daily musings: the finer things in life: September 2006

Saturday, September 30, 2006

Phuket : Part III

Beef noodles, pots of condiments, breakfast at Burasari

Food again. Surprisingly I didn't really get to sample much of Thai food. Quite sad actually. I was mostly on a 2 meals thing in Phuket as after breakfast, I wasn't really very hungry. And it made sense since I didn't expend much energy. So I either have breakfast and late lunch or breakfast and early dinner. So for this trip, I didn't have any tom yam soup or my usual beef noodles or pineapple rice and green curry. Stuff that I usually have in the Thai restaurant in Singapore.

I ordered a beef noodles soup at one of the restaurants along the beach, but to my dismay, it came with minced meat. Definitely not what I expected. I only went to Baskins Robbins once too :( Maybe that is a good thing as ice cream is not a "healthy food " :p I tried the pad thai at another restaurant facing the beach but it was really salty, not very nice at all. This time it was all new places for food. I think I would stick to the hawker stalls that I usually frequented in the future. At least I know the beef noodles soup was good and the tom yam soup etc was marvellous.

And I actually had western food there (yes, hit me, please :p). Went to a pizza joint and had pizza. Actually that was good. Hehe. I like that. The burger at Kata Beach was so-so only, but they did a very nice Thai iced milk tea. I am wondering if this Thai iced tea is only found in Singapore as not many Thais know what it is. And they always looked at me in askance when I asked if they have that. Some will be puzzled for a while and then nodded their heads and asked if I am from Singapore. Lol. I also tried their iced coffee, which is very good too.

But I did have some authentic hawker food at Surin Beach, near Kamala Beach. It was great. Ordered from them and they will bring the food over to the public tables and benches. So you can enjoy the food and the view and sea breeze. Ordered grilled chicken, papaya salad and sticky rice. Nice! Definitely cheaper than in the restaurants.

Phuket : Part II

Continue on Phuket. Took lots of scenery shots. Rented a bike, so got to explore more of phuket. Finally went to the view points in the South - Kata Beach View Point, Promtheap Cape, Rawai Beach and other places.

Elvis lives in Patong Beach. Lol. I like the dolphin image on the blue slab of concrete along the sidewalk. They are everywhere, alternate slabs, along both sides of "Beach Road" of Patong Beach. I thought that added some colors. Starbucks is everywhere! It even sells mooncakes too, but different versions from those found in Singapore.

Singapore Spas Directory

Someone (Myristic) posted this on CC and I just have to share as it is very useful. I never realize there are so many spas in Singapore. Hundreds as not all have websites at all.

Thursday, September 28, 2006

Phuket : Part I

Burasari - Outdoor daybed at reception to rest, swimming pool

I just came back from Phuket and took lots of scenery shots. So the update on Phuket will be in drips, and in segment.

This was my 3rd visit there in 2 years. I was pretty surprised that I would like Phuket after my 1st trip. I never had a good impression of Phuket and so it never crossed my mind to travel there. My 1st visit was such a whirlwind affair! It was a spur of moment trip I took with an ex-colleague as I was stressed at work and wanted a break and she was looking for a companion for a weekend jaunt. We left on Saturday morning and came back on Sunday evening. That was the first time I had a purely relaxing trip, with nothing to distract me. Maybe it was also because I went after the tsunami and so there were less tourists in end May, and the people were really warm and friendly. Plus I fell in love with the hotel (Burasari) and the pool. So I went back again a few months later.

For this trip, I stayed at the Burasari again. I may be adventurous, but sometimes I like to stick to the tried and tested. Plus I was really happy there. It is a boutique hotel, small and very personal. But now it has expanded with a new wing, so I am not sure if things will be the same if I go back again next year. I was pleasantly surprised that some of the staff remembered me from previous stays. The service is also very good, very polite and attentive.

New outdoor dining - restaurant was moved outdoor while renovations were carrued out indoor

I like the breakfast too. Hehe. The spread is not huge but it is substantial. Egg station, western style of bacon, sausages (pork or chicken), ham, potatoes (done in different ways daily), grilled mushrooms (my fave), grilled tomatoes, baked beans, french toast, pancakes, 4 types of Asian dishes (fried rice, fried noodles/flat noodles, meat stirfry and mixed veggies) and a congee pot.

