Fruit Paradise, VivoCity

A friend told me about Fruit Paradise over at Raffles City a few months ago and waxed lyrical about how nice the tarts were. Then just a few weeks ago, another friend told me about Fruit Paradise at VivoCity and commented it was not too bad.

So when I was at VivoCity, I just had to try it for myself.

We decided to share the set (a small slice of tart and a pot of tea) and ordered an extra pot of tea since we wanted different tea.

We tried the banana chocolate tart which was made with chocolate mousse. The cream was firm and did not collapse after a period of time. The combination of banana and chocolate made the tart a bit on the heavy side. Somehow it felt a bit synthetic to me, I could not decide if I like it or not. It was not awful but maybe I still prefer tarts with light whipped cream. Or maybe I should have ordered something more fruity like strawberry or the berries range instead of banana.

The tea was good. I had the white tea which was light and went down easy on the palate.

Wendy's Fast Food Joint

The flu which is going around is so much harder to fight. Two weeks of being sick means I have been resting every weekend and sleeping early every night. Actually I have been keeping to "farmer" hours since I get so tired by 9+pm and then have to wake up at 6+am.

Anyway, I made it to Wendy's at Lau Pa Sat a few weeks ago for lunch. This was my 2nd time there and decided to just have a kids meal plus a baked potato. The regular burger is quite big and filling.

I had the cheeseburger kids meal which came with a decent size cheeseburger with fries and coke and a toy. Then the baked potato with cheese and broccoli.
This was heaven. Just like the way it was done in Canada. Gooey cheese generously ladled over the baked potato to smother it with real pieces of broccoli. So rich and sinful and yet so comforting. This was the type of baked potato I am used to, not the wannabe which was served at Tanglin Mall Boulangerie Cafe.

The fries were not that fantastic. Then again, Wendy's is not known for its fries. I always like Wendy's for its chicken caesar wrap (not available here) and baked potatoes. In fact, I hardly ordered the burgers at Wendy's when I was living in Canada.

Another place to try would be Nando's at Bugis Junction. Mmmm....yummy peri peri 1/4 chicken.

Beach Road Chili Mee

I absolutely love the Chili Mee (prawn noodles) at the Golden Mile Food Centre along Beach Road. I don't know what they put in their chili but it is just so good when mixed into the noodles. Besides the usual prawns and pork ribs, it also comes with sliced hard boiled egg and tau pok (dried bean curd). The soup is filled with prawn-y taste, making you want to down many bowls.

I don't remember the stall name but I think it is Stall 57 and there is a sign saying Chili Mee. It is one of my favorite places for prawn noodles.

Favorite Makeup Palette ~ Stila Pussycat Dolls

The Pussycat Dolls palette from Stila is still my "go-to" makeup when I am in a hurry or if I do not want to think about what to use. It is very slim so I could also carry it out for touch up or when I go on holidays. I love it so much that I started hunting down extra palettes so that I will still have it when I finished it. Limited Edition items are always a bane when you love the colors as they will not be around when you need to buy a replacement.

So after a few years, I finally break out my spare palette. It is time to retire the old one.

I actually hit pan for the blusher and 2 eyeshadows. Pretty amazing feat :p I am undecided if I should depot the black eyeshadow or just leave it as it is. For memory sake.

Sliced Fish and Prawn Soup

My helper is a gem. She decided I should have sliced fish and prawn soup to settle my stomach when she learnt that I threw up again. She said I should have it hot (and usually I dislike having steaming hot food) so that it would help.

I was surprised she took less than 15 minutes to prepare this. This was really tasty. The fresh fish slices and sweet prawns and fragrant veggies were very soothing on the tummy. I guessed the ginger slices also helped to rid the body of wind.

A simple meal for me.

Sick?

It is strange how I always fall sick when I start a new job. I first noticed this trend a couple of years ago. I was ill for 3 whole weeks after a bout of flu. That was the longest time I have ever been unwell.

Then it happened again last year when I was temping at a new place. It was not as bad since it took me about a week to recover. But this latest illness had to take the cake.

I fell ill just before starting a new job. How could it be?

Till now I am trying to figure out what is wrong with me. I was all well and dandy on Friday. But somewhere into my 2nd glass of mojito, I started to feel a bit queasy. No, I was not drunk or high at all. I do have a high tolerance for alcohol and 1.5 glasses of mojito is not enough to make me sick.

