Tonkichi @ Ngee Ann City

After swimming, I was famished and it was long lines everywhere even at 9pm on a Tuesday night. We decided to go to Tonkichi as the line was the shortest. After about 10 minutes wait, we were shown to our table.We had the same set - Yokubari Set - where you get 2 pieces of the pork fillets (very tender and no porky taste or smell), 2 pieces of prawns, 1 piece of crab croquette (so gooey creamy nice) and a piece of oyster (somehow I prefer raw oysters to cooked).

It came with rice, miso soup, cabbage and fruit (orange slices) which was dessert.

Close up of the deep fried food. It was not greasy at all, with a lightly crumbs coating the meat. It was so good.

We shared a side order of curry which was great over the rice and the fried food. Do share it as it would get a bit jelak after a while.

Starbucks Christmas Muffin

My nutty breakfast from Starbucks last week. The chocolate hazelnut muffin with toffee nut latte. I love the toffee nut latte. The muffin was not too bad. Lots of hazelnuts in there.

My fave breakfast from Starbucks would be the cinnamon raison bagel with cream cheese. Just that it is always sold out when I get there. So I think I only had that like 3 or 4 times in the whole of 2008.

Brotzeit - Christmas Eve Drinks

You know you are getting old (and jaded?) when you prefer not to squeeze with people in clubs or pubs or bars on Christmas Eve. Then again, I prefer to spend Christmas with friends and family. NYE could be spent celebrating with the masses instead.

After almost a whole day of pampering (well I ran errands in Orchard first before pedicure at Jelita area), we decided to meet at Vivocity instead of Holland Village to chill on Christmas Eve. And being in Vivocity, obviously we checked out the shops till 9ish pm where we decided to grab a drink.
We ended up at Brotzeit (the outlet at Raffles City is always crowded). We ordered a bottle of rose. I love rose, but unfortunately this was the dry version, so I didn't like it as much. I still prefer sweet wine.

We share the cheese platter which was so good. Different types of cheese with fruits and nuts and bread.

The nutty German bread went very well with the cheese. Don't remember all of them but there were brie, swiss, gouda and another one. The olives were so nice, as were the grapes, pine nuts, walnuts and strawberries.

Need to come back again to try the food next time. This is probably run by the Paulaner group as the beer was from Paulaner.

Christmas Lunch 2008

Christmas - the day or season where it evokes joy and peace and a sense of completion. The year is coming to an end, and it is best spent with family and friends. Reflecting upon the last 11 months and wondering what the new year will bring. Thanking God for seeing and living through another year, plus of course the most precious gift of all - His son, Jesus, who died on the cross to save us. Christmas is always my favorite holiday season. Much more than Chinese New Year.

As usual, we gathered at IC's place for the Christmas lunch. Somehow I was the first one to arrive this year, so I had the pleasure of waiting for everyone else who came about an hour or so later. Actually people came late this year :p

We had loads of food - all home cooked. No store bought food at all. So we had yummy and healthier food - more veggies though I didn't take pics of them all.

Orange cranberry butter cake with lemon icing which was baked by my oldest niece. Isn't it pretty? It is pretty darn good too! The cranberry and lemon prevented it from being too sweet. Love the tartness of it.

The turkey, all carved out and sliced and ready to be devoured by hungry people. This was just 1 turkey. We made 2. The sausage stuffing was so yummy too. I love John's turkey. He taught me how to make it super moist. I never order turkey in restaurants as so many places do not get it right at all.

Roasted carrots. The color looked scary as I used flash. This was super sweet. So nice.

Roasted small tomatoes. Very good too. Lots of other veggies not in pictures were steamed broccoli, sauteed mushrooms, mashed potatoes.

My favorite dish - ratatouille. Vegetable stew. IC did a really fantastic job with this. I so need to get the recipe. Zucchini chunks, bell peppers, lots of tomatoes in there.

Roast beef. I had a teeny slice. It was tender and went well with dijon mustard.

IC baked the ham herself. It was super moist and not overly salty like those bought in supermarket. Charm said it smelt like char siew. Lol.

A new dish this year - roast lamb. IC saw a nice leg of lamb and decided to add that to the plethora of dishes. So we had lamb instead of salmon this yea.

The rest of the lamb still in the foil. We had enough food to feed a small village? There were close to 30 of us I think.

Cheesey cauliflower. This was surprisingly not bad. Then again I am not a big fan of cauliflower at all. I prefer broccoli.

Table of food before the the other dishes were ready.

Another view of the table of food. Again this was taken before the rest of the dishes were added to the table.

