. ;-)

Oh, for the geeks and engineers who always love to read about engineering news, the water at their storage tanks for the lobsters are kept at 5 to 7 Celsius. I didn't get to see the setup, but probably it's a simple thermostat controller that regulates the chiller. Oh yes, 5000 plus lobsters comes in every month. The lobster don't spend more than 7 days in the holding tanks, as to keep them fresh.

Pince & Pints
32/33 Duxton Road
Singapore 089496

Hours: 5 pm to 11 pm
Tel: +65 6225 7558

Epicurean Market 2014 @ Marina Bay Sands - 10 pairs of tickets giveaway!

Food lovers in Singapore have it good. Many famous or celebrity chefs are coming to Singapore, either to open shop or for the various food events. Even food trucks from US (The Lime Truck) are having charity appearance and managed to raise quite a bit of money for a local charity.

Early last year (Jan 2013), there was the first ever Epicurean Market organized by Marina Bay Sands. I remembered being there and walked around, bought some food, tasted some food, got up close and person with celebrity chefs, attended Masterclasses etc. It was one memorable event. You can read about it here.

Then I wondered it's been more than a year, when's Epicurean Market for 2014 coming?
Then I see adverts and emails coming. They have shifted it to September. That's less than 1 month away.



Just 2 weeks ago, I was on an airplane and I saw this page on the airline's inflight magazine. It's a reminder that I have 10 pair of access tickets (valid for 3 days access) to give away.

But first.. these are (what I have been told) the Top 10 experience at Epicurean Market for this year:

1) Mystery Box cook-off between celebrity chef restaurants (13 September)
If you have watch the cooking shows on TV, you would know about mystery box challenges. Watch for the first ever, a mystery box cook-off between executive chefs Jonathan Kinsella (db Bistro Moderne) and David Almany (Osteria Mozza). The chefs will have about 45 minutes to whip up a dish each in this cook-off and a trio of judges will select the winner. 

2) LOUIS XIII de Rémy Martin tasting (12 September)
Discover the king of Cognacs, LOUIS XIII de Rémy Martin, made available to the public for the first time ever. Created in 1874, LOUIS XIII is an exceptional blend of 1,200 eaux-de-vie aged over 100 years, with each decanter highlighting the passionate work of four generations of Cellar Masters. Experience the LOUIS XIII with an amazing dessert pairing. Ticket for this exclusive masterclass is priced at S$50 (original ticket value of S$350) with a limited capacity of 40 participants. Limited-edition tickets have been packaged for this exclusive session, at $73 per person (includes the $23 ticket access to Epicurean Market for three days). The tasting is held on 12 September 2014, 4-5pm.

3) Learn to make handmade pasta from the experts at Mozza’s booth
Drop by Mozza's booth and you will not only taste fresh handmade pasta, you will also dip your hands into fresh dough and make pasta. Learn from the masters at celebrity chef restaurant Mozza to make your own orecchiette by hand. The orecchiette is the most typical pasta shape of Puglia, a region of southern Italy. Its name comes from its shape, which resembles a small ear.  

4) Uniquely Epicurean takeaways
Pick up unique items at the celebrity chef restaurant booths as they present exclusive items that are otherwise not available for sale. Guests can get to buy items such as special steak seasoning from CUT by Wolfgang Puck, spice rubs from Mozza and a specially-created db Singaporean chilli sauce by db Bistro Moderne. Waku Ghin will also debut Japanese pastries in addition to their award-winning cuisine.   

5) Great FIJI Water Race at Epicurean Market (13 September)
The Great FIJI Water Race will be held at Epicurean Market on Saturday 13 September and it is a race for adventurous foodies. I have participated in a Great FIJI Water Race before at another event and it's really fun! Participants will be racing to complete tasks and challenges at the different zones within Epicurean Market. For example, one task involves celebrity-chef spotting, taking the photos and putting them on Instagram to earn points. Other tasks will test their wine knowledge or ability to create coffee art in the shortest amount of time. The winner of The Great FIJI Water Race will walk away with the grand prize of S$2,000 cash, one year’s supply of FIJI Water and two nights stay at Marina Bay Sands.

6) Celebrity chefs autograph sessions

Get one-on-one time with renowned chefs such as Tetsuya Wakuda, Nancy Silverton and Justin Quek as they autograph cook books for fans and give personal tips. The cookbook signing sessions will take place right after the celebrity chef’s masterclasses at the chef’s booth. This should be interesting. I love Masterclasses and autograph sessions! The photo above was a Masterclass I attended last year. 

7) Vermouth and Aromatized Wine - The Perfect Aperitif (13 and 14 September)
Take a peek into the fascinating history and origins of vermouth and aromatised wine as Marina Bay Sands’ mixologist Lucas Swallows demonstrates how to create light, aperitif style drinks using top Italian and French aromatised wines. Guests will also learn how to store and utilise these premium spirits at home.

8) Junior Pastry Academy with Executive Pastry Chef Benjamin Siwek, db Bistro Moderne (14 September)
Aspiring junior bakers can take part in an interactive workshop with db Bistro Moderne’s Executive Pastry Chef Benjamin Siwek as he leads 25 children in a Junior Pastry Academy session, guiding them to create delicious chocolate chip cookies and marzipan animals. The pastry class is open to children aged 5-10 years old. Pre-registration is required, email dbreservations@marinabaysands.com to register.  Train your children to cook, and they can cook for you instead!

9) The art of cocktail tasting and setting up a home bar by Proof and Company Spirits (12 and 14 September)
Learn the art of cocktail tasting and setting up a personalised home bar in style with two award-winning head bartenders, Joe Alessandroni and Zdenek Kastanek from Proof & Company Spirits. Through these two master classes, guests will learn how to assess the balance, flavour, ingredients and overall quality of cocktails, as well as learning how to build a home bar by selecting spirits, bar tools and other necessities.  

10) Go Green at Epicurean Market
In line with Marina Bay Sands’ eco practices, Epicurean Market will feature sustainability activities. Guests can bring home chili seeds and nurture them to start a little herb garden at home. The seeds, available at the RISE booth, are packaged with an easy-to-follow chili-dip recipe. RISE will also offer their own concoction of green juices (kale, spinach, wheatgrass, celery, cucumber, green apple and ginger) for the health-conscious. Paper, plastic and food waste will be segregated for proper recycling and processing after the event concludes.

Visit the MBS Website at http://www.marinabaysands.com/ for more details and also the latest update. You can also follow their Event Facebook page or follow them on Twitter or Instagram to keep up to date of the event. The hashtag is #EpicureanMarket


Now.... the Giveaway:

• For the giveaway, 10 persons will get 1 pair of 3 day pass worth $46 dollars each (2 x $23).
• You just need to shout out why you should be picked at the Epicurean Market Giveaway link at https://www.facebook.com/keropokman.com 
• Contest is for readers who will be living in Singapore only.
• Closing date is midnight 31 August 2014.
• 10 random pick from the list of people who show enthusiasm in wanting to win it in their comments.
• If the winners do not reply within 48 hours, new winners will be picked. 

Terms and conditions:

Marina Bay Sands Pte. Ltd. is solely responsible for contacting the winners. No refunds are allowed and the prize is not exchangeable for credit, cash or in kind. If unclaimed after the redemption period, the prize will be forfeited, and the winner shall have no further right to claim it thereafter.

Winners of the Epicurean Market Ticket Giveaway are not eligible to win the same prize in similar contests hosted by Marina Bay Sands Facebook, blogs, magazines and online publications.