7/27/2011

THE MOTHER OF ALL BRISKETS

I didn't need to go to church to see "the light", I didn't need a near-death experience to see God, no, all I need was a little BBQ and thanks to my buddy Roman, he delivered with THE MOTHER OF ALL BRISKETS!!!

Roman runs a site called THE BIG GREEN ASIAN EGG which is basically a blog of all his attempts at BBQ'ing various things on his Egg BBQ. Last week, I mentioned to him that we should do a Brisket and last night Roman delivered. I wont repeat the amazing, time consuming process he went through to create this taste sensation but you can read about it HERE, it's an epic take of patience, ingredients and meat.

I do love me some BBQ and as most of you know, I am a true carnivore, so I was excited for this brisket. The meat was juicy, sliced like butter, melted in your mouth and the cornucopia of flavors was to die for. Bravo Roman, you hit a home run with the Mother of All Briskets and our stomachs thank you for it!!!

7/25/2011

24 HOURS IN MELAKA/MALACCA

Despite over 2 years of living and loving in Singapore, neither of us have ever crossed the closest border to our neighboring country, Malaysia. We rectified that this weekend as just a few hours by car is an oasis called MELAKA (or Malacca depending who you talk to), a mix of Asian, Portuguese and Dutch influences, this tiny little town is a food Mecca.

We arrived just after noon which turns out to be hotter than ever, seriously, I know I complain about the heat in Singapore but imagine it hotter and take away the humidity, man, that's hot! We were staying just off of Jonker Street which seems to be the foody cultural area of town, rows and rows of gift shops, bakeries, food stalls and art houses. There's the odd restaurant, hotel, bar and massage shop as well but the real draw seems to be the "street food" - Chendol (Icy dessert with coconut, palm sugar, pandan & red bean) and Chicken Rice Balls (the best flavors of Haianese Chicken Rice rolled up into a perfect bite sized ball). Wherever both of these are served, there is always a que, all day long. We ate at the famous Nancy's Kitchen for some down home Peranekan food, walked up and down Jonker then I went for a nap while the girls got a foot massage. We met up for a drink in the late afternoon and let me tell you, nothing beats a G&T when you are overheating, take note!

At night, the cars are pulled off the road, tables & chairs come out and an impossibly busy street becomes even busier as Jonker Street is turned into a walking market filled with even more toys, trinkets, flavors and smells. I think the highlight for me was seeing the massive stage which seemed to be reserved for dressed up ladies to sing Karaoke in front of hundreds of people. I knew Karaoke was popular but not that popular! After trying a bunch of new foods (DingDing Candy - named after the sound the chisel makes as the baker breaks it apart, yes, its that hard & sticky too) and juices (thick Honey Lime juice - its good for alcohol... Alcohol what I ask?) we retired to the room.

The next morning we woke early and had a great breakfast at the hotel. I should stop here and throw in a great recommendation for our accommodations, The Hotel Courtyard @ Heeren, friendly staff, beautiful rooms, best shower in any hotel I've ever stayed at in all of Asia, ever and reasonable rates, plus it's a two minute walk to the middle of all the action on Jonker Street! I highly recommend this hotel! Anyway, we took a tour of all the historical sites around the center of Melaka including Christ Church, the ruins of St. Paul's, up the rotating tower for a birds eye view of the city, the riverside and then back to Jonker for some lunch.

Afterwards, we checked out of the hotel, the ladies grabbed another foot massage and I came to a roadside bar to write this blog entry, enjoy a beverage and soak in the last few minutes of Jonker street before heading back to Singapore. Melaka is a cool town, lots to see and lots to eat, it is extremely busy with tourists especially on the weekend but of you can survive that, then Melaka is definitely worth checking out. There are cool sites, cool ruins, great people watching and amazing food, an added plus, everything is way cheaper than it is in Singapore, so huzzah!!! A big thanks to our friend Cheng for taking us out this weekend, it was a great adventure and you can see our pics HERE!

7/16/2011

SUMMER PARTY TIME

It's our third summer in Singapore and that means it's time for the annual LAS SUMMER PARTY. Once again we invaded the shores of Sentosa Island for an afternoon of fun at the fabled Cafe Del Mar. The afternoon started with Summer Olympics, which were fun despite the fact that we had the smallest team and came in dead last (it was fixed!!!). Then a few of the staff got DJ'ing, the food was served and what a surprise, virtually everyone was thrown into the pool at some point. A good time was had by all and despite and the sand, sun and libations, we managed to snap a few PICS! Enjoy!

7/06/2011

JUNE 2011

Hell of a month! Despite the mightiness of my playoff beard, the Canucks lost to the Bruins in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup, sad. Otherwise there was good times, good friends and good food o' plenty in the month of June. Check out the pics HERE!!!

7/01/2011

CANADA DAY SING STYLE

July 1st marks the birthday of our home and native land, so to celebrate CANADA DAY in our adopted home of Singapore, Michelle and I threw a BBQ party! We invited a few Canadians as well as a few of our closest friends and everyone decided to bring some amazing food as well.

Michelle and I stocked up on Clamato so we could start the evening off right with some Bloody Caesars, then will grilled up some Hot Wings on the Q. Brett brought some Jalapeno Cornbread Muffins and Roman made some BBQ Baby Back Ribs. James & Vic showed up with a special little gift for me, a can of Granville Island Honey Lager which I happily downed to show my Canadian pride! Kelly showed up with a Monster Mixed Salad, Chris & Star came with even more Ribs, Singapore Slow Cooked Ribs - yum and we threw some Chorizo Sausages (not really Canadian but they are a crowd pleaser) onto the grill for good measure as well as making a Canada Salad (Red for Tomatoes, White for Feta). Bobby came with a surprise for the entire party, a cooler filled with Canadian Moosehead Beer, now I know what you are thinking, Moosehead? Trust me, it's liquid gold here in Southeast Asia since you cant get any kind of Canadian Beer anywhere, but Bobby found a source and we all reaped the rewards. For Dessert, Cheng made her famous Maple Syrup Pie, Carin made Apple Tartine and Michelle knocked it outta the park with Vanilla Strawberry Cupcakes and her first attempt at Nanaimo Bars. Since the Bars were all gone in under a minute and she didn't even get one, I think they were a hit!

We BBQ'ed for the majority of the night, argued Hockey, drank cold beer and sang the national anthem. It was a multicultural night but for a few hours we were all happily Canadian and that's what it's all about. Happy Canada Day everyone!!!