Those who stay will be Champions.

Last game of the season. And although I know this blog is primarily dedicated to my 2favourites in life: food & travel, I would like to use the last few ounces of energy for the day to say... LET'S GO BLUE!! .
I am in no condition to rattle on with all the inspirational/motivational/rah-rah talk, so i would leave you in the hands of Al Pacino...



"I don't know what to say really. I mean, three minutes till the biggest battle of our professional lives; all comes down to today. Well, we either we heal as a team or we'll gonna crumble. Inch by inch, play by play, till we're finished. We're in hell right now gentlemen. Believe me. And, we can stay here and get the shit kicked out of us; or we can fight our way back; into the light. We can climb out of hell. One inch at a time.

Now I can't do it for you. I'm to old. I look around and i see these young faces and I think. I made every wrong choice a middle-aged man can make. I pissed away all my money, believe it or not. I chased off anyone who has ever loved me. And lately, I can't even stand the face I see in the mirror. You know, when you get old in life; things get taken away from you. That's part of life. But you only learn that when you start losing stuff. You find out life's this game of inches. So is football. Because in either game life or football the margin for error is so small. I mean one half step too early or too late and you don't quite make it. One half a second too slow or too fast and you don't quite catch it. The inches we need are everywhere around us. They're in every break of the game; every minute every second.

On this team, we fight for that inch. On this team we tear ourselves and everyone else around us to pieces for that inch. We claw with our fingernails for that inch. Because we know when we add up all those inches, that's what gonna make the *ucking difference between winning and losing. Between living and dying. I'll tell you this in any fight, it's the guy who's willing to die who's gonna win that inch. And I know if I'm gona have any life anymore. It's because I'm still willing to fight and die for that inch. Because that's what living is. The six inches in front of your face. Now I can't make you do it. You have to look at the guy next to you. Look into his eyes. Now i think your ginna see a guy who will go that inch with you. Your gonna see a guy who will sacrifice himself for this team because he knows when it comes down to it; your gonna do the same for him.

That's a team gentlemen. And, either we heal, now as a team, or we will die as individuals. That's football guys. That's all it is.

Now, what are you gonna do ?"


WHEREVER YOU GO,

GO BLUE.

Seattle Eats (II): Top Pot Doughnut

Photos By: Val

Add: 2124 5th Ave, Seattle, USA

Website: http://www.toppotdoughnuts.com
Great for: coffee, breakfast, doughnuts, hanging out, price


As promised, here is the 2nd installation of Seattle Eats.



Was just looking through my Picasa3 albums on photos from June - right after the epic road trip where a group of us took a 9 day drive across the U.S. from South Dakota to Seattle (yes, that is a hell lot of driving)...totally filled me with an immense sense of longing. I miss that place.


In any case, the first album taken on the 1st of June consisted of shots from an early breakfast jaunt at Top Pot Doughnuts - a popular breakfast place near JS's apartment where the lucky people living in Seattle get to saunter in at any time of the day (till 7pm) for some lovely doughnuts.


Upon stepping into the eatery, I was engulfed by the aroma of freshly-brewed coffee and doughnuts. The place was brightly lit by streams of morning sunlight pouring through the glass-pane front facade of the cafe. There was an elaborate bookshelf to the left of the entrance that spanned the entire height of the cafe and was well-stocked with books. In short, the bakery felt like a comfy loft more than anything else! It was a great place to start off a brand new day.



The friendly staff at the counter gave some hints on which doughnuts were popular and we made our choice, collected our doughnuts (not before getting our morning caffeine of course) and proceeded to the second level (this place is kinda huge for a bakery/cafe) to start on our breakfast.
I have NEVER tasted anything like the Apple Fritter doughnut that I ordered. Although covered with glazing, it was not too overly saccharin ed - unlike many of the mass-produced over-the-counter doughnuts out there. This was one doughnut that had a delicate and well-proportioned blend of cinnamon spice, little bits of apple, fried dough and icing ...all acting as complements to one another. The dough was light and fluffy too, a great change from those conventional dense ones.

My counterparts' choice were not too lacking either (though some disagreed with my raving reviews of the Apple Fritter). The Raspberry Doughnut was pretty to look at, but definitely not one of my favourites as it was a little too sweet for my liking. The old-fashioned/original doughnut tasted great with coffee! I am not a big coffee drinker (and i don't claim to be an expert at it), but reviews online have given Top Pot's coffee a 2 thumbs up so do remember to order a cup of their specialty brew when you are there!