My 1st plate of food - roasted carrots, cheesey cauliflower, roasted tomatoes, ratatouille, tiny bit of lamb, turkey and stuffing with mint sauce and cranberry sauce. I love the cranberry sauce. It would be even better if it was a little bit more tart. Leftover turkey with emmental cheese and cranberry sauce sandwich would be so yummy.

Home made Christmas cake. The cake was baked and stored since October (I think) so that the alcohol would be totally absorbed into the cake. Frosting and decorating done by the 2 youngest children.

Christmas carolling - another first for this year. Everyone was on a Christmas high :)

I love this shot of mother with Naomi. Grandma and granddaughter sharing a moment during present giving time. Naomi was holding her precious face powder from Pigeon. Yes, she will grow up to be like her aunt - makeup crazy - in future. A girly girl and a tomboy all rolled into one.

Rose (a bit dry for me) for Christmas. A wonderful way to spend the day with loved ones, which was filled with Christmas cheers, joy, peace and laughter.

MaxStudio.Com Sale

I quite like MaxStudio.com clothes as they are very feminine with its chiffon, silk and georgette materials. It is also quite clean cut with floral appliques or crochet knit for detailings.

MaxStudio.com is also having sale of up to 70% (if I remember correctly) and promotion of additional 10% off with UOB credit cards when I got these items. I find Singapore is very spoiled with the wide range of discount available with various credit cards. You hardly get that in Canada.

I like the skirt so much, I decided to get it in the dress form too. I have worn this and it is too big for me. Lol. This is the problem when shopping in a rush. I bought these in just 15 mins or less. The SA was very helpful too. She just brought out items she thought I would like and in my size, so I didn't really have to browse through the rack. Good customer service from the 2 stores I went to (Wisma Atria and Isetan Scotts) and I know the one at Paragon also gives good service as that is the usual store I go to.

A simple black top. I just realized I have so many black tops from the latest buys. But at least this is really all covered up, so I can wear it for work too.

BCBG, FCUK, Island Shop Sale

More places where you could get things at a lower cost. If you have been monitoring the newspapers, forums or emails, etc, you would have received information on such bazaars or sales. Just in the last few weeks or even since end October/early November, the shops have been trying to get consumers to part with their dollars.

We went to the Designer Bazaar which featured brands such as BCBG, French Connection UK (FCUK) and Island Shop from a few or couple of seasons back. I am still puzzling over the Island Shop connection as I always thought that was either under Tangs or the Gamut group. Oh well, guess it did not matter much since prices were slashed to up to 70% off.

We did not go on the first day (bargain hunters would really go on the first day when it opened doors) but on the 2nd last day at night, just a couple of hours before closing. So we did not have to battle the crowd and for such events, I prefer to be a scavenger. Lol. Just pick through what is left over and hope there is something in my size. These are things which are not die, die must have. For such items, usually I would pay full price or something when I saw it in the store.

My most expensive item of the lot. A BCBG dress. It was down from $599 (usual price in the store). Plus there was an additional 15% on all non-special item price. With Citibank credit card, you get another 10% off.

I like the broad striped straps and belted waist. It made it not too delicate and frilly for a day dress.

I love this BCBG skirt too. The satin high waist gave a leaner look while the cut just hugs the curve.

And the show stealer - the bow tied at the back. So feminine in a stark black, otherwise boring skirt. Plus this was the cheapest item. I think this must be a really old season piece as it was only $20! (With Citibank cc promo, be less than that). Usual price was $300 or so? Don't remember now.

I saw this top at the French Connection store at Raffles City the other day but in different colors. It was probably about the same price or promo since the store was also having its own sale and promotion with AMEX card. Somehow the cutting was bigger at the shop, and this was not as loose.

I like this too. I love cowl neckline. Somehow it gives an illusion of layering.

And the back is equally sexy too, with its deep drop to make it almost backless. A hint of skin.

A simple cream cowl neck top from Island Shop. I wanted to get more items but budget constraints too. Still I picked up all these for a fraction of its original cost at the retail shop.

My gf saved about 80% for all her buys. Bottomline: you can still get nice things if you know where to search and if you are patient too. We spent close to 2 hours just browsing and trying and selecting and discarding.

Merry Christmas

Have a blessed Christmas, everyone!

Guess Flat Sandals

Guess is also having sale at the moment. Currently it is still up to 50%. I am still waiting for it to get to up to 70%. That is when you can pick up more bargains, only problem is the sizes may have run out.

