Impossible is the (vegan) Burger

I'm no vegetarian.

I'm no vegan.

But when I saw that there was this IMPOSSIBLE Burger at Swensen's, I wanted to try.

Because it is fascinating, is it not, that there be a patty which looks like meat, feels like meat, and even tastes like meat, but is 100% plant based and actually contains zero meat at all.

It has been highly advertised- this one- alongside friendly rival BEYOND, and the last I hear, IMPOSSIBLE and BEYOND have hit their supposed financial targets for the year.

This is meant to be the next new thing in food, and should it not be, I wonder, given that we all have our own dietery preferences, and with this, there's no more an issue of a vegan eating out with a keto at a burger place (albeit different orders) with both enjoying their friendship, and the meal, at the same time.

Same goes for the kosher who can't have meat and dairy mixed together. With the IMPOSSIBLE, they can *finally* have a cheeseburger without having to explain the kosher thing away. (I guess someone realllly wanted to have that friggin' slice of grilled cheese in his burger)

It would have sounded fanatical at one time, but looking at the picture above, well, the impossible has become possible, what with the patty sandwiched comfortably between two burger buns served with fries and lettuce salad on the side.

Out of all the sauces up for one's choosing, I chose the garlic aioli because it sounded interesting, I thought it would complement the patty, and was the least likely sauce to overwhelm the taste.

I reallly wanted to taste the patty.

So, what shall we say then of the IMPOSSIBLE?

In terms of texture, shall I say that the texture was good, that it had the roundedness which typifies most medium-rare meat patties and that if I were eating it blind, based on texture alone, I wouldn't be able to tell that it was completely plant-based at all?

Taste, however, makes for a differentiating factor between the IMPOSSIBLE and the meat-based. How does one say it? No, it isn't that you can taste the veggies.

It is that you can taste nothing at all.

Really.

No taste.

No lingering taste either.

Nothing.

Maybe I'm biased.

But for a moment I thought that it would be a little like a tofu burger where because you can (still) taste the soya bean through the heap of sauce, so you know you've had a tofu patty long after you've finished your meal.

And then I thought there might have been a bit of veggie taste. A carrot. An auberigine. Or even a bit of potato. Something, you know, that would declare it as plant-based.

But no, nothing.

You basically chewed through the juicy, familiar texture, tasted a flavor of which I couldn't decipher what, swallowed it down, and that was it. Nothing stayed. Nothing lingered. Except maybe for the sauce of garlic aioli and the dairy from the very good cheese.

I would have liked to taste more of the patty itself, but perhaps that was how it was planned to be.


Because vegans and keto don't always agree, and so if meat patties remind your palate with the heavy aftertaste of well-grilled fat and meat long after, then veggie patties are meant to leave you with no reminders at all.  

Sakunthala's Dinner

 

 

Within the heritage district that we call Little India lie restaurants that specialize in (of course) Indian cuisine. I don't know all of them- I can't really discern which is which- and all I can recognize are the famous ones. Besides Muthu's Curry and some others on Race Course Road, there's the 100% vegetarian like Ananda Bhavan and Komala's, and the mixed ones like Minora and Sakunthala which serve part vegetarian, part non-vegetarian.

I can take vegetarian- especially that spicy cauliflower dish that doesn't look like cauliflower- and my palate does seem to prefer the Indian way to vegetables, thank you very much, but I like the meat options in Indian cuisine just as well, and so when I can- depending on whom I'm eating with- it is to the non-vegetarian selections I go.

This here is Sakunthala.

They've got several outlets scattered over the entire Little India vicinity , but this here is the one closest to Mustafa. The decor reminds one of a casual diner, methinks, with its white lights, modern style furniture, easy-to-shift tables, speed serving, and seating arrangements for one, two, four, or eight.

We have our regular orders- my dining companion and I. Most of the time we get mutton briyani which we then share, because here they do large portions where the mutton pieces are huge, there's a hard boiled egg, there's preserved chili vegetables, a scoop of yogurt, papadums, and a mountain of basmati rice.

