Sun Ray Café - A Ray Of Happiness for Singapore Pet Lovers

Pet lovers all around Singapore can now rejoice with yet another premium cafe to spend quality time with their beloved animals and fellow pet lovers over casual meals and coffee.

 

Located at 79 Brighton Crescents Serangoon Gardens, the café is wonderful hideaway from city clattery, overcrowded spaces and hurried pace of life.

 

Established in December 2010 singlehandedly by Dave Lim, this cozy pet friendly café has consistently enjoyed write ups and mentions from Straits Times, 联合早报 (Lian He Zao Bao), 8-Days, i-Weekly, CHIC magazines and 9tro magazines.

 

If you drive, you are likely to have also heard praises of their cuisines on popular radio stations such as 938 Live, Symphony 924 and Love 972 FM.

 

The award of ‘Best Loved Prawn Pasta’ by CozyCot - online magazine offering articles about beauty, fashion and woman lifestyle was a further testimony of the café dedication to great taste and value for its customers.

North-easterners and pet owners from all over Singapore adore Sun Ray Café all day breakfast especially during the lazy weekends.

 

 

But if you woke late (like the few of us), you can opt for brunch instead. William was all ready to snap yummy photos of the food.

 

HUBSCH Jess Baby brought along her adorable 7 years old dog!

 

The space between pet friendly & no pet area was cleverly divided by a pet door!

 

Sun Ray Cafe offers a private room for the hosting of pet friendly parties. Jessie really had a way with her pet.

 

Can you believe we actually started sampling 4 exotic beers on an empty stomach. Tsk tsk.

Going from left to right, here's a quick introduction to the drinks:

 

Taiwan Lychee Beer ($11) offers a sweet lychee taste, with a good overall mouth feel and a clean after taste. Sun Ray Café also offers Taiwan Honeydew-Melon Beer which is a sweet honeydew melon flavoured beer with hints of cane sugar and flowers.

 

Fruli Strawberry Beer ($11) is a unique blend of white beer and strawberry juice. The strong zest of the beer was well balanced by the sweet and refreshing taste of strawberry

 

Swedish Rekordelig Cider ($12) is an ever popular cider made from Swedish spring water by a family-owned brewery. Available in 2 lovely flavours Pear as well as Strawberry and Lime.

 

Japanese Craft Beer Hitachino Nest White Ale ($12) also known as Japanese "Owl" Beer is a multi-award winning beer with hint of coriander, nutmeg and orange peel.

 

 

Our verdict? Fruli Strawberry Beer won all of us over! Here's a toast to that!

 

For starters, we had the popular Sun Salad ($8) which consist of Baby romain lettuce, tossed with caesar dressing (mayonnaise, anchovy, garlic, lemon juice) and tomato XL, crispy bacon (pork) served with soft boiled egg crusted with cornflakes. The presentation was deliberately to reflect that of a rising sun over the horizon.

 

Crisp lettuce together with its refreshing dressing made this an excellence appetizer. What impressed me most was that the soft boiled egg within the deep fried cornflake crust still contained a runny egg yolk - not an easy feat to master.

 

Asparagus & Bacon ($11) was up next. These U.S. asparagus were poached in salted water before being wrapped in pork bacon to be served with poached eggs and orange hollandaise sauce (clarified butter with egg yolk, orange zest & orange juice).

 

The pork bacon was a sinful delicacy. It went perfect with the runny eggs and orange hollandaise sauce.

 

True to its name, Minute Steak & Eggs ($18) tender beef loin was only grilled for a minute before it was served with crashed baby potato, baked cherry tomato, rosemary herb, garlic and olive oil.

 

Poached Salmon Fillet ($22) consist of a thick & succulent salmon fillet with its skin off. Poached for 4 minutes in soya milk, it was served with U.S. Asparagus, with lemon juice, butter and cream.

 

Cumin Crusted Lamb Rack ($26) was crusted with dijon mustard and cumin baked for 15 minutes to achieve medium rare texture. Served with Ratatouille created out from courgette, red, yellow, green capsicum, garlic, onion, bay leaves, tomato paste, tomato whole, red wine, rosemary and lamb juice. This is a must order for lamb lovers.

 

Our final main was Yorkshire Pork Racks ($22). The pork rack was grilled for 10 minutes, finished in oven for 4-5 minutes before its served with sweet potato, mushroom and apple cider sauce.