Maybe it was the greasy food that we ordered. Somehow we just shared all the appetizers instead of ordering mains and then sharing the appies. But I finally surrendered to the urge to puke. I felt slightly better but it was not enough, so I had to leave the girls first.

Then my stomach felt strange. Seemed like I had a stomachache too, on top of the queasiness. Yucks. With a lo-batt phone, it was through sheer hard prayer that I managed to call for a cab. As luck would have it, it was the old cab. Jerky driving and stinky smell. Not a good combination in my condition.

Again, thank God I was carrying my BV bag which had a plastic bag (I put it there in case of rainy weather :p). And it was the first time in my life that I actually threw up in the cab. Into the plastic bag, of course, not the car itself. I was not sure if the driver knew or could smell it, but he sure was driving very fast too.

Since I felt so bad about it, I just gave him more than the fare came to. I did not want to bother with change too as I just wanted to get home asap. Showered, got into bed and I was still not well. Searched through the medicine drawer and found pills for "vomit, giddiness and nausea", so I took that. Within 15 mins, I had to make friends with the porcelain again. This time, everything came right up, even food from more than 6 hours ago. Previously it was mostly water.

Then I felt the aches in the body, particularly in the lower body and legs. I was not sure if that was from the high heels or from the "fever". I did not feel like I was burning up though I did feel cold in my room. It was very rare to make me feel cold. After 2-3 hours of sleep, I finally gave up and took panadol to contain the ache. That helped.

The next day, I was better but still not at 100%. The ache was still there. I did not have much of an appetite but the queasiness was gone. So I was debating if I should go out. In the end I decided to just stay home in case I did have a fever or some bug.

More panadols followed and sleep came. And today it was headache. Awful migraine. Took Naramig. I was ravenous and had fried bee hoon. Bad mistake as the stomach was not into oily food. Threw up again after taking the "nausea" pill. I am beginning to think that pill induced puking. Slept more.

Now I am feeling much much better. But I better not chance it again and just have something liquid or light.

I seriously have no idea if I have a bug or not. Is it stomach flu? Or some illness caused by mosquitoes bites?

Kenko Foot Reflexology

I was in VivoCity a few days ago and had some time to kill before my dinner date, so I decided to pop into Kenko Reflexology & Spa. When there, I saw there was a Mother's Day promotion (till 9 May 2010) which looked pretty good.

Purchase a 60mins foot reflexology treatment and pay $1 for a 20mins shoulder massage. So $61 + GST for a 90mins treatment (includes 10 mins foot soak).

I always liked the outlet at VivoCity as the glass doors were quite heavy and worked well to block out the outside noise. Inside, it was dim with 2 rows of huge loungers. You could lean back and push down and lie comfortably stretched out (about 45 degree angle, not a flat out bed). A warm cup of tea was served and the therapist would cover you up with big heavy fluffy towels.

The walls were dark and painted with motifs of leaves and 3-D butterflies were pasted on them. Coupled with the soothing music, it was enough to make you want to doze off.

The foot bath was a first for me as I usually just had the 30 or 40 mins foot reflexology. The foot bath was actually underneath the stool. It was warm and bubbling and fitted with rollers. That was a nice touch to prepare the feet. However, I did wonder if they do change the water (I didn't pay attention during the preparation as I was not sure where it would take place when I was waiting) and if it was clean. But I consoled myself that the hot water would probably kill any lingering bacteria or viruses in there.

They do not use oil or lotion for the foot reflexology. Instead they use powder so that the feet would not be oily and slippery after the session.

Then it began. My 80mins of pain. I guessed it was a mis-match of expectation or my body was just too sensitive to the pressure points that day. It was "ouch" from the set go. The "uncle" knew I was in pain but he persisted as he felt my circulation was not very good and that was the reason my muscles were all tense and tight. So he was trying his best to "unblock" and improve the circulation.

Unfortunately that meant I had to squirm and squeak when he hit a particularly sensitive spot. As I had not been sleeping well lately (broken sleep during the night), I thought I would give it a try and let him do what he could to help me sleep better too. So I did not overly protest or stop him. I was impressed with his focus and quest in wanting to help me.

