Sunday, February 28, 2010

Beverly Feldman Sandals

With the blisters on my feet after wearing the Guess pumps, I needed something comfortable. This pair of sandals from Beverly Feldman caught my attention and the heels (triangle shaped) were cute and manageable. Apparently it is 2.5" high but I thought it is much lower. Maybe we are just so used to super high heels that anything lower is considered low heels.

Reading up on the sandals, I discovered it is actually called "Vancouver" and is made of nappa leather. That is probably why it is so soft and comfortable. I love nappa (lambskin) leather, especially those made for BV bags.

Saturday, February 27, 2010

Plum Pumps from Guess

I guess it has to happen some time. After raving about Guess sandals being so comfortable and not giving me any blisters or problems at all, it finally struck.

I bought this pair of pretty pumps in plum. I fell in love with the color and the height of the shoes. Despite being 2" or so, it did not feel very high at all and was pretty soft and comfy when I tried it on. I felt I could even run in them.

After walking 15 minutes or so in it, my feet were screaming for relief. I had blisters on both feet at each side of the foot. Little toe and big toe got the brunt of the blisters. This was probably the case of feet not fitting into the shape of the shoes.

The shoes have a pointy tip and my feet are not the slimmest of all. So by trying to fit into the shoes, the feet are being squeezed and pinched at the side. Walking probably caused the friction and the eventual blisters.

I still love the shoes so hopefully they will get softer and wider over time.

Friday, February 26, 2010

Breakfast at Spruce

I was back at Spruce for breakfast over the weekend and it was already crowded at 11am, with many tables being reserved.

One thing I don't really fancy about Spruce is the service/attitude of the staff. They are just not very friendly at all. The food is decent, view is the norm (green grass and trees are about the same everywhere to me), price is quite typical of other such places, location is not that convenient. The washroom is pretty run down now, with dead or withered flowers still in the vase inside the bathroom cubicle and broken locks still attached.

I ordered the Spruce Brekkie and half the time, I was wishing I was at Hediard having the XL Breakfast. It did not come with butter or jam at all. I had to request for them. The sausage was good. The bacon was ok, then again I preferred a crispy bacon. The toast was actually buttered so that probably explained why they did not bring out the butter. I asked for over-easy eggs and they were done not too shabby.

I went to Spruce again because another friend has not been there and thought it would be good for her to try. I doubt I will be back again in a hurry. One thing I don't like is the fact that they do not provide bag stand/chair. If they are trying to compete for market share, they should think of how they can make it a better dining experience for their customers.

Do remember to make reservations as it is always packed on weekends. I have seen how the "door bitch" spoke to other customers who went without reservations. It was not very nice at all. Even with reservations, she still looked at you like you lied about having a reservation. Seriously, the mood is already spoiled when you encountered such service staff who made you feel like a pariah instead of a welcomed guest.

Sunday, February 21, 2010

New Sandals for CNY

New sandals for the Tiger Year. I have always liked this pair of sandals from Guess when I saw them last year or so. Somehow when I tried them then, it did not seem to fit well or feel strange on my feet.

I guess I was not used to wearing something that seemed flimsy with just the heart-shaped diamante and thin straps holding it together. But when I saw them again, I decided to give it another try. This time, I discovered there was actually a tiny elastic at the back of the strap which helped to secure the sandals and also made it easy to slip in and out. Plus it is coral, perfect to welcome in the new year.

I have been wearing this and have absolutely no regrets at all. I love the sandals. Actually I do love all the flat or 1" open-toed sandals I bought from Guess so far. They have not given me any blisters or pain at all.

Flying Chilies, 313@Somerset

I happened to be at 313@Somerset shortly after it opened and the place was packed on a weekday evening. Exploring on my own, I chanced upon Flying Chilies on Level 1 (across from Marche) and decided to have dinner there.

Once inside, I realized it is under the same management as Thai Accent over at VivoCity. The menu is similar with familiar dishes. So I ordered what I liked when at Thai Accent ~ Basil Chicken Rice and Tom Yam Soup.

The soup was deceptively clear as it packed a punch. Tangy and fiery spicy, it was the thing to perk up a person. It was filled with prawns and mushrooms.
Some days I just love to have an over-easy egg where the yolk is still slightly runny so that it will burst in the mouth and coat the tongue with the yolky gooey-ness. The basil chicken rice dish was not that fantastic as there was just too much garlic.
The huge chopped pieces of the garlic which I managed to pick out and leave to the side after I realized I was chomping more on the garlic than the chicken. I just don't recall there being so much big pieces of garlic for this dish at all.

