alex.is

Finally! An iPhone 4S

2012-02-28T00:36:00.000+08:00

So as many of you might recall, I lost my phone on 30th Dec 2011. So for the past 2 months I had been going around with an iPhone 3GS that my cousin lent me. I am super thankful she had the spare set to lend me, but I needed a decent camera. badly. the 3GS was good for everything, except the camera was really not as good (esp after I've had the 4's), but I don't exactly have a pro digital camera lying around anyway. plus I can't tweet/instagram/path from that too.

and thus, I was convinced I need the 4S. after an unsuccessful attempt at starhub to sign for one, its time to look on to HWZ..

So i looked and looked and found some promising ones. I contacted a seller who is offering a 2month old black iphone 4s 16gb for $800. The retail from apple store is $938 for 16gb. So I made plans to meet with him on Sat night at 8.30pm at ION, after watching a colleague's gig there. But I texted thrice after 8.30pm and called once at 9pm.. and no reply. It was a no show. The sense of disappointment was so huge, to be stood up by an iPhone seller!

So I went home, sadface and all, and looked on HWZ some more. Too late to SMS people though, so I left it for Sunday. Then on Sun morning, that black iphone seller got back to me and said his phone batt died so he couldn't deal! Offered to meet me wherever is convenient for me to deal that day, and sounded sincere so I replied ok, 3.30 at bishan since I was at my friend's house playing a board game after lunch.

Guess what. At 3.15pm he texted me again to say he found parts of the iphone screen unresponsive, thus he will have to bring it in to singtel to have a look, but said I am welcome to let him know if I am still interested after that.

!@)#)!)!)@!~)#*

Of course I said not interested, thanks. WOW can you believe that douchebag of a guy?! He probably changed his mind about the deal or got a higher bidder so he decided to stand me up AGAIN using a lousy excuse! I was so pissed off!

So anyway. I calmed down, went for coffee, and then home. Went home and back on HWZ and texted a guy who is selling a brand new set (receipt dated 24 feb) for $850. MTLBBB.

That guy immediately replied to say yes phone still avail can deal tonight. So i asked if we can deal like.. NOW, cos I've got cash on me. Amazingly he replied back and said no problem, and we set the place to meet. And I went to meet him. Everything was fine, it was a genuine set with receipt, box and even a starhub paper bag.

So on that fateful evening of 27 Feb 2012, I bought the new iPhone 4s.

You might not realize it, but the iphone screen is SO clear.. and the photos are SO amazing. I am in love all over again with the iPhone.

Expect me to be back with a vengeance with more blog posts, more twitpics, instagrams and more path pics!

Save The Children Singapore - Free From Hunger Hidden Crisis Media Event

2012-02-20T22:25:00.000+08:00

Do you know that 300 children die from malnutrition every hour of a day? According to the new report "A Life Free from Hunger: Tackling Child Malnutrition," by Save The Children, a non-governmental organisation, 1 in 4 children are affected globally by chronic malnutrition, which is largely a hidden crisis because it is not obvious until it is too late. 450 million children are currently at risk of stunted growth because they simply did not get enough nutrients when growing up.

So, "think of all the starving children in ______________(insert developing country's name)" is in fact a very real issue.

I got to know all these shocking statistics when I was invited to the media event organised by Save The Children last Wednesday 15 February 2012 when there is a global release of their report, along with a tweetchat with experts around the topic of #hiddencrisis. The lunch event was held at the Asian Food Channel studio at Orchard Central to launch the report, as well as have some industry experts discuss about the issue in a panel. Sarah Tan from 987fm did a short intro, with Soo Kui Jien as the host for the event.

Through this event, Save The Children aims to influence policymakers to put this in the ASEAN agenda next time as well as raise awareness of their work right in affluent Singapore. Just because we are living comfortably doesn't mean that there are no development issues and work that needs to be done on this.

Maria Brown, co-founder and CEO of the Asian Food Channel, also gave an interesting anecdote about how they recently did a feature on obesity in America, where the people there are very fat but in fact also malnourished because their body is not getting enough nutrients! So I guess that is a real "first world problem".

In other parts of the world, for example, hunger is staved off with Plumpy'nut peanut paste. Looks really intriguing and not exactly appetising, but this little packet has done wonders for starving children.

The aim of the report is to expose the truth that world hunger, especially in children, is a very serious issue because when children under 5 are malnourished, they are stunted for life. This in turn affects the society and the country with future problems.

There was also a media panel with Kui Jien, Chef Khaled, Gladys Wong, chief dietician at KTPH, Andrew Powell, consultant in agriculture biotechnology and communications and Michel Anglade, Asia Director of Campaigns and Advocacy for STC (not pictured below).

An interesting answer to Maria's question on which countries are performing well in tackling this issue from Michel is that China and Vietnam in Asia had been the most successful while Rwanda and Kenya in Africa are doing well too. However in places like India they are not doing so well.

And finally, lunch was served! And tadah! A small scoop of white rice, 26 peas and some strands of lightly flavoured cabbage. Apparently this is what a typical child in a developing world eats, though in this case it is prepared by a chef. Of course it is not enough when you compare it to a normal diet!

The 'lunch' was actually quite tasty and super healthy -- but you must imagine that in places like India or Pakistan, they probably don't even have peas and the rice will be drenched in some watery curry, with a few soggy pieces of cabbage or cauliflower. Perhaps the food itself will also be not very sanitary or have been kept for a few days.

It might sound very Miss Universe, but I believe World Hunger is actually one of the issues that CAN be solved with some cooperation from the government as well as the public support. We start small, and aim to feed the children first - because they are the most innocent sufferers to poverty and injustice. Breastfeeding should be encouraged and more education done to inculcate the benefits. I feel that food distribution is also one of the easier targets -- it's not as if there is not enough food to feed the world, but because ways of transport and distributing them are warped! You have people dying from hunger, and warehouses filled with rotting food. The food that is produced in the world is also not utilized properly if people have no knowledge of basic nutrition needs.

Then there are improvements in technology to make food production more efficient (though it raises the whole debate on genetically modified seeds and that is evil too). All these can be achieved if world leaders spare some consideration to this largely hidden crisis since the children are not able to cry out for help, and if trade and political differences are put aside for them.

