Haakon Superfoods and Juice

It's healthy week! I love Saturyays because it's the day I give myself some breathing space from work. This week I went for a 10km hike at McRitchie Reservoir for the Tree Top Walk. The perfect activity when you are trying to lose weight but I'd prefer to walk elsewhere. All I saw was rubble and mud and branches... It's still one thing off my to-do list and a good 3 hour experience!

As I'm currently on diet after gaining a considerable amount of weight in Hong Kong, been on the food hunt for healthy delicious food. This week, Vain Pot and I head to Haakon Superfoods and Juice for our lunch.A perfect combination after our 10km hike! Haakon is a Swedish cafe serving clean food. When I was in Bangkok late last year, I went to a Swedish cafe there and was really impressed by their simplistic menus that tasted really great. You can read more here: Brunch Places Worth a Visit in Bangkok

We had a considerably light lunch because it was 3pm when we reached Haakon Superfoods and Juice. The truth was we accidentally took the longer route when we embarked on the MacRitchie hike so the 10km was really a result of a mistake... HAHA...

Vain Pot picked the Haakon Classic Acai Bowl ($7.90 for small) as she had a dinner early evening. She told me it taste a lot like all the other acai bowls she have eaten. Basically the composition is made up of granola, coconut flakes, chia seeds parfait, blueberries, banana and seasonal fruits. A typical health meal that tastes really good if you are a fruit lover.

As for me, I settled for the Salmon Salad Bowl ($11.90) and the Breakfast Smoothie ($5.90). Honestly, for foods like salads and acai bowls there's no one bowl that beats the other. It's pretty much raw food put together with sauce. My salad bowl consisted of Norwegian smoked salmon, baked egg, edamame, quinoa, tomatoes, feta cheese and lettuce. I picked the honey mustard sauce to go with it. Not exactly the healthiest choice. I give it to Haakon that their salad bowl combi was well mixed and I enjoyed the selection I picked.

The Breakfast Smoothie is what I would like to rave about. Basically I was looking forward to the Nut Milk which I read on Seth Lui but apparently they currently don't sell it. I was really disappointed and they recommended the Breakfast Smoothie which they claimed tasted like the nut milk. I totally enjoyed my drink! The smoothie is touted as an appetite suppressant and energy booster which explains why it's a breakfast smoothie. The ingredients include almond butter, oats, soy, whey protein and banana. It's really good! I enjoyed the almond soy milk taste and the crunchy bits of oats that is blended in the smoothie. Reminds me of ice cream with cookie crumbs. Tasty yet healthy!

I'll definitely visit Haakon Superfoods and Juice again for the breakfast smoothie and acai bowls. I'm not a hardcore healthy food fan but the smoothie really got me sold. They also have a range of cooked food like eggs benedict and other healthier waffle choices which I would like to be back to try too! I strongly recommend this place for the health conscious foodie.

Haakon Superfoods and Juice
118 Holland Ave #01-03 Raffles Holland V, S278997
(they have another outlet at 313 Somerset which might be more convenient to go)

Recommended Food in Hong Kong 2017

I skipped a post over the weekends because I'm away in Hong Kong. If you were following my instagram (@bluntandfussyeater) you would have noticed the overseas activity. This is should be my 5th visit to Hong Kong so am avoiding food I've tried before unless they are my hot favourite. Here's the recommended list from my most recent trip:

What's a trip to Hong Kong without dim sum? So the first stop was at this very instagrammable dim sum restaurant called Yum Cha. Most of the food on their menu is really meant to feed the camera first then the human. A quick introduction of what I ate in clockwise order, siew mai, prawn cheong fun, a combination shot, mango sago with blue cotton candy, piggy char siew bao, salted egg bao who can make vomiting and pooping expressions, spicy dumplings and pineapple bird tarts. I was pretty surprised that the food was surprisingly decent for this kind of novelty cafe. In fact, I'm of the view that Singapore Dim Sum tastes better but this is surprisingly close to our shopping mall establishments. If you love to take photos of food like me, then you can't miss visiting this place! Expect to shell out about $50-80 sgd for 3 pax.

Yum Cha
2/F Nan Fung Place, 173 Des Voeux Road Central

Another standard fixture of ALL my Hong Kong trips is a trip to Maxim Palace for this E-Fu Noodles that one can die for. Yes, plain looking, ordinary E-Fu noodles with mushrooms... yet, you can't find a dish that taste similar in Singapore. This E-Fu noodles doesn't have a strong oily taste unlike the ones back home and they have this addictive wok-hei tastiness that goes very well with the mushrooms that doesn't make me sick of having it.

