Sunrise in the City

I rarely get to see sunrises, despite being a morning person, and so it was a treat to be able to watch the sky slowly brighten up. It is actually a lovely view of the city center area. Suntec City, Singapore Flyer, Ritz-Carlton...

The other view from my room. The building of Sands, Esplanade, the Cenotaph...by then the pinkish daybreak is almost over.

TWG Tea at ION Orchard

If you are a tea lover, then you will definitely adore TWG Tea for its vast array of tea blends available. With the opening of ION Orchard, it now has a boutique and salon in the heart of Orchard Road.

Established in Singapore, TWG (The Wellness Group) Tea offers over 800 types of tea. The mind boggles when presented with the tea menu.

With names such as Emerald Sun, First Kiss, Double Happiness, Magic Moment Tea, Valentine Breakfast Tea, Ocean Voyage Tea, Weekend in Casablanca Tea, Golden Rose Tea and Secret of Kashmir Tea, it is not a wonder to be drawn to the place again and again.

Besides tea, it also serves pastisseries and light meals and macarons. I love the rows of tea canisters lining up in the dark wood paneling and shelves.

Une glacé, anyone? A scoop of ice cream in a tea cup. I love the traditional proper place setting. It is the little touches which make a difference to the entire dining experience.

The shallow teacup allows the heat to dissipate faster which may not be agreeable to those who loves their tea to be super hot. For me, it is perfect as I could sip it without burning my tongue. I could not remember what I had, but it was in the white tea range with a subtle hint of floral.
We had macarons to go with the tea. The dark brown macaron had caramel in the centre and it was the bestseller. Not too sweet despite the caramel and it was slightly sticky chewy too. The other was something rose. It was a bit sweeter than the other and not too bad too.

TWG Tea was insanely crowded even on a Monday afternoon. It would be wise to make reservations.

Martini Bar @ Mezza 9, Grand Hyatt Singapore

Something blue which looked so pretty. A blue martini from the numerous available at the Martini Bar off Mezza 9 in Grand Hyatt Singapore. Besides alcohol, they also served bar snack food and coffee and tea and juices for the non-alcoholic.

The bratwurst which was pretty good. Served with sauteed sliced onions and mustard, the sausage was a tasty snack.
We also shared a mini burger which had a thick juicy meat patty topped with melted cheese and came with fries and gerkin. This was also very good as the fries were hot and crispy, and the burger was a good bite with fresh crisp lettuce.
My cup of cappuccino as it was pretty cold and I wanted something to stay warm.
Still feeling a bit peckish, I checked out the dessert counter at the main restaurant (Mezza 9) and ordered the strawberry shortcake. This was not too bad, with light vanilla sponge cake layered with fresh sweet cream and bits of strawberries.

Afternoon Tea @ Sherie's

Pretty delectable cupcakes, made by my friend Sherie. She is an amazing baker who makes the most delicious baked goods. She invited us (or rather, I self-invited and then it snowballed to an official invitation :p) to her place to try the red velvet cupcakes, in her words, we were the guinea pigs. And oh, we were such willing (guinea) pigs. Hehehehe.

Red velvet cupcake with very light cream cheese vanilla frosting. The frosting has real vanilla beans in it. See the tiny flecks of vanilla beans in them.

Our simple tea party where the cupcakes were the centerpiece. Celest and I added on the Malay sardine and potatoes curry puffs (or curry poks) and bbq chicken wings. Sweet and savory always go well together.

Then an unexpected treat ~ freshly baked bread rolls just out from the oven. Even though Sherie messaged to say the bread is ready, it did not register in my mind that she actually made it for tea. Hahahaha.

On the cooling rack. There absolutely is nothing like the scent of freshly baked rolls. These were infused with herbs and sun-dried tomatoes.

The first plate with its lovely motif on it. Cupcake and bread roll.

Slathered with generous serving of butter, it was yummilicious! Warm, soft and crusty with the little tart and sweet taste of sun-dried tomatoes and the slightly salty butter, absolutely delicious.

The red velvet cupcake with its ultra-lipsmacking frosting. Being home-made, the frosting was not super sweet like those sold outside. It was just nice. I loved the heart-shaped sprinkles too. So cute and so us! Hahahaha. The cupcake was moist and the frosting really went so well with it.

Red velvet refers to the reddish-brown hue of the cake and is thought to originate from the South (in USA). Some recipes call for red coloring or vinegar where it reacts with cocoa to form the red-brown color. Since there are many debates on the origins and traditions of red velvet cake, more information can be found here.