There are many who swear by Top Pot's Bavarian Cream doughnuts, and others who faithfully stand by their choice of the old-fashioned glaze doughnuts. Whatever the case, I am pretty sure you would find one that suits your mood and tastebud at any time of the day.

Check out their entire doughnut selection here

That being said, I still pretty much enjoy the normal sugar-ed doughnuts we have here in neighborhood bakeries all around Singapore=)

Wild Oats Bar on the Hill

Photos By: Val

Wild Oats

Add: At the top of Mt Emily! Upper Wilkie Road

Website: http://www.wildrocket.com.sg

Great for: Chilling out, sunset, finger food, alcohol, ambiance

Was at Old School @ Mt. Emily for the International Social Action Film Festival (http://www.sinema.sg/2009/09/10/sinema-international-social-action-film-festival/) just 2 weekends ago where I caught the film - Earthlings (http://www.earthlings.com/)...

"EARTHLINGS is an award-winning documentary film about the suffering of animals for food, fashion, pets, entertainment and medical research. Considered the most persuasive documentary ever made, EARTHLINGS is nicknamed “the Vegan maker” for its sensitive footage shot at animal shelters, pet stores, puppy mills, factory farms, slaughterhouses, the leather and fur trades, sporting events, circuses and research labs. The film is narrated by Academy Award® nominee Joaquin Phoenix and features music by platinum-selling recording artist Moby. Initially ignored by distributors, today EARTHLINGS is considered the definitive animal rights film by organizations around the world. “Of all the films I have ever made, this is the one that gets people talking the most,” said Phoenix. “For every one person who sees EARTHLINGS, they will tell three.”"

Although I did 'enjoy' the film, the gory footages of cows being skinned alive and wings of chicks being clipped did not achieve its aim of converting me and my 3 fellow film companions into vegans AT ALL. Ok, maybe we did consider it - but I am pretty sure it only managed to last through the duration of the film (and perhaps, 2 minutes after it ended?)

Honestly, I was a little cynical of the contents and the extremist+biased view that the whole film was based on. Most of the slaughterhouse footages were from ~10 yrs ago, and yes, I do not deny that animals featured did go through a fair bit (ok,ALOT) of pain and suffering on their final journey to our markets, but surely, conditions would have improved by now...

Thankfully, I was assured by Jloo (http://logue.sg) that Singapore's pig slaughtering practices are unquestionably humane and that the porkies endured minimal pain before ending up on our table. Do view her article here: (http://logue.sg/v1/50)

Anyways...apologies...I digress.

Wild oats, yes.

So, after enduring 1.5 hours of blood, gory, gut-spillages, rotting carcasses and throbbing cow brains, we got......well....hungry. And since Wild Rocket + Wild Oats was just around the corner, we decided to have an early dinner+drinking session at the top of Mt. Emily.

Now, I have been craving for some spam fries after reading Chubbyhubby's article on it (http://chubbyhubby.net/blog/?p=579) about a month back. I know....spam IS my weak spot. So imagine the excitement when I spotted it (Luncheon Meat Fries) on the menu!

We proceeded to order 1 mini Wild Rocket Burger, 1 seafood Burger, white baits with fries and of course, the SPAM fries! (i am pretty sure most of us felt a little guilty, but oh well). They also had their 1-for-1 house pour and drinks promotion going on (every Sunday).

Firstly, I would give Wild Oats (many) thumbs up for the relaxing ambiance they have created at their outdoor sitting area. Primarily filled with rattan /wooden furniture and surrounded by greenery (think little palm trees and all), it was as if we were transported to a beachside resort in a totally different country. The brilliant pink sunset was also definitely a plus. I would definitely recommend getting an outdoor table (vs. the indoor ones) at this charming place, go sit on their indoor stools and you will know why.

The service was also just right, not too overfriendly/pesky ( i dislike waitresses who pop by the table every microsecond and insist on scooping every drop/morsel of soup/food onto my platter) and definitely not aloof (those where you have to do a Kallang wave in order to get their attention).

The drinks were great, the gin tonic was done surprisingly well with an equal balance of both constituents ( i have had some really awful ones before). The Stellas and white wine were refreshing on a warm humid evening too.

As for the burgers, well, you can't really go wrong with Relish's burgers right? The Wild Rocket burger was juicy+tasty and gobbled down within a couple of minutes by the bf. The seafood burger however, was a littleeeee disappointing as compared to the original one served at Relish (another eatery under the Wild Rocket chain). It did not have the intensive fragrance that I remembered from my first visit to Relish about 2 months ago and was a little too chewy for my liking.

