Marché

photo:credits to elder sister

We couldn't wait to tuck in!

This is my second post on this Swiss restaurant.

In my recent visit to Marché with my sisters, i discovered some hidden gems in the restaurant!

Photo and caption:credits to my younger sis ;)
Roasted pumpkin, alfafa sprouts, feta cheese, olives, red cabbage, lettuce, kidney beans, new potatoes, cheesy cauliflowers, pickled zucchini, mashed potatoes, a variety of bell peppers = a smashin' plate of delish salad(large size)


At the salad station, you can select the salad plate size(small,medium and large). After getting the salad plate of the size you desire, you get the freedom to choose from a wide variety of fresh ingredients lined up at the station.
The buffet style enable customers to choose as large portion as they prefer, as long as it fits the plate( hurray!  hehehe) My sisters and I literally strategised on how we can fill the plate, ensuring all empty spaces are filled. No, we are not greedy people, just very hungry.  

Savoury crepes with mushroom and vegetable fillings(photo: credits to elder sister)
This dish comes with a cream sauce which is to die for!
The skin of the crepe is soft and tender, and tastes amazingly delicious. One downside of this dish is that the fillings may be a tad too salty for some. Nonetheless, overall a tasty dish!
I will definitely order this again on my next visit.

VivoCity
1 Harbourfront Walk
#03-14 Singapore 098585
Tel: +65 6376 8226

Fuss-free omelette-potato-veg lunch

Now, let me introduce my unique fuss-free omelette-potato-veg meal! 

1)beat the eggs thoroughly
2)**this step is important to yummitize the omelette instantly
season the fresh mushroom with sesame oil, soy sauce, and brown sugar.
trust me, the end result is incredible.
3) in the mean time, steam sliced potato and local cai xin( you can choose to stir fry Cai xin with sliced ginger, but I love steamed cai xin with soy sauce-convenient and yummy)

pan-fry your omelette
add a tad of salt and pepper to taste

superbly yummy.
I have no idea why my omelette always ends up in chunky bits.
According to my mum, I have to add much more oil to achieve a perfect  piece of smooth omelette.
But I think what I really need is a new non-stick pan.

A perfect lunch that comprise of  steamed baby granula potato topped with cheddar cheese, fresh mushroom omelette, and local Cai Xin(one of my favourite veg)
So easy to prepare, yet delicious and healthy!
Sorry for the blur picture, I am using my old camera as my current camera has been acting way too funny.

Herbivore Vegetarian Restaurant

Herbivore is a Western and Japanese vegetarian restaurant located at the Bugis area. This restaurant was opened by the owner of Zen vegetarian restaurant. Not too long ago, I patronised Zen, a Japanese vegetarian restaurant. The menu is highly similar to that of Herbivore, only excluding the Western cuisine. Thus, I was eager to find out which restaurant fared better in terms of quality and value of the food. But what I really like about both restaurants is that a large majority( if not all) of the mock 'meat' in all of their dishes are made by the chef himself.

I accidentally deleted the photos of the dishes from my first visit, so I am not able to include them in this post.  On my my previous visit to this restaurant, I sampled one of their Western dishes, their chicken cheese burger, which definitely left a good impression on me. But this time, I decided to try out their Japanese dishes.




The interior of this restaurant.

 


Curry Udon $12
Before, I haven't heard of a curry udon. I love curry, but it was hard to imagine what it would taste like with udon.
Suprisingly, it is a fantastic combination. The rich and flavourful curry paired well with the springy udon. This dish also comes with potatoes, mock chicken, and carrots  I love the taste of the small chunks of mock chicken, and it really made me intrigued to find out how to make them from scratch! 
8/10


 

Unagi Don set $18
This set meal comes with miso soup, radish and sea weed salad, mash potato, as well as peach pudding. A rather large portion, and hence, quite value for money.
Initially, I was eager and excited to try out this set, as the one I tried at Zen was excellent. However, much to my disappointment, the Unagi Don set meal was not quite satisfying, and not up to the standard. The sister outlet of Herbivore, Zen, undeniably serves better Unagi Don set, and of better quality.  The rice served was a litle undercooked, and the unagi( 'eel') was hard. I figured that the Unagi is made with different ingredients as it tastes distinctively different from Zen's. 
5/10 


 

Tempura Hiyashi Udon $18
Not a bad choice if you would like to satisfy your craving for something hot and soupy . .
However, this set may be a little boring for an adventurous eater. But I love the taste of the beautifully fried tempura when they are dipped into the sauce. 


