Showing posts with label French Food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label French Food. Show all posts

Sunday, June 19, 2016

Melbourne Travelogue 01: SIN > MEL

Our virgin visit to Australia was in 2007, where we did our first road trip (after graduation) with the Uni gang. Then, I went for a touch-and-go 3 days business trip in Sydney. Fast forward to present days: we headed back to Australia on a 8 days road trip in Melbourne. Australia is moving up the ranks on my list of favourite countries. The country is so big that every visit brings much surprises and delight!

I applied for our visas online, made payment via iBanking and got the confirmation within 3 working days. The whole experience was easy and fuss-free. The visa is valid for 1 year, hence we made use of it and headed to Perth as our next holiday destination. So tempted to make another trip back now that I'm blogging about our Aussie adventures. 
On the day of departure, Mummy and lil bro came over and sent us to the airport. After checking in our luggage, we headed over to Poulet for dinner.  It was my first time having a meal at Poulet *suaku me* even though this french-themed casual dining chain has an outlet near my workplace. 
 
We started off with 2 bowls of soup: french onion and mushroom soup.
Leecher ordered these for sharing: braised pork belly, duck and their signature poulet. Boy, we were so full after the meal that we walked around the airport, hoping that it will help with digestion. 
Goofing around with the exhibitions, which were part of the SG50 trail exhibits at Changi Airport. Naturally, we had to take picture with the iconic Changi Airport's Control Tower! Soon, it was time for us to board the flight. We said our goodbyes and headed towards immigration. I even had time to do some duty-free window-shopping, mentally noting down the prices of the skincare that I intend to buy when I'm back.
I managed to secure the red-eyed flight, so we will get to catch up on some sleep before landing at Melbourne when we wake up. Night peeps. 
 Enjoying the view from my window seat before preparing for touch down at Melbourne airport.
 
We touched down at Melbourne at 6AM, which meant we get a whole day to explore. At 7 degree Celsius, we were severely under-dressed. I was in a tank dress overlaid with long sleeve shirt while Leecher was dressed in T-shirt and Bermudas, lol! I guess the Aussies must have thought that we were mad
Thankfully, clearing immigration was a breeze, despite the slight hiccup when the machine couldn't scan my ePassport. No more joining the long immigration queue. We collected our luggage, washed up and changed into warmer clothing. Once we were all set, Leecher went off to sort out the data card as well as the car rental.   

There are a couple of data SIM plans available and we decided to buy $30 for 4GB whole of data since we'll be staying for 8 days and missed the 1GB data ($10 for 7 days) by 1 day! Leecher got the Optus SA to help load the card into our iPad and that became our hotspot

 Grabbed a hot drink to warm my body from Hudsons Coffee.
Leecher, at the Hertz counter settling the admin stuff. We opted for Hertz for a fuss-free experience, even though their car rental might be slightly expensive. We enjoyed member discount for renting with them, so might as well! Once Leecher signed off the bill, we walked towards the huge car park opposite the airport for car collection.
Collecting the car was a breeze too. Boy, I love Australia for their efficiency! Since we had already topped up for max insurance, we don't have to check the exterior for any bump/damages. However, if you did not purchase any insurance, please do a thorough check before leaving the car park as you don't want to be liable for anything which you did not cause.

KIA Sportage, our trusty ride for the next 8 days. Leecher chose this for our road trip and since he is the designated driver, he gets to pick his car. I must say the car is really comfortable and spacious.
Porter Leecher loading our luggage into the boot and we are ready to head off for our road trip, yeah! The main highlight of this road trip was The Great Ocean Drive, which we have been wanting to do but other bucket-list items took priority over it - the cons of having a massive travel-related bucket list :( Nevertheless, we managed to make it happen and I'm so excited to buckle up! I'll be back with more of our Great Ocean drive adventures - stay tuned! 

