Sunday, April 29, 2007

MAC Balloonacy

I read about the Balloonacy collection from MAC, but it didn't really grab my attention as much as Barbie did.
Well, while surfing MAC website for the MAC Couture information, I chanced upon the Balloonacy collection and the eye quad drew my interest. PURPLE! Yes, I am back into purple again. After flirting with the greens, aquas and turquoise, I am finally making my way back to my first love - PURPLE!
The pandamonium eye quad looks really nice! Deeper tones of purples and more intense.

Shades include: Cloudbound, an off-white with gold pearlized pigments (Frost); Up at Dawn, a soft lilac (Veluxe pearl); Violet Trance, a rich intense purple (Matte); Pandamonium, a smokey grey with silver pearlized pigments (Velvet). Limited edition.

Lemming again? We shall see how it works on my eyes first :D

Even the pigments are in purples. I'm so dead meat.
Viz-A-Violet Shade description: Mid-tone violet with blue & red pearl
Helium Shade description: Light pink with red duochrome

Loot from EL Private Sale (28 April 2007)

Here it is. The annual event eagerly awaited by many, who wants to pick up a good bargain. I first learnt of the annual private sale conducted by the Estee Lauder group in Singapore back in 2005 when we did some promotional tie-up with MAC. As a business partner, we were given some complimentary tickets for the preview (usually there are 2 sessions - 1 for business partners, vips etc; the other for guests of the EL staff, usually friends or family members, etc - staff get to enter even earlier by flashing their staffcards).

It was a timely introduction into the world of makeup as it was a few months before that I got more interested in beauty products. And so I went with few (several?) friends in 2005. It was like being a kid in a candy store. Everything looked "cheap" when compared to retail prices and I easily spent close to $500 then. Came back and divested some goodies to cousins.

I was more controlled in 2006 EL Sale and spent less than in 2005. More experienced and more focused in what to buy. This year, I managed to get tickets at the very last minute (thanks again to all angels) and even luckier to be offered tickets for the preview on the actual day. It is good to be kind :)

So yeah, my target this year is the MAC mini-pigments sets (cool and warm) released Christmas 2006. But somehow I managed to amass way more than expected. I bought lots of stuff from MAC, Origins and just 2 lipglosses from Bobbi Brown and a teddy bear from Aramis.

The teddy bear is for my nephew who has been hugging my bear which I got last year from the sale. So this will be perfect for him! His very own bear to hug :)


This is what I bought. I just found out today I didn't have MAC entremauve pigment. I thought I bought it previously but I didn't. Darn! I would have grab it at the sale. I am still searching for the shower gel trio from Origins which I thought I bought during Christmas last year at Metro. I didn't get 3 sets at the sale as the girls were dissuading me from getting them all since I already have so many bath items at home and so I got 1 set. It is great shopping with the girls - we play devil's advocate to each other, preventing each other from overspending and impulse buys.

From MAC, I bought the pret-a-porter brush set which was highly raved by my MA and also at the sale counter MA. It costs a bomb at $150, but it includes 8 full sized pony hair brushes in a satin roll-up pouch. I believe it was retailing for around $400 or so. Other items are the cool and warm mini pigments, Zandra Rhodes eye palette, blusher from patternmaker collection, 3 eyeshadows and from the MAC luxe Couture collection - 1 lipstick, 1 lipgloss, 1 mystery powder and 1 highlighter/eye shadow. So yeah, just from MAC, it came to over $350.


From Origins, I was very controlled already but I still bought the Perfect World body set (sponge, body cleanser and body cream) as it was a very good deal. But I still have 2 sets of that at home. Also got the peace of mind diffuser to relieve stress, the bali paradise set (cleanser, lotion and scrub) and the shower gels trio - only 1 set as I released 2 other sets *sniff* :(

So I busted my budget of $200 for this sale as MAC totally killed me (unexpectedly). But I think for once I will actually be using all the items bought this time round, so I am a happy girl. Surprisingly I didn't get any fragrances this year at all.

Kid's Meal - Island Cafe


I am so tickled pink with the kid's meal from Island Cafe. Met the girls for midnight shopping on Friday but I met them late as I had a massage appointment (more like torture as my whole body is sore and achy even till now) earlier.

It was close to 930pm when we scoured for eateries which were still opened for the late night shopping (Singapore Tourism Board initiative with ORBA to bring life to Orchard Road at night) which happens every last Friday of the month now. Obviously not all shops participated in this drive.

After walking up and down Paragon and racking our brains on where to go, I remembered I took the proffered postcard inidicating the participating outlets. Checked it out and realized Island Cafe was opened. So off we trooped to Tangs for a bite.

I wanted something soupy and light. Saw the chicken macaroni in the kid's menu and asked if I could order that. Some places are sticky about only kids being allowed to order from the menu. I guessed it helped it was already close to 10pm by then, so the server was fine with it.

The chicken macaroni came with juice and a mini sundae. I love that everything was served in plastic - bright orange mug and bowl - and on a colorful striped tray. That is so cute!

The chicken macaroni itself was pretty awful. The pasta was too tough, not al dente at all. The chicken was usual and the soup was not too bad. So I didn't finish it. The pineapple juice was obviously out of the can or box. The scoop of chocolate ice cream was tiny but that was not too bad.

The girls ordered dessert since they already had their dinner. So it was a night of chatting and eating instead of full-blown shopping. Saving that for Saturday ;p

Conclusion: Order from the main menu in future as Island Cafe has some very good local dishes.

Thursday, April 26, 2007

Tocca Candles!

I am in love with Tocca candles and I blame it on my influencer, Davis :p She is the queen of candles, expert in the various cult and high end brands. I don't burn much candles as I prefer to burn essential oils instead when I want to relax.

Tarts were highly raved and I bought some, but the home-made tarts made me sick, probably because of the artificial scent. Then I tried Tocca candle in Florence - candelina size - and it was good. Lightly scented and not overpowering that I get a headache.

Since Tocca is not easily available in Singapore, I ordered mine through Sephora via Amazon and that was through Vpost. Complicated way of shipping which a friend did for us. I tried swapping for the candles but not many people listed them on their list. Then somehow I got to know of Beauty Habit.

Surfing one day, I discovered it does ship internally. Yay! Got a few friends who wanted to order from BH too, and so a mini spree was on. I must rave about BH shipping and customer service. Really fantastic! They will email you the shipping cost and once approved, they will ship out immediately. On the website, it said it will take 2-6 weeks, but for my order, it was approved on 20 April and arrived in Singapore on 24 April (registered mail, so I only got the package today as no one was home to sign for it on 24 April). Amazing!