Today, however, we decided on butter chicken that had chunks of chicken bobbing about inside the thick, rich, vermillion-colored gravy. And, instead of briyani (no pappadums!) we decided on mutton naan which came served to us triangle-shaped arranged prettily in a cute basket, and which I like to think of as crepes stuffed with crispy little mutton bits slightly burnt.  

And because this is a good place for masala tea so, I had a cup of very, very sweet; very, very thick hot masala tea. 

More of Nakhon Kitchen

So the last time I wrote about Nakhon Kitchen was of the food I had at the Vivocity outlet.

These here are from the Tampines outlet that I ate at on one of the evenings when I happened to be there.

It is a popular outlet, this particular one, with long queues forming as soon as the dinner hour comes, and no wonder too, because their dishes are tasty, affordable, and pretty delish as far as the Thai street food goes.

Steamed fish (and its varieties) seems to be a favorite amongst diners here- it is not uncommon to see each table have one- and they do it really well- but me being me, I like my own more.

Green curry is a dish I tend to order at most Thai places I go, so yes, that's usually on the table here. Different places prepare it differently however, so whilst some might make it more soupy, here Nakhon Kitchen makes it like a thick broth that hints of more sweet than savory.

Fish maw soup and egg omelet are another two of my frequent orders here. The egg omelet, whilst not (as) unusual as some might see it, does have fairly large prawns tucked within the fluffy omelet prepared double-side style, and the fish maw soup is, well, thick, filled with cute little pieces of fish maw swimming everywhere, is comforting to the palate, and warms up the soul at the beginning of a nice, quiet night.  

birthday Weekend

 

 

If you see that the birthday weekend was all about food, well, you're right. Special occasions are the occasion that I get to s***w discipline, forget the (usual) diet, and freely, randomly indulge in whatever I want to indulge in.

 

It is very liberating, I tell you.

 

I'm told we don't need the excuse of birthdays when we have cheat days- but, see,  I don't do cheat days. It's okay if you do- I just prefer to incorporate my diet into a lifestyle and so I don't have cheat days.

 

I have cheat moments.

 

And a birthday is filled with many of such moments.

 

Two places in particular I headed to on that weekend.

 

One was Harborfront. I wanted to see some water, some trees, the sunset and the cable car. I also wanted to visit Vivo- one of my all-time favorite malls for the simple reason that it's got a really fun vibe- and which I wish I could more frequently go. :) Funny thing is, I don't remember which stores in the mall I went to. NTUC maybe (I can't seem to roll Fairprice off my tongue), the fast fashion stores definitely, and very likely, VS and Bath and Body Works too.

 

Dinner was over at the Harborfront side, at this little sushi place whose name I don't know, but which sits right in front of Starbucks amidst other smaller eateries that now fill up the once-empty space of the mall.

 

There was salmon.

 

Roasted salmon sushi, roasted salmon belly sushi, roasted salmon belly with mentaiko sushi, salmon sashimi over a roll of softshell crab and cucumber, salmon sashimi on a bed of ice.... :)

 

And it was good.

 

After dinner there surfaced a debate about the cake.

 

My companion wanted to buy a cake complete with candle and all, and admittedly although I've always wanted one of those medium-sized birthday cakes that look so pretty, it is (still) too large a portion for me alone to consume over several days, and so after a bit of sighing at some of the pretty cakes in the counter, we decided on individually packed chocolate mousse squares that could keep, and I could happily eat at will.

 

Into Holland V we dropped in the day after because I was looking for a particular egg tart that was available at a bakery over there. See, someone had gifted me an egg tart a while back that was soooo good I wanted to eat it again and because the gifter couldn't remember from which bakery it'd come from except that "it is in Holland V", so to this enclave we went. 

 

And now I can tell you that said glorious egg tart with the most buttery crust ever is at Tai Cheong Bakery.

 

Yes, part of my birthday weekend was spent roaming the entire Village for that one single tart.

 

That's my life.

 

I'm cool with it.

 

After all there're memories in Holland V in the form of a large Pooh Pooh helium balloon that my companion bought from here as a gift to me on a birthday a long time ago.

 

The shop, I think, is still there.

 

So is Foster's- the cafe that we ate at all those years ago.

 

But that evening we didn't go there.

 

Because I wanted zichar.