 

Unagi Maki $14
Each maki has avocado,cucumber and mock meat wrapped together by an Unagi.
An awesome combination! Although I would very much prefer the Unagi from its sister's oulet.
7/10




Teriyaki chicken don set $16
I heaved a sigh of relief when this set finally arrived.
Not because of how good the food looked, but due to the fact that I had waited more than 30 minutes for this set to arrive as they completely overlooked my order .
But the wait was worthwhile. The traditional japanese rice was well-cooked as compared to the previous Unagi set. It was sticky and firm, and had an alluring aroma. The teriyaki chicken was sweet and crispy, just the way I like it to be! 
8/10 




 

Herbivore Japanese & Western Vegetarian Restaurant
Location: 190 Middle Rd, Fortune Centre, #01-13/14
Contact: 63331612
Opening Hours: Daily 10am-11pm

GOOD NEWS: Herbivore is offering 30% discount from now till end of October!

 Let me digress a little here.

Fresh from the Salon!

Before realising what i was doing, more then half of my hair was gone. =x

okayz, let me end this post with my furry lil best friend!

Tigger staring mid air.

:)

xo

Tofu egg scramble & potato salad

Recently, I have been really thrifty- I try not to eat out often and bring home-packed lunch boxes to work every single day. This is due to the fact that I am saving up to fulfill my mission to try out all sorts of vegetarian delicacies around Singapore.( Sadly, I no longer receive allowance from my parents)
Yes, vegetarian food is getting pricy. I overheard someone exclaiming "Why would I want to pay for a bunch of vegetables" outside a vegetarian restaurant lately. Hm, I guess he would rather pay to have animals killed.

Anyway, let me share with you what I've made lately that I think is post-worthy.

Tofu & egg scramble

I placed silken chinese tofu on a cloth to absorb the water

Getting the ingredients ready!
(I ended up using 4 eggs)

YUMMERZ

Ingredients:(2 servings)
- 4 eggs
-extra virgin olive oil
-A packet of crumbled chinese tofu
-3 tomatoes
-3 sticks of celery
-1/2 carrot(diced)
-grounded pepper

Method:
-whisk the eggs in a bowl, add in salt and pepper
-add 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil into non-stick pan over medium heat
-add tofu into the non-stick pan(crumbling it as you do so), stir-fry until all water absorbed.
-add eggs and stir-fry for 20-30 sec, then carrots and celery
-stir-fry for another 30sec, then serve immediately.

what can I say other then yum yum yum!

I completed the Tofu egg scramble with canned campbell wild mushroom soup!
(It would have been perfect if I made fresh mushroom soup instead, but..I was too lazy!)

Potato salad! 

I love making potato salad. It is hassle-free, healthy, and a perfect side-dish or quick fix for tea-break. I used to take forever to make them, but I found out a short cut! That is to make full use of the rice cooker AND cook the CUBED potatoes as the whole peeled potatoes will take forever to be cooked.

There it is! Cubed potatoes topped with sliced cheddar cheese.
Place this into the rice cooker!

After you are done with the potatoes, you can choose whether or not to  cook your  celery and carrots or have them raw!

Potato salad with celery and carrots, with roasted almonds and raisins as its topping!
 The salad dressing is optional.
For this dish, I mixed in half-spoonful of thousand island sauce and mayonese as well as pepper to taste. After mixing, add in roasted almonds and raisins.
Perfect! :)

I had the salad with a yummy bowl of red bean soup!

Ahh, a filling meal without having to feel all bloated up. :)

I'll end this post with my lovely cat who refused to face the camera.
Tigger heard someone at the door! :)

spinach and green pea pasta

Somebody please tell me why do I always come up with the idea to whip up something nice for my family whenever the fridge is close to empty. 