Please share this post with your friends to inform them about World Hunger, because it is a hidden crisis that needs more exposure. For those who want to help, you can write in to

Lunchtime Discovery: Maison Ikkoku at 20 Kandahar Street, Singapore

2012-02-18T23:08:00.002+08:00

Accidentally visited one of the places that I've been eyeing during lunchtime last week when Karen suggested that we head to Maison Ikkoku for lunch and some light work discussion. This place is surprisingly near to our office at Lavender since it is located at the hip and trendy Haji Lane / Bugis district.

Apparently a google Wikipedia showed that "Maison Ikkoku" is originally a Japanese manga written in the 80s.

Now I wonder what's the link between that and this cafe.

Speaking of the cafe though, it is a very pleasant one. I like it when walking in already. It is in one of the shophouses, and has a very "deep" layout. This shot is literally what you see of the place.

Their 2-page menu comprised of Sandwiches, Salads, Speciality Items, Home-made Cakes and Coffee. You can have a look at the items and price yourself, most of it seems quite fair! Also, they have a "mi spam musubi" and "mi pork bun kong bak pau" which sounds really intriguing!

A whole page was dedicated to their coffees, and their apparatuses seem to suggest that they are connoisseurs! Or at least, enthusiasts.

Karen however had their Lemon Camomile tea ($5), served in very nice transparent pot and cup. Look at the bent spoon! Haha. Rather extra since you don't need sugar with this tea.. but a whimsical touch.

It's a pity we are not coffee connoisseurs.. But I had a decaf Latte ($5). It's very nice.

The main aim of this lunch (other than our very fruitful work discussion of course) is the sandwiches! Time for something different from the Smiling Orchid diet, really. There is only so many times one can eat from our canteen on the 11th floor. Or opposite at the JTC canteen.

Karen ordered the Norwegian Smoked Salmon and Dill Sour Cream sandwich ($13.90)! According to her it is pretty darn good, very juicy. Probably how you would imagine the photo below to taste!

I had the spicy chicken and cheddar. Other than the fact that it's slightly wet with chili or olive oil, it was a very flavourful sandwich, and rather satisfying as well. That's something to be said for a sandwich, as some are merely appetizers. But this is a full meal by itself. Rather enjoyed the side salad too, it had a really interesting tasting dressing. It's a unique one.

Great for coffee lovers and people wanting a good hearty sandwich, this place has a high 'chillable' index since it's right in the heart of indieland. Deffo a place to bookmark next time you want to rest your feet or have a inspiring place to do some brainstorming!

Maison Ikkoku

20 Kandahar Street, Singapore 198885
Tel: +65 6294 0078
Mon–Thu: 9am – 9pm, Fri–Sat: 9am – 11pm, Sun: 9am – 7pm

French Food Find: La Maison Fatien at 76 Duxton Road, Singapore

2012-02-12T20:55:00.003+08:00

Spotted - newly set up french restaurant La Maison Fatien in the Tanjong Pagar area which is fast becoming a European quartier, what with L'Entrecote and spanish tapas restaurant, amidst other cool digs such as The Pigeonhole, Group Therapy, the Wok & Barrel, Buyan and the super nice Jap bakery Flor. Their name sounds strangely chinese, like a brother to Putien Restaurant, but no it is pronounced "fa-tee-an" and it is french.

Fatien is situated almost right opposite the Pigeonhole/Celina's and the entrance is quite dimly lit. Too bad I don't have any pictures of the interior as my phone sucks, so I only had photos I took of the food using Scott's lovely iPhone 4S. You can view more of their photos on their well-designed website.

The first level is where they sell their wines and display them while the restaurant is situated on the 2nd floor. I quite liked the decor, it was very intimate and in a cosy french style with vintage french posters on the wall. Perhaps it was the diners too but the noise level of the place despite the size of shophouse was very tolerable and there is no greasy food smell inside. +1 and +1 !

It was super fun to catch up with my uni friends for a nice night of good food and wine. Gabby was actually the one who suggested the place -- apparently it was covered by the Sunday Times just not long ago. The restaurant was 95% filled by 8pm too, perhaps also due to the coverage. Strangely, there was quite a few wait staff hovering about - this is perhaps the first time I've seen so many wait staff per table but overstaffing is good because our water were always filled and plates cleared swiftly. They were also very friendly and Singaporean, which is always a plus point.

We ordered a Pinot Noir ($80) tagged with its own unique number of 383 out of 1910 bottles. It is made from this restaurant's own vineyard in the Burgundy region of France. A restaurant that also has their own wine? Special! Even for a wine waster like me, I must say it was a very palatable and light wine that goes down smoothly.

Next, some good old baguette and butter to start off the meal. Quite good but the bread was not as remarkable as Bistro du Vin's.

Next, the gang ordered 2 starters. The escargots with garlic butter ($12) was alright but it could do with more garlic. The escargots were not really infused with anything much. Skip it!

Next up, a very classic french starter, Salade de Chèvre Chaud ($15) - Warm goat cheese on crusty toast and mesclun salad. Really liked the goat cheese even if its a bit strong. Yum.

So we all ordered different mains among the four of us. First is Gabby's choice - the Confit de Canard ($28) - a staple in French restaurants in Singapore. If the duck confit is missing, then it is not a french restaurant, they might think. The meat was a tad dry but that's quite normal. The flavour was rich and the skin looked quite well done. The "sarladaise" potatoes were very delicious too, you can taste a bit of the charred flavour.

Next is Scott's dish - the Chef's special that will change every Thursday. For this week it is the Mussels with White Wine and Thick Cut Fries ($26).

Unfortunately because I am not a big fan of shellfish, I did not try it. But everyone's feedback was it is very good. The white wine sauce at the end of the pot was also thick and almost creamy looking.

Nette's dish is the Bavette à l’échalotte ($22) which is grilled flank steak, caramelized shallot and French fries (hurhur, french..). You can see here it is medium rare, and covered with shallots! I felt that the steak was a bit too chewy compared to your regular sirloin, or perhaps I had the tendon part. The shallot gravy was a bit bitter for some reason too. Generally OK though not remarkable. Give it a miss if you were to try something on the menu and perhaps the other beef dish, the steak au poivre might do better.

