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I don’t understand why people get so crazy about Starbucks’ pumpkin spice lattes (or PSLs, according to hardcore fans). Add pumpkin puree and some spices to regular coffee and you’ll get that same taste (without the 300 or so calories).

With the holidays around the corner, Singapore coffee lovers can get into the giving spirit early and buy coffee that literally changes people’s lives. How amazing is that! Local coffee company Bettr Barista sells great coffee and runs a social program that improves the lives of disadvantaged women and at-risk youth. Learn more about the social enterprise in this video I produced for Yahoo.

The intensive 6-month program provides professional barista training and emotion management sessions with psychologists.

In addition to  roasting and selling gourmet coffee beans through its online shop, Bettr Barista offers certified training and workshops at its coffee academy in Tai Seng. It also organizes events, like Bettr Week, an annual coffee appreciation festival going on this week, Oct. 5-13, featuring craft workshops, a coffee bar crawl and a pop-up gourmet street food fundraiser.

Better yet, rather than your regular stop at Starbucks or Coffee Bean, make the extra effort to visit Bettr Barista at Scape in Orchard or Saybons at Aljunied and meet some of the people whose lives have been changed.

Bettr Barista @ Saybons at Aljunied
Blk 115 Aljunied Avenue 2
#01-53B
Singapore 380115

Bettr Barista @ *SCAPE
2 Orchard Link
#04-01 (The Colony)
Singapore 237978

 

I tried frog legs in a French restaurant many years ago when I first visited Paris as a college student. If I was going to try frog, there’s no better place than in France. I wasn’t a fan, but maybe it’s because I couldn’t get the image of eating a slimy croaking creature out of my head. Purely psychological.

Frogologist Chelsea Wan says that’s a common barrier for non-frog eaters. But once you get over it, you can reap many health benefits from eating frog, she says. She explains in the video below.

Chelsea’s family owns the Jurong Frog Farm in Singapore, which raises and harvests American bullfrogs for local consumption. The farm sells frog products to restaurants, grocery stores and residents.

Incidentally, I had frog porridge at Halia Restaurant in the Singapore Botanic Gardens a few days later as part of the dinner tasting menu. The menu said it was sourced from Jurong Frog Farm so I was eager to try it. As Chelsea said, the meat melted in my mouth and the dish was delicious. I wonder if it improved my lung function or blood pressure.

If you’re in Singapore, visiting Jurong Frog Farm offers a unique learning experience, especially for the kids. They can feed and touch live frogs. And if you’ve never had frog, you can sample frog meat there.

The farm is located in the Kranji countryside, a rural area in northwest Singapore where you’ll find the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve and several sustainable farms that specialize in vegetables, flowers, goat’s milk, fireflies, fish and koi. Many farms are open to the public and you can watch a goat milking session or visit the city-state’s largest banana grower.

Jurong Frog Farm
51 (Plot 56)
Lim Chu Kang Lane 6
Singapore 718864
+65 6791 7229

Tuesday-Friday (by appointment only)
Saturday, Sunday and Public Holidays (9.00am-5.30pm)

Bangkok is famous for its amazing street food culture, so Thai food in a fine dining restaurant may not be the first thing foodies flock to when visiting the city.

Bo.lan Restaurant makes a good argument for taking a break from the hawker stalls to enjoy classic, family-style Thai cuisine in an upscale setting.

Owned and run by two former proteges of Michelin-starred chef David Thompson of award-winning Nahm, Bo.lan is a combination of their names: Duangporn “Bo” Songvisava and Dylan Jones.

The husband-and-wife chefs have earned the industry’s respect for their authentic Thai food. San Pellegrino’s 2013 list of Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants placed Bo.lan in the no. 36 spot and named Chef Bo the year’s Best Female Chef. She appreciates the honor and hopes to encourage others to preserve traditional ways of Thai cooking.

The chefs find inspiration from various sources, including antique recipe books and modern-day street food. The results are flavorful dishes made with fresh ingredients, such as the Korat-style beef curry and stir-fried pork ribs with Southern-style curry paste.

Hidden on a quiet street, the restaurant offers guests a peaceful retreat and culinary adventure amid the chaos of Thailand’s bustling city.

Bo.lan Restaurant
42 Soi Pichai Ronnarong
Songkram Sukhumvit 26
Klongteoy, Bangkok 10110
Tel. +66 (2) 260-2962

Editor’s Note: This video was featured by Epicure magazine

Amongst the hip offerings in the beach party paradise of Seminyak in Bali is Mozaic Beach Club, sister restaurant of the award-winning Mozaic restaurant in Ubud. Overlooking Batu Belig beach, the spacious poolside bistro serves gourmet tapas and innovative tropical cocktails amid a laid-back lounge atmosphere.

Co-owner and executive chef James Ephraim (his partner is renowned chef Chris Salans) gives us an exclusive tour and invites us into his kitchen to demonstrate one of his unique Balinese-inspired French dishes — chilled foie gras with mangosteen.

Mozaic Beach Club
Jl. Pantai Batu Belig
Kerobokan – Bali 80361
Indonesia
Tel. +62 361 4735796