Permata Singapore – Enchanting Malacca Cuisine [MEDIA INVITE]

In the month of July, Permata Singapore (which means “Jewel” in Malay), led by culinary director Chef Mel Dean invites us to savour the enchanting Flavours of Malacca in the 1-FOR-1 Halal buffet format. Malacca cuisine offers a unique blend of Malay, Chinese, Indian, Eurasian and Peranakan culinary influences that most Singaporeans are familiar with.

Flavors of Malacca

There are a lot of foods to try on this amazing culinary adventure, and here are some of the highlights:

Starters

Asam Pedas Daging Tetel. It is a spicy and tangy dish made from beef trimmings, including tendon, tripe, offcuts and fats stewed over a long period to extract that delicious flavour. The spicy and tangy gravy is irresistible and goes well with bread or the aromatic Nasi Goreng Kerabu. I went back twice for this dish. Yummy!!

Ayam Pedas Daging Tetel

Nasi Goreng Kerabu

Nyonya Chang. This halal version of Nyonya Chang is just superb. The sticky and moist glutinous rice is divided into two parts. The top part is coloured with blue pea flowers, while the bottom part is just natural. The fillings consist of tender and succulent chicken, cooked with shitake mushroom and packed with umami.

Nyonya Chang

Chicken Rice Ball. The famous version of chicken rice in Malacca. Deboned succulent poached chicken accompanied with a fragrant chicken rice ball. Complete with the dark soy sauce, crushed ginger plus spicy and tangy chilli.

Chicken Rice Ball

Ayam Buah Keluak Risotto. The new interpretation of Ayam Buah Keluak by Chef Mel Dean. Think of it as truffle mushroom risotto, but using Asian truffle.

Ayam Buah Keluak Risotto

Chicken Curry Devil. The most famous Eurasian chicken recipe. The chicken is tender and absorbs the blend of spices. Not forgetting it can be super spicy as well.

Chicken Curry Devil

Medan Bakar Parameswara. Inspired by the popular outdoor bbq eatery in Malacca, complete with a nice cool sea breeze atmosphere. The Udang Bakar is fresh and spot on. You can dip it with kicap cili padi, but I enjoyed mine without any sauce. Meanwhile, the Chargrilled Striploin is tender accompanied by rich and spicy lemak cili api sauce.

Udang Bakar

Chargrilled Striploin

Pengat Durian. This is the more traditional version of pengat durian. Thick, gooey and served warm, just like those dips with Kuih Serabai. Since we did not have kuih serabai, I end up eating it with Roti Jala.

Pengat Durian

While the Flavours of the Malacca are the main theme for July 2024, you can also try the delicious International and Nusantara food served in Permata; such as Seafood on Ice, Tulang Merah, Soup Hayam, Laksa, Satay, Beef Rendang and many more.

Seafood on Ice

Tulang Merah

Laksa

Beef Rendang

Satay

Overall, it was a delicious journey to savour the Flavours of Malacca. LD and I enjoy the food, the taste and the experience. Don’t miss out on this! Cheers!!

Mains

Flavours of Malacca (1-FOR-1 HALAL BUFFET)

When: 1st July to 31 July 2024

Time: Lunch, Daily, 12.00 – 14.30

Dinner, Mon – Fri, 18.30 – 21.30

Dinner, Sat – Sun, 1st Seating 17.00 – 19.00

Dinner, Sat – Sun, 2nd Seating 19.30 – 21.30

Price: Lunch, Daily, $88++ Adult - $15++ Children 6 yrs - 10 yrs

Dinner, $98++ Adult - $15++ Children 6 yrs - 10yrs

(1-FOR-1 Buffet Promotion)

For Reservation:

Call 9082 9941 or Email: reservation@gedungkining.sg / event@gedungkuning.sg

https://www.sevenrooms.com/reservations/permata/chef-mel-dean

Thank you very much to Chef Mel Dean and Permata team for hosting us.