The best basil chicken I ever had was still the one from a side street eatery in Bangkok. That was simply delish and lipsmacking good.

Saturday, February 20, 2010

Hard Rock Cafe ~ Twisted Mac & Cheese

This has to be the saddest dish I ever had at Hard Rock Cafe. Maybe it was under the Set Lunch Menu, but still.....where is the chicken? I had been craving for a creamy pasta dish and it so happened that the Twisted Mac & Cheese with chicken was on the set lunch menu and I ordered that.

It was quite a mistake as it just left a very unsatisfied taste. What a difference one month made. The previous visit, the set lunch was pretty good. The service was great, with the servers coming over constantly to top up the drinks and the dessert was a cup of Haagen Dazs strawberry ice cream.

A month later, the food was pathetic and the service was non-existent and dessert was something so unpalatable that I left it after one bite. I had no idea what it was except it tasted like styrofoam. Very strange.

I hope it is a one-off thing as I still like HRC for its Cobb Salad.

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Le Tanglin Boulangerie Cafe, Tanglin Mall

I decided to try the lunch set at the Le Tanglin Boulangerie Cafe (what a name!) over at Tanglin Mall last month. It has been years since I last had a meal there. It was quite a mistake as this was not very good at all.

The pumpkin soup did not really taste of pumpkin at all and was a bit watery. The duck wrap was barely palatable and the salad was average. Maybe I should have just stick with ordering the ham and cheese toasties which was what I remembered liking previously.

On another visit, I ordered the baked potato with cheese and broccoli. That was a disaster as well. Maybe to be fair, I was expecting the baked potato to be done like it was served at the Wendy's in Canada. Huge baked potato in its jacket topped with really creamy processed cheesey cheese (like those cheese dip with nachos you get in the cinemas or similar to the mac & cheese from Kenny Rogers) and bits of broccoli. I felt so "cheated" when I saw a slice of barely melted cheddar cheese on the potato with broccoli and sour cream and bacon bits. What a disappointment.

Sigh...it is just so hard to find really nice baked potatoes served with all the works. Sinful but oh so delicious. Butter, sour cream, chives and bacon bits. Yummy.

On the other hand, the sugar donuts from the bakery side are really nice if you are hankering for the old school traditional donut (i.e. not those light as air glazed donuts from Donut Factory).

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Grandma's @ Orchard Parade Hotel

I read some pretty good reviews about the assam laksa at Grandma's and ordered it. The soup was sourish and it was not too bad. I just wished there were more ingredients as after the fish was gone, it just seemed to be noodles and onions. The prawn paste was served on the side which was a nice touch as not many people do like the prawn paste. Personally I still prefer the assam laksa from Chili Padi at Tangs Basement. That was so much more spicy and sour and flavorful.

Feeling unsatisfied, I decided to order the bubor cha cha. I am not usually a big fan of it but somehow decided to try it. It was quite good. Sweet, lemak with sago seeds and bits of sweet potatoes and yam cubes. The portion was tiny though but it was just enough not to get too sick of it.

Monday, February 15, 2010

Birthday Wishlist

Ok, this is super late as I just do not know what I want or to wish for.

I guess the standard would be a trip to the Maldives Banyan Tree. Hahahahahaha. I am still waiting for that one to materialize.

Birthday Wishlist for 2010
1. A week stay at Banyan Tree or W Resort or Cocoa Island, Maldives
2. Bottega Veneta cervo hobo in ebano
3. Dior Rendez-Vous Medium Flap in champagne gold lambskin
4. Anna Sui Secret Wish fragrance
5. L'Occitane Wild Cherry Tree home perfume diffuser
6. L'Occitane Wild Cherry Tree candle
7. 6-slot credit card case from Tod's (but none available this season, so possibly YSL Y-Mail in patent black which is only 4-slot)
8. Zip-around wallet from Marc by Marc Jacobs (12 cc slot, still waiting for a new design)
9. A long weekend stay at Capella, Sentosa
10. Gucci Envy Me fragrance

Now...I just need to go buy a lottery ticket and hope it will hit the jackpot to get all these stuff. Hahahahahaha.

But ultimately, I will be just happy to have good food, good conversation, good friends and company.