After the 60mins foot reflexology, I was led to the massage chair for the shoulder massage. Again it was pure torture as he was fixed on "unblocking" the points. He actually did a thorough massage on the entire upper body. From the nape to the lower back and down to the sides of the upper thighs and up again to the head and shoulders and then the arms and fingers and hands.

I guess for those who like hard massage or are seeking relief from very tense shoulders or body, this would be heaven. But since I was not even remotely in dire need of such remedial treatment, it was a pain I had to endure.

I actually just wanted a relaxing and soothing massage for both the feet and shoulders. Ever since my chiropractic treatments, I hardly ever need to have such hard massage. Like I said, a mis-match of expectations.

Brasserie Les Saveurs, St Regis Singapore

This is another overdue post. The company had the annual Christmas dinner over at the Brasserie Les Saveurs in St. Regis Hotel last year.

It was a lovely place at night with dim lighting from the chandeliers and a wall of huge floor to ceiling windows letting in the last visage of the evening sun. The furnishings is stately and has an old world charm and elegance of centuries ago.

Dinner was a semi buffet as we got to choose a main course, with the appetizers and desserts from the buffet table. Sometimes it was good to just have an excellent main and some extras instead of being stuffed to the gills trying to sample everything.

I started with the sashimi and raw oysters which were very fresh and sweet. The only thing to mar the experience was the buffet was not really ready even by 7.15pm or so. The servers were only removing the cling wrap from the platters and I had to chase down someone to request for the soy sauce.

As expected, the selection was not as wide as some other places but I felt it was just nice. It was sufficient and there was fresh ham (not sure if it was parma) where you could just slice off the amount you desired. I was contented with my caesar salad, shrimp, potato salad, smoked salmon and cherries.

The main I chose ~ braised wagyu beef cheeks with white truffle mashed potatoes. The lighting was really not very good for taking pictures with my "point and shoot" camera. It was so hard to get a truly good shot to represent the reality.

Mine was a bit on the too done side. Good thing it was wagyu so it was still tender and melted a little in the mouth. I wondered if they were waited for all our dishes to be ready before bringing them out at the same time. Most of us ordered the beef and one ordered the risotto which looked equally appetizing.
Dessert time. I selected all the chocolate stuff as it was always the safest choice for me. They were good though I had no idea what I had by now.

I did not have room for the cheese platter (quite a good selection of cheese and fruits) and soup.

I would love to go back to Brasserie Les Saveurs again. I like the quiet and elegant ambience which was very soothing and relaxing. Then again, it was not overly crowded when we were there on a weeknight.

Coffee Club Breakfast, Wheelock Place

When the Coffee Club outside Wheelock Place started advertising their breakfast fare offering late 2009, it was like a beacon to me. I guessed the pictures worked as I sure was tempted to wake up early just so I could have breakfast there before heading into the office.

I finally had the opportunity to do that when I did wake up early to go see the GP (she is based in town area) before work. The menu offered choices such as pancakes, waffles, American breakfast, muffin, sandwiches, etc.

I decided on the pancake stack with wild blueberry compote. Alas, the promotional picture looked so much better than what was served. The pancake stack looked sad and compressed, not huge and fluffy. The blueberry compote looked like red bean paste (but it did taste like blueberry). The saving grace was probably the syrup. I had to request for butter to go with the pancakes.

The breakfast came with complimentary coffee or tea. Good thing the coffee was palatable, otherwise I would have regretted getting up early to try its breakfast items.

Curry Crab?

Most people have heard of chili crab and black pepper crab, but curry crab? It is not so well known as its sisters. We had curry crab which was served at Seafood International (at Big Splash in East Coast) during one of the CNY dinners. I first viewed it curiously and then with trepidation as it was so unlike the usual way of cooking crabs.

Seafood International always offers different types of cooking style as I remembered another CNY dinner where the crab was cooked tom yam paste. I did not try it then. But this curry version, it was surprisingly very good. If you love curry, you will probably like this. The gravy was not overly spicy and has the right amount of spices to make it tasty.

It was served with toasted slices of french loaves. The crispy chewy garlic bread drenched with the curry gravy was sublime. Add the tender flesh of the crab and you could just be happy polishing off the entire dish and have nothing else.

You could do an open faced sandwich too. Spread the curry over the bread and add the crabmeat over and sprinkle with the cilantro. Nice!

