Food Review: #MyMarmiteMyWay

I've decided I love it when I'm sent food items to review #happyglutton

Today it's Marmite!
An iconic item everyone knows.. Or so I thought.
Because my bf actually went "What's that?" at the sight of it. #noob

Image credits to Google

Marmite is a flavourful, savoury paste, made from yeast extract and is 100% vegetarian.
It was actually a by-product of breweries - a British company saw its nutritional potential and decided to make it palatable.
Toting it as a jar full of Vitamin Bs and Folic acid, which is beneficial for children,
its popularity spread via traditional village hall clinics in England.
And the rest, they say, is history.

What's interesting is the unique shape of the jar - it's very iconic.
I've always thought it looks like an inverted light bulb.
It is actually in a shape of a Marmite pot - a French term for a large, covered earthenware/metal pot.
These earthenware pots were also the original containers used for the spread, till the 1920s.

Considering that it is a British brand, it seems like an unconventional marketing move. Hahah.

Some people love it, some hate it - very polarising reactions.
Seriously try and Google 'Marmite Reactions'.
This Brit lets his Japanese friends try out Marmite, and some of their facial expressions are seriously classic :B

Awww cats express it best.

The most popular (and most Brit) way of eating it is on bread, but Marmite is actually very versatile!

My first memories of Marmite was since young.
Ahma often mixed a teaspoon of it into our porridge, giving it a richer flavour - similar to chicken stock.

My uncle, who studied in Melbourne, taught us to smear it over buttered toast.
Woah super addictive umami kick there!
But not too much - just a quarter teaspoon is enough.
I made the mistake of liberally slathering it on before - salty to the point of bitterness is not yummy :x

Moderation is always the key ;)

The English have got it right.. They invented it.

My sister has made Marmite Spaghetti before,
by pan-frying garlic, onions, minced chicken, and Marmite - no salt needed.
Add a cup of water, and leave it on low heat to simmer before throwing in the noodles. Taa-daa!

Ever heard of Marmite chicken? It's a popular dish in zi char places in Singapore.
Fried chicken is coated with Marmite and garnished with sesame seeds.

Image credit: Google

For my own Marmite recipe, I'm preparing this!

Pan-fried Marmite Chicken Balls with Cheese Sauce Noodles

You will need:

Minced chicken - I used 100g, which yielded around 12 balls.
Water Chestnuts
Egg
Marmite
Black Pepper
Instant Noodles

For the sauce:
Grated Parmesan Cheese - 1 bowl
Plain Flour - 1 cup
Butter - 1/4 stick
Milk or Cooking Cream - 2 bowls

1. Dice the water chestnuts and add into a bowl together with the minced chicken

2. In a separate bowl, beat eggs and add 1 tablespoon of Marmite. You may add a pinch or two of black pepper for extra kick.

3. Mix the wet ingredients together with the dry and mix thoroughly.

4. Shape the chicken balls; either with teaspoons or by hand.
    Tip: Lightly dust a plate with plain flour to prevent the balls from sticking and crumbling when you pick it up.
5. Cover with cling film and leave in fridge for 15 mins to let the chicken absorb the flavour, and also to let the shape set.

6. Use low heat to pre-heat pan.
7. Add oil, and place chicken balls into pan, turning it around every 3 mins or so till golden brown.
    Tip: I like to cover the pan - it minimizes oil splattering and helps to lock in moisture.

8. Leave on paper towels to drain excess oil.

BWAHAHA actually they look like nuggets rather than chicken balls LOLOLOL.

For Cheese sauce
1. Melt butter in a saucepan

2. Add equal parts flour into melted butter slowly; stir in small amounts to prevent over-thickening and clumps.
Cook for 1-2 min to prevent having a raw flour taste.

 

3. Pour in room temperature milk or cooking cream, and stir until roux (butter-flour) has dissolved and becomes smooth.
4. Add in grated cheese and stir until cheese melts.

Final step: Cook the instant noodles, pour the cheese sauce over and add the marmite chicken on top!

Om nom nom enjoy!

1 heaped teaspoon of Marmite is flavourful enough for the amount of meat I had, with no additional salt required.
Marmite may taste slightly smoky, so if you would like to tone it down abit, add abit of sugar.

Want to try making your own Marmite dishes?
You can get Marmite from all supermarkets in Singapore, and there are 3 sizes available:
115 g bottle retails at $3.69, 230 g bottle at $6.47, 470 g bottle at $12.33.

Even better, get your free sample of Marmite from Sample Store, from 8th August onwards.

While you're at it, join Sample Store's #MyMarmiteMyWay Review Contest !
It's easy, just share a review of your personal experience on how you enjoyed your Marmite free sample on Sample Store,
e.g. what dishes did you make?

Contest ends 30th September 2016, and winners to be announced on Sample Store's Instagram & Facebook page.
3 winners will each win 3 different sized bottles.
Have fun!

Food Review: Fix Cafe

When I saw someone post a sexy, oozy photo of mac and cheese from Fix Cafe, 

I immediately went to Google its address.

Dropped by on a Sunday afternoon with my sister and dad!

We were in the area after our volunteer work and decided to visit for brunch.

Fix Cafe

31 Ah Hood Road, HomeTeamNS 

#01-07 

Singapore 329979

Opening hours: 

Mon to Fri 11am to 10.30pm

Sat Sun & PH: 11 am to 10.30 pm

They've got this industrial workshop feel, with all the pipes and wheels accentuating the cafe.

