Pince and Pints - No queue at 5.15pm on a Friday!

So I met Twink for an afternoon of R&R on a Friday afternoon, we decided to do dinner at 5.15pm on a whim at Pince and Pints and also because this place is notorious for having a long queue and no reservation.

Here we are and there are only 3 items on the menu but to me it is 4 because for the whole lobster there is the Steam and Grilled option which taste totally different. Ok I have to confess, the menu came as a wire cage of some sort which you lobsters are caught in and I was wondering where are the food options on this piece of wire. Took me a while to find the options. All lobster options were prices at $48.

Did not take photo of the menu - Dang!

At 5pm, there was no queue and the restaurant was more than 50% empty which was perfect for us. Staff were attentive at that time and they attempted to explain to us what was on the menu.

Twink suggested one steam and one grilled whole lobster and we share the dishes. It was an excellent choice as we tasted the lobster meat in its pure form. The grilled version had a nice smoky taste and juicy.....mmmmmhmm.

Grilled whole lobster

Steamed whole lobster - over salted water

Both came with salad, shoe string fries and also a herbed butter sauce. The herbed butter sauce was really thick, no way you can pour it out but I enjoyed it anyway.

The other 2 options were Chili lobster and Lobster roll. They both looked great while we spied at the other tables when they were served. I read on other blogs that the lobster roll was heavenly. Maybe next time I will order the lobster roll.

The bill came up to $121 for 2 lobster dishes and 1 non-alcoholic cocktail. Not cheap but nice otherwise. Will I come go back? Maybe.

One question we had, were the lobsters fresh or frozen?

Pince and Pints
32/33 Duxton Road
Singapore 089496
No Reservations
Opening hours - 5pm to 11pm

Baked eggs with button mushrooms, bacon and broccoli.

Got back to work after my surgery 2 years ago and lost all track of time. Many things happened in the last 2 years and I forgot all about this blog. I forgot how cooking and eating what I cooked gave me a sense of satisfaction and a smile on those faces whom I cooked for.

So here I am experimenting with everyday ingredients again! I shop mostly at NTUC, Cold Storage, Giant and the wet market across my place. The food I cook is not picture perfect nor difficult to replicate. The food I cook is what I can attempt in a short amount of time with the least fuss. Amateur average auntie cooking. AAAC. hahaha....

So I have been going a bit gaga over eggs recipes, both baked and pan. This is today's effort.

Tadaahh .......Baked eggs with button mushrooms, bacon and broccoli! And extra cheese sausages!

I baked hem in individual plates for easy washing after. You can find the plates at Daiso. I have tons of plates from Daiso and I cannot get enough of them. Everything at SGD2! Remember to check the stickers at the back of the plates for oven safe use.


Enough for 2 persons and depends on how much you want to eat. I change the amount to whatever I want.

Ingredients

1. 5 eggs
2. 5 cheese sausages - Kelly's $7.60 for 2 packets on sale at Giant.There are 5 sausages in 1 packet.
3. 6 slices of bacon - Also on sale at Giant. Hmm $7.95 for 2 packets? 500 grams.
4. Half can of button mushrooms
5. 1 small head of broccoli - 200 grams

How to cook

1. Preheat oven to 225 degree celsius for 10 mins
2. Line plates with bacon. You can line at the base or around the sides of the plates. Put plates into oven for 7 minutes at 200 degree celsius.
3. Put sausages into another plate in as well.
4. Take plate with bacon out and line plate with broccoli and mushroom and back in oven for another 4 minutes.
5. Take plate out of oven and crack eggs over and back in oven for another 5 minutes or whatever doneness you want the eggs to be. I prefer mine a little runny.
6. A pinch of black pepper over the eggs when done,

If you prefer your bacon to be crispier then just keep the temperature at 225 degrees celsius when you first pop the bacon in. You will get the extra crunch but be careful of burning the bacon.