 

And so we went to the nearest place for zichar- a nearby coffee shop on Holland Drive under a block of four-storeyed flats near the Buona Vista Bus Interchange where we shared fried yee mian (for longevity and all plus it was unusual) and a plate of salted egg popcorn chicken that was as salted egg yolk as it should be.

Nana's Thai @ Far East

 

 

 

There're only two places along this side near Orchard Road I know of that offer Thai at affordable prices. Not counting the restaurants, and the food court, one will have to make their way to either Orchard Towers, or Far East Plaza.

 

I've eaten at Orchard Towers (they're the only place selling decent food that remain open after 9pm).

 

But I tend to go to this place called Nana's at Far East Plaza more.

 

The cafe at Basement Level is easy to find, homely, comfortable and reminds one of the casual eateries back in their native home.

 

The menu here has the regular offerings- nothing too fanciful, nothing too elaborate- just heartwarming and filling. You have the usual salads, the soups, the green curry, the red curry, the main dishes of vegetables and meat, the rice, the noodles, and of course, desserts and drinks.

 

I've had the phad thai here.

 

I've had the green curry here.

 

But what I love, and what I usually go for, is the tom kha, or the clear coconut soup with chicken. At Nana's they serve it in a claypot, complete with little flame beneath. The soup is thick, clean-tasting, sweet to the taste, served with a hearty bunch of vegetables, including mushrooms, and plenty of tender chicken pieces that actually taste better the longer they remain simmering in the soup.

 

I'm not exaggerating when I say I really, really love the soup. There's tom kha elsewhere, I know, but the sweetness of the coconut, the thickness of the soup, and the quantity of chicken really do make for a nice, comforting meal that warms the heart.

 

And the chicken is so good that I don't even need to eat it with sauce. Just the meat, some lettuce, the mushrooms, a spoonful of rice, and it will do.

 

The other dish that we often order is the braised pork leg, or otherwise the trotter, which, by the time it comes to the table, is really just a chunk of very tender meat served with rice and one half of a hard boiled egg. 

 

I usually get the egg and I ladle soup all over the yolk.

 

On occasion, however, we order more dishes, like on this particular time  that we were here where we ordered a prawn omelet (just to try), and so I got the addition of a nice, fluffy omelet prepared Thai style that day.

Lavender and a Launch

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A year's (more or less) worth of sharing, and sharing, and sharing about the brand of SkinCalories and her range of products finally culminated in a media launch held at Bar Rouge on a cool, cloudy day in end November. 

 

Soaring seventy floors into the sky, the view was nothing short of magnificent, the mood was pleasant, there were canapes and drinks all round, and the carefully-planned program introduced the element of chic, runway glamor into fitness, wellness and lifestyle.

 

The message was an unorthodox, if not, deliberate one.

 

See, if SkinCalories is a brand that chooses innovation to be one of her core philosophies, then creative out-of-the-box messaging at her launch was definitely on the cards.

 

Few and far between are the brands that choose to portray organic skincare and wellness alongside beauty and glamor. Very often consumers get either one, or the other. If you have a brand that is organic, then it heads towards the feel-good, free, pure, wholesome, earth-loving route. If you have a brand that is beauty-focused, then the message leans towards the bold, confident, glamorous, high-heeled route. Both routes don't usually mix. 

 

At least not that Management had seen.

 

And so  right on the dot, it began with the announcement of the brand and its signature product the facial mist from Host MEDIACORP CLASS95FM DJ Jean Danker. (Radio Management insisted we put the entire description down and a few weeks past now, I don't know whether I've gotten it right or otherwise)

 

There was the description of the brand philosophy. the brand story, as well as a short, quick introduction of the brand's digital ambassador Magda whose image, by the way, was on the screen right above and on the backdrop mounted against the safety railing along one of the windows- which, one must note, was never intended to be placed at that spot, and had it not been for a height miscalculation, would have been on the backdrop wall (with better lighting for IG!) closer to where the audience was. 

 

But as all events go, everything and anything that can go wrong will go wrong, and so it is really up to one's creativity to recalibrate and modify.

 

Fortunately the SkinCal Team is one trio that pivots through issues swiftly and easily, and we do what we can do that has to be done- and we're unembarrassed about it. Stuff happens. It is how you resolve it, sometimes even on the fly.