There are also danishes, croissants, breads, rolls, yoghurt, muesli, cereals (3 types), jams (strawberry, pineapple, marmalade), fruits and 3 types of juices (pineapple, orange and grape or apple), plus a small salad spread.

Table indoor at the "old" restaurant

Wow, that does look like a lot! Anyway, I am quite boring when it came to breakfast. I usually start with pomelo with yoghurt and some muesli over it. Followed by an omelette and pieces of crispy bacons, 1 chicken sausage, some rice/noodles, and grilled mushrooms.

Mooncakes: Part II

I finally got my box of assorted mooncakes from Raffles the Plaza through an "angel" :) She became the "courier lady" for the day. Thanks *muacks* Look at the box, it is designed in the image of a cheongsum top, with the embroidered buttons.

There are 4 different flavors (2 each) of the mini snowskin mooncakes. I am not a big fan of the traditional mooncakes but I do adore snowskin versions as I find them to be "lighter". Maybe it is also that I am not big on the pastry crust, another reason why I never fancy the "pig" pastry.

I like the smooth chewy snowskin texture and since it is usually kept cold, it tastes even better. Refreshing and a nice contrast with a cup of hot tea.

The 4 flavors in the box are Rum & Raisin Chocolate Truffle, Champagne Truffle & Ganache, Baileys and Crunchy Chocolate Pearl Mooncakes. Don't they sound yummy?

Of the 4, my favorite is actually Baileys mooncake. It has a hint of alcohol in it. The Crunchy Chocolate Pearl Mooncake is nice too, more because of the crunchiness. It gives an interesting texture to the smoothness of the lotus paste. Surprisingly I am not that partial to Rum & Raisin Chocolate Truffle. While it also has a hint of alcohol to it and bits of raisins (2 to be precise) inside the chocolate truffle shell, the chocolate taste is just not there. Champagne truffle and Ganache is the perennial favorite for most, bringing alcohol and chocolate together.

Tuesday, September 19, 2006

List of Favorites

I was looking at some foodblogs and when looking at the descriptions and pictures of food, I realized I am still very much a pasta person. I love pasta!

So here is a list of my favorite things:

Pasta: Seafood fettuccine in cream sauce
Dessert: Warm chocolate cake with molten chocolate sauce inside
Ice-cream: Jamoca Almond Fudge from Baskins Robbins (too bad not available in Sg)
Restaurant: Esmirada
Soup: Clam Chowder from Soup Spoon
Cafe: Toast
Dim Sum: Shrimp dumplings and the "big" dumpling soup
Drink: Thai iced milk tea
Noodle: Beef noodles (any style)
Cuisine: toss up between italian and japanese

Hmmm...actually there are so many things I like. Haha. Maybe I should just list my fave stuff from the various outlets I have meals at instead.

To be continued...

Sunday, September 17, 2006

The Swirls Cupcakes

I am still enamored by cupcakes, and no, I have not had the chance to order from C-Cup yet. So far my fixes are from Toast/Marmalade Pantry and Marina Square 7-11, though I have not had them in a while now (except for the few bites at Marmalade Pantry)

I found out about The Swirls from CC. It looks good!

I would love to order from it soon. I am a sucker for pictures of food, especially one with such great pictures. Hehe.

http://www.theswirls.com/

Starbucks Mooncakes

I finally bought the mooncakes from Starbucks. I always knew they have mooncakes but somehow I didn't really try it. Maybe that was because I was avoiding all the coffee joints since 2003 when I was trying to be healthy and stopped drinking all the drinks at those places.

Anyway, I was at Starbucks a few weeks back with Celest and I saw the mooncakes. The guy offered us the samples and I was blown away by the caramel machiato mooncake. I love caramel machiato for the drink. There were 2 other flavors - Cranberry Hibiscus and Orange Citron.

In the box, there were 2 snowskin mooncakes for each flavors and 6 sachets of tea (Camomile, green tea, mint, english breakfast, earl grey and passion). Tea usually goes well with mooncakes as the plainness of tea counteract the sweetness of the mooncakes. The caramel machiato has a robust espresso flavor which just wakes you up with its aroma. The cranberry hibiscus is interesting. A bit tangy floral taste. The orange citron is zesty and refreshing. Certainly not run of the mill ultra-sweet mooncakes.

