Melt The World Cafe - Oriental Hotel

Pictures say a thousand words.








































































The food is very fresh and while the variety is not as wide as The Line at Shangri-La Hotel, it is very manageable. There are local Chinese (which I didn't get to try), Indian, Italian, Western, Japanese, Thai food plus appetizers (no fresh seafood i.e. oysters, chilled prawns, mussels etc), salad and cheese board. The dessert is yummy with selection of cakes, waffles, brownies, mini portions of sweets, fresh fruits and the chocolate fountains (milk and dark chocolate).

One thing I must rave about is the FANTASTIC SERVICE. From the moment I stepped into Oriental Hotel till I left, the service was wonderful. The doorman actually walked us to the bank of elevators when I asked how do I get to Melt (Oriental has renovated, so there were some changes), I was impressed with that as that is more of a Ritz-Carlton service where the staff has to walk guests to the destinations, and not just wave and point in a general direction.

At Melt, the Maitre D offered to introduce the types of food available and showed us around the various stations. The rest of the staff was equally attentive and helpful. Water was topped up and plates cleared without us having to prompt, and food recommendations were made when asked or if the saw us contemplating what to get. They were very proactive. When they saw my mom and her friend starting on their desserts, the staff asked them if they will like coffee or tea. Apparently the coffee/tea can be free flow as a waiter asked me if I would like more (my coffee was half finished and I was reading the papers while my mom and her friend yakked away). Initially I said no, but then he named the various types of tea available. He recommended the moroccan mint tea, which was really nice. A bit sweet but refreshing. It came served in a small cup with a leaf of mint floating on it.

The clincher was when we walked out of Oriental, the doorman remembered me and asked if I enjoyed my lunch. Now that is service.

Location:
Melt The World Cafe
Level 4, Oriental Hotel

Candy Empire

Candy Empire is every kid's dream come true. It is filled with all kinds of candies and sweets - sugar overload. Besides chocolates, sweets and cookies, it also has chips in all flavors. What makes Candy Empire different from the stuff sold in supermarkets is that it imports items from Europe and Australia, the "rare" or "hard to find" stuff where one would need to fly to that country to buy.

The most eyecatching item in the store is the huge candy dispenser (well, I call it that though there are probably a proper name for it) where you can choose the goodies you want.

Location:
Millenia Walk, Level 1 (opp Outback Steakhouse)
Terminal 1, Changi Airport

www.candyempire.com.sg

Joaquim Restaurant - Suntec City

Porridge buffet at Suntec City Convention Center

*Disclaimer* - The 3 of us didn't finish any of the dishes that we took nor did we have 2nd helping of the porridge/congee.

Decided to try the porridge buffet at Suntec City as it always seemed to be busy, and busy is good as it means the food is not too bad. Plus, it is cheap at only $12.80 nett for the weekend buffet (weekday lunch is $9.90) though beverage is not included at all.

This is the 2nd time I have been to a porridge buffet and it certainly has a wider spread than the one I went to somewhere in Killiney Road. There was a row of food stations, with the different type of dishes available. Cantonese, Hokkien, Teochew, Hainanese - I didn't even know there are so many variations of congee. There is even a meat station for the roasted duck and chicken and steamed fish. There is also a dessert station too (but I was a good girl, I didn't have any sweets at all yesterday :p)

I took the Cantonese styled congee where the rice is cooked over a long period of time to get the gooey texture. I love this version rather than the others where the rice grains are not as soft or mashed up. I added a bit of century egg bits to it, plus the spring onions, fried shallots and pepper. Very good. For the dishes, I mostly had tau pok, tau kwa, seafood tofu (I like beancurd/tofu), the preserved veggies, ikan bilis (anchovies), peanuts, some vegs and 1 piece of the chicken.

The quality of the food is average, but the spread is huge. Not too bad a place to go to when you want something light for a buffet.

Prima Taste - Local Food

Local food, I love the huge variety of food we have in Singapore. For all the fine dining and international cuisines available here, I still like local food. Nowhere else in Asia (except for Malaysia) can you get authentic good old stuff like Hokkien Mee, Prawn Mee Soup, Laksa, Char Kway Teow, Fishball Noodles, Mee Pok Tah, Oyster Omelette, Fried Carrot Cake, Chwee Kueh, Fish Meat Bee Hoon Soup, Yong Tau Foo, Rojak, Beefball Kway Teow (Dry) and of course the all-time National favorite - Chicken Rice.