 

To be fair, Maxim Palace serves up excellent Cantonese dishes. All the dishes at Maxim Palace was impeccably executed. For my mom who hates Cantonese food especially those in Hong Kong because they don't have chilli, she's full of praises of this place. This is also a must visit place for me and in my previous entry last year, I raved about the soups. I'll definitely be back again when I make my 6th trip to Hong Kong and I encourage everyone else to eat here at least once. At the very least, you should know how top quality Cantonese dishes should taste like. Expect a damage of $100-$150 SGD for 3 pax.

Maxim Palace
168-200 Connaught Road Central, Sheung Wan

Australian Dairy Company is also a repeat feature from my 2016 post. I love the milk puddings there. I think it's an acquired taste because my mom and brother didn't like it. Yet, Vain Pot and I vouch that it's heavenly and just have it along with the macaroni and scrambled eggs set. We have milk puddings at Ah Chew's Dessert in Singapore but if you tried it before, you will realise how far apart the standard is from the one at Australian Dairy Company. This is the best I've ever eaten! They have a custard version but I like the milk pudding a lot better. Expect a damage of $16 SGD for a set meal with custard pudding and milk pudding.

Australian Dairy Company
47 Parkes Street, Jordan

Another thing that have always been on my to-try list is rainbow cheese toast. In this case, I always thought that Kala Toast was a cafe-like establishment. I was quite surprised by the hole in the wall shopfront and being a hobbyist food blogger unlike the pros, taking the rainbow toast photo standing proved to be a hassle. The other highlight at Kala Toast is their galaxy drink which they placed luminous ice cubes inside the drink and it changes colour when you stir it. The rainbow cheese toast taste like an excellently prepared grilled cheese. The rainbow cheese makes it a little gimmicky but it's definitely a good representation of a good cheese toast. This is a snack rather than a full meal, you might wanna give it a try if you happen to be in Tsuen Wan for shopping. The shopping malls there are less crowded, making it a more pleasant shopping experience.

Kala Toast
4 Tsuen Hing Path

Before the trip, my mom who hates ramen actually said she will bring us to try a famous ramen place in Hong Kong. Wow! I was intrigued. Turns out that it was Ichiran which I personally haven't tried before but have heard loads of rave reviews on it. So we went to queue for it! When you first step into the place and see this long sneaking queue that extends past 2 corridors it's quite frightening. How long do we need to wait?! Thankfully it's only a 30min wait and we were seated with our food. The ramen lives up to its fame with a very rich and flavourful broth with a spiciness level that gives it its added kick. I very much enjoyed the noodles with the broth but didn't like the char siew which was hard and a little too dry. The egg was awesome, running yolk on the inside and the sturdy egg white to match. Would I queue to eat this again? Not really, I feel I can find equivalents in Singapore without the queue. It's still a good experience especially if you haven't tried the one in Japan before. Expect to pay around $50-80 SGD for 3 pax. 

Ichiran

G/F & Shop B, Basement Floor, 8 Minden Avenue, Tsim Tsa Shui

The visit to Lin Heung was honestly unexpected because I originally wanted to have tomato noodles for breakfast. Hong Kong's Independence Day along with Xi Jinping's visit caused a lot of shops to close on that day. Lin Heung is a traditional dim sum cha chan teng which requires visitors to share their seats and order their dim sum from pushcarts. While the food isn't fantastic, I enjoyed the old school way of having dim sum and the wider variety that I don't find in restaurants. It's also a more affordable way to feast on a lot of dim sum. Expect a damage of $23 for 2 pax. 

Lin Heung

162 Wellington Street, Sheung Wan

If you don't like the chaos of ordering dim sum, here's an alternative typical Hong Kong breakfast set which you can get at another Cha Chan Teng at Honolulu Coffee Shop. In Singapore, Honolulu Cafe is famed for their egg tarts which apparently has a wider variety than their original outlet in Hong Kong. Talk about innovation... However, the breakfast set, ordinary as it looks is really comfort food and I love it. I'm craving for it at the moment and wondering where I can get an equivalent in Singapore. If you want to know how ordinary food like good scrambled eggs, buttered buns and kong zai instant noodles should taste like, give Honolulu Coffee Shop a try! Then you will know the difference back home. Expect to pay about $15 for 2 pax.