 

Yorkshire Pork is a famous breed of white swine that boost of just the right amount of lean meat & fats for an unforgettable bite.

 

We ended off the meal with delicious Double Chocolate and Matcha Green Tea Ice Cream. We strongly recommend the Matcha Green Tea flavour. It commands a strong taste of Premium Japanese Green Tea which is quite difficult to find even at well known Japanese restaurants.

 

Jessie's darling dog did not go hungry while we were sampling the chef's cuisine. We ordered a portion of Lamb Meat Ball ($6) for her.

 

While we were sipping our post meal coffee,

 

Chef Derrar Hassane (Head Chef at Sun Ray Cafe) came in to check on his guest. Besides sharing with us the preparation work behind the entrées, the bubbly chef also share with us his adventurous past of perfecting his European style culinary skills at different countries. Notably, and as recent as 5 years ago, he has served as the Head Chef for 10 Downing Street (UK ‘Istana’). Leading a team of 8 chefs, he prepared dishes for the UK Cabinet as well as for state banquets up to 800 covers. That’s indeed food fit for kings and queens! Two years ago, he served as the Executive Chef in L’Opera in Piccolo Hotel at Bukit Bintang, KL Malaysia where he led a kitchen brigade of 27 chefs, with up to 800 daily covers.

 

We could not resist taking a shot with such a remarkable chef! It’s no surprise that his amazing culinary skills have begun to draw crowds from afar. At last, Serangoon Gardeners can enjoy quality cuisine at an affordable price.

 

Before we leave, Jessie & Jas Jas could not resist a shot with the cafe resident snowman! Christmas came early at Sun Ray Café.

 

Patrons were thrilled with coffee on the house a week before we came. It was a special treat for all to celebrate the completion of Specialty Coffee Association of Europe* (SCAE) Barista Course by 4 of Sun Ray Café staffs.

 

You should come visit Sun Ray Café from now till 31 December 2012 and enjoy 10% discount by simply being their Facebook Fan. Do remember to check out their Fan Page time to time to get updates on their latest offerings and promotions!

 

Here are the full details of the cafe:

Sun Ray Café:

Address: 79 Brighton Crescents Serangoon Gardens S(559218)

Tel: 6283 8700

Website: http://www.sunray.sg

Email: happy@sunray.sg

Facebook: Sun Ray Cafe Facebook Fan Page

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Official Launch Of Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants @ Marina Bay Sands, Singapore

The inaugural awards ceremony to celebrate Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants, sponsored by S. Pellegrino & Acqua Panna, and organised by William Reed Business Media, will be held on 25 February 2013 at Marina Bay Sands, Singapore. Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants, part of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants programme, will recognise the region’s growing culinary diversity and quality, in line with global culinary trends.

The World’s 50 Best Restaurants represents an annual review and convergence of opinion from restaurant industry experts. It is recognised globally as the most trusted arbiter and authority on global dining.
 

 

Drawing on the success of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants, Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants will provide a credible and trusted list that is dedicated to the restaurant industry in Asia and voted for by peers and luminaries from the culinary profession.
 

William Drew, William Reed Business Media, said of the new list: “Following the success of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants, we are excited to announce the date of the first ever awards ceremony for Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants. This launch champions the significant and continued growth of the industry in Asia, and provides the restaurants with international peer reviews, recommendation and profile. Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants will celebrate the gastronomic delights of Asia. We have no doubt that the list will be a must-have accessory for the increasing number of loyal followers to The World’s 50 Best Restaurants.”
 

Fabio degli Esposti, International Business Unit Director - Italian Brands of San Pellegrino Nestlé Waters, said: “S.Pellegrino and Acqua Panna, the fine dining waters that bring the taste of Italian lifestyle to the world’s best tables, are happy to support the first edition of Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants. We consider Asia’s culinary scene very important and ready to capture the food enthusiasts’ attention at an international level, therefore we are proud to help The World’s 50 Best to turn the spotlight on Asia.”
 

Mr. George Tanasijevich, President and Chief Executive Officer of Marina Bay Sands, said: “We are honoured that Marina Bay Sands has been chosen as the venue for the inaugural Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants Awards in February 2013. Asia’s appetite for good food is unmatched and we’re pleased to play our part in the launch event.”
 

How Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants List is compiled:

Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants list is created from The World’s 50 Best Restaurants Academy, an influential group of over 900 international leaders in the restaurant industry, each selected for their expert opinion of the international restaurant scene.
 