It was a 7 or 9 course dinner and I forgot about photo taking after snapping a few shots of the dishes. The food and company were just too good. Lol. I think this was shark fin and chicken meat soup but I am not too certain now.

A claypot filled with abalone, veggies, dried mussel/oyster, fa cai (dried moss) and meat. I liked it all except for the dried mussel/oyster. Somehow I never like the taste of that chewy dried shell meat.

The ubiquitous yu sheng topped with raw salmon. Sometimes I think yu sheng can be quite fattening with the bowls of oil and honey being poured into the dish.

I have never been to Seafood International outside of these CNY dinners, so I am not sure about the usual ala carte dishes. It does look interesting and it may be nice to just go there someday for a regular meal.

Kids may like it for the wide array of fishes and other sea creatures swimming in the tanks. There is valet parking too so you don't have to worry about finding a lot. What I do like is the private rooms which could net you a view of the beach and sea. Lovely.

A New Journey

It has finally happened. I managed to pass the other paper after a few attempts and so I shall be embarking on a new career path soon. It is something which I never really thought I will be doing. Finance, me? A person who loves the words and enjoys being ensconced in the beauty of language, venturing into the financial world is quite unthinkable.

I guess the saying "never say never" does apply, cos you just do not know what will happen in the future. I did like math when I was younger and did reasonably well. I am still proud of the fact that I started Primary One with a perfect 100 score in Mathematics and ended Primary Six Mathematics with another 100/100 score. Then it all went downhill after that. Hahahaha.

Anyway, while I will be in the financial industry, I am not involved in the accounting or finance aspects of it. Instead I will be in the Capital Market sector. From the little I know of the field, I find it fast paced and exciting. I think I will enjoy the analytical part of it as well as the monitoring of the economic and political situations around the world.

The reality may not be what I envisioned but at least I can say I am psyched to start the new job and finally get to know what it is all about.

It took exactly 3 months (Feb, Mar and Apr) from the classes to the exams for me to make the switch. Not too long and not too short. The timing is just right. As always, it is always in His time and not mine (mine would be Feb to Mar :p).

To God be the Glory and praise the Lord! Thank you, Father.

(I have not heard the song in so long now)

Lyrics to the hymn "To God Be The Glory"

To God be the glory, great things He has done;
So loved He the world that He gave us His Son,
Who yielded His life an atonement for sin,
And opened the life gate that all may go in.

Refrain

Praise the Lord, praise the Lord,
Let the earth hear His voice!
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord,
Let the people rejoice!
O come to the Father, through Jesus the Son,
And give Him the glory, great things He has done.

O perfect redemption, the purchase of blood,
To every believer the promise of God;
The vilest offender who truly believes,
That moment from Jesus a pardon receives.

Refrain

Great things He has taught us, great things He has done,
And great our rejoicing through Jesus the Son;
But purer, and higher, and greater will be
Our wonder, our transport, when Jesus we see.

Refrain

Imperial Treasure Cantonese Cuisine, Great World City

This was my first visit to the Imperial Treasure Cantonese Cuisine over at Great World City in early January this year. Amazingly, it was full house when we got there at around 8pm on a Saturday night. Then again, being Singapore, it is quite normal for restaurants to be packed, with long snaking lines on weekends. We finally got a table around 8.15pm and what do you know, most of the dishes my friend wanted to order were sold out by then. These were what she ordered.

Roast pork which was surprisingly very nice. I hardly took pork (as most had a taste/smell to me) but this was ok. Crispy crackling skin with tender meat. Nice. It came with a mustard dip which probably helped to remove any residual porky taste.

The deep fried squid and shrimps were average. It was not outstanding nor was it bad. I did not remember much of it.
The veggies were crunchy and fresh. It was good, especially when pairing it with the rice congee. We wanted something light and it was probably the last dregs of the congee since it was late at night and they actually did not really serve it anymore.
The sweet and sour pork was alright. The sauce was not too artificial tasting and I guessed it made the pork more palatable.
This was the first time I had this dish. Hand-chopped pork with salted fish. I liked it. I loved how salted fish could always bring out the flavors of a dish. The meat was super soft and not tough at all, and again, it went very well with the rice congee.

All the pork dishes, mostly because other dishes were not available that night.

