Raffles City Food Court - Ayam Penyet

I have been eating at Raffles City Food Court after Bikram Yoga. I quite like the herbal chicken at the food court. It has plenty of good herby stuff like wolfberries, dates and other things whose names I do not know :p The chili is really good too, kinda reminded me of the corner outlet at Far East Plaza before it moved out a few years back.

Anyway, walking around while deciding on what to have, I decided to try the Ayam Penyet from the Malay stall.

This was definitely not as good as the one at Lucky Plaza. The chicken was tough and the goreng bits were too salty and not as crispy as at Ria Ayam Penyet. The chili was ok. The dark soya sauce was not really kecap manis (gosh! I miss having the ABC kecap manis on fried egg :p) and while it had a bit of sweetness, it just tasted diluted. More like soy sauce with sugar?

Not really the place for ayam penyet at all. The malay stall at IRAS building does a better job of ayam penyet than here. It even included a small portion of the sour soup (Sayur Asem). I really have not had that home-made soup for so many years now.

J.Co Donuts & Coffee

Another new donut store is in Singapore, getting into the donuts craze action. Queues are still forming at Donut Factory - the store which started the donut frenzy in late 2006 - and sparked off several donut stores.

J.Co Donuts & Coffee is from Indonesia and opened an outlet at Raffles City basement. I passed by it several times the last 2 weeks especially since I was in Raffles City daily for Bikram Yoga. Somehow it didn't really inspire me to want to try the donuts. The smell something deep fried was very strong and seemed very oily. Also I was tired of the awful donuts from other stores which were very oily.

Then the text message from Sherie who totally recommended the donuts, especially the tiramisu flavor :p With such an endorsement, I just had to try for myself. Lol.

The shopfront with a cafe area for drinks and donuts. There are so many flavors of the donuts and the line does move quickly. There are around 3-5 employees serving the customers, it also helps to have a long counter so more people can see the flavors.

Many flavors were gone when I was there around 7ish pm. I like that you can see the fryer and the donuts making process. The donuts floating in the fryer and then being dipped or coated in chocolate or other toppings. Very much like Krispy Kreme style.

It was nice that they have many sizes of boxes so you can order less donuts and still have it kept nicely :)

I ordered 3 to try. A defininte must try is always the original glazed. That is like the benchmark for all donuts to see if it hit the mark.

From left: Mochino (I think - it has cappuccino cream filling and coated with belgian dark chocolate), Tira miss u (tiramisu filling) and Glazzy (glazed)

The tiramisu filling. I was surprised by the foam-like filling. It oozed out when I bit into it. It was pretty good but not my favorite. I quite like Mochino and the Glazzy was really good. Soft and not too sweet.

Comparing Factory Donuts and J.Co, I think J.Co has more bite to the donuts. Factory Donuts seemed to have shrunk? It looked and felt thinner whereas J.Co was thicker and equally light. Plus it really has a huge variety of flavors.

A nice place to have donuts and coffee or other iced or hot beverages if you have lots of space for calories intake :p

For more info, check out the website.

P.S. I Love You

I like reading romance novels or chick-lit. I prefer fluff reading materials as they are easy to digest and fun to read. I like romantic comedy or comedy when it comes to movies. I just like things to be light-hearted as the world is already sad enough with stories of wars, diseases, natural disasters. A friend gave me the book P.S. I Love You for my birthday as he thought I would enjoy it since it is a romance novel. He also included the movie soundtrack.

So since I have the book, I read it. I cried or rather I teared lots. See, that is the reason why I rarely read or watch full blown romance drama stuff. I get affected easily. I was surprised to be gripped by the story of Holly and Gerry that I actually finished reading the book in a day. Cecelia Ahern wrote a beautiful story with characters who were well thought out and fleshed into people whom you can relate to.

I finally watched the movie today. As expected, I cried/teared throughout the movie. It is such a tearjerker. Ireland really looked pretty in the movie with its emerald green fields. Such huge expanse of greenery. I think it rained lots over there too, to be so green :p

Verdict: It is good, but I think the book is way much better.