So I ordered 4 Tocca candelinas. Maybe it is time for me to move on to the actual candles soon.

Stella (Blood Orange)
Stella is the slightly sweet, never bitter and always fresh scent of blood orange, widely recognized as one of the finest gifts of nature. With its origins coming from 17th century Sicily, the blood orange is harmonious with Tocca Beauty's philosophy of combining the best of old world traditions with modern influences

Rodolfo (Tuberose)
The potent tuberose emits a soft spicy fragrance intended to fill the bedroom with romance and gently rekindle the sensuality of the great 1920's lover, Rodolfo

Isabella (Fresh Watermelon)
Isabella's fresh aroma of watermelon hits you unexpectedly. Mysterious and intriguing like a young Sicilian beauty, Isabella evokes legends of lost sailors in the Southern Mediterranean seas.

Cleopatra (Grapefruit and Cucumber)
A blend of cucumber and grapefruit emits a light and clean, yet luxuriously exotic scent for the bathroom, underscoring Cleopatra's indulgence for her milk baths

Florence (Orris Rose)
Florence is the sophisticated essence of the old European garden rose known as Centifolias or "cabbage" rose. Bred in the 16th and 17th centuries by the Dutch, Centifolias are noted for their highly fragrant blooms as well as their one hundred (cento) petals. Tocca Beauty combines the character of the rose with the root of the iris, also known as orris root, to anchor the scent.

Wednesday, April 25, 2007

Pictures of Phuket - Burasari





This is the stone lounger with jets


Ok here are the pictures to go along. Still didn't have time to pretty them up.



Video says it better. Enjoy :)

Tuesday, April 24, 2007

Phuket - Day 5

Guess what? The hotel staff didn't collect the DVD player so I could watch DVD on my last day. Mentally planning the activities, I decided to just take it slow. With a late check-out of 2pm (the latest they allowed) and having to be back in hotel for a shower and airport pick up at 4pm, I essentially had only 2 hours to kill, not 3 as I initially thought.

Woke up later than usual and had a late breakfast, though it was probably not considered that late at 830am. Someone was at my favorite table, so I took a table in the secluded air-conditioned room. It was dim as there was no light at all. A guy wearing a fisherman hat walked past and stopped and stared - for a moment, I thought it was MS. But nah, don't think so at all.

After breakfast, I decided to laze by the pool for a short while as it was pretty empty. Read, floated, swam and tanned. Time almost stood still? It felt like I was there for some time when it was only an hour when I went back to the room.

Had a bath while watching The Devil Wears Prada. Anne Hathaway with red lipstick is so gorgeous! I want red lipstick too! It is very common in most hotels to have partition between the bath and bedroom to open up so you can watch the TV or have the TV hooked above the bath.

So that was what I did, watched DVD and chatted online after that while waiting for my bikini to dry, and packing at the same time. Multi-tasking. After check-out, I walked down Beach Road, still searching for nice Thai restaurant. I found one in a side road. Outside the restaurant said food was cooked by authentic Thai chef. It looked not too bad, not flashy. I prefer non-flashy restaurants when it comes to Thai food in tourist town.

I ordered the tom yum goong, chicken in basil leaves with rice and iced milk tea. The place is still obviously catered to the tourists based on the price. 120THB for the tom yum goong, the other place was around 70-80THB. But I seriously didn't mind one bit when the one sip of the soup was seriously good! I finally found a restaurant which served decent tom yum soup. It was a bit red and lemaky though. Not the clear spicy sour soup of the 1st restaurant I went to.

The prawns were huge and fresh, so yeah for 120THB, it is alright. The chicken with basil leaves could be better. I think I still prefer the one in BBK. The thai iced milk tea was good too. My most expensive meal in Phuket - 250THB total. At the other restaurant or places, it usually came to 150-200THB, or even just 100THB at the open air hawker center thing.

After that I went to the massage place across the road (Wanida). It was so eye-popping with the bright hot pink cushion covers on the wicker lounge chairs. My last foot massage in Thailand. The service was good, the therapist offered me an icy cold towel and water to freshen up, and with the heat, icy cold was greatly appreciated. There was a black dog on the premise, just dozing on the chair. He looked like a cockapoo - cross between cocker spaniel and poodle. Similar to Connie's dog, Prince. Very cute.

Had a quick shower in the toilet of all places, I would have expected a hospitality room like in Katathani. The restroom was not often used and in a quiet area so I had the whole place to myself. The staff was good, and handed me a L'occitane shampoo and conditioner in lavender for me to use. I like it! Going to look for L'occitane stuff soon. Lol. Laze by the daybed at the poolside bar after that to chill and had a coke for 100THB (hotel price). Also got bitten by mozzies in the process.

Soon it was time to leave. Got to the airport at 610pm. The airport bus came for me at 5pm. The driver stopped twice, not sure what for since no one got onto the bus. There was only 1 other guy in the bus. He is from Sweden and on his way back. He lives in Phuket for 7 months annually, and has been doing that for about 5-6 years now.

At the airport, I was good. Didn't buy more donuts. Lol. I also didn't buy the Lay's chips in seaweed. I think I was all chipped and donutted out. Arrived in Singapore around 1110pm and home at 1150pm.

I found that I have more foot massage on this trip more than Thai massage. Maybe it was because I did not found anyone who did a great job. I also realized I didn't spend as much during this trip compared to previously. I didn't spend a lot, but my hotel took up a huge chunk of the budget. I only spent on food and massages, no major expenses of traveling out and exploring.

Airfare: $127
Hotel: $504
Spending money: $250 (with leftovers)
Taxi: $30
Total cost of Holiday: $911

5 days of bliss: Priceless

Sunday, April 22, 2007

Phuket - Day 4

I can't believe it. I only have 1 more night and afternoon before I leave for Singapore. Where have the days gone?

Today continued on eating less. Lol. Starting from breakfast, I had a slice of toast with grilled tomatoes, cheese and fried egg. Had a small bowl of fishball noodles (not very nice, SG version is better) and boiled rice (porridge) which was not too bad. So yeah that was it.

Checked with reception on whether there is any relations between the tent with hotel name on it on the beach and the hotel. A bit disappointed to learn it was not related and the tent was for advertising purposes. When I asked about the cost of renting the lounger/umbrella, she told me it was 500THB!!! That worked out to around S$25? Daylight robbery! So that scraped the idea of sunbathing on beach. Anyway I am not really sand/beach person. Lol, I like watching the waves, but I do not fancy sand on my body.