 

So, in the same way, although none of us had reference to our presentation slides- no thanks to the fact that the screen could only show video- we skipped through the entire presentation with hastily scribbled points, a bit of memory work, some sort of extended elaboration, and a bright (if not nervous) smile.

 

Fingers crossed the audience got the necessary information, like what the current plans of the company were, what the future plans of the company were, who the international partners were, as well as who the distributors involved were. Hopefully too, they understood what the entertainment marketing platform utilized by the brand was (this topic seems to baffle many a listener), and the technology involved in supporting the augmented reality component of the brand.  

 

What with all this last-minute pivoting, it was quite a relief that the glamor part of the launch went pretty smooth. The music blasted through the club's speakers, the models sashayed down the stairs, bottle of facial mist in hand, and, in simple terms, with their strong walk, their modelesque poses, their sleek hair and their make up, established the organic, lavender-scented signature product of SkinCalories worthy for the fashion runway.

 

Besides the fact that backstage there were five models and only three half-filled bottles to go around. ;)

 

But hey, no one knew.

 

Until now, that is.

 

Because now is the time to make it clear that SkinCalories and Skins Festival are brands to be reckoned with. Not only the brand itself, not only the products themselves, but also the technology involved, as well as the entertainment marketing platform. If you think this  technology and the whole 5G business is irrelevant to retail and branding and marketing, then it might be time to do a re-think. In the same way if you think that the skincare products aren't that significant, then you'll be sorely mistaken. Nothing in these brands is frivolous.

 

Not even the entertainment marketing technique which many traditional branding agencies and even marketing experts perceive it to be. 

 

This may be a startup, yes, and we may not be the bestest of the best when it comes to certain elements, but we know our s***, we'll only get better on the by and by, and trust me, this is a startup with a sense of direction, and the business of it will not be going away anytime soon.

the Elder at the Zoo

Anyone who tells you that they're not excited at the thought of going to a zoo is likely hiding their unbridled excitement under a seemingly cool veneer.

 

I know- because if a scheduled excursion to the local zoo can excite a semi-ambulant seventy-year old uncle three weeks prior- it can excite just about anyone else.

 

Mind, this is one uncle who is Asian, who has worked throughout most of his life in a variety of jobs, and who used to eschew entertainment and fun, frivolous stuff for the practicalities of life. 

 

And yet when he was successfully selected to go on the excursion, he was thrilled enough to tell the nursing staff at the home he resides in that he wanted to see the elephants, and made sure he charged his phone just in case he wanted to take pictures.

 

It is heartwarming to witness the excitement a person has for such an opportunity.

 

Early he got up, early he showered, and when the team (including myself) trooped in, he was already at the table finishing up his breakfast of pau.

 

Part of the excitement included the journey to the zoo, of course, and he was all hyped up by the time we got there. It didn't matter that there was a program he had to adhere to. Neither did it matter that there was some sort of longish path he had to walk along before finally reaching the amphitheatre where there was an animal show.

 

Seeing the sealion (there was only one!), the birds (two, three?), the macaque (or some other animal which was from Madagascar) and the doggies were enough. I don't know which of the creatures he liked more- he couldn't say- but I'd think the sealion- with its splashes and sploshes and throaty bark- particularly caught his attention.

 

After all, how frequent is it that we get to see a sealion?

 

The zoo is a huge place.

 

And (as I soon discovered), it isn't flat terrain either. For the ambulant it means is that you get a brisk walk in the hot sun. For the semi-ambulant, it means you get an exhausting walk in the hot sun. And if you're non-ambulant or are using a wheelchair, it means that you get to trundle over planks and tar-paved roads with the sun high above your head whilst your companion gets a solid upper-lower body workout pushing you. 

 

Said uncle was on a wheelchair- thank goodness- he would have been grumpy and tired otherwise and the entire excursion would have become less fun.

 

As it went, there was a little game activity of sorts where he won himself two badges, and then after that, it was off to the enclosures.

