[Singapore Kiosk] Pezzo Pizza Buy 2 Get 2 Free Promotion

Exclusive for JosLovesFood Readers

"Buy 2 Slices get 2 Slices FREE" when you say "Pezzo is Awesome!" followed by the secret code "PezzoPizza05" when you buy from these kiosks between 25 April to 31 May 2014:
- Esplanade MRT Station #B1-34
- Marine Parade Central Blk 87, #01-503B
- The Star Vista #B1-37B
- Thomson Plaza #01-113C
- Bukit Panjang Plaza #01-39
- Junction 8 #B1-K13

Vegetarian Dumpling for Dumpling Festival 2014

The Dragon Boat Festival or Duanwu Festival (端午节) is a Chinese traditional festival occurring on the 5th day of the 5th lunar month. 

The festival commemorates the death of the poet and minister Qu Yuan (c. 340–278 BC) of the ancient state of Chu during the Warring States period of the Zhou Dynasty.  A cadet member of the Chu royal house, Qu served in high offices. However, when the king decided to ally with the increasingly powerful state of Qin, Qu was banished for opposing the alliance and even accused of treason.  During his exile, Qu Yuan wrote a great deal of poetry. Twenty-eight years later, Qin captured Ying, the Chu capital. In despair, Qu Yuan committed suicide by drowning himself in the Miluo River.  It is said that the local people, who admired him, raced out in their boats to save him or at least retrieve his body. This is said to have been the origin of dragon boat races. When his body could not be found, they dropped balls of sticky rice into the river so that the fish would eat them instead of Qu Yuan's body. This is said to be the origin of zongzi aka glutinous rice. [story extracted from Wikipedia]

This year, the festival falls on 2 June.  Look no further!  Vegetarian glutinous rice dumplings will be available for sale at Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery from 25 May to 2 Jun 2014, 9.30am to 2.30pm.  $3 each.  While stocks last!

[Singapore Restaurant] New Menu at Saboten Dining at IMM

Fans of Japanese food, particularly Tonkatsu (deep-fried breaded pork or chicken cutlet), wouldn't be unfamiliar with Saboten, the largest Tonkatsu chain in Japan.  In total, it has 500 branches worldwide.

 

 

The IMM outlet in Singapore has recently unveiled a brand new dining concept by adding greater varieties to the menu including shabu shabu and teppanyaki set meals, starting from $14.90.  A total of 18 new set menus have been introduced which includes Salmon Sashimi and Halibut Katsu set.  The variety there is rather overwhelming.  It really took me a while to decide what I'd order and I decided that I shall keep to my favourite deep-fried breaded shrimp and pork cutlet (Teriyaki Chicken and Tenderloin Katsu Gozen).



The starter items, chawanmushi (aka tea-cup steam or egg custard) and cabbage salad, was really good.  The steamed egg custard was  served warm, soft and smooth which tasted like silken bean curd.  The cabbage salad was so finely shredded that it didn't feel too thick and raw.  A simple yet so delicious dish mainly because of the house concoction of the goma salad dressing too.  Goma salad dressing is a mayo based dressing with sesame as it's main ingredients.

Here's my Teriyaki Chicken with Tenderloin Katsu Gozen complete with a piece of deep fried prawn and griddled prawn.  The advantage of the Saboten set meals is that you get to savour a variety of dishes.  My favourite from this set meal was the deep fried prawn and Katsu.  Coated with the house-made bread crumbs, the prawn and katsu was really crispy at the outer layer while the meat remains tender and juicy.  The bowl next to the rice comprises fragrant roasted white and black sesame.  We are supposed to grind the sesame using the grinding stick provided.



When the sesame has been finely grinded, add in the tonkatsu sauce, made from a variety of fruits and vegetables.  Together, this fragrant sauce makes the tonkatsu an amazing dish!

Saboten at IMM is a cosy and contemporary restaurant suitable for business lunch, family and friends gatherings.  The service staff are attentive, knowledgeable and polite.


