Dates from Golden Landmark Hotel

It was the first time that I actually ate dates and it was actually a pretty good experience. Being chinese, the only experience I have with dates are the funny tasting kinds where they boil with the soups. Naturally I thought that dried arabic dates would taste somewhat like the ones I am used to hence I never really was enticed to try the dates....

Until a girlfriend of mine bought an entire bag and insisted that I try. I took the first bite with trepidation but was very surprised that it didn't taste as bad as I thought it would be! In fact I liked it so much that I fell in love with dates. Haha! So yes, these dates were bought at the basement of Golden Landmark Hotel's shopping area. There is a shop that sells only dates and they have a huge variety from the different countries. 

Do check them out if you're looking for some good ol' middle eastern fare. 

Frozen Yogurt at Coffee Bean

Did you know that Coffee Bean actually has frozen yogurt and it actually tastes pretty good? Super yum. A small cup (pictured above) goes at $3.80 and comes in 2 flavours - tart and vanilla. The former tastes more like the natural flavour of yogurt while the latter is ... vanilla flavoured soft serve. They have a few fancy options, adding in an expresso, mixing with matcha and things like that. After eating so many times at Coffee Bean, I conclude that I love the plain flavours the most and I really like the yogurt parfait. (will post a picture of it soon)

A little tip - try it with the banana walnut cake. Goes really really well, the walnut cake is light and not too creamy, the cold yogurt complements it and adds an extra dimension to the cake. 

Super yum!

Fruche @ 152 calories

Found a new snack at the supermarket. Fruche - some kind of pudding like yogurt thing. For a lack of a better description. Tasty and relatively guilt free. I told a friend that it is 98% fat free.. and he went, so the rest is made up of 2% pure fat? 

Lol, that tickled me somehow. But it also brought to mind that I don't really know what the 2% is made up of. Time to do some research. In the mean time, I am still gonna enjoy my Fruche ;) Good tea time snack!

Portuguese egg tarts from Koi Kei Bakery

Brother just came back from Macau and he bought 2 dozen egg tarts from my favourite tart bakery - Koi Kei Bakery. I love the portuguese egg tarts from there because they are very crispy on the outside but fragrant and not too sweet for the filling. I used to hate egg tarts because they taste so oddly eggy until I ate this egg tart when I was in Macau 2 years ago. I fell in love with them and never turned back.  These egg tarts are best eaten after warming up in the toaster oven. Avoid the microwave as the pastry will turn soggy. 

Homemade Pineapple Sorbet

Made pineapple sorbet today. Extremely healthy, low fat and yummy. One of my guilt-free indulgences.

Milo Cereal

I have a new craze that I recently discovered - Milo Cereal. I have never really eaten it until yesterday and the first bite made me fall in love. Yes that's a kitchen weighing scale in the background because I am currently on a strict diet and want to make sure that I don't overeat my allowed portions. My weightloss trick is really to control portion sizes and eat more frequently throughout the day. Eat everything, but in moderation. 

So back to why I love this Milo Cereal - tastes just like milo and the best part of it all, the milk starts to taste like ice cold milo after soaking the cereal in it. It's like I can get the best of both worlds, the milo crunch and the milo drink together. Absolutely heavenly. 

Calories aren't too bad either - 30g (1 portion of cereal) + 125ml of skim milk is only 160 calories in total. Great for breakfast and low calorie mid day snacks.

One pack that has about 6 portions goes for only $3.50 tops. ;) 

Yes, this is my latest craze.

Truffle fries @ Skinny Pizza

And so I was saying that Skinny Pizza also has other food offerings apart from pizzas on their menu, one of them was the truffle fries (S$6). Ordered it yesterday alongside with my standard English Breakfast Pizza. When the fries came, I could smell the aroma from the Truffle oil. The fries tasted good when they were hot but once it cooled down, it wasn't as fragrant anymore.

I think truffle fries are an acquired taste. My dinner date was at first a little taken aback and commented that the fries smelled like they were doused in petrol but after he took his second bite, he concluded that the fries were pretty nice. I kinda still prefer the truffle fries from PS cafe though but they are both good :)

Homemade Fruit Salad

Just thought of sharing one of my healthy weight loss snack tips. Sometimes it's really boring to eat an apple by itself or a cantaloupe in slices, so what I like to do is to actually slice up a few pieces of different types of fruit and mix them together, it becomes more palatable and interesting. 

I notice that I get filled up more easily from snacking this way. One of my favourite combinations - Red dragonfruit, cantaloupe and kiwi. 

Healthy Snack - Red cabbage and plum chips

Was feeling really hungry one day and I needed a quick fix before dinner. I opened my fridge and saw an expiring head of red cabbage. Suddenly an epiphany struck me and I cut up the cabbage into potato chip sizes and sliced up some sweet plums. I then took the whole bowl and plonked myself in front of the TV. The snack was crispy, juicy and sweet. Wonderful guilt free way to enjoy a crunchy snack.