Desserts

Food & Drink: 8/10

Value: 8/10

Service: N/A (Tasting Invitation)

Ambiance: 8/10

Budget per Person: $51 - $80

Permata Singapore

73 Sultan Gate

Singapore 198497

T: +65 9082 9941

W: https://www.gedungkuning.sg/permata

F: https://www.facebook.com/permata.restaurant

IG: @Permata.singapore

OH:

Lunch, Daily, 12.00 – 14.30

Dinner, Mon – Fri, 18.30 – 21.30

Dinner, Sat – Sun, 1st Seating 17.00 – 19.00

Dinner, Sat – Sun, 2nd Seating 19.30 – 21.30

MYODIVE SONICTM MASSAGE GUN [PRODUCT REVIEW]

A massage gun is one of the best equipment to have when your muscle is feeling sore and in need of quick relief. I like a good body massage, but sometimes it is just not practical to spend 60 minutes on a massage table when only a small area in your body needs to be “tenderised”.

MYODIVE SONIC^TM MASSAGE GUN

The team from MYODIVE offered to send MYODIVE SONIC^TM MASSAGE GUN for me to review. After a quick check on their product, I agreed to the offer. I purchased a budget massage gun previously and was unhappy with the result. The budget massage gun feels heavy and the vibration only touches the skin’s surface instead of going deep into the tissue. The battery also does not last very long, usually I need to recharge it after 30 minutes of use.

In the box

So, what do I like about MYODIVE SONIC^TM MASSAGE GUN

· SeamlessTrack™ German Brushless Motor Technology

· The premium feel. It is made with best-in-class materials and parts.

· It is very quiet, just like the sound of my standing fan and it delivers a great power. The technical term is arguably the highest power to sound and power to weight ratio of any massage gun on the market, Myodive Sonic™’s incredible engineering enables the massage gun to extract an astonishing 18kg of force below 45 db.

· It is ultra-light 800g of net weight. I can hold on to it for a long time without getting your wrists sore.

· It comes with 5 speeds, 1300 up to 3200 RPM

· Long battery life, up to 6 hours working time.

In the pack, MYODIVE SONIC^TM MASSAGE GUN comes with 5 types of Attachment Heads. They are the Ball Head, Fork Head, Bullet Head, Flat Head and Air Cushion Head. Please refer to the picture below for the type of muscle. I like those with wider surfaces, like Ball Head and Air Cushion Head because I have lower pain tolerance.

Image Credit: MYODIVE

Image Credit: MYODIVE

Which area do I use MYODIVE SONIC^TM MASSAGE GUN most:

1. Neck and Shoulder. Working on my laptop over a long period, I easily get stiffness around my neck and shoulder. Other than stretching, the MYODIVE helped me to ease the stubborn stiffness during the long break.

Shoulder Massage

2. My lower back. Another area that gets stiff after a long period on the chair. It is hard to reach this area on my own, so I need LD’s help with this.

Lower Back Massage

3. My thigh. This helps to reduce my post-exercise muscle soreness.

Thigh

So, how much does this great gadget cost? The regular price is $284 and it is currently on sale at $199. This includes 30-day risk-free trial, 1.5 year warranty, free shipping in Singapore and free return & exchanges within 30 days. You can purchase MYODIVE SONIC^TM MASSAGE GUN from their website or click here.

CBK Verdict: I am loving it. It is light, powerful, easy to use and it looks sleek. If you are looking for a massage gun, you must strongly consider MYODIVE SONIC^TM MASSAGE GUN!

Thank you very much to MYODIVE team for the offer. For more information, you can visit https://massagegun.com.sg/

MYODIVE

105 Sims Avenue

#02-09

Singapore 387429

M: +65 9180 4209

W: https://massagegun.com.sg/

F: https://www.facebook.com/myodive

IG: https://www.instagram.com/myodive/

TheFoodPan3 – New Local Pies Flavour [MEDIA DROP]

The team from TheFoodPan3 just dropped off their latest creations of savoury meat pies. They have created 2 new locally inspired flavours pies, Ayam Kari Kapitan [$8] and Chunky Beef Rendang [$9].