Next up..-drum rolls- ..the SPAM FRIES ( ok la ok la, we Singaporean, we say Luncheon Meat Fries.. eh sai boh?)!!!

Unfortunately, chubbyhubby gave the spam fries such a godly status in his post that I was totally crushed when the fries served that day turned out to be a little charred and thus, dry. The taste also fell short of my expectations for it. It was not till yesterday that I was told that the spam fries on Chubhub was actually homecooked by himself from the Wild Oats' inspired recipe. His version was definitely way more aesthetically appealing than the original one.

A suggestion for those who are still interested to try it would be to request for it to be less burnt - that would definitely make them a little more succulent as opposed to crispy/bland.

The white baits were not entirely fantastic, they were ok..but the curry-mayo that was served along with it totally outshone the main dish itself! Never got down to asking them what went into the mixture but I must must remember to ask for more of it the next time!

In short, Wild Oats would be a great place to unwind for the evening with their nightly drinks promotion and better than average finger food. Just remember to ask for more curry mayo, outdoor sitting and under-fried Luncheon meat fries!

ps. “we distrust camels or anyone who can go for a week without a drink”

Don't you just love their endearing slogan? =)

Madeleines à l'ancienne

Written by: Chowy (hence the stark contrast in writing quality)

Adapted from: 750g.com

Photos By: Val

The madeleine is an extraordinary creation. Oval and distinct with its shell-shaped base, it's a tiny bundle of simple goodness - crisp and moist, buttery and light all at once when done well. It perhaps is best thought of as a glorified butter cake made famous by its Proustian connection and similar to the financier. A quick search on Wikipedia provides the following description. The madeleine, or petite madeleine is "a traditional small cake from Commercy, a commune of the Meuse département in northeastern France". It doesn't require much ingredients apart from the basics - flour, eggs, butter, sugar and some lemon zest, making it a simple treat to whip up at home, guaranteed to be well-received fresh out of the oven. If madeleine moulds are difficult to find, shallow bun pans/muffin trays should do the trick too.

In our case, energised by the thought of recreating the delicious tea-time treat, as well as by the recollection that I had indeed acquired a set of madeleine moulds in a recent trip to Japan, I convinced Val it was worth a shot. After some research online, we went with a recipe from 750g.com - a French food website. As a side point, recipes on the madeleine abound on the internet, varying both in flavours (e.g. chocolate, vanilla, fruit flavoured ones - you name it the net has it!) and the basic ingredients (e.g. some would recommend using almond meal in place of flour, but that I feel would make it more of a financier). It's probably useful to experiment in small batches with a couple and use the one which best suits your tastebuds.

Most unfortunately, our attempt turned out to be somewhat dismal, as the batter stubbornly refused to rise in the oven. Alas, that heavenly aroma of lemony-butter couldn't conceal the dense texture of the madeleines, which made it at times barely chewy. I later discovered the fatal flaw, due embarrassingly enough, to my dismal French - causing me to misread 'baking powder' (levure chimique) for 'yeast' (levure). Which would explain why subsequent batches turned out slightly better after allowing more time for the yeast to interact with the batter. Yes - "oh dear + snigger" cry les Francophiles.

Nonetheless aside from the failed French translation, a la Proust, when consumed with a spot of tea and served slightly toasted, the resultant product was still sufficiently addictive for a couple more to disappear within seconds of appearing. And for that spine-tingling, body shuddering brief moment of pleasure, it's a recipe most certainly worth a shot.

Madeleines a l'ancienne (for 30 madeleines)

225g of plain flour

175g of sugar (can be reduced if less sugar is preferred)

100g melted butter

1 sachet of BAKING POWDER (1 sachet = approx. 11g)

4 eggs

1 lemon (for the rind)

pinch of salt

1) Beat the sugar and eggs together till it thickens and turns a creamy yellow

2) Sift the flour and baking powder together, before gradually adding, alternating each time, the flour and the butter + lemon zest

3) Before placing in the oven, grease and flour the madeleine pan to ensure ease of removal.

The original recipe advises the batter be left to set for about 20 minutes before cooking.

Et voila, les madeleines a l'ancienne! Bon appetit!

P.S. Do drop a line if you've come across any successful modifications!

Seattle Eats (I): Macrina Bakery & Cafe

Location: 2408 1st Ave, Seattle, Washington

Website: http://www.macrinabakery.com/

Genre: Bakery, Breakfast, Brunch

Famous for: Brunch, Coffee, French Toast & ALL their pastries

If there is one city(besides Singapore) I would love to move to , it would have to be Seattle: home of Grey's Anatomy, Starbucks, the Space Needle, Puget Sound, REI (YEAH!)....and the list goes on...

