We’ve always admired mid-century modernism and even tried to achieve the look for myself many moons ago, but our problem with it was, for us, it felt a little too minimalist and not quite cozy enough. However lately, we’ve seen a modernizing trend in the mid-century genre that feels much warmer and feels a little more liveable to us.
There’s also the use of lots of vintage 1950-60’s bamboo furnishings which always give off a friendly vibe and lots of warm wood everywhere, which really creates an inviting atmosphere. the whole look seems almost influenced by the Japanese-inspired, wabi-sabi — the aesthetic sometimes described as one of appreciating the beauty that is “imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete” in nature. We just love the idea of that.
We all know that fruit and coffee matches well, actually flora and herb is perfect for making coffee as well. But did you know that people are using osmanthus sugar “honey” to sweeten their morning brew? Not only is adding osmanthus sugar “honey” to your coffee taste delicious, but it also has a variety of health benefits. So let’s dig a little deeper into drinking your coffee with “honey”.
Putting honey in coffee isn’t a huge shock is that my mother was a big fan of adding honey in tea. Honey is known to be a healthier alternative to sugar or other artificial sweeteners. So a lot of people are using honey to sweeten their coffee, but should you?
Is osmanthus sugar good for the body?
The fact is that honey has more calories than sugar, however, there are other more benefit to it.
First of all, due to the fact that honey contains pollen, it might help you to fight symptoms of seasonal allergies like a runny nose, sore throat or headaches. Imagine a beautiful Spring morning with less congestion and a sweeter cup of coffee! Moreover as both coffee and honey have high antioxidants – where help reduces the number of “sick” cells in the body. Too many of these sick cells can lead to negative long term effects on the body.
See the pros now?
Which kind of milk can you use?
For this recipes we use lactose-free milk by meji – if you have lactose intolerance, even a glass of milk may trigger digestive distress with symptoms like diarrhoea, vomiting and abdominal pain, this is the milk for you. In term of taste, it doesn’t have much difference therefore you could also go for the normal milk that you are able to grab. Oat Milk, Soy Milk is also a great alternative in term of health benefit or taste too.
Last week did a Sweet Osmanthus Soda, it is great for cooling yourself down from the humid weather. This Iced Osmanthus Latte is a great morning boast to start your day! Give it a try now.
We’re fairly convinced that hummus is one of the best stuff in the universe. It might look mashed-up in the dish, but this combination of chickpeas, olive oil, tahini, lemon juice, and garlic creates a dip that is so much more than the sum of its parts.
You can keep it classic but hummus can comes in so many awesome flavours. Skip the store-bought stuff — our obsession with hummus is never purchasing from the deli section anymore. We love to eat and making them ourselves as it will be so much tastier. Hummus can be part of your daily diet as long as it’s eaten in balance and the rest of your diet comprises a wide variety of foods.
Dried Split Peas
While split peas can be sad and forgotten foods of the legume aisle. Many recipes are using them as the side for salad, curry or bean soup. We’re going to change that—because split peas are delicious, nourishing, and easier to keep at home! If you’re out of fresh produce and have a craving for Hummus, it is great to have split peas in your cabinet. It supposed to be greener if you use a full portion of the split peas
My Obsession and it’s a life-saver for soft diet.
In April, it has been such a challenging, painful month for me. With me being hospitalised with my abdominal pain (it is blessed in disguise with endangering issue) and going through the procedure of removing my wisdom tooths. I have the hardest time eating anything good as there are so many restrictions including avoiding nuts and many more of my favourite food. I’m thankful that bean is not part of the restriction, and therefore hummus is the life-saver for the time being. Congee, mashed potato/sweet-potatoes are great but anyone could get sick of it.
The Benefits
The benefit with chickpeas can lower cholesterol, not to mention it is high in protein and make an excellent replacement for meat in vegetarian and vegan diets. In research, the protein and fiber in chickpeas may help keep your appetite under control. Isn’t that great?
Like other beans and nuts, the split peas will help to reduce cholesterol and blood pressure. However, one thing that we found interesting is that split peas are packed with a trace mineral called molybdenum which helps in the detoxification of sulfites. What are sulfites? Sulfites are added as preservatives in processed foods such as baked goods, jams, potato chips, etc. Eating it regularly may prone to sulfite sensitivity which can be experienced as symptoms like rapid heartbeat, headache, diarrhea, nausea, where it isn’t good for health.