I find I am partial to the noodles and soup dishes. I think I am underprivileged in eating out when young (maybe that is why I am eating out almost everyday now? - sign of rebellion?), so I only know a few dishes then - Wanton Mee, Chok (pork porridge/congee) and roti prata. These were the breakfast dishes I had when growing up (and only on weekends at my aunt's place). Occasionally my mom will buy yong tau foo or the peanut pancake or chwee kueh or chee cheong fun for breakfast on weekend. Yes, I only get to eat hawker food on weekends when mom goes marketing.

Come secondary school, I still only get to have hawker food twice a week. My grandma used to go to the market on Tuesday and she will buy wanton mee for me. So after 2 years of wanton mee, I am off wanton mee. I got so sick of it, and that is the one dish you will never ever see me order (unless there was no choice). I always love prawn noodles soup, actually I like it because of the soup only. Other childhood favorites were fried carrot cake and mee pok tah and chicken mushroom noodle (but only the stall at my interchange, other places do not come close to it at all - and I finally found the place after more than 10 yrs. Haha.)

It was quite embarassing actually when I started working, cos I can't read much Chinese so sometimes I don't know what dishes the stalls have. I never know of a zi char stall before and the fish soup stall until then. But slowly I begin to discover Singapore has lots more food than the usual I always have. Maybe that explained why I am so into food now. Hehe.

Well, back to the topic, I was out with Davis and decided to have dinner at Prima Taste. Prima Taste offers a decent selection local food and I remembered it as not too bad though I only ate there a couple of times a few years back.

Their specialities seemed to be laksa and chicken rice. I saw many tables tucking into that. However, I wanted something soupy so I had the bak kut teh (just for the soup as I don't really eat pork now due to the smell/taste) with you tiao (fried dough stick) and chicken wings while Davis had her usual fave - fried hokkien mee.

The food is good, esp the fried hokkien mee. I had a taste of it. It has a bit of the wok hei taste, plus the broth used to cook in it was very flavorful that it seeped into the noodles. It is not too wet, though gooey sticky. Utterly delicious, I have to order that next time.

The bak kut teh is also nice, not too peppery, just a tad. Definitely not the herbal type. Actually since I rarely have BKT, I don't really know what constitites as a great one. Nevertheless, I like it though you can probably find better one elsewhere. The you tiao is crispy and goes well with the soup. I tried the pork ribs and though it did have the porky taste, it was tender and fell off the bones. The chicken wings are not bad, you can't really mess up chicken wings. Hehe.

Location:
Prima Taste
Centrepoint Shopping Center, Level 2

Roses and their uses

Well, it has been close to 2 weeks since I received the chest of roses. I didn't transfer them to a vase after 3 days as planned after I found out the stalks were too short and my vases are too big. Drying them also seemed weird, plus I never know what to do with dried roses. They just take up space, my precious space ;p

So I thought I shall enjoy them instead. Instead of a flower bath, I had a rose petals footbath. I used 3 roses for that. A few days later (1 week after receiving the flowers), as more roses are dying, I decided to have a "bed of roses" though it was more like a bed of rose petals. Hehe. I still could not bear to use the entire 7 roses, so I only scattered the petals from 4 roses.

No, I didn't sleep on them. Hehe. I placed the petals in a glass dish for candle and they are drying naturally now.

Now I have 3 roses left in the chest. They are no longer a pretty sight, but I still love them. Some of the petals are dried, the rest are damp and they are still giving out the lovely fresh cut rosey scent. Amazing!

Maybe I will put the dried up petals into a sachet and use it as a drawer scent. Or does anyone else has any idea on what to do with the roses?

St. Gregory Spa - Novena Square

I mentioned before that I usually go to a spa on my birthday for a massage treatment. I kinda broke tradition this year. I still went to a spa, but surprise surprise, I didn't get a massage. No sirree. I just went there to chill by the rooftop pool. Plus I already had a massage the previous day at Elements.

That was the 1st time I used the facilities at St. Gregory Therapeutic Spa. I usually go to the one at Plaza Hotel along Beach Road. There are different themes to the St. Gregory Spa at the various outlets. At Plaza Hotel, it is St. Gregory Javanese Spa, so the treatments are geared towards the Balinese/Indonesian treatments like mandi lulur, hair creme spa, boreh scrub etc.