For more information:
http://www.starbucks.com.sg/moby/cms/promotions/midautumn2006.html

Mid-Autumn Festival

It is time again. Mooncakes period! I have never really been a big fan of mooncakes as I find it very sweet. When young, the highlight for the Mid-Autumn Festival is really the lanterns. Carrying the lanterns around - maybe the fascination with lanterns (besides the pretty designs and colors) is the fact that we can play with fire. Lol. This is the time when we can light the candles and thus play with fire/matches/lighter. We used to place candles all around the front yard or at the back. And we will "cook" - leaves, limes or whatever we can pluck off from the plants :p

The most "yuckness" was when one of the neighborhood guys "cooked" a dead (?) cockroach over the tin bottle cap. I didn't stay long enough to really discover since I ran off when I found out he was grilling the roach. I dislike roaches with a vengeance.

Those were the days when we were still staying at the old place. I don't recall playing much with lanterns once we moved to the our current place when I was 10. So the festival will come and go, without much thought on my part. But I did buy some mooncakes when in Canada (though it was never finished).

Then through reading some forums in 2004, I discovered there are so many types of mooncakes around. My dad usually gets the traditional baked mooncakes with lotus paste and yolks and occasionally there will be a snowskin version. So my mooncake horizon was broadened...I got to know that there are other versions around - yam paste, durian paste, green tea, champagne truffle, chocolate ganache and many more. It was mind-boggling!

I definitely went crazy in 2004, buying so many types of mooncakes. Lol. I bought a box of the yam paste pastry mooncake from Crown Prince Hotel (alas, no longer around now) - very delicious that my sister asked me to get for her too, a box of durian paste snowskin mooncake from Marriot Hotel, green tea snowskin mooncake from Li Bai (Sheraton Towers Hotel), and some other mooncakes from Taka basement. That was the first time I had so much mooncakes. Besides that we also had the traditional mooncakes.

Luckily in 2005, I was more controlled and only bought the yam mooncakes from Crown Prince. But then we received many mooncakes at work. The suppliers all sent us mooncakes and that was the first time I got to try the champagne truffle mooncake from either Raffles Hotel or Raffles the Plaza.

For this year, I am targeting to get only Starbucks mooncakes and from Raffles The Plaza. Only snowskin as I much prefer that.

Lunch Feast

There were so much food for lunch! Cereal prawns, fishhead curry, steam cod, asparagus with dried shrimp, a omelette dish with beansprouts and dried scallops, fried seaweed chicken, fried pork chop strips, panfried egg tofu, steamed pomfret (from last night) and soup. 10 dishes!

All because sis said she will be coming back for lunch. Usually there will be around 5-6 dishes for Sunday lunch cos my brother and wife will usually be here. I seldom eat at home so they know not to cook for me, and I am quite simple. I will just eat whatever is available. I don't usually make requests though mother will always buy cod and salmon for me as these are easy to steam or grill for 1 person (for when I want to eat at home). Mother always make an effort to remember what we like - fried stuff for brother and BIL, sister will request for what she wants and for BIL. Healthy stuff for dad and me - we usually have fish and veggies. So usually if I am home for dinner, there are usually only 3-4 dishes (fish, veggies and something else and soup). And now that I am on the Eat Right for Blood Type diet (semi-following), she gets the grapefruit juice for me so that I can have it every morning.

I guess one can guess (based on this blog) that I eat out more than I eat in. That is usually because of work. It is quite late when I leave the office and I hate to eat late actually. Ideally, I would want to eat around 530pm or 6pm. Nothing after 7pm (except when I am out socializing with friends for dinner). I don't have breakfast but I will have an early lunch (around 12noon). I find two meals work for me very well. But sometimes it is habit or social norms that made me eat just cos it is breakfast time, lunchtime and dinnertime.

LifeSpa - Part II

I posted previously about my facial treatment sometime in June at LifeSpa. I wasn't too impressed with the facial treatment. I finally utilized the other session for massage last week. I didn't expect much. As usual I had to call twice at different times before I can finally get a slot. They are always full, so I had to make my appointment at least 2 weeks in advance (actually I told the person when was the first available appointment on a Saturday). Another con is that they are not opened on Sunday, and the last appointment on weeknights is at 730pm. Not very friendly to people who put in long hours.

