The Clinic, Singapore

The most out-there, and controversial bar I have ever been to was The Clinic in Singapore.

Located in the heart of bustling 'pub-hopper' central Clarke Quay, The Clinic cannot be missed. Why? Because it resembles a hospital. The furniture consists of hospital beds and wheel chairs, and their cocktails are served in syringes, IVs, and test tubes. WTF! Right? That's exactly what I thought too!

Six syringe cocktails for $50, and six 'mood tube' cocktails for $38.

The wheel chair and hospital bed decor:

IV cocktails are $50.

The whole concept is a little ridiculous to me, but so bizarre at the same time. You can't help but contemplate checking it out. The prices, however, may make you think twice.

The Clinic
Block 3C The Cannery
River Valley Road
Clarke Quay, Singapore
Telephone: +65 6305 6768

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Long Beach Seafood Restaurant, Singapore

When in Singapore, one MUST try their famous local dish, black pepper crab. Long Beach Seafood Restaurant is known for putting Singapore on the food map with the creation of this dish, and is also known for being the first restaurant in Singapore to serve a seafood menu.

Started in the 1940's, this restaurant has now expanded to 5 locations across the island.
One thing I just couldn't get used to in Singapore was the humidity. My skin loved it but the rest of my body did not. It was unbearable for me. When the hostess gave us a choice to either sit outside with a sea front view or indoors with air conditioning, we all chose air conditioning without hesitation.

The three of us shared a super deluxe live Scottish bamboo clam seafood menu for two. What the heck is Scottish bamboo clam you ask? You'll find out soon. This meal came with a free $10 International VIP calling card, which we found humorous.

The meal started with a plate of roasted peanuts.

Roasted Peanuts

The first dish was the steamed live Scottish bamboo clam with minced garlic. Scottish bamboo clam is also called razor clam or jacknife clam in other parts of the world. This was interesting to try...tender and chewy at the same time. The clam was topped with vermicelli and minced garlic.

Scottish Bamboo Clam

Next was the house specialty prawn. The shrimp were jumbo, and were topped with lots and lots of minced garlic. Mmmmmmm.

House Specialty Prawn

The dish we were all waiting for...their famous black pepper crab! This was AMAZING. The black pepper sauce just coated the giant crab. Unlike the crab I have had in the past, this one needed a lobster cracker. The shell was very thick and hard, and could not be bitten with your teeth. The meat was incredibly juicy and tender, and the black pepper sauce went perfectly with it.

Black Pepper Crab

After the crab came the fried rice with silver fish and bean sprouts. Can you spot the little guys? If not, look for their little black eyes.

Rice with Silver Fish

Our meal ended with dessert of the day: pineapple soup. This was a light refreshing dish. Really enjoyed it.

Pineapple Soup

Longbeach has an impressive display of live seafood ranging from King Alaskan crab, tiger sea mantis, green wrasse, and marble goby. I was fascinated by the Canadian Geoduck. I had never seen this saltwater clam live in person.

Canadian Geoduck

Long Beach Seafood Restaurant
1202 East Coast Parkway
#01-04 East Coast Seafood Centre
Singapore
Telephone: 6448 3636

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Zazaza Pizza with Pizazz, Ottawa

Pizza seems to be our thing lately. We seem to drift towards pizza every time we go out lately. CK and I recently checked out Zazaza - Pizza with Pizazz in New Edinburgh. It is housed in the little shack where Fraser Cafe used to be, and as it turns out, Zazaza is the creation of partners Ion Aimers (The Works Burger) and the Fraser Brothers (Fraser Cafe). The pizza options are as extensive as the Works burger choices, with 25 pizza choices in total.

CK and I had a relaxing casual lunch date at Zazaza where we got to chat and talk about where our life is going next. We loved the funky music that was playing in the background. We heard everything from old blues music to cool 90's hits. The art pieces displayed around the place was pretty cool too. My favorite is the one shown in the title photo above.

CK ordered a freshly squeezed lemonade garnished with fresh mint to go with his pizza.

Lemonade

I ordered the hail Caesar pizza. This was a Caesar salad in pizza form: pesto oil, anchovies, bacon, grilled romaine lettuce, chicken, parmesan, mozzarella cheese topped with Caesar dressing. This pizza really worked, and I loved the anchovy bits. The bacon and anchovy can be a bit salty for some but definitely worth a try.

Hail Caesar Pizza

CK ordered the fancy mushroom pizza which had roasted portobello, shitake, oyster mushrooms, parmesan, goat cheeze and mozzarella, topped with a truffle oil drizzle. We could smell the truffle oil from afar, and I was worried it was going to be too overpowering, but it wasn't. It was actually one of the better mushroom pizzas I have tried.

Fancy Mushroom Pizza

Overall, the pizzas were good. The crust was thin, and the flavor combos were creative.