So it was the pool again. Surprisingly it was not that crowded today. I must be bad in picking the lounger cos I got the sun again. So now I am nicely tanned. Healthy.

Had a bubble bath after that and it was slippery and I slid down into the water and did a 180 degrees turn. Lucky I didn't knock into anything and the bubbles got into my ear. I felt like one of those pic of girl in bubble bath. Candle burning. Decadent.

I still wanted my tom yum soup, so got out to hunt. Didn't see any Thai restaurant and before I knew it, I was at Jungceylon again. So I decided to try the street food fair. The noodles place looked nice. I saw the dry version of meat with noodles and wanted that. Somehow my pointing didn't work, so I got the regular meat noodles in soup. Sigh. It was ok, better than breakfast but the dry noodles looked really good with the different seasoning.

I really dislike the heat though, cos I get totally drenched as if I was in the shower minutes after I walked out into the heat. So yucky. Another reason to cool off in the mall. Walked around Carrefour and checked out the frozen section. They actually sell black sesame dumplings in ginger soup. Nice! Too bad I don't have a microwave here. And also meringue in the bakery section. Cool.

Went to Pinnacle Massage place for a foot massage. It was really good. Almost fell asleep. Either it is the heat or I am really tired. Rarely do I doze off during foot massages. Pinnacle Massage is a pretty good place for massages, I always go there when in Phuket. Just that the therapists I had are no longer working there.

Walked over to the beach and just spent a few moments to myself, listening to ipod and watching the activities on the beach and sea. It was great. A bit breezey, and not as hot or humid. Decided to continue hunt for tom yum soup and popped into this family restaurant which was established in 1985.

Unfortunately the tom yum and pad thai were not that great. Not spicy enough for the soup and the noodles were too salty from the fish sauce. Not nice at all. Even the thai iced milk tea was weak and not sweet. I didn't finish the food at all. Really disappointed, as the restaurant looked so promising. It is opposite a pizza place, Nepoli or something.

The good thing is, I met someone during dinner. Lol. Yes, I met a Canadian girl. She is also traveling on her own and is with the army. So this is her break time. We had a good natter and had a walk together after dinner as it was still early and it was nice to speak to someone who understand and can communicate in English. Otherwise it will be 4 days of not much talking for me. I took her to Baskin Robbins and recommended places and things for her to do during her stay.

Back in hotel and discovered the hotel staff didn't remove my dvd player. It is now over 3 days, hope they won't charge me extra since I didn't even watch any dvd today.

Saturday, April 21, 2007

Phuket - day 3

I finally got to sleep in today and went for breakfast at 930am. Good to note that after yesterday's feast, I didn't have much today. Just about the usual of fruits, yoghurt, omelette and sausage/bacon.

Initially wanted to go to Paradise Beach which was mentioned in the hotel's website as its own private beach. Sad to say, that was a false information on the website. The reception said it is not owned by the hotel, and I would need to make my own way there. Getting there is no problem, but not sure how I would get back, so I didn't bother about it.

Tried out the new swimming pool instead in the new wing. It is quite nice, to meander around the sunbathing area in the center. It is like a T-shaped, with the loungers in the center of one strip. On the top end, there is the pool bar and on the other side is a stone lounger area. I discovered that is also a jacuzzi thing with jets bubbling when you pressed a button. Neat!

Again, the sun was very strong, so I left at 2ish pm. Just rested in the room and then went out to have a late lunch/early dinner. I finally went to Subway to get a steak and cheese sub on honey oat bread. It was very nicely toasted with more varieties of veggies. However the steak could be more tender. The cookie was not as good as in Singapore. It was less chewy and soft. Just different.

Had a foot massage at this place, near Subway, next to a photo shop. The place was really nice, with glass windows all around. Thai silk draped from the ceiling to afford privacy (if needed) and for decoration purposes. I liked the attention to detail. The therapist washed the feet in a wooden tub basin, complete with natural grains and powder to scrub. And tea was served complete with a cool towel to freshen up. You got to relax in the laz-y boy style arm chair and the therapist used alcohol to clean the feet again. The only minus point about the place was the strong scent of camphor. It was a good massage, well worth the 300THB.

Dropped by Starbucks for an iced caramel machiato as it started to drizzle. Spent about an hour there just watching the people and beach activities and also reading my book. Walked back to the hotel and managed to get some dvds. It was weird, I stopped by 2 places and both wanted me to go to a room in an alley. No way, Jose. I followed one and he led me to a small doorway, next to the tailor shop and I could see through the open door the rows of dvds. But errr....no way would I enter. Bad enough it was not on the main road. I insisted on buying from the stall. Anyway, he didn't have what I wanted. The 2nd stall I went to also wanted me to go to the room. But anyway, he managed to get what I wanted. Weird cos this was the first time I was asked by them. Usually we would tell them what we want and they would go find.

But because of this, I didn't get to have my tom yum soup. I had already passed by the other side roads with restaurants and the remaining ones (not that many) didn't look decent or appetizing. In the end, I bought a corn on cob. Seemed to be the season for corns as they are everywhere. Didn't realize the hawker rubbed copious amount of salt on it, I thought it was butter. So salty. 30THB for that. Pricey? So yeah that was my dinner. Will hunt for tom yum soup tomorrow.

Watched bits and pieces of my dvds - Music and Lyrics and Love Actually. Just coincidence that Hugh Grant was in them. Music and Lyrics quality was bad....very fuzzy. Love Actually was better, but the audio on dialogue was so soft, yet the music was loud. I think I will get the real Music and Lyrics as the last bit was cut. Amelie is showing now, but not really in the mood to watch. I have seen that several times now.

Day 3 was just a total chilling day with not much exploration. I totally dislike the heat, I get drenched after a couple of minutes of walking under the sun. And it stormed earlier. Stopped now. But there were a few loud bangs that I was not sure if that were fireworks or others.

Phuket - Day 2

I woke up super early today at 630 am Phuket time. Didn't really sleep much as I woke up a few times during the night. Not sure why as I usually have no problem sleeping in a new place. But that means I went to have breakfast early too.

Freshened up with a quick shower and decided to be kiasu. Lol. Packed all my barang barang for a morning of tanning/lazing by the pool after breakfast. Since I left the room at 710am, it was virtually empty at the pool and so I didn't bother doing a "German" and reserve a lounger with my towels.

