Mushroom Risotto @ The Marmalade Pantry

Truffled Field Mushroom Risotto

And once again, a risotto dish to review.

My main reason for heading to The Marmalade Pantry was for their red velvet cupcakes. Unfortunately, I went there too late (dinnertime) that they ran out of most of their cupcake selection. So that would have to be for another time.

Since we were already there, we decided to just have our dinner at the same place. I was pleasantly surprised to find that they served mushroom risotto (pictured above) or what they call the Truffled Field Mushroom Risotto (S$22).

Overall, the dish was good. Risotto cooked perfectly as well as a generous serving and variety of mushrooms. There was truffle but I could not distinguish the taste from the other flavors. Not sure if that's how it's supposed to be.

Since I've tried a somewhat similar dish from Jones the Grocer, I could not help but compare. I prefer the version from Jones the Grocer. I think it could be because the mushrooms were chopped up in Jones the Grocer's version unlike the one from The Marmalade Pantry.

Having the mushrooms whole seemed to give me a different flavor with every bite. This is because for me, each kind of mushroom tastes different from another. Sometimes one spoonful of the dish was just a piece of mushroom. Yes, maybe I could have sliced or chopped them all up but somehow that defeats the authenticity of a risotto dish. For Jones the Grocer's version, the mushrooms were chopped up and mixed in with the risotto. It made each different mushroom taste less powerful and blended well together overall. It gave the dish a consistency with its flavor.

My friend had their Oriental Grilled King Salmon (S$24) with soba and scallions (pictured below). The verdict was good so maybe I'll try this the next time I drop by. Hopefully with a red velvet cupcake for dessert.

Oriental Grilled King Salmon with soba and scallions

P.S. Serving size of the salmon dish was kind of small considering its price. They could have plated a bigger slice of salmon or served two pieces of the same size.

The Marmalade Pantry
Unit 03-22
Orchard Ion
2 Orchard Turn
Singapore 238801


telephone 6734 2700
facsimile 6734 2279
tmp@marmaladegroup.com
www.themarmaladepantry.com

Mushroom Risotto @ Jones the Grocer

I've heard about Jones the Grocer before but never had the chance to try it. With a friend visiting from out of town, it was the perfect time to drop by their Mandarin Gallery branch.

I perused their menu but the minute I saw the words risotto, you know I had to get it. I had their Mushroom Risotto while my friend had their Jones Wagyu Beef Burger (S$26.50). We also had their Carrot Cake and Strawberry Shortcake to finish off the meal (pictures below).

Their Mushroom Risotto (S$25.50) was delicious. The risotto was perfectly cooked and topped with freshly sliced parmesan cheese. Side note: they are supposedly famous for their fromagerie and tapas. Anyway, my only minus point for the mushroom risotto dish was I thought it had too much onion mixed in. But maybe that's just me since I am not a big fan of onions.

Now for the desserts, it was both lovely and perfect. The carrot cake was moist and the frosting was sweet and delicious. The strawberry shortcake was very light but tasty. I am not a fan of the strawberry fruit but the cake and frosting were excellent.

Overall, Jones the Grocer has nice ambience for small gatherings among girlfriends while you gossip over artisan cheese and yummy main courses. It also has a bakery beside the cafe which I may go back and try.

Jones Wagyu Beef Burger

Carrot Cake

Strawberry Shortcake

Jones the Grocer
333A Orchard Road
Level 4 #21-23 Mandarin Gallery
Singapore, 238897 Tel: +65 6836 6372
e-mail: mandaringallery@jonesthegrocer.com
www.jonesthegrocer.com


Trading Hours:
Monday - Sunday
9:00am – 11:00pm

Seafood Risotto @ UCC Coffee Café Terrace

I meant to post about this months ago. I had this when I flew back to Cebu back in  August. After my niece's pedia appointment, my sister's family and I stopped at the UCC Coffee Café Terrace at Ayala Center Cebu for lunch.

As usual, when I spot a risotto dish on the menu there's no other choice for me. Unfortunately, this Seafood Risotto dish was a disappointment. The serving size was good, number of ingredients perfect, but it just felt like a rice dish smothered in tomato sauce. It didn't taste like risotto at all -- at least to my opinion. Maybe they used the wrong rice? It was not cooked enough? I don't know. If you don't think of it as risotto and you like your meals "saucy", then it's a good enough dish. Flavour-wise it wasn't bad.

