Hyatt Mezza Tea Again

LG loved the oysters and prawns so much from our previous visit to Mezza Tea at Hyatt that she asked to go again before the year is out. So off we went over the weekend to Hyatt for the brunch/tea.

The spread was basically the same as before with minor changes such as Christmas desserts and different flavored ice creams and kacang puteh nuts and soup.
The dessert table near our table. We were given the same table as before. I still did not try the chocolate fountain. I think I am off chocolate fountain for now.

Gorgeous sweet strawberries. The fruits were very yummy. The mangoes were so sweet, likewise for the melons.

The christmas log cake and a mango cake thing. There were stollen too.

My first real plate of food :p Half a dozen oysters and the prawns and egg sandwich. This was good.

2nd plate filled with prawns, mussels and smoked salmon bagel. The bagel was very hard and dry, so I didn't finish that. I also took a bowl of mushroom soup but it was awful, not much taste at all. Not as good as previously which had more taste and was creamier.

My 3rd plate of food - seafood fried rice, roasted veggies and more prawns. I had a total of a dozen prawns and 9 oysters :) Nice.

Cappuccino to end the meal. It went well with desserts. I had this and iced tea and Shanghai Rose tea, plus carrot orange juice for my beverage.

Ladies who lunch (but only on a Saturday :p). D canceled last minute and I had to scramble to get another person. Thank God J was available and could make it. Make new friends :)

The 1st dessert of the day besides the fruits - chocolate ice cream and salted caramel ice cream with the log cake and stollen. I didn't like the heavy cream for the log cake or the stollen.

The salted caramel ice cream was so good I went to get another scoop with the whisky chestnut ice cream which was equally yummy. The mango cake was not too bad and the strawberry cheesecake was nice too. Didn't finish either of them. I liked the 2nd batch of the bread and butter pudding which was not as eggy as the 1st batch which J took.

It was a satisfying meal. Not too heavy with all the meat and starch found in the usual buffets.

View from Mt Faber

This is Singapore with its numerous high-rise flats. A view from Mount Faber. I didn't realize they have done up the place very well. Smooth even walkways and even a fake merlion at the top of Mount Faber too.

Anyplace with tourists attract vendors. There are ladies with saris for tourist to wear and take pictures of for a fee.

View from City Space

Whenever I went to the Equinox Complex, it was always to New Asia bar and that was only because we knew someone working there and we were there to support him :p

Other times it would be at Introbar for a drink or at JAAN for a meal. So this was the first time I actually went to City Space for a drink.
Singapore Slings for us. I liked how they lined the floor to ceiling windows with tables and chairs to face the window so we got to enjoy the view. Their version of the Singapore Sling was a bit stronger than the original over at Raffles Hotel's Long Bar.

My camera did not do justice to the actual view. The night view of the city sky line was pretty with the lights dotting the buildings. This was the only clear shot which actually showed something recognizable. Riverside Point where Cafe Iguana was. I need to go there again for yummy quesadillas and burritos.

Location:
City Space, Equinox Complex
Level 70, Swissotel the Stamford

Merrill Lynch - Not Totally Gone

We all know that Merrill Lynch has been bought over by the Bank of America. I don't really follow the financial news so I am not sure if the office in Singapore has shut down completely.
Anyway, I saw the Merrill Lynch sign up on a rooftop of a building when I was in the cable car from Sentosa to Mount Faber.

It is supposed to be hidden from public view (unless you get an aerial view like I did). I guess they have no idea what to do with the sign?

The things you can find up on roof tops.

Coach Leah Wristlet

A little something which I picked up over at Takashimaya during the additional 10% off for card members.

Maybe I was wearing black that day but when the metallic gold wristlet is foiled against the black, it looked incredible :p This will be perfect for dinner or night out when you do not need to carry a bag. Just your essentials and you are on your way.

The color will fade or peel as it is metallic leather so just have to be ultra careful with it.

Nail Polishes - OPI & China Glaze

My new nail polishes from China Glaze and OPI. Or what is it about women and shopping? There never seemed to be enough shoes, bags, clothes, makeup and accessories or little cute things.