Saboten Dining
2 Jurong East Street 21 #01-19
IMM Building
Singapore 609601
Tel: 68983432
Opening Hours: 11am to 10pm (Last order at 9.30pm)
FB: https://www.facebook.com/saboten.sg

Getting there: Take the MRT to Jurong East Station.  Exit from the station and go towards the direction of Westgate (shopping mall).  Free shuttle buses are available from the pick-up/drop off point at Westgate between 10.30am to 10.30pm daily at 10 to 15-min interval.  The ride to IMM from Westgate takes about 5 mins.

[Singapore Restaurant] Celebrate Mother's Day at Yum Cha Restaurant (Dim Sum)

In case you aren't aware, Mother's Day falls on 11 May 2014 this year.  This is the time of the year for children to show our appreciation to our beloved mother who has worked tirelessly for her children.  Yum Cha Restaurant has specially created 3 dishes for this coming Mother's Day.  These 3 dishes will be available from 5 to 11 May 2014.  In total, this makes up about 70 dishes you can find in this restaurant ranging from dim sum, barbecue and roast, vegetable, noodle, congee and dessert.



For siew mai lovers, enjoy this Large Prawn Siew Mai with Double Roe.  Colourful and appetising.  Each piece is $3.50.

Do not judge food by it's looks.  For those who are more adventurous or non-meat diners, the Lavender Bun with Coconut Filling is highly recommended for you.  The bun is nicely infused with lavender taste which is made from lavender flower.  Savour it slowly with some warm tea on a relaxing afternoon.  $2.80 for 2 pieces.

Juicy tangerine, fresh strawberries and blueberries with custard cream.  Have some fruits after a heavy meal.  Each Glazed Mini Fruit Tart is $2 each.  The above 3 dishes are the Mother's Day Exclusive Dim Sum and are available from 5 to 11 May 2014.  They are available at all 3 Yum Cha outlets except between 6pm to 11pm at the Serangoon Garden outlet.

The latest Yum Cha outlet at Changi Business Park, UB Bizhub East opened in late 2013.  The restaurant is airy, cosy, modern and high tech.  Place your order via ipad provided at the dining table.  Avoid the hassle of trying to grab the attention of service staff and have control over the speed of placing orders for your food.

The common roast and barbecue items can also be found at Yum Cha.  My recommendation is the Crispy Roasted Pork and the Honey Roast Char Siew first is you do not have the capacity to try all.  The Crispy Roasted Pork is really crispy on the skin and not too much fatty fats.  The Char Siew meat is pretty lean too.

Yum Cha has a rather complete range of dim sum ranging from steamed to fried food.  The yellow-coloured buns are the Custard Buns (aka lava bun, salted egg yolk custard bun or liu sha bao or 流沙奶皇饱).  Depending on individual's taste, the custard buns (3 pieces at $4.50) has a strong custard taste vs the egg yolk taste.  Being a modern restaurant, the Fish Roe Siew Mai (3 pieces at $3.80) and Yum Cha Prawn Dumpling (3 pieces at $4.60) aren't served using push carts at UE Bizhub East outlet but over at the Chinatown outlet, it is still being served using the traditional way ie. using push carts.

For fried dimsum, the savoury Prawn & Mango Fritters (3 pieces at $4) and sweet Crispy Red Bean with Banana (3 pieces for $3.80) are pretty decent.  The roasted sesame seeds on the prawn & mango fritters added to the fragrance of this dim sum.  For non-meat diners, do go for the Crispy Spring Roll (3 pieces for $3.20), which has bean sprouts as one of the ingredients. 

Yum Cha has recently added a new dish and it is available only on weekends.  It is the Pig Trotters in Vinegar.  I am not a fan of pig trotters and this was the first time I tried this.  To my surprise, the flavourful vinegar gravy (sweet, salty, a little sourish and a little spicy) truly enhanced the taste of this dish.