At St. Gregory Therapeutic Spa, I find it has more Tui Na and Cupping massages, plus the signature Japanese hot tub. The place is huge, it is like a maze with the numerous doors and walkways. I was led to the ladies changing room. In that area, there were the shower area, restroom area, sauna, steambath, and mini changing cubicles before it led out to the rooftop swimming pool.

Swimming pool

I love the view from the swimming pool. One can see the skyscrapers and the sky too. The pool itself is quite shallow at only 1.2m deep. There is a jacuzzi at a side too (too bad I couldn't find the button to turn it on :( ). At one end of the pool, there is lounger of sort to lie in the water and relax. Pretty cool. Besides the sun loungers, there are 2 mini hammocks to sit and rest your feet and the sway where the breeze takes you.

Mini hammocks

I spent about 3 hours there, mostly lazing on the mini hammock and reading my book. Took a dip in the freezing cold water, rested a bit on the lounger in the water before tanning myself on the sun lounger. Went back to the ladies locker room and nipped into the oxygen lounge (yes, you read it right. Oxygen lounge). The oxygen lounge has oxygen pumped into the room with a machine. Oxygen is said to be good for the skin, make it fairer and purer, etc. There are magazines provided to browse through, and tea/coffee/water and crackers are also provided.

Oxygen Lounge

Everything is provided at the spa; cleanser, toner, moisturizer and body lotion are available in the dressing area. I like that there is even a dryer to spin the moisture from the swimwear. I would love to go back there again :)

Another outdoor ad - IShop

I am fascinated with the black apples dotting the top of the bus shelter just outside Heeren. Somehow it always reminded me of Snow White and the poisoned apple she ate (yes, I know it was red in the book/Disney's movie but I think black is more apt). See the glossy shine and the perfect shape of the apple.

That is the outdoor ad for IShop - opened by the Club 21 group, I believe.

Royal Copenhagen Tea Lounge

Royal Copenhagen Tea Lounge on the 2nd level of Takashimaya is apparently a haven for rich tai-tais to have a cuppa and rest their weary feet after a morning or afternoon of shopping. I rarely go there for tea or dessert as I much prefer Toast, but when there is nowhere else to go, it will do in a pinch.

Celest and I got there around 815pm, with 45mins to go before they are closed. We were tired from walking around after watching Brokeback Mountain. We were not hungry as we had a late lunch, so we just ordered Uva tea and shared a slice of green tea cake.

It is a quiet place, with the gentle chinking of cutlery against the royal copenhagen plates and cups. The whole premise is set around the use of the Royal Copenhagen crockery, to use the delicate floral patterned fine china for tea or meals. When we were there, they changed the crockery to the year series, instead of the usual (due to too many breakage).

Straits Kitchen - Grand Hyatt Hotel

I like Straits Kitchen - Grand Hyatt's newest restaurant. It serves a variety of local food in a buffet though ala carte is available too. I went there with Irene for lunch. I think it is $36+++ for the lunch buffet. Thank goodness for UOB Platinum 1 for 1 at Hyatt. Hehe.

There are many stations featuring indonesian/malay nasi padang, chinese food, indian food, noodles/rice, local desserts and fruits.

We tried so much food. I always like the Indian food section with its naan, prata and murtabak plus countless side dishes of curries. I like the puree spinach dish and the prawns curry. The Tandoori chicken is surprisingly tender.

Indian food

We also tried the bbq stingray, oyster omelette (very good - oysters are fresh), otak, satays (bit tough - a disappointment), soya chicken and roasted duck (I didn't try that), fried rice (has the wok hei taste, delicious), steamed seabass or cod and popiah...I finally had the prawn mee soup but without the noodles. The prawns were huge and sweet.

Popiah

For dessert, I had a small scoop of black sesame ice cream with a wafer. That was good. I didn't try the local desserts like cheng tng, pulot hitam, pineapple tarts, kueh lapis, cookies, or nee (yam paste), goreng pisang (fried bananas), etc. I like fruit juice bar with the free flow of fresh juices. The selection of fruits is not wide though - dragonfruit, guava, watermelon, papaya and melons.

I like the wood pillar and the decor of the place. It has lots of dark polished wood with glass all around.

Island Creamery

I heard about Island Creamery through CC. It is at Serene Centre along Bukit Timah Road, facing the junction. Island Creamery is fascinating because of the local flavors available. Pulot Hitam ice cream, anyone?