I like that the restaurant has different settings in the various areas. Yesterday I was seated near the entrance and that had a lazy loungey feel to it with a daybed dangling in the air, supported by chains. Across from it was a mediterranean theme with marine mosiac tiles on the table top and iron-wrought chairs. So today, I sat near the aircon area, with wicker chairs and a cushion to support. Nice.

I totally pigged out today. At breakfast, I tried the new station - noodle station. Pick your own ingredients and inform the chef what you want. I had some meat balls and meat slices (not sure if chicken or pork) with beansprouts and veggies cooked with kway teow in soup. Pretty good.

Also had my usual pomelo and papaya with strawberry yoghurt. Seemed to be the day for sweets as I had a croissant (almost set it on fire when I put it through the grill) and french toast with butter, strawberry jam, honey and maple syrup. Yes, I know. Sweetness overdose. To counteract the sweetness, I went back to savory with an omelette with bits of pineapple rice and fried bee hoon. How's that for really pigging out?

Went to the pool after that. I decided to tan by the old wing pool as it is bigger and more suitable for swimming. I was the first one there at around 8am. Took advantage of that to swim. Somehow the pool was amazingly cool, not cold. Swimming and playing in water, I heard the birds chirping and watched a pair of sparrows (or some other small birds) played with each other, chased each other from tree to tree. It was really nice, just to relax and watch the birds and having the entire pool to myself.

Slowly more people came over to do a "German" and no, they are not Asians. Lol. In fact I was the only Asian at the pool by late morning. Yeah, they just dropped their towels and books to reserve the loungers and then went off to do their thing, so I still had the pool to myself for about 30-45 mins. By then the sun was showing its full force and beaming its rays onto us. Unbearably hot. I had a few dips in the pool to cool off, surprisingly the water was cold. It felt colder than earlier in the morning, maybe it was because I was so hot.

It was close to 11am when I surrendered. Had wanted to hang by pool till noon or 1pm, but it was just too much. And I didn't want to get burnt. Back to the room to take a bubble bath and chill. It was just so nice to stay in the room, in the comfort of the aircon as it was really hot outside.

Ventured out on the other road parallel to beach road to find some lunch at around 2pm. Went to the outdoor food center thing. Noticed many stalls were closed, not sure if for renovations or forever. Darn! There went my beef noodles ala Vietnamese style of pho. The remaining stalls did not have that. So I tried a spicy chicken noodle soup. They just added chili paste to make it spicy. It still was not that spicy and a bit tasteless, so I added some sugar, chili flakes and the sliced chili with sour sauce. Much more palatable. But I had my first Thai iced milk tea. That so hit the spot. Quite expensive lunch. 70THB for the noodles. It used to be 40THB for the pho like thing. Total came to 95THB.

Guessed it is still high season here with more tourists and hence more expensive. Decided to check out the new shopping mall Jungceylon, near Bang La. Jungceylon was delayed in opening as it was supposed to open last year. The place is huge! I just walked the basement and level 1. It sprawled over and had a promenade in the center and a junk ship at one side and kinda with 3 pavilions thing?

Not all shops are opened yet, and the food court is still under renovation. There are VNC, Giordano, Carrefour, Geox, Starbucks, Haagen Dazs, Au Bon Pain, Swensens, Boots and others. In the basement, I had a foot massage at Mantra by the Spa. The place was quite nice, and I liked the chair. Not the typical armchair. Instead it was like a lounger. The therapist was so gentle I almost fell asleep. I didn't like that she didn't do the full 1hr treatment. She only did 45mins. I didn't quibble nor did I tip her. I have been tipping left, right center on this trip. Business must be bad cos it has been in operation for 2 months and I noticed they reduced the price of the foot massage from 350THB to 250THB.

I went around searching for Dunkin Donuts cos I saw someone carrying a box of donuts on my way to Jungceylon. Lol. Finally found it at the Carrefour wing. I didn't like that all the sections were not connected underground or above ground. You have to walk through the promenade in the hot weather. But in the promenade there was a food street with local Thai food. The seafood was amazing - huge cockles, tiger prawns, clams etc. I didn't try any.

I bought a Siam Square donut (square shaped donut with 2 fillings - bavarian and blueberry) which was really soft and good. The iced coffee was great too. Walked around Carrefour and I loved shopping there. It is huge and not so crowded. I bought Lays chips in seaweed flavor. Delish. Went out and admire the junk ship, there is a daily lights show at 7 and 9pm. Indochine will be there too, not opened yet. Plus a new hotel under the Millenium group. I think the mall is really going to change the face of Patong Beach. It is no longer rustic (not that it ever really was) but with mall right in the beach, is really having the typical city world in a beach resort area. Convenient but different.

Wanted to have more sweets and had a chocolate ice cream with roasted almond in a waffle cup from Fudge and Creamery (or something like that). They will place the ice cream on the marble slab and mix in the almonds. The ice cream is creamy, fudgey and chewy. Really nice. Sharing space is a coffee place, new york deli and pizza place. How American is that? You could be in a typical mall in Florida.

Decided to walk down Bang La and back to hotel via Beach road. There were already people at the bars, and I could feel the guys checking out the girls, not that there were many at that hour. And there were definitely more shops now compared to 2 years back. I totally walked past Subway and I wanted to have a sub for dinner as I had overdosed on the sweets and was feeling a bit queasy. So no more fried or heavy meal. Also checked out the tube dresses as friends have asked me to help them buy some. Saw a lady selling and asked her for the price. She quoted THB 550! Crazy. Managed to bargain down to something more decent but I still feel it is ex. Lol.

Next thing to buy will be dvds. Hehe. So I kept walking and finally walked to the end of Patong. Decided to have a Thai massage in those roadside place. Bad mistake, the place is dodgey. I didn't even get a change of clothes, so that will be my first and last time there. I missed Faye - the therapist who did Thai massage for me daily on my previous trip. She has left the shop when I went to look for her last year :( So hard to find a good therapist. So well, the search continues.

As I was too lazy to go back to Subway, I went to this other shop where I thought it served chicken basil on my last trip. It was not on the menu so I had chicken with cashew nuts. It was not too bad after I added more chili to it. At least it helped settle the stomach somewhat. But I think I will lay off the sweets for the next 2 days. Darn.

Back in the room, I watched the 2nd DVD - Aquamarine. Quite a cheesey movie but at least it is light-hearted and not scary. So CNA is still in black and white. Not sure how long it will remain that way.

And so ends my 2nd day in Phuket. 2 massages and lots of sweets.

