Slappy Cakes @ Turf Club Road, Singapore

My friends and I were walking around, undecided on a place to eat. Our group of friends always face this problem- WHAT to eat? In Singapore where we basically can have any cuisine we want, surprisingly, the variety of choices makes it harder to come to a decision. Do you face this type of problem too?

Anyway, while walking, two friends spotted Slappy Cakes and they couldn't contain themselves. I guess I have friends who are pancake fanatics. Immediately they wanted to go in despite others saying its weird to have pancakes for lunch. Since savoury is the way to go. Anyway, I was proven wrong. Who says we can't have sweets for lunch?

Look at that crowd! So many fans out there. Anyway, while reading the menu, I realised that one can have other things besides pancakes like their big breakfast or something. But well, since the place is called slappy cakes, I guess we should stick to what they do best!

This is how you do it. First select the type of batter you want.

Then, choose from a variety of fixings (as they put it), from savoury to sweet.

And pick your topping..

After a lot of deliberation, we finally settled for blueberries, hazelnuts, mango jam, white chocolate chips and mushrooms with three different batters - wholegrain, buttermilk and chocolate!

Now, let the cooking begin, unleash your inner most creative spirit and make any type/kind of pancake you wish!

Ready set GO!

All the  pictures below were the extent of our creativity. Below I give you, the sneak peak into the mind of a mid twenty year old.

It got better..

On the top left hand corner, its a double chocolate pancake. Chocolate batter with chocolate chips. Tasted like soft chocolate chip cookies .. mm. =)

Below is a mixture of batters (buttermilk and wholemeal) topped with blueberries.. This was yummy too and please the eye.

By the way, for the savoury pancakes, after adding the mushrooms, remember to add in tiny bit of salt and pepper! Brings out the flavour better.

Overall, the batter was great, fluffy and not 'cakey' at all. The only critique I had was that the hazelnuts were not properly toasted, it was a bit 'lao hong' (for those that understand chinese).

It was a FUN FUN experience. Even those bad at cooking can make great pancakes at slappy cakes! Its a great place to bring your kids out and let them be mini chefs for the day!

Check out their facebook page. Just google slappy cakes and the link will pop out!

It costs around 8 bucks per person between a group of 5. A side note - definitely won't be craving pancakes anytime soon. Had an overdose of it in a day! Around 10? Now I understand why I'm round, round like a pancake. =)

Ratings: 

Ambience: 7/10

Service: 6/10

Food: 8/10

Overall ratings: 7.5/10

Verdict: Great place to hang out. Batter was great. However, the service could do with a major improvement. Had to ask for water 4 times before it finally came! Anyway, those who enjoy pancakes, what are you waiting for?! Go and have a cakey time! =))

Address: 200 Turf Club Road, #01-20/21 Singapore 287994

Contact No: 6465 1814

Krispy Kreme in Singapore

Wow. I knew Krispy Kreme was famous but I didn't think it would fetch such a crowd since I figured the health food craze wins it all. But, I guess not.

Having lived in Melbourne for quite awhile, I had Krispy Kreme whenever I want it (slightly exaggerating here). However, in Singapore, it's a total different story. For those who love doughnuts and are unaware of this, well, be excited as the first Krispy Kreme chain store just opened on the 12th of October 2013 right here in Orchard road, Singapore.

On the opening day, there's a sign right outside Tangs as shown below which says - LINE STARTS HERE.

And on the inside, it says.

Unbelievable! The queue was so long that it had to be continued outside. Honestly, I have never seen such a long queue before unless those queuing up for a concert or something, but not for fast food.

Seriously impressed having come from a small Kuching city where Baskin Robbins just opened and even then, the queue wasn't as long as this.

Guess what time the queue started forming?

Answer: On Friday morning at approximately 11.42 am. Please bear in mind that the store was only due to open the next day at 9 am.

The queue inside..

Behold, the various selection of doughnuts. I personally prefer the original ones. I couldn't get close up shots as that means I will have to queue up! And boy, I was not prepared to do so since I have had them before =P.

Anyway, look at those boxes! Hopefully, for those that queued that day, they left satisfied.

What's my opinion on Krispy Kreme? Well, as I am indeed getting older in age, I find it quite overwhelmingly sweet some times. But they are good doughnuts, denser than the rest but tasty at the same time with LOADS of different flavours to choose from.

Give it a try and let me know what you think!

Next on the list, pancakes time!

Homemade Kimchi

My father came back from Korea and bought a whole lot of red pepper powder. So what do we do with it? We made kimchi. This is our first time making it and it was fresh, tasty and spicy. Will definitely be making more of this. It's so much cheaper than store bought ones and better for health of course (no preservatives).

Anyway, firstly, sprinkle a good amount of salt on the Wombok aka Chinese cabbage. Note, every leaf of the wombok needs to have some salt on it. Let it sit for awhile (approx 1 hr) and you will be able to see a slight puddle of water forming (juice from the cabbage).  Squeeze the cabbage to let out any other excess liquid.

Then, slice it up as shown below. Also, slice up some spring onions (depicted on the left side of the picture).

Add in chopped garlic and shallots.

Note: add julienne carrots if you like to give the dish a bit more colour.

Now, time to season this gorgeous salad. Add red pepper powder to taste. If you like it spicy, add more. But for the amount of vegetables shown, I added 3 tablespoons and it was SPICY. However, it depends on the quality of red pepper powder you got! The brand I used is depicted below.

Add in approximately 3 tablespoons of fish sauce. And again, the quantity added is entirely up to you. It depends on how salty you want your kimchi to be. The fish sauce chosen is the one with 3 crabs! haha. at least that's how I recognise my fish sauce! It's actually better than quite a few other brands that I have tried. Add in sugar to taste. Use raw or brown sugar if you want the salad to be slightly on the healthier side.

AND then MIX it. Don't be alarm at the initial quantity or the look of it.

After letting it sit for a few hours, it reduces in size and ended up looking like a real KIMCHI. haha. At least, I felt like this kimchi tasted good although I'm biased since I helped make it! I can't guarantee this is the way Koreans make kimchi but my family loved it! It was simple and quick. Just follow the simple steps and you will have a beautiful kimchi. If you keep the kimchi for longer, it would be known as AGED kimchi. MY family finished it on the spot so the vegetables were still slightly crunchy and fresh. Absolutely love it!

Apologies due to poor quality photos or bad demonstration of the steps. This was my first time making it and decided to take a few random shots along the way! hehe. Anyway, do try it!

Asian Recipe Cafe @ Premier 101, Kuching, Malaysia

5 more days before I land in the land of Elephants! Haha. Since I will be visiting Bangkok this Saturday, the trip motivates me to review on my favourite cafe that I never fail to visit whenever I'm in Kuching.