I picked up these sandals at a promo price. $30 or $35 when you purchase a pair of shoes at regular price. My gf bought 2 pairs of shoes and so we could get 2 of these sandals. With Amex card, you get additional 10% off.

This is really a good time to shop :) Help keep the economy going if you can afford to do it.

PJs from La Senza

If you have been out and about on the streets, you would have noticed the sales everywhere. It seemed like the retailers are trying to get your money before 2009 arrives. And the hunch was proven right when it was revealed in the papers that many companies had brought forward their sales to help boost their year end takings.

It seemed like many people were not buying in the lead up to Christmas. Chinese New Year in 2009 is in January, very soon after Christmas. I would expect people to stop spending after CNY until the Great Singapore Sale in May 2009. So it will be pretty lean months ahead for the retailers.

Anyway, sales are good news for everyone as you could finally get something at a lower cost, and retailers could move their products rather than selling none at all.

La Senza is having an almost store-wide sale (only Pussycat Dolls collection is not on sale) with bundles. PJs (any $45 item) are going for 2 for $60. Sleep tees and shorts are going for 3 for $60. Chemises, babydolls, bathrobes (any $65 item) are buy 2 get 2 free. You get additional 10% off with the La Senza Prestige Card. Do the math and each item is just less than $30. Very good bargain indeed. The promotion will be while stocks last.

So my friends and I have been popping into La Senza every weekend and getting new items. It would be better to share with friends, especially for the buy 2 get 2 free promo.

I got these at the last shopping buy. Finally a PJ set and a cami-knickers set.
I love the stripes which is very "manly". The dark grey with pink stripes lend a more feminine air to it.

The pink satin ribbon is so sweet too. This is under the Ultra-Soft collection so the cotton is not rough at all. The material is thin enough for Singapore warm weather too.

This was the last set and I realized the "straw" was missing and the cover was a bit cracked. There are really not many items left now. So far I have been to all the La Senza outlets except for Suntec and Tampines. But the packaging is so cute.

I love the pink! Pink polka-dot cami with striped knickers. Sweet! You could probably wear them out too besides sleeping in them.

I love La Senza more than VS actually. Hehehehe. VS is also having lots of promotions. Check it out and wait for the deals to happen. Sales are also slow in the US now.

Panettone

Panettone is a traditional Christmas bread and since Christmas is nearing, the supermarkets start to stock them. I first heard of it when an Italian friend brought it over for my Christmas party several years ago and he mentioned it was a traditional "cake". Somehow we never had the chance to eat it then and I have always wanted to try it but didn't. Until now, that is. I was at Cold Storage last week and saw it. There were more choices now compared to early 2000s. So I picked up a small one just to try.

It looked like a muffin for the 100g version. Another Italian friend said Panettone was usually 1kg and the alcohol taste in the bread was actually from the yeast. The raisins, currants and candied orange added a bit of sweetness to the bread much like raisin bread. I much prefer Panettone to the traditional English Christmas cake which was too sweet for me. Panettone was great with coffee.

Hawker Food Culture

I was very surprised to see this billboard over at the Zion Road Hawker Centre (the one across from Great World City). It actually explained how hawker centre worked and the food available. I have only seen or rather I only read the Must Try dishes on the billboard over at Newton Food Center.

So these are the must try dishes at the billboard over at Zion Road Food Center. I am not sure if those dishes are actually available there. So far I only know the Char Kway Teow is famous. And there is an Adam Road prawn noodles too. I like the soya bean and bean curd ah balling too.

The procedures when eating at hawker centers. Very useful for foreigners. I had a hard time trying to explain it my visitors from overseas when they come to Singapore, so this will come in handy :)

Upper Pierce Reservoir

Can you believe such a place exist in Singapore? A quiet park with greenery and water.

Clear blue sky dotted with big soft fluffy clouds. A cool breeze rippling the calm water in the reservoir and manicured green lawn with benches scattered through out. Big tall trees with leaves rustling, creating its own symphony with the twittering birds and calls of the cicadas.

That is Bukit Timah Hill in the background. Amazing tranquility in this little known pocket of Singapore.

The story of the Pierce Reservoir. Upper Pierce and Lower Pierce.

Another view of Upper Pierce Reservoir. I had such a hard time visualizing how to get there though it was fairly easy once you drove into the area.

There were lots of monkeys on the road too. They were fearless, and you could see families of monkeys parking themselves right in the middle of the road, expecting the cars to go round them. They did not respond to horns or car engines or lights. They did not scamper away at all.

Why was I there? It was for work. A photoshoot and I was glad to know such a place actually exists in Singapore. Apparently it is a favorite hot spot for courting couples too :)