So I have a follower..

To be honest, I have pretty much abandoned this blog until 5 minutes ago. In fact, between the impending arrival of my first baby and spending time training new staff, I had forgotten about blogging.

Then I received an email from a follower of the blog asking how come I haven't been blogging. That is because I didn't know anyone was reading. Anyway thanks to this person, I'm writing again. This would be one of those blog which I rattle just about anything that comes to mind. So if you are looking for a recipe, feel free to stop reading.

I am currently 5 1/2 months preggars. Life is good, business has been slower last month but I'm not discouraged. There are ups and downs in life, I believe it is the same with business.

My younger brother has been helping me out at the Soupery and I am planning to handover most day-to-day operation management to him in another month or so. Training someone to be exactly like you is impossible. I tend to get rather frustrated when he doesn't do things my way and we get into huge arguments. But then I realized that he does things differently because he is a very careful and attention-to-detail kinda guy when I'm the exact opposite. There are days when I forced him to operate like me, needless to say it had been disastrous. Now I just let him know what I want (the result) and he can figure out how to get it done by himself (the method). And the results hadn't been bad either.

End of one chapter and a beginning of another..

Wow.. I don't even remember my last post. So sorry I've abandoned blogging in the past few months. The thing is.. it had been crazy. Blah blah blah. I was gonna type an entire paragraph or even a whole blogpost with excuses on why I didn't write but now I think it's just pointless. I guess an update on how things are going in my life now would suffice.

From March this year, I have since closed the 2nd outlet in Raffles City. Yes, it was very short-lived. Hang on, don't feel sorry for me. It is actually a blessing in disguise. You see the food court management had failed to give me a booking form to sign prior to opening. In fact no one realized that we (both myself and the management) hadn't signed any agreement until 2 weeks after we started operation. By the time they get around to it, I was already on my holiday in Sydney. So no contract was signed and no deposit was paid. Sales at the new outlet was doing fine. However, rent and management fee was just way too high for it to be sustainable, so after my return from Sydney I've decided that we should move the business to another location where rent is lower.

I'm currently eyeing a few locations but not in a rush to start just yet. Why? Well, that leads to the second update - I'm pregnant! Yes, I've just found out recently and I'm about 10 weeks along now. Between getting nausea and sleepiness, I have no energy left to start a new outlet at the moment. I read that the symptoms will improve after the first trimester, so hopefully I'll get things up and running again real soon.

How to start a food outlet in 3 weeks

It has been a week since the opening of our 2nd outlet - Pasta Pantry. It is conveniently located in Raffles City Shopping Centre, right next to Cityhall MRT station, not to mention about 5 minutes from where I live, which is a big plus because I've been working from 9am to 10pm everyday.

When I was starting the Soupery, it took me 8 months from conceptualization to operation. This time around, it took 3 weeks. It was a very crazy self-imposed 3-week-time frame. Reason being I've already booked my year end holiday to Sydney by end December, so I rather have it up and going and still have a couple of weeks of tweaking problems that might arise before I leave.

So yes, it could be done. It has been done.

For anyone aspiring to start a food outlet in 3 weeks, below is a short listing of what I've done. I have decided to keep the list short and left out the dramas.

Week 1:
1. Confirm location - site inspection, negotiate rent, sign agreement
2. Financial - Start-up budget, sales forecast,
3. Menu - Plan menu items, food tasting, food costing

Week 2:
4. Buy kitchen equipments - plan floor and kitchen workspace.
5. Staffing - Planning work flow, required manpower, place recruitment ads, interviews
6. Shopping - This is the fun bit. Buying crockery, utensils, ordering packaging etc
7. Suppliers - Quote from suppliers, get samples, confirm and place order
8. Marketing - Food photography, menu design, opening promotion posters, shop sign design
9. Legal - Sign lease, insurance, apply license.

Week 3:
9. Staffing - Confirm employment, contracts, plan duty roster
10. Moving in - Connect gas, electricity, water, equipment in, plumbing, cleaning up.

Question is: Would I do it again? Yes I would but I'll probably need a year in between before going through that madness again.

Ginger Wine Chicken for rainy days

Photo curtesy of Little Guy Big Kitchen

A rainy day like today calls for a comfort dish like Ginger Wine Chicken.  This dish is traditionally cooked and eaten by Chinese women in confinement because it strengthens the body and helps ward off cold. But to me, it represents motherly love and familiarity.


You see when I was growing up, my mother used to make this dish at least twice a week. I'm not sure whether it's lack of inspiration on her part or she just knew that it is a winning dish every single time - seeing her children devoured the chicken and finishing their rice. I was especially fond of the soup I drank the very last drop of it.

Ingredients:
1 whole chicken (1 -1.5kg), chopped into 8 pieces*
1 tablespoon sesame oil
200g fresh ginger, julienne
1 tablespoon chopped garlic1 cup Hua Tiao wine
2 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper 
*For best results, use organic/kampung chicken. Shop at wet market and get them to chop it for you.