Grocery Shopping

I know things are not cheap from the supermarket but it does make you wonder why cook when it is so much easier (and maybe cheaper) to just eat out. After all, it is very easy to find food in Singapore compared to many countries where you need to drive a distance just to buy food and even then, most places close early.

I would think it is a love of creating and making meals that you want to cook (though I know some people cook for practical reasons too). Maybe for a family of 4 or more, it is still cheaper to cook at home, but for 1-2 persons, sometimes it can be more wallet friendly to eat out.

I went grocery shopping today since I know I would be home for the next few days and it would be an opportunity for me to cook. I have been fixated with making chicken quesadilla ever since I saw how easy it is to make it.

Mentally I thought I would make the chicken quesadilla and also stir fry beef with capsicums. The stir fry beef was one of the first dishes I learnt how to make when I was younger and I hardly made it anymore since no one in the family really eats beef.

My shopping list

beef for stir fry (over $5 for just over 100g! reality check on how expensive beef can be)

1 x red capsicum

1 x yellow capsicum

1 x tortilla pack (around $7.80 for 10 pcs)

1 x can salsa ($4.50. I was lazy to make my own)

1 x roast chicken ($7.95)

baby portobello mushrooms ($4.95)

1 x 2L Meiji low-fat milk

1 x spice bottle

1 x mozzarella/red cheddar cheese ($5)

1 x pack cilantro

1 x lemon

1 x avocado ($2.10)

For all that, my bill came to $52. Is that normal or is it just the things I bought just to make at least 2 dishes (chicken quesadilla and stir fry beef with capsicums).

Granted, I can probably extend the life of the roast chicken by using the leftovers to make either chicken porridge or sandwich.

At least now I can estimate what it would cost me when I eat out for the 2 dishes if I were to make them myself.

Spams from China Users

I have been receiving comments which are totally irrelevant and contained spam information. It has gotten to the stage where I am so tired of deleting them on my blog that I have finally decided to do "comment moderation".

I do enjoy getting comments from readers who have found my blog useful or just want to share their experience. I hope I will still get them despite the "moderation" bit. I know it can be tedious for people who genuinely wants to leave comments but dislike the "moderation".

But I figure it is better for me to do that than to allow these spammers (all from China so far, and reporting to Google didn't seem to work at all) to have any "air space" to promote their "whatever" via my blog.

I do not even advertise my blog address or have it as my signature in any places, so I really have no idea how these spammers find it. They are a complete nuisance!

Book Stack

I find my collection of books keep growing and I have no idea where to discard them. I probably need to cull the collection and donate those I do not want.

I used to re-read my books but now I find that I hardly do that. I just do not have the time to re-read even my favorite books.

Here are some of my books which are just sitting on a stool. My other bookshelves have run out of space for them.

The 2nd hand bookstore or used books rental bookstore is a godsend for me. I could read the novels and then return them. But sometimes I still buy books, especially some books can be quite hard to find in those bookstores.

What do you do with books you do not want anymore?

Random Pic of the Day (POD)

I had to drain my camera battery the other night before I could charge it again, so I started taking random pictures in my room.

One of the pictures taken was this. Soft toys and alcohol. What a combination, huh?

Basically I have no idea what to do with the soft toys so I just left them on the shelves. It would be a pity to throw or give them away since they are gifts from people through the years.

Top shelf

The dog was given by a friend in 1994. He gave a similar one to another friend too.

Hidden behind is Tenderheart Bear (old version) which was given to me during Christmas in 1988 or 1989 or 1990 by a cousin. It is still in fairly pristine condition as it was wrapped up in plastic for about 10 years of its life. This is probably considered vintage? :p

The mouse is called "Strawberry Sundae" and it was given to me by another cousin when I left for Canada. It had crossed the Pacific Ocean and across Canada countless times for it was always with me when I traveled.

The pig was a Christmas gift from a nephew in 2004 or 2005 or 2006.

The Gund bear in front of the pig was a graduation present from a dear friend in 1998.

Next to it, the tiny bear keychain in the orange tee was a gift from someone special in 2003.

The green dino was given by an old friend who probably didn't know what to do with it when he received it from BK. Hahahaha.

Middle Shelf

The bear in red sweater from Giorgio Beverly Hills which was a free gift when I bought my then fave scent "G" in 2000. It has since been discontinued.

