2nd Visit to Dian Xiao Er @ VivoCity

We went to Dian Xiao Er again as I felt like having the roasted duck. We were there around 630pm and managed to get a table pretty quickly despite the long line. I guessed it helped that they allowed you to look at the menu and order while waiting for the table. Plus there were only 2 of us and their policy of only seating full parties ensured a steady turnover of customers.

We decided on the set meal where the number of dishes corresponded to the number of persons in your party. We had 5 items including rice.
First up was the soup of the day ~ pork ribs with lotus roots soup. It was actually very nice and reminded me of the soup my grandma used to cook. I liked how red dates were added to lend sweetness to the soup. The pork was fairly tender and the lotus root was crunchy.

I just loved the baby kailan with lime and salted fish. There were cut chilies in there too to up the spice factor. The tart and savory taste of the veggies went so well with the rice.

We got to choose between the Mongolian pork ribs and the Dong Po meat (braised pork belly) and we selected the pork ribs as reviews likened the sauce to be spicy like black pepper sauce with hint of coffee. I liked it! It was so yummy and the meat was generous too.

Finally, the duck. It was the duck in Angelica (tang gui) sauce. The duck was still tender and not so gamey, but the Angelica sauce was ok. I liked herby type of sauce and I much preferred what I had previously - the 10 herbs sauce. Maybe I liked dark colored gravy better than this pale colored gravy.

It was just too much food for 2 persons or girls, I wondered if we had a party of 3 girls, they would allow us to order the set for 2 persons or it had to go to 3 persons set. In any case, Dian Xiao Er could be my new favorite Chinese restaurant for simple fare and duck.

After Lunch-Drinks at Lobby Lounge, Shangri-La

Our day of lounging and chilling continued. She wanted to have a drink after lunch and I thought of Blu as I have always love the place. We went up and found out it only opened at 6pm. So off we went and ended up at the Lobby Lounge.

I ordered the Shangri-La Pimms and it was really good too. I liked it. My new found light alcoholic drink. I also loved the bar snack provided. 3 types - cashews, almonds and a sweetish spicy tapioca type of chip. Yummy!

I was quite surprised to discover the Lobby Lounge was quite spacious as I only saw the front part every time I walked past it. There was another section which was hidden. It was fairly quiet though all the tables by the glass windows facing the pool were occupied.

This section was totally empty. I just love the purple fabric for the chairs. This would be the shade of purple if I was to name my favorite color. It just made the chair looked rich and inviting without the opulence or pompousness.

Note: The drinks are mostly above $20 each.

Lunch at The Line, Shangri-La

It has been some time since I last went to The Line at Shangri-La. Somehow I just never really went back despite liking the food. One thing is certain, 17 stations are just too many and are mind-boggling. I can really never get to try everything, the eyes are always greedier than the tummy :p I was there for lunch on Monday and the spread was still huge, but with slightly less items than the dinner. My cold dish - the oysters were freshly shucked and super sweet. Plump and firm and sweet. I have not tasted such wonderful oysters in a long time. The tuna and salmon sashimi were usual. After watching The Cove, I kept thinking of the mercury content in tuna. According to a website where you could check how much mercury content is in a fish, tuna has a pretty high content too, particularly those nice cuts like otoro. Oops.

The Italian plate - the caesar salad was nice, but not as good as the one I had at Rose Veranda. The gnocchi in herb cream sauce was not too bad. I liked the pumpkin risotto which was a bit sweet. The pizza was a bit soft so it was not fantastic at all.

The roast beef was ultra delicious. I recently fell in love with roast beef and this was excellent. The tender juicy pink meat was not bloody at all and the think slice made it easier to chew too. The mustard and gravy went so well with the beef. I wished I had taken another slice. The roast potatoes were ok as was the cereal salmon.

The Indian plate - masala chicken was yummy and the naan was so nice with the spinach and eggplants. The fish was so-so. The chicken satay was grilled on the spot and was tender soft. Very nice.

Dessert time. The creme brulee was so much better when compared to Rose Veranda. It was topped with a thin layer of burnt sugar which cracked easily and was great with the creamy custard. The macaroon was not too bad. The chocolate log cake was so so so good. Dark chocolate mousse. Yummy.

