The Hungry Bunny

Carne con Papas, i.e. Spanish for beef and potatoes, is a Cuban-styled beef stew rooted in its Spanish colonisation days. It's characterised by the use of cumin and oregano being predominant flavours, and grounded in a base of white wine and tomatoes. Yes, you heard right, white wine, and not the usual red. Some recipes call for sherry, but I like to keep it traditional with a dry white, like a crisp New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. Ingredients (feeds 6): 1 kg stewing beef, 1" cubes 1 large onion, minced 5 cloves garlic, minced 1 large green pepper, diced to 1cm-cubes 1 tbsp cumin 1 tbsp paprika 1 tsp ground coriander dash of tumeric (optional as it's really to give the stew the distinctive orange colour) 2 tsp dried oregano 2 bay leaves 1 can diced tomatoes with juice 1 cup white wine 1 cup pimento-stuffed spanish olives (didn't have this in my pantry so I switched it out with rainbow olives) 4 potatoes, cut into large chunks 2 large carrots, diced 2

The Soup Spoon has come a long way from its humble origins as a purveyor of wholesome hearty soups. It's now a chain restaurant with 5 distinct concepts, a smart diversification to capture a larger market share of local diners.  The Soup Spoon Union Square is a canteen-like, self-serviced eatery that houses a combination of their concepts under one roof. Together with mothership The Soup Spoon, there's The Handburger , for well-rounded handcrafted burgers; The Grill Knife , for sizzling meats and seafood straight off the barbie; and The Salad Fork , for fibre-rich clean eating. The baby of The Soup Spoon empire, and a recent addition to the food basement of Vivocity , The Soup Spoon Union co-ops The Soup Spoon, The Handburger, and The Grill Knife. Its production-line efficiency, substantive sets, decent fare, and wallet-friendly prices, make for brisk business.  From The Handburger, The Original Set ($13.80 for set), a juicy stack of New Zealand grass-fed prime bee

So, a bunch of us were talking about our favourite crab dishes, when a foodie friend commented that we haven't had crabs till we've had the Alaskan King ones. He'd waxed lyrical about the superiority of Alaskan King crabs over their Sri Lankan cousins, and proclaimed that once you go Alaskan, you never go back. So, one lazy afternoon, we rounded up a crew and trooped on down to Chin Huat Live Seafood , his favourite seafood joint and Alaskan king crab specialist. I swear they probably stock up on more Alaskan King crabs than they do regular ol' Sri Lankan crabs. The Sunset Way-long timer has weathered significant change; where the previously sleepy estate full of industrial / paint shops has since gentrified into a thriving restaurant and cafe enclave. It looks vastly different from years ago when I first dined at Chin Huat with then-fellow singleton Lips. Reservations are highly encouraged if you're dining, especially at peak periods. Reports of bad/slow servi

A winter holiday classic, Sweet Potato Casserole is just about the easiest you can make. So easy even the 'I-burnt-water' Hubs can make. With minimal direction, of course. And because this is done entirely in the oven, space is freed up on the stove for the other bubbling pots and pans. Most sweet potato casseroles veer towards the saccharine and into the dessert category, so I've tried to limit the sugars added to the already-sweet potatoes. Ingredients (feeds 4-5 pax): 3 large sweet potatoes, scrubbed clean 1/3 cup milk 1 egg, beaten 2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted 1 tbsp honey 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon Pinch ground nutmeg Pinch of salt 1/4 cup walnuts, chopped roughly 1/4 cup pecans, chopped roughly Directions: 1) Preheat oven to 200C; prick the skins of the potatoes a few times with a fork, and bake it whole for 45-50 minutes or until soft. Set aside to cool. 2) Turn down oven to 175C. Scoop potatoes out of their skins, and mash with milk, butter, ho

Capitol Piazza is part of a slew of shiny new malls sprouting up in the downtown City Hall area. Formerly Capitol Theatre, the heritage building has been conserved in all its neo-classical beauty, and is now part of an integrated development comprising a hotel, private residence, commercial offices, and retail mall. Directly linked to the City Hall MRT station, the mall draws a significant number of foot traffic from commuting passersby. The basement restaurants benefit most, and is where you'll find popular Italian pizzeria chain, Spizza . I wouldn't venture as far to proclaim Spizza as the best Italian restaurant there is, but like an old pair of sneakers, it's familiar, comforting and reliable. And, for food that more than passes muster, prices are very reasonably affordable. The delicious  Calamari ($13.80), lightly battered squid rings fried to a crisp finish, and served with a piquant pizzaiolo dip, is always a safe bet. This starter is consistently good acros

It's been a while since I was last at The Naked Finn , a cheeky moniker that's a brassy word play on the way the restaurant treats its seafood. Featuring seafood sourced from all over the world, rigorously tested and researched to oblivion, The Naked Finn aims to serve only the sweetest and freshest. In that aspect, their almost scientific approach to their food reminds me of Heston Blumenthal's perfectionist style. Since dining almost 2 years ago , The Naked Finn has moved to new premises, barely 100 meters away from their old haunt, which is, incidentally, now its sister bar. Its greenhouse aesthetic is maintained, so you get an expansive view of the lush surrounds of Gillman Barracks. It's a terrific escape from the hustle and bustle of city living. Be sure to make reservations though, it was a busy full house on a Friday afternoon when we popped by for lunch. To give credence to the seafood, cooking styles are deliberately kept delicate, and the quality of th

Cocotte , a charming little French bistro, has been on my to-eat list for the longest time. Installed in the Wanderlust Hotel on the fringes of Little India, it's kitschy, fun, convivial, and rustic. We popped in last weekend for brunch, and were informed that the ala carte menu wasn't available; they were serving up their Weekend Brunch Trolley ($59++ without alcohol). If you were wondering what a brunch trolley was, think dim sum pushcarts in those old-school Cantonese restaurants in Hongkong, just French. The affordability of the brunch was the primary factor in the decision to stay for brunch; I'm not particularly keen on buffets of any sort, even the pseudo-ones. I'm glad I stayed though. The decidedly limited array kept the quality of the brunch high, and because everything was in petite portions, we really could partake of everything. Also, the long gaps between the trolleys helped encourage the slow food movement thing that the French are so famous for; we

I love stews. It's comforting and nourishing, and can be switched up a million ways. No stew I've ever made is the same, simply because I throw in whatever I feel like that very day. I had a bunch of garlic getting close to its use-by date, and fresh rosemary that had been sitting in the freezer since forever, so I thought I'd marry them in a stew. Because there's such a myriad of flavours derived naturally, there's hardly a use for salt. Ingredients (feeds 6 pax): 6-8 chicken thighs (apportion 1 thigh per person, +2 to accommodate big eaters) 10 cloves garlic, left whole 10 cloves garlic, minced 1 small yellow onion, diced 1 leek, white portion only, minced 2 large carrots, diced to 1-cm cubes 500 grms white button mushrooms, sliced 1 cup dry white wine 5 cups chicken stock 1 cup unseeded olives, a rainbow mix of red, purple, and green 10 sprigs fresh rosemary, tied together with butcher's twine 1 cup orzo 2 tbsp olive oil Directions: 1)