Zazaza - Pizza with Pizazz
143 Putman Avenue
Ottawa, Canada
Telephone: 613-747-9292

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Feta, Tomato and Almond Stuffed Chicken

I've never been a huge fan of chicken. Always found the meat a little boring. I find it doesn't have enough taste to stand on its own, which in my books is bleh. It's rare for me to find a good chicken recipe, and when I do find one, I need to spread the good news!

The flavors from the almond, cheese, and herbs in this recipe really compliment the chicken. What I love most about this dish is that the chicken comes out juicy every time...never dry!

This recipe yields 4 servings.

Feta, Tomato and Almond Stuffed Chicken
- 4 large chicken breasts
- 6 slices of white bread, crust cut off
- 1/4 cup of almonds, crushed
- 90 grams of feta, crumbled
- 2 scallions, roughly chopped, green part only
- 4 sun dried tomatoes, roughly chopped
- salt and pepper
- 2-3 egg whites

Method
1. Pre-heat the oven to 350F/175C. Create a pocket in each chicken breast by slicing the thickest part of each breast lengthwise. Do not slice the breast all the way through. Leave about a 1/2 inch. Sprinkle salt and pepper on the inside and outside of each breast. Set aside.

2. In a food processor, pulse the bread, 1 Tbsp of crushed almonds, some salt + pepper for 30 seconds until even bread crumbs are formed. Place the bread crumbs onto a large plate.

3. In a mixing bowl, combine the feta, sun dried tomatoes, scallions, and the rest of the crushed almonds and mix well with a fork. Place the egg whites onto a large plate.

4. Stuff and bread the chicken breasts. Spoon 1/4 of the feta mixture into the pocket of the breast, cover the entire surface of the chicken breast with egg white, and then roll the breast into the bread crumbs until surface is covered. Place the chicken breast into a 9x13 baking dish, and repeat for the remaining breasts.

5. Bake for 40 minutes uncovered. Serve hot.

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The Urban Pear, Ottawa

Our New Year's celebration continued over Sunday brunch at The Urban Pear, one of my favorite brunch spots in Ottawa. Their seasonal menu always has a great selection of sweet and savory dishes, and I love the layers and layers of flavors in every dish I've tried.

Our meal started with home made baguette with toasted rosemary butter.

Toasted Rosemary Butter

Between the nine of us, here are the dishes that were ordered:

I ordered the poached eggs with seared lentil & bay laurel crusted rainbow trout. This was served on top of a house smoked walleye & turnip latke, sauteed winter kale, and mushrooms. And all of that was served over a spicy pool of yam broth with chipotle aioli. Like I said, just layers and layers of flavors! The spiciness of the creamy broth paired well with the fish and poached eggs.

Poached Eggs with Seared Lentil & Bay Laurel Crusted Rainbow Trout

CK ordered the sweet + savory dish: a brie stuffed oat & brown sugar coated French toast with double-smoked bacon, thyme infused maple syrup, summer raspberry coulis, vanilla whipped cream, and fresh pear. If you love sweet with a bit of saltiness, this dish is for you.

Brie Stuffed Oat & Brown Sugar Coated French Toast

The penne pasta was the most beautiful dish of the bunch, and the fabulous red color from the beets wowed everyone at our table. The pasta was served with duck confit, brussel leaves, squash, fried egg, radish sprouts, and a beet broth with saffron aioli. They did a great job turning an otherwise boring pasta dish into something exciting.

Penne Pasta with Duck Confit

The heartiest dish was the triple 'A' beef tenderloin & leek sandwich served with blue cheese creme fraiche, lemon-thyme gravy, turnip & caper remoulade, and green salad. Everyone who ordered this dish loved it.

Triple 'A' Beef Tenderloin & Leek Sandwich

I've never been disappointed with the brunch here. The flavor combos are awesome, and the atmosphere is bright and cheerful. The place is normally packed with locals,which is always a good sign of a great establishment.

You can check out my past brunch at this link here.

The Urban Pear
151 Second Avenue, Unit C
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Telephone: 613-569-9305

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Happy Persian New Year!

Happy Nowruz everyone!

Today is Persian New Year, also the first day of Spring! Eid-e Nowruz (Persian New Year) is the biggest holiday for Persians, celebrated in many countries including Iran, Albania, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.

This is the first year that CK and I are celebrating Persian New Year without his parents, which means that we (including his sister) had to do all the New Year prep ourselves. All the prep revolves around the idea of starting the new year with a fresh start: a thorough Spring cleaning of the house, purchase of new clothes, and the purchase of new flowers.

Another major prep for Nowruz is the Haft Sin spread (pictured in the title photo), a traditional table setting reflecting the major symbols of life and signifying all the things we want in life.

Sabzeh: signifying Rebirth and Renewal

Haft Sin means seven 'S', and everything displayed on the haft sin table starts with the letter 'S'.
The Haft Sin is the focal point of the New Year celebration, and families take pride in displaying beautiful, elaborate settings. I think the three of us did a pretty awesome job with our haft sin this year.

