The Queen and Mangosteen Revisited at Night

We met up for dinner at The Queen and Mangosteen over in VivoCity a few weeks back. This was my first visit during the night and it was packed. Night gave a more romantic feel to the place with the twinkling lights in the distance from Sentosa and the cable cars.
Since there were 3 of us, we decided to just share some dishes from the light bites/appetizers/bar food section instead of from the mains. We had the beer battered onion rings which were huge. Warm and crispy, fresh from the fryer. Unfortunately I didn't really taste any beer in there. I found that the beer flavored dishes from most places did not taste of beer at all. Maybe they just added a smidgen of beer into the batter and just called it beer battered.

The chicken wings which were pretty nice. Not the typical hot wings but with an Asian twist. It was brushed with Hoisin sauce, if I remembered correctly.

Something healthy to make us feel less guilty. Caesar salad with the dollop of cream in the middle. It was crisp and fresh, very nice. No soggy leaves in there.

The mini burgers and fries were as good as ever. I think the appies were really meant to be shared by 3 persons. Everything seemed to come in trios. Like dim sum :p

We also ordered 2 jugs of pimms and lemonade. Utterly welcoming to quench our thirst in the hot weather. Too bad the pimms and lemonade was not under the Happy Hours promotion.

I would love to go there again for the pimms and lemonade and other bar snacks. Maybe I should bring a book during the day and just go there to chill.

Things So Singaporean

I read about this in the papers and went to google for the video. It is catchy and does speak of Things So Singaporean.

It is funny and poignant, especially when you see pictures of all races going about their everyday lives. This is certainly something we tend to take for granted. The harmony we do have here in Singapore. Having friends who are Indians, Chinese, Malays, Arabs, English, Eurasians, etc.

Enjoy the video.

Lyrics by Judith d'Silva
Composed, Arranged, Sung by Ann Hussein

Shape Run 2009 Results

Gun Time: 55:57
Net Time: 51:35
Rank: 3536
Distance: 5KM
Total runners: 8000

Not too bad after all. 39% of the particpants were in the 10KM category with 61% running 5KM.

Cafe Swiss Dinner Buffet

There seemed to be lots of good deals on food right now. Cafe Swiss over at Swissotel the Stamford is also doing a 1 for 1 buffet till the end of the Great Singapore Sale. Who knows if it will be extended. I used to like this place before it changed to being Cafe Swiss. Right now I just could not recall the old name where they served pretty good Thai/Vietnamese noodles soup and other stuff. Right now, Cafe Swiss specializes in Swiss and Asian food for the dinner buffet.

There were plenty of salads to choose from and the appetizers were distinctly more European. Being Swiss, there were lots of cheese too. I liked the pastry puff thing which contained some sort of pate. It might be liver but it sure did not taste like it. So yummy.

There was cheese fondue with bread. That was not too bad and the cheese was very strong. Now I remembered why I was never a huge fan of fondues (cheese or otherwise). The sashimi was average, not super fresh like at Greenhouse over at Ritz Carlton.

My only plate from the mains section and I did not finish it as I was so full by then. There were rosti, bangers, onion tart, black pepper beef and others. A nice mix of Asian and Swiss dishes.

There was raclette! I simply loved raclette, ever since I tried it in Banff long time ago. The raclette cheese was scraped off after being heated up and it melted. It was so good. Sprinkled with paprika and had it with the gerkins and pickled onion pearls and baby potatoes. Sweet! The roast beef was equally good too.

Some of the desserts were also Swiss. I only liked the chocolate mousse which was rich and dark.

My coffee which was pretty strong. I did not care much for the square of cinnamon sweet.

The sparkly light above. The place is pretty nice. Spacious and simple.

Too Faced Eye Shadow Insurance Policy High Impact Eye Shadow Collection

I was at ION Orchard the other day and wandered into Sephora. It was so much bigger than the outlet over at Takashimaya. Unfortunately it was still not very exciting as there were not many brands over there. While there I saw this palette from Too Faced. The Eye Shadow Insurance Policy High Impact Eye Shadow Collection which includes 6 eye shadow colors and a primer.

I love the colors, especially the green and blue. But they look like what I already have. So similar to Urban Decay and TheBalm and even MAC. I guess I will always be drawn to these colors which are surprisingly very pigmented and have a huge color pay-off. They are soft and blendable. Very nice. So much better than the other palettes I have from Too Faced.

It is going for SGD 68 which is not too bad, even though it is USD 35 online. But when you factor in the sales tax (since it does not ship internationally) and exchange rate and shipping cost, the difference is negligible.

The Canteen - Prawn Noodles Soup

The Canteen over at Shaw House or is it Shaw Centre (at Isetan Scotts area) is currently having discount during lunch so it made it quite ok to dine there.