KitchenAid Food Processor
Recently we have purchased a new food processor – KitchenAid 830ml Mini Food Chopper. It became our favorite food processor especially for making hummus. One of the features is that it has a drizzle basin and pour spout for us to add liquid in the mid-way of blending.
What is the trick here?
It’s simple really. It’s the order in which you add ingredients to your food processor. Seriously, it’s that easy. Add in all the ingredients. Turn on the food processor and let it run for a minute or so. Coldwater is our last trick for fluffy, creamy, whipped hummus. After all the ingredients are added and we’ve processed into a smooth paste, I love to drizzle in some cold water with the processor still running. The water (and extra process time) turns the already pretty smooth mixture into a fluffy, luxurious dip!
Cook split peas: In a pot of boiled water, cook the split peas for around 20 minutes till it is soft to mash. Once it is cooked, drain and leave it to cool.
In a blender, combine all the ingredients. Blend it till smooth, add in cold water if the mixture is still thick. Season it with salt and pepper to taste.
I love wearing pastels in spring and the most popular pastel color this year is baby blue and yellow. There’s something about pastels that just make me so happy! It’s the same as applying them to the room. Changing the bedsheets is one of the easiest ways to get into the theme.
To create a room with a soft feeling, the colors should be matched, so you should insist on using the same pastel color tone in the entire room and using a pattern to match with each other.
Adding mirror and glasses as your decoration help to put your focus on the pastel color. And brighten up the room making you feel more spring. Not to forget the flowers! We love the small flowers, look so sweet.
Sweet Osmanthus Soda will be the prettiest and simple beverage to serve during this humid weather or the hot Summer. With the Osmanthus Sugar (aka Honey Syrup)we shared earlier in the post, you can make this glass of sweet osmanthus soda in the least than 5 minutes.
Soda is such an enjoyment — drinking soda can just integrate the acid-base balance needed in the human body. While, eating more alkaline-promoting foods (including most fruits and vegetables, soybeans and tofu, and some nuts, seeds, and legumes) will also benefit the body. Soda water is a carbonated beverage that helps to nourish the stomach and neutralize stomach acid, and also helps to alleviate indigestion. Personally, I don’t really like to drink soda directly, add some sweet-scented nectar, add some sweetness and sweet-scented osmanthus mark a perfection.
Which Tonic Water did we use?
Based on researches, in the modern-day, tonic water is a must-have mixer in everyone home bar. After all, it’s one half of a classic gin and tonic for a cosy Friday’s night! The main ingredients are simple: soda water, sugar and quinine. What’s quinine? To put it simply, it’s a bitter alkaloid that’s used to enhance flavour. With quinine added to tonic water, a distinct bitter taste is developed that the soda water doesn’t have.
The commonly brand we use is Schweppes Tonic Water and F&N Tonic Water Extra Dry. Both of them is a ubiquitous and affordable brand, and its tonic water works well in any drink or on its own. It’s sweet, with just a little bitterness from the quinine. All in all, this is a straightforward, readily available option at our nearby convenient store.
You could also use Soda Water! As there is already Osmanthus Sugar (aka Honey Syrup) acted as a sweetener, you could replace the Tonic Water in recipes that contain sugar with Soda water for a healthier choice.
“Sweet osmanthus soda is a very versatile drink for its delicious fruity notes.”
The fragrance of osmanthus flowers is so fruity and delicate it is no surprise it has made its way into the perfumery industry. This time we use it in soda to quench our thirst in the hot weather. For all these reasons above, we think of osmanthus as a “saffron of China”.
With Wild Rocket’s demise and Restaurant Labyrinth’s move deep into exploring Singapore’s terroir, there aren’t that many solid options for old-school modern Asian fare. The debut of 15 Stamford by Alvin Leung (“15 Stamford”) at The Capitol Kempinski Hotel Singapore is one of our highlights during our Staycation trip in early April.
Serving breakfast buffet catered to hotel guests in the morning, 15 Stamford transforms into a modern Asian eatery by lunch and dinner, with an a la carte menu of modern Asian dishes that combine South East Asian flavours with minute elements of flavours represented in Leung’s restaurant Bo Innovation in Hong Kong. In the after-hours, you could also end your night with their signature rum collection at The Bar at 15 Stamford.