Thursday, April 19, 2007

Phuket: Day 1

Didn't do much on the first day. Got up super early at 5am, so that I can leave home at 530am to get to the airport around 6am. The taxi driver was slow, and there weren't much traffic on the road. It was surprisingly to see so many people in the airport at 6am, I guess it is usual and not so abnormal after all.

Not sure what Games are coming up, but I cleared immigration with a group of Team Singapore athletes. Don't recognize any of them at all, except for the jacket identifying them.

Besides checking out DFS, also went to the bookstore to get some magazines and the morning papers. Had kaya toast and iced coffee for breakfast, albeit hurriedly gulped down since it was close to the gate being closed. I am bad, I am usually one of the last few to board the plane, and many a times, my name was announced over the PA system for boarding.

So yeah, I am here alone, doing my own things, in Phuket. A time for reflection, to just chill by myself instead of surrounding myself with activities that I don't have time to think at all. And I know I always do that, which is why I am always busy and out and about. So this is an opportunity to slow down and take a breather.

Got to the hotel at 930am local time and luckily there was a room available so I could do an early check-in. I was even asked to go have my buffet breakfast though technically it was not included. That was a nice gesture on their part.

Stayed at my usual hotel, except the renovation is complete. It is much bigger now and more confusing. The new wing (where I am staying in) has so many walkways it is like a labyrinth. So what did I do today?

Breakfast (again), went back to room to unpack, relax and got online. Made an appointment for a lomi lomi massage at the spa in the afternoon. Ran a bath. Had the massage, it was so good I almost fell asleep. Instead I came back to room and had a nap. Went to the pool to tan, but it was crowded :( So no pool for me. Will do that tomorrow. Back to the room again. Went to the reception to rent the DVD player (comes with 3 DVDs to watch) for 3 days. Got online again, then went out to the beach. It is definitely more crowded now than the last 3 times I was in Phuket. Nice to be out there walking on the sand, smelling the seawater, watching people parasailing and sunbathing.

Walked along beach road and then popped into a small street and hunt for Thai food. Decided to try this place Lek's Thai food or something. Ordered the tom yum goong and chicken basil with rice. Service was good, the tom yum was excellent! Prawns were not that fresh though. I still think the best chicken basil dish I had was in the street hawker in Bangkok. Bangkok has more roadside stalls than Phuket. They also served a complimentary dessert of watermelon and banana.

After the early dinner/late lunch, I walked all the way to Baskins Robbins for my Jamoca Almond Fudge fix. I can only have it in Thailand or elsewhere since Baskins Robbins is not available in Singapore. Walked back, checked out Boots, bought sachets of mask and scrub. Tried them back in the hotel, not that fantastic. Watched the 1st DVD - Cheaper by the Dozen. Quite funny. And now typing this entry and going to bed after this.

The other 2 DVDs are Amelie and something not that great. The selection was pitiful, think most have been taken out. Oh well.

So yeah, a relaxing first day of not really doing anything.

Absolutely Givenchy


I am in Phuket now and even before I stepped on the plane from Singapore, I already spent. Lol. I bought the limited edition Givenchy fragrance - Absolutely Givenchy.

I was checking out dfs at the ungodly hour of 620am (that is the time I cleared immigration after checking in). Stopped by Bobbi Brown to test out the highly-raved Coral blush. I love the sparkles unfortunately (or fortunately) I didn't like the color on my cheeks - too orangey. Never a fan of Nars Orgasm either, which it is said to resemble. There are 2 eyeshadow palettes from MAC which is Trip (?), meant to be sold in airport, I think. Colors are nice but I passed. Stila collection is really pathetic. Sad. Left the undesirables.

So ventured onto the fragrances section. Tried out Vera Wang Truly Pink - I quite like it. Light, slightly sweet floral scent. Not saccharine sweet like Princess. And it comes in 2 sizes (50ml, 100ml). Refrained from buying since I still have Sheer Veil. Saw Absolutely Givenchy - the bottle is so pretty. Pink and Green. I noticed many bottles in square-shaped now.

Absolutely Givenchy is a bit fruity and fresh and sweet. Lighter than my usual scents, similar to Anna Sui Secret Wish. It has green apple, sweet pea and crystal musk. I love it! There is even a gwp of a miniature. Neat!


Sidenote: I wish google/blogspot is not so intelligent! Everything is in Thai, just because I am in Thailand now. I can't read the damn instructions. Just trying to remember what each buttons mean.

Tuesday, April 17, 2007

Cupcakes - Sherie's Recipe


Finally got round to getting the ingredients to make the cupcakes as per Sherie's recipe. It looked and tasted pretty good. I love the icing. That was so so so utterly heaven! I was not really an icing person, but this was real yummy!

The cake itself was alright, could be better. Maybe it was because I didn't add baking soda since I didn't have it. I only added the baking powder. Will try again with baking soda. Oh, and I forgot the baking cups too. Lol. This was not very well prepared. Hopefully the next batch of cupcakes will be even better.

Monday, April 16, 2007

23 Questions

Got this from a website:

1. Grab the book nearest to you, turn to page 18, find line 4. Write down what it says.
"embroidered fireguard stood next to a huge mahogany..."

2. Stretch your left arm out as far as you can. What do you touch first?
empty air

3. What is the last thing you watched on TV?
Errr.....don't remember

4. WITHOUT LOOKING, guess what the time is.
12:15pm

5. Now look at the clock, what is the actual time?
12:12pm

6. With the exception of the computer, what can you hear?
someone sniffing, talking on the phone and flipping of pages

7. When did you last step outside? what were you doing?
an hour ago? to the washroom.

8. Before you came to this website, what did you look at?
Cozycot

9. What are you wearing?
top and skirt

10. Did you dream last night?
Yes

11. When did you last laugh?
This morning

12. What is on the walls of the room you are in?
Nothing.

13. Seen anything weird lately?
not that I know of

14. What do you think of this quiz?
Meant for people with too much time on their hands

15. What is the last film you saw?
Music and Lyrics

16. If you became a multi-millionaire overnight, what would you buy first?
Not sure...whatever that caught my fancy when out walking around?

17. Tell me something about you that I don't know.
I can be anal about certain things even though I am fundamentally easy-going

18. If you could change one thing about the world, regardless of guilt or politics, what would you do?
No such thing as war

19. Do you like to dance?
Definitely

20. George Bush: is he a power-crazy nutcase or some one who is finally doing something that has needed to be done for years?
don't think much of him.