I couldn't resist the myriad of flavors available and ordered a 2 scoops icecream - Teh Tarik and ReversO (dark chocolate with oreo bits). The teh tarik really tastes like teh tarik, except it is not as sweet as the drink itself. The ReversO is so good. The bittersweet dark chocolate with the crunchy oreo bits is so heavenly.

Teh Tarik and ReversO

I also tried the kahlua latte, very nice. Davis ordered the Horlicks ice cream and it just tastes like Horlicks. Hehe. Livia said the chendol is fantastic too. I heard there is a Tiger icecream (I assume that is Tiger Beer ice cream). There is also peanut butter icecream and lots more.

It is pretty much a no-frills place; small on presentation but big on taste. There are also complimentary pockey sticks and milo or horlicks powder to sprinkle on the ice cream. There are other desserts like baked alaska, brownies, mudpies, etc.

Mad Jack

Mad Jack - an aussie restaurant along Bukit Timah Road, just after Serene Centre. The signboard is eye-catching, with its pictures and bright colors. It certainly caught my attention when I alighted from the bus.

The images of fish and chips, burgers and steaks are tantalizing. There are not that many places which serve good fish and chips at a "cheap" price. We decided to give the place a try. To assauge the guilt of having a deep fried fish and chips, I ordered a juice for weightloss (try to argue with a woman's logic ;p ). The drink was tasteless though it was made of tomato, cucumber and carrot juices.

The fish and chips were fabulous. The fish was pretty fresh and the batter was crunchy though I felt it was a bit too thick. The veggies had canned peaches on it, which was not what I was used to, but it gave a sweetness to the raw vegs. Now, the fries were the highlight. They were warm and crispy and tasty with the spices sprinkled on them. I would go back just for the fries.

A friend ordered the lamb chop in brown sauce. The lamb was tender and the sauce went well with it. The mash potatoes were run of the mill and the gravy was just a tad too salty with it.

Contact:
6 Duke's Road
(S)268886
Tel: 6289 1506

Yhingthai Palace

I decided on Yhingthai Palace restaurant for my birthday celebration this year. After an experience of having a set menu on my birthday, I promised myself I would never ever do that again. It was bad, bad, bad.

The restaurant could not cope with a full house and there were 2 sittings. Food were served late and people were left hungry. I felt like I was being in a cattle production line or something. There is no romance at all.

Anyway, after that experience, I always try to go to restaurants which have their regular menus and do not try to cash in on Valentine's Day by changing to a set menu for that one day.

So it was Yhingthai Palace for my girlfriends and I. So touched to know that they are willing to forsake their SOs to celebrate with me instead. Thank you girls :) Love you all.


It has been several years since I last went to Yhingthai for Thai food, but I always remembered the good quality food served there. The olive rice and deep fried pomfret with mango sauce are to die for.

So we ordered mango salad, deep fried pomfret with mango sauce, olive rice, green curry chicken, string beans with shrimps in spicy sauce and seafood tom yam soup. The fish is amazing. Fresh and crispy that one could even eat the bones (well, the side or is it fin?) and the tangy mango sauce goes very well with it. The olive rice is fantastic, no other restaurants came as close to its standard. The string beans are crunchy and tasty with the spicy sauce. The tom yam soup is deceptively clear but packed a punch. The disappointment is the green curry chicken. Somehow I felt it is a bit watery and the taste is not there.

Kisses for the girls

The meal ended with a birthday cake which Livia bought from Bakerzin. It is called Desire and it is so yummilicious. Rich and sweet, with the prettiest chocolate roses I ever seen.


Contact:
Yhingthai Palace Restaurant
#01-04, 36 Purvis Street
Tel: 6337 1161

Busy Busy

It has been a fairly hectic week for me, with all the birthday celebrations and then calls for job interviews. I am exhausted and hence did not stay online for long to really post and blog.

So many places to review. Hehe.
13 Feb - Genki Sushi
14 Feb - St. Gregory's Spa at Novena Square; YhingThai Palace (Thai food)
15 Feb - Carl's Jr; Din Tai Fung
16 Feb - Straits Kitchen at Grand Hyatt
17 Feb - Island Creamery; Mad Jack
18 Feb - Marche; Royal Copenhagen Tea Lounge

Yes, I realized I do eat out very often. I think that is because food is so easily available and it is quite affordable too, when compared to elsewhere. Plus, eating and shopping are the national pastimes :p

Happy Happy!