I wanted something soupy and so decided on the prawn noodles soup which seemed quite good when a gf ordered it previously. I requested for a mix of vermicelli which they did not have. Instead I had a mix of yellow noodles and rice noodles in a broth which was pretty tasty.

It came with prawns, pork ribs (a bit too porky for my taste) and sliced fishcakes. Simple and good.

Hua Li Xuan @ Illuma, Bugis

Another new mall which opened earlier this year in Singapore - Illuma over at Bugis. It also has the dancing lights which has invaded Orchard Road. Most of the shopping centers in Orchard has installed bright lights which flickered and dazzled people - all because STB or whichever government agency in Singapore has suggested, recommended or stipulated (or whatever the correct term is, I forgot what I read in the document :p) that there should be bright lights in Orchard Road to attract more visitors and make it a shopping destination a la those in other cosmopolitan cities.

So like the herd mentality, almost all the malls installed that and made it a driving nightmare at night along Orchard Road. Maybe they should come with warning that the dancing lights may cause epilectic seizeures for those prone to it like what they do in the States/Canada every time an advertisement containing spinning/fast blinking images will be shown.

The first time I saw the flickering lights on Illuma in the office, I thought what had happened. Why there were flashes of light in the office. And it did create headaches and dizziness so we had taken to lowering the blinds when that happened.

Anyway, despite working so close to Illuma, I never really bother to explore it or even want to check it out. It did not seem that interesting or exciting to me. So we were there a couple of weeks ago because there was no where else I wanted to go and gf suggested it.

Not all the shops were opened yet and the few we saw were ok. Lots of clothing stores with clothes that came from China, Korea and Hong Kong. Some were not too bad but just not my style at all. There was a cineplex on the upper level and the restaurants were also there, just a level down.
We decided to try Hua Li Xuan which I recalled reading about in the papers about its mini Asian burgers. Also we did not want to be in Illuma and try the usual restaurants which you can find in other places.

The mini burgers sampler set. Quite affordable as this was less than $5. You could choose any 3 burgers from the selection available. We decided on sweet and sour pork, chicken teriyaki and black pepper beef.

The teriyaki chicken which was average. It did not give a wow effect. We also chose steamed buns.

Sweet and sour pork which was not too bad.

The best of the lot was the black pepper beef which tickled the senses and packed a punch.

My main - dan dan mian. I was told to order the dry version as apparently the soup version was not great. It looked boring but it sure looked deceiving. The sauce underneath was flavorful and you could taste the seasame in it. It also felt healthy with the generous serving of cucumbers and carrots.

Another bestseller was the chili crayfish noodles which gf ordered. It sure was spicy.

Shape Run 2009 Runners' Kit + Nike Finisher Bracelet

The route for Shape Run 2009. See the many turns for this year.

The booths and various points around the Millenia Walk area. So confusing.

I finally got around to taking a picture of the goodies inside the Runners' Kit, the things which everyone told me made Shape Run so popular. Since Shape Run is the only "Run" I have participated in, I don't really know what are the usual items given out at other runs or marathons.

All I know is that the registration fee for Shape Run has gone up steadily. Maybe that is to cover the goodies (but, they are all sponsored!) or the manpower or for the baggage deposit counter. Did you know that you have to pay to deposit your bags at the Great Eastern Run? Yes, you have to pay and reserve in advance since there are only 2000 slots for that.

So what is inside the Runners' Kit? Lots of samples which I hardly use.

- Complete multi-purpose solution

- LYNK pain and itch cream

- Osteocare calcium magnesium tablets

- Vicks vapodrops

- Madara face moisturizer

- MotorImage phone dangler

- Ligo raisins

- H2O isotonic drink (the only thing I drank on that day itself)

- O.B. tampons

- Kellogg's Special K cereals

- Nature Valley oats and honey bar

- Natural sunflower and canola oil

- Counterpain

- Nescafe 3-in-1 high calcium and collagen sachets

- Dr. Jointpain cream

- Equal sweetener

- Ginvera spa shower series sachets (Apricot, Lavender and collagen/ginger)

- Sunplay sunscreen lotions

- Numerous spa or fitness centers vouchers for either free trials or special rates from Fitness First, Amore, True Fitness, Fitness Werkz, focuspilates, Body Contours, Royal Secrets, Ahava, Parkway Health, Madara, Rustic Nirvana)

There are definitely more food items than last year and more vouchers too. I think I should start planning my schedule to try the various places :p

And this is the item which quite upset several runners who did not get it. The Finisher Bracelet from Nike.

I like the quote printed on the box. That is very inspiring indeed.

"What's amazing isn't that YOU finished. What's amazing is that YOU had the courage to start."

Often the stumbling block is getting to the starting line. To start anything at all.

A bit blurry, the other side of the charm - Shape Run 09 Finisher. A very nice momento to remember the race.