Day 2 of Chinese New Year

Happy Chinese New Year. Another 14 days of celebration to go before it ends. What will you be doing?

While I may not really be visiting much, there sure are lots of dinners being planned.

Day 1 - Dinner at cousin's place (hosted by aunt)

Day 2 - Lunch at Peach Garden (hosted by cousin)
Dinner at Godma's sister's place

Day 3 - Lunch at JK's place

Day 7 - Dinner at Seafood International (hosted by uncle)

Day 14 - Dinner at cousin's place (canceled) ETA: it's on again.

Day 15 - Dinner at home for all relatives (hosted by us)

And in between the dinners are the celebrations for my birthday with various friends. It is going to be a busy 2 weeks until March.

Sunday, February 14, 2010

1st Birthday Pressie in 2010

My very first birthday present of the year though it was actually bought last year. Bathrobe from La Senza in cupcakes print. So sweet and cute.

The bathrobe is so soft and fluffy like fleece that I just want to stay in it for hours, especially when the a/c is on. My very first bathrobe was also from La Senza many years ago in Canada. That was a plain terry cloth white with blue/white trimming around the edges and came with a hood too.

Thank you SC for the present :)


Sunday, February 07, 2010

Chili's Bar and Grill, Tanglin Mall

This was my first visit to Chili's last year when it finally opened in Singapore again. I missed its first presence in Singapore as I was either not living in Singapore then or just never stepped into it. The place was bustling with people and was just full of life, pretty much like its decor. Nothing streamlined or cold or clinical about it at all. No quiet ambience where you can hear a pin drop. This is a casual, loud joint where families and groups of friends can have a good and hearty meal.
We were starving and ordered the Bottomless Tostada Chips. This was huge and we just could not finish it at all. It came warm and crispy with the tangy house-made salsa. Pretty good, but skip it unless you are in a big group.

M ordered the vegetarian burger which was really big. It came with a side of fries which were the usual. He said it was good and very filling.

Another dish ordered was the margarita grilled chicken. The chicken breast was very tender and subtly flavored with the margarita sauce. I loved the rice and black beans with pico de gallo. An option to have if you want to feel you are eating healthily.

I ordered the country fried chicken as I just could not resist the corn on cob and mashed potatoes. The last time I had a country fried chicken was at the IHOP in Canada.
The battered chicken breast was a bit too salty for me though I loved the humongous mashed potatoes. I did not expect the corn on cob to be an entire corn too. That was a very sweet surprise and should be the way, not the miserable 1/3 corn cob you usually get at other places. Even if I could not finish the food on the plate, just the way it was served (the way it should be) made me happy enough to want to keep going back.

We shared the chocolate brownie sundae which was not too bad. Good thing we shared.

Another factor I liked about Chili's is the bottomless beverages where you can get free refills of tea, coffee, sodas and flavored teas.

Lesson learnt from this is to share the mains with friends as the portions are the typical American size or you can always doggy-bag the leftovers. I am not sure if it is done at Singapore Chili's, but in Canada/USA, it is very common to "ta pao" the food which you cannot finish. Waste not, want not :)

Saturday, February 06, 2010

Steeples Deli, Tanglin Shopping Centre

Steeples Deli, tucked away in a corner on Level 2 of Tanglin Shopping Centre, has been around for years. Its unassuming decor with the faux bricks and menu chalkboards and a long counter was reminiscent of a sandwich place in North America.

It is a place you go and order a sandwich to go or eat in its premises. However, speed is not a priority at Steeples, so this is not a place to grab a quick bite. Avoid this place if you are in a hurry as you can wait for 20-30mins (during peak period) or 10-15 mins (during non-peak) for your order.

They serve sandwiches, burgers, fish and chips, milkshakes, cakes and other beverages.

I wanted the pastrami sandwich but it was already sold out when I got there around 1.30pm (it was also sold out the 2nd time I was there at 2pm), so I settled for a roast beef on rye sandwich. It was really a very average sandwich with fresh veggies and cold coleslaw on the side. I felt it was the typical sandwiches you had back in the 80s or so when the other current sandwich places such as Toast and Cedele were not yet in existence.

Another rave I heard from others was the milkshake. I ordered the chocolate milkshake and it was of the thick shake variety. At $5.90, it came in a huge tall glass like those of the 80s. Very old-school and charming. They were generous with the scoops of ice cream to make the shake and was pretty decent. I do love the way the cakes were displayed behind the glass counter.