The Academy comprises 26 separate regions around the world. Each region has its own panel of 36 members including a chairperson to head it up. The panel is made up of food critics, chefs, restaurateurs and highly regarded ‘foodies’, each of whom has seven votes. Of the seven votes, at least three must be used to recognise restaurants outside of the voters’ region. At least 10 panelists from each region change each year. None of the employees of any of the sponsors associated with the awards, including the main sponsor, votes or has any influence over the results.
 

Votes for restaurants in the following countries in Asia, cast during the voting period for The World's 50 Best Restaurants, will result in the list of Asia's 50 Best Restaurants: Bangladesh, Burma/ Myanmar, Brunei, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Laos, Macao, Malaysia, Maldives, Micronesia, Nauru, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Timor-Leste and Vietnam.
 

Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants Individual Awards Categories:

- Lifetime Achievement Award

- Best Female Chef Award

- Chefs’ Choice Award

- Best Pastry Chef

- Individual country awards

- The Best Restaurant in Asia

- One to Watch
 

Chef’s Favourites:

As part of the Asia's 50 Best Restaurants programme, the chefs’ from the stellar restaurants who have made it onto the list itself will recommend their personal favourite eateries. From fine dining establishments to hawker stalls, the list will be published online alongside Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants list following the awards ceremony on 25 February 2013.
 

The celebrated chefs' choices will be supplemented by recommendations from those who eat out the most, namely select members of the Asia's 50 Best Restaurants voting academy.
 

Asia’s Best Dinner:

Hosted by the organisers of Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants, Asia’s Best Dinner will take place on 24 February 2013 and will be prepared by four guest chefs based in Asia who appear in The World’s 50 Best Restaurants list 2012. The dinner will feature a paired degustation menu at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Singapore for an exclusive audience of 120 people.
 

Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants Professional Workshops:

On 24 and 25 February 2013 at the At-Sunrice GlobalChef Academy, celebrated chefs will demonstrate their culinary expertise at two, half-day session workshops. Workshop guests will be treated to gastronomic sampling plates as well as in depth discussion sessions on Asian cuisine, heritage, culture, aspiration and identity.

Chefs will share insider knowledge on how to blend traditional and modern cuisine, and will discuss the reinvention of street food for a contemporary kitchen and modern palate.
 

Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants Results:

Following the awards ceremony on 25 February 2013, the results of the awards will be published live at http://worlds50best.asia/
 

You may also like to check out my posts on other delicious food places here

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The Power To Pay With Your Phone With DBS one.tap

Have you ever wondered how amazing it will be to pay for all your daily transactions using just your mobile phone? You will be surprised how close we are to this dream. I just chanced upon this post event video share by a friend that's out to create awareness of this latest technology.

 

Apparently, DBS crafted out this Tap & Win Red Carpet Contest at Shaw Lido Orchard to generate hype on how it has created another first in banking using Near Field Communications (NFC) Technology! In a nutshell, NFC is a short-range wireless communication technology that transmit data between a mobile device and a reader. During the event, curious passers-by stopped over their NFC booth, tapped their NFC enabled smartphones (SamSung Galaxy S3, Sony Xperia) and won instant mobile coupons such as free movie tickets, IMAX tickets and MovieBites Combo!

 

Many of us will agree that we practically cannot live without our smartphones. DBS is quick to catch this mobile trend and strive to empower our mobile banking capabilities further by introducing Singapore's first virtual credit card. This brand new payment mode that literally means that you can now throw your bulky wallet or card holder out of the window. You are good to go anywhere with just your smartphone!

 

With DBS one.tap, we can now tap and pay for retail purchases or taxi fares with our smartphones islandwide at 30,000 participating merchants. They include popular merchants such as Watsons, PastaMania, Shaw Theatres, G2000, Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, Comfort & CityCab and more! How they can get mobile coupons on their phone. What’s more, mobile coupons are made available for instantaneous redemption by simply attaching the mobile coupon on your smartphone before you pay!

 

Watch the video to find out more about what you can do with DBS one.tap in the next few months!

 

This new payment service is made possible through a collaboration between DBS, MasterCard, StarHub and EZ Link, to provide customers a secure way of payment through the digital wallet app called “SmartWallet”. You don’t have to worry about security as each transaction is protected by international standards approved by Mastercard, Visa and EZ-Link. Plus, you lock your SmartWallet App with a 6-digit passcode.

 

To find out more or sign up for DBS one.tap, please click here.

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