I’m back with something from Zest

Hello!

I have been an absentee writer for months; we moved to a new house and I lost my photo-taking equipment. The new house’s kitchen is not so bright, and I was disheartened with the loss of my phone that I did not do any special cooking at all. :(

But I have not stopped dreaming and planning for my own kitchen, and in a few month’s time I plan to buy an oven so I can bake, bake, and bake. :o )

For lunch I and my co-workers went to this wonderful restaurant at the building just across ours. According to their menu, the restaurant was opened by Singaporeans and Australians who wanted to serve delicious, healthy food. Sounds like an establishment with a clear vision.  The name of the restaurant is Zest, located at the basement of Temasek Tower.

The menu was lengthy, and ranges from basic breakfast to your regular meat fares, pasta and salads. They have baguettes which they serve with add-ons like bacon and avocado. They also serve healthy fruit juices and a variety of hot tea. And what you see in the picture is what you get.

For my meal I ordered Aegean Greek salad, with smoked salmon as an add-on, and wild berries tea. Lately my stomach has not been digesting well, and based on experience it is best not to have rice and red meat else I would feel so bloated and heavy. The man behind the counter was friendly and not in a hurry to take our orders. This is good because there really was a lot to choose from; as a first timer one would be expected to spend a minute or two to come up with a choice. Thankfully the menu is well-laid out, but it is the exciting other varieties that would make you think twice about your order.

After paying we sat down as the food will be delivered to our table. I think there were only 8 clusters of table there, so the place had a cozy feel, and that’s why they are still able to serve your food. I am thinking the place is quite new, or else they would have a long queue already, what with the good service and quality food that they offer.

My tea arrived first, in a mini-tea pot, and I was delighted to see that it was good for  3 or more servings. It smelled really fresh and yummy. The first sip immediately awakened my tastebuds, and the last left me wanting to try the other tea flavors.

My salad did not disappoint as well. The greens were placed in a big white bowl, and I was spared the effort of tossing the whole ensemble. The lettuce was crisp, and there were black olives, pop beans, cherry tomatoes, and spring onions. There were also cubed cucumber, white cheese, and the smoked salmon. I chewed an olive with the cherry tomato, and the combination was perfect. My lunchmates were similarly in awe and took bits of the salad. They had mexican crepes, chicken wraps, baked rice/pasta, and pork chops, which were equally delightful.

Zest opens at 730 in the morning, and close at 630. One of these days I’ll try their breakfast items.

Leave a Comment

Saturday’s Egg Salad Sandwich

This Saturday was unlike any Saturday I’ve had.  I was actually up and about when my alarm went off at 6:30. Saturday? 6:30? Whoa. I can’t even do that on weekdays..heheh. Well, I had a commitment with my badminton team, and I was one of those assigned to do online court bookings. This morning was actually the fourth time I tried waking up early to book the courts and happily, this time was successful.

Buoyed by that high, I browsed the news, and finally dropped by some of my favorite recipe sites. I remembered the egg salad sandwhich posted by Heidi, and since I could hear my stomach grumbling already, made way to the nearby market to buy the ingredients.

WhiIe poking at the greens, I realize I missed early mornings. I used to take early morning walks (as well as late night ones), and I loved the fresh, crisp smell of the morning dewed-grass. And I liked seeing the sun’s rays streak through the marble skies. I bought 10 large eggs for SGD$2 from an uncle who told me he was going for some vacation on a Thai island, and that the price of oil has gone up to USD$200 per  barrel as per this morning’s news. ;o) I also bought a few stalks of chives, mayo, coffee, and creamer. I could not find celery stalks that were sold by the stalk, or for at least a few hundred grams so I left them out of the ingredient list :( I’m regretting that right now.

When I arrived home, I placed the eggs in a pan with cold water and when the water boiled, I turned the heat off and let the eggs sit for 7 minutes. After that I put them in another container and poured cold water on them to stop the cooking process. This is so that the whites and the outer layer of the egg yolk are cooked, but the inner portion of the egg yolk remains moist and soft, and this adds to the flavor of the spread. Wow, I learned a few things today! The eggs stayed for about 3 minutes in the cold water, then I peeled the shells off.

In a large bowl, I put the shelled eggs, a few generous dashes of pepper and salt, and 3 tablespoons of mayo. Heidi’s recipe only said 2, but I miss the sour taste of mayo,  plus the eggs were really large. :o ) I mashed them together with a fork, but not so fine that the spread would look soggy. Then I added chopped chives, adjusted the taste by adding salt and pepper, and it was almost ready. Oh, I forgot I also bought some lettuce, which I washed and left for 2 minutes to air dry. Slices of softgrain wholemeal bread went in the toaster. I put some lettuce leaves on one slice, spread some of the egg salad on top, then added a final layer of toasted bread. By the way I used soft wholemeal bread which is healthy, and adds a crunch to the breakfast ensemble.

Voila!

Saturday\'s Egg Sandwich

Comments (1)

Asparagus Bacon-wraparound

It was a Monday night that I saw turn into early Tuesday morning while awake. My roommate and I were talking, and a few subjects came up that brought me to a boiling point, and I could not sleep anymore.

So I got up from bed, went to the kitchen, and did the thing that relaxes me most – cook. I had previously bought some asparagus and bacon, but since last Friday’s guests cancelled, I was not able to cook them. Everything does have a reason. :o )

I had 250 grams of slim asparagus stalks (around 40 stalks), and 18 strips of streaky bacon. I also bought olive oil, and of course salt and pepper are ever-present in our kitchen. I washed the asparagus and chopped off their dry ends, after which I cut them crosswise into two. I drizzled olive oil, and dashed salt and pepper on them. Then it was time for the wrapping. (All these times I was also sipping a warm ginger brew which really helps during those irritated-can-not-sleep moments, handy to have around).

Since the bacon was quite long and I didn’t want to have a very thick bundle, I also divided it into 2, cutting crosswise as well. I smoothed one short strip on the chopping board and put 6 to 7 stalks of asparagus on one end, and rolled the stalks over. Note that if the bacon does not have enough fat, it tends to come loose after it’s wrapped around the asparagus. We need just enough bacon fat to avoid that. :o )

After I was done with the wrapping, I had 18 cute, perky, yummy-looking bundles. But I could not cook them. Why? Well, not right away anyway. It was 3 in the morning, remember? By then my blood pressure had gone down, and my eyes were already droopy. :o ) I arranged them on a plate and covered it with another. I then had a weak desire to wake up early, say 6 or 630 a.m. to cook them but as I said, it was a weak desire.

I ended waking up at 7:35 (sheesh), so the wrap-arounds stayed inside the refrigerator and it was only tonight when I went home from the office that I was able to bring them to their final stage. I put them on the toaster plate, and toasted them for about 5 minutes. Then I heated a flat frying pan with a little oil in it. In the pan went the wraparounds, and over they rolled again. They were ready when the bacon turned crispy and a light red. :o ) Thank you asparagus bacon-wrap around, for helping me to sleep and for a tasty, delicious evening meal:

Asparagus Bacon-wraparoundAsparagus Bacon-wraparound

Leave a Comment

Older Posts »