This week Joanna joined me for my weekly Moomba Tuckshop series. Since she joined we were able to cover two sandwiches this week.

The problem with running a food blog is sometimes you have to order things you wouldn’t normally… or in this case order separate things for maximum coverage. Both Joanna and I were eyeing the Veggie sandwich. The description just sounded fresh and healthy. Being a gentleman I changed to the Roast Beef.

Sometimes being a gentleman really pays off. Though a kind of thin, unappealing sandwich in photos, the Roast Beef was full of flavor… thanks in no small part to the mustard mayonnaise or whatever it is. On the menu its referred to as a mustard mayonnaise…normally I’m not a fan of mustard, but this was smooth and flavorful, with an appropriately small bite to it. The sauce worked well with the caramelized onions. I chose the walnut loaf for my bread and everything just worked well.

Joanna went with the Vegibite with Portabello Mushrooms. The sandwich was refreshingly varied in flavors and textures for a veggie sandwich. It’s nice to find a suitable healthy sandwich that doesn’t remind you with every bite that it’s healthy

We split a Walnut Carrot Cake to finish the lunch off. Looking at the pastry in the window I didn’t even see the carrot cake thanks to the heaping portion of walnuts on top. The walnuts were a bit too sugary for me if I have to nitpick (I don’t, but am choosing to) and again the cake portion was a bit dry with the same consistency of the chocolate muffin from last week. So it must be the flour or some other common ingredient used in their pastries. It’s not bad in flavor, but it’s definitely something enjoyed with a glass of milk.

I was a lot happier with both sandwiches this week for the money. Great value and taste – I think both were right at 9 SGD.

The Moomba Tuckshop

Bank of China Building #B1-01
4 Battery Road
Phone: 6536 5235
Raffles Place

CocoLoco Smoothie

200 mL coconut water
50 mL coconut flesh
100 mL banana
5 mL tahini
1 ice cube

Directions: Blend all ingredients in a blender until fully smooth. Garnish with a slice of pineapple an orchid flower.

Shitake Carrot Soup

100 g carrots
150 g shitake mushrooms
300 g pumpkin seed milk (or soymilk as substitute)
300 g vegetable stock
1 g cayenne pepper
80 g straw mushroom
30 g shallots
5 g virgin coconut oil

Directions: Heat a sauce pan to medium heat – add oil and shallot and sauté for 5 seconds. Next add all vegetables and sauté for another 10 seconds. The add vegetable stock and pumpkin seed milk. Simmer lightly for 15 minutes, check to see if carrots are soft. Then transfer the soup to a blender and puree. Put the pureed mixture back in the sauce pan and reduce to a nice creamy soup.

Vegetable Maki Roll

15 g carrot
15 g asparagus
15 g cucumber
20 g avocado
180g brown rice
1 sheet dried nori
2 tbsp rice vinegar

Directions: Season warm brown rice with the rice vinegar – work the vinegar in with your hands until the rice mixture starts to stick together like sushi rice. Blanche the carrot and asparagus for 2 minutes, then cool in an ice water bath. Now, place the seaweed sheet on a sushi mat (a bamboo mat designed to help roll the sushi) and spread the rice mixture over 2 thirds of the sheet, leaving the upper third empty. Stack the vegetables neatly and length-wise on the widest part of the sheet. Then roll the seaweed sheet using the mat to press and roll. Close the sushi roll by wetting the empty one third of the seaweed sheet with water and then sealing closed. Cut the roll into 9 slices and serve with your favorite dipping sauce. We recommend low sodium soy sauce with wasabi paste.