The book makes you think more. The movie glosses over details. I have not open the CD yet but from the movie, it seemed to be filled with sad slow songs :p

Wild Rocket @ Mount Emily

I saw this lone red hibiscus outside Wild Rocket @ Mount Emily and just had to snap a shot. It looked like a burst of energy amidst the greenery. Too bad my camera is not that great to get the true color of the flower.

I had brunch at Wild Rocket at Mount Emily on Sunday. It was a belated birthday meal with a friend :) After hearing so much about the place and the burger, I just had to try it. It was fairly quiet when we were there around 12noon. More people came in nearer to 1pm though.


Service was prompt. Water glass was topped up regularly without us having to ask. The complimentary bread with cheese on top with olive oil. It was pretty good.

Laksa pesto linguine with prawns and quail eggs - no prawns as my friend is allergic to prawns.

I was a bit disappointed by the staff's reply when we asked if the prawns could be substituted since my friend is allergic to it. The staff said no, the chef did not allow substitution or changing of the item. The best they could do is just add more quail eggs. I felt that was very rigid particularly when the reason to change was due to allergies.

Anyway, the pasta was not that fantastic. It got a bit too jelak after a while. The laksa leaves taste was super strong too.

Me and the Wild Rocket Burger

The Wild Rocket Burger. Nice presentation. Thick beef patty. It was well done, I wonder if I could actually request for medium well as it was a bit tough.
See the juice running when I pressed the fork on the meat. I like the tomato relish, it went very well with the beef.

Dessert - panna cotta infused with pandan. The pandan scent was very strong but surprisingly it was not that discernable when it was in the mouth :p The gula melaka was a nice touch. Interesting taste.

Somehow I don't think I will be going back to Wild Rocket anytime soon. Mainly due to the location. It is so inconvenient if you don't drive and if you drive, parking is a problem also. I walked up and it was a hike!

Location:
Wild Rocket at Mount Emily
Hangout Hotel, 10A Upper Wilkie Road
Tel : 63399448

Fancy Delight Tarts

A friend gave me half a dozen tarts from Fancy Delight. I have never heard of it, but they have 4 outlets including one at Suntec City where these tarts are from.

The tarts are similar to the Hong Kong and Portuguese egg tarts with its smooth egg custard filling and crust. The crust is heavier, not pastry flaky soft. I would describe it as the usual crust one would find in quiche or savory tarts.

6 tarts - chocolate chip, kaya, apple, banana, mushroom chicken

The savory tart (mushroom chicken) reminded me of a quiche with its egginess. The egg filling is definitely not very sweet so it is good for those who prefer that.

I quite like it but it is not really high on my list, as in I would not hunt it down nor would it be etched indelibly in my mind :p I think I still prefer Portuguese egg tart for its flaky crust and sweet egg custard filling.

Check website for locations:
Fancy Delight

Bottega Veneta Fall 2008 RTW Collection

I so rarely watch or pay much attention to fashion shows. Yes, quite an irony since I was in working in fashion retail for a while and also participated in fashion shows for the brands I handled. Maybe I was so involved with the show, and making sure clothes/accessories were there, fashion stylists were able to showcase the items to the best advantage and models were able to carry off the clothes, etc that there was hardly time to savor what the public saw.

Anyway, I was browsing Style and saw pictures of Bottega Veneta Fall 2008 Ready-to-Wear Collection held in Milan a few days ago for the Fashion Week and love the purple which is more of a bluish-purple. That looked like the bluish-purple which started me onto my love for cosmetics cos I was searching for that eyeshadow shade. The closest I found was Stila Mambo eyeshadow though it was not as brilliant as what I saw.

Enjoy the pictures, from Style.com and credits to Greg Kessler, Don Ashby & Olivier Claisse and Marcio Madeira.




I so LOVE this purple dress. I adore how it drapes over the body. Though I think it will look better on a tall person as it is almost like a column dress.