Argh, so frustrating! 

 As today marks the end of the week, the fridge has almost nothing left already.(my family buys groceries once a week, every Tues ><) So I was left with not much choices, but to rake my brains over what to cook. After digging through the fridge( actually just visually sweeping through), I didn't take too long to come up with a conclusion- spinach and green pea pasta! 

Ta da~!

 I have to introduce this mock meat. It is made from soya bean product and mushroom. I don't normally favour mock meat, as they usually taste wierd and preserved food are never healthy. But this one Ive tried is amazingly tasty and addictive! Also, it never fails to spruce up any kind of dishes, fried or boiled. You can purchase this from any Giant supermarket! 

This is how the mock meat look like straight from the freezer!
For this dish, I minced 5 of them and left 8 meat balls as it is.
 

The ingredients!!

 

All ready, and served hot!
I left sauce at the bottom which is impossible to be captured by my camera!

ingredients

-approx 6 cups of fresh spinach (trimmed)

- 1 cup of frozen peas

- approx 5 cups of penne

-2 tb spoon of olive oil

-3 ribs of celery

-1 cup of diced roasted almonds(peeled)

-1 cup crumbled cheese

-1/2 cup minced mock meat and 1 cup mock meat

- Vegetarian Chilli paste

Method:

-Cook penne to al dente and keep warm.

-Add 2 tb spoon of olive oil to sauce pan, followed by the minced mock meat and peas-stir fry. 

-Add 2 cups of boiled water, followed by the meat balls and spinach

-Then toss in pepper and salt to taste, followed by a tb spoon of vegetarian chilli paste. 

- Turn the heat down and add in celery and crumbled cheese- cook for a minute or so

-Mix and allow all the flavours to combine

-Add penne in and mix well, sprinkle in the diced roasted almond.

Overall, I have received positive feedback.(yippee!)

 But my mum felt that fresh chilli padi could be added( which I totally forgotten about) to enhance the flavour of this dish! Personally, I think that more of the Chilli paste should be added as this dish is not sufficiently spicy for our liking!

  Rawr.

<3! 

Marché

I had dinner at Marché at 313@somerset recently. It was during the weekday, yet the crowd in the mall was crazy. I was so relieved that Marché was not as crowded as it was their non-peak hour when we visited. Thankfully, I was able to enjoy my dinner at a quiet corner in the restaurant away from the bustling crowd at the mall. Whenever I patronise,I am always fascinated by the vintage interior design of this Swiss restaurant. This restaurant has segregated eating areas, with each sporting a different theme. That day, i settled for a seat that is within an area that resembles a cottage.

Marché utilises a cashless system.  Every diner is given a card which records the purchase for the items ordered. But becareful not to lose this or risk being slapped with $100 fine! :<

Swiss Rosti Mushroom Ragout $14.80
Marché’s signature dish. Rösti! This dish made from potatoes is one of my favourite from  this restaurant! I really enjoyed the soft and fluffy Rosti which tasted heavenly when combined with the sour cream and lemon.  But what made this dish perfect for me is when I had the Rosti with the Mushroom Ragout and cream. They paired so well together , I was literally scraping for more.
8/10

Veg pasta with tomato sauce $13.80
This dish is highly suitable for the health conscious. The spaghetti was cooked to al dente, and  comprise of a good variety of vegetables-mainly brinjals, long bean,peas, and mushrooms. It was also not overly oily as well.  However,the tomato sauce was bland and I wish there were more sweetness and taste to it. Hence, I might have second thoughts about ordering this dish again on my next visit! 
6/10

Bakerzin!

One of my motives of setting up this blog is to show that being a vegetarian is easy and convenient in Singapore. I can reassure you that vegetarian food can be found almost anywhere in Singapore. The convenience allows you to hang out with your meat-eater bunch of friends with ease and without restrictions.  One of the many dining places would be Bakerzin, which serves both vegetarian and non-vegetarian food.

Lets enter! 