Got to the spa on time and I wasn't left waiting for long, so that was good. I was led to the locker area to change into the disposable undies and robe. The robe is really tiny! I could barely cover myself, they should look into getting different sizes. I can't imagine a man wearing it (the spa is opened to men too). I would have prefer to change in the treatment room itself as the spa is not that big with a lounging area, and I don't see the need to wear a robe when just walking from the locker area to the treatment rooms.

I was shown to a tiny treatment room (all their rooms are small, but this is marginally bigger than the facial room), disrobed and laid face down on the bed. The therapist was very fast, she got to working the body immediately. No feeling of the body at all. BUT she was amazing! She knew intuitively which part of my body was aching (my back). She was firm with the pressure but not so hard that one would faint in pain. She also "cracked" my body, every single part of it. Much better than Thai massage in Thailand. And I could tell with the way she massaged that she knew the way the body functioned, with the meridien, etc. For a 45mins massage session, it sure didn't feel so short. So I was sold :p

Already I was mentally preparing myself for the "selling" of packages once I emerged from the changing room. The same consultant (from the other time) attended to me, and she actually remembered me. Kudos to her as I sure didn't remember her at all. So she was able to pick up on where she left off from before. Having been to so many spas before and encountered so many people trying to sell the packages, you do pick up some tricks.

For me I always like to be upfront about it. If I do not want to sign for it, I will tell them straight off. If I am interested, I will also tell them, but only if they can match my budget. It is also good to always be polite and friendly. You never know when you will see them again (case in point, my visit to Wellness Village at Pan Pacific where I got a special deal for knowing the consultant from another place).

Since I like the therapist very much, I told the consultant my budget. I do not need the 100 sessions for $3888. Too big a package for me since I still have packages at 3 other spas. At that time, I was already mentally prepared to pay $100 per month under a 12 month instalment plan, so she managed to work out a package for me based on that. And I can actually pay the $1200 on a 24 month instalment plan, but I decided to go with 12 month as I hate to owe money for too long. Later I found out my colleague also went there and signed for a $1000 package, so you can really "name your price" at some spas. But be realistic about it, they do need to make a living too.

The hesitation for signing the package still holds true, but the consultant advised to make appointment 1 week in advance. Alternatively call her and she will try to arrange something. I hope that works as now I only want the therapist to work on me, and I can be picky about that. Since she is the entire reason for me to sign up for the package.

They are opening another branch at Purvis Street in October. Maybe that will help ease the load but who knows.

Wednesday, September 13, 2006

Marmalade Pantry

Cuppuccino from The Marmalade Pantry

It has been some time since I last went to The Marmalade Pantry at Palais Renaissance. The food is good, not to mention the gorgeously sinful cupcakes! I love the chocolate deluxe cupcake, which is the ultimate chocolate cupcake ever! The hint of dark chocolate with the sweetness is just so tantalizing on the tastebuds.

The girls and I went there for Sunday brunch, well...as usual...after waiting for everyone to arrive, it more more like a very late lunch rather than brunch. It was around 2pm by the time the food arrived, so it was no surprise that some of the items were sold out when we ordered i.e. crab caesar and the chocolate deluxe. Yup, I didn't get to get my favorite cupcake :(

Elvis Cupcake, Sticky Date Toffee Pudding with Vanilla Bean Icecream, Devils Food Cake, Lemon Tart with berries and Cloud Nine Cupcake

It was an early birthday celebration for Livia, so we each ordered a dessert (5!) and shared them. Yummiliciously sinful. Hehe. We ordered the Cloud Nine cupcake (white coconut cake with cream cheese), Elvis cupcake (chocolate banana cupcake with peanut butter frosting), devils food cake, sticky date toffee pudding with vanilla bean ice cream and homemade lemon tart with wild berries and raspberry coulis.

I was really surprised by how good the sticky date toffee pudding is. I was never a big fan of dates but that is really nice, but it is very sweet. Sugar overload. Best to share it with others. The lemon tart was a nice contrast to the rest of the dessert as the tangyness was a good foil against the chocolatey sweetness. I wasn't that impressed with the devils food cake. It was quite normal, a sponge cake with no strong chocolate aftertaste. Maybe I am used to chocolate truffle or mousse cake which usually has a stronger taste of chocolate. The other two cupcakes were alright but can't compared to the Ultimate. Lol.