Of course, there are noodles and congee selection on the menu.  There are also options for vegetarians such as Vegetarian Abalone Congee and Super Vegetarian Balls Congee.

A meal can't be complete without sweet endings (read: desserts).  The Lemongrass Jelly with Fruits ($4) is really refreshing.  Alternatively, if you are in the mood for something oriental, go for the Chinese Herbal Jelly ($3.60).  It comes with a cute little pot of honey and you can add according to the sweetness level you like.

So, go on down to Yum Cha and give your mom a good treat on this Mother's Day.

Website: www.yumcha.com.sg
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yumchasg?fref=ts


Yum Cha at Changi
6 Changi Business Park Ave. 1
#01-33 UE Bizhub East
Singapore 486017
Tel: 6789 1717
Opening Hours: 10.30am to 3pm, 6pm to 9pm (Weekdays) and 9.30am to 3pm, 6pm to 9pm (Weekends & PH)

For details on Yum Cha Chinatown and Yum Cha Garden, please visit Yum Cha website.

Getting there: Take the MRT to Expo Station.  At the exit (facing Changi City Point), turn left.  Follow the walkway and turn right at the junction and walk towards UE Bizhub East.  The walk takes about 5 mins.

[Korean Culture] Korea's Black Day & Jjajangmyeon

It's simply the Korean's way to inject some fun into life.  Valentine's Day (14 Feb), where the ladies give chocolate to the guy they admire and anxiously await the guy's response on White Day (14 March).  If the guy is also interested in the lady, he will return a gift.

Now, what happens to those who are still single?  On Black Day (14 April), they get together, and supposed wear all black, and eat Jjajangmyeon or noodles with black bean sauce together with minced meat and onion!  They celebrate their singlehood on this day!  People who are single can be very happy too!

If you'd like to have some fun on this day, gather your friends who are single and have a jolly good time at local Korean restaurants!

Hansang Korean Restaurant is running a special promotion for Black Day from now until 20 April.  Details are available on their website.

[Singapore Bistro] Pezzo Pizza welcomes the GODZILLA Pizza and "Buy 2 Get 2 Free" Promotion

The first-ever GODZILLA pizza, specially created in conjunction with the movie is coming to Pezzo Pizza for a limited time from 11 April to 31 May 2014!

The GODZILLA pizza is thicker than the regular Pezzo pizza as it houses 30% more ingredients including beef balls, pepperoni, salami, beef sausages and turkey ham.  Even though it has more ingredients, the price remains the same at $4.90 per slice!

 

My current personal favourite is Very Veggie.  As the name already imply, this pizza contains lots of veggies including onions, mushrooms, green peppers, sweet pineapples and sliced tomatoes.  Very fibre-licious and each slice is huge (for me)!  Must try! 

 

If you prefer something that spices up your taste bud, try this Hot Chick!  The rather spicy shredded chicken with its special chilli sauce will satisfy your insatiable appetite.

Hawaiian pizza has always been a favourite with Singaporeans.  If you're like one of us, do check out the Holy Hawaiian that's filled with turkey ham, bacon, sweet pineapples topped with mozzarella cheese! 

With any pizza purchased, you can get a beverage combo by adding $2 to get an Italian soda or $1 to get a soft drink or mineral water.  Pezzo Pizza is available at 15 kiosks at Sentosa (HQ Office), The Arcade, Bedok Mall, Bugis Junction, Esplanade MRT Station, Ion Food Hall, Junction 8, JEM, Lot One Shopping Mall, Lucky Plaza, Marine Parade, Rivervale Mall, The Star Vista, Thomson Plaza, Tiong Bahru Plaza and Woodlands MRT Station.