I had the privilege of visting this great city not once..but twice during the last 6 months. Thanks to our only Singaporean warrior (ok, more like geek) at Amazon.com - JS. He graciously hosted me and my friends when spring rolled in (with the rain and all) and a second time when summer started in May. I should also mention that JS was an ex-valeebelly photographer, but he has since moved on to greater things in life. erhem.

Anyways..back to my point! I absolutely LOVE the food culture there. Fresh seafood, Pike's Place, wine from the surrounding valleys, bakeries, oysters...I can't seem to get enough of it. So, I decided to preserve these memories by (rudely) prohibiting my dining partners to even breathe when the food arrives until I have finished snapping some decent pictures with my 50 mm. And trust me, the lack of SLR skills made it a long and painful before-meal ritual for them.

I would be gradually putting up recommendations on places to eat at Seattle over the next few posts. So watch out for this space! (Singaporeans: only applicable if you are heading back to the States. if not, sorry, go on and drool.)

I decided on a thank-you treat for JS on the last afternoon there before leaving for the airport and got him to choose a place to have a light lunch. And I guess Macrina Bakery & Cafe was the best place to end my visit to Seattle.

I love this place! The waitresses were friendly, the atmosphere was great and besides the great food, they serve awesome beverages too. Not to mention, the complimentary slices of rustic bread they serve before your main meal + spice olive oil was to die for...

Please do also try their apple cider (only available after winter). It is not freshly made by them, but still, its great. Cold apple cider on a warm summer day. Nothing can beat that. And check out the stalk of rosemary in the olive oil...

I don't exactly know whats the link between olives and Seattle but they seem to serve it as a side in almost every restaurant that I visited! I had the quiche (i am a big fan of quiches!) with some salad greens and olives..

while JS had their specialty crostoni (i think?) bread with sundried tomatoes and baby spinach + a cup of soup too.. Sadly, I can't remember the exact names of the dishes we tried (should have jotted it down somewhere!) but in any case, chances are that you will not find it anyways since their change their menu rather frequently (almost every week!). I believe the reason for doing so is to capitalize on the fresh produce available during that particular period/season. Great concept!
Had the berry pie for desert..heavenly

Take me back there.......

Banana Nut Bread

Adapted from: Baking Illustrated

Photos By: ME (yes! i got a SLR already=))

I don't even know whether this qualifies as a short hiatus. A quick check tells me that the last time I blogged over here was on june 29th of LAST YEAR. That is like...more than a year ago.

In any case. Things have been moving along and i m finally finally back home (Singapore <3)!

Been trying to bake regularly too since I hardly am motivated to do so back at Duke. Sadly, I have lost a little bit of mojo (maybe baking products in the U.S. are different than in Singapore?!) but still!! I am trying...

Anyhooss..

I found a really great banana nut loaf (the bf insists it tasted more like a cake than a loaf of bread!grr) recipe that I would love to share!

Banana Nut Bread

Makes a 9-inch loaf (use a loaf pan measuring 9" x 5" x 3")

Ingredients:

2 cups (10 oz) or all purpose flour

1 1/4 cups chopped coarse walnuts

1/2 cup sugar

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

3 very ripe, soft, darkly speckled large bananas (1 1/2 cups)

1/4 cup plain yoghurt

2 large eggs, beaten lightly

6 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1 tsp vanilla extract

Method:

1. Adjust oven rack to lower middle position. Heat oven to 350F

2. Grease loaf pan. Dust with flour, tap out excess

3. Spread walnuts onto baking sheet and toast till fragrant (5-1o min), Set aside to cool

4. Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, salt and walnuts in large bowl.

5. Mix mashed banans, yoghurt, eggs, butter, and vanilla with wooden spoon in medium pold.

6. Lightly fold banana mixture into the dry ingredients with a rubber spatula until just combined. Batter looks thick and chunky.

7. Pour batter into loaf pan

8. Bake for about 55 minutes till loaf is golden brown.

9. Cool in pan for 5 minutes.

10. Serve warm or at rtp.

Flagstaff & the Grand Canyon

Photos by: Val and other random GC-ers



“To stand upon the edge of this stupendous gorge, as it receives its earliest greeting from the god of day, is to enjoy in a moment compensation for long years of ordinary uneventful life.”
-John L. Stoddard


Its been almost a month since I left the mundane life in Ann Arbor for my Spring Break trip to the Grand Canyon National Park with the University of Michigan's Outdoor Adventures Club. I would say for sure that this has got to be the most significant experience during my short stint in America (which thankfully got prolonged by some good news!=). There was nothing more I could ask for: 9 days away in the majestic canyons, humbled by nature, the scenery, the people, the night sky blanketed with stars, isolation, the bittersweet pain of the sore-d muscles and burnt skin, 10 strangers evolving into 10 great friends..