I was so filled up after the Indian food but still made room for ice cream :p I tried the chocolate, strawberry and green tea with cookies crumbs topping. The ice cream was average. I much prefer the ice cream selection at Ritz Carlton Greenhouse.

So I still didn't get to try quite a lot of things. The local noodles station which people have raved about the wanton noodles and prawn mee soup. I also didn't get to the dim sum and Chinese section. There were more sushi and salad and cold seafood and desserts which I could only see and not eat.

A big THANK YOU to my friend who wanted to cheer me up by getting me out of the house. We had already agreed to meet for lunch and I thought we would be going to a coffeeshop near our homes. Instead she said to go to town (and she disliked going to town!) as she wanted to treat me to a nice meal since she knew I was feeling a bit down then. When I heard that, I was touched and immediately felt better as I certainly did not expect it at all.

I feel so blessed and thankful to be surrounded by good friends who are there for me in their own ways. I love you all :)

Rose Veranda Again (Shangri-La)

I totally forgot I had promised a friend we would go to Rose Veranda at Shangri-La until she told me she had already applied for leave. Luckily I was able to reserve a table as it was quite full. Most tables were reserved for the afternoon tea session, not many were like us who just stayed there for the entire day.

This was the first time I actually tried the caesar salad and it was the right decision. The salad was so fresh. The crisp and crunchy green lettuce looked so appetizing and whoever did the mixing did a marvelous job of maintaining a balance of the dressing, anchovies and bacon with the greens. I loved it!

As usual, I needed my sandwiches. The mini brioche was nice, but not its pairing of tomato slices with brie (or was it camembert). It just tasted wrong. In the end, I added smoked salmon to the brioche and removed the cheese and that made it so much better. The slightly sweet bread with the savory smoked salmon.

The layout of the food had changed and the sushi and sashimi were kept in a chiller at a corner next to the soup section.

We decided to break for dessert after the cold items. Macaroon was nice, as was the tiramisu and chocolate mousse thing. The creme brulee was not that great as the sugar was too thick and it stuck to the teeth.

We shared the cake and the chocolate mousse cake was still my favorite. It was so soft by the time I got to it that it just fell on its side. The black forest cake and strawberry shortcake were not too bad either.

The hot food. I was not particularly tempted by them though I liked the siew mai and samosa. The drumlet was not too bad and the roasted potato was soggy. Maybe it had been in the warmer for too long with the cover down, resulting in a steaming effect?

Took a break of about an hour and then tried the tom yam noodle which was not nice at all. So I hardly touched it. The soup was not very tom yam-y as it lacked the fiery and sourish punch. It was a bit bland. Only the prawn was nice. Big and juicy and crunchy and sweet.

My last plate. I still preferred the samosas though the black pepper prawns with the yellow rice were not too bad. The cheese tart was average and the dumplings were quite hard by the time I took them.

After about 3 to 4 pots of different types of tea out of the 102 choices available, I switched to coffee. I ordered the Viennesse Coffee which was black coffee with whipped cream.

I totally forgot whipped cream was sweet and added 2 sugar cubes, making the coffee very sweet. Good thing I have a sweet tooth ;p I loved how Rose Verandah served the sugar cubes which were individually wrapped. That was so hygenic though probably not very environmentally friendly.

I still think Rose Veranda is a nice place to just chill on a weekday if you have the entire aftenoon free and just wanted to get away from it all. The food is not special but the highlight is more in the place and the choices of tea available.

Waroeng 613, Concorde Shopping Centre

I have always walked past Waroeng 613 when I am going towards Plaza Singapura from Centrepoint, and am always intrigued by the food. It is a quite a hole in the wall type of eatery as it has no loud banners announcing its presence at the Concorde Shopping Centre (previously known as Le Meridien Shopping Centre). It is at the corner of the building right where the traffic junction is.

Last week we decided to head there for a late lunch. We ordered the grilled squid set and Asem Sayur set with a side order of beef rendang. The grilled squid was very good. Tender and with a gentle bite to it, it was not rubbery at all. The set came with a small bowl of asem sayur, rice, veggies, tofu, crackers and sambal. The veggies reminded me so much of the typical Indonesian food which I used to eat when younger. Having Indonesian relatives means regular exposure to Indo food, especially those from Jakarta.