Delivery from TheFoodPan3

TheFoodPan3 is a home-based business that make its artisanal pies from scratch. The base of the pie is thick, buttery, yet you can taste the puffiness in the pastry. The pies are freshly baked and they try to time it as close as possible to the delivery or picked up time. Another thing that impresses me, is the size of their pies. They are HUGE!

The Pies

When I opened the top pastry of the Ayam Kari Kapitan pie, the ingredients filled the pie to the brim. The fillings consist of one-half of a hard-boiled egg, chunky carrots, potatoes and chicken pieces. All of the coated in curry and deliver spicy and rich flavour. I can taste the rich and robust flavour of the curry chicken, encased in the puffy, buttery pastry in every bite. The spiciness level is around 8/10. Yummy.

Ayam Kari Kapitan Pies

Moving to the Chunky Beef Rendang. Shape-wise, it is probably one of the closest-looking pies to the one I like to consume in Australia, but double in size. When I slice the pie, I can smell the aromatic rempah, herbs and spices coming out from the fillings. The beef is soft, fork tender, soaks up all the rempah, herbs and spices inside. Since it is a rendang, the fillings are a bit on the sweet side.

Chunky Beef Rendang

TheFoodPan3 team also send us the classic pies, Classic Chicken Pie [$7] and Red Wine Chunky Beef Pie [$9]. I reviewed them previously; however, it seems the taste of the classic pies have improved.

For the Classic Chicken Pie, the fillings consist of chicken, potatoes, carrots, peas, cooked in cream and one-half of a hard-boiled egg added during the pie-making process. The cream binds all the ingredients together, yet it is not heavy and allows the natural flavour of the ingredients to stand out. Definitely, one of the best chicken pies I ever tried in Singapore.

Classic Chicken Pie

The red wine chunky beef pies are the ones with dry chopped herbs on top. When I cut through the pies, the fillings did not flow out easily. It shows that they packed the fillings to the brim. The chunky beef cuts are lean, yet it is tender and well cooked. The gravy cooked with carrot and red wine, penetrated well into the inner part of the meat and at the same time extracted the beef essence into the delicious gravy.

Red Wine Chunky Beef Pie

CBK Verdict: I am impressed with the latest creation from TheFoodPan3. They have gone local with Ayam Kari Kapitan and Chunky Beef Rendang Pies, and they are pretty nice. If you like meat pies like I do, TheFoodPan3 artisanal meat pies are definitely a must-try. Cheers!!

Storage conditions: If you order the pies fresh, you can keep them refrigerated for 3 days. Or you can order the pies frozen, then you can keep them longer. Reheat instructions will be provided on the box as well.

Storage & Reheating instructions

Thank you very much TheFoodPan3 for arranging the delivery.

TheFoodPan3

Home Base Business

Made to order Pies & Specialities

F: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100084932408558

IG: @TheFoodPan3

E: thefoodpan3@gmail.com

WA: +65 9796 5460

H&C Café – A New & Better Choice for You [MEDIA INVITE]

H&C Café has launched a new menu focused on healthy, hearty, wholesome and delicious. To accompany the new culinary creation, H&C also introduced Fancy Chinese Tea range.

H&C Cafe

Part of Dining Area

There are 9 options for the Fancy Chinese Tea, and we only managed to try 3 of them.

Fancy Chinese Tea

Cold Brew Orchid Pu’erh Tea [$10.90] – Orchid Flower and Pu’erh Tea Leaves. I like the presentation; the bottle looks similar to XO Cognac. The tea has a strong Pu’erh flavour, is not bitter and with refreshing orchid aftertaste.