Best of all is the pool view seats.

Damn shiok to be lounging by the poolside and nomming.

On to the food! 

You may choose to pair your mains with either a drink (+$2), starter or milkshake (+$4), or a cake (+$3)

Quite worth it for those who want a complete meal experience.

3 Cheese Penne Gratin, or the reason why I am here - $10

Such a beautiful mix of cheddar, mozzarella and parmesan, with al dente penne.

Though it seems like too small, the serving size is actually just right to prevent it from getting too jelat.

Shiok!

Fish and Chips - $12

Ginormous piece of battered dory, sitting atop a plate of thick fries.
The classic batter is always love - not the breaded kind :x

Perfectly battered - not too thick.

Fried Chicken and Waffles - $12

Juicy chicken bits on a fluffy crispy waffle.

Niceeeeeeee.

Another reason why I flocked here, Donuts with Salted Egg Yolk Dip - $7

Reminiscent of your standard sugared donuts, but with salted egg yolk sauce.
It would have been more awesome if the sauce was warm.

I felt overwhelmed by expectations, so sad.

Fix is definitely a place I would return to - for the 3 cheese gratin, the creative sounding naanwiches, and the lepak ambience.

However getting there can be a challenge, as there's not much buses which get there.
In my opinion, a 10 minutes walk from Toa Payoh is easiest.
The twisty path of the bus takes longer. Hahaha

Food Review: Badoque

It's not very hard to find cafes nowadays, 

BUT when the bf is involved, I'll try to go for halal cafes.. or at least those owned by Muslims.

Badoque was recommended by Suhaila, and I visited the Bedok Branch.

Badoque 

298 Bedok Road, Simpang Bedok

Singapore 469451

Opening Hours:

Tues to Sun : 12 pm to 10 pm

Menu ! Flip on both sides.

Sorry that the words arent clear; 

the interior lighting is kinda dim as we were seated at the back

They have quite a sense of humour, although some jokes are in Malay. 

So bring along a translator like I did ;p

Other than the cute menu, their customer service is quite good.

Staff are friendly and offer recommendations.

We ordered the Iced Salted Caramel - $7.50, and Lychee Soda - $8.50

I could really taste the sea salt, which balanced the caramel sweetness.
It was still kinda sweet at the end.

Pok loved his Lychee Soda,
but it was slightly messy to mix the syrup properly while the ice cream is in the way.

Potato Wrapped Prawns - $12
Deep fried thin strips of potato wrapped around the prawns.

We're both not fans of prawns, but this sounds interesting enough so we decided to try.
I love the sauce matched with it. Tastes like thousand island but thats not exactly it too.
Eat while its hot!

The Naked Salmon - $22
Pan-seared salmon sitting on top of fluffy mashed potatoes, with light cream sauce

Salmon was fresh and cooked perfectly.
Mashed potato was really good too, with a light taste.

Value for money.

Salmon Garlic Butter Pasta - $22
It works by main ingredient + sauce, and you can choose between spaghetti or fettucine too.

I like the fragrance of the garlic butter!
As you can see, its slightly oily, so I'd advise not to choose garlic butter unless you dont mind it.

Overall, Badoque offers value for money items.
Some of which are unique dishes, such as the garlic chilli chuka, no doubt inspired by Malay culture.
This could be their pulling point, especially for their status as a Muslim run restaurant.

With the pok! #pokandpok.

He's getting better at taking ootds heheh.

Food Review: The Lab

Some aunty (Levon) jio me to do a v aunty task - go 四马路 pray. HAHAH.

Countered that aunty move by trying out a new cafe :D

The Lab

1 Jalan Pisang #01-01

Singapore 199069

Opening Hours:

Mon - Sat 12.30 pm - 10 pm

Sun 1 pm - 9.30 pm

*Kitchen closes 45 mins before closing time

As the name suggests, The Lab is based on a crazy scientist theme.
This should be interesting, especially to biomed science students like us. :D

The interior is decorated completely according to theme. 

Look at the cute bunsen burner!

Counter area. The syrups and stuff are all in reagent bottles. :D

Test tubes, reagent bottles and dropper bottles.

Salt is contained inside light bulbs.

Eh actually this seems like a cute idea, but it's damn hard to get the salt out I tell you.

Twenty-five.

Sneak peek at their (clothes hanger) menu

Iced Chocolate again, but with a shot of Hazelnut ! - $6
Drinks which come with a shot have a syringe drawn next to its name.
Nothing very special about the taste, but the experience was fun :B

Um the syringe was slightly dirty though, something they need to take note of before it starts scaring people off.

Tuna Mango Sandwich - $9
Comes with unsalted sweet potato fries, which was v nice !
I guess its the only time I like sweet potatoes. :3

Ahahah I gotta admit I expected seared tuna instead of canned flakes (I've been watching too much Masterchef :x),
but seriously, at such a reasonable price, its acceptable.
The combination worked as well, so no complaints too!
I like the ciabatta bread too, not too hard, and soft on the inside.

Levon ordered the Lab Chick Sandwich - $11, which was slightly dry.
Could have been better with more teriyaki sauce.

The Lab was quite a cool experience, with friendly service staff.
Their prices are quite affordable, which is a plus point.

In such a competitive environment,
The Lab needs to come up with more successful dishes to hold attention,
and not just the concept alone.