Finally, my dish was the biggest surprise of the lot. The côte de porc "charcutière" ($22) which is of roasted pork chop, potato purée and "charcutière" sauce. We were debating between the lamb shank and the steak, then Nette picked the steak and I decided to go on a wild guess and pick the pork because the lamb shank was accompanied with roasted roots vegetables in red wine sauce. I guess I've been to enough restaurants now to recognize what sort of sides I want with the mains as well as how 'heavy' in taste they will be, so I now tend to avoid fries (cos I can never finish them), and red wine anything cos it will generally be too salty or heavy.

That's why the mashed potatoes was perfect because it is usually lightly salted only and acts as a good base for the meat. This one was as good as Bistro du Vin's, very fine and the potato's flavor was very fragrant.

Of the meat itself, well the gravy was really good and that created a very interesting party in my mouth because the gravy is slightly tangy and it brought out the sweetness of the pork which was quite tender yet firm, almost like chicken breast meat. I believe they used tomatoes in the gravy. I could not stop myself from finishing the pork, it was that good.

If there is ONE dish you have to order in this place, I would say go for the pork!

Overall, this restaurant is not exactly ridiculous in their pricing, in the $25 range or so for mains. For the four of us, 2 starters and 4 mains plus a bottle of wine equates to about $60 a person. Yes it comes up to quite a bit but I don't feel like I got cheated or anything since the service, ambience and food was all satisfactory. You can view their menu here [PDF]. I wouldn't exactly have the wine there though since it was overpriced for most (ascertained by the wine geek my brother). A shocker - their Laurent Perrier Grand Siècle was $600 for a bottle. C'etait fou!

I am also going to try out a new "rating system" suggested by Ben. From now on, my reviews will have a yes, no or neutral at the end so you will know whether or not to visit it. Unlike a certain food blogger I will not want to write about food just for the sake of pretty photos (ahem). We concluded a 1-10 scale is not going to work since there is no diff between a 7 or a 8, let's say. Most of the reviews on this blog will have a thumbs up because I won't usually put up substandard food, but hey the thumbs down can appear if I get pissed off enough to rant about them on my blog. Neutral means there might be inconsistency or they are still swinging between good or bad, so wait it out and also take your chance with them.

"Date night perfect, c'est un bon restaurant francaise. Be one of the first in Singapore to try La Maison "Fa-tee-an", go on!"

La Maison Fatien

76 Duxton Road, Singapore
Tel: +65 6220 3822
Mon–Fri: 12pm–2.30pm, 6pm–10.30pm, Sat: 6pm–10.30pm (Closed on Sun)

Where to repair your iPhone home button

2012-02-12T13:51:00.002+08:00

Someone was asking me about the iphone home button repair again and I told them Hougang, but I cannot remember where so I've decided to dig it up from an old tweet of mine in Oct 11.

Its one of those ah beng handphone shops. They charged me $40 (for iPhone 4) and took about 40 minutes. Much better than those quoted at AMK, 2 working days + 70 bucks. I am more worried about the days taken to repair cos I want it on the spot back!

Works as good as NEW after that, before the repair I had to constantly JAB at the button to get to the home screen, and it was so annoying. If your warranty is out and you are sick of having a faulty home button, go there.

KR Mobile, Blk 804 Hougang Central #01-136 S 530804

Tel: 974757424

Beauty Essentials: 5 drugstore products for face & hair

2012-02-05T23:00:00.003+08:00

'Scuse me guys, while I go into some girly blogging. Feel free to skip this post as it is completely irrelevant for you. Regular food porn will be up soon enough.

Here's a five-in-one post about makeup and beauty for the girls! instead. So amidst all the food stuff, I thought I'll also share on this blog some of the drugstore products that I own that I quite liked after a while. The beauty of this is all of it came from your regular drugstores - watsons, guardians so they are very easy to purchase and it's relatively inexpensive.

From left:

1. Revlon ColorStay Makeup with SoftFlex SPF 6 Liquid Foundation

This is super highly raved on MakeupAlley (no. 8 of top 10 most reviewed on MUA) and there is a reason why. Can't remember the price, but should also be around the $20-25 range? The coverage is very good because it evens out your skin perfect and it is easy to apply, though the pour out bottle and the plasticky smell are the only 2 things I don't like. Its staying power is also very strong. In fact this is an industrial strength liquid foundation, I would say. You will definitely need a good makeup remover for this too because I found that even with water + soap + scrubbing on my hand the stuff doesn't come off. Good for clubbing/dinners, not so good for everyday wear!

2. Skin79 Hot Pink Super+ Bablesh / Blemish Balm

For lighter coverage though still wanting to even out the skin I use the Skin79 BB cream. I only purchased it recently in December, but so far it worked quite well the few times I wear it. The cream is slightly sticky and in a greyish light shade when you apply it to your face but after a while it will dry out and be powdery, and also adjust to your skin tone magically.

I also really like the hot pink packaging. The one I have is in the smallest size because I wanted to try it out first. I think it was around $20+ or 19.90. Not too expensive!

Here's also a great video by one of my fav. makeup gurus Jen on Youtube (she's korean american, so pretty!).

3. Liese Hair Cocktail Moisturizing Hair Serum

I was using Essential hair serum before but found this a much better alternative. The peach scent is very pleasant and I like how it is a mixture of oil and other things to smooth out my frizz. People who know me know that I have rather boomz hair. I use this in the morning before I step out of the house. I do think its power is not that long lasting, though that's usually because I skip on the hair conditioner the night before so during midday my hair goes back to its rebellious frizz again.

I might however, try out the Mythic Oil that was reviewed on tanchristine.com after I am done with this bottle since it looks quite amazing as well!

4. Hada Labo SHA Hydrating Lotion

One drop locks up an ocean. I own a gazillion million oceans then. It was highly recommended by Scott to us before, and I bought it on an impulse because I sometimes get flaky dry skin on my face. Turns out it is a great buy indeed! I like it because it is very very light - like putting water on your face. In Singapore's weather it is quite impossible to use creams or lotions as moisturiser. Also because my face is oily combination, the heavier stuff seems too much to stand on my face. This one however feels like it is readily absorbed whenever I apply after a shower. Pat pat here, pat pat there. Done!