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

La Cuisson

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La Cuisson started its humble beginnings from a coffee shop in Queen Street. While I didn't had to chance to visit the first shop, I was privileged to be invited to a media tasting session at their new location. Nestled along the row of shophouses along Prinsep Street (which housed Strictly Pancakes, Mind Cafe etc), La Cuisson bistro & wine bar became the latest kid on the block. 
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With BFF and our +1s for this invited session :) It was always a pleasure to catch up over meals ... well, that's what we all do nowadays!  
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 The bistro is run by Chef Kenneth Lim, who was formerly trained at DB Bistro at Marina Bay Sands. The 2-storey shop-house offers a seating capacity of approx 40 pax. On the 1st floor, you can opt for indoor (air-conditioned seating) for 12 or alfresco dining. The 2nd floor offers a private space perfect for couples and/or corporate events. 
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The interior was simple and rustic, nothing over the top. The cozy and homely atmosphere made me feel at ease, just like I was heading to a friend's place for dinner. 
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We started with a glass of bubbly wine - a perfect start to any meal, lol!
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Langue De Boeuf (Ox Tongue Salad, $16), served with sous-vide ox tongue, Kipfler potatoes, mustard tarragon dressing, mesclun salad and shaved onions. Sous-vide (French for "under vaccum) is a technique for cooking food sealed in airtight plastic bags in a water bath at an accurately regulated temperature over long hours. Chef Kenneth uses this method to cook most of his meat. The ox tongue was juicy and definitely the highlight of the dish.
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Charcuterie Platter, served with chorizo, saucisson and a selection of homemade terrines ($22). I love the foie gras terrine, which came mixed with dried fruits such as figs and apricots. When paired with the warm toasted bread ... yums! Chorizo and saucisson were slightly on the saltier side though, much to Leecher's delight.
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Homemade Duck Rillette ($8) - this appeared on the table and within seconds it was gone, lol! I guessed this must be a hot favourite with everyone. Served with a fruity orange reduction, coupled with shavings of orange peel, this dish was pleasing to our taste buds.
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Pork Pot Au Feu, served with sous-vide pork shoulder, pork sausage, puy lentils, mixed vegetables in an aromatic pork jus ($29)
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Lamb Duo (for 2 pax) served with braised lamb shank, pan-seared lamb rump, Kipfler potato gratin and garden salad ($68).  
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Shoulder Tender (200 grams), served with 200day grain fed Australian Angus, mashed potatoes, confit shallots, roasted parsnip and garlic ($28). My personal pick for main course would be Lamb Duo! The meat was so tender that it was falling off from the bone. Instead of using stock, the sauce is made from red wine which added to the oomph factor. Long-time readers of this blog will know that I'm not a fan of potatoes (apart from french fries), but hey, I was stealing Kipfler potatoes off the next table, lol - goes to show how delicious they are! By the way, only limited portions of Lamb Duo is available each week, so grab it while it lasts :)
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Lastly, we had 2 items off the Dessert Menu for tasting: Poached Pear, served with vanilla ice cream and beetroot puree ($10). Dark Chocolate Ganache, served with valrhona chocolate, white chocolate sesame crips, chilli pistachio brittle, pomelo pieces and green tea mousse ($13). Poached pear was a refreshing taste, something that I would not order on my own given my extreme bias towards anything chocolatey. However, this was a delight to eat! Fruity and juicy, it was the best way to balance the diet. Dark Chocolate Ganache would be my ideal choice of finishing the meal on a sweet note :) There are also other items to choose from - the classic creme brulee ($8), strawberry mille-feuille ($15) or cheese platter ($24). 

Chef Kenneth also teamed up with a wine distributor and handpicked the wines for La Cuisson. The price ranges between $50-$80 per bottle, with selections from both New & Old World. Do check out the wine list if you happen to drop by :)

*Special thanks to Jean & Jenny for the invite :)   
La Cuisson
44 Prinsep Street
Singapore 188673
Tel: 83320302
Opening Hours: 5pm till 11pm (Tues to Fri), 10am till 2.30pm (Sat, Sun), 5.30pm till 11pm (Sat), 5.30pm till 10.30pm (Sun). Closed on Mondays

Friday, November 8, 2013

Restaurant Week, 2013 edition: Taratata Bistro

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After our visit to Violet Oon's Kitchen, the 2nd stop for Restaurant week is Taratata Bistro, a Parisian-style chic bistro located along the rows of eateries at Keong Siak Street. Opened in 2011, I was surprised that I didn't hear of this bistro till now *mountain-tortoise, yet again*  Well, my motto is better late than never, so at least I got to give this a try :) 
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The "Closed" sign was hanging on the door when we arrived 3 min early for 1.15pm reservation. For a second, I wondered if I was at the wrong place. I opened the door & was greeted by the waitress that they will be open shortly. In the few minutes, a stream of customers had arrived and we all had to stand outside almost blocking the walk-way. 
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Egg-cited for our lunch meal :) 
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Finally, at 1.20pm, they opened their doors and we were greeted by the friendly manager before being ushered in to our respective tables. Did I mention that one of the guy waiter (captured in the pic above) is rather cute? HAHA!
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While I was in a dilemma over what to order, Leecher was more interested in his new phone (yet again!). He was busy exploring the various theme on his phone and finally put down his phone when I gave him the CAREBEAR stare. No, my carebear stare is not the friendly kind if you're wondering.
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Lunch-date!
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A basket of warm bread was served as soon as our orders were taken. 
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Since wine was on discount .... why not? heehee!
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As compared to the dinner menu, there are lesser items on the lunch menu. For appetizer, I had Demie-Douzanie d'Escargots au Beurre d'Ail Presille (half dozen snail baked in herbed garlic butter) while Leecher went or Saumon Marine Mi-Cuit au Poivre et Salade de Tomate Momotaro a I'Huile de Basilic (seared marinated salmon with black pepper & momotaro tomato salad with basil oil). Escargots were well-baked and goes extremely well with bread that I had to stop Leecher's hands from coming over, lol! Salmon was well-seasoned and light on texture. The mixture of tomato salad with basil oil was quite refreshing too.
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We get to choose b/w crispy baked pork trotter & mushroom fricassee or baked sea scallops with mussels, prawns and mushrooms for mains. We both decided to go for the scallops, since I'm a big fan of it :)
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 Scallops were succulent and juicy! Even though it came in a rather small baking dish, the serving was just enough for one individual. I was greeted with a generous serving of mussels and prawns underneath the blanket of melted cheese. Yums.
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Lastly, we were served with chocolate & caramel tart (with vanilla ice cream) for dessert :) 
Taratata Bistro
35A Keong Saik Road
Singapore 089142
Closed on Mondays
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