It is neither a chocolate or vanilla cake, and the taste is normal? Nothing too out of the ordinary, so it probably just looks pretty. More for decorative purposes?

Finally, one last surprise from Sherie. A dessert to round up the tea time feast. She called it a failed chocolate fudge and she turned it into dessert. She added alcohol and it became something like a chocolate trifle topped with a slice of orange. The alcohol content was quite high and each bite was soaked with it. A very rich and nice dessert, best to be shared.

Thank you, Sherie, for inviting us over and for such gorgeous and fabulous goodies and company.

Tully's Coffee & Quiznos Sub, Orchard Central

I probably had my sequence of food wrong but I just decided to have coffee and cake first since I got there around 5pm and it would be another hour or more before meeting friend for dinner.

I settled down with a book and a cup of caramel machiato and a slice of chocolate truffle cake. It was heavenly. To simply cosy up on a comfy chair with a good book, and great coffee and cake.

I was lucky to step into Tully's Coffee when they were grinding the beans as the place was infused with the intense aroma of fresh coffee beans. It was so aromatic that even if I was not in the mood for coffee, I would be upon smelling such tempting, teasing scent.

The coffee was topped with really whipped foamy milk that the foam did not dissipate at all, even after an hour or so. It was good strong coffee tempered with the sweetness of caramel. The chocolate truffle cake was made with good chocolate and was equally good.

I was pretty excited to see they used Ghirardelli chocolate for their beverage. Hmmm....good chocolate = good drinks.

Dinner means the sub from Quiznos. I decided to try the mesquite chicken on brown (whole wheat) bread and cheese broccoli soup. It was good too. The chicken was very tender and there were lots of veggies in the sub. The soup was too rich and cheesey though it tasted good when I dipped the bread into it.

I simply want to try all the subs from Quiznos, and the coffee too. I hope the quality will remain as they continue to expand in Singapore. The next outlet to open will be in Square 2 in Novena area.

Shimbashi Soba Dinner, Paragon

Sometimes you just want something cold, refreshing and fairly light. The only place I can think of is Shimbashi Soba (2 outlets, Raffles City and Paragon). I had one of the set which came with tempura, teriyaki chicken, salmon sashimi, soba and fruits.

I decided to have cold soba which came nicely chilled with wakame and a slice of fish cake and topped with fried tempura crumbs. The teriyaki chicken was tender and brushed with enough sauce to make it unami. The tempura was fried till it was airy soft and crispy.

It was a satisfying and wholesome meal. Simple yet delicious.

Tea break @ The Canteen

After the very nice Elvis toast I had the other day, I went to The Canteen again with another friend. I realized I tend to go to the same few places and maybe try out new places every few months.

Then again, it could be that I am always in the Orchard area and there just are not that many new places (besides ION Orchard) to try out?

Anyway, I decided to try the sardine toast tea set. It was a bit of a disappointment as the bread was thick and it was not toasted till crispy brown. So the edges were just toasted and the inside was soft though not soggy. The sardine filling was nice, a bit spicy with just a slight hint of tanginess. The regular coffee was also much better than the kopi-c I ordered previously.

Then we spilt another order of the Elvis as this was not very satisfying at all. TT was also underwhelmed by her smoked salmon on scrambled egg toast set. The Elvis was soooo good as usual. I would not bother trying the other toasts in future and just stick with the Elvis.

Saturday Dinner Buffet @ Greenhouse, Ritz Carlton

We went to Greenhouse at Ritz Carlton for dinner on Saturday since we were already right smack in the Formula 1 area. It would be a hassle to get out and get back in again. That was the quietest I have ever seen the Greenhouse.

We got there around 830pm and it was pretty empty. The diners either were staying in the area or involved in the F1 Grand Prix. I saw a very good-looking dark-haired Italian guy who looked like he is a model or racer or something. He looks familiar but I cannot place him. He was with with an older man and two beautiful blondes. F1 just brings all the beautiful people together.

My cold plate of salmon sashimi and oysters and a california roll. There were more cold food such as cold crab, clams, mussels, prawns, lobsters (or were they crayfish) and various sushi and sashimi.

I was a bit disappointed that the mushroom truffle soup was not available, but the crabmeat soup was equally yummy. It was like shark fin soup without the shark fin. I loved the tasty thick broth which was not too starchy and filled with lots of crabmeat.

My one and only main. Sin Chew fried beehoon, braised beef, miso dory and caesar salad. The beehoon was so yummy. I liked it! The braised beef was very tender and melted in the mouth and the miso dory was so good too. The salad was crisp and fresh, making it refreshing to the palate.