5. Bioré Cleansing Oil-in-Cotton

I've first seen some blogs doing advertorials for them so I've decided to go buy some and try too. Turns out it's the best thing I've ever done because this product is so good! I used to have some Simple makeup remover sheets which is really useless, then I just used my L'Oreal eye makeup remover for eyes and face will just be my cleanser, which of course is definitely not enough if you are using waterproof makeup, especially for the face. I'm talking about industrial strength liquid foundations, eyelash glue, waterproof eyeliner.. all these are removed in a few swipes with the super moist wet wipe. It feels very satisfying to see all your makeup appear on the wipe actually. Definitely gonna repurchase the refill pack once I am done with this box!

So there you go. My drugstore beauty recommendations! Let me know if you decide to try any of them out!

New hair look, brunch and dinner party!

2012-01-31T13:16:00.000+08:00

So I had quite an eventful weekend. and yes this post is not about food, not much anyway!

2 days ago after French class, I decided I would like to do my hair. I've ignored it long enough and all my white hair's showing amidst a sea of brown grass. I felt this compelling need to sort it out on that very day but when I called my regular hairdresser they were closed for CNY! So I decided to go back to AMK.. and wandered up to a salon at AMK central.

So the story goes, that I told the pair of very friendly and kind hairdressers, that I want to dye my hair red, like an ombre style of red.

So I showed them the red I wanted, photo taken from the Salon Vim facebook page (should have gone there lah):

Their reply? This one is very outdated! Where got nice? 2 patch like that, anybody also can do!

Well I agreed, it kinda looked a bit odd like that, so I asked perhaps they can streak it and then increase the streaks. Sure they say, that's called highlighting, but they will do it in bigger streaks. Noooo I said, it's not like that.

So I showed them another photo (also by Salon Vim, their cruise color collection). How about liddis, I asked.

Their reply? "It's fake lah! They just clipped hair extensions on the girl and rebond the hair! Hair piece!"

-_-||| Seriously... it's not I told them, but they adamantly refuse to listen.

So I told them, i think if I want really red I will need to bleach, then dye it red but they practically jumped backwards in shock. Another round of vehement persuading "listen to us, we hairstylist we know one, bleach is really bad for your hair and you cannot do anything to it after that like perm or straighten ("but I can cut it off if I don't want it anymore") and the bleach will grow upwards ("?!?!"). And that the red will fade away after 1 week and I will have brassy blonde hair.

So anyways, they showed me a swatch of a red hair next using their color chart saying nah, this one you don't have to bleach, and it will last longer, and its nicer.. so I thought, ok, sure, if you say so.

Plus I die die wanna dye.

On hindsight I realized that the swatch must have been dyed on a blonde base. -_-

I was all excited when they were dying it too! The first half of my scalp was in a dark black red to cover up any whites, and I thought its smart cos it will hide any outgrowth from the red later on, plus tone down the color a little. The 2nd half had flourescent orange red dye applied to it! I was like HO MY GOD excites. So I sat there patiently for 2 hours, including the wash.

So after the wash I was in front of the mirror and all excited.. and off came the towel and all I saw was wet black hair. Can you imagine I was like... "oh."

Got more and more sad thinking about it, but hoping it will lighten after they dry it. After drying, still the same. I held my tongue during the whole thing, but at the end I couldn't resist the "I had thought it is going to be brighter red". Of course their reply was "oh no, but you have to bleach, cannot. Anyway this colour very natural, looks very nice one!"

Sure. Well they were really nice to me, but I guess it was like having your parents dye your hair -- they will never wanna do anything harmful to it. Berated myself for not going to town to dye it where they will basically do whatever you tell them to.

Anyway, came home, still feeling slightly cheated (since I paid 160 bucks for the whole thing, including a hair trim and treatment).

Sunday the next day, I met up with Rux for her birthday treat at Choupinette!

That was when I realized in the day time, that hey, my hair IS red! In the sun it is way more obvious.

In my room too, against the sun and ceiling light. Yea this is the red I want.

So after that I felt much better. In fact, I've grown to love it more today because I think it sort of looks hologramic! The effect is really cool cos it's subtle but yet very noticeable sometimes. And a lot of my colleagues noticed too, which means there IS some colour. Yay!

Choupinette was good as usual. Smoked salmon with poached eggs on toast and buttery hollandaise sauce.

After brunch, I went home and organized my makeup collection, thinking that I will make it easier for me to find my colours. But no! I think I need more organizing boxes..

All that organizing almost made me lose the hold on time, but finally I went to a friend's place for a popiah party! Apparently the popiah recipe is handed down for generations. How can I miss it!

The things were also served in elaborate blue-white china. Very proper and formal, makes it really fun. We had so much fun making our own popiahs - fat, skinny, long, short, SPICY, garlicky, sweet..

Lastly here's a pic of Sharpey the border collie! She is ball obsessed and would run after the tennis ball PLUS drop it if you ask her to so you can throw it for her again. Such a cutie!

Restaurant Review: Open Door Policy at 19 Yong Siak Street Singapore

2012-01-30T22:15:00.000+08:00

Had been meaning to check out the latest kid on the block at the rejuvenated Tiong Bahru estate, Open Door Policy, for quite a while now. So imagine my excitement when Linda suggested we meet there for dinner and a catch up session! She made a reservation at 7pm on Thursday but heard over the phone that there is a 2-hour limit to dinner, but we had postponed to meet at 7.30pm. However it still means we gotta scoot by 9pm, according to the person who took the reservation.

Well now, that's not very nice. We were quite bewildered by this rule they have, ironically at a place named Open Door Policy. What happens if we stay past 9pm? We will be asked to leave? What if there is a slow eater among us? It's also not as if there was a queue of people waiting to take over from 9pm for a 2nd round, so..

That strange rule aside, the place itself was actually really nicely decorated. Using a shop house space, they lined the tables on the inner portion along the wall, but at the front of the restaurant is a bar where people can also have drinks at.

