Halloween

Have a ghoulish horrific fun while I am lazing by the poolside over at Angsana Resort & Spa in Bintan :)

It will be All Saints Day after the witching hour.

Coffee Break @ Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf

I was over at Great World City on Sunday and decided to re-fuel at Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf. Just to chill and read my book while enjoying a drink and dessert. The pumpkin meringe pie looked not too bad, plus I was in the mood for pumpkin pie. To make up for not celebrating the Canadian Thanksgiving. I guessed I missed having pumpkin pie too. The meringe was sticky sweet like marshmallow and I could taste grains of sugars. Not very well done. The pumpkin filling was cold, I had an inkling they used those canned pumpkin filling to make the pie.

I ordered the moroccan mint tea latte to go with the pie. I have not been to Coffee Bean for so long that I forgot what I used to order and the regular size of the drink was huge! The drink was still nice though.

Curls Again

I finally had my hair done again. My curls are back and alive. I love love love how my stylist over at xTrim Hair Exclusive has done it. It has been so long since I last saw ringlets :p
After a night of sleeping on it, the ringlets still maintained its shape. Amazing!

Another view of the curls. Doll-like? Or Victorian style when ladies had sausage-shaped ringlets.

This was taken right after it was done. Didn't do a good job taking the picture. At least I only spent like 3 hours at the salon. This was a spa perm where the hair was cut first, followed by a softening lotion for 30mins? Then heated up by the machine for another 20 mins or so. Another lotion before blowdrying.

After a day of walking around, the ringlets became looser. I love the curls which mean I don't have to bother much with my hair again.

OPI A Ruby for Rudolph Pedicure

I had a pedicure over the weekend and yes, the new OPI Collection - Holiday in Toyland - is available over there. They tend to have the latest OPI colors, so if you do like to try the new colors, please hop over to Flair Beauty and Nail Services at Holland Grove Road :)

I was torn between trying the greys/charcoals or the reds. There are 6 reds in this collection and the other 6 made up of either very dark or pale shimmery colors. In the end, I decided to go for A Ruby for Rudolph as it is shimmery with microglitters.

Plus I have just placed an order for 3 of the other Toyland colors - Glamour Game, Play Til Midnight and Brand New Skates.

Check out The Nailphile for the swatches. Gorgeous colors in this collection.

Whisk Cafe. Lounge @ Wisma Atria

There is a new eatery in town and it looks cutesy, whimsical. We were looking for food over at Wisma Atria and chanced upon Whisk Cafe. Lounge on Level 3. Did you realize there are not many restaurants over at Wisma at all. I think most people just go to Food Republic and maybe Din Tai Fung for food. I like the decor. The cat is sooooooo adorable. As some stores are still undergoing renovations with the boarding etc, Whisk actually has a stand with menu very near the taxi stand to let people know they are around.

Even the menu is kitschy cuteness, just like the placemat. As with every other Japanese-Western dining cafes which have sprung up, the food is predominantly Western fare with some Japanese/Asian influence. So maybe it should be considered Fusion food in a casual setting.

We were hungry but somehow the menu didn't inspire us to really order the mains. It looked boring or maybe the descriptions of the pastas, ribs, chicken didn't make us excited about trying the dishes. So D and I shared the caesar salad. The soup we wanted was not available (chicken with corn soup). The caesar salad was surprisingly good. The dressing was just nice, not overly drenched and the hard boiled egg was a nice touch. Bacon could be a bit crisper and the cherry tomatoes lent a sweet tartness to the creamy lettuce.

C ordered the smoked salmon with ebiko (? or some fish roe thing) sandwich which came with a side of fries. It took a while to arrive but when it did, it was worth waiting for. The fries were freshly fried and was warm and crispy though it was a bit too salty. The smoked salmon with the fish roe was nice too. We polished off the entire dish.

A's order finally arrived. It took the longest to be served. She had the tandoori chicken salad with dill or mint yoghurt sauce or something. The tandoori was moist and not dry so thumbs up to Whisk for making a good tandoori chicken and the dressing went very well with the greens.

Service. The service was disappointing and practically non-existant. First we were shown to a table with four chairs even though the outer 2 chairs were jutting out of the table. Meaning - table was too small to accommodate 4 chairs. Why we were given that table, I have no idea.

So we requested to be moved to another table which could seat 4 comfortably. Menus were given and water was topped up frequently without us asking. That was good. But...we were not given any cutlery or napkins even when our food arrived. When we asked for side plates, one was dirty. We requested for a new one and it took a long time for them to give us one.

There were at least 7 servers milling around and the restaurant was not full. Maybe about 50% or less were occupied. The service marred the entire dining experience.