It is a nice place to pop into for a spot of lunch when you are tired of the cookie-cutter cafes serving similar things in almost identical settings. This seemed to be a small family run place with a small and homely feel to it.

Just be warned that peak lunch period is very crowded and ventilation is not its strong suit. I had to go outside and wait when they were preparing my burger (on my 2nd visit) as the grease and smoke just got to me.

Friday, February 05, 2010

XL Breakfast Set at Hediard's

I do like to go to Hediard's when I feel like having a leisurely simple breakfast. Being French, it is continental style with bread, rolls or danishes with hot chocolate, tea or coffee. It is nothing like the big breakfast we are used to, either the American style or the British fry-up with its bacon and sausages and scrambled eggs and baked beans.

Instead I get 2 slices of toast with butter, as well as honey and jam served in individual mini pots. You can also bring back the jam and honey if you do not finish them. Then you get a choice of pastry (pain au chocolat for me) and beverage (I chose hot chocolate) which came with a madeleine. You can add the smoked salmon if you get the other breakfast set. Personally I think it is a bit too much of smoked salmon so it would be good to just share it with someone else.

The requisite egg came in the form of a soft-boiled egg sitting in its own egg cup. There is something quite quaint about it. Maybe because it is hardly seen or served now.

Ahhhh.....there is something to be said about having a simple and delicious satisfying meal.

Tuesday, February 02, 2010

His Work In Action ~ Prayers Worked

I believe in God and His wondrous, amazing grace and works. I may not always talk about it but I do believe. Be it right or wrong, I just do not think I need to tell everyone about what He is doing in my life.

But something happened today in the office and it was just too astounding not to share. Or maybe He has been prompting me to share but I have been brushing it aside until now.

We were searching for a patient's card this morning but just could not find it. I already tried to look for it in the room and in the various cabinets yesterday but to no avail. My colleague also tried to look for it when she came to work but she could not find it either. And she could always make cards appear as she just knew where to look.

The patient's last name starts with "M", so she had already searched through the drawer containing that but came up with nothing. Then I looked through "D" to "H", hoping it was in there. Sometimes the card would get stuck with another card and would end up in a different location.

It was not there either. So I decided to just sort through the other cards which were waiting to be filed. Then I started to file the other cards. The first card to file was to go under "A". And the miraculous thing happened.

The first card I saw when I randomly select a card to check the spelling was the CARD we were searching for the entire morning! What are the odds? There were thousands of cards in the office and even in that drawer of "A" to "H", there were hundreds of cards. For the very first one to be that card was too much to be just a coincidence. It was through His grace that I was able to locate it. Already something was prompting me to look through the drawer of "A" to "H", instead of going through the other drawer where "M" was located. But I only looked through "D" section first instead of "A".

To me, that was a clear sign of His work. It also showed that with faith, all things are possible. You can really just cast all your worries and cares and concerns unto Him, and He will carry you through any difficult period. He has always been there for me, with me and sometimes being human, I do forget or may not spend as much time as I should be with Him.

Other incidences where His works were shown:

1. Again, it was card related. My colleague (also a believer) happened to find another patient's card "R" stuck in the "Q" section. The "Q" patient called to make an appointment and so when she went to retrieve the card, she saw the "R" card just behind it. It was really a thankful thing as the "R" patient was known to be difficult and it would be terrible if we could not locate it when he called to make an appointment.

2. The appointments were all jumbled up for one practitioner. There was a mix-up in the appointment time as there were 2 patients with the same first name and similar last names, and one of them called to change the time and even confirmed the identify when I verified the last name. It was more or less resolved the day before the appointment date but it was not an ideal situation. So we just prayed and hoped for the best.

The day came and everything went without a hitch. No patient had less time than allocated and none had to wait for long. The 1st patient came early and subsequent patient also came early, so everything went smoothly for the rest of the day.

From an imperfect schedule, it became a very desirable situation. Everything went like clockwork. Again, to me, it was the work of God.

Apparently my colleague would pray every morning before coming into work for a good day where all cards would be found and everything would be plain sailing. No big hoo-ha or unhappy patients.

All I can say is "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" ~ Philippians 4:13

That has always been the verse I keep with me at all times since I was young, and it is a verse which has always given me hope and faith and strength to carry on in the face of adversity.