Diners get a view of the open concept kitchen with see-through glass. Quite similar to sushi bars, but here they are cooking up a storm. Heard that the head chef is caucasian but I see none there that night, so we are not sure whether that is true or not.

The menu was enclosed in an retro styled workbook. I like how they mix in some old furnitures (e.g. school desks and chairs) amidst the bricked wall and scuffed paint wooden floors.

As you can see, their food is Western but with a heavy leaning towards french cuisine. Pretty interesting things they have on it too.

We ordered 2 starters and 1 main to share among the both of us. First there is the halloumi cheese with olives, white anchovies and crusty bread ($19). I don't see any bread inside (but perhaps it was served with another appetizer), but there were some cherry tomatoes. I've never heard of this cheese before to be honest, but Linda told me its quite a good cheese that is not too strong. Since I am an avid lover of cheese of all types (including the blue smelly ones), I was intrigued and we ordered it. The cheese is very firm -- and the taste itself is not too cheesy, almost like a tofu kind of texture. Very interesting and apparently a great accompaniment during BBQs. The white anchovies gave the dish its very saltish flavor, while the olive oil and herb dressing gave it some depth.

Next my third most favorite raw meat in the world (after Salmon and Swordfish sashimi) -- the beef tartare! The steak tartare with truffle mayo and potato chips ($19) was really quite well-done for something made in Singapore. Most people are turned off by the raw-ness of the beef, but when done well it is really enjoyable. Chewy, cold, and the truffle mayo 'marinate' making it hard to stop at one scoop. Goes well with the chips. One of the recommended items to try out at ODP too on HGW.

Lastly the 48 hour cooked braised beef cheek with mochi potatoes, carrot puree and snow pea tendrils ($29).

The portion was not very big for something that costs $29 (Bistro du vin has it for better value) but it was also quite palatable though also quite salty. The meat was soft and infused with the gravy, while there was this weird looking sausage thing in beige color at the background of the meat (you can't see here) that we suspect is either the mochi potatoes in mashed format or the snow pea tendrils.

Overall, I might be blogging about this place only because it is new, shiny and has quite a fair bit of hype surrounding it. However I don't think the food managed to rise above average, plus they charge a pretty penny for it probably for its decor, location and concept. We did not stay for desserts too since there's no créme brulée or soufflé (my 2 favorite french desserts). Other items on the menu might entice me to go back one day to try but it will not be on the top of my list.

Open Door Policy
19 Yong Siak Street, Singapore
Tel: +65 62219307
Opening Hours: Mon–Sun: 12pm–4pm, 6.30pm–11pm,
Wed: 6.30pm–11pm (Closed on Tue)

Food Review: Prince of Wales Backpacker Pub Counter Meals

2012-01-28T11:51:00.000+08:00

Invited Tasting

Was invited by Jess the Collie last year around after Christmas to drop by the Prince of Wales to try out their Australian kitchens at both PoWs at Little India and Boat Quay. Well, I finally had the chance to go there last Thursday to try it out, and I was so psyched because it is the first time someone's inviting me to go try their food. Thus this review of Prince of Wales Counter Meals!

So I asked a few of my friends and my sister to go along as well. On a Thursday at 8pm, the place was quite empty, it being a weekday and all. I've actually been to the Prince of Wales quite a few times before in the past for drinks, but never realized that they have a kitchen or restaurant as I've always thought there's just a pub out back of the really cool backpackers' hostel! Yes, for $22 a night you get to stay at this really awesome backpackers' hostel.

All photographs on this post were also kindly taken by J.M. Hu with his DSLR.

The ambiance of the place is really great because it's totally casual and being in the heart of little India also smacks of indie cool. There's just this vibe about the place that makes you feel relaxed. The walls are also filled with soccer and jagermeister memorabilia -- apparently they are really big on the jager parties, so jager fans you know where to head to next time!

Their menu is really quite extensive for such a small place, but luckily Neil was around to give us some recommendations. It's a pity their masterchef was on leave for Chinese New Year so another chef and his assistant did the cooking.

It was quite a bit of a wait for the food, but since we ordered 5 mains and a starter, it's quite understandable. Would be good if the starter salad was served first though, because one of my friend was absolutely starving while we were waiting for the food.

On to the food items! First up, the Chicken Caesar Salad ($15). It's quite nicely done, but I find the greens a little bit watery, so it wasn't as crispy as I like. However the sauce is quite light unlike the usual caesar salad dressing, and there were bacon bits inside as well. The chicken breast meat on top was also a surprise since most times they do cubes or shreds. Very substantial.

Then came the funny part. So all 4 of them have an iPhone 4/4s, and since the area was quite dimly lit, they started taking out their iPhone flash to shine on the food, so the camera can take better shots. Must have looked quite comical with 2 iPhone being held as light stands as JM was taking the photos!

But they turned out well and has quite a 'superstar' effect to them. I hope these make you hungry!

We also ordered a porterhouse steak ($24). It was quite juicy, but there are quite a few bits of tendon inside that might make people with braces have a problem with it. Would also have loved it if there was more gravy or sauce on it, but overall a good set of steak with potatoes.

Next, the grilled salmon ($20)! Are you ready to salivate???

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We really enjoyed this set because the salmon was really done to perfection, very fresh and just the right amount of time on the pan, before being garnished with tangy tomato sauce. I would recommend this if you don't want to have that heavy a meal, but still a satisfying and omega-3 loaded on. Imagine this to be very popular among the ladies. YUM!

Next up, the most disappointing dish of the lot, the bbq pork ribs ($22). Well, Neil didn't exactly recommend this, so I supposed we should have listened! The ribs were really tough, so there wasn't much to be said for it, though the barbecue sauce was flavoured nicely. The thick-cut fries made up for it a bit though cos they were so delicious! Everyone kept going at them.

Next up, the PoW beef burger ($16)! Star item on the menu, there is a reason why. The reason is because the meat patty is just unbelievably juicy and THICK. It's almost like having another steak, but this time in mashed format. Can you imagine how shiok it will be to have this after a long day, with a beer beside? Chow time!