Then I found out they had only just opened the day before. So ok, this is teething problem in training the staff to observe the diners and their tables. There are 2 ways to look at it. One is you are new and so your service should be impeccable to wow the diners. The other is that to cut them some slack while they fine-tuned their service delivery.

I think I will go back again in a couple of months time when they should be better in their service. The food is pretty decent which helps to pull me back there again to try the other dishes.

Xin Wang HK Cafe @ Siglap

I was not really hungry when I met V for brunch last Sunday. I drove to Siglap since she was in the area. It has been quite some time since I last went there and there were so many changes. More new eateries and much more lively than 10 years ago or so.

We decided on the Xin Wang HK Cafe and I just had the French toast and pineapple bo lo bun with the iced coffee. The coffee was good. The bo lo bun was average as it was cold by the time I ate it. It was not fluffy soft at all, a bit hard and chewy.

The French toast was pretty good. Huge. Finally I got to try the "big" toast :) I could not finish everything at all. I blame it on me having some food at home a couple of hours before meeting V. I would want to try the other toast next time.

The Canteen @ Shaw Centre

We decided to try the food at The Canteen at Shaw Centre after swimming one night as they close pretty late. Plus there is a DBS credit card promotion right now though the poster was misleading. You still need to spend min. $40 before you get the 15% or 25% off (depending on time of day). The poster only showed the $40 for the earlier timing (15% off) and just 25% off total food bill for the night time. Anyway, didn't really want to push the point further but they should do something about the poster as it is false advertising on its promotion.
T ordered the prawn noodles which was the day's special. There were 2 specials - prawn noodles and fishball noodles. I tried the broth and it was excellent. Flavorful and sweet. I liked how they also served the chili powder and sliced chilies on the side too.

I ordered the X.O. Lo Shu Fun which was the specialty dish. "Mouse tail" noodles with minced pork cooked with X.O sauce and century egg. This was slightly spicy and was really good too. The century egg made a difference.

The afternoon tea selection also looked pretty good. Actually there were not many choices on the menu and we were hard-pressed to really choose our dishes.

I used my phone camera so the pictures were not really good. The place was quite nice as it was quieter at night on a weekday. It could get crowded on weekends. Just a good alternative for late night supper when you are in town.

Pasta Bolognaise

While I like to cook "free n easy", according to what strike my fancy or mood, it is definitely much better to have a recipe on hand :p

So I went grocery shopping last weekend and came back with broccoli, minced beef, cherry tomatoes, mini portobello mushrooms and a bottle of pasta sauce. Yes, I was lazy to make my own sauce :p

I decided to just make a simple dinner of pasta with meat sauce. After all, it has been a long time since I did that. Somehow, the sauce was tasteless! The saving grace was the tabasco sauce which gave a bit of kick to the dish.

The mushrooms and cherry tomatoes were wonderful. The broccoli could be softer. I only realized I forgot the minced garlic and chopped onions after everything was cooked. And I used olive oil for everything.

The above portion was big enough for two persons. I need to experiment more again.

Action for Singapore Dogs Society Calendar

I used to buy calendar from ASD (Action for Singapore Dogs Society) but have not seen them being sold for the last couple of years until now. So I just had to buy a calendar :) I think I am more charitable towards animals than to schools' fundraising :p
Every month features a dog which has been adopted and its story too. I like calendar where there is a square box so you can actually write things on it. Plus the lunar calendar is on it, useful for events planning. Do check out the website if you love dogs and would want to do something for it :)

Japanese Dining Sun @ CHIJMES

I totally love the food at Japanese Dining Sun at Chijmes or Sun with Moon Japanese Dining over at Wheelock. I guess I am pretty much a food snob at times but it is definitely much better to have good food than yucky or average food.

While it is not cheap like other run of the mill Japanese eateries, it is not astronomically expensive either. Eg. Inagiku (my fave still) @ Fairmont or Shima @ Goodwood Park or Wasabi Bistro @ Mandarin Oriental. Plus, I do love the pink dragon roll, rainbow roll, beef sukiyaki and Hokkaido ramen.

I tried new things on my last visit and I am so glad I did that. Ventured out of my comfort zone a little :p
Sashimi mori for two - salmon, shrimp, scallop, sea urchin, tuna and 2 other types of fish which I have no idea what they are but they sure tasted good :p The scallop was so sweet. Unfortunately I was not that into the sea urchin and neither was N, so we didn't finish that at all. It tasted a bit like crab roe.