Cold Brew Orchid Pu’erh Tea 

Beau-tea-ful You [$14] – Mixed Dried Fruits, Rose, Strawberries and Dragon fruit & Tea-rrifically Healthy [$14] Chrysanthemum, Buckwheat Tea and Osmanthus. These teas are brewed using the Siphon method and poured into a glass teapot before servings. The Beau-tea-ful You is naturally sweet from the fruits and rose, with a touch of sourness from the berries. Meanwhile, the Tea-rrifically Healthy has a refreshing chrysanthemum flower with a slight bitter finish from the buckwheat. Each of the brews is only for 1 time only.

Siphon Method

Beau-tea-ful You 

Tea-rrifically Healthy

Moving to the food, we started with Crispy Squid [$18]. The squid is crunchy and the exterior is covered with spicy, sweet and savoury concoction. Once we drizzle the lime juice, the acidity brings a nice twang to the dish. A good start to the meal.

Crispy Squid

Hot & Sour Gyoza [$14]. The pan-fried chicken gyoza has a crispy and chewy texture. The tangy sour mustard greens soup, complemented by the sweetness from the cherry tomatoes opened up my appetite.

Hot & Sour Gyoza

Sticky Pork Ribs [$15.50]. Bite-size pork ribs, deep fried and coated with classic sweet vinegar glaze. The sweet and savoury flavour combo makes the pork ribs plus the longan make this dish irresistible.

Sticky Pork Ribs

Low Cal, Avocado Scallion Capellini [$22.50]. The scallion capellini is fragrant and smooth. The avocado, mushroom, nori and cherry tomatoes made the dish look healthy. Surprisingly, it brought up the nostalgic feeling, like I am eating high-end version of economic bee hoon.

Low Cal, Avocado Scallion Capellini 

Hot Sauce Prawn Pasta [$27.50]. The prawns are fresh and crunchy, while the capellini absorbs the rich and umami essence from the prawn and hot sauce. The kale adds a healthy and contrasting texture to the dish, while the egg confit helps to tame the spicy hot sauce.

Hot Sauce Prawn Pasta

Tomato Beef Stew [$19.50] served with sourdough. The beef cheek has a nice caramelisation and fork tender as well. The stew is light, tasty, tangy and a touch of Sichuan spice to perk up the stew. The crisp sourdough complements the stew nicely with its texture and to polish up the gravy. (*instead of sourdough, you can ask for scallion pancake).

Tomato Beef Stew 

Humble Grain Stone Bowl [$16.50]. A beautiful medley of vegetables and grains. There are mixed grains, potato, mixed mushrooms, fried kale, white sesame and scallion soy sauce. Each of the ingredients brought unique and tasty components to the dish, complemented by the charred from the hot stone bowl.

Humble Grain Stone Bowl

Salmon & Grains [$34]. Lovely seared salmon fillet with a crispy skin plated on the top of mixed grain tossed with scallion soy sauce. The charred Romaine lettuce adds a nice smoky flavour and crunchy texture. The avocado adds a rich creamy texture to the dish, while the squeeze of lemon binds all the ingredients together and remove any fishiness from the salmon.

Salmon & Grains

Squid Mixed Grain Rice Stew [$26.50]. A fusion creation that blends the East and West. The sour mustard green broth works well with the mixed grains, while the squid and cherry tomatoes brought exciting texture and burst of flavours to this dish. A delicious creation indeed.

Squid Mixed Grain Rice Stew 

Overall, I like the latest creations at H&C Café. The food is internationally inspired, creative and tasty, while maintaining the healthy and lower in calories principles. The Fancy Chinese Tea concoctions are also nice and easy to drink. Definitely a place to try. Cheers!!

Thank you, Kristine, Executive Chef Eugene and H&C Café team, for hosting us.

Food & Drink: 8.5/10

Value: 8/10

Service: N/A (Tasting Invitation)

Ambiance: 8.5/10

Budget per Person: $26 - $50

H&C Cafe

290 Orchard Road

#03-09 Paragon Shipping Centre

Singapore 238859

T: +65 9727 511

W: https://linktr.ee/halcyonandcrane

F: https://www.facebook.com/halcyoncrane/

IG: @halcyoncrane

OH: Daily 11.00 – 20.30