Cut the squids into strips and soak in water; minimum of 4 hours
Drain them but save the water as it is part of the ingredients.
Squid batter:
Mix potato starch, all-purpose flour, squid water and egg. Mix together until batter is smooth.
Sprinkle a generous amount of all-purpose flour to the squid so the batter will adhere to it better.
Heat oil and do a double fry. This will make the squid very crispy.
VERDICT WILL: Abbey is on the mood for creating dishes he watched in Youtube channel of Maangchi. Thanks again idol Maangchi! He requested dried squid from Papa Ros and it became an instant hit for us! Again, the double fry works very well with this. Crispy and succulent! Great with rice or a substitute for your pica-pica on your alcoholic session with friends. This is amazing. Fry it.
ABBEY: This year The Carvery (Park Hotel Alexandra) is offering Spanish-themed dishes from 4th December until 1st January the following year. It boasts of their US Black Angus Prime Rib, spit-roasted chicken wih orange and rosemary and pork belly porchetta. December 9 came and we tried it. Oh yes. The meats are succulent. I got a chat with the chef and told me that the chicken is the hardest one to make. But definitely the best in flavor. I ate them without any sauce. The fats and the juices will make you go for more. Partner it with red wine and it’s a feast. They also have salads, soups, mushrooms, beef stew, pork chorizos, and salmon. Four of us dined in but we paid for 3 pax only :)
WILL: The best way to catch up with friends is through food and to break the usual buffet dinner, we went for The Carvery at Park Hotel Alexandra. What's the difference with others? By its name, they specialiazed with grilled meat. Yey! They have lamb, chicken, and the crispy pork? Wowoweee! The crispy skin and melts-in-your-mouth fats.. Oh my body, please forgive me as I have committed a sin for that night. Haha. The grilled meat is perfect to be partnered with a wine so we ordered a bottle and it helped to push the meat in our tummies. Haha. Next on my fave list is their salmon. The white sauce is thick enough to amplify the taste of natural oils of salmon. Next, pork chorizo. Do you know how expensive the chorizo in Singapore? I indulged on it haha! They have variety of cheese too. Pizza was cooked with old-fashioned fire oven. It gives a natural scent of burn. Yum! For desserts, sad to say there is no ice cream. Log cakes are there to fill-up your sugar needs. The place is quite private and romantic. The lighting creates a romantic feel too. I am not surprised many couples are dining at The Carvery. One more thing. Citibank have a promotion: 50% off on second guest. We were all shocked to know that we saved a lot that time. Thanks The Carvery. Thanks Citibank.
ABBEY: We went for a quick getaway, a 45-minute ride from Singapore, to Turi Beach (Batam) with our Papa Boy. This is for relaxation and rejuvenation.
Tirta Room:
Before we can get into our room, we need to “hike” and it is good for our hearts to get pumped up :) The outside is like a kampung (bahay kubo) but with the usual amenities of hotel room inside (air conditioner, bathroom tile floor, comfy bed). It also has a veranda but the sea view is being blocked by trees. The phone was not working at first but got replaced. And we called several times for the coffee, tea and cups to be replenished. I hope they can provide it with the same number of guests in the room. Maybe the room was not used for quite sometime as I can still see dust in the head lamp, table and chair. Make sure to lock the doors as mosquitoes can enter the room. They also provide mosquito spray and lotion.
Tamang Sari
This is where we had our buffet lunch when we arrived and breakfast the next day.
200 INR per person for lunch and it was a Japanese and Chinese cuisine that day. I indulged myself with fried calamari, roasted chicken and sweet and sour fish fillets.
The breakfast is complimentary and I had sunny side up, toast, egg salad, cold cuts, congee and laksa.
Nogusaya
We had teppanyaki for dinner at Nogusaya. I got chicken breast and the chef really showcased his art of cooking. While waiting for the main course, we were served with appetizer and soup. Cooking the food in front of you is really entertaining. The chef lit my chicken on fire :)
With a splash of soy sauce and a little chunk of butter, my chicken along with the veggies were full of flavor.
T Spa
This is where we planned our Papa to have relaxation; with a couple of spa treatments.
Our tour package includes a 45-minute full body massage but we upgraded to an hour and then we coupled it with foot reflexology. I slept for both :)
WILL: Our goal for Papa's visit is to bore him. Haha! This is for him to take sleep as many as he can. Well, our schedule is perfect as Abbey will take care of morning galas, he will take a rest on afternoon, then on evenings I am in-charge for him to walk around the city. But what about the weekend? This is his third time in Singapore and we decided to go to one of the nearest foreign island, Batam, Indonesia. The staff of Turi Beach Resort took an extra mile to open up (even they are full) on our urgent booking. Their 'chat' button on their website works wonderfully as our communication was instantaneous and our booking was confirmed on that same hour. We bought a Fave voucher for only $99.00 2D1N each. It includes the buffet breakfast, hotel transfer, 2-way ferry, 20% discount on food and services and 45-minute massage. Great deal right? When we arrived at the hotel at 8, the conceirge informed us that our room will be ready at 10. We didn’t waste time waiting, we took advantage that there are not so many people at their famous boardwalk. Papa Ros took a 'lover's photo'. Haha! When we got to our room, we booked for 11am maasage, we topped up S$10 to be 60min whole body massage. The massage is not that good. It missed the spots of my aching back. Then, we gave another try for foot reflexology. Oh my! 3/10. I will suggest thay you go for another spa. We have our buffet lunch and breakfast at Tamang Sari The food is delicious and I love their fried squid! Totally! But the choices is not that much. After lunch we were back to our room to catch a nap. Two hours nap and we were back on our feet to take dinner. For dinner, we entertained ourselves and fill up our tummy at Nogusaya. Our first time to have this kind of dining 'show'. Haha. I am thinking why we were served with a meagre amount? Omg! Haha! When the chef was serving the second plate I am already full. (Ang bigat sa tyan, shocks!) After dinner, we enjoyed the ocean breeze, there's couch available at the shore and marvel the huge amount of water in front of us with live music at the background. People are dancing, clapping and merrymaking! What a delightful thing to see. After breakfast, with bare feet, we caught waves. Hehe. Papa Ros enjoyed the water zumba too! Eat, sleep and laugh. That is what we did at Turi Beach Resort. Oh! Forgot to describe our room. It has two twin bed and a veranda. I love the wooden flooring and wooden walls, so oldie! It seems dusty and not used for a long time but the sheets are clean. No unnecessary smells or feel. We ordered extra water and gave it to us without extra charge. The staffs our warm and welcoming. This is a trip I can't erase in my memory. Thanks Papa Ros for spending your precious time with us. :)
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Turi Beach Resort (4-star hotel)
(W) http://www.turibeach.com/
(A) Jalan Hang Lekiu, Nongsa, Batam, Kepulauan Riau 29465, Indonesia
