denise tan blogs

So according to a renowned Singapore food critic, there’s this top secret Japanese restaurant that only sits fourteen, serves amazingly fine Japanese food, and is filled with regulars of a local chef who has paid his dues amongst the best Japanese cuisine masters, in Japan & Singapore, including a stint at the now defunct Kampachi Restaurant. And the restaurant is so exclusive, unless the chef knows who u are, the door at his restaurant is closed – knock and if they know or are expecting you, you’ll get in. Otherwise, you’ll be turned away!
Now even I can’t tell you where this secret Japanese restaurant is cos’ I don’t know where it is, but I have the next best thing…
Apparently, this chef has opened a hawker stall serving his exquisite dishes at Golden Mile food centre!!! Bento sets that are absolutely delicious, well-executed and great value for money, going from just $4.50 – you can choose from set meals like grilled salmon drizzled with a tasty sauce, firm and juicy, served with real Japanese rice The tempura set is great too – crispy and light, coated in the same batter the secretive chef uses at his restaurant.
Easily his most popular is grilled chicken set, which is also mouthwateringly juicy.
All set meals come with miso soup, side dishes of veggies including mushrooms, carrots and daikon, and a slice of water melon for dessert.
MUST TRY!
76 Japanese Kitchen
Golden Mile Food Centre
505 Beach Rd
#01-76
Mon – Sat
10.30am – 2.30pm

Last week, this 8-legged psychic picked a winner for England vs Germany:

Paul the Octopus picked a winner for the England game against Germany – he selects World Cup winners with remarkable accuracy & has a 100% record at the World Cup. He chose Germany to down England in their last 16 clash… and tuned out to be right!

Missed my interview with Full Monty castmates on Wednesday? Listen here to Celine Rosa tan & Adrian Pang chat about the musical we’re all in together and share their favourite songs:


(There are 5 parts all together and the player above will play them consecutively)

Whew, wet weather notwithstanding, aren’t we glad it’s finally the weekend?

Onward to fun stuff on today’s show…
Believe it or not, music’s prince of darkness OZZY OSBOURNE is writing a health column for a British newspaper, called “Dr. Ozzy”! It runs every weekend in the Sunday Times, but the singer says that it’s obviously a joke. People send in questions, and Ozzy does his best to answer them, though he admits he’s the last person anyone should ask about how to stay healthy.

Click to read Ozzy’s online health column: Ask Dr Ozzy

Too embarrassed to ask your doctor? Dr Ozzy is your answer. After using and abusing his body for decades, he wants you to learn from his mistakes!
This week’s column is composed of fans’ questions for Ozzy over the years, but he is ready to answer yours.

Email him at askdrozzy@sunday-times.co.uk

Warning: Ozzy Osbourne is not a qualified medical professional. Caution is advised.

The Lunchbox Lab
Apa Rojak – tasty traditional Singaporean snack with a twist!

Clockwise from bottom left: Sno-jak, Rojak Toufu Puff, Vegetarian Rojak, Shake-Shake Cup Rojak. Centre: Apa Rojak.
Rojak fans have GOT to try this fresh new stall at Lau Pa Sat.
First of all, their special sauce is not too sweet and comes with a rich peanut aroma because they use peanuts that are freshly ground on-site. Also, they use a large variety of fruits (more so than anywhere else in S’pore – Mango, Guava, Cucumber, Apple, Pineapple, etc.) to naturally sweeten the rojak without having to add heaps of sugar.
The result is a tasty rojak of dough fritters, Bean Curd, fresh fruit and peanuts that’s a great balance of salty-sweet, but not too sweet.
You’ve also got to try their innovations, if only for the novelty – the Sno-jak is their specialty rojak topped with a secret zesty white sauce that looks and tastes vaguely like mayonnaise.
The Shake-shake rojak is a fun, healthy snack who like to be hands-on with their food. It’s DIY – you pick the fruits you like, placed in the clear plastic cup. Then you choose the sauce, add peanuts, then SHAKE it up to mix!
APA ROJAK
18 Raffles Quay, Lau Pat Sat Festival Market Stall 114

Just a few pictures from tonight’s first sing-through with the band – it rocked!

For photo captions, check my facebook page!

Hello faithful blog-readers! Apologies (yet again) for the lack of updates, it’s been hectic preparing to open The Full Monty this coming Friday – have you gotten your tickets yet?

This is a quick message to let you know I’ve got an official facebook page and I’d love for you to friend me. Search for me using me email jukebox@mediacorp.com.sg

I just uploaded some pictures of Gold 90FM events – you may have attended, so go check and see if you’re there!

Students in Exam Hall Doing the Mexican Wave!

This is the fun little viral video to raise awareness of a website that helps children cope with exam stress.

Taco Lunch @ Spruce Taqueria
This is a tasty taco stand that’s super casual and fun because it’s a bit of a hidden gem, nestled at the top of the hill in Phoenix Park, along Tanglin Road.
It’s the perfect place for a quick lunch, eaten either alfresco on site, or as a takeaway. I had a lazy alfresco lunch under a big umbrella with the breeze blowing and it was lovely.

An overview of the set lunches we ordered: (clockwise L-R): Grilled snapper Mexican rice bowl, Beef short rib tacos and Poblano Chile & Mushroom Quesadillas. All sets go at a reasonable $9 and come with nachos, roasted jalapeno & tomato salsa, and an ice-cold drink (I highly recommend the refreshing Watermelon and Lime drink).

Really light, tender grilled snapper dusted with Cajun spices together with shredded cabbage, crunchy radish chunks, sour cream, chopped coriander, spring onions, lime wedges and creamy guacamole, all sit on top of a HUGE portion of white rice.

The vegetarian version of the house quesadillas – my favourite! It may be vegetarian, but it packs the most flavour, featuring a delicious mix of shiitake and hon-shimeji mushrooms, and roasted poblano chiles (a delightful, meaty Mexican chilli with a spicy kick!).

Beef short-rib tacos – an unusual marinade is the selling point for this dish, although I feel it could’ve used with more seasoning (my serving was a little bland). Strange, since I discovered that the ribs are marinated Korean-style with apple juice, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce and sugar. The meat had great texture though and naughty, juicy bits of fat to nibble on.
I’m not big on pork, so I passed on the pork carnitas tacos (a shame, since I hear from others it’s one of the best choices – slow-cooked Kurobuta pork shoulder marinated with orange and lime juices!). And there’s also beef tongue (sounds a little hair-raising, but apparently absolutely deeeelish!) as a filling/ topping for the tacos, quesadillas or rice.
Spruce Taqueria
320 Tanglin Road (Phoenix Park, opp. Brunei Embassy)
12-3pm (weekdays only), closed on public holidays.

For more info, check out this link!