There were black pepper crabs, garoupa, more veggies, duck breast meat, prawns and other stuff which I did not take. Nor did I take anything from the Indian station.

Finally, my dessert of fresh fruits. Jackfruit and dragonfruit. For once, I did not take anything from the sweets section. No cakes or ice cream. I was just so stuffed from the gorgeous tea over at a friend's place that I was all "sweet-out".

This must be the most healthy meal I had at Greenhouse for a long time. I also did not take any of the coffee or tea as I already had 3 of that earlier in the day.

Note:

I did notice that the wait staff changed the cutlery when I started on the fruits/dessert section. I usually did not pay attention to that until a friend brought up that most places do not change your cutlery unless requested. And that was also the time they would usually offer you coffee or tea when they saw the dessert plates.

Canele, Paragon

Paragon has been underoing renovations and there are many changes to the tenants over there. Canele has moved from its small outlet next to Crabtree & Evelyn to the open space near the escalator, where Delifrance used to be. I like it so much better now, plus it is bigger and definitely more spacious.

I was there for tea and decided to have a cake and share a pizza. The le royale cake was so gooood. Different layers of chocolate mousse, cake, biscuit all made it an ultra sinful treat.

We decided on something simple for the pizza and chose the margherita. It was just tomatoes and cheese and pesto over it on thin crust dough.

It was really good. Fresh out of the oven, so it was hot. Crispy thin crust with warm cheese and the pesto gave a bit of difference to the otherwise normal pizza.

The tomatoes were plump and juicy. It just burst inside the mouth with its sweet and slight tangy liquid to cut away the rich cheese. Very nice indeed.

2009 F1 Singapore Grand Prix

The 2009 Formula 1 Singtel Singapore Grand Prix is here again. The cars, equipment, people and drivers have been trickling in since last week. This year, I will get the opportunity to be there.

Totally unexpected but definitely welcome :) I don't profess to be a big fan of F1 or car racing. I watched it on television last year and I was a bit bored. It helped that I was home and was able to multitask with reading and texting my friends about it.

I am given a pass for today's practice round and it is for the Pit Grandstand! Amazing! Being able to be there is already exciting for me, but to be at the Pit Grandstand is just awesome! It means I can access all zones except the Paddock Club area. For those who are curious, the Pit Grandstand is the 2nd most expensive ticket at $1,488 for 3 days. When you break it up, it is about $500 per day which may not be too bad for ardent fans. After all, people do pay $500 to watch Kylie in concert.

I think it is also a blessing that I am not working at the moment, as that means I can be there early and just walk around the circuit. This will be my workout of the month. Hahahahaha. I cannot wait to go later and just soak up the fun and atmosphere and generally be part of the festivities.

It is just a pity that Backstreet Boys and Travis are not performing today but I will still get to watch other performers. Now if only NKOTB is performing, then I will definitely shell out the big bucks to watch them. Hahahaha.

Last year I could only hear the sounds of the cars whizzing past from my workplace (windows faced the wrong direction) and this year I will be there. A big "THANK YOU" to my friend who had a spare pass and thought to give it to me :)

Opening Soon: Bottega Veneta, ION Orchard

I was stunned and excited when I saw this when passing through Level 1 of ION Orchard. It is official. Bottega Veneta will have another boutique in Singapore. I was told about it and then sworn to secrecy. Now it is known to the public. If my news was correct, it would open in 2010. But now I think it may open sooner, maybe in the next couple of months. To catch the Christmas rush?

And you know you are a BV fan when you can admire the workmanship of the intricate weave in this picture. Observe how real it looks from a 2-D boarding wrap around the store.

Ok, my camera is not very good in capturing the fine details. But you can see and almost feel the undulated buttery soft leather in the picture.

See the gloss. The subtle shine and the closely packed weave with no gaps peeking through. You can just want to slide your hand over it to smooth out the leather.

The image for the boarding wrap was very well taken with extremely high resolution and printed on quality paper.

I am still so in love with Bottega Veneta products. It is such an understated piece of luxury.

Stolen? Gone like the wind...

I was waiting for the bus at the bus stop across my place when I suddenly realized my ezlink card was gone.

So I had my bag containing 2 books, my card case with the ezlink card and gym card in it, key pouch, wallet and phone. Not many things like usual since I was only going to my interchange to return the books. I also had a bag with a pair of pants to be altered.

I sat down at the bus stop, opened my bag and put in the phone (I was on the phone earlier), and took out the card case with the ezlink card. I placed the card next to me and opened the bag to check on the pants, then I put my hand next to me to get the card case and came up with nothing.