The asem sayur set came with rice, flattened fried beef (forgot the Indo name), crackers and the sambal. The soup was quite disappointing as I was expecting more of an assam (tamarind) taste. Instead it was a bit bland and mild with a slightly sweet aftertaste. I much prefer the version over at Ayam Penyet Ria which was more like home-cooking.

The side dish of beef rendang. It looked tiny but it was actually quite substantial for two persons to share. The rendang was fabulous and went very well over the rice and the beef was quite tender and soft.

The prices were affordable with sets at below $10. We had freshly squeezed juices and they also offered many types of shakes, including avocado. Oh, the sets also came with desserts of a jelly and a piece of fruit. You could also order the grilled bananas too.

Location

100 Orchard Road

#02-69 Concorde Shopping Centre

Tel: +65.6235.1613

Gusttimo, ION Orchard

It was late and we wanted a drink. Gusttimo over at ION Orchard was opened and so we went over and just chilled, watching the vehicles drove by. I had a lychee soda which was lychee syrup with soda water and a tiny scoop of kiwi sorbet. It was pretty refreshing, but they could have serve it with a spoon too. The kiwi sorbet added a tartness to the sweet lychee syrup.

I have read some bad reviews about Gusttimo, particularly on its "rule" about having to order 3 flavors of gelato. The cost is decent at $5.90 for 3 flavors, but they are very rigid about the customers having to order 3 different flavors. That really does not make any sense at all, to force customers to choose 3 flavors when they only want 1 flavor.

I really don't see the issue if the customers want 1 flavor. Just give them 3 scoops of the same flavor and the price will still be the same. Maybe they just want to stick to their claim of having "29,760 ways to indulge flavors of love."

The flavors look interesting. I would love to try dolcissimo (pecans + brownies) and panna cotta (vanilla pudding + macadamia nuts) and the various chocolate flavors. Maybe next time. The food menu also seems quite ok.

Old Town White Coffee @ East Coast Parkway

I have been drinking Old Town White Coffee instant coffee mix more than I ate at the outlets since the office only stocked that. I like the coffee as it is strong and robust, plus there is a 2-in-1 mix which excludes sugar.

However I am not used to the coffee served over at the outlet as it just tastes different from the mix. You need to add your own sugar and frankly, I much prefer to add condensed milk than sugar. Maybe that is the reason for its popularity? Because its coffee is different from other coffee places like Killiney and Ya Kun.


The chicken rendang nasi lemak is so good. The rice is lemak (very coconut-flavored) and the chili is gorgeous with pieces of ikan bilis (anchovies) and strips of onions in it. The chicken rendang is super yummy. Soft and tender with rendang gravy over it. It is quite a huge portion so it will be nice to share.

The fried mee siam is not too bad also. I'm strange, I actually prefer those packets of fried mee siam that are sold in 7-11 or cold storage :p The portion is slightly smaller as it is only available during breakfast hours.

Somehow I don't find their french toast or kaya toast that nice, when compared to the other places or even the neighborhood coffee shops. I think it is only the food which is not too bad.

Location

902 East Coast Parkway #01-08/09

Blk B Playground @ Big Splash

Tel: +65 6344 4404

Marriott Cafe

It has been a long time since I last had a meal at Marriott Cafe inside Marriott Hotel. So J was in town and we just decided to have dinner at Marriott Cafe since it was nearby. Initially I wanted the dinner buffet, but after checking out the dishes, I changed my mind. The food was not that appetizing since I was feeling a bit under the weather. The start of my low grade fever then.

I decided on the sea bass with olive sauce over it and steamed asparagus and baby potatoes. It was very nice. The fish was smooth and slid down the throat easily and the asparagus was crunchy and fresh. A simple but yummy meal.

Prego on Eve of National Day

We wanted to go to Pete's Place at Grand Hyatt but it was full so the next best alternative was Prego at Fairmont Hotel (off Raffles City Shopping Centre), especially since I still have the FAR card. The caesar salad was so good. Fresh and crisp lettuce made it all the more enjoyable. As one of my friends is a muslim, the staff was very accommodating in removing all pork from our dishes. They forgot the first time and we had to send back the salad and this was the second bowl. But after that, they remembered. Even without the bacon bits, the caesar salad was still enjoyable.