Honolulu Coffee Shop
176-178 Hennessey Road, Wan Chai

You know I was quite upset throughout the trip because I didn't have any good authentic Cantonese soup and porridge this time round. So at the airport, I dragged my family to have lunch at Ho Hung Kee, Michelin Star for their Wonton Mee but serves up the best Cantonese Porridge I have eaten. This is a restaurant that I gladly agree deserves their Michelin Star. On the day that Xi Jinping was in Hong Kong, I happen to chance upon a Bib Gourmand restaurant which also served porridge and soup and seriously, that was an epic 'how did they get the Michelin recognition?'. You got to try their sliced fish porridge at least once. Then you will know how far it differs from the porridge in all the expensive restaurants in Singapore and this one is way way way better! I paid about $60 for 3 pax.

Ho Hung Kee
Hong Kong Airport

Tsukiji Sushi Takewaka

Finally! It's the long weekends!!! Saturyays are always my favourite day of the week. Especially after being bogged down with loads of work for the past two weeks... I felt like going on a play and eat rampage over this long break. So I dragged Vain Pot (who has been working crazy hours) out on a shopping spree in Orchard and we both felt much sated going home with our bags of shopping and a delicious dinner.

Dinner was spent at Tsukiji Sushi Takewaka, one of the many authentic Japanese cuisines in Japan Food Town. It serves a wide variety of freshly made sushi, tempura and cooked food. I've been having a Jap food craze the entire week, and this visit very much satisfied the craving. According to the website, Takewaka first opened its doors 28 years ago in Tsukiji, Japan. Known for fresh fish and seafood, Tsukiji Sushi Takewaka specialises in Endo-style sushi prepared by Chef Kawashima.

I'd be upfront and honest, I haven't been to sufficient authentic Japanese establishments to comment on the technical execution of the food. We kicked started our meal with the Anago Oshi-Sushi ($37) which is basically pressed conger eel sushi. It's without a doubt fresh and well seasoned. As someone who likes loads of wasabi on my food, I found it a little difficult to fully enjoy my meal due to the lack of 'wasabi flare up my nose effect'. Perhaps this is how real wasabi should taste like? I'm not sure. Did I enjoy the eels? I still did!

We also ordered a Takumi set ($45). This is made up of the chef's selection of assorted sushi with one medium fatty tuna included. The set also comes with dessert, chawamushi and a hot bowl of miso soup. When served, we were greeted with glittery and shiny surfaces of the assorted fishes. This is a good sign of freshness. We were asked whether we wanted the wasabi included in the sushi or at the side and I requested for the wasabi to be included in the sushi and an additional one at the side. I guess again, my gripe was that I couldn't really taste much wasabi even when adding additional wasabi on the fish. The sushi on its own is really fresh, the meat nice and cold with each fish distinctive flavour unique to the other.

On top of the sushi galore, we added a cooked meat to our meal. The Samon Harasuyaki ($12), grilled salmon belly was selected. As a dish, it was well grilled, I liked it that the salmon oil complemented the dish making it tastier. The meat was soft and falls off the skin easily. It's tender and retains the juiciness in the meat. However, I was a little disappointed that I had one salmon belly instead of the two shown in the menu's photo. In my view, I interpret it as a form of misrepresentation to the consumer. In the evaluation of whether to order the dish in the first place with the consideration of the price in mind, one slice versus two slice makes a difference.

To sum up my visit, I'm of the view that you either go high end if you wish to pamper yourself or just go mass market. I feel that many middle ground establishments give a half baked experience. While I give it to Tsukiji Sushi Takewaka that the food is indeed fresh and the cooked food tasting great, the nitty gritty frowned upon details really were a downer. There's definitely a market for their existence given that the place was quite occupied at 6pm. I would recommend Tsukiji Sushi Takewaka for readers who wish to pamper themselves with fresh, well prepared Japanese food without spending a bomb and aren't too fussy over the entire dining experience. Service wise, they are definitely better than a lot of mass market establishments.

Tsukiji Sushi Takewaka
435 Orchard Road, Wisma Atria, Level 4, S238877
(On a side note, if you download the Japan Food Town app and is a first time visitor, you can redeem a 10% discount off your bill)

South Union Park

This is another throwback post because I've been overwhelmed with work this week. Been so occupied, I'm reaching a point where I'm running out of food to write about or share. Oh well, a hobby is a hobby, work comes first...

