Bel Mondo - South Italian Cuisine

Accidentaly came across this Italian restaurant at Millenia Walk on the way to the PC show a few weeks ago and was pleasantly surprised! So we went back again with an appetite.

We started out with Italian beer. Interesting, we have never had Italian beer before, and it was quite nice! Very fruity, nice.



We ordered a bruschetta, which was absolutely delicious!



The bread was warm and crusty, the tomato topping was great. Even the little accompanying salad was filled with good stuff! It's got lettuce, rocket(my fav), parmesan cheese, little picked onions and sweet cheery tomatoes.

We wanted to test how authentic is this Italian restaurant, so we ordered Pomodoro pasta. We wondered how it would fair against the ones we had in Rome. :)



Unfortunately it didn't really make the mark. Well, it's unfair to compare with the unbelievably delicious pasta we had in Rome, but it's really not that bad. The sauce was a little too runny though...

OK, starters aside, here comes the main dishes. I ordered the rack of lamb.



It's quite good, the meat is nice and browned, so it's very flavourful. It's cooked to a nice medium done-ness, so it's still quite tender and moist. Love the salad and the potatoes too, I cleared my plate except for a few slices of pickles and some bitter purple lettuce. :P

Cobby ordered the pork belly, which was like a giant piece of 烧肉. The skin was delightfully crispy and the meat was quite tender!



By then we were really stuffed! But a hot cup of cuppacino really help to wrap up the while meal. :) We'll be back! And next time I'll try their pizza, which looked really good too... YUMS...



Millenia Walk, 9 Raffles Boulevard, #01-09/10, S(039596)

CoCo Mama's Braised Fish

This is another dish that I grew up eating. I love eating the plain fried pomfret with cut chilli padi and soya sauce, but once in a while, this is a nice dish to go with rice too!

Very simple to do. You just need:
- fish (I like pomfret)
- 1 medium onion, sliced
- 1 garlic, chopped
- Chilli padi, cut (optional)
- dark soya sauce
- Sugar, 2 table spoons
- Water
- Fish Soya Sauce, 1 table spoon



This is not a product placement, but this is really a great sauce, highly recommended for fish lovers! This fragrant soya sauce is perfect for steamed fish or just a good soya sauce to add to freshly cut chilli padi to dip food in.

Anyway, just make cuts on the fish, maybe 2 cuts, pad the fish dry, and shallow fry the fish.

Remove the fish from the frying pan and pour away the access oil. Fry up the onions, garlic (and chilli). Lower the fire and add in the fish sauce and sugar (if still salty, add a little more sugar. The fish sauce can be quite salty) . Add a little water. add a little dark sauce for colour and flavour. Pour sauce over the fish and serve. :)

CoCo Mama's Steamed Eggs with meat

A simple home cooked dish that I grew up eating. We would mix the eggs with the rice and woof it all down!

For a small, serving for 2, you will need:

Minced meat (chop yourself for more texture, or buy ready made from supermarket for convenience)
Seasoning - soya sauce, sesame oil, chicken powder, pinch of salt (or fish sauce if available)
1 large egg
2 egg's worth of water (this is the golden ratio! 1 egg - 2 water. Use shell to measure water)
oil

1. Beat eggs with water
2. Mix meat with seasonings
3. Mix egg mixture with minced meat
4. Add a few drops of oil onto the egg mixture just before steaming.
5. Steam for 10-15mins in low heat until egg is firm around the edge but still slightly wobbly in the middle when you gently shake the plate.

NOTE! Don't cover the wok completely when egg is steaming. In fact, you can even open up to check occasionally.