Salads: The Starter that is Sometimes My Main Course

How time flies especially when you’re having fun. Reminiscing my old travel assignments with the Singapore Tourism Board in 2009, my immediate stopover right after getting off the plane was lunch at The White Rabbit where the various invited media got acquainted over. It’s one thing when one is hosted a three course meal it’s quite another when I dine alone or be treated to lunch as I was at Radisson Hotel Brunei Darussalam after a photo shoot or holidaying in Hong Kong with the family. More often than not, the salad that’s usually a restaurant menu’s starter ends up being my main course.

Click on image to view a larger version captured from a front angle.

Tender roasted chicken caesar salad with perfectly poached egg sprinkled with beef bacon bits, crunchy lettuce and delicious dressing. Click on photo to view a larger version like you really want to 🙂

This is either Cafe Deco’s House Salad or Tartuffo e Prosciutto (Cafe Deco's famous pizza crust with tomato, mozzarella, parma ham, arugula and black truffle) but the avocado threw it off.

So Loving Radisson Hotel’s Chicken Caesar Salad With Poached Egg

So yesterday, 3 days to the Brunei Darussalam 28th National Day celebration, I returned to Radisson Hotel to finish off some work that were omitted previously — a different perspective of Tasek Brasserie and the Business Centre.

The idea for the brochure was simply an overview shot of Tasek Brasserie restaurant. As a chef was in the vicinity, I asked for 10 minutes of his time to pose for this shot. I quickly setup a Full CTO gel on a flash right next to subject while another across the room for ambient.

Shooting at the Business Centre took longer than I realized. Got this shot of the restaurant landscape out of the way before lunch hour. If you think this shot could do with people in it, I agree but unfortunately time was a luxury this time and client needed just this.

I wrapped up the shoot after 2.5 hours and looked forward to lunch at what has become one of my favourite venues to dine in — Tasek Brasserie (including DEALS of course). Now, I am not a big fan of heavy meals so when treated to lunch compliments of the hotel, I had no knee jerk reaction to head to the buffet table. Instead, I savoured the opportunity to go a la carte and enjoyed a light and delicious Caesar salad with the works. The last time I ordered one was at least more than 10 years ago and it wasn’t that interesting to be memorable. This one, however, is a different story — it’s very good, I’d go as far as saying I loved it and wanted more. I finish off lunch with the only beverage that made sense: cappuccino to wake the senses for my long drive home.

Tender roasted chicken caesar salad with perfectly poached egg sprinkled with beef bacon bits, crunchy lettuce and delicious dressing. Click on photo to view a larger version like you really want to 🙂

SUNDAY KB DRIVE-BY AND FRATINI DINE-IN

On some Sundays when we (the parents) are lost for dinner ideas, we ask the kids and their answers are fairly predictable (when they happen to agree!). Predictable in the context of dining in Seria or Kuala Belait, that is, there’s only really Excapade Sushi, Fratini and Kaizen (on very rare occasions, we do Jollibee too)

This time, FRATINI fell squarely on the kids radar and off we headed for KB between when the sun was just starting to set. Wife drove and I sat in the back seat with my 5D/100mm f/2.8 and noted with interest as we made the tea-pot roundabout the dramatic change in lighting in that 270 deg turn turning into Pandan 5. The tea pot is beautifully lit around this time of the day with a tinge of warm glow. This photo was shot through the glass of our RAV 4 and camera was set in AI SERVO and Centre AF to compensate for the variation being pulled from the G-force during the turn.

© Jan Shim Photography

The shot of the water tower was not intentionally tilted for that Leaning Tower effect (I swear, it was purely accidental). It’s not easy shooting in a moving vehicle that bumps around so much as the RAV 4 but I nailed it tack sharp and with plenty of details when viewed 100%. At Fratini, the first thing that comes to mind is Iced Lemon Tea. It’s also the first thing that comes in mind at Kaizen and Excapade Sushi, each of which offers different blend of the popular drink.

© Jan Shim Photography

My all-time favourite—Fratini’s Caesar Salad with salmon (it used to be Bruschetta but not anymore since I can make them at home). Really, this is thereason that have me going back time and again not forgetting to mention also, friendly staff and on top of that, great ambient. (Jo Jo, you the man).

Those of you who wondered why I hadn’t posted any food photos, you can now have your moment of satisfaction. Hope it’s (lasting just 15 seconds) as good for you as it was for me! ;P

© Jan Shim Photography

Ever since Pizza Hut Seriastopped the delicious Italian thin crust, they kinda fell off my radar for pizzas (their banana split ice cream is still great). Thank goodness Fratini has even better Italian Meat Lover’s pizza that the kids love just as much and you can also order custom pizza named after my son, Jamie’s Special which is really an idea I borrowed from Universal Studio’s scrambled egg and sausages (just a gallery of Universal Studio, no actual picture of the pizza, they all went into out stomach before I remembered to take one).

© Jan Shim Photography

The place was packed last night and thankfully there was one table left, else we would be devastated having driven all the way there. A 50% Off Pizza and Pastapromo can mess with people’s mind and make people do things they don’t normally do! We didn’t choose Fratini because of the promo but it sure helped with the bill so it’s all good. 🙂

© Jan Shim Photography

© Jan Shim Photography

When you have meat lovers pizza and Caesar salad left overs, my wife came up with this idea to minimise wastage—Pizza, Cheese and Croutons sandwich!

© Jan Shim Photography

While waiting for the bill, another photo opportunity of staff getting a freshly baked pizza ready to be served. Another delicious Italian thin crust.

© Jan Shim Photography

On the way back to Seria, we stopped by a decorated lamp post just for the purpose of taking this photo something I had wanted to do since a week ago. Oh yeah, Fratini can do a basket of fresh fries too that has become Jamie’s must-have. Jewel has enlarged tonsils so she avoids fried stuff that would just worsen her condition. Anyone who has ideas about how you can reduce the tonsil swelling without going under the knife, I’m all ears. Besides asthma and allergy to egg whites, she has to live with enlarged tonsils that block the air passage way making breathing difficult when she has an asthma attack.

© Jan Shim Photography

This post complements and completes Fratini Restaurant. Simply Italian that has more interior shots the restaurant.