What got the runners upset was that not everyone managed to get the bracelet as some people took more than they should. So the 8,800 pieces prepared by Nike could not meet the demand.

What was funny was that I did not even notice that the bracelets were given out by "Hunks" which was the USP for Nike media angle. They looked like boys or teenagers to me, not hunks at all. Apparently they were dressed in tuxs too but I just could not remember anything at all. Lol. Too tired after running to notice much.

I did not even know there will be a finisher bracelet to be given out until the race itself when my gf told me about it. Even then I was only vaguely aware that Nike would be giving out something. So I managed to get a box after I completed the race because I saw it was Nike. Otherwise I would have missed out on it too.

Another gf then told me it was mentioned in My Paper which since I did not read, I would not know about it.

Hope the results will be out by this weekend. I would like to know the actual net time I did.

Bangers & Mash @ Taka Food Hall

I was in Takashimaya a few weeks ago and decided to just try one of those tiny food stalls near the escalator. Wandering around, deciding between fish and chips or the Japanese fried food when I decided to try the bangers and mash. I was sold by the mashed potatoes as I was craving a good nice mashed potatoes which would be creamy and rich and smooth.

Unfortunately the mashed potatoes from this place was anything but that. It seemed to come from an instant mix. Bleah. The sausages were garlic herb chicken which were not too bad. Then again, how badly could you mess up sausages?

Sigh, I need to go buy potatoes so that I can make my own mashed potatoes. Buttery rich, creamy with milk and sprinkled with freshly grind black pepper. A pinch of taste for taste and mashed it all up and you will be good to go.

Shape Run 2009

Yes, I believe in torturing myself. I signed up for Shape Run 2009 on the 2nd day of registration and managed to get one of the coveted slots. It set a new record for itself as all 8000 spots were taken up within 48 hours after registration was opened.

At least this year the tee was fuchsia, much nicer than last year which was lime green. Not that it mattered much as I only wore the top for the run, so it would be a one-time affair.

We got there bright and early. Well, not so bright as it was still in the wee hours of 640am or so when we walked to the Shape Run 2009 area. The baggage deposit area with neat rows indicating the participants' race numbers. It was quite orderly and it took me less than 5 minutes to claim my bag after the run.

My running buddy and I. Though she usually left me after the start point since she ran and I brisk-walked or ran/jogged a little throughout the 5km.

The crowd waiting for the race to start. It was late this year and we could hardly hear anything at all. It was a strange location to have the event over at the Millenia Walk area where all the booths were scattered around the place.

The place for the 5km participants. We were quite behind this year and it proved to be a factor in the timing. Last year we were just behind the 10km participants and so finished faster.

Still waiting though the 10km participants had been flagged off. We moved up towards the front.

We were stuck at the traffic light for a while and now finally started walking again towards the start point. Finally we got to see the sign.

Still walking, you saw how people were just walking towards the start point. I realized it was because there was no point to start running before that as the energy would be wasted. The timing would only be counted on when you hit the start point and later after you hit the Finish line.

The organizers have decided to do a "net time" which would give runners their real timing. Time they hit the start line and time they finished. That would be printed on the certificate. So that means, my timing would be slightly better than the time I saw on the clock when I finished. This year it was worse as I completed in 55:55. The route seemed longer than last year when we ran around the Marina IR area and through Shenton Way.

There were so many U-turns in the run round the Kallang Basin and towards Golden Mile Complex and then to Concourse area before turning back and passed the Singapore Flyer. It was quite boring - just the road and concrete and trees. No historical buildings or sculptures to look at.

Plus there were so many "loopholes" that I saw 3 runners who did not did the entire run. 2 "aunties" or in their 50s or so just cut across to the other side before the halfway mark when they saw runners coming back from the 1st U-turn (still a distance away). They did it so blatantly and the 3 marshals on the other side never noticed at all since they were looking at the returning runners and not in our direction. The 2 aunties just joined the returning runners as if they have ran.

The 2nd incident was just before the water station. A runner in her 20s suddenly turned around and looked as if she was looking for someone or something and then just hopped over to the other lane where the returning runners were.

It was quite disgusting actually to know such participants existed, especially if they were competitive runners and managed to earn a top 3 spots. To me, participating in such runs, was to challenge myself. To push myself to my physical limit. I know I cannot run, but I can walk. It is a mass workout.

Anyway, at the end of the Run, it was madness. As usual, there was no proper signage or queue. You saw people lining up but you had no idea what they were queuing for. Luckily HZ had a colleagues who were running too, and they helped us to collect the Runner Kits.

This year I did not hang around to check out the booths - Kelloggs, Biore, Marigold yogurt and other more. So the only free things I got was the Runner Kit and the water and H2O plus a Finisher Bracelet from Nike.