The middle bear was my 21st birthday present from my sister. She bought it from Harrods and sent it all the way to Canada. The postage actually cost more than the bear :p

The bear with a red scarf around its neck was from La Senza in Canada. I believed I bought it during the Christmas period in 1997 or so.

The grey bear was from Sasha and I probably bought it but I do love Sasha's bear, so it will stay.

Bottom Shelf

I keep my stash of alcohol here. My room is cool and it is away from sunlight.

Absolut Vodka Peach, Tequila, Cointreau, El Senorio Mezcal, Rosetta...

Plus my essential oils and massage oils and mugs and most important of all ~ my clock.

It is a Alice in Wonderland clock which I bought eons ago in Canada. I shipped it back to Singapore when I came back.

Applebee's at TripleOne Somerset

I finally managed to make my way to Applebee's last Friday. It was a last minute decision and it was around 8:10pm when we got there. I was surprised to see a huge crowd and quite a few groups of people waiting for their tables. We left our names and found out it would take another 20minutes before our turn.

Darn! We should have left our name first before heading to the Candy Empire where we spent close to half an hour in there choosing our snacks and sweets.

The place had a homely feel and was mid-size. It was not huge and was not too tiny. It was the only place which was busy in TripleOne Somerset.
A menu with some selection of food items were displayed on the wall so people can have a look while waiting. We also noticed the opening hours had been reduced. I guess people did not hang out there after hours at the moment.
We were seated by the bar (shorter wait time) and I quite enjoyed it. The bar was where the action was. You could see what was happening and could be a good place for a cozy chit chat if there were only two of you.

I had the perfect margarita ($18! But it came in its own shaker and I could get about 3 glasses of it) while Celest had the Bahama Mama. Somehow the Bahama Mama was not as potent as the one I had when I was in Bahamas. Or maybe I was much younger then and could not really drink so the rum was just too strong for me. This Bahama Mama was actually sweet and tasty. Nice.
The bartender who would take our food/drink order. He was really nice. Topping up the glass when it was almost empty. Changing to a new glass when he felt the salt was not enough, and also bringing over glasses of cold water for us when I only requested for one (Celest actually wanted warm water but we did not order that). The service staff was fab. Very friendly and attentive.

The bar with all the alcohol and glasses and a tv turned on the sports channel so you won't ever be bored if you are there on your own.

We decided to share the appetizer trio (choose 3 items from a list) and a slider plate. We chose the tortilla chips with artichoke, spinach and cheese dip. The chips were crispy and the dip was nice. It got a bit too cheesy in the end though.

Spinach & Artichoke Dip

A dish that made us famous. A warm crock of creamy spinach, tender artichokes, and melted Asiago and Parmesan cheeses, with salsa and tortilla chips for dipping.

We also selected the buffalo wings and steak quesadillas tower. Somehow the tower had collapsed and rested on the plate. Lol.

Steak Quesadilla Towers

Sirloin steak topped with onions, pico de gallo, peppers, and cheese. Rolled in a grilled tortilla and served with salsa.

The buffalo wings were good, like those you get in North America. Tangy spicy coating the chicken. I wished they gave more celery sticks and the blue cheese dip could be less watery too.

The steak quesadilla was not too bad. Maybe it was some time before I got to them, but the cheese had melted and the tortilla was a bit too thick. The salsa was good. Spicy and not watered down.

The cheeseburger silders were surprisingly good. They looked plain and boring but the beef patties were moist and juicy. The mini buns were lightly toasted and the simple humble burger was once again very satisfying.
We were quite stuffed and did not finish everything. I would have love to try the dessert shooters or even the maple butter blondie. I saw quite a number of tables ordering that. Maple butter was always my weakness. I hope their version was really as good as the one I had in Quebec. That was out of this world. Sweet maple butter spread over a thick toast of freshly baked bread which was actually baked outside in a kiln.

I do like Applebee's for the atmosphere and wonderful service staff, and found the food to be decent. It was not fantastic but it was ok. I think the food at Chili's is so much better, but maybe I need to try the mains before I can make a fair comparison too. The place started to thin out after 9.30pm so when we left at around 10.15pm, we were one of the last few customers there.