The seafood squid ink pasta which we shared too. Another friend who is a very fussy and exacting eater did this. Now we could understand why. Look at the way she served our portion on the plate. Such a neat coil of pasta with a huge piece of prawn.

And of course, I just had to have my white pizza. The bacon had been removed but the porcini mushrooms and cheese still infused an appetizing flavor to the pizza. I just love white pizza.

We ended the meal with this dessert. It was very late when we ordered it, around 11ish pm or so, and the kitchen was more or less closed. Only a few desserts were available and this was our choice. I could not remember the name but it was like a mudpie or ice cream cake. Chocolate ice cream topped with an oreo-like crust drizzled with caramel and served with berries.

It was so good, even better as we shared it. This was a much better option than tiramisu which could get a bit heavy at night with all the cream and mascarpone cream.

Prego always gave good service. Many times we had stayed there till after midnight and never once did they make us feel unwelcome. Probably that was why we stayed past midnight as we just did not notice the time at all. Or maybe it helped that everytime that happened, we had a bottle of wine :p

Red Roses in Room

There is something about flowers which can make a bad day go good, or lift up the mood or just to brighten the room and makes everything look better.

Flowers and plants add warmth and life into the rooms or places. That is probably the reason why some doctors' offices have them, or restaurants, offices and other establishments. I am never really a flower person, as in I don't go ga-ga over them. They are nice to have, pleasant to look at but not a must in my life.

I start to look at flowers differently after staying with JH when in Canada. She loves flowers and will always buy them to add a cheer to her place. It also helps that her then bf, now husband works in a nursery auction place and always has leftover flowers destinated for the dump, and he will bring bring lots of flowers for her. Everyday, there will be flowers everywhere, at least 5 vaseful. In the kitchen, bedroom, living room and work area. It really made the place very welcoming and cheerful.

So I was feeling a little down recently and when I passed by the flowers displayed at the supermarket, I just picked up the red roses to cheer myself up. It worked! Smelling the sweet rosy scent made me feel better. Putting the roses into the vase and looking at them brought a smile to the face.

In fact, I feel quite liberated to buy the roses as usually the flowers I received were gifts from others. I think I want to make it a habit to buy flowers once a week so that I will have something beautiful to look at when I am home.

Elvis Toast Set @ The Canteen

This is my new favorite afternoon tea snack ~ Elvis toast set with Kopi - C from The Canteen at Shaw House. Or is it Shaw Centre? I can never get it right. Anyway, The Canteen is just outside Isetan Scotts, next to Canele. Under the Les Amis group, it serves local dishes. In the afternoon, they will serve different types of toast with coffee or tea.

This is absolutely the best toast I ever had. The bread is crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, with rich buttery taste exploding in the mouth with each bite. The peanut butter is smooth and sticks on the roof of the mouth which is super nice. The banana is mashed up finely and the sweetness contrasts marvelously with the salty sticky peanut butter.

It is a decent huge piece of toast too, and is a substantial snack. You get to choose the type of coffee or tea (regular or with evaporated milk or black) which is nice.

Euphon Menthol Lozenges

A friend recommended Euphon Menthol Lozenges which I bought from the Guardian Pharmacy as I was coughing non-stop and it worked pretty well. It helped to soothe the throat and stop the coughing spell.

I like that it looked like usual pastilles and the white flecks looked like sugar but it was not so sweet like sugar. It did not stick to the fingers too. It tasted cool which was probably due to the menthol.

My cough attacks had reduced and I thought I finally beat it yesterday but it came back again today. So yes, 3 weeks and counting. At least I have something on hand to cut off the attack.

Dining Room, Sheraton Towers

It was always crowded when I went to the Dining Room at Sheraton Towers for the Saturday High Tea buffet, so it caught me by surprise to see the room barely half filled. So either the economy was still very bad or the regulars who usually frequented the place had left town during the long National Day weekend. We got there around 1+ pm and it became apparent that when the crowd is thin, it meant the turnover of food was slow. The sandwiches were soggy, not as tasty as before. They had been out there for too long.