The seven major haft sin items are:

1. sabzeh - legume sprouts (symbolizing rebirth and renewal)
2. senjed - dried fruit of a lotus tree (symbolizing love...my favorite one!)
3. sib - apple (symbolizing health and beauty)
4. samanu - wheat pudding (symbolizing fertility)
5. serkeh - vinegar (symbolizing age and patience)
6. somagh - crushed sumac berries (symbolizing the color of sunrise...sun conquers evil)
7. seer - garlic (symbolizing medicine and good health)

Additional 'S' items are optional such as eggs (fertility), candles (energy), gold fish (life), hyacinth (life and beauty), coins (wealth), mirror (cleanliness and honesty), and pastries (sweetness).

One of my favorite parts of eid is the egg decorating. Every year, we all compete for the best decorated egg.

Decorated Eggs

The winning egg, hands down, is CK's 'kumbaya' egg. Isn't this the cutest egg you have ever seen? He has never been the artistic type, so I'm impressed that we even got him to decorate an egg. Thank god for March Madness...he decorated his egg while watching basketball. I'm so proud of him for doing this! His egg just makes me smile.

Kumbaya Egg

My sister-in-law, naturally, creates the most symbolic and thoughtful egg of the bunch. This year is the Year 1390 in the Persian solar calendar.

1390 Egg

And this was my egg! No significance, it's just what came to mind.

Peacock Egg

It is also important to eat a traditional New Year's dish for Nowruz. In CK's family, it is traditional to have lentil rice with sauteed onions, raisins, and dates. A very simple yet delicious dish.

Lentil Rice

Sauteed Raisins, Dates and Caramelized Onions

And Nowruz is all about visiting family and friends (which we did). It is also imperative to eat something sweet to ensure a sweet year to come!

Pastries to Start a Sweet Year

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Town, Ottawa

When I made the move back to Ottawa, there was buzz about new resto Town everywhere I went.
When our friend, N, made dinner plans with us, I knew where I wanted to take him. We hadn't seen N in ages, and it was great catching up with him, especially over great food. What I really loved about Town was the vibe of the place. It was casual, funky, and friendly. A place where locals could just hang out. If you wanted to have a big hearty meal, they had that. If you just wanted some small plates to share, they also had that. If you wanted a good drink with dessert, you could also do that.
The three of us ordered a bunch of plates to share. My favorite way to dine.

The first dish was the tuna crudo: fresh tuna topped with coppa, mint, lemon, and truffle oil. I loved the mild tuna and salty coppa combination.

Tuna Crudo

Next was a simple plate of olives with pickled fennel and citrus.

Olives

The ricotta gnudi with coarse pesto was a dish that people seemed to love when I read reviews of this place. Maybe I expected too much because I thought it was just ok. It was good, but nothing spectacular.

Ricotta Gnudi

The cod fritters were served with smoked pork ragu and lemon mayo.

Cod Fritters

A favorite of mine was the lamb ragu pappardelle dish. This was served with oyster mushrooms and pecorino romano. The pasta was fresh, and the slow cooked ragu was delicious.

Lamb Ragu Pappardelle

This crispy trout was hard to share but we managed. The trout was served with roasted potatoes, king mushrooms, black olives, and agrodolce. I really liked the addition of the black olives...something I don't see very often with fish.

Crispy Trout

The last dish, which also was my favorite dish, was the dirty lasagna bolognese. What made this dish amazing was that it was topped with a slow poached egg! The runny egg with the warm pasta was perfect. This was also served with swiss chard and toast. I'm pretty sure I ate this dish all by myself. Everyone just stayed away because I was loving it way too much.

Dirty Lasagna Bolognese

Town
296 Elgin Street
Ottawa, Canada
Telephone: 613-695-8696

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Tennessy Willems, Ottawa

CK and I celebrated our be-lated Valentine's dinner at Tennessy Willems in Hintonburg. We're huge fans of Pizzeria Libretto in Toronto, so when we heard that Tennessy Willems had a connection to the place, we were all over it. I've been disappointed with Ottawa's attempt at Neapolitan-style wood fired pizza, but this one I had to try.

CK and I started with a mackerel plate: Whalesbone smoked mackerel on top of an apple beet slaw + lemon Crème Fraiche, served with fresh bread. This was delicious. The fish was perfectly smoked, and it was just the way I like it. The mackerel was a bit too fishy for CK...which meant more for me :)

Mackerel Plate

CK and I both ordered a pizza each. We were handed a big bottle of chilli oil, and it was happy eating from there. The thin crust, one of the most important elements, was chewy and charred in all the right places.

I ordered the bianco: pear, walnuts, fresh smoked prosciutto, fiore de latte, and Gorgonzola. This one is highly recommended.

Bianco Pizza

CK ordered the simple margherita: fire-roasted tomato sauce, fresh Mozzarella, and basil. The sauce was a bit acidic, but a decent margherita overall.

Margherita Pizza

For dessert, we shared the lemon tart. A shortbread pastry crust covered with a creamy, runny lemon custard. The custard was fresh, and you could tell it was made with love.

Lemon Tart

Tennessy Willems
1082 Wellington Street
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Telephone: 613-722-0000

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