21. Imagine your first child is a girl, what do you call her?
Nicole Renee

21. Imagine your first child is a boy, what do you call him?
Shane

22. Would you ever consider living abroad?
Sure
Publish
23. Will you pass on this survey?
nah

Sunday, April 15, 2007

Garuda Padang Cuisine


I finally got to try the food at Garuda behind the Heeren. I walked past it many times when I was on my way to the taxi stand, and it never seemed crowded. But it seemed to be well-liked by the well-heeled and Indonesians.

Garuda is under the Tung Lok Group, so you can be sure of consistent quality food. Apparently the chefs are from Indonesia too to give the bit of authenticity to the fare.

Since there are only 2 of us, we only ordered 4 dishes to share. Be warned, the portions are quite small.
The dishes we tried:
Sayur Urap (veggies - reminded me of veggies served in Bali)
Beef Rendang (Indo friend said it is authentic. Not very spicy. The meat is not too dry or chewy)
Chicken in green chilies (not sure if this chicken is also from kampong chicken, but it is quite tender and the green chilies is good)
Sambal squid (a bit chewy for some bits, mixed with petai)

Conclusion, the food is nice and great if you are in the mood for authentic Indonesian nasi padang. If you are used to the local nasi padang, then go to your usual food centers for your fix. It is quite pricey at Garuda, averaging about $20 each.

Location:
Garuda padang cuisine
15 Cairnhill Road #02-01
Cairnhill Place (behind Heeren)
Tel: 6735 4111

Other outlet at Vivocity.

Tang Sok Kiar Suite - Marriott Hotel

Click on pic to enlarge

I never really have much of an impression of the rooms in Singapore Marriott Hotel. The place seemed small and quite run-down. The reason for going to Marriott is either to Bar None (the club in the basement) or to Marriott Cafe for the excellent afternoon hi-tea buffet spread. Well, the cakes/desserts were good, the dishes were quite ordinary. Plus, I am used to parking at Marriott if I drive to town since I usually shopped at Tangs and did my dry-cleaning there too (dry-cleaning service at Tangs has since ceased operations)

I know Marriott was renovating but I didn't realize the renovations ended in end 2004 and with it came the spanking new pool terrace rooms concept. The pool terrace rooms faced the swimming pool, similar to the hotels/resorts in Phuket and probably other beach resorts place where it is common to have pool access rooms.

With the pool terrace rooms, there is also a suite - Tang Sor Kiar Suite - with the same concept. Except it has its own private pool, so you don't have to share with other guests. The suite is away from the other rooms and pool terrace grill restaurant. It is secluded and definitely private. A friend came over to Singapore recently and stayed there, so I had the opportunity to explore the suite. Yes, I'm a kaypoh for this :p Lol

The pool is in a weird shape, like a diamond. Concept is good except for a half wall so you don't get much of a view at all. Plus the construction going on for Scotts Shopping Center and the Ascott was not conducive to an afternoon to relax by the pool. But there is a daybed lounger next to the edge of the pool, and 2 loungers by the sliding doors. Nice.

Inside the room, there is a living room and off to it a dining area. The kitchen is mini and only has a microwave and fridge, not meant for heavy-duty cooking. The bedroom itself looks squeezy, don't think there was much allowance between the flat screen tv and the bed.

Interesting concept of 2 walkways to the bathroom area/vanity sinks. Toiletries were Bvlgari, nice! The bathtub is right smack in center, with no door but with a flat screen TV attached on the wall. Totally open-concept. At one end of the bathtub is the shower room which doubled up as a sauna. The other end is the commode.

So there you have it, the suite with its own pool. Good for a weekend getaway in the city when you don't want to see anyone at all. Check in, just hang by pool and order in room service. Your own little world.

From the website:
Room Features
146sqm/1571sqft
Air-conditioned
Individual climate control
This room is non-smoking
Connecting rooms are not available
Outdoor spaces: terrace (1)
Outdoor spaces total size 54sqm/581sqft
Dining area
Living room is separated
Living area is separated from bed by privacy wall
Windows, floor to ceiling
Private pool

Bath and Bathroom Features
Marble bathroom
Bathtub and shower separate
Bathroom amenities (Bvlgari)
Hair dryer
Robes: 2
Slippers

Furniture and Furnishings
Sofa
Chair
Clock Radio
Safe, in room
Outlet with dual voltage adaptors
Table with seating for 4
Desk, writing / work, with electrical outlet, and data port
Iron and ironing board

Food & Beverages
Room service, 24-Hour
Bottled water, for a fee
Bottled water, complimentary
Coffee maker / tea service
Mini-bar

Kitchen features
Pantry area
Refrigerator
Microwave
Dishes and glasses

Internet and Phones
Phones: 3
Phone features: voicemail, speaker phone, and phone lines (2)
High speed internet, for a fee
Dial-up internet, for a fee
Wired internet, for a fee

Hospitality Services
Evening turndown service
Newspaper delivered to room Sun-Sat, complimentary

Entertainment
TV features: remote control, largest 42in/107cm, and plasma screen
TVs: 3
Premium movie channels
Cable/satellite
International cable/satellite
Cable channels include CNN, ESPN, and HBO
Movies, pay-per-view
Radio

Double Trouble Chocolate - Intense Double Mocha Coffee



I found this box of alluring coffee from Nescafe. Double Trouble Chocolate. The box screams seduction with the red lipstick and kisses.

Being naughty never tasted so nice
Give in to temptation and
indulge in the ultimate
chocolate mocha coffee
One kiss and you'll be
Hooked


Instructions
Check no one's looking.......
rip open your sachet and quickly
pour into your mug.
Add hot steamy (not boiling) water
and stir through.

Enjoy!

Tuesday, April 10, 2007

Banana Leaf Apolo @ Race Course Road





I like fish head curry especially when the gravy is those sour type. Yum. A friend of Enrico (Salvatore) was in town recently and it so happened that Jennifer was msging me about something else and asked me along to join them for lunch last weekend.

It was good catching up again, meeting Jennifer and Grace and their hbs and Jennifer's friend Denise. Can't remember if I met Denise before, and if I did, it must have been eons ago, way back in 2001 or 2002.

We had lunch at Banana Leaf as apparently they told Salvatore that he had to try fish eye. Lol. And they got him to try the Hashima (which apparently is the gooey part which holds the frogs' eggs together, but is very good for skin) the previous night.