I was hungry 10 minutes before I completed the run. Hahahaha. I did not have any breakfast or much drink before the event started. So after getting the kit, we went to Food Republic at Suntec as I totally forgot where Ya Kun was in the area. But there was ToastBox inside FR. So I got the badly needed iced coffee (so good it woke me up) and Boluo Yao.

I was still hungry and bought this fried beehoon set which included a chicken wing and egg, I added some ikan bilis/peanuts. Not too bad.

I guess having the run in the Marina area meant the malls in the surroundings would benefit from the 8000 runners plus their supporters in the morning sales.

Thai Accent, VivoCity

Another of my favorite place in VivoCity is Thai Accent. It does serve pretty decent Thai food. They have expanded and added more tables outside for an al fresco dining experience. There are ceiling fans to cool the warm air. Nice.

I decided to order the Thai iced coffee instead of my usual Thai iced tea. Quite a mistake as the tea would definitely be much better. The coffee was not that nice at all though I loved the presentation with the different layers of liquids in the glass.

I managed to to snag a table by the floor to ceiling windows and got a great view of Sentosa. You could see it was a real sunny day. Watching the cable cars traveling from Mount Faber to Sentosa and the never ending construction of the Resorts World IR (Integrated Resort). It would surely be bustling with life once it was done. What with the casino and Universal World theme park and other events going on over there.

Tom Yum beehoon seafood soup which was fiery hot. It was spicy and tangy and infused with the lemongrass and coconut milk.

My order of the chicken basil rice which came with a fried egg and slices of tomato and cucumbers for the cursory veggies. This was good, I could taste the fish sauce and basil in the basil chicken.

We also ordered a hotplate of egg tofu and shrimps. Again, it came with the frozen veggies of corns, carrots and peas. I loved hotplate tofu. So yummy with the bottom lightly charred.

Sometimes I do not understand why some restaurants persist in serving the cucumbers, tomatoes and frozen vegs in their dishes.

Ladies Night @ Greenhouse (Ritz Carlton)

DBS Credit Card has a promotion with Ritz Carlton which will end on 31 July 2009. Ladies Night at Greenhouse where ladies get to enjoy a 1-for-1 dinner buffet every Wednesday. It proves to be so popular that when I called to make reservations in May, I was told they are fully booked for May and June and I have to wait till July for a table.

So I duly made reservations for 2 Wednesday nights for different groups of friends. It turned out that one of the Wednesdays would be Thai themed food as there would be a visiting Thai chef. Ritz called me to check if I would still want to keep the reservations or move it to another Wednesday. We decided to keep it as it would be different from the usual.

The usual dinner buffet at Greenhouse which seemed to have so much more seafood than usual (definitely more than lunch). There was also a "liquid buffet" from 630pm to 1030pm where at $29++, you get unlimited servings of sparkling wine, house red and white wines, house pour hard liquor, chilled juices, soda and mineral water.

I always loved the cream of mushroom soup which usually had truffle oil, giving it an extra ooomph of richness. Unfortunately, it did not seem to be present that night. I liked the cheese breadstick, slice of nutty bread and the date and herb bun. They went so well with the soup.

There were 5 types of sashimi available - tuna, salmon, swordfish, octopus and yellowtail or mackeral. I chose the salmon and swordfish which were so fresh. The raw fish would only be sliced upon telling the chef. I requested for a 2-persons portion in the above pic.

There were so many variety of chilled seafood - mussels, scallops, clams, prawns, crabs, oysters - salads, appetizers, different types of sushi, chawanmushi, cha soba... I had 3 oysters which were freshly shucked and tasted so good. No "fishy" smell or taste at all. After shucking, the oysters were dipped in water or something to remove any remaining brine or grits. The scallop was very sweet too.

My mains - the steamed snapper was sweet and soft and fresh. The braised beef was very tender and just melted in my mouth. Surprisingly I liked the Singapore fried noodles. It was fried just right, not too soggy or hard and the seafood bits in there were lovely. Black pepper crabs were the highlight.

Other dishes included roasted duck, chicken, sambal prawns, sauteed pasta, greens, satay, Indian food, Vegetarian food, cheeses, crackers, breads, and many more.

I pigged out on desserts this time - tiramisu which was soaked with espresso, creme brulee which was so good. The black forest cake was also good. I didn't like the lemon meringue nor the raspberry cake. The chocolate cake was good at first bite. Strangely after I took a sip of the coffee, the chocolate cake did not taste nice thereafter.

The chocolate mousse cup which was so rich and bitter was mind blowing good.

My indulgence - 4 scoops of ice cream sprinkled with almond flakes and chocolate balls and sauce. Caramel, tiramisu, chocolate chip and coffee ice cream. One word - amazing!

Now I can't wait for the next dinner at Greenhouse featuring Thai dishes.