Roxxy Red on Eurodance, Music, Love and Life

Kalinka-Malinka, A Culinary Serenade

2007-07-03T08:04:00.000-07:00

Authentic Russian comes to Tudor Court

Kalinka-Malinka , named after Russia’s best known folk song, is renowned for its sophisticated dining experience and traditional Russian fare. Like the song, it’s a culinary declaration of love!

Opened in Mid-2005 by debut restaurateur Mr. Leslie Tan and his Russian business partner Kocheva Natalia, the restaurant is tucked away on the second floor of a quaint but Victorian-style charming Tudor Court – a shopping centre situated in an antique specialty shopping belt along Tanglin Road.

Reminiscent of rustic Europe, where the best eateries are located atop family-run shophouses, easy access to the restaurant (look for their signboard) is granted via a side staircase next to a street florist – also a handy stopover for Romeos yearning to impress their Juliets on Valentine’s Day.

Inside, be awe struck by a designer décor taken straight from a page out of Interior Design Weekly. The interior of this small, but intimately cosy restaurant is cleverly designed in the style of a country wooden cottage. The warm lighting, burgundy walls, framed alcoves and timber rafts provide unfussy hints of Russia, all true to her architectural heritage.

Fellow diners range from well heeled business types to small families all manifestly enjoying this unique and fine dining experience.

A noteworthy mention is the exceptional quality of service presided over by
their ever-helpful waitresses who are happy to steer you through the menu.

For starters, the Pelmeni - Siberian dumplings with pork meat and sour cream

($12) were absolutely delectable. Sitting in a savoury broth, each sincerely handmade dumpling melts-in-your-mouth. The pork filling was well marinated in a harmony of herbs and spices. The sour cream, which was surprisingly light, tantalises your taste buds and go extremely well with the dumplings. Quite simply, Heaven on a plate!

Another traditional offering on the menu was Borsch – oxtail soup with cabbage, sour cream and dill pesto ($10).As a true icon of authentic Russian cuisine, the Borsch did not

disappoint. Chock full of chopped vegetables and delightfully aromatic shredded beef, this clear soup was wonderfully robust and comes in a generous portion.

The highlight of the meal was the Beef Stroganoff – beef tenderloin stew with paprika and mashed potatoes ($30). This hearty dish is a dream come true for meat-lovers. With paprika as the main ingredient, it adds a wonderful colour to this visually appealing dish. The beef tenderloin slices, stewed to perfection, were extremely sweet and tender, almost melt-in-your-mouth. Topped by a rich, velvety and addictive cream sauce, each mouthful was a sensual, culinary experience.

Other worthy menu mentions include the Beef Shashlik (beef tenderloin marinated in wine, onion and lemon, $32), Chicken A La Kiev (classic chicken dish with butter, $29) and the Golubsty (cabbage rolls filled with pork and tomato sauce, $26).

A little pricey at parts, two could easily push the bill into treble figures with unrestrained indulgence in the wide variety of dishes. Judicious menu hopping should still see you at around $60 per person, a reasonable price for excellent service, food and exclusive ambience.

OCBC credit card holders enjoy a 15% discount, so Robinson's and Titanium card holders may wish to take note.

Smacznego! (that’s Polish for Bon Appetit)

*Note: This is an old review. Sadly to say, the owners of Kalinka Malinka have ceased business since mid-2006.

The Most Addictive Japanese Ramen Ever!

2007-04-05T18:44:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Tetsuya-san for gracefully allowing me to take this picture!

RAMEN RAMPAGE
One of Tokyo's Most Popular Ramen Joints Finally Comes to Town. Addictive Main Dish Leaves You Lusting for More.

Helmed by ever-affable Japanese masterchef Tetsuya Kudo, Marutama Ra-men restaurant is tucked away in a quiet corner on the 3rd level of Central. The Central is a slick, SOHO-type new mall that sprang up mysteriously a couple of months ago.

For the strangest reasons, the best eateries are somehow commonly found in the quaintest of all places. And by the way, the original Marutama joint in the outskirts of Kawaguchi City, Tokyo, is also tucked away in a back street.

Everything In Your Bowl Simply Shouts "Eat Me"!

Like typical ramen joints in Tokyo, Marutama's interior is amazingly authentic and compact, almost zen-like IMHO; perhaps a tad uncomfy for the claustrophobic. However the fine cuisine did not disappoint, and you can tell why, judging from the crowd that Marutama packs in daily!

Sincere and hearty, the house special, Marutama Ramen (SGD 12) was delicious and truly held its own. The noodles, which are hidden under the rest of the stuff, had a wonderfully springy texture (the local term is called "QQ"). The star of this addictive gastronomic masterpiece is definitely the char-shu (barbequed pork roll boiled in light aromatic soya stew).

Grilled, then stewed to perfection, the char-shu was indeed flavourful, fragrant and extremely satisfying. Needless to say, the fatty portions of the char-shu literally melts in your mouth! The light fish-based broth had a deep, hearty taste and was very, very addictive! According to Tetsuya-san in his press interviews, he uses a secret soup base (reminds me of chicken essence + Swanson's chicken broth) that's made fresh everyday.

Interestingly, the most characteristic point of this ramen is lemon, which is available as a side offering on the menu. It might sound strange to marry a squeezed lemon with ramen, but it supposedly cancels the intensity of the seafood-based soup.

And the beautiful whole-boiled egg (available as side offering on the menu) is worthy of mention as well. As I've learnt from the restaurant, the egg is soaked overnight in a secret marinade and prepared using an age-old technique that ensures the egg remains al-dente on the inside and firm on the outside. True enough, breaking open the delicate whites with just a deft touch of your chopsticks reveals a bright golden gooey center that's so lip-smackingly irresistible. Genius!

All in all, Marutama Ra-men at the Central is highly recommended, and for good reason.

High quality ingredients, delicious taste, friendly service and affordable prices all tell you that it's time to go early before the uninitiated crowd shows up.

Dozo!

Restaurant Name: Marutama Ra-men

Address: #03-90/91, The Central, 6 Eu Tong Sen Street
Contact : +65 6534-8090

Get Your Free 100% Original MP3 Download Here!

2007-04-04T08:19:00.000-07:00

Have You Seen Our Website Yet?

Hi guys (shoutout to all the die-hard Eurodance clubbers out there, you know who you are :D), and this is my first post. I've been straining my brain juices for hours trying to figure this blogger thing out, guess I ain't the technologically inclined *embarrassed*!

Anyway! Welcome to my blog, and I'm Roxxy.R, but you can call me Marc..currently i'm doing lots of writing stuff in the day while producing stuff for Project NRG, a hobby project with some good pals of mine.

You can check it out at http://www.myspace.com/projnrg for hard-hitting samples and a FREE MP3 download of one of the ballads I've written (arranged by Yuri.L).

Who's Project NRG ?

Project NRG was borne from my love affair with European Dance music since young.

I've been writing songs and music since I was 13, with my band mate Yuri.L (who was my classmate with similar interests, best friends since).
That guy's a genius, don't let his decent looks fool you, his synth leads pack a punch! More on him on future posts :) He's the only person in the world who can read my musical mind perfectly. Best friend. Best Co-Producer.