Chicken Pot Pie, Crab Linguine with Chili and Pinenuts, Ribeye Steak Sandwich and Fois Gras Burger

Just realized I jumped right into the desserts without describing the mains. Haha. I had the ribeye steak sandwich with grilled onions, avocado and wasabi. The steak was medium well and was very juicy and tender. It came with some greens and tapioca/sweet potato chips. Absolutely delicious. Also tried what the girls had - crab linguine with pinenuts and chili (al dente pasta with fresh crabmeat - very good), chicken pot pie - I love the presentation. Looks like a tree trunk with a cap like a mushroom. Flaky buttery crust filled with chicken chunks and mushrooms in a cream sauce. Great for a light meal. And the highlight - foie gras burger with sundried tomatoe relish. It was also very juicy...I am not such a big fan of foie gras but it is an excellent choice for those who love it. The chips were nice though :p

The girls. Guess who is the birthday girl ;p

Location:
The Marmalade Pantry
#B1-08 Palais Renaissance
390 Orchard Road
Tel: 6734 2700 (reservations recommended)

http://www.themarmaladepantry.com/

Saturday, September 09, 2006

Ball of Fire

I took this pic from my office, hence the blurry image. The window is reflective and kinda becomes a mirror at night, we can only see ourselves then :p

What a pretty sight to look out to, it was around 630pm or close to 7pm when we saw the great ball of orange - sun. I have no idea where those blocks of flats are at. It could be Chinatown area since Orchard is towards more of the 3 o'clock position.

Friday, September 08, 2006

Prata Cafe @ Evans Road

Strawberry Lassi

I am always curious about the Prata Cafe along Evans Road, it seemed a bit out of the ordinary to have that along the quiet stretch of road leading towards the Botanic Gardens from Bukit Timah. Other buildings around it are hostel and childcare center or children playschool and private residences (looked posh and old-moneyed) of bungalows, etc.

I finally got the chance to try Prata Cafe a few days back. Celest and I ended there after we couldn't get a parking lot in Holland Village (their loss :p). A huge sign proudly proclaimed it Prata Cafe. Then you noticed it said 200 parking lots. That got us scratching our heads as we just couldn't see any parking lots there at all. I asked the waiter, he said yeah, all around is parking lots --> he meant side parking along the road. Just beware of the traffic police as it is illegal. But you can also park at Evans Lodge (next to the cafe), that is legal. When we left the place, there is a long line of cars parking along the road (2 way, 1 lane each side), I guess it is common to do that there.

There was filming that evening for some TV program probably, so the indoor section is closed. The alfresco dining was pretty nice though, I like the iron wrought garden picnic tables and benches, at least it made it less generic than the regular tables chairs.

Bee Hoon Goreng

Chicken Curry

Celest and I shared the tissue thosai, bee hoon goreng and chicken curry. I also ordered a strawberry lassi (yoghurt drink), that was super sweet! I could still taste the crunchy bits of sugar!

Tissue Thosai

The tissue thosai was interesting, it came in a dome-shaped where we peeled and broke off pieces to dip into the 3 dips (not sure what they were). The bee hoon goreng was nice, not very oily at all. Rare for Indian food. The chicken curry went well with it, very fragrant with the spices. The meat was also very tender, it slid off the bones effortlessly.

There are so many varieties of prata available in both sweet and savory versions.

Location:
26 Evans Road, 01-02
Open 24 hours
Tel: 6333-6979

Wednesday, September 06, 2006

Singapore Botanics Garden

This reminds of me the flintstones - Bedrock. Don't ask me why.

I decided to drive to the Singapore Botanic Gardens on Sunday evening as I didn't want to be coop up at home. Thought the fresh air and greenery will do me good. Met up with Tanny as she lives nearby and we had a good long walk for about 2 hrs, with a break for dinner at the new food court (Taman Serasi) at Tanglin Gate. After many months of closure for renovations, it is finally open. There is a huge complex (I didn't get to explore that), a new carpark with more parking lots and the food court at the Tanglin section, all new including the main gate.