Happy birthday to me and happy valentine's day to everyone!

Woke up to see my phone filled with smses from my gfs and family, wishing me happy birthday. Thank you, thank you :)

Then while I was deciding if I should still laze in bed or wake up (only 830am), my mom knocked on my door to tell me someone has just delivered flowers for me. Yay! I was so excited that I flew down to see it. Hehe.

I'll Treasure You Always

It was 10 red roses on a bed with other blooms in a treasure box. Very pretty. I brought it up to my room, and that was heavy! Made me wish it was also filled with gold coins and jewelry. Hahahaha. Thank you F :) Love you for making my morning so bright today and for the surprise.

This is the 2nd time someone has sent flowers to me, and both times were from F. The first time I only saw it after I came home as I was out early, and this time round I am actually home to see it :) Feel like I am in 7th heaven now.

1st time round was a hand bouquet of tulips. It was meant to be purple tulips but I guessed the shop ran out of it and hence the red tulips which I also loved.

Another birthday cake - 12 Feb 06

Yesterday was the 15th Day of the Lunar Month and that also meant the last day of the Chinese New Year Celebration. We had dinner at my cousin Ivy's place, and guess what was served?

Yup, Yu Sheng again. That would be the last Yu Sheng of the year until 2007. Dinner was a congenial affair, with everyone talking and laughing and just catching up with one another.

There were over 20 of us, including the kids. Cousin Ivy has outdone herself. There were lots of food. 8 Treasures (too bad I am not such a big fan of that nor do I know how to enjoy it), chicken, pipa duck (still trying to find the English word for that), roasted pork, chinese cabbage soup with fish balls and mushrooms, chap chye (mixed vegetables) and cereal prawns, plus chicken rice and very very nice chili sauce.

I like the pipa duck, think it is the first time I had that. I am not a duck person and always try to shun it, but decided to give it a try this time round. It is very tender and the taste of the pipa (something sweet, similar to plum sauce) probably disguised the meaty taste.

For dessert, there were cheng tng (sweet soup with dried longans and dates) and or nee (yam paste with pumpkins and gingko nuts). I only tried the or nee as that is my fave chinese dessert. It was made the traditional way with lard! I like the pumpkin and yam, but am not a huge fan of the gingko nuts.

For drinks, my niece made me a vodka peach with sprite. Vodka is not my fave choice of poison, but when absolut came out with the vodka peach, I don't mind that. It was light and very good. Maybe that is the alcohol talking? Hehe.

At the end of the meal, they surprised me with a birthday cake. Felt so loved and touched as it was unexpected, plus my birthday was only a couple of days away (Feb 14 for those in the dark). It was a durian cake from Savory Fare, our fave bakery. I love their cakes ever since cousin Irene bought me a chocolate fudge cake from there for my 12th birthday.

That was a very lovely birthday celebration with the family :) I love you all.

Tim Tam Balls

I became a huge fan of Arnott's Tim Tam biscuits after I discovered the thrill of doing a "Tim Tam Slam". This is an utterly sinful pastime.

Basically, a tim tam slam involves a tim tam biscuit and a beverage of your choice. Personally I prefer it with warm milo. You nibble off 2 corners (diagonally) of the tim tam biscuit (dark chocolate for me) and the use the biscuit as a straw. You dip 1 end of the nibbled-off biscuit into the beverage (warm milo - my choice) and then try to suck up the liquid with the other nibbled-off corner. Once you got the liquid into your mouth, you will slam the entire biscuit into your mouth...thus the "Tim Tam Slam" This is fantastic for a chocolate fix. The warm gooey texture and sweetness of the tim tam with milo is sure to put one in heaven.

Caution: This is not a lady-like sports at all. Lol.

I have tried it with cold milk and coffee, but somehow only milo provides the kick. Maybe it is a double whammy of chocolate dosage. Obviously one cannot indulge in this habit all the time :p

I love the Candy Empire at Millenia Walk. It just carries so many varieties of chocolates, candies and cookies from Australia and Europe. Besides the run of the mill Tim Tams, it also has Tia Maria, Caramel, some chocolate fudge thing and other types of Tim Tams. I saw the Tim Tam Balls there, but refrained from buying any on my last visit there last Sunday. I am trying to stay away from sweets, but alas they keep calling my name. It doesn't help that with my birthday coming up and all the CNY dinners, I am still eating sweets :(

A lovely friend dropped by my place on Thursday to give me a box of Tim Tam Balls. She just returned from a trip to Australia, and she knows how much I love chocolates and probably Tim Tams too, hence the gift :) Thank you.