I am in a purple and green mood, rather I want to have dark colored polishes which are not the usual browns or deep reds or blackish colors.

From left to right:

China Glaze Coconut Kiss

China Glaze Gussied Up Green

China Glaze Rodeo Fanatic

China Glaze LOL

OPI Glamour Game

OPI Brand New Skates

OPI Play Till Midnight

So far I have only tried CG Gussied Up Green which was a beautiful deep forest green, similar to OPI Jasper Jade which I always wanted but is no longer available. OPI Glamour Game was a lovely neutral which is not loud and is good for daily wear.

Wellness Village - Updated Thoughts

I have a spa package at Wellness Village over at the Pan Pacific Marina outlet. It was good when they first started but no longer. The last few visits left much to be desired. It is hard to get an appointment now, I usually have to make it a couple of weeks in advance.

Now since I have a bath treatment i.e. I can have a milk bath or flower bath or whatever they have for the jacuzzi tub, I have been trying to utilize it. Somehow the staff at Wellness Village would always try to prevent me from using it.

I am starting to suspect it is because the jacuzzi tub is located in the one and only couple's room, so priority is always given to couples. The last reason given was that the jacuzzi was not in working order, that the water was cold and not heated.

But before that, I saw a couple went into the room. When I insisted it was fine with cold water, the consultant said the tub was really not working and was being repaired. It would take about 3 months to fix it. That is quite ridiculous, isn't it? And she tried to get me to move over to their other outlet at Marina Square Shopping Centre itself. Hello? I was already at Pan Pacific Hotel and you wanted me to walk over to the mall just to accommodate your inefficient booking of appointments?

You are operating in a 5-star hotel, where your customers are hotel guests or spa package holders or walk-ins, and you can allow your jacuzzi tub to be out of order for 3 months? A treatment in the tub based on the a la carte menu is about $65 or more.

I finally decided to just forgo the bath treatment (I have four of that in my package and I have yet to use one) and just have my regular body scrub and massage. But I was made to wait for another 10 minutes or more.

It was really annoying as I was early for my appointment, and they made me wait for about 30 minutes (excluding my early arrival time). I usually plan my day, so I have something on every other hour or so, and so I get irritated when my schedule is being messed up.

Bottom line: Do not sign up for any spa package at Wellness Village. A friend went to the outlet in Chinatown and also complained that the service over there was really bad.

And due to customers' abuse of using the hotel's facilities such as the swimming pool and gym where they bring their entire family or group of friends, the hotel has restricted spa-goers to using the facilities. That was the selling point for me when I signed up for the package in the first place.

Gap Tie-Neck Top

I hardly buy clothes from Gap, be it in Singapore or overseas as somehow the fit is not right for me. Plus the cost is usually astronomically high in Singapore that it makes more sense to buy online or something.

I was pretty surprised to find a top which was reasonably priced i.e. below $50 :p With the 30% off right now and an additional 10% off with UOB credit card, it was not too bad. I love the satin tie neck and the soft cotton modal material which fitted well and did not cling to the body. I like it so much that I actually got them in both purple and black.

After checking out the website, I found out this is going for US$28, and after the discount I had, I paid less than what it would have been. Not a bad deal at all :)

Kylie X 2008 Concert - 25 November

I was fortunate to have someone take me to Kylie X 2008 concert in Singapore about two Tuesdays ago. Such a short period of time and yet so much things happened since. It was almost full house. We were only let in at 8pm, the time the concert was to start. Obviously it would not be starting on time. This was taken around 810pm. There were not that many people yet as probably they were stuck outside trying to get in. I was at the East Entrance (apparently a few friends were also at the concert and at the East Entrance with 1 over at the North Entrance) Terrace block.

At 840pm, it was getting filled up now. There were more empty seats in the Arena block which was where the most expensive tickets were ($550 a piece!). While waiting for the concert to start, music was played to pump up the audience. The line for the ladies was unbelievably long! People were just milling around, waiting.