See the subtle detailing of the dress, which is what Tomas Maier is well-known for. Taking the classics and making it looked new. The flower velvet satin green belt adds a touch of romanticism and whimsical to a simple greyish dress.

Again, I like the blue-purple of the bag. I hope the Veneta will come in this color or the wallets, or even the sloane. So far I only like 2 bag designs from BV - campana and sloane.

I like the rich jade green too. It looks so luxe and understated.

And the shoes! I love the Fall 2008 Collection shoes! I wonder if it will come in maybe 2.5inches too.
This is simple to die for! I love the simple T-strap. It looks to be made of animal skin?

I can't wait for Fall 2008 collection to hit the stores. I love the shoes more than the bags for now. Hahaha.

Halfway Mark - Bikram Yoga

I am now on day 4 of my 1 week challenge, trial or whatever you want to call it at Bikram Yoga. The midway point.

Yes, I have decided to sign up for a week since I am pretty free now and it will keep me occupied and healthy at the same time.

How do I feel? Hmmm...it has not hit me or converted me to an ardent fan. Some days I feel I was dragging myself to go to the studio. I still have interrupted sleep though I wake up later now (at least for the last 2 days).

I could stretch further too. The pain or soreness on my left thumb has minimized greatly. I don't get pins and needles on my left leg within 20mins of sitting on the floor. And no more numbness on my left arm when I sleep. My allergies have disappeared for now, at least on lips and back of neck. But I developed 2 pimples on forehead! Must be from the poses which involved resting forehead on towel mat.

Day 1 (Wednesday) - Diane @ 2pm (4, then 2 students)
I didn't get a good workout, probably because I felt bad shortly after class started so I didn't push myself further in the asanas. Plus I was wary of the camel pose too after what happened previously. Hence, I didn't feel that relaxed at the end of the session nor did I feel my muscles being stretched as much as the very first class. I realized I felt bad because I ate around 12 noon so that means I cannot have food at least 2-3 hours before class.

Day 2 (Thursday) - Benn @ 4pm (4-5 students)
Class was held in the bigger room and it felt warmer in there. I like Benn. He paid more attention to the students and corrected us and actually demonstrated some poses. I was not able to do the Supta - Vajrasana (fixed firm pose) where you bend over backwards on your knees and have your arms over the head behind the previous day but I only managed to get my hands on my heels and bent over partially. A breakthrough was that I was able to do the camel pose.

Day 3 (Friday) - Benn @ 12noon (5-6 students)
Another breakthrough - I managed to put my hands over my heads and bent over backwards. I didn't know if I could do it but Benn just said to try and slowly lean back. I could see that I could push myself harder into the poses though sometimes I just feel so tired that I want to take a break. Towards the end of the class, I could feel a slight cool air coming out from the vent. That caught me by surprise and I actually felt a bit cold in the heated room.

Day 4 (Saturday) - Benn @ 3pm (15-20 students)
Today was the worst ever! It was so HOT inside the big room. I think the smaller room is not as hot. Initially I thought it was because there were lots of people in the room too but after talking to others, it seemed that the heat was not the norm. It was just so hot that I didn't want to do any of the poses and 3/4 into the class I was so tempted to just get out and cool down. But I forced myself to stay in and try to finish it.

This is the first time I actually didn't do several of the asanas. The heat was so overpowering I really felt like I was in a sauna and could hardly breathe. Needless to say, I skipped my "problem" poses like the fixed firm pose and camel pose. Even the sit up, I just didn't have the energy to do it well.

Verdict so far: I am still not sure if I want to continue after my 7 days challenge is over. I like the intimacy of the class, especially in the weekday afternoon sessions where there are less people. Plus the instructors do remember your name and your trouble spots/poses. But if the after work classes are going to be so crowded like today, I don't think I will enjoy it. From what they told me, usually there are 10, 20 to 30 people in the evening classes.