And lastly, for the Most Popular item of that night among the 5 mains - the Chicken Parmigiana ($18)! It was highly recommended by Neil and I can see why! It was a huge portion too, so 2 people can share this and get a side and be done with lunch, maybe. I've never had a chicken parma before. Allrecipes.com described it as "Mozzarella and Parmesan melt over breaded chicken swimming in spaghetti sauce in this timeless Italian classic."

The breaded chicken covered in cheese and ham was really a surprise. The chicken was really tender even though it had to be breast meat. Coupled with the tangy tomato sauce and the melted cheese on top of the ham that lent a strong supporting hand in giving it a more 3 dimensional flavour, this was like a meat pizza almost! It's also very easy to eat and share. I would recommend this if you are at PoW and can only order 1 item off the menu.

Overall I really enjoyed our dinner at PoW. It is an unpretentious pub and restaurant that serves up good ol' comfort food in the form of western classics. Their fries will be very good with the beers, which they also have good promotions for. Think of PoW next time you are around the area, maybe at dhoby ghaut, and want to have a late night dinner and some drinks. There's also a guy singer at 9pm while we were there crooning popular songs so that was a nice touch to liven up the place.

While you are there, say hi to Jess the collie if she is around, the 7.5 year old mascot for this 7.5 year old joint! Also, a little bit of trivia - this place is called Prince of Wales because it was one of the pub names in Melbourne, where the owner is from. And since a lot of pubs there are named after British establishments/culture, Prince of Wales is one of them.

Thanks, Prince of Wales for the invite and generosity!

Prince of Wales Counter Meals
101 Dunlop Street, Singapore
Tel: +65 62990130 | Website
Mon–Fri: 5pm – 11pm, Sat: 12pm – 11pm, Sun: 12pm – 10pm
Daily: 9am – 2am [Bar]

Europe Summer 2011 Day 5 - Paris

2012-01-24T14:00:00.000+08:00

Happy Chinese New Year everyone!

I just discovered that I did not finish blogging about my trip last year to Paris even though I had uploaded the pics long time ago! I just needed to fill in the captions and describe the day. So i am ploughing through, since I've already prepped the pics! Hopefully I can remember what went on! Will keep it short, but sweet. Hope you enjoy :)

5 June 2011

Woke up bright and early with the plan to visit the Louvre. We did, but completely did not have enough time to finish everything.

Taking a breakfast before we start the day! It's insane how pricey breakfasts are in France. Perhaps we were in the Louvre/touristy area and didn't know where to go, but they like to charge an arm AND a leg for a cup of orange juice. Like seriously, its just sour orange coloured liquid! But well, when in paris, do as parisians does..

When we were done, its time to join the queue. There were 2 ducks swimming leisurely.

Saw the Mona Lisa or La Jaconde, it was underwhelming but I had expected that. This was the crowd in that room. It's so small, the painting! Compared to the colossal painting that is right opposite of the Mona Lisa.

Had to take this shot.

Walls and walls are filled with these gorgeous french paintings. this is what happens when people don't have television and internet.

We both quite liked this very dramatic and famous painting called The Intervention of the Sabine Woman by Jacques-Louis David.

This was the view outside one of the windows. As you can see, a lovely day!

A collage of the things we browsed through as we practically ran through the museum. The egyptian collection's really interesting, and so was Napolean's chambers.

Next up, we met with our french ex-colleague, Fabian, to have lunch at Ave Montaigne!

The food was quite good, but for the life of me I cannot remember the bistro's name. Not famous, then.

We then made our way around more of Paris, and was at the Place de la Concorde.

We then took a train to see the Notre Dame Cathedral! Finally!

It's a really cool church, and I really like the area around it with all the art stalls.

We then walked across the river to find the acclaimed Shakespeare and Co., which turned out to be a very american indie bookstore. It was a shame, since we were expecting a quaint french one. Still, quite a good place to hang out! They have their own memorabilia too.

Next up, nearby.. the most famous ice cream shop in Paris - Berthillon! Scott read about this in the NYT as one of the must-try of the city. Of course we are there.

Look at all the amazing flavours!

We were not disappointed, it was super good. Bring me back there, s'il vous plait..

We then walked around more, and ended up at the Le Marais area again, I think. I had a salidou crepe during our tea time. After that we bade adieu to Fabian, and continued our way again! He was so sweet to meet up with us to show us around the city!

We went to the 2nd most famous macaron shop of the city. Ladurée! It recently went up in flames, literally, which made me really sad, but they seemed to have recovered from it, and also have started expanding their business into makeup. Which is strange since its macarons to makeup, but clever to use their super pretty packaging to the fullest!

Just like Pierre Herme, they have super colourful yummilicious macarons on display. Look at all the boxes behind that the lady is packing! Their mint green packaging with the floral design is really the Tiffany & Co. of Paris.

So we had to try them. They tasted good, but not as good as Pierre Herme!

After Laduree, we hopped to Galleries Lafayette for a quick peak. Then we went to meet up with Ben and Malika again at the Palais Royale Metro. This time, to get bubble tea! They call it 'zen zu' tea there, and this stall is run by Taiwanese, it was so strange to speak with them in mandarin. Hurhur.

This cup of bubble tea was like.. 4.50 euros? It's a lot! Most expensive cup of bbt I've ever drank, but at least the quality is not too bad.

We then walked to the Grand Palais with the hope of seeing an exhibition Ben said is cool.

Sadly, the exhibition is closed! What a bummer. Well, perhaps next time.

So we went for dinner instead, since it was already close to 8. It is at this restaurant that sells the BEST beef tartare in Paris. I'm not kidding. It's recommended by Parisians, and I vouch for it.

First we had some "zero pointe" wine. Very self-aware wine, this.

This is their menu board. No restaurant name, damn! I'll need to find that out.

We ordered the pea soup and beef carpaccio (?) for starters to share. Both were absolutely delicious.

Next up the main item. Beef tartare, in alllll its glory.

Some people might find it gross, but honestly its like having a beef sashimi. Even the dressing tastes a little bit like wasabi cos they use horse radish. But really, this beef tartare was so tender, so fresh and so sumptious, just looking at it makes me wanna fly back to Paris already. Luckily (or not?) I am not a princess with a private jet.

And with that we ended Day 5 with a bloody and satisfying meal. Oh, this city has so much to give...

