Portico - 5th Year Anniversary

It was our 5th dating year together yesterday. Chosen a newly opened restaurant - Portico, located at Alexandra Road.

This restaurant location is a little bit off site from where usual crowds would be like Holland Village, Club Street, Tanjong Pagar etc. But it's location is quite convenient where MRT(Labrador MRT) is just less than 1km away.

Portico is serving fine dining food in a reasonable and affordable price, not those kind that the plates come with 1 prawn and it gonna cost you $100.

Setting of Portico 

The ambience was comfortable, you don't feel tense up like how you are in a fine dining restaurant, afraid of the noise coming up from the brushing of utensils. This place is a good place for friends to hand out too.

Foie Gras with Bread and Tomato Sauce

This was a complimentary dish from the kitchen. I had a bad experience with foie gras before, and it really took me some courage to try this appertiser. The ones that i had previously was so awful that i couldn't swallow, and hoping to spit out immediately (Do not wish to name that restaurant, quite famous in Singapore). This, was different, though i still don't enjoy much of the taste, but it doesn't have the foul taste that i had the other time. Going with the bread and tomato sauce was kind of interesting.

Fish and Chips with Mint Peas

Beef with Pear and Mashed Potatoes

The fish was my main and the beef was my boyf's main. It was good, but i really don't like the minty peas. Other than that, everything was really good. :D

Dessert

Before ending, we ordered a dessert to share as we were kind of full. This raspberry dessert was nice, the white shattered parts were actually meringues, and it goes so well with the raspberry sorbet. OMG, THIS IS GOOD. 2 THUMBS UP. The meringues were not too sweet, so the ice cream complements the meringues, not forgetting the white chocolate mousse there too.

Blueberry Cheesecake

This was a surprise. The chef had done this for us. Isn't that very sweet of the staffs over there?

This is definitely a place i would recommend to all, whether you are a local or tourist, visit this place, with amazing and friendly staffs, they will brighten your day and shine your nights.

Ratings:
Food: 4.0 / 5.0
Ambience: 4.5 / 5.0
Service: 4.5 / 5.0
Price: $$$ - $$$$

Address:
991B Alexandra Road
#01-10
Singapore 119970
No reservations is required, but if you are afraid of weekends disappointment, best is you book a table. :D

Valentine's Day 2014

Starting off my first post on Valentines' Day.

And my present for him is.. 

Tadah! A DIY Chocolate Raspberry Cake.

Trust me, eating a cake is really "a piece of cake". Making one is... tiring.This is my first time making layered cakes. Slept only for 2 hours making this cake to wait for different components to set in the fridge, and JESUS! the mousse was a great failure, so runny that my raspberry confiture started to run off with the mousse.

And the heartpain story is - the raspberries cost me a bomb! $7.50/pkt, which i bought 4 packets, for the decoration and fillings.

THIS! was what i am expecting.. ):

Even though the outcome wasn't as what i've expected, but what makes me happy is still the compliments i am receving from him even though i know the cake tasted "eww?". 

One thing i have gained from this experience, is that i found the perfect way to make a dark chocolate ganache that is so tasty, and it actually makes my cakes taste a little bit better.

I've tried certain chocolate glaze recipes, either it is too runny that my glaze starting to run off my cake and im left with a soggy piece of cake or it turns out to be hard that like i have topped my cake with chocolate chunks. And this glaze i found online is REALLY glazing. You could even see reflection from the cake.

And THIS is the perfect recipe for Chocolate Glaze that you wouldn't want to miss it (and it sure does goes into my little notebook):

Chocolate Glaze (Recipe Used and Adapted from: "Cafe Fernando":

Makes: 1 1/3 Cups

Ingredients:

1. 1/4 Cup Cold Water

2. 2 Tsp Powdered Gelatin

3. 2/3 Cup Caster Sugar

4. 1/3 Cup Water

5. 1 Tbsp + 1 Tsp Corn Syrup

6. 3/4 Cup + 2 Tbsp Cocoa Powder (I use Hershey Unsweeted Cocoa)

7. 1/3 Cup Heavy Cream (I used Millac Dairy Whipping Cream)

Methods:

1. Pour cold water in a small bowl and sprinkle gelatin over the top and give it a light stir. Cover with a cling wrap and set aside.

2. Heat up small saucepan in medium heat and whisk sugar and 1/3 cup water till sugar a completely dissolved. Remove from heat and use a wire whisk and stir in corn syrup followed by the cocoa powder till mixture is smooth and glossy. (Best result is to sift your cocoa powder to remove any lumps of chocolate which can be hard to whisk in the mixture.)

3. Return pan to heat in medium heat, stir in the heavy cream and bring it to boil. Remove from heat and allow the mixture to cool till 60C.

4. Stir in the softened gelatin mixture till completely dissolved.

5. Allow mixture to cool down to 27C before glazing the cake. (You will not want to destroy your cake with a piping hot glaze.)

Happy Valentines' Day People!