Mushroom soup(V) $5.90
By far, this has been the most delicious mushroom soup i have tried in a restaurant. It is not overly creamy and has the right taste and texture. 8/10




Arrabiata penne $9.90 (spicy)


The penne is chewy and not too soft. It is cooked almost to perfection.  However, this dish may be a little boring for an adventurous eater. In my opinion, this dish is also not spicy enough. On a side note, just sharing something i just learnt recently. The word arrabiata means angry in italian! 6/10




Mushroom bruschetta $8.50


When I first saw this dish, i was really eager to try it because it looked really yummy and I love mushrooms. However, to my great disappoinment,  the bruschetta was over-roasted. I couldnt  slice it through with a knife at all! I resorted to chewing at the sides with great difficulty. Whats more, the mushrooms were too soft and not springy like it was supposed to be. 3/10

 

Margarita pizza $12.90


Although I enjoyed the cheese, this magarita pizza topped with tomatoes and spinach leaves is just too bland and dry for my liking.  5/10


My conclusion is that I wont be a frequent diner in this restaurant. Although the ambience is rather good with a scenic view of the fountain located just beside this restaurant, the food served was not up to my expectations.

Vivocity #01-207
1 Harbourfront Walk Singapore
Ph: 6438 8700 

PASTAMANIA!

I must say Pastamania  has been under-rated by so many. They serve quality food at a fair price. I went to the branch at Harbourfront centre #02-05/06/07 with my god sister and sis. And we were pleasantly surprised by the newly added vegetarian options.



Al Funghi $7.50
Sliced shiitake mushroom in delicious cream sauce.
I love Shiitake mushroom and hence, this dish caught my eye first. When I first started eating, it was yummy and i thought  to myself i would definitely try this again. However, when i finished around 3/4 of the serving, i was starting to get a little sick of its taste.  6/10





$6.90

VEGGIE DELIGHT

Creamy shiitake mushrooms, cheddar cheese, tomato mayo, onion, tomato, waffle potato and lettuce with toasted Foccacia bread. This has to be one of  the most delicious vegetarian burger i have tried since Vegan Bug!
8/10



Arrabiata $5.20
Fresh chilli padi in tomato herb sauce
The penne was chewy and not too soft. I love the tomato herb sauce as the taste is just right. However. it could be better if there were other sides, such as broccoli or fresh basil leaves. 7/10

Ah, and the most awaited movie, HARRY POTTER. Went to catch this movie after the meal.

My adorable sisters <3

TCC The connoisseur concerto

I went TCC at Anchor point as well as the one at somerset thrice last week. Call me a cheapskate but I was there to take full advantage of it's GSS one for one promotion. BUT that wasnt the sole reason. I was attracted by it's good ambience, good staff, and most importantly, this restaurant is increasingly vegetarian friendly! And I am quite sure I'll be a regular patron now that I've got a membership card too. Whoopee!

 

TCC at Anchor Point shopping mall. Great ambience! 

 

Berry O' cookie $7.5
Perfect for warm weather. Great blend of berries and Oreo cookies! I would definitely try this again! . 7/10



Hazel Bella $6.9
Hot cafe latte, refreshingly good. But a tad too sweet for my liking. 6/10





Cheesy shrooms Gratin  $14
Baked cheesy penne gratin,  with mushrooms covered with mozzarella cheese .
Not up to my expectations. There could have been more variety of ingredients, besides just mushroom and cheese, with a few peas.And the portion is a lil too small for me. But the heavy cheesy taste is a huge plus! 6/10





 Hearty Vegetable Tian $17.80

A healthy yet superbly delicious french style vegetarian delight, using oyster mushrooms, asparagus, carrot and pumpkin. One of my favourite dishes in TCC so far. 9/10



O'bello Cheesy Eggplant $16.90

Superbly tasty. The marinated shiitake mushrooms were simply heavenly. I especially liked the cheesy bits of the eggplant. The roasted potato is a perfect side dish. Highly recommended. 8/10

Overall rating for this dining place is 8/10 inclusive of its ambience and staff service!

Anchor Point shopping centre #01-07

call for reservation at 64756233