View also Paris Day 1, Day 2, Day 3 and Day 4.

Sweet Eats: Ah Chew Desserts at Bugis Singapore

2012-01-22T18:39:00.003+08:00

I've always been going to this joint, but found out a few days ago that there are apparently some people who do not know about this place! It is Ah Chew Desserts at Liang Seah Street - a very popular traditional Chinese dessert stall which found the right formula between traditional sweets and modern eat.

The place is always packed, particularly with the younger crowd. You won't see no granny sitting here having her bowl of tau suan, for sure! How it work: Queue for an assigned seat, read the menu plastered under the glass of the table, decide on your order and order at the counter with your table number at hand. Pay up, go back and within 5 minutes the desserts will arrive.

I used to order their star item - mango sago with pomelo or, 杨枝甘露, but find myself not satisfied with it recently. Therefore on my last trip I got a egg chestnut dessert ($2.10) which I really liked.

My friend ordered the yam dessert thinking its yam paste, but in the end it turned out to be yam cubes in a coconut-ty gravy. Kinda like borbor cha cha.

Anyway, most of their desserts are always quite refreshing, though I would stay off the grass jelly ones cos I find them rather expensive for something quite common. Try their steamed milk or mango pomelo instead, or the chestnut egg dessert which is really good!

Ah Chew Desserts
1 Liang Seah Street, #01-11 Liang Seah Place, Singapore
+65 6339 8198
Tue–Fri: 12.30pm – 11.30pm, Sat–Sun: 1.30pm – 11.30pm (Closed on Mon)

Food Review: Woodlands Centre Food Market Seafood Soup

2012-01-15T23:54:00.001+08:00

How far are you willing to go for good food?

That was the question of the day when my Breakfast Brunch club bus driver decided to bring us to Woodlands for seafood soup. This place is so far out, it is literally a 3 min walk from the Woodlands checkpoint to Johor Bahru. We almost needed our passport to have this!

I was however intrigued. It felt like going to a foreign country, driving into the very congested Woodlands Centre carpark filled with malaysian cars. Parking was quite the challenge since luck has to be on your side. It was for us on that Sunday noon.

Going up the Woodlands Food Centre, it was like a time warp where the hands of change has yet to touch this little enclave. We climbed up to the 2nd floor of the food centre and found a seat just near the stall we drove all the way for.

It's called Wei Wei Shi Pin, and they sell grandmother prawn (?!?) seafood soup and pig's trotters. As you can see on the signboard they were on the Channel U show. **EDIT: Apparently my friend told me 虾婆 that's written in the photo below means Crayfish. Not grandmother prawn. HAHAH. My chinese is awesome.

Look at the amount of clips and bowls they have! There's also a sign there saying they need to hire helpers. This is one busy stall and we experienced that first hand because we waited more than an HOUR for our seafood soup. Can you imagine? We were famished not having eaten anything before this.

But is it worth the hour's wait you ask?

Well, here's what was served. Its the most interesting bowl of seafood soup I've ever had in a hawker centre.

And the answer to whether the drive and the wait was worth it or not was -- YES!

Ok no maybe not for a repeat visit for a while. 1 hour is really too long, they could have been more efficient. But for first timers who read about this the first time, or if you stay really near Woodlands, GO AND TRY IT.

The soup is very delicious and sweet - much like how the soup of steamboat meal will taste like after 5 hours of putting ingredients inside. The prawns gives the soup its seafood-y sweetness and there are meat 'balls' inside that is very satisfying and juicy. They are more like meat chunks. Coupled with the slight sour tomatoes and the bits of mushroom and fish slices, it comes to be to most unassuming but surprising soup of all. Went really great with a bowl of rice and there is no post-meal MSG dryness in mouth, since they use only the good stuff.

I'll give the pig trotter's a skip though. Never a big fan and theirs is not that great.

So - how far are YOU willing to go for food?

Yan Ji Wei Wei Food Stall 炎记威威食品
Blk 4A #02-11 Woodlands Centre Road Food Centre
(Closed on Mondays)

Apple Service Centres in Singapore

2012-01-09T22:12:00.002+08:00

The other day I tried to find a Apple authorized service provider for my mac (dying battery, needs to replace) and I realized how mobile and web unfriendly their site is when it comes to that! They used a Google Map embed and you have to type in your country so many times, and even on my desktop I don't see how that information is that easily accessible. So here it is. Hopefully you will get here when you google for it and not have to suffer through multiple rounds of clicking and map zooming.

Mac/iPod/iPad repair service centres:

QCD@Tagore by QCD Technology Pte Ltd
Tagore Building, No. 6 Tagore Drive, #04-03/04, Singapore 787623
+65 6555 0478

eServ@Wheelock by Micro 2000 Pte Ltd
Wheelock Place, 501 Orchard Road #02-20/23, Singapore 238880
+65 6733 4636

Sapura@Funan by Sapura Synergy Pte Ltd
Funan DigitalLife Mall, 109 North Bridge Road, #05-44, Singapore 179097
+65 6337 2993

eServ@Ubi by Micro 2000 Pte Ltd
Zervex Building, 8 Ubi Road 2, #08-20, Singapore 408538
+65 6295 3998

iPhone repair service centre:

QCD@TaiSeng by QCD Technology Pte Ltd
Leong Huat Building, No. 6 Harper Road, #02-01, Singapore 369674
+65 6514 4160

Cafe Hangout: Vanilla Bar & Cafe at 3 Boon Tat St, Singapore

2012-01-08T16:28:00.001+08:00

Finally checked off Vanilla Cafe from my to-do list. This one is particularly hard to check off mainly because they are closed on Sundays, which is typically the time when I want to go have some brunch and coffee. So yesterday after my French class, we decided to finally head down to the empty ghost town of the CBD and checked it out.

It is a very small, cosy and quaint place. With a little hint of japanese minimalism in place, Olivia Ong soundtrack and the scent of vanilla candles.

There are 2 'areas' to the cafe. A more casual sitting at the front.

And a more cosy inner sitting area. There seem also be an alfresco air well area outside for when there are more people.

I saw this plate on their shelves.