Miss Chatterbox Magnet

I needed to pump petrol and popped into the Shell station near Serangoon Gardens for a top-up. I did not realize that the convenience store (7-Eleven) attached to it is pretty big. It has so many things for sale. From kite to stationery to milk to car cleaning equipment to snacks and the usual magazines.

I spent about 5-10 minutes (yes, I can shop anywhere :p) in there just exploring what they have. In the end, I bought a bottle of Pokka milk coffee, M chocolate milk, clorets mint and a D-Plus Caramel Bun. That and my gas somehow entitled me to the Mr Men and Little Miss series magnet. I love the books when I was growing up.

What do you know? The one inside the pack is Little Miss Chatterbox. Hahahahahaha. I love the letter "C". It is the first letter of my name and is also the first letter of so many things I like.

There are 40 to be collected. You need to spend $5 to get one and the promotion is still 27 April 2010. Read the terms and conditions from the website.

April Gathering at Greenhouse, Ritz Carlton

You could probably tell I really do like the Greenhouse over at Ritz Carlton. This was my 3rd time in so many weeks, with a few more to go :p

I requested for 2 portions of salmon and 1 portion of snapper, but somehow the chef gave me 1 portion of each. Maybe that was a good thing too since it could get a bit too much after a while. The sashimi was fresh and sweet. It was pretty crowded last night that there was only 1 pair of chopsticks left and not much wasabi too (and it was only 730pm or so)!

Then it was onto the cold seafood. There were plenty of oysters and I took four for myself. The tabasco sauce was all gone too. 4 different types of bottles and 3 were empty. The only one left was with chipotle and the smoky taste certainly didn't really go well with the oysters. While the oysters were fresh, there were plenty of grits on them too. Not nice to have to keep removing them while eating.

The highlight of the evening was the pate. It was the first time I saw these little pots with different fillings. The cheese stick went very well with it too.
Creamy smooth pate (not sure which liver it was from, but for a non-liver lover person, this was soooo yummy). It was the most sinful rich food of the evening for me.

My main - hokkien noodles which was a bit dry (or maybe I took the top part which was drier) but still delicious. The chicken with porcini sauce was also very good. The porcini added a new dimension with its stronger taste. The butter prawns were awesome with its rich buttery flavor and sweet flesh. I liked the roast potato and beef bourguignon too. The beef was tender and just melted in my mouth.

This time there were lamb and herbal duck too which the others loved. Not a fan of gamy meat, I did not try them.

I was quite enamored by the cheese selection. Somehow I was more keen on the cheese with crackers, grapes and dried fruits than the dessert. Maybe it was the company too which made it all the more nicer. Munching on hard cheese with the sweet grapes and dried mango and figs while chatting away ~ bliss.

My concession to dessert - chocolate mousse cup. This was my chocolate fix for the night. Dark bittersweet chocolate was simply heaven.

I did not try this though we were pretty intrigued by how the liquid was at the bottom with a space in the middle and topped with the custard cream. It was actually coconut and strawberry. It just looked pretty.

I had a tiny half curl scoop of the strawberry and rum & raisin ice cream which was good enough for a taste and not too much to make one feel sick. We shared the crepe which was topped with hazelnuts, pistachios, almond flakes and chocolate and vanilla sauce.

It was always a fun time when the girls get together and we took this time to celebrate Ashley's birthday in advance. Happy birthday!

I am so looking forward to next month gathering where it would be the Sex and the City 2 + Sherie's birthday celebration :)

Bad Nasi Padang @ Food Opera, ION Orchard

This would probably be the last time I would have nasi padang at Food Opera inside ION Orchard. I was not very happy with the discrepancy in their pricing.

Already I was shocked with the previous charges but this was even worse. It stated the begedil was an additional $1.20 or $1.30 which was fine but they charged me $1.50 for it as an additional vegetables side. When I asked about it, the cashier said they have increased the pricing to $1.50. The amount was not the issue since it was just 20-30 cents more, but it was the way they could just quote an amount and expect you to accept it that I had a problem with.

It smacked of dishonesty and I definitely would not want to support a place which encouraged it. So for the above dish, it cost $8 for mediocre food. The begedil was cold and tough and lumpy. It was awful. The stingray was also very tough. Only the okras were fresh and crunchy and tasty. The sambal goreng was too watery for my liking too.

So the bottomline would be: no more patronizing Food Opera unless absolutely necessary.