 

There was the alligator in his habitat with his snout just above the murky green water. There was the hippo with his/her large butt turned towards the visitors. There were the tortoises stretched out on a branch three in a row, and there were the monkeys who were busy humping in full view. In one enclosure there was this particular species of pig- which I now don't really remember if they were tapirs or some breed of mountain pig, and then there was the Siberian white tiger who, if I may say, decided to be very unmajestic today, lying lazily on his side in his enclosure and throwing us excited visitors his most bored facial expression.

We hopped across to some of the other enclosures after that, making a special trip, of course, to see the elephants.

For those who know, the enclosure is really quite a large one. There are two entrances, all of which lead to the same seating platform section where you can watch them roam about in their outdoor space. Not knowing which direction best to take, we simply went along one route, dodged an oncoming pram, and for a moment there actually got lost. But eventually we got the prime spot right in front of the performance area- which would have been marvellous- except that the show ended ten minutes ago and so we were left with only the sight of the keeper bringing two adult elephants and one baby elephant back to their private enclosure.

Still, it didn't disappoint the uncle too much- he was quite happy just to catch sight of them and their flapping ears. Whether or not he took a picture, I can't tell- maybe he did, maybe he didn't- but I'm glad we got to see the elephants, and I'm pretty sure, so did he.  

When it will be that he'll get to have an excursion like this again, honestly, I don't know, but I hope he will. After all, if greenery, fresh air, animals, and general fun is healing to us, imagine how restorative it is, then, to them.

Day of The Parent

We hung out, The Parent and I, around the 'hood at a (very fantastic) hour for a birthday celebration that weeks prior we'd already agreed upon, and already arranged.

 

And so off we went to the food court space near the community centre for Small-Bowl-Noodles and wanton mee because The Parent had eaten from this particular stall several times before and felt that the noodles were exceptionally good.

 

The Parent was right.

 

Some of us will say that it really isn't that big a deal to have such a (commonplace) meal, but when it is just the two of you in the sprawling space at that hour of quiet, having one big pot of soup laden with pork slices, meat balls, crab meat sticks, lettuce, fish balls, bak chor, and egg served steaming hot still over a little flame can be a very heartwarming affair. And then we had a large bowl of mee pok served dry with no chili each, and I'm telling you, that bowl of noodles on a quiet night is a memory to withhold.
We didn't even have just the noodles alone.

It being a birthday meal we didn't stop at just one bowl of noodles. We had prepared an additional order of half spring chicken and fries dipped in chili sauce. (Chicken and duck both roasted and fried are also family favorites, by the way) I think we split the meat and the skin half half. I'm glad to say that the chicken was pretty good- despite us having bought it an hour beforehand, and saving it for the last. :D

It was cool (literally) to stroll through the silence of the hour amidst a fantastic seasonal wind that had come early in the year.  

We must have walked for a good half hour, traversing the distance between the community centre, a couple of coffee shops, past the fence of the boys' school, and through the blocks all the way until we reached another side of the 'hood.

It was just as quiet here- the entire 'hood tends to be silent at such hours- and we made our way to the only place where the lights were on and where there were others besides ourselves.

The bus interchange.

Where we had a cup of coffee each (because I love it), a bit of kueh and noodles (because The Parent knows I like noodles) and where, may I say, at its canteen one might find a cup extremely good, extremely affordable kopi.  

a birthday at Home

 

 A few months it has been since the birthday passed, and although Christmas has also passed but 15 days, the joy of having had a celebration at home remains.

We are a Family that appreciates the little things in life.

Sure, we can do big and extravagant, but we like to lean towards the comfortable- and we do comfortable no matter how big or small we choose it to be.

It was a lovely, home-cooked, home-prepared meal for the celebration this year, and can I say that I am so thankful for it? I have, and always will be of the opinion, that a lovely meal does not need to be overly dramatic nor gastronomic, but it has to be with wonderful company and better yet, bring warmth to the heart. Nothing delights me as much as being able to sit around the dining table at home with loved ones and share a meal.

That's what families do.

That's what we do.

Whether it be bowls of red bean and peanut tang yuan for the Winter Solistice, whether it be zichar that The Parent went downstairs to tapao up, whether it be the char siew paus that we bought frozen from the supermarket and threw into the rice cooker, and whether it be pancakes that we whisked the battar ourselves and then afterward cooked in the frying pan.

That's a meal.