Cheers resounded when the camera panned onto three men in drag - Ivan Heng & company. Dressed like showgirls, I didn't really know who they were. Lol. But the two men in skirts next to me sure did. It drove home the fact that Kylie's music was like the anthem in gay clubs.

It finally started around 9pm. Making use of a big screen to complement the actions and dance on stage and two smaller screens to show what was happening on stage.

There she was. Alas, my camera did not have long range zoom. This was the best I could take.

I found the screens to be quite tiny to show the action on stage. Maybe it was also because I was seated higher up midway through the block. Or I need a new camera with better zoom as I saw another concert goer taking pictures with the zoom function and captured Kylie perfectly, as if she was standing right in front of her.

I enjoyed the concert - it was really a show production with the five costumes change (cheerleader with footballers, nautical theme, coachmen and society in the 19th Century...). After attending the last few concerts where music or the band was the focus, with hardly any costume change or drama, Kylie was refreshing for me :p

It was hard to believe she has been performing for 20 years. That was a whole lot of material she had to work with. She started off with the songs from the 2000 era, including "Can't Get You Outta My Head" delighting the crowd. This was the song which enabled her to break into the American market. Thus I forgot that AM hardly knew the other songs (being a Canadian et al) and basically spent the night observing the crowd which was whooping it up.

I kinda stopped following Kylie's music for a while (basically when I was living in Canada) and only started again after 2000 but I only know the songs which were played over the radio. So half the time I had no idea what songs she was singing. Lol. She interacted with the audience a lot, which was a nice touch.

It ended at 1015pm or so which was so soon. Guess I was used to the long concert by The Cure who played for 3 hours (and we left after 2 hours plus :p) and Manic Street Preachers. After a pretty long applause for an encore, Kylie obliged and sang another set of 2-3 songs. Asked for more encore and again she came back on stage. The 2nd encore was less prepared but it was nevertheless good. She finally ended with "I Should Be So Lucky" at around 1050pm.

Wonderful show. So different from the very first concert I attended which was Jason Donovan back in 1990. More glitz and drama.

Manic Street Preachers - 24 November

D asked me to go to Manic Street Preachers concert at Fort Canning Park as P could not make it. I didn't know much of Manic Street Preachers songs at all. Hahahahaha. I guess I am pretty much a pop music person or at least a Top 40 music listener. The days of me being passionate about all the bands, singers and songs and knowing every single details of them were long gone.

I only knew 2 songs. I didn't know the title for one song but the other was a cover of Rihanna's umbrella. And a few people actually opened their brollies and bopped along to the music. Sweet!

Not too bad, eh? The zoom to get a pic of the stage made it seemed like I was near. But we actually sat on the steps of the Sun-Rice building. There was a beer tent and Botak Jones stall selling mini burgers and cajun hot dog. The mini burger which was a decent regular size was awesome! Juicy beef patty with buttered toasted buns. Yummy! The hot dog which I shared with D was good but not as good as the burger.

I can't wait for the town Botak Jones to open so I can try the food from its outlet. Those in the suburbs are too inconvenient for me to get to.

Mezza Tea @ Hyatt Mezza 9

There is a new tea buffet over at Hyatt, well, at least it is pretty new to me. It is only available on Saturday from 12noon to 4pm or 5pm. It is called MezzaTea as the spread is certainly not huge. The food was of excellent quality though. Only 2 sections are used for the MezzaTea buffet, the rest of the restaurant would be based on a la carte menu. The table seating seemed to be better for 2 diners than for groups.

Basically you get the desserts with its tiny bite size portions, cold seafood, 1 type of sushi, cheeses, bread, salads, fried rice, 2 types of mini sandwiches and fresh juices. No meat like the usual buffet. You could also change your beverage which was a nice touch. There was a decent selection of tea and coffee, plus chocolate.

