EPICUREAN SINGAPOREAN FOOD FESTIVAL AT CIRCLES, MAKATI SHANGRI-LA!

         It was my first time ever to crack open a crab. And it was good!

      Interestingly, I was able to get an awesome sneak peak at another wonderful food festival in Makati Shangrila Manila involving great authentic Singaporean dishes!

Sous Chef Tan Keng Boon

Assistant Sous Chef Ricky Young Soon Khiong

     These amazing dishes are prepared by guest chefs from Traders Hotel – Shangri-La’s Award-winning restaurant, Ah Hoi’s Kitchen in Singapore, Sous Chef Tan Kheng Boon and Assistant Sous Chef Ricky Young Soon Khiong. This delicious event will take place only for 10 days starting today, August 1, to August 10 2013 at Circles Event Cafe.

Appetizers:

Fruit Rojak and Pophia

I quite enjoyed nibbling on the Fruit Rojak because it was literally like ripe mango with bagoong (shrimp paste). I think there were also some cucumber slices. I usually don't like cucumber so much but I didn't mind this time because it was smothered in shrimp paste. My mouth is now watering as I write this. I finished my whole cup. It's really a yummy traditional Singaporean fruit and vegetable salad that I never tasted until now. And I liked it!

The Pophia is a savory wrap appetizer which is more or less like lumpia. I devoured it in one single bite. No judging! It was quite tasty even though I don't think there wasany frying involved.

Soup:

Laksa

Next up was the soup dish that I am more than happy to put in my list of top soups (If i ever had one. Maybe I should make one!) This Laksa was sooooo gooooood! You don't feel the heat during the first spoonful as you eat more the heat builds up but not in a steam-out-of-your-ears way. It's in an addicting way. And the coconut sauce truly balances it. I did not leave a single drop! (Again no judging!)

Okay, from here on end I would like to apologize for my photos. My flash conked out on me :'( I need a hug huhuhu. But the show must go on!

Main Dishes:

Singaporean Chicken Rice

The Singapore Chicken Rice were presented uniquely, with the rice balled up neatly into 6 balls. It’s like the rice was served with chicken on the side haha! But kidding aside, the chicken was soft and tender. Cooked just right!

Tempe Goreng

Had I known the Tempe Goreng would be too hot for my heat threshold (which is quite low), I wouldn’t have bit too much. If you love really really spicy food then I challenge you to try this! Tempe is a traditional soy product (soy beans binded into cake form). And this is deep-fried with apparently a lot of spice and heat!

 The Fish Head Curry was also spicy but not nearly as spicy as the Tempe Goreng. It had a good curry sauce and was seasoned well.

Satay with Peanut Sauce

The Satay with Peanut Sauce was actually good as well. The peanut was very evident in the sauce that I was looking for some plain rice to eat it with.

Char Kway Teow

I remember Richie every time I see a Char Kway Teow. Richie loves his noodles. And this one is one of his favourites. He orders this dish every time we’re in a Singaporean restaurant and I don’t blame him. It had a good balance of sweet and salty. The meat was as soft as the noodles. Quite good!

Singaporean Chili Crab

And of course, the star of the luncheon! The SingaporeanChili Crab! The first ever crab that I cracked in my whole life. Not kidding! The sauce was creamy and had a lot of flavours. I actually didn’t find it spicy. The sauce is so creamy and good to dip your super soft and sweet fried mantao bread in! The meat of the crab was soft and flavourful. Needless to say, this was one of the two highlights of my lunch. This and the Laksa.

Dessert:

     
  We ended the luncheon with this beautiful plate of a dessert containing Pulut Hitam (black rice pudding), Pisang (fried banana), and Coconut Ice Cream which was placed in a dark chocolate cup (my favorite part!)I love dark chocolate. This was probably around 50-60% dark. Yum! The coconut ice cream was very refreshing. The Pulut Hitam reminded me of a glutinous champorado. It’s sweet and a treat to devour!

         So if you’re craving for some amazing authentic Singaporean dishes, go to Circles Cafe for lunch and dinner starting today before it’s toolate! Remember this is only until August 10!

Another surprise! When you dine here at the Epicurean Singapore Food Festival at Circles, you may get a chance to win tickets for 2 to Singapore via Cebu Pacific Airlines!!!!

Also, If you’re interested to see Chef Tan Keng Boon in action, head on over to Circles Event Cafe for his cooking demo class on August 7, 2013 (P2,000 nett per head and inclusive of a lunch buffet. Not bad!)

Epicurean Singapore Buffet Rates:

Monday to Saturday LUNCH : P1,460+++

Sunday LUNCH: P1,750+++

Sunday to Thursday DINNER : P1,735+++

Friday to Saturday DINNER : P1,950+++