Last week I made the same thing except instead of broccoli I had asparagus and added baked beans. Pretty eh? I bought my Pyrex dish at TOTT years back and put it to good use. You can also use a baking pan but Bubi says we will scratch the baking pan when we scope and eat with our forks so I went with the Pyrex. And seriously Pyrex has that nicer look.

I used 4 eggs instead of 5 last week so really it is up to how much you want to eat that day and adjust the amount.

Ramly Burger at Geylang Serai

It's going to be Hari Raya soon and during this time of the year there will always be a huge pasar malam at Geylang Serai and since Bubi and I love pasar malams we went there to kaypoh.

We reached there almost closed to midnight and the place was crowded! Bubi almost forgot what time it was because he wanted to put a parking coupon and I reminded him it's already past 10pm. The place looked vibrant and busy like it was 8pm.

Ramly burger stores were everywhere, there were at least 10 stalls and every stail had a queue. I always ate Ramly burgers with my family when we visited Malaysia. I will have them in Jb and also when the coaches stop at Yong Peng. Not to mention all those times I go diving in Malaysia I would definitely order a Ramly at Mersing. I want one too now!

I asked Bubi to get me a chicken burger and we gobbled it down in 2 mins. There is something about this burger with a patty wrapped in a flat omelet drizzled with ketchup and mayonnaise and "kiap" between 2 slices of oily buns. Simply sedap.

I bought 10 sticks of otah which were oh so spicy and delicious which Bubi could not handle the heat. Good more for me! And after walking around for another hour weaving through the hundreds of stalls I lost Bubi and lo and behold where did I find him? At a nearby Ramly stall ordering the beef version!

What can I say? Bubi loves Ramly too :)

HAPPY 47th BIRTHDAY SINGAPORE!

Scrambled Eggs with Tomatoes

This is one of those dishes that made me fall in love with cooking. Easy and delicious. Cooking used to be a chore with all the cutting, washing and cleaning up after. But when I found recipes like this on the internet my world changed :) Cooking is a wonderful way to de-stress and be creative, something I never knew I could be.

Ingredients

Eggs        - 3 large size. Beaten in a bowl
Tomatoes - 4 medium or 3 large Cut into 1/8
Butter      - 1 tbsp - I use President unsalted butter
Sugar      - 2-3tsp
Salt         - 1 tsp

Cooking directions

1. Heat pan and put in butter.
2. Pour the beaten eggs into pan. Slowly stir fry for 1-2 min.
3. Push eggs to 1 side and put tomatoes on the other side. Sprinkle salt onto the tomatoes. Salt will draw out the juices. Cook till tomatoes are soft and kind of soggy. Around 2 mins.
4. Mix both eggs and tomatoes together and sprinkle sugar all over and stir well.
5. Serve on plate and sprinkle spring onions.

I learnt this from youtube. Eat with white rice :)  Enjoy!

Pan Fried Cod on a bed of Dou Miao

Got bored and popped by at Giant the other day and roamed around. I must be getting older because I used to roam around Takashimaya not Giant. But who am I complain? I am coming to the end of my 6 weeks of MC. It has been a fantastic time of rest and rejuvenation.

So anyway I walked by the fish section and saw these amazing fish slices. The sign says Norwegian Seabass. I had no idea how to cook them but they looked so pretty lying on the ice and I just had to get a few slices. I have a bad habit of not checking the price when I shop. I just glanced the price tag and it said $4.59 for 100 grams and GASP! these 3 slices cost me $18.80. The label on the bag of fish said COD.

I had half a mind to return the fish but pride took over and I made up my mind to turn these slices into something yummy. After googling  and reading recipes for 10 mins I was ready to roll :)

Ingredients

Cod Fish                 - 400 grams

Corn flour               - Enough to coat both sides of the fish

Butter                     - 1.5 tbsp - I use President unsalted butter

Light Soy Sauce      -1 tbsp

Sesame oil              - 1/2 tbsp

Garlic                     - 1tbsp

Chili Padi                - 1 tsp

Spring Onions         - 1tbsp

Fried shallots          - optional 

Cooking Directions

Cod and Diao Miao

1. Heat wok. I use Neoflam pans and I love them for the happy colours and they are easy to wash.
2. Put in butter and melt it till small bubbles form.
3. Put in cod coated with corn flour on both sides. Cook cod around 3-4 mins on each side till light brown.
4. On another pan start 3 mins later, heat cooking oil and stir fry garlic.
5. Put in dou miao and stir fry for 2 mins.
6. Add light soya sauce and stir fry 1 min.