So it was fish head curry being the highlight. We ordered a feast - fish curry, fried fish roe, chicken tikka, chicken masala, black sotong, fish cutlet and the 2 side dishes of veggies and briyani rice and garlic/plain naans. All that shared among 7 of us, and we still could not finish them.

I like the fish head curry as it was both tangy and spicy. The black sotong is nice too. The chicken tikka is a bit too salty and on the dry side. The chicken masala is good with the right amount of spices. I tried the fish roe....errr....it is interesting. If you don't think about what it is, it is crispy. I think I am still a fan of North Indian food rather than South Indian. Give me naan and butter chicken anytime!

Location:
Address: 54-58 Race Course Rd, near Little India MRT
Phone: 6293-8682

Monday, April 09, 2007

Red Star - Dim Sum

I finally went to Red Star for dim sum a few weeks ago. I have heard so much about it but have yet to step foot into it. The traditional dim sum place with trolleys of food and din made by the diners.
It was a long line of people waiting for tables when we got there at around 1130am. We had to wait for about 30 minutes before we finally got a table. And the table was in a corner, away from the main aisles of trolley-dom. My gf had to "chase" after some of the trolleys as they didn't come to our section at all.

We had a feast for just 2 of us. As usual, we didn't finish everything. It was a bit tough to share as she is allergic to prawns and I am not that keen on pork. I like to have prawn items when I have dim sum. And we all know dim sum is either pork or shrimp.
So we ordered: har gow (shrimp dumplings), scallop rice flour rolls, spare pork ribs, egg tarts, century egg pork congee, siew mai, xiao long baos and paper wrapped chicken.

Conclusion, while it is nice to dine in the nostalgia-filled dim sum place, the food is just average. I have better at other places. I would say go there if you like to eat in a noisy place with push cart trolleys of food.

Sunday, April 08, 2007

Lerk Thai @ Square 2


I have been going to Square 2, trying to make sense of the confusing cubes. It is really all in squares, making it hard to tell people where to meet or even to give directions. I hate it when malls try to be all fanciful and clever. It just aggravates shoppers by making them lost in the maze.




So I had dinner at Lerk Thai. My 2nd visit (1st was at Marina Square outlet) and I remembered it did a mean tom yam soup. I ordered that and the belachan fried rice and iced milk tea.
The seafood tomyam soup was fiery hot and sour - I like. It was pretty generous with slices of fish and prawns and squids and mushrooms. The belachan fried rice was not too bad and came with pieces of chicken. The iced milk tea could be better.




Saturday, April 07, 2007

Exotic/Sensual Dance - Look No Further

I dance, more specifically I bellydance. Besides that I have also learnt other forms of dance like hip-hop, jazz and adult ballet. I have tried salsa and somehow my knees refused to co-operate, so I could fake it if I have a great dance partner, but I don't really know the actual salsa besides some basic steps. I think I have also tried waltz, rhumba and cha-cha before, but those are so long ago and so basic I could barely remember. So anyway, I have decided to stick to bellydance as it suits my pace/body better :p Bruises on knees when doing floor-work for hip-hop is not fun at all.

I took up a course on sensual dance (similar to exotic dance) as I was curious to see what it entails. As the instructor also bellydances, the core was similar to what I know. The other difference was the adding on of lap-dancing, dancing with chairs/benches, against the wall/mirror, writhing on the floor as well as doing a strip-tease dance. Very ooomph!

Certain songs are sensual by nature with beats which are perfect for figure-8s, body waves and just making your bodies look like jello, soft and pliable and flexible.

Had nothing better to do, and so I was looking at YouTube and watching the mtvs of songs.

Pussycat Dolls - Buttons


A perfect example of exotic dance with its chair/lap dancing and bits of crawling on the floor. Reminded me of the dance class :p

Addictive feat. Rakim - Truth Hurts


Another bellydance favorite song for performing.

Sting feat Cheb Mami - Desert Rose


Fantastic bellydance song too :)

Friday, April 06, 2007

Surabaya Lucky Plaza


Ayam penyet from Surabaya at Lucky Plaza

I am in love with ayam penyet. So I always ordered it in various Indonesian eateries. The ayam penyet at Surabaya is not too bad, very spicy chili sauce. But I still prefer the one at Ayam Penyet Ria. The chicken there is crispy and could literally melt in your mouth. Plus it comes with rice, and kang kong too. It looks plain for Surabaya, and you need to order a plate of rice.

51 Wanton Egg Noodles @ Kovan

I have mentioned this special noodles many times to my friends. I just simply adore it though I rarely had the chance to eat it. The stall at the hawker center (top level where macdonalds is) near Heartland Mall (Kovan MRT) is immensely popular.

My mom used to buy the shredded chicken mushrooms noodles for me when I was younger, still in school (I think). That was my first introduction to this dish. And I fell in love with it. It was extremely spicy, yet the sauce for the noodle is a bit on the sweet side. Sweet and spicy = delicious! Despite loving the dish, I never know which stall it is from until a few years back when I chanced upon it. All I know was that it is at the interchange, but every time I was at the interchange, I don't see it at all. I am not sure if the signboard then was in Mandarin. The current signboard is pretty spiffy, with pictures for all dishes and in both English and Mandarin.


So when I found the stall, I was tempted to try the special noodles - egg noodles (which has the QQ bite) with shredded chicken, char siew, wantons, veggies, mushrooms and shrimps. It has everything! I tried that and I love it. Now I always buy that dish instead of the humble wanton mee or shredded chicken mushroom noodles.


The wantons are tiny but the skin is extremely soft and the filling of minced pork and bits of shrimps is tasty. I ordered the wanton soup too and the broth is flavorful though I suspect MSG is added. It is a generous portion with about 10-12 wantons in there? I stopped counting after my 6th wantons :p And the soup is only $2.50. Good enough to be a meal on its own.

Oh and the stall is so popular there is always a queue and it will close after lunch time everyday. Maybe that was why I never see it previously cos it was always after 2pm when I get to the interchange then.

Location:
#01-51 - Hawker Center nearer the old Hougang South interchange
Macdonald's stretch
Close on Wednesday and Thursday

Chocolate Factory

It was a fairly lazy Saturday last week. Met Celest for the Conversation Party Private Sale which was held at Gallery Hotel. After spending a couple of hours (and dollars? ;p) in there, browsing through racks of clothes from the States or elsewhere. I bought 2 dresses and a top - 1 dress is a gorgeous confection of black lace over turquoise (matched my clutch from Quintessentials!) with asymetrical end. The other dress is a fuchsia number with criss-cross halter. The top is a white babydoll, perfect for my trip to Phuket.