What caught my attention was the Evolution Garden. I didn't even know it existed or when it was open for visitors. Usually my trip to the gardens was to the Symphony Lake, where there were open air concerts, and where we would usually lay down our mats and just enjoy the music. Or I will walk around the gardens, towards Swan Lake, passed Ginger Garden and Orchid Garden.

This time round, I parked at the lot next to the underground parking near the visitor center. And right next to the carpark is the Evolution Garden. I love that! Maybe because I love history and geography, so I was intrigued to read about how the first plant came to life on Earth. It was a good walk.

Iguana? Cafe Iguana...Hmmm...

I like that they try to blend in the drinking fountain with the fossilized trunk or surroundings

In the distance, the beauty of the lake is marred by the cranes (not the birds) and 2 high-rise buildings

Tuesday, September 05, 2006

Asian Kitchen

I walked past this place for so many months and maybe a couple of years, but somehow I didn't feel inclined to try it at all until I read about it at another food blogger's site. She made it sound pretty good and so I had to try it too. Lol. Yes, I am easily influenced by the power of the words (pictures help too) :p

I went with a colleague during lunch at the outlet at CityLink Mall. I ordered the chicken cutlet on fried rice while she had the hot and sour soup and potstickers. The chicken fried rice was not too bad, but I still prefer the fried rice over at Din Tai Fung. It was nothing memorable. The hot and sour soup was very good though. It packed a punch with its sour-ness and spices. Definitely better than the one at Crystal Jade Xiao Long Bao. The potstickers were pretty ok, quite run of the mill. Maybe their noodles dishes will be better as they seemed to specialize in that.

Location
Asian Kitchen
CityLink Mall

MIX @ Raffles City

I had a very bad throat last Monday and thought I would sooth it by having something non-aggravating. A glass of freshly blended kiwi juice for the vitamin C and a caesar chicken wrap at MIX - a health food place.

The chicken wrap was pretty good, full of meat and even real slices of bacon, covered with lotsa lettuces and a thin tortilla flour wrap.

Sad to say, that didn't work and my throat didn't get any better but hey, I got to try a new eatery.

Location
Raffles City Shopping Center Basement, near Gloria Jeans and next to Bens & Jerry

The Atrium - Pan Pacific Singapore

The Atrium Cabanas

I have not gone to the Pan Pacific Hotel in Singapore for years. The last time I stepped foot into there was for a previous company Appreciation Lunch to business partners back in 2003. The impression I had of the place was dark and dull, not inviting at all. Plus I heard from friends that the band was really loud and those staying on the lower floors would not get a good sleep due to the noise.

I was pleasantly surprised to see the place has changed drastically when I met my client for a meeting there a few months back. We were organizing an event for the client at the location. It has been spruced up and looks much brighter and airier. Chrome and glass were the theme for the function rooms. It was certainly much more conducive than before. I like the lobby area - The Atrium. There is a main bar right in the center, with private cabanas for more privacy at the side. Really cozy.

Davis and I decided to plonk ourselves there the other night after dinner at Glutton Bay as we were contemplating either to have a drink or dessert. We took a table near the bar. The armchairs were large and very comfy. It also serves tapas the entire day until 9pm and has almost 300 varieties of beverages.

I had the bellini (champagne and peach liquor) - a sparkling, bubbly drink which is not too sweet. Not exactly my favorite as I prefer a sweeter version :p But I like the look of it. The tall glass with a cherry in the fizzy drink.

The service was good. They cleared the ashtray constantly and would also refill the complimentary snack tray. That was a surprise. Instead of the usual nuts and crackers, they served dried mushrooms (I love this!), Japanese ikan bilis (dried seasoned anchovies) and almonds (unsalted). Davis had some fruity cocktails (non alcoholic) which were pretty nice too. We also shared a pot of camomile tea at the end. The presentation was nice. The saucer was huge enough to place the honey and a piece of cookie too.

With such relaxing ambience and excellent service, we stayed there for close to 3 hours, just yakking away till after midnight. There was also a lounge singer, accompanied by a pianist. Hmmm...I didn't care much for that :p

Saturday, September 02, 2006

Sarah Connor & Marc Terenzi

A videoclip to Love to be loved by you that Marc Terenzi dedicated to his love Sarah Connor. It consists mainly of shots of their wedding, that took place in Spain in 2004. Done by fairyblackcat on YouTube.