Pink dragon roll. I decided to get this since I had the rainbow roll just 2 weeks ago and I guessed I wanted the salmon roe :p I was so stuffed after finishing the sushi on my own. N did not like rice much.
This was a winner! I absolutely was blown away by the foie gras grilled beef dish. It was totally amazing. The foie gras was perfectly done - soft and tasted like heaven. I am so not a liver or foie gras person as the few times I tried, it was too "livery" powdery for me. But this...it slid down smoothly and was just incredible. Maybe the sauce helped too. The beef was grilled to a medium rare texture. Tender and soft pink in the center. I loved the presentation and the way I de-construct the food to eat them one by one. The eggplant was grilled to a gentle bite. The crisp above (tapioca? or sweet potato?) was nicely crunchy and the apple was sweet to the bite. Initially I thought it was pineapple :p This will be my must order dish next time. It is that good!
Beef slices for the sukiyaki. I prefer the beef sukiyaki over at the Chijmes outlet rather than at Wheelock. I like the thin big slices of beef. Nicely marbled though wagyu it is not. Good enough :) At Wheelock, the beef slices were already dumped into the pot to cook.
The fire was really strong that night. I kept getting the steam when taking the pics. It was filled to the brim with vegetables. I totally regretted ordering a bowl of rice as I was so stuffed from the sushi earlier. Previously I still needed rice even though we shared 2 rolls of sushi but I guessed the foie gras beef and sashimi did fill one's stomach :)

The only dish from the Hokkaido menu. Camembert cheesecake. Frankly I could not taste the difference from this and other cheese cake :p It was still good but as cheesecake was, it was heavy.

Location
Chijmes #02-02 (up the stairs next to Insomnia)
Tel: 6336 3166

Bitter:Sweet

I recently discovered music from Bitter:Sweet (band from US) and I love it! I first heard the song "Dirty Laundry" from a Jazz radio station in Canada and googled for it. Then I realized I actually heard a few of its songs - Bittersweet Faith from The Devil Wears Prada soundtrack, and a few others from various TV shows and commercials in North America.



Dirty Laundry



Bittersweet Faith

Actually after a while, you realized the songs are pretty similar due to the beats. But it sure makes an awesome lounge music, just to chill and relax with a glass of wine :)

Check out Bitter:Sweet website for more music and info.

R.I.P ipod Mini...Hello ipod Nano

I finally bought it! The 16GB ipod nano :) I am so glad I waited before retiring my ipod mini. My mini which I got it in early 2005 has been giving me problems for a while. It would suddenly showed as no battery even though it was full. That is so not useful at all since it meant I can barely last 2 hours in the plane with the mini. And within weeks of me removing the plastic cover of the click-wheel, I got marks and scratches on it :( Otherwise, my mini is in pretty decent shape.

I didn't get the square nano as I didn't like it. And I sold the 1st generation nano when I won it during D&D in 2005 since the mini is 4GB and the nano was only 2GB. So yes, it is finally time to say goodbye to my mini.

I thought I would get the purple nano as it looked so pretty online. Unfortunately it was a much darker purple, almost indigo, than I like. So I decided on the classic, sophisticated black ;p It is more charcoal than pure ink black.

I love that the nano is so tiny and slim and lightweight. I just hope I don't break it! It looks so fragile. It took me a while (and friends' help) before I could download the new itunes 8. But yes, so now it is working. I need to transfer my music from the mini to the nano. And probably buy a few games and TV shows to keep me entertain.

Awesome! I love having new toy :) Now...if only I can find a blackberry pearl in pink. I am still searching for my blackberry pearl.

Coffee Club @ Paragon

Can you see us at our table? Took the signage using the reflection from the glass door across. Coffee Club at Paragon has moved from the spot to the same section as Bakerzin but on level 3.
I finally got to use my coffee voucher from the Citibank Paragon Concierge. I opted for iced latte instead of hot as the weather has been so warm recently. Paragon was quite empty, especially at Metro as it seemed like everyone was over at Takashimaya for the sale. I realized I could actually take latte with no sugar at all. So I could drink coffee with lots of milk and no sugar. Interesting.
We decided to share the mains. The baked rice with chicken and zucchini and cheese was good but so so creamy and cheesey that it get jelak after a while. So it was definitely better to share it.
The rice and chicken and vegetables inside. I liked this dish.
Another nice main - beef daube. Stewed beef with green beans over mashed potatoes and gravy to smother it. I loved mashed potatoes even though it was more pureed and whipped. The beef was tender and not tough at all. Nice.

Location

Coffee Club @ Paragon

#03-09

Tel: 6733 3595

15 Years and Blooming @ Takashimaya

C and C (not the music factory nor the automobile company). Taken last week at Takashimaya S.C. at Ngee Ann City. Actual plants decoration to celebrate the 15 years it has been in Singapore. See the banner hanging from the ceiling too. It is getting so confusing. Apparently the entire Ngee Ann City is now called Takashimaya S.C (Shopping Centre)? All the promotion materials called it as Takashimaya S.C.