I find that the most amazing thing about being close to nature was the way in which we learn the subtle lessons on humility and courage. Our tiny existence gets lost in the grander scheme of the world around us and we take these lessons away from that short moment in our lives in the depths of the canyons and forests.. The magic in all this was that it continues to inspire us long after we've conquered them...

Is has been a month, memories will fade no doubt but I guess it was really the moments that matter, up the Mesa, by the Colorado River, camping in knee deep snow at the Rim.. they were my little snippets of Paradise.


The charming town of Flagstaff was amazing. I wouldn't say that I'd love to live there forever, but it was a unique community with the distinctive "mountain culture" oozing from every shop and establishment. We had a great time stuffing ourselves silly at the eateries after climbing out of the canyon (You really can't blame us, it was so exhausting!)The pleasant streets were lined with hotels from the yesteryears, microbrewries, historic brick buildings and chic restaurants. I also had an awesome time walking into all the outdoor equipment shops with Wilson (and lamenting about how expensive the stuff were!).




I intended to put up NOLS's (North-American Outdoor Leadership School)recipes of the meals that were made in our backcountry kitchen (right under the stars and by the river.oooo.) but I decided it will be too long a post (and its already 315am over here!) so I shall spare you (and me) the misery. Would definitely feature those yummy deserts soon though!

Anyways, here are some restaurants that we tried at Flagstaff based on recommendations by our hostel staff..

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Beaver Street Brewery
http://www.beaverstreetbrewery.com/
11 S. Beaver St., Flagstaff, Arizona


This brewery prides itself with its beer of course, but sadly, we were unable to try it due to the no-alcohol policy set by the Outdoor Adventures Center (which I can understand why after witnessing my dear GC-ers turn insane back in Ann Arbor on St. Patrick's Day under the influence of alcohol=)
Besides beers, there was also a really sweet wood-fired oven near the entrance of the restaurant for their popular wood-fire pizzas..
I chose the Salmon B.L.T sandwich though and it was a decent choice. The guys went crazy over their Beaver St Burger which consisted of 1/2 pound of certified Angus ground chuck and erm..ALOT of fries. We were all really hungry and had no problems wolfing down those calorific and sinful burgers. Our powerful stench (from not bathing for 6 days)that came from the jackets, pants, shirts, bandanas managed to attract the attention of the brewery's customers while they walked past us after their meal. It was a wonder why they didn't barf.
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Mountain Oasis International Restaurant
http://www.themenuplease.com/mountainoasis/
11 E Aspen Ave



For lunch on our rest day, we hopped down to Mountain Oasis after having our lattes and capuccinos at Flagstaff Coffee Company. I loved the ambience at that cosy cafe, and the Pesto Chicken sandwich i had....was TO DIE FOR. I may be biased though because I am a huge fan on Pesto! Give me anything with Pesto and I am sure to give it a two thumbs up!They have daily specials too and their meals (lunch menu) are reasonably priced.

(sorry.no valeebelly photographers with me on the trip.haha)



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Nimarco's Pizza
101 S Beaver St. Flagstaff, AZ


The locals view it as the "best way to sit and enjoy the best pizza in town, drink beer and watch football" The 2 memorable pizzas we had there was the one with the pesto (duh.) and this one called "meat lovers"....and you REALLY have to be one to fully enjoy it.

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Macy's European Coffee House
http://www.macyscoffee.net/
14 South Beaver Street



I wished I had more time to hang out at this cafe! I loved the interior decor..the old-fashioned way of selling pastries over the wooden counter...some chess action going on near the corner..the country singer crooning away at the other end of the cafe ( i sat there mesmerized by the songs.i think some country songs are so heartwrenching! GAH). Thank goodness I had a chance to actually try some of their pastries when Wilson decided to go hunt it down right before we met up with the group for dinner. Though their prices are steep, you would definitely enjoy soaking up the laid-back and almost hippy-like atmosphere blanketing the cafe.


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If you are in the area, do remember to pop by one of these restaurants for a meal!
Till the next post...


almost at our campsite..almost...after about 9 hours of trekking

cooking out.