Puzzled, I thought I must not have taken it out and that it was inside the bag, so I started searching my bag and the plastic bag with the pants in it. At the same time, I noticed an old lady in her 50s or 60s rummaging inside her red plastic bag (like Bee Cheng Hiang type of bag) the entire time I was searching my own bag. She arrived shortly after I sat down.

Then the bus came (feeder bus type which would go to the interchange/mrt) and she got on it. I stayed behind and continued searching. I took out everything in my bag, I looked around the seating area, I retraced my steps back home. Nada, zilch, nothing.

I got home and checked the bag which I was using before transferring the items into the current bag, thinking I could be mistaken in remembering I did put the card case in. I dumped the entire content and there was none to be found.

That was when it dawned on me that the old lady could be the culprit who took my cardcase since there were only 2 of there waiting at the bus stop. I regretted not asking her if she had seen it when I was searching my bag. How coincidental was it that while I was searching my bag, she was also digging into her own bag? It seemed like she didn't want to look up in case I make eye contact with her. So I never got a good look at her. I could only remember her hair was permed curly and short like a typical old woman, and dressed in usual nondescript floral or print type of clothes in muted dull neutral color. She must live around my place since she got on the bus which only traveled around the area.

So I decided to make a police report, not that I would get back the ezlink card. But I hoped to get back my card case and maybe my gym card. The ezlink card could be replaced, the value was not much, probably $20+ as I had topped up recently.

I was more upset about losing the card case which was a coral pink from Tod's. It would no longer be available so I could not even get a replacement at all. I guessed I just grew attached to it even though it was old and slightly dirty. Not as bright coral pink as when it was new, but a duller coral pink.

I hoped the receipt tucked inside the case contained no personal information. I only remembered I kept the receipt because it showed the expiry date of my old ezlink card which I had since changed to the new version.

Reflecting on the loss, I think it would be a toss up if I was to lose the card case + ezlink card + gym card or my phone. It is always my habit to put my phone or card next to me when I open my bag. So I guessed I was lucky that my phone was already in the bag, otherwise it would have been my phone to go missing.

Guess it is a lesson learnt. Never ever put anything next to you, someone could just swipe it away from you and you are none the wiser.

It is sad that the society is really not that safe after all. And low crime really does not mean no crime.

Twestival SG, 12 September 2009

So I was at Twestival SG, which was organized in just 4 weeks and it managed to exceed the target sum raised for charity ~ Singapore Children's Cancer Society ~ over S$17,000. It was not a big event, given the timeframe and publicity gained, but still it exuded a cozy familial feel to the event where Tweeters in Singapore got together.

We only stayed there for about half an hour or less and there were a few carnival games and food stalls. Drinks were cans of Coke sponsored by Coca-Cola. Games included shooting with rifle and cross-bow, but the highlight was the dunking machine.

There were Q&A to win Coca-Cola tee shirts, very useful for those who got dunked into the water. There was also an adult twister game on stage.

I liked this cut out of the Coca Cola bottle and thought it was very thoughtful of the helpers to pull the tabs off the coke cans before handing them over to us.

Quiznos Sub, Orchard Central

I have heard so much about Quiznos Sub, especially when I was back in Canada in 2007. Friends were raving about it, but somehow I did not get to try it in the few months I was living there. Submarine sandwiches did not factor in my dietary craving at all. I was more interested in having my fill of fresh and huge slices of sashimi and sushi, and bowls of pho.

Truly, that was always the case in Canada. I hardly ate burgers, pizzas, pastas, hotdogs and subs at all. It seemed like I would have one Western meal to 3 or 4 Japanese/Vietnamese meals. Of course, when one is living there, you do not eat out all the time too. It is so different from living in Singapore where eating out is so convenient and pretty affordable.

So it was good news when I learnt that Quiznos Sub has made its way onto our shores. I did not try it then since Far East Square was not convenient for me. The 2nd outlet at Orchard Central was more do-able even though it still took a few months before I finally got to sink my teeth into it.

Orchard Central is really a badly designed mall and is not very friendly at all. Signages are almost non-existent, unless I am blind. Anyway, I finally found Quiznos Sub on the 3rd level of the building, where Tully's Coffee was also brought in by the "good" people of Far East Organization.

I decided on the Prime Rib Cheesesteak sub and topped up to a meal. Besides the drink, you get a choice of salad, soup, cookie and chips. I chose the Chicken Noodle Soup. That was decently hearty and the pasta was short and round. Interesting.


Now the pièce de résistance of the meal ~ Zesty Cheesesteak Sub ~ it was simply mind-blowing. I loved the toasty bread with hints of Parmesan and herbs. The beef slices were tender and meaty with mustard and cheese to complete a simple but extremely satisfying meal.