So we shall see. 3 more days to go. Hopefully I will see more changes. The interesting thing about Bikram is that the instructors varied and you don't get to know who is teaching the class till you get inside. Anyway Bikram is all about you, yourself and your will and mind. You are pushing yourself against your body, so you just concentrate on your own poses and ignore all things else.

Hello Cakes!...from Toronto, Canada

Trawling the web again. Don't you just love google? I found some cute looking wedding cakes. The pictures are from Hello Cakes! in Toronto, Canada. In fact, they are so popular that they are fully booked for 2008. No more orders at all. That is pretty good for a bakery which started in 2005.

Presenting the Tiffany-inspired wedding cake. The robin egg blue is so pretty. Text in colored font is taken from its website.

A classic and elegant wedding cake for those seeking a simple design. The cake is a gorgeous tiffany blue with white accent ribbons and shaped like a set of gift boxes.

And I would so love to receive this as wedding favor - petit four tiffany cake

A perfect complimentary favour to our Tiffany Cake or on its own as unique dessert for your guests! This fondant-covered mini cake is wrapped like a gift box with a cute bow to match. The colours on the petit four can also be changed to match your event colours. They are about the same size as a ring box.

Chocolate with the blue ribbons. This might taste even better?

This is so pretty for a cupcake wedding cake. An actual cake on top with the cup cakes in brown and pink frosting.

This is pretty amazing. Look at the intricate details on the piping. The beadings and designs.

Winter Wonderland is the perfect cake for a holiday wedding or winter celebration. Your choice of cake flavour is covered with a smooth rolled fondant and then adorned with delicate snowflakes! An elegant ring of beads line the bottom of every layer.

This is so cute. I like how the bride and groom are not the typical type which adorn the top of the wedding cake.

Our classic wedding cake features three ‘floating’ round tiers with flowers in between each layer. A personal topper can be provided by you or a cluster of similar flowers can be used instead as the topper.

My favorite of all the cakes featured on the website. Maybe I am still dreaming of a beach wedding ;) Plus it has chocolate too!
A perfect and dramatic cake to accompany a cottage or beach-themed wedding. Casual seashells and sand dollars are made of fondant and casually ‘wash-up’ on the side of this cake. Three starfish adorn the top tier and delicate piping grazes the bottom of each layer. Chocolate and white fondant cover-up your choice of up to three different flavours inside this cake!

The flavors which are available for the cakes:

The Lovely Lemon Cake – Perfect and sweet! Real lemons are zested to give this cake authentic flavour. Our Lovely Lemon is then finished with a soft vanilla buttercream that melts in your mouth. Raspberry buttercream is also available for a Lemon Raspberry fusion of flavour!
The Simply Vanilla Cake – Simple, light and airy! The perfect vanilla cake, iced with a soft vanilla buttercream.

The Vanilla Mint – Our soft and delicious vanilla cake is finished off with a mint buttercream. A clean, refreshing dessert and palette cleanser!

**The Uber Chocolaty-Chocolate Cake – A moist and rich chocolate cake laced with a whipped chocolate buttercream. Dark or milk chocolate ganache icing is also available for the ultimate chocolate experience.

**The Mocha Heaven Cake – A calming mocha flavoured cake infused with a coffee paste and iced with your choice of vanilla, chocolate and of course, mocha buttercream!

**The Chocolate Mocha Cake - Take our deliciously moist Uber Chocolatey-Chocolate Cake and add a delicious mocha flavoured buttercream made from real coffee! The coffee flavour really bring out the chocolatey-ness of the cake. Highly recommended for coffee and chocolate addicts.

The Coconut Island Beach Cake – A cake that reminds us of the beach! Hand toasted coconut infuses our vanilla cake. Real limes are then zested for the key lime buttercream for a tasty island treat!

The Happy Hazelnut – Warm and rich with bits of hazlenut for a buttery nut flavour. Perfectly paired with a chocolate, vanilla, mocha or hazelnut buttercream.

Vanilla or Lemon Pound Cake – Best for architecturally challenging cakes and cakes higher then three tiers. Served with your choice of buttercream.