The girls were late (as usual....I should start telling them an earlier timing now :p) and as I was starving (it was close to 1pm and I had not had anything since waking up at 8am or so), I started on the fruits first. They were super sweet. I am not a big fan of cantaloupe as it was usually very hard and bland-ish. But those served were not too hard, just nice, and were juicy sweet. The mango was very ripe and soft. The strawberries were not too tart either. I think I am over the chocolate fountain thing as now I hardly dip anything into it :p

The tea I ordered was shanghai rose (or something with rose) and that was softly fragrant with a tinge of rosiness. Not too strong. A nice mild tea. It was not served in a pot but in a cup, which was probably why you could change your drink after that. The service staff was also very good and paid attention to the diners. A waiter offered to serve the iced chocolate which T ordered in a smaller glass (the usual size was huge!) as he probably knew we would want space to try other drinks. That was very thoughtful of him.

My cold plate - oysters which were shucked in front of you. Lots of prawns which were very sweet and juicy too. The mussels were also fresh and sweet. Very nice. There were a few types of sauces to go with the seafood.

My cappuccino which I requested after 2 cups of tea. Somehow I always liked to have coffee to finish off a meal.

The plate which finished me off. The grilled veggies were nice. The fried rice was a bit hard as it was nearer to the bottom of the pot so it was not nice. The spring roll was average only. More prawns.

California roll sushi which was pretty decent and more oysters. This was the first time I actually had mostly prawns and oysters. L had 10 oysters and 10 prawns. Amazing, huh? We finally figured out it was probably because there were no meat or the usual hot food, so we stuffed outselves with the prawns and oysters. So it is only good if you like seafood and desserts for this buffet spread :p

The mushroom soup was so so so good. Rich and creamy from the butter. The shellfish salad was pretty alright too. The smoked salmon mini bagel and tuna mini brioche sandwiches were good too.

Bread and butter pudding from the dessert spread. It was soft and fluffy and tasty.

More dessert at the bar. The ice cream was also part of the spread. 10 different types of ice cream and sorbet. The staff will scoop for you which was nice. Less messy. There was also kacang putih which I didn't take. I tried it from C, but it was super sweet with the sugar coating.

The rose macaroons. Yummy and very sweet. Hahahaha. I think all the desserts are made from lots of sugar.

Close up of the macaroon. It melts in your mouth and disintegrates into pieces. So eat it fast. One way to combat the sweetness was to have it with the light whipped cream.

Pistacho and rum chestnut ice cream. The pistacho had an almond taste to it though and the rum chestnut or was it whisky chestnut was the winner of the day. Light nutty taste with a tinge of alcohol to it.

I liked the white cake which had a very soft and light sponge with the whipped cream and raspberries. The chocolate cake was good too. I was too full to finish the desserts by then. Good thing T & I always shared our desserts now. Spread the calories around :p

T took the sorbet which I had a taste from. The strawberry sorbet was tangy refreshing. The other one was not as good. Can't remember what it is now.

For a "light" meal of seafood and dessert, MezzaTea would be a good choice for an afternoon of girl talk with the girls :) Men may not like this place as it may not be filling for them with the limited choices of carbs and meat.

Plaza Market Cafe - International & Peranakan Spread

It was NP's birthday treat. We decided on the dinner buffet at Plaza Market Cafe at The Fairmont on a weeknight. The selection was a mixture of International and Peranakan food.

Cold dishes - cheese, bread, crackers, salads, seafood on ice including oysters, prawns...
Peranakan - Babi ponteng, ayam buah keluak, chap chye, rendang, kueh pie ti...and various condiments
Japanese - variety of sushi, sashimi, soba and chawanmushi
Asian/Western - lamb curry, fried rice, duck, veggies, duck, beef, fish...
Grill meat and soups and desserts including ice cream, chocolate fountain and durian puree paste

I don't remember much now :p

My plate of starters - 3 types of oyster (Canadian, Singapore and New Zealand), tuna on tomato which was pretty ok, cheese on tomato (I think the cheese is mozzarella - a bit bland) and shrimp salad which was nice.

Of the 3 oysters, I prefer Canadian, followed by New Zealand. The Singapore bred oyster was too salty. Or maybe the one I took just had too much brine. The other two tasted better with the bite and chewiness.