The upside was that I finally got to take more pieces of the sashimi as this usually disappeared quickly. Unfortunately the sashimi at Sheraton Towers was not as fresh or nice as those served at Ritz Carlton Greenhouse.

The duck crepe and duck pie tie were still good as they were prepared fresh on the spot.

Laksa again. This was still very good with the lemak gravy and laksa leaves making it so fragrant.

The chocolate lava cake with vanilla ice cream. They brought it to the table when it was done.

The hot chocolate oozing out from the cake. I still did not really like it, except for the chocolate inside the cake.

Dessert - the chocolate truffle cake was real yummy with the rich taste of dark chocolate and the thin soft sponge cake with a biscuity base. The bread and butter pudding was not too bad either.

For once I did not take anything from the hot food selection. Somehow I was not that hungry that day though what I had was plenty enough too. We really tend to overeat when at buffet, just so we can try everything. Always an impossible feat.

Brewerkz, Riverside Point

It has been some years since I went to Brewerkz, and it still looked the same. I had the small portion of the Bistro burger which had blue cheese, onions and mushrooms. You got to choose between onion rings and fries for the side. The burger was medium well though it was still a bit tough, not that juicy at all. The bun was nicely toasted though.

A friend ordered the angel hair pasta which was vegetarian with only tomatoes and mushroom in a pesto sauce. After realizing there was no meat, we ordered hot wings to share. The pasta looked quite appetizing though after a while, I would think one would get sick of the pesto sauce.

I am still trying to find a dish that is really nice from Brewerkz, besides the hot wings. So far the cobb salad was not what I like, nor was the Shepherd Pie. Maybe that is why I hardly go to Brewerkz though it is a nice place to be for Sunday brunch.

Massage at Touche, Palais Renaissance

After postponing my massage appointment at Touche over at Palais Renaissance a few times, I finally made it there. Utilizing the voucher which I received from Shape Run 2009, I had a free rose body scrub and a massage which I added on for a trial fee.

This was my first time to Touche at Palais Renaissance and I could safely say it would be my last. It was on Level 4 and I did not realize the escalators in the main building only get up to Level 3. I had to take the elevator to Level 4.

Basically above level 3 of Palais Renaissance was where offices are housed, not the mainstream or luxury boutiques and restaurants. So I felt a bit strange to walk to Touche as it felt like I was walking to an office unit. The reception area of Touche was pretty standard with the burning of essential oil and soft music playing in the background.

The staff were polite and service was decent. The restroom was located outside at the end of the corridor. Initially I thought the office across from the restroom was a domestic helper agency as I saw the helpers all standing outside in a row, waiting. Then I realized the office was a pre-school or early childhood learning school and the helpers were all waiting for their charges.

These factors were still acceptable as the massage and service were usually key to having a good experience though ambience and place play a part too.

The therapist was pretty good and had firm strong hands to knead the muscles. But my main gripe was with the room. It was the tiniest room I have ever been to.
Barely room to be in between the door and bed. It was that small a room. The therapist told me she used to bang into the wall when massaging when she first started as there was just no room at all.

Hardly any space between the sink and the bed and the wall. See the marking on the wall? It was caused after prolong rubbing against it, probably by the therapist.

There was another door leading into the bathtub and portable shower which was shared by another treatment room. So there were 3 sliding doors for the bath/shower room and people could just enter when you were showering even though there was a shower screen for privacy.

The portable type of shower meant that it was a very plasticky type of space. I was told to wear the flip-flops into the shower area and then I realize the drainage was very slow so I was standing in a pool of water while showering. It also took a long time for the water to subside so I just rinse my foot one at a time before stepping out.

The total treatment was pretty short too. When I made the appointment, I was told it would take about 90mins. But my entire treatment took just 60mins or so. Very short for a body scrub and massage. I told the receptionist the massage was very short when she asked me how I found the service. She said it was a trial so it was only 45minutes. I still felt it was short than that as how could you squeeze in a body scrub, shower time and massage in 60minutes when the massage was already 45minutes?

I doubt I will go back to Touche again as the room was just too small. I have been to the outlet in Bugis are and it was equally small but I did not recall it as being that small. Then again, I only tried the eye mask at the Touche in Bugis.