Red Velvet Cake – A very trendy flavour for the ‘in style' bride! Our Red Velvet Cake is a light chocolate cake with distinctly different reddish brown colour topped with a delicious cream cheese frosting and the option of toasted coconut flakes.

Vegan Chocolate Cake – Delicious, yummy and most importantly, dairy and egg-free! Our vegan chocolate cake is made with pure cocoa powder, flour, brown sugar and canola oil. A vegan layer can be added to your order for no extra charge to accommodate any vegan guests.

**The Raspberry Truffle Cake – Raspberry and chocolate, together at last! Our rich chocolate cake is layered with scrumptious raspberries and a dark chocolate ganache. A decadent dessert for your family and friends.

The Funky Fruitcake – Not just for Christmas anymore! Have the taste of our traditional fruitcake for your next event. Made with orange peel, dried fruit coated with dark rum and brandy.

The Ultimate Summer Berry Dream Cake – Our light and airy vanilla cake filled with summer strawberries, blueberries and raspberries topped with a luscious white chocolate ganache icing.

The Classic Carrot Cake – Complete with an old-fashioned cream cheese icing. Created with your choice of walnuts, raisins or both!

**My picks! See how my picks always involved chocolate. I am so bias :p

Wedding Cakes

I don't know why but I have been a bit fascinated with wedding cakes. Maybe it was due to the books I have been reading, about bridezilla going into cake shops to taste test for their wedding cakes. So usually in the States (I would assume through my reading), the bride-to-be will get to select the design by looking at the portfolio book and to try the various cakes and fillings available.

Chocolate, vanilla, lemon, strawberry, raspberry, orange, marble, buttercream icing, rolled fondant, ganache...all these words are what would be associated to the cake.

Unfortunately there are not many bakeries in Singapore who specialized in wedding cakes. That could be because not many people actually buy or have real wedding cakes at their wedding. Instead they use the fake or dummy tiered wedding cake provided by the hotels when they hold their wedding dinner banquet there.

The only bakery which I know that does wedding cakes is The Patisser at Ann Siang Road. Here are 2 pictures which I quite like.

I would very much prefer to have a chocolate wedding cake if/when I get married ;p I just wonder how one cut and serve the cake when they are on top of each other. Wouldn't the tier make sense? Then again, that can look quite awful if not done properly. Another option is cupcake wedding cake. But again, I have yet to taste a really great-tasting cupcake which really melts in your mouth due to the lightness in Singapore.

For more information on The Patisser, check out its website.

The Cookie Jar Bakery (Houston, TX)

I just found this website of a bakery in Houston, Texas. The Cookie Jar Bakery. It has the most fantastic description of its cupcake flavors and also cookies and pies and all things nice. Looking at the photo gallery, I saw even more baked goodies, one of which is the Barbie Cake. Reminded me of when Davis was searching for Princess Cake for her daughter's birthday :p

There are too many pictures, so I have just uploaded a few. Look at its website for more pictures and details.

Carrot Cupcake - Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Flourless Chocolate Raspberry - Flourless chocolate cake with fresh raspberries topped with chocolate ganache

Ladybug Cupcake - one of the specialties cupcakes

Chocolate dipped Strawberry Cupcake

Tiramisu - Espresso kahlua chocolate cake with sweet mascarpone and chocolate ganache

Strawberry Shortcake Cupcake

Triple Lemon - Lemon cake with a lemon curd center and lemon cream frosting

Cookies N Cream - Chocolate cake with sweet Oreo Buttercream

Ho Ho cupcake - Chocolate cake with a cream center and chocolate ganache top

Other flavors for Fall:

Chai Latte - Spiced Chai Cake with Cinnamon Cream Frosting

Eggnog - Eggnog cake soaked with a rum sauce and topped with cinnamon cream frosting

Mexican Hot Chocolate - Chocolate cinnamon cayenne cake with chocolate cinnamon frosting

Nutella Fudge - Chocolate cake with Nutella (chocolate hazelnut) frosting

Opera cupcake - Almond cake layered with mocha buttercream and chocolate ganache

Irish Car Bomb - Chocolate stout cake with a Guiness cream center and a Bailey's Buttercream.