I went to South Union Park in late April just before my Rome trip. Been wanting to write about this but week after week there're other food to share about. South Union Park loves experimenting with food and their menu changes often. I'm not even sure if the food shared is relevant anymore! What I love about this place is the lack of GST and service charge, ease to find parking and well the decently executed food up for grabs. I'm not sure about most of you, but I'm the sort who doesn't like a constant change in menu. You don't know what's the latest change and it might end up a wasted trip if the new menu doesn't suit your palette.

In any case, I kick started my meal with the Gnocchi ($20). This should be a favourite with vegetarian lovers. It's a form of doughy pasta cooked with herbs and mushroom which offers a unique taste that I find a little too saltish. Vain Pot loves it though. She kinda ignored her food and lord over mine.

Vain Pot settled for the ever popular Duck Confit Tagliatelle ($22) which survived the cull when they changed the menu. It's another very unique dish because I've never eaten anything like that. They cook the pasta with hazelnut sauce which offers a very different twist to the duck confit dishes I'm familiar with. It's nonetheless a decent meal but as a pasta lover, it's not gonna be my first choice elsewhere.

We shared the Passionfruit Carrot Fonda ($14) because we were feeling adventurous. I was heading to Rome that week hence decided I've got to be more open to trying new food. In any case, the dessert looks impressive but we both got difficulty appreciating the dish after the first bite. The dessert is made up of a white chocolate lava carrot cake with carrot sauce topped with a gigantic lump of yogurt. Honestly, it would be great if they did away with the yogurt or replace it with vanilla ice cream. The sourness of the yogurt tainted the good mix of carrot cake with white chocolate in my opinion. Very very weird dish.

Would I come back to South Union Park? I might give them another shot since they change their menu often. I do agree that this is a cafe of adventure that challenges your taste buds. Coupled with the fact that its easy to find parking and no gst or service charge, why not right? Visit this cafe with an open mind :)

South Union Park
101 Jalan Kembangan S419139

VXX CO-OPERATIVE

It's been another eat and eat week for me. I spent TGIF buying LeCastella cheese cake and April's Bakery Thai tarts. I like the Thai Tarts a lot better than the cheese cake but I know of friends who like the opposite. There's a market for everything I guess. I spent my weekend indulging in Crabs at the ParkRoyal Hotel Spice Brasserie. They are having a Crab Buffet now till 30th June and it's much better than the Penang St Buffet at Causeway Point. Quite an affordable way to indulge in crabs. You can see photos of the Crab Buffet here.

This week, I'm doing a throwback post. Been wanting to write about VXX Co-operative because I enjoyed my experience there. This visit was actually done on the week where I came back from Rome but Food in Rome stole its limelight. VXX Co-operative is largely known for its coffee and affordable food. One of the key highlights of the place is the selection of roasted coffee they carry and if unsure, you can always get the staff to introduce some to you.

Vain Pot and I settled for two mains which we mutually agreed on. It's pretty much 'our kind of thing'. Our selection of Crab Omelette ($14) and Porcini Mac and Cheese ($17) really did give me a highly rated opinion of this place. At first glance, the Crab Omelette looks charred and overcooked. Taking a bite inside revealed chunks and chunks of generous Crab meat coated with soft fluffy egg. Pretty good value for money meal if you ask me. Of course, you have to manage your expectations because it's crab and it's $14. We bite into one or two bits of egg shell and the egg was indeed slightly charred. Nevertheless, I felt it was a fairly good omelette and I'm not complaining because I felt it's a much better deal than other more expensive crab omelettes.

The Porcini Mac and Cheese is also a winner. Its ingredients (scallops and caviar) are also nothing short of premium and at $17, its a real steal! The flavours are distinctively obvious in the dish. The scallop was well seared and goes very well with the mac and cheese. I also found the serving of caviar to be generous and added an extra oomph to the dish. This is on top of well executed Mac and Cheese which was just right, decent portions and not exceedingly cheesy till it's difficult to finish. You gotta order this when you come.

As much as I raved about the coffee, Vain Pot isn't much of a coffee person so we only shared a cup. I feel bad because the coffee was introduced to me at length but because of my over-excitement to talk about my Rome travels, it didn't quite register. I'll be back again to try the coffee once more and more importantly, there's a Reverse Affogato which I really want to try when I come back. Guess it goes without saying, I'm looking forward to another visit. The place isn't crowded because of its location and it's indeed not the easiest place to go if you don't drive.