There are lots of developments in the area. So many shops and eateries have sprung up in the quay area. We were ambling along the area, looking for a place for some light food as it was close to 3pm by then and none of us had any bites since breakfast.

Finally chanced upon The Chocolate Factory, think it it in the Robertson Quay area. And naturally we had to try it. The place served nothing but chocolate and some tea/coffee.

No sandwiches at all. Just chococlate cakes, pastries and souffles and the fine chocolates.


We shared 2 items - Chocolate Truffle cake and Desire (or it could be some other name).

Chocolate truffle has 4 layers of sponge cakes with chocolate filling, before being glazed with dark chocolate and sprinkled with white chocolate shavings and a raspberry. The drizzle of raspberry sauce on the place complemented the dark chocolate perfectly.

Desire is like rocher. Hazelnut praline with wafer and milk chocolate. Love the nutty combination with the sweet chocolate.

I had the blackforest chocolate drink which was not too bad. Somehow I prefer Spinelli's chocolate drink as the taste of cocoa is more obvious at Spinelli's.

I would have to go back to try the chocolates - hmmm, buy a box of dark chocolate. Yum!

Location:
The Pier on Robertson Quay
80 Mohamed Sultan Road
#01-11
Singapore 239013
Telephone: 62359007
http://www.thechocolatefactoryonline.com

Wednesday, April 04, 2007

I've Been Tagged - Weirdometer

Ok I've been tagged by Celest on the Weirdometer thing that has probably been making its round in blogspot or maybe the entire blogosphere.

So since I have been tagged a few days ago, I have been racking my brains on my weirdness. Errr....I don't have any? Hahaha. It is just so hard....things I think is normal may not necessary be normal to others.

Anyway, here is my list of 6 "weirdness" though I still think they are normal ;p

1. Early Riser
I will always wake up even before my alarm goes off. My alarm is set for 7:45am now, but I will wake up once at around 645am, then 715am, 740am and then waiting for alarm to ring at 745am. I hit the button, but no, I still don't get out of bed. I will still laze in bed, trying to snooze more. It will be around 8am when I finally get up and shower, getting ready for work. Good thing I can be ready within 20-30mins usually. I can do my makeup in 5mins now :p (but no liner/mascara) And I also wake up early on weekends. I rarely sleep past 9am.

2. NHL
I love watching NHL. But I usually watch it and multi-task with reading my book too. So how do I do both? I keep one eye on the telly and listen, while I read. When there is excitement in the sportscaster's voice, I will pay more attention to the screen. Replays are wonderful. I get to see the goal/fight as I usually miss it the first round.

3. Cheese Waffles Sandwich
My friend taught me this. Toast the frozen waffles (I like cinnamon flavor) and when they are still warm, place a slice of cheddar cheese between them to make a cheese waffles sandwich. Somehow the savory cheese and sweet cinnamon waffles make a nice marriage. Simple and easy breakfast or snack to make.

4. Holiday
I discovered I like doing nothing on my vacation. I am going to Phuket and staying at the usual hotel I always stayed at. I will be just lazing by the pool during the day or going to the local Starbucks to people watch, read and have coffee, and then watch dvds in the room at night. Some may think it is weird to travel out to do nothing, but I think when one is so busy at work, it is nice to do nothing during vacation. To just chill and not think at all.

5. Finicky
I live in a controlled chaos environment. It is messy but it is controlled. I know where my things are. I do not like it when others try to tidy up my room cos then things are not back in its usual place. So I am a stickler for having a place for things, I believe everything should has its own place. I cannot bear to have used plates, pots and pans in the sink. Thus I always wash the dishes after I cooked, even before I eat the food.

6. In the Public Eyes
This is a real dichotomy. I like attention but I also dislike it. I hate it when all eyes are on me when I perform on stage, yet I also like knowing that I am performing for people to see. My very first "performance" was when I was in Primary one. Did a dance/song thing with 9 other classmates for the year end thing. Subsequently performances were for giving talks, speeches, MC-ing, singing, dancing, even acting! Those were for schools, church and the general public. I am no stranger to the limelight, but somehow I don't really thrive on it, to keep chasing it. I much prefer to work behind the scenes. Maybe that is why I am in what I am doing now? I put others in the limelight - pimping them :p

Ok, finally I did it! My 6 weirdness. I am tagging my oldest niece Charmaine.

Tuesday, April 03, 2007

Beyonce feat. Shakira - Beautiful Liar

Another video to share :)



Nice middle-eastern influenced music, and some belly-dance movements. Beautiful, indeed! Always nice to see well-executed movements with proper isolations done. Watch for it at the end. Hip thrusts, a bit of maya, tummy roll etc.

New blogspot

I have resisted changing to the new blogspot but recently I could no longer log into the old version. The new version is frustrating. I don't like the spacing of lines and the way it looks and uploading of pictures.

Either it is my ignorance of tech matters or it is blogspot or even photobucket. I tried to upload a slideshow of the food pictures but somehow the copy and paste method didn't work. The coding is not complete when I did that. But when I pasted into other windows, the entire code appears, just not on blogspot.

Frustrating!

Monday, April 02, 2007

Inagiku Revisited












D came to town and we met up for dinner. Decided on Inagiku as I remembered him being envious when I told him about the good Japanese food in Singapore and Inagiku was excellent on my previous visit.

I ordered the same set again - Sushi Set. And this time I took pictures. The food is about the same as before though they changed some of the items, mainly the seafood.



What we had:
Appetizer - some spinach thing
Sashimi - tuna and swordfish or something
Main - cod with miso paste (still the best!)
Steamed veggies - okra, mushroom, bamboo shoot, carrot, some sweet tofu and potato (?)
Sushi - tuna roll x 3, salmon sushi (huge), prawn, ikura, tuna and cuttlefish (I think) - not my fave
Dessert - fruits (boring)



So I ordered macha ice cream which came with red bean paste.


But what I had previously in early October was much better:


Sushi set:
appetizer of fried salmon and other stuff
sashimi of swordfish (I think) and tuna
cod in miso paste (this is very nice!)
seasonal steamed veggies (didn't like this)
some soup (quite bland after the richness of other food)
assorted sushi (a winner! so many pieces of sushi - salmon roe, ikura, huge prawn, tuna belly x 2, swordfish, salmon roll x 3) - very generous and thick slices and the salmon roe is so sweet, the ikura is very fresh, not chewy at all.
seasonal fruits (japanese pear)