Maple Pecan - Maple pecan cake topped with maple cream cheese frosting and pecan streusel

There are just so many flavors. I feel like I am having ice cream with the descriptions :p

What is interesting is that the bakery actually has a schedule on what flavors will be available for each day. Another cool bit is that for cookies, you can select your own dough and choice of 2 mix-ins, similar to the ice cream thing a la Cold Rock Creamery. Then wait 20mins while the cookies baked.

So if somehow you are ever in Houston, TX, do pop into The Cookie Jar Bakery. After all, SIA does fly into Houston now :p I do remember Westheimer, but I don't recall this bakery when I was in Houston long time ago. Probably not opened then.

The Cookie Jar Bakery

1846 Westheimer Houston, TX 77098

+1-713-874-0877

Burning Thann Candle

I still need to declutter my room. See my messy side table, with photo frames, candles, nail polishes, vase and other barang-barang on it.

I do like the Thann candle with its slight rosy scent which is not overpowering or sickeningly artificially cloying.

Perfect way to wind down with burning candle, soft music , warm lighting and a good book.

W Retreat & Spa @ Fesdu Island, North Ari Atoll, Maldives

In the middle of the North Ari Atoll, surrounded by the other Maldivian atolls, is Fesdu Island. W Retreat & Spa is located on Fesdu Island with its pristine beach and clear waters.


I was enthralled with the pictures from W website, particularly of the Ocean Oasis room. Imagine looking out into the ocean from the bath tub in the bathroom through the open window, with a glass of wine and candlelights dancing on the walls.



You could feel the warmth of the sun beaming down on you at the sundeck and feel the waft of the seabreeze gently caressing your body while you doze off. Or you could have a dip at the private plunge pool and stare out at the vast expanse of the ocean while you are safe in the cocoon of the pool. Alternatively you can dive into the lagoon if you prefer the salty water.

So many things to do in the 146sqm space. Inside the room, parts of the floor are glass allowing you to peep down and observe the marine life below. There are even underwater lights to illuminate the world beneath during night time. There are 42" plasma tvs, sound systm and internet access.
What else is in the Ocean Oasis (from website):

State-of-the-art Sound System
DVD Player
CD Player
DVD/CD Library via Whatever/Whenever®

350 Thread Count Sheets
W Signature Bed
Down Pillows
Hypoallergenic Pillows

Outdoor Rainforest Shower
Make-up/Shaving Mirror
Full Height Mirror
Dual Vanity Basins
Hairdryer

24-Hour In-retreat Dining
Individual BBQ Stations
Tea/Coffee Maker (On Request)
Wine Fridge
Munchie Box
Mini-bar

Private Plunge Pools
Shallow Pool Lounge Area
Custom-made Lounging Furniture
Direct Lagoon Access
Sun Lounges
Individual Climate Control

In-room Safe
Outdoor Daybeds with Shade Curtains
Smoke Detectors

Lounge with Glass Floor
Shower with Glass Floor
Private Over-water Plunge Pool
Sundeck

What else can you do if you are bored of the room? The usual beach activities and the spa and yoga to relax.

• Reef or wreck scuba trips
• Snorkeling
• Underwater video course
• Reef scooter trips with Marine Biologist
• Overnight sailing/scuba trip to Hammerhead Shark Point
• Kite surfing
• Water skiing
• Windsurfing
• 100% Transparent Kayaks
• Big game and hand-line fishing
• Catamaran sailing
• Wake & knee boarding
• Aqua aerobics
• Circuit training
• Billiards
• Technogym® State-of-the-art workout facilities
• Away Spa
• Yoga
• Oil painting

No shopping, no looking at man-made buildings. Just you and nature and sports and activities to enhance your personal well being. This might be a slice of heaven?

At US$1200 a night, it is certainly not a cheap place to go at all.

For more details, check out W Maldives.