VXX CO-OPERATIVE
20 Foch Road, S209261

Tsuta

Just ended my badminton session a couple of hours ago to burn off some of the calories. This week, it's spectacles shopping week. I've kinda developed a habit of buying a new pair of spectacles every year and I spent my weekend at Nex specs window shopping. Did you know they have a total of 6 spectacles shops there? I bought a transition Ray Ban last year for my holidays and always thought the name was pronounced 'Ray Bun'. Just found out it's pronounced 'Ray Band' after taking some stick from my ever playful colleagues.

Prior to the trip, Vain Pot and I ate at Tsuta. The only one star Michelin Ramen place in Japan. Tried the Singapore branch at 18 Tai Seng. I've been wanting to try it since they came but managed to suppress the urge in order to avoid the queues. I still ended up queuing for about 15mins when I arrived at 2 plus in the afternoon.

The Ajitama Miso Soba ($17.80) [first pic] is exclusively found in the 18 Tai Seng branch. I found the broth really unique and so different from other ramen bowls I've eaten, I can't pin-point if its a good or bad thing. Just not used to it. I felt after adding the blob of chilli into the broth, the entire experience was much nicer because the spiciness added some familiarity to the dish. The parts that were especially enjoyable about the dish was the tamago egg which in my opinion was done excellently and the sliced char siew that comes with the dish. The char siew was cooked till tender, yet carried with it a degree of chewiness that is very different from other ramen places where the meat simply falls apart.

The Ajitama Shoyu Soba ($16.80) [second pic] is a crowd favourite at this Tsuta branch probably because of its black truffle broth. Just like the Miso Soba bowl, the egg and char siew were clear winners. Both bowls, the soba was very Q and portions were just right.

As a whole, I conclude that Tsuta's broth tend to be lighter in flavour. I've never been to Japan to ascertain if it's this how Japanese ramen should be. The char siew especially is very different from many other popular ramen establishments here. Would I come back? Not really and it's nothing to do with the food quality. It just happens that the location selected isn't at the most convenient of places and I don't crave for it enough to specially make a trip to eat it. I do feel it's worth at least one try because it's really different.

Tsuta
18 Tai Seng Street, #01-01 S539775

Gills N Shells

I'm a little late on this week's post because I spent my weekend at a trading course. Looking forward to Monyay! to try out the new knowledge. I'm also grateful that Vain Pot was nice enough to accommodate my schedule and went food hunting with me over dinner.

Gills N Shells is located at Boss Hotel. Its location is not very prominent as it's a 5mins walk from Lavender MRT. Its operations started in 2016 and I think recently publicity picked up again which was how I discovered the place on my instagram (@bluntandfussyeater).

It's 1.49am in the morning, so if I suddenly don't make sense, you know why. We kicked off our meal with Clams & Mussels ($8). It's part of the starter menu and the dish introduced its arrival with a very strong appetizing aroma. The dish is generously filled with clams and mussels as the name suggest. What both of us like most about it is the broth that has a rich clams, mussels and wine taste. It went perfectly with the two slices of garlic bread offered. Highly recommended!

For mains, Vain Pot ordered the Hae Bee Hiam Pasta with Grilled Cod ($15). The dish was serve pipping hot and has a very strong Hae Bee Hiam taste. Pasta was al dente and the taste lingers in your mouth making you crave more. I felt the cod was ordinary but the Hae Bee Hiam Pasta totally agrees with both of us. Another must ty!

My own selection was the Salted Egg Pasta with Grilled Tiger Prawns ($15). Upon its arrival, it earned its first praise from Vain Pot for its rustic presentation. A bite into the dish confirmed the rich salted egg flavour that coated the al dente pasta. Another memorable dish! I felt the prawns went well with the pasta and the servings were very generous and inexpensive. I'll recommend trying this too!

I guess from the post its not difficult to guess that I'll definitely want to come back. I'll strongly ask everyone to patronise them because they were completely empty when I went on a Saturday night. At this rate, they have a very slim chance to last long, and I won't have value for money good food for long. I strongly believe that the food can speak for itself but perhaps due to its anonymity they aren't given a chance to showcase their food to more people. I highly recommend this place!!

Gills N Shells
500 Jalan Sultan #01-01 S199020