Back when I was a teenager, I remember hanging out with my best friends at the void deck near our secondary school, having a quick bite before heading home. This often was a combination of instant cup noodles (spicy kimchi flavour or chicken abalone) and a rewarding can of Coca-Cola® from the minimart nearby. We’d talk about the lives we couldn’t wait to have when we finally graduated from school, about our families and about our puppy loves, on warm afternoons, slurping up mouthfuls of bouncy piping hot noodles and cooling off with swigs of ice-cold Coke®.
These simple shared experiences are something that I always recall fondly. Now that we’ve all grown up, all of us are juggling a host of commitments and each of us are at different stages of our lives. It’s a challenge finding time to hang out together and catch up because of our tight schedules. I’ve also moved away from the East of Singapore where I spent my childhood and it is so tough to find a suitable time to gather – when we’re not exhausted or strapped for time and rushing off to something else. That is why I look forward to special occasions like Christmas because of what it represents: an opportunity to share happiness with the people I care about and miss very much over a good hearty meal, comforting Coke and heartfelt conversations while keeping our friendship alive.
When it comes to my buddies, it’s the people and moments that take centre stage. With this in mind we often look for places to dine at that serve delicious and satisfying nosh that are reasonably priced. I’ve found 2 Ways to Eat Out this Christmas if you’re on a budget that are surely “bestie approved”!
Pies & Coffee
Tastes so good, makes a grown man cry – Sweet Christmas Pie!
Enjoying a meal with my best friends
Pies & Coffee is an innovative cafe chain which offers an adventurous selection of handmade pies made of buttery and crumbly shortcrust pastry with savoury “avant-garde” filling made of premium ingredients which I found particularly interesting.
I’ve loved Pies & Coffee ever since I gave their Robertson Walk outlet a shot. I had a fabulous breakfast there and found the menu items tasty while being great value for money. So, while looking for cafes or restaurants for my Christmas gatherings, I was totally thrilled to discover that Pies & Coffee had come up with a delightful selection of Christmas Mince Pies and sweet goodies for the festive season.
Individual portions of Pies & Coffee’s Christmas Turkey Pie
Christmas Turkey Pie (Serves 6)
The Christmas Turkey Pies, handcrafted and locally made, from Pies & Coffee are a real yuletide delight with ingredients that scream “Christmas”. Think grilled garlic turkey, turkey ham, slices of turkey bacon, figs, orange peel, chopped walnuts and a mix of spices, simmered in a flavoursome pumpkin cream sauce.
These pies are a delicious combination of sweet and savoury with the distinctive classic taste of the year-end holidays and come in individual portions ($11.90) or in a full large pie that feeds up to 6 ($58) to suit any Christmas gathering.
Lovingly served with a side of mash and salad
Each individual portion of Christmas Turkey Pie comes with a side of fluffy mash with small chunks of potato, drizzled in brown sauce and small serving of salad in vinaigrette dressing making it substantial enough for a meal.
Fruit cake for dessert
End of a Ring in the Christmas spirit with a Classic Fruit Cake ($39, 1kg), chock full of figs, apricots, prunes, orange peels, cherries, almonds and sultana toppings, to share also available at Pies & Coffee for the holiday season.
Then complement that palatable meal with a thirst-quenching can of fizzy Coke while creating more memories to look back on with nostalgia in the eventful years to come.
Making memories without burning a hole in our wallets
If you have the Christmas Turkey Pie, Classic Fruit Cake and a soft drink, like my childhood favourite, Coke, and share that with a party of 6, that will come to about $20 a person.
Don’t need a sweet treat? Just want a festive pie and beverage? Have yourself a merry little Christmas, a good dose of holiday catch up and joy-filled tummies for no more than $15.
The Christmas Jubilee selections are available till 31 December 2015.
Visit www.piesncoffee.com or call +65 6273 0042 for enquiries and reservations.
Pies & Coffee
460 Alexandra Road, #01-18,
Alexandra Retail Centre (ARC), Singapore 119963
Kinsa Sushi
Ding ‘Don’, Ding ‘Don’!
Tired of having heavy traditional Christmas meals consisting of turkey, roasted beef and way too much potatoes, plus having to wash up after a major home party?