SAUCE

1. In another small pot heat sesame oil and 1/2 tbsp of light soya sauce.
2. Throw in the spring onions and chili padi when sauce is boiling.

Arrange cod on top of dou miao and pour sauce over the fish. Sprinkle just a little more spring onions and fried shallot on top of the fish and we are done. 

These were the tastiest fish I have ever cooked! YUMMY! The first time I ate cod was in a restaurant in JB and they tasted so good but cost an arm and leg. These home made ones tasted equally good!

Bubi commented that butter might take away the taste of the fish and suggested using cooking oil instead. Personally I liked cooking with butter and the recipe I read online also used butter. Maybe I will use corn oil or olive oil next time since they are sitting on my counter.

Norwegian Seabass aka Cod

Corn flour

Chopped Spring Onions, Chili padi and Light Soy Sauce

Serve Cod on a bed of Dou Miao before sprinkling spring onion and fried shallots

Enjoy!

Stir Fry Dou Miao with Shrimps and Garlic

Dou miao has always been a favourite vegetable of mine. It is easy to wash and cook, looks nice and tastes great. I am always amazed by how much restaurants and zhi char places charge for this humble dish which takes under 5 mins to cook.

Ingredients

Dou Miao        - NTUC sells them in a box which is enough for 4 so I half it since I only cook for 2

Garlic              - 2 tbsp - I love garlic 

Shrimps           - 6 pcs - I use frozen ones
Fried shallots   - optional - I buy the pre-made ones from Sheng Siong. Can be found in supermarkets
Light Soya Sauce - 1 tbsp
Cooking oil      - 1 tbsp


Cooking Instructions

1. Heat oil
2. Put in garlic and stir fry fragant
3. Put in shrimps and stir fry till half cook
4. Put in dou miao and continue to stir fry
5. Add light soya sauce and stir fry for another 30 secs.
6. Serve on dish and sprinkle some fried shallots for an extra crunch!

Dou Miao



Diced Garlic - I always diced and keep in freezer.

Shrimps

Tada! The Finished Product!

All in all the dish cost less than $4. Prepared with love and of cos washing up after.

Enjoy!

Hae Bee Hiam (Dried Shrimps)

Have not been eating out often now that I am still on medical leave. But the good news for Bubi is that I have been cooking dinner every night for him and washing up after. He just sits around and eats and says a cute "thank you". Tsktsktsk.

So I have been experimenting with recipes I read on the internet and since I have been longing for hae bee hiam for a long time. Here goes!







Ingredients

Hae Bee Hiam (Dried Shrimps) 200 grams
Shallots (chopped)                      10 cloves
Garlic (chopped)                         2 tbsp
Sambal Chili                               3 tbsp or how spicy you want it to be
Oil                                               1 tbsp
Sugar and salt - But the sambal chili is already salty so I didnt add any salt to mine

Hae Bee Hiam ( Dried Shimps)

Shallots

Sambal Chili

Diced Garlic

Preparation steps

1. Soak dried shrimps for 20 mins and then pat dry.
2. Chop dried shrimps into small pieces. I chopped mine in a blender till they were small pieces but I put some bigger pieces in for texture.
3. Diced the garlic and shallots

Cooking steps

1. Pour oil into pan
2. When oil is hot put in garlic and shallots and stir fry till fragrant.
3. Put in dried shrimps and keep stiring until dry.
4. Keep in a dry bottle. Bubi kept a korean citron tea jar and it was perfect.

In progress :)

The finished product!

Keep up to a month and you can sqeeze lime on the hae bee hiam for a tinge of sour! Enjoy!