I just realized that some people do swallow the oysters whole. How do you eat your oysters? I usually bite it and chew a couple of times before swallowing.

My 2nd plate - more Canadian oysters. The prawns were sweet and juicy. The staff was excellent. They gave us finger bowls to wash our hands, and replaced them without us asking. Service was very good when we were there. Attentive and polite. I still prefer salmon sashimi though all were pretty ok. Not as fresh as some other places but good enough.

Finally, my plate of hot food. In fact my only plate of mains. I had the rendang (think it was beef?) which was quite tender though not quite melt in your mouth. The buah keluak was good. Fried rice was ok. Fish gratin was not too bad. The Peranakan food was a bit of a disappointment, more because the food was cold. Somehow the warmers didn't heat them up well?

Kueh pie ti which I shared with NP. That was good. There was no laksa but some noodle soup which I didn't take. I tried the cream of potato soup which was not bad but a bit too heavy so I didn't finish that.

Dessert - no pics but I tried the chocolate cake which was really nice. Also tried the durian puree which was not bad.

I still prefer to have buffet for lunch or during the day. Somehow one could not eat as much during dinner :p

Marc by Marc Jacobs Snazzy Jane Tote

My new tote bag from Marc by Marc Jacobs. It was such an unexpected buy as I was not prepared to get anything at all. There I was, just walking towards Taka for my weekly swim at the Fitness Center and passing by Marc Jacobs when the SA saw me from a distance and waved at me. So I had to walk in and say hi. Well, he remembered me (not my name) and what I bought previously (like 2-3 months ago and I didn't step into the store ever since) and asked how I like it.

Then he told me there was a 30% off sale on selected items and pointed the section for me to browse. He was not pushy at all and just let me be. I took a sweeping glance and nothing really called out to me until I spied the tote which was sitting on the top shelf. The gunmetal color caught my attention and he took it down for me to have a look.

It was a big bag. Practical. Finally I can use it for work and for swimming after that. I was kinda thinking of using another bag for swimming and this fit the purpose. Plus there was a zip which was good to keep everything in.

See how roomy it is. There are the usual compartments for the phone and cards or keys. It can also fit in big files and a laptop. So now I have a proper bag to put my laptop in when I travel on the plane. I don't need to use my backpack anymore as I dislike carrying the laptop case.

With 30% off and additional 10% off with DBS cards (there was a promo then), it was a pretty good deal for a leather bag :) I got the last piece. It was also available in purple which was also sold out.

Cedele @ Wheelock Place

After the dinner at PS Cafe, we decided to head over to Cedele at Wheelock Place for tea/coffee and dessert. I had hot chocolate while C had green tea latte or something. We shared the banana espresso cake. The hot chocolate was rich and not too sweet, which made it pleasant for a night drink when you do not want caffeine at all.

Close up of the banana espresso cake. It was moist and the banana gave a natural sweetness which was offset by the slight bitterness of the espresso. It sure gave a bit of a jolt to the bloodstream. I liked it!

PS Cafe @ Palais Renaissance

PS Cafe has opened a branch at Palais Renaissance. We went there for dinner and it was not crowded for a Monday night. There are a few sections, with a terrace for non-air conditioned seating area. Being a warm night, we decided to dine in the cool comfort of the air conditioned hall. We shared 2 mains and it turned out to be a good decision. The crab tart was really really delicious with real crabmeat stuffed into that tiny looking shell. Prawn bisque was drizzled on the plate and the crab tart tasted even better when smeared with the bisque. Rich and flavorful, it added a new dimension to the creamy crabmeat and warm buttery crust. It was definitely better to share the tart as it can get a bit heavy for one person.

The other dish we shared was Chicken in a Basket. Moist chicken meat with a crispy deep fried batter coating, it was good. The fries were even better, with its thick soft center and crispy edges. I love the sauces which had a tinge of lemongrass.

Location

PS Cafe

Level 2, Palais Renaissance

Orchard Road