I've been to the UCC Coffee Café Terrace a few times now. My dad loves their coffee and their crepes are good. For their main courses, I believe their hamburger steak is pretty good. They're a bit expensive for the Cebu market but it is a great place to hang out with your family, quiet and cozy.

UCC Coffee Café Terrace
The Terraces, Ayala Center
Cebu City, Philippines
Tel No. (032) 417-1344

Mushroom Risotto - Home Cooked

Okay, this photo does not make the dish look very appetizing when it really was. I've finally succumbed and tried my hand in making risotto.

I simply followed this recipe here. Of course, I substituted the mushrooms since I don't really have all that available on hand.

Ingredients:

• Sliced button mushrooms
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 350g/12oz arborio rice
• 1.2 litres hot vegetable stock
• 25g/1oz butter
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Freshly grated parmesan, to serve

How to cook:

1. Heat the oil in a large, heavy based saucepan and add the onion and garlic. Fry over a gentle heat for 2-3 minutes, until softened. Add the mushrooms and fry for a further 2-3 minutes, until browned.
2. Stir in the rice and coat in the oil. Add a ladleful of the stock and simmer, stirring again, until the liquid has been absorbed. Continue adding the stock in this way, until all the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is plump and tender.
3. Add the parsley, butter and salt and pepper, stir into the risotto. Serve with freshly grated Parmesan.

This is really more like a poor mans (or womans) risotto since I'm using easy-to-find, affordable and canned button mushrooms and nixed the wine.

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Pan Seared Cod with Green Pea Risotto @ KT's Grill

This is Pan Seared Cod with Green Pea Risotto from KT's Grill at Universal Studios Singapore. We had spent a very hot and humid morning there and decided to nix the fast food restaurants and splurge on somewhere very comfortable and cool.

We found KT's Grill in the New York section (I think...) and it was styled like an old-school New York pub with a bar downstairs and a formal restaurant up a very elegant staircase.

This dish was delicious but the serving size could've been bigger for its price. But then what do you expect from a touristy place like USS? Anyway, the fish was cooked perfectly and while I was iffy about the fact that the risotto was green pea, it was surprisingly yummy. Like I've said before, I'm a sucker when it comes to risotto dishes.

The yellow circular thing you see at the bottom of the picture is some kind of cheese cracker. It was a perfect combination with the green pea risotto.

If ever I do go back to Universal Studios ($70+ entrance, eek!), I'd definitely consider this place for lunch or dinner. There were other excellent dishes available since I remember everyone at my table were very satisfied with their meal.

KT's Grill
8 Sentosa Gateway 
Universal Studios Singapore 
Resorts World Sentosa
T: 6577 8899
Open Daily 9am-6pm

Risotto Gamberi @ Acqua, Shangri-la Mactan

Last weekend, I flew back to Cebu, Philippines for a quick weekend holiday with the family. It was my first time back in the Philippines since I turned into a "pesce". And believe me when I say it was d*mn hard to resist Cebu's world-famous lechon, Cafe Laguna's crispy pata, Harbour City's pork steamed rice and Jun-Jun & Malou's barbecued chicken. But I survived! After all, Cebu also had the best seafood in the country.

Over the weekend, we stayed at Shangri-la Mactan and one night we had dinner at their Italian restaurant called Acqua (yes, with the "c"). I had the Risotto Gamberi with Asparagus Cream Sauce.

The risotto was a bit undercooked. It felt more like I was eating rice smothered in cream sauce rather than getting the creaminess of risotto. However, the serving had a lot of prawn bits mixed into it and that made up for the undercooked risotto. I am usually not a fan of asparagus but in this dish, it was a perfect complement to the cream and prawns.

If I do go back to this restaurant, I may order this dish again or maybe one of the other risottos. If I remember correctly, they had one with truffles. And I'm a sucker for good risotto.

Oh! And I almost forgot, they also had a great vegetarian section on their menu with some sounding very appetizing.




Acqua Italian Restaurant
Poolside Ocean Wing
Shangri-la Mactan Resort & Spa
Punta Engano Road, Lapu-lapu
Cebu 6015, Philippines
T: (63 32) 231 0288
www.shangri-la.com