This Christmas, explore easier options away from home with an Asian twist like Kinsa Sushi, offering premium Japanese dining, without compromising on the opportunity to spend some quality time with loved ones and close friends this jubilant season.
At Kinsa Sushi, take a step away from the overt feasting, settle for a taste of Japanese simplicity and embrace the concept of “hara hachi bu” (eating until 80% full), focusing instead on the heartfelt conversations with people who matter most.
Selection of Japanese donburi or dons
Their Festive Lunch Indulgence promotion, put together for the season, includes a selection of four rice bowls or don (short for donburi) to choose from. Each don, reasonably priced at $12.80 and under, is totally gratifying and delectable, thanks to the delightfully fresh ingredients and fragrant, starchy Japanese pearl rice.
For a complete meal, that comes with a bowl of piping hot, soft chawanmushi, garden greens and a choice of soft drink (perhaps a can of thirst quenching icy cool Coca-Cola), just add another $5.80.
This brings the highest cost per pax for a fulfilling lunch time Christmas gathering at just under $20 which gets you a cozy, comfortable environment, perfect for appreciating the holidays.
White Fish Miso Don (Front) and Salmon Mentai Don (Back) complemented with Coca-Cola
The White Fish Miso Don ($11.80) has a generous buttery white fish fillet covered with salty, earthy miso bursting with umami. Pick up chunks fish and morsels of rice, stopping only to indulge in a joke or fun discussion and smooth gulps of liquid caramel.
Salmon Mentai Don (Left) and White Fish Miso Don (Right)
The Salmon Mentai Don ($10.80), on the other hand, may also be a fish-centric donburi, but this is one I suspect will cater more to the Singaporean palate because of its richness. Mentai, the marinated roe of the pollock and cod, is a curious ingredient commonly found in Japanese cuisine.
Slathered with all over the top of the pink salmon fillet, the mentai is is also torched giving it a nice crusted exterior and sprinkled with garnish.
Saba Kimchi Don
Enter the Saba Kimchi Don ($11.80) which is mixed with real kimchi and not just kimchi sauce. The tangy, savoury and mildly spicy combination of flavours from the kimchi complement the saba (or mackerel) which some may consider a fish with strong taste. The fish chunks are well marinated, eliminating the “fishiness” typical of grilled saba and this donburi is an absolute pleasure to consume.
Nothing beats the cool bubbly sensation of a mouthful of sparkling Coke or Coke light® after a piquant bowl of Saba Kimchi Don.
Gyu Niku Don
If you’d still prefer a bite of red meat during the holidays, why not have the Gyu Niku Don ($12.80)? Tender stir-fried black pepper beef slices surround a single beautiful onsen egg, waiting to be broken and mixed into the rice and beef bowl. While not exactly a Christmas staple like roast beef, this is lighter alternative that is still scrumptiously yummy and fulfilling.
The Festive Lunch Indulgence promotion is available from 1 – 31 December 2015 on:
- Mondays to Thursdays (11:30am to 2:30pm)
- Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and Public Holidays (11:30am to 5:00pm)
Also, what better time for a sweet surprise than during the Christmas season?
Mochi shown for illustration purposes only. Actual serving contains three pieces of random designs.
In addition to the selection of Japanese donburi festive lunch sets, Kinsa Sushi is launching their mini mochi dessert, shaped adorably to resemble fruits, just in time for Christmas.
The mochi specially imported from Japan features a wholesome, comforting, slightly sweetened mung bean paste centre enveloped in delightfully soft and sticky mochi skin. They come in an assortment of shapes, which are mostly fruit inspired, and will be sold in sets of three (randomly selected) at $5.80 from the sushi conveyor belt.
Equally comforting is a can of ice cold Coca-Cola or Coca-Cola light® fresh from the fridges of Kinsa Sushi.
Visit www.kinsasushi.com or call +65 6710 7278 for further details on their Festive Lunch Indulgence promotion.
Kinsa Sushi
4 Hillview Rise, #02-02,
HILLV2, Singapore 667979
There’s no reason not to have fun and create amazing memories even with a small but reasonable budget, especially after setting aside precious time to get together in midst of our tight schedules. It’s not hard to create happy times with quality food, marvellous company and fabulous nostalgia-inducing Coca-Cola.
This article is brought to you in partnership with Coca-Cola. All opinions shared are my own.
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