I finally succumb to opening it today and had some. The little balls are tiny and oh so easy to just pop them into the mouth. Nice.

Read the box: Kiss them, crunch them...nibble them...juggle them...suck them...ooh la la.

True Spa

True Spa is a newly opened spa right in the heart of Orchard Road, making it convenient for shoppers, tourists or office workers who want a respite from the busy traffic (human or otherwise) and crowds. It is owned by the people behind True Yoga.

True Spa takes up the entire Level 16 of Ngee Ann City Tower A. Part of it is True 'Est, an aesthetics centre with 3 doctors on site, where one can get treatments like IPL or similar (permanent hair removal, weight-loss, cellulite-loss...).

The place is huge, with seemingly endless corridors and treatment rooms. The lounge area has plenty of chairs and tables scattered all over, with acloves dotting the one side. Fresh fruits and refreshments are served after the treatment, so one can just rest and relax and just absorb the serenity (the burning of essential oils helped too).

The men and women treatment rooms are segregated in different sections. The men treatment rooms are much bigger (not fair! :p) than the women as it contained a shower cubicle and day sofa too. Then again, it is because there is no men locker room, unlike the women section. There are 3 VIP rooms where couples can have their treatments together. The treatment package usually comprise of a body scrub, massage and facial and you will get to use the hydro bath for free. I like 1 VIP suite which has a window, so one can pull up the shades and be in their small little world for the 3 hours there. There is also a daybed to relax. Very nice.

The women section: There is a locker/changing room, as well as a small powder room. Behind it are the steambaths and hydrotherapy baths and showers. I am not too impressed with it as there is no privacy at all for the bath. 3 baths lined up next to each other, with a shower curtain for privacy. I think I will feel so claustrophobic in there.

The massage rooms and facial rooms are in different areas. The massage room is much bigger with a mirror across 1 wall and a ledge to place your stuff (i.e. jewelry, watch...). There are also a chair and a small coffee table in one corner, I do wonder if those are there just to create the ambience cos you will definitely not be sitting there at all. The facial room is slightly smaller. Just the bed and sink at one side, but still very nice with the teak wood fixtures. Each therapist has their own room, which is probably good as it creates a sense of ownership.

The nail station looks good. There are 6 massage chairs with an attached sink at the foot of the chairs for pedicures. Unfortunately there is no button to increase the intensity of the massage, only the vibration. They use mainly Essie and some OPIs for the nails (I wonder if they brought in OPIs after I feedback during the soft launch that OPIs are better than Essie. Hehe).

So far, I have tried 3 treatments at True Spa (massage, facial and foot treatment) and I still have yet to try the pedicure, body scrub, manicure and hand treatment.

Massage - therapist Doreen
As I went there when they just opened in early Jan, they only had Swedish and Aromatherapy massages. The others like Balinese (which I wanted to try), Hot Lava Stones, Ayurvedic Shiro Dhara, deep tissue and sports massages are not available then. In the end I had the aromatherapy with some pressure points massage as I desperately needed something stronger.
The massage was good, the therapist was able to read the body and apply pressure accordingly.

Facial - therapist Mandy
I love the massage bed as it is heated, giving a warm cocoon feel to it. Initially I thought it was a bit too warm in the room, but coupled that with a face massage, I actually fell asleep. And I rarely fall asleep during treatments. The spa only uses Peter Thomas Roth (PTR) products which are supposed to be really good, a cult brand.

I had the clear luminous facial which is supposed to hydrate and create a luminous skin. Every facial will consist of 2 masks and an ampoule. I like the therapist as she was always very concerned about what I was feeling, especially since I told her I have sensitive skin and tend to have very strong reactions to enzyme based products.