That is so sweet...hmmm....I seemed to be in a mushy mood. Sugar overload!

Sarah Connor - Just One Last Dance

I love this song! The guy who is singing in the video is Marc Terenzi, her husband. Such a nice video to watch :)

I love Sarah Connor music, many faves from her.

Found the original MTV clip.

Certainly different from what I thought it will be. I didn't expect a high school type of setting. I have always thought it will be set in somewhere "exotic". Sun setting over the ocean, by a cliff where there is a rustic old cafe with an old guy strumming a Spanish guitar while the couple expressed their impending loss thru music, dance and song. Lol....I have a wild imagination.

Arabic Bellydance

Msafer by Mohamed Abdel Wahab, danced by Yamsaffer Wahdak.

This is so mesmerizing. I think I found a new use for YouTube. I know it has been around for ages and people do post videos of themselves and stuff, but I never really check it out until today. Surprisingly and amazingly, my connection was really good today and there was no lag at all when I was viewing some videos.

I think I will be spending lots of hours watching bellydancing clips and trying to improve on my own movements now :p Some are so good, and some are not so (I cringed when I saw some performances by amateurs*...and I hope I was not like that when I performed previously).

As they say, practice is key.

*by amateur, I mean those who were not keen to perform but had no choice as it was a class thing...and the video was obviously put up by others and not themselves.

P.S. Can someone advise me on how to re-size the video from Youtube? TIA.

Set Lunch at Coffee Club

I decided to have a lazy Saturday lunch-brunch after body balance class at California Fitness. Quite a bad idea to have a workout before having a proper meal. Needless to say, I was feeling peckish after leaving the gym.

Coffee Club outside California Fitness in Orchard is a nice place for an outdoor bistro-cafe setting, watching the world pass you by with the endless traffic (both motor and pedestrian). Armed with a copy of Today papers, I settled in for a leisurely meal.

On the server's recommendation, I ordered the mushroom baked rice for my main. The polenta chicken looked good too and I had that as well to go with the rice. I guess I am still used to having veggies and meat with rice/noodles.

The baked rice was warm and fluffy, filled with bits of mushrooms. The cheese topping was the star, it gave more oomph to and otherwise bland dish. The polenta chicken had potential. The chicken pieces were lightly fried, but the polenta coating got a bit tiring after a few pieces. Definitely need to share the chicken, or maybe I am not that big on cornmeal after all.

The highlight of the meal was the dessert which came with the set meal. The berry compote was refreshing, the tartness contrasted nicely with the sweet mascarpone cream on the shortbread "crust", and the blueberries gave a bit of bite to the whole taste sensation. Surprisingly I like the shortbread, the buttery sweetness went very well with the cream and berry sherbet.

Kaya Fondue @ Glutton Bay

I have been wanting to try the kaya fondue at Glutton Bay ever since I saw the picture hanging on the facade of the stall. Somehow the finger-sized toast with a small bowl of kaya as a dip beckoned to my senses. Maybe I am a real kaya fan at heart.

Tonight I was at Glutton Bay with a friend and we shared the oyster omelette, wu xiang and the kaya fondue. Quite a departure from my usual fare of the oyster omelette and fried hokkien prawn noodles.

The oyster omelette is a perenial favorite and is consistently good. Crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, topped with juicy fresh oysters. The wu xiang was dismal in comparison. I had better from other places. It was also very oily. Artery-clogging alert!

Now the kaya fondue...Mmmmm....the bread was well toasted. It was lightly brushed with butter before being placed on the grill, hence giving a subtle buttery taste to it. The two pieces of toast were sliced into "fingers", making it easy to dip into the kaya (coconut egg jam with a hint of pandan flavor). The kaya was not overly sweet, nor was it infused with a rich pandan flavor to it. It was passable. I still prefer kaya toast from Killiney's. But for now, my curiosity is satisfied and I doubt I will be ordering it again.

The teh tarik which came with it was super sweet, making it a very one sweet meal.

Location:
2nd stall from the road (next to the drinks stall)
Glutton Bay, Esplanade