1. In high heat, fry ginger in sesame oil until it is lightly browned. Add garlic and fry for another 30 seconds.
2. Add chicken and fry for another 2 minutes, stir it often to ensure nothing is sticking to the bottom of the pot. 
3. Add wine, stir and let it cook for 2 minutes. Add water and bring it to a boil. Lower the fire, cover and let it simmer for about 20 minutes. Stir it once in a while.
4. Add salt and pepper according to your liking.
5. Serve with fluffy white rice. 


Updated: I was just wondering if it is ok to feed alcohol to children, which my mom clearly did. Anyway, after much research which includes me running to kitchen cabinet and checking the label on the bottle, Hua Tiao wine is very low in alcohol content (17.5%), and after boiling it for 20 minutes, guess all alcohol in the dish would have been evaporated. So no chance on getting your kids high with this one. 

Cambodia - Kingdom of Wonder

I spent the whole of last week in Cambodia, 4 days in Phnom Penh and 3 days in Siem Reap. I didn't have big expectation for the trip as it was my first time visiting the country and it was also a charity trip with Project Hammer.

Let me just say, "Whoa". It was truly eye-opening. Despite what the people had gone through during the Pol Pot regime, these people have a very positive spirit.

I can't put into words how much I've learnt from everyone I met during the trip - from other Project Hammer participants to the children living in slums (PIO), from the inspirational founder of New Hope for Cambodian Chidren (NHCC) to the orphans at Sunrise. It is definitely one of the most memorable trips I've ever had.

Who is My Biggest Influence?

I'm a big fan of Nicholas Gan. Nicholas who? Well.. besides the fact that he is my husband, he is also my biggest influence and inspiration. Before you start to vomit in your month, let me explain why I'm blogging about him.

He is a model of perseverance and a true believer in his dreams. Gentry & Co. started when he saw that men can look much better in fitted shirts than shirts bought off the rack in a department store. He has no prior experience in neither fashion, retail or tailoring but took it upon himself to learn the craft - from learning about the many types of fabric to attending a community pattern-making course (he was the only guy in the course). Granted it took more than 2 years to launch - most likely due to his perfectionist nature but to his credit, he did everything himself. Finding a manufacturer, endless shirt testings and fittings (I don't even want to count the number of shirt samples we have at home), developing a back-end system, product photography, designing the website and improving user experience. And the great news is it has finally LAUNCHED and had his first sale within 24 hours of launching! Yay, I'm so proud of him!

If there's anything that I've learned about entrepreneurship, it's a long road to bringing an idea to life. Persevere and don't give up!

The Perfect White Shirt

Gentry & Co. makes it easy for men to find better fitting clothes without the hassle of shopping in stores. To celebrate the launch of his first product that every guy must have in his wardrobe, he is offering 30% off for the first 30 customers who want the perfect white fitted shirt for men! Just use the discount code "BETTERMAN" during checkout.

What I Would Tell a Younger Me.

This came to me in the most trivial way. I'm getting fat. Okay, I've just said it out loud and can't take it back. I've put on a few inches here and there and wish I have my younger body back. It got me thinking "Hey, I have never been truly satisfied with my body. Even when I was younger!'.  So I'll start with:

1. Appreciate your body no matter what size you are.
Be thankful that you are able to do everything you want without limitations. Walk, jump, swim, dodge, you name it. You are fit and healthy. Of course it'll be great if you have a Victoria-Secret-model-type body but appreciate it now (and at every stage of your life) before it goes further and further southward.

2. Spend more time with your family, especially your siblings.
Yes, they may annoy you at times but quality time with them will get lesser and lesser as you grow older. You will be busy with your own set of friends, advancing your career, starting your own family and in my case, live in a different country. So spend more time with your family and create some beautiful memories that will last you a lifetime.

3. Smile and those who don't smile back are idiots.
Don't worry about what others think of you. You can't please everyone. Be yourself and accept the good and bad in people and choose your friends wisely. There will be times when you are upset or disappointed for being misunderstood but as long as you stay true to yourself, you are doing alright.

4. Follow your heart and just go for it.

Don't shy away from doing great things, from going on new adventures because of fear and self-doubt. Mistakes are the best way to learn. Don't be afraid to make them. Just f-king do it. Try not to repeat the same ones too often!

Our Secret Recipes Revealed!

Back in April, a reporter from Xin Flavour came to The Soupery for a food review. So I put on my charm and conned her into giving me another write-up. She agreed or rather I got conned into revealing the recipes of our best selling Guinness Beef Stew, Farmer's Minestrone and the Wild Mushroom Bisque. So here they are in Xin Flavour's July/August 2011 edition for all to try at home!