Rounding up 2010

Wow, 2010 has almost come to an end and though Yuan and I have not been deliberately hunting for desserts, I would say this has been a sweet 2010.

For all who have been following our blog, one of our major happenings in 2010 is to get ourselves a house and nothing beats having a personal space to experiment our cooking and baking. Have to say that we are addicted to working in the kitchen.

One of the sweetest things that happened this year was to be able to host both my family and Yuan's family at our place for a post-Christmas celebration.


Roasted pork belly, a dish that my dad has been preparing for all major occasions and this time, I have followed through the entire process to make sure I am able to prepare this for Chinese New Year 2011. If you see a post on Roasted Pork Belly soon, it means I have mastered it. If there is no post, the answer is obvious.


Baked Salmon with Parmesan and Parsley Crust, the dish Yuan has attempted on my birthday. The difference between his previous attempt and this was that the salmon was baked skin up and that real chopped garlic was used instead of garlic salt. Comparing this with the $79.90 Salmon De Wellington we have ordered previously from Cold Storage, this is definitely a meatier and worthwhile dish to prepare, since 800gm of fresh Norway Salmon from Fairprice costs about $20.


Hilton Singapore made it to my 2010 must-visit hotel for buffet, roast and pastries. After trying the hotel's Sunday Brunch and the roasts served at the Christmas media event, we have decided to order a Roasted Leg of Lamb ($170+, with 15% UOB discount). Tender despite reheating thrice with no "gamey" smell, perfect with the accompanying red wine sauce.


I couldn't resist not ordering a log cake from Hilton, considering how good the log cakes were at the Christmas Media Event. Since lunch was going to be heavy, we have decided to order a non-chocolate and non-cheese log cake.


Orchard easily made it to our favourite log cake of 2010 for the splendid use of slow-baked apples, caramel nuggets and vanilla calvados mousse. On top of that, Chef Christophe skilfully covered the log cake with sheets of white chocolate and sit the entire log cake on a crisp biscuit with bursting flavours of slow-baked butter and caramelized apples.


Apart from the delicious log cake, who can resist not ordering a tiramisu that is shaped like a Christmas bauble.

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Rounding up 2010, there are several new appearances when desserts are concerned, namely
1. Kki, where Kenneth presents his concoction of light flavours, both visual and palette pleasing.
2. Jewels Artisan Chocolates, presenting our nation's first chocolatier, Chef Chui Foong who brings about an array of chocolate treats with special mention of her chocolate mousse and chocolate slush.
3. Not forgetting the new icon, the Marina Bay Sands, that houses Daris and Sweetspot.
4. Flor Patissierie, where Chef Yamashita continues to bring about premium Japanese pastries
5. Room with a View, a place where carrot cake lovers would not want to miss
6. Wheat Baumkuchen, a local twist to the classic tree cake

Not forgetting our 10 buffet posts for 2010, highlighting our 3 visits to Triple 3; and visits to Checkers Brasserie, MELT - the world cafe -, Saltwater Cafe, Cafe 2000 and the Chocolate Bar.

LAst but not least, may everybody has a wonderful New Year countdown and Happy New Year to all my fellow readers. Cheers!