After the meat and cheese were assembled on the bread, it went through an oven toaster which resembled those conveyor grilling belt (similar to those found in breakfast buffet in hotels to toast the bread). At the other side of the oven would be another staff to add the veggies and sauces before it was served to the customer. Neat.

I would say it is definitely one of the better places for delicious and hearty sandwiches. Much better than Subway whose standards seemed to have been traveling south for the last few years. Maybe this would make it sit up and take notice.

Next thing to try would be Tully's Coffee.

Gusttimo Gelato, ION Orchard

I finally succumbed and tried the gelato from Gusttimo over at ION Orchard.

One word: Mistake!

Two words: Don't try!

Three words: Not worth it!

I am not an ice cream connoisseur but I do know what I like and this is so not it. In the current ice cream/gelato world of many "home-made" ice cream stores sprouting up across the island, many would encourage you to try the different flavors before deciding on your order. Gusttimo staff standby not with tester spoons, but with the ice cream scoop. It gives you the impression that you cannot try the many different flavors available.

Maybe that is their tactic as if people get to try before buying, they would never order any at all. So I ordered all mine without testing. I based my choices on the description of the gelato. Again, you need to have 3 flavors for $5.90. I am not sure if that is really a good marketing tool for them since the 3 I had were not that nice at all.

I had the Dolcissimo (pecans + brownie), Cioccolato (dark chocolate) and Caffe (coffee).

Cioccolato (dark chocolate): How could anyone go wrong with dark chocolate, right? I almost always order dark chocolate at any ice cream place. This was really dark and bitter. It was too strong and being gelato, it was not very creamy which was fine with me. But when you compared to Bravassimo's version, they were poles apart in taste and texture.

Caffe (coffee): Again, coffee is usually a safe choice. This was not it. It was not quite 100% right, though I could not put a finger on it.

Dolcissimo (pecans + brownie): It was by far the worst. I was sorely disappointed as I was expecting a nutty taste plus the sticky chewiness of a brownie. Instead I got a very strong almond essence flavor in it. How in the world does almond essence factor into this flavor? It was like having almond jelly dessert in the gelato.

This will definitely be the first and last time I will try the gelato.

Nasi Padang at Food Opera, ION Orchard

I have not tried all the food stalls over at Food Opera inside ION Orchard. So far it has been only the beef noodles, oyster omelette and now the nasi padang.

I find the nasi padang is really good. The servings are generous and the food is fresh and warm the two times I ordered. For $6.50 (1 meat and 2 vegs), I get a pretty big piece of assam stingray, heaps of okras and sambal goreng.

I need to venture out of my usual order and try the other dishes which are available at the stall.

Molly Printed Platform Peep Toes ~ J.Crew

I absolutely adore this pair of heels from J.Crew catalog or online shopping. I guess I am always partial to polka dots and the pink bow reminds me of the bow on Ferragamo shoes.

It is simple and whimsical and sweet, all at the same time. This is going for US$250 and there are other designs too. Comfort wise, I have no idea since these are only available via catalog or online. Sometimes it is just nice to ogle and admire for its beauty.

Lunch at Sun with Moon at Wheelock Place

We went to Sun with Moon Japanese Dining at Wheelock Place for lunch last week. Being lunch time, it has its own lunch menu. I decided on the Hokkaido ramen with chicken karaage. It came with miso soup, pickles, appetizer and fruits, plus a choice of iced tea, green tea or coffee. The Hokkaido ramen was one of my favorite dishes and it was good. Al dente ramen with a slice of pork belly, half hard boiled egg, corn and a tiny slab of Hokkaido butter. The fried chicken provided additional protein and went well with the ramen. Frankly, I could never understand why Japanese restaurants always served 2 carb items for its bento.

The two girls ordered the same set ~ tempura and salmon sashimi. That looked pretty good too.

September being one of the girls' birthday month, we got a complimentary tofu cheesecake. It was supposed to be a bigger piece but somehow the restaurant staff never got the message we were using the birthday voucher which entitled us to a 20% discount and a free "birthday" cake. They honored the 20% discount upon presentation of the voucher but could not provide the "birthday" cake as it was a different size and it was not available then. So we were given the regular size cake which was fine with us as we were just sharing. Did you realize that as you get older, you hardly want to polish off an entire slice by yourself?

In the end, the staff brought over another slice of the cake for us (2 regular slices for 3 of us) and since we were sharing the 1st cake, we asked for the 2nd slice to be boxed up so she could bring it to work for tea break :p