Something different is that they used a warm towel to open the pores instead of using a steamer, and extractions are done by fingers instead of the tool. Overall, I am very pleased with the facial and I am so not a facial person. Maybe I was wowed by the fact that I fell asleep. Also the therapist will not leave the room for the entire treatment, unlike other places. After the treatment, I actually have a pinkish glow to my face. I think that was the skin reaction to the enzyme peel...but at least only the cheeks were pink. Natural blush :)

Foot treatment - therapist Mandy
I am surprised to have the treatment done in the facial room (Mandy's room) as I would have thought it will be done at the nail station. Mandy told me it could be done out there too, but she is more used to doing things in her room instead of out there. It is not too bad having it done in the room. You get to lie on the heated bed while she prepped the feet for the paraffin wax. PTR products are used for this treatment.

A peel is applied on the feet to assist in exfoliating the dead cells I guess. That is followed by a quick feet massage before finally dipping the feet into the paraffin wax. Mandy is very gentle, so the whole process is not as painful as it sounds. After which, the feet are wrapped for maybe 5 minutes or so and you will be left with very soft and smooth feet.

Tip: Best to have your feet scrubbed or removed of callouses before doing this treatment.

I have been to True Spa several times and have brought some friends there and recommended others to try too, especially for the facials. So far those who went love the facials too, and most fell asleep. Hehe.

A weird thing about True Spa is that you need to have a consultant, who is supposed to guide you and of course try to sell you packages. I have met a few consultants as my consultant (Caslyn) was not around then. I like Caslyn as she does not try to hard sell at all, and she is very nice. Hazel is also good, but she is a bit young and thus not as experienced as Caslyn.

Please look for either Caslyn or Hazel if you are thinking of making an appointment :) You can say Carolyn recommended as they *should* remember me. Hehe. Also if you do sign up a package, I think I will get a Taka shopping voucher too :p

Contact:
True Spa
16th Floor
Ngee Ann City Tower A
Tel: +65 6732 9555
Open daily with last appointment at 7pm

The Ultimate...

I want this! Looking at this just makes one want to relax and chill. Such decadence, with a glass of champagne, butler service and is that a bowl of strawberries or flowers? Doesn't matter, it is just sheer bliss, to soak in the bath.

I snapped this picture (a billboard actually) while waiting for the bus. This will be either a spa at St. Regis (new hotel being built in Singapore now) or the bathtub to rival that of Ritz Carlton Millenia.

Very Nice Outdoor Ads (Nokia and Paul & Joe)

Recently there are many outdoor ad campaigns and I am impressed with some of them. Besides the usual ads on bus shelters (most notably is HSBC, esp at the bus stop outside Dhoby Ghaut MRT), there have been many outdoor ads at the Orchard MRT underpass to Tangs and from Tangs to Isetan Scotts.

Those that caught my attention are Nokia L'Amour Collection, Underwater World, Escada Pacific Paradise and most recently, Paul & Joe Spring 2006 Collection.

The Underwater World ad at the escalator leading up to Tangs Basement 1 was marvelous at re-creating the travelator experience in the aquarium. The use of blue and pictures of sea creatures did give the illusion that one is exploring the underwater world.

I am most impressed with the Nokia L'Amour Collection ad as it managed to create a illydic romantic era (Italian?) with real benches, scones, fountains, etc against the wall background as seen in the pictures below.

Nokia Outdoor Advertisement for the L'Amour Collection along the underpass from Orchard MRT to Tangs.

Fountain (but it is quite dark to see clearly)

The slab of wood for the bench is real, notice the booklet on it? The back of the bench is fake, painted on the background. I love the mixing of real products with the fake.

Paul & Joe Spring 2006 Collection (Goddess of Spring)

I am very surprised to see Paul & Joe getting into outdoor advertising. The brand is imported by a small (I presume as it is not under EL or L'Oreal) company and its entry into the Singapore market in Octover/November 2004 has been pretty low-key. There were the usual advertisements in beauty/women magazines for new collection, but this is the first time they did an Outdoor ad and with a private party too.

I like the creative done, with the blending of cut-out images onto the lightboxm, as well as sticking the creatives for the entire underpass from Tangs to Isetan Scotts. For the launch party opened to P&J members, it was held at the Wisma Atrium and the Japan International Makeup Artist, Joji, was flown in for the event. Coincidentally, they also tied up with Nokia to give away the L'Amour collection in a lucky draw.

The campaign is very nicely done. It was very crowded at the party, and also packed at both Isetan Scotts and Wisma counters. I am certain sales went up tremendously that evening, particularly when there is a 20% discount from 530pm to 930pm. I was surprised to see that P&J also had a event section at Isetan Scotts atrium, with local makeup artists.