Ambience at 15 Stamford By Alvin Leung
Located at level 1 of The Capitol Kempinski Hotel, 15 Stamford By Alvin Leung is a 150-seater restaurant with a glitzy ambience. With monochromatic tiled floors and a good stream of natural lighting, it is also a backdrop for an IG-worthy meal. The luxe brown leather chairs and dim lighting also make for a romantic and private spot to celebrate anything! In the morning with a lesser crowd, their amazing server told us which are the area for good photos.
Breakfast
On the 2nd morning of our staycation, we head down to 15 Stamford for the breakfast. If you’re wondering whether it’s worth paying for breakfast, the answer is yes, yes, thousand times yes. The Capitol Kempinski Hotel, quite simply, has the best hotel breakfast services in whole Singapore yet. It is also one of the reasons we choose the hotel as our birthday staycation, as the review for the breakfast is so good and it didn’t disappoint us.
Due to safety measurement, we were told to scan the QR code to view the menu on the phone. We almost overeat as we want to fully discover the menu. After orders are taken, you’re invited to partake of a power shot. A mixture of apple and carrot, or orange and grapefruit was offered, and yes, all juices at 15 Stamford are freshly squeezed. You’d think this would be the standard at 5 Star hotels.
After orders were taken, the baker came to the table with the “pass around service”. It’s basically a selection of all the day’s bread, portioned out to your plate or toasted on request. But before you tuck into your bread, wait for the Wagon Trolley, a standard feature at Kempinski hotels. This larder on wheels features honey on the honeycomb, truffle honey, dark chocolate spread, white chocolate spread, passion fruit chocolate spread and all sorts of goodness. The truffle honey in particular is a must-try. It was cloying like regular honey, but with an unmistakable aroma of truffle. The server recommends having their truffle honey with their yoghurt and we are addicted to it.
We tried most of the selection on the menu for both western and local selection, and it is pretty much to a good standard, especially the french toast that was highly recommended by the server. Therefore, when you are unsure of what to order (as the selection is so wide), don’t be shy to ask for a recommendation from the server. They are honest and really know their food for the day. You probably might discover a secret menu (please do share with us)!
Lunch
Before we check-in, to the room, we head off to 15 Stamford for our lunch (brunch actually) as they served valuable lunch set menu prices at S$34++ for two courses and S$42++ for three courses, and for the quality of the food you get, that’s a tremendous value. As we are heading kki sweets for desserts hence we ordered the two courses meal.
For starters, we had Japanese Swordfish (Vine Tomato, Pomelo, Kyuri Cucumber, Coriander Emulsion) and Foie Gras Kaya Toast (organic egg foam, kaya gel, milk toast, +S$8 supplement). The Kaya toast was good, but the Japanese Swordfish was outstanding. Fusion cuisine can often go so wrong, and but not at 15 Stamford.
For the mains, we had the Barramundi, and Bak Kut Teh. The meat on the Bak Kut Teh was falling off the bone, and while Gordon Ramsay may chafe at the idea of grilled watermelon, what does he know? This worked out great. They are not the fancier plating on earth however the barramundi taste was so great.
“They really know how to make sauces!”, that is the only one phrase both of us agreed for lunch. We all know that a good sauce is the soul of the food.
After hours
Located at the entrance before the main dining of 15 Stamford. It’s a great way to spend your night before heading back to your room for a bath. Surprisingly it’s not too busy for a Wednesday night, we got our seat as soon as the server saw us.
At The Bar at 15 Stamford their signature is their rum collection. Angela ordered their signature PLANTATION 1840 ($24), while I order the Peranakan Old Fashion ($22). They are not stingy with their alcohol, but the percentage of alcohol it’s too much for me. However, seem like you will have a better personal experience if you would prefer a seat at the bar, as you will have the chance to know more about the drinks with the bartender.
While we still prefer the MO Bars where they served unique cocktails for your relaxing night. But was told that every day at 8.00 pm a bell will be rung 5 times and everyone sitting at the bar will be given a small cocktail. Would really want to head back to test it if it is true.
Experiencing the different timing at the same place, offer you a different kind of experiences each time you visit them. With the services and quality of their foods, we will totally head back for second times, as the menu provide a wide range of dishes that we have yet to experience them all.