And I used to be confused enough remembering the names of the various landlords and management offices along Orchard Road. Oh well, the long and short of it is that the 15% discount did not apply to the stores outside the Takashimaya S.C. Departmental Store. Bummer :( (Don't understand why the mailer emphasized the new stores inside Takashimaya S.C at Ngee Ann City if they are not participating in the promotion).

Someone please correct me if they know better how to differentiate the names. It sure is confusing when I received promotional mailers to know exactly what is applicable and what is not.

Saturday High Tea @ Sheraton Towers

We went to The Dining Room at Sheraton Towers for the High Tea on Saturday. It was to celebrate 2 gfs' birthday which fell on the same day but different years. Maybe it is a quirk of fate, but now I know 4 persons whose birthdays are on the exact same day but all in different years. Some could not make it, so there were just 4 of us and a girl :) Good thing we made reservations way in advance and were given a table in a corner where the waterfall greenery section was. It could be hard to keep a child entertained but it helped if the table was away from others in case of loud noises, plus the view meant there was some distraction too.
This was my first visit to The Dining Room and I liked it. Being away from the main Orchard strip means it was not so crowded and the greenery created a soothing ambience.

My only plate of mains. It served local/Asian food and I tried the olive fried rice (nice), lotus wrapped rice (very good), chicken yakitori (I like it), carrot cake (soft but not too soft and it was cooked on the spot so it was warm), samosa with mango chutney and mint sauce (I like it too), prawn net roll (nice), popiah (not bad), shrimp dumpling (love the flower shape, not bad) and chawanmushi (not very nice as it was hard).

The Dining Room with the waterfall and greenery all around it. High Tea is from 12 noon till 4pm. Pretty good place for a gab with girlfriends.
Vietnamese rice rolls with duck. This was made by a chef at the station too. It was not bad.
The sandwich station. I actually like the sandwiches as they were bite-sized and so you could actually try many of them.
The 5 sandwiches which I took. Blurry pic as my camera battery died and this was taken with the phone camera.
C has an extra battery so I could take pics with my camera again. I loved all the sandwiches. Don't know why, but I didn't eat a lot this time. Didn't go for a second round again.

The laksa from the station. This was freshly made too and it was simply divine. Apparently it was a specialty and frankly it was so much better than the laksa from Four Seasons. It was very lemak but with enough laksa leaves fragrance. It would be even better if there were cockles too.
The dessert section. I didn't even have any fruits or anything from the chocolate fountain and the waffles, plus bread & butter pudding (had a bite from C and it was nice) or scones or cakes. What is happening to me?
The durian pengat which was oh so good. It was absolutely yummy! I think mother would love this too, so we could go there again with the family next time.
And they actually served tau suan! My fave Chinese dessert probably for the fried dough stick fritters. Hahaha. It was thick and gooey.
My dessert plate. Only one of the day. The chocolate cake was pure bliss. Dark chocolate with those wafer bits to give the crunch. So good. The eclair was made with banana chocolate cream which was yummy too. The rest were pretty ok but not horrible at all.

I missed out on the DIY rojak station and other desserts and local food. So basically the selection is not huge but it is substantial. Sometimes I prefer to have fewer choices but with high standard of quality rather than a huge spread of mediocre food.

This is certainly one place I don't mind coming back again. Just for a peaceful dining experience where good company will make it even better. The service staff could be better though. They did not top up the coffee/tea and water. You had to ask them to do that though they are very prompt in clearing the empty plates. Overall it was a nice place.

The doormen could be better (or consistent in service) as Sheraton is considered a good/luxury hotel under the Starwood group. When I arrived, they did not open the car door nor did they press the button to signal we were waiting for a cab when we stood outside the hotel lobby. It is often the little things which will distinguish the company to be better. Or maybe I am so used to the type of service rendered at other hotels (e.g. Ritz Carlton, Mandarin Oriental, Fairmont, Four Seasons, Hyatt, Shangri-La, Marriott...) that I expect the same level of service standard from Sheraton.

Location
The Dining Room @ Sheraton Towers

39 Scotts Road Singapore 228230

Tel: 6839 5621

TCC @ Suntec City Mall

I have not been to the Galleria side of Suntec City Mall and I was surprised to see several restaurants over that section. Pretty good - new selection of food for lunch. We went to TCC at Suntec as it was quieter. In fact, when I was there at 12noon, there was no one else at all. Even after we left around 1pm, only 1-2 other tables were occupied. Ideal for lunch meetings too. I ordered the salmon on mashed potatoes and asparagus in a banana based sauce. It was not bad. Presentation was always pretty in TCC. It didn't wow me but at least they asked me how I want my salmon to be done (I requested for medium) so it was not dry and hard at all.
I ordered ordered spicy chicken for us to share. I liked this, especially with the sauce which came with it. Nice.