And so today there was a tiffin of prawn soup noodles prepared the way I love it (I have a particular method of preparation) with cuttlefish balls and lettuce and fish balls and fish cake and a bit of sausage. And in true Chinese tradition, the entire tiffin was entirely for me . 

There were little plates of some sort of stewed clams, more cuttlefish balls, cherry tomatoes, fruit, eggs, meat patties and siew mais, which are also another favorite of mine and therefore appear on the table at nearly every celebratory meal. 

No one wanted cream cakes or mousse cakes or anything too rich this year, so it was a whole coffee sponge cake that we bought and then decided to self-decorate with some kind of saved gold foil for the sake of the camera. I have to admit it was pretty good an idea!

And of course, being the attitude of The Parents ever since a couple of years ago, they granted me a most adorable gift.

Chupa Chups Lollipops.

Because they'd been seeing me stressed up  and tired out and troubled and thought pretty, vibrant colors, plus a bit of sugar, would help me get through the days.

a Christmas Lunch

 

Are we still within the Twelve Days of Christmas?

 

I haven't counted.

 

But, given the estimate that Christmas is on the 25th and we're into the first week of 2020, I guess we're nearing the end of the Christmas season.

 

And then comes the wait throughout the entire year.

 

Thankfully, Christmas to me is both seasonal and year round. It is seasonal because there're some facets of Christmas that only take place when the season rolls around. There are no Christmas trees in hotel lobbies and there are no log cakes in bakeries during the months of May and September. Neither are there Christmas carols played over the in-store system during the month of June.

 

But Christmas can also be year-round.

 

We simply don't dismantle the office Christmas tree.

 

I haven't posted the pictures I snapped of the Christmas trees whilst wandering around the Downtown Core.

 

Neither have I posted the pictures of the dinner or that of our office tree.

 

Which makes seeing these pictures of the Christmas meal I had at home with The Parents a pleasant memory to behold.

 

It doesn't matter to us that we don't do the full-course meals like we used to do. Neither does it matter to me that we've simplified it so much and gone so casual with the celebratory meal that everything and anything goes AS LONG AS we have the Christmas tree, the Christmas carols playing on the side, and the Christmas decor with all its bling.

 

Maybe one day we'll bring back the smoked salmon and the tub of ice cream and the fruit cocktail, but for this meal, I was glad for the cherry tomatoes and the siew mais- because I have a special love for siew mais and I don't eat this particular brand from NTUC very often except during celebrations. In the same way I was glad for the specially-prepared tiffin of noodles, the selection of meats on the table, and the newly bought jar of mayonnaise which we ate with most of the dishes on the table.

 

It needs no explanation.

 

Other than the fact that The Parents recently discovered the magic of mayo with everything and anything Asian and Western.

 

So there we go.

 

There were Christmas elements, of course.

 

Like the Universal Studios Singapore mug that contained all the glittery, glimmery, shiny decor that we've collected over the years.

 

Like the Christmas carols by The Celtic Women whose CD I'd bought over a decade ago and which never fails to bring me into the spirit of Christmas both spiritual and secular.

 

And like the Christmas stump cake that had been planned and specially bought because it came in two flavors and complete individual portions which was exactly what we wanted.

 

I'm very particular about the annual Christmas cake, and this is one of the cakes that I will rave about. See, there's just The Family and there not being very many of us, a full sized log cake is nice, but dear me, just too much. And me being me, I like the cake to look complete rather than a slice here and a slice there.

 

Yes, the sense of ownership (this is MY cake!) holds importance in The Family. :)

 

So this year there were three. Two of chocolate. One of vanilla. It was a lovely delight for all of us to have our own cake, swop around the decor, exchange the cake around, and be able to spoon the cream off each other's cake.

 

I don't know much about baking, but the texture of the cream was just right, the sponge was good (not too fluffy) and the cream (buttercream?) inside was a perfect balance with the sponge. We ate the little chocolate slices. We ate the chocolate pine cones (okay, I got all of them) and we kept all the decor.

 

Yup, all.

 

Even the stickers from each plastic box cover we cautiously peeled out and stuck it on a note paper- because that's who we are as a Family- and above all we do, we value memories and what they hold.