Exclusive for JosLovesFood Readers

"Buy 2 Slices get 2 Slices FREE" when you say the secret code "PezzoPizza05" when you buy from these kiosks between 25 April to 31 May 2014:
- Esplanade MRT Station
- Marine Parade
- The Star Vista
- Thomson Plaza
- Bukit Panjang
- Junction 8

Exclusive GODZILLA Movie Promotion

1.  Redeem a pair of GODZILLA movie passes with every 3 full-pans purchased from 11 April to 31 May 2014

2.  Flash your GODZILLA movie ticket stub to redeem a standard Pezzo soft drink with every Pezzo Pizza slice purchased from 15 to 31 May 2014


Website: www.pezzo.com.sg
Facebook: PezzoPizzaSG

[Seoul, Korea] Spring Series: Spring Flowers at Youth and Fashion Paradise Street @ Sinchon

Big street and small lanes are filled with spring flowers as the weather started to warm up after the bitter spring.   The stretch of road along Sinchon was filled with pretty flowers too!

 



 

Sinchon is said to be the mecca for youths.  That's the area where major universities in Seoul are found eg. Ewha Women's University, Yonsei University.  This is also the place where you can get reasonably price and trendy fashion items.  It is a popular shopping place for the students and the locals.

The area is also populated with popular eateries and cafes.  If you need to replenish your stationery or getting interesting ones, this is the place to hunt for stationery!

Getting there:

Take the subway and alight at Sinchon Station and walk towards the direction of Ewha Women's University station.




Related Posts:
- Spring Series : Temple Tour @ Bongeunsa (Click here)
- Spring Series : N Seoul Tower at Namsan (Click here)
- Spring Series : Yeongdeungpo Yeouido Spring Flower Festival (Click here)

[Korean Celebrity] Thoughts about Yiruma Live In Singapore 2014

6 

Yiruma's concert finally arrive and it was gone in 2.5 hours.  It was a great evening to see one of my favourite pianists perform live on several popular tunes.  Besides being such a talented musician, he is really a down-to-earth person.  He was very frank and candid, sharing his personal life (his father, his summer vacations in Singapore in 1992, his daughter, his father-in-law) and inner feelings/thoughts (such as having stage fright, that that we didn't have to clap all the time, telling us that the last tune can be a non-final tune, telling us that he was already prepared for encore, and that there was so much focus on kpop that there was no avenue for him to perform on TV)  with the audience without any hesitation. 

Before this concert, I didn't know much about him except his beautiful music.  Tonight, not only did he deliver the same beautiful music but also his beautiful character.  Moments where he said if someone is feeling down, the person can listen to "I", moments where he really want people to feel happy, moments where he didn't mind people downloading his music illegally and that he was glad to see people perform his music/compositions. 

He was awed by the audience turnout and we were awed by his talent; spontaneity through his impromptu composition with an audience.  I was moved by his music, the gentle and soft landing on the piano keys and the accents on the beats.  Genius indeed!

I wish him all the best and hope to see him soon again! 

[Seoul, Korea] Spring Series: Temple Tour @ Bongeunsa

Bongeunsa is one of the largest urban Buddhist temple located in the southern part of the Han River.  The temple was founded in 794 during the Shilla period.  To-date, this temple has more than 1,200 years of history.

The signature statue is one that can be found in many tourist guidebooks.  Standing at 23m tall, the Maitreya Buddha statue is the tallest Buddha statue in Korea.

Pretty spring flowers, pink and white, fills the temple compound.  The Lotus Lantern Festival is an annual event held on the 8th day of the 4th lunar month (in Korea), in honour of the Buddha's birth.  Buddhist temples are decorated with colourful lotus-shaped paper lanterns for a few weeks.

Daewoongjeon is the main Buddha hall in Buddhist temples, enshrining the Shakyamuni Buddha.  Daewoong means the great hero, who had brought the teachings to us in this lifetime.

Bodhisattva of compassion, or Gwaneum is located on a standalone stone platform connect by a short bridge.

A cosy café cum souvenir shop is located near the main entrance of the temple.  You can also get sutra text just like the one I got!

Getting there:

Take Exit 6 from Samseong station.  Walk along the super mega COEX Mall for about 13 minutes.  Cross the junction at Bongeunsa-ro and at the opposite side of the junction, turn left and you will arrive shortly.