Scattered around the cafes are old tin robots and knick knacks that gives this vanilla cafe a not so vanilla character.

On to the food! They have a delectable selection of finger food, to full-fledged meals, sandwiches and all-day breakfasts! Joy!

Prices are also quite reasonable. Around $8.50-9.50 for sandwich, with a top up option $1.80 for a coffee/tea or soft drink. Same goes for their all-day breakfasts, which is what I had. I ordered their All-English breakfast (9.90) and it was such a spread! Feast for the eyes, really. The items on the plate were all quite exquisite. In fact they look like those Japanese fake food they place outside restaurants. Quite enjoyed the bacon, which is just nicely cooked without being too dry/salty/oily. For a dinner (at 6.30pm), this is a rather unusual choice, but a good one!

In the background there is their famous Smoked Norwegian salmon with egg mayo sandwich (9.50). Apparently quite 'juicy' in the ciabatta bread, it was an easy item to have.

Next up, the cafe's star item and most unusual - the Vanilla Dirt Cake (8.90). It was served to us like this:

Imagine our expressions when we saw the flower pot and the 'dirt'! Haha. It is such a creative dessert. It's actually oreo crumbs on top of frozen vanilla ice cream with 2 gummy worms, served in a real flowerpot! Tasted like frozen McFlurry, to be honest, but it was quite a enjoyable dessert.

In conclusion - check this place out if you are around the area for a cuppa or a beer/martini (they do alcoholic drinks too) and have a bite too! The feedback on their houseblend coffee was also good - apparently it tastes quite unique/special so they are definitely not using Nespresso to brew their coffees. Go try it and let me know if you like!

Vanilla Bar & Cafe
3 Boon Tat Street, #01-01 Singapore
Tel: +65 6423 0366
Mon–Thu: 10.30am – 11pm, Fri–Sat: 11am – 12am (Closed on Sun & PH)
Website

Food Review: Foo House at Picardy Garden, Singapore

2012-01-06T00:10:00.000+08:00

Sick of seeing the reminder on how I lost my iPhone on the 30th of Dec, I decided to blog about happier times instead, this time with my Christmas Eve dinner. Unbeknownst to many, this little gem of a Hainanese-Western cafe and bar with a very punny name of Foo House resides in the very ulu area of the East, somewhat near Bedok and Tampines. I'm not a Eastie so I won't know.

But do you want to know where to find the best homemade iced lemon tea in Singapore? Then read on. I know, weird right.

The cafe itself is very homely - you feel like you're dining at someone's house. However it was well-staffed and actually not too rowdy for a night like Christmas Eve. Very family-oriented place, I see ah gongs and ah mas dining there with their grandchildren.

We ordered a pumpkin soup to share, and it was really good and smooth, with crunchy pumpkin seeds as well. Would be a tad better if its just slightly thicker, but the flavour is there.

And this is the star item -- iced lemon tea, frothy and freshly made from the bar. I don't know why it is so awesome, perhaps its the tea base, the tang of lemon, the airy froth from being shaken, or just the right amount of sweetness, but this glass of iced lemon tea is really unbelievably the best iced lemon tea in Singapore. Since I drink ILT all the time in restos, I know my teas.

Once I got over my delight in the tea (can't stop sipping it!), its time for the mains. For that, we ordered a steak with mashed taters and roasted duck. The mashed potatoes are really nicely done, and would have gone very well with my duck too! Too bad the waiter did not ask me which side I would like and I ended up with fries.

For the steak, it is really soft and juicy, so I reckon it is a good solid piece of cooking right there. My duck also had really crispy and juicy skin, coupled with the meat that melts off the bone. Rather like duck confit, but not so gooey since you can still taste the meat itself.

Overall a great place to have a good dinner without paying exorbitant food prices. Go try their iced lemon tea! Their western food is pretty good since its renowned for being made by a former big hotel chef. Location is a bit out of the way, but recently I have been going to these quite a lot -- simply to escape the maddening crowd that is Singapore these days. Quite a hidden find, this one.

Foo House Cafe and Bar
6 Jalan Pari Burong, Picardy Garden, Singapore
Tel: +65 6445 3110
Daily: 12pm–3pm, 6pm–10pm

How I lost my iPhone on 30th December 2011

2012-01-02T01:20:00.001+08:00

Dropped my iPhone recently in a cab and found out how difficult it is to search for information on the go. It was the 2nd last day of 2011, and we were in a premier taxi when we decided to alight at cineleisure in a hurry because the traffic was so jammed. Paid, and got out of cab, only to realize I dropped the phone on the taxi's floor (because my sister checked the seat when she got out). I patted my shorts, checked my bag for the phone, and meanwhile the taxi got further and further away. Called premier taxi, and my phone which rang (but it was at vol 1) and tried chasing the cab down (too late). Premier taxi service said they would page their drivers after getting all the necessary details - but I have no cab number, nor do they have gps tracking on their taxis so even if I know where my phone was at they can't contact the driver.

It was then that I realized I've the "Find my iPhone" service in my phone so after a good 15 minutes of initial flustering figuring out how to access that service - I need to go to www.icloud.com or install the Find my iPhone app on another iPhone, enter your apple ID and password, I realized that the phone was tracked to Dorset Road.. and I quickly managed to remote lock the phone with a passcode. After that I decided to send a message that will play along a sound at full volume - on hindsight perhaps that's what alerted the passenger to the phone and to steal it. The message included my sister's phone number asking for the person to contact the owner of the phone, and it got sent as well.

Subsequently when we tried to call the phone again, it was switched off. and that is the end. My heart sank.

Everyone knows that if a phone is switched off, chances are very slim that the finder will return the phone. How can someone be so dishonest? If I am being slightly dramatic, I could say that my entire life resides in the phone.

However, there are 2 points of consolation - 1. i managed to passcode lock it and 2. my data is all relatively backed up, about 90%. All my contacts are stored in the cloud, and I upload pictures regularly.

So the next plan of action is to report the loss to the police - which we did at ion after going to a starhub shop only to find it being just a retailer, not a customer service. Apparently we have to go to PS for the nearest customer service center. I called 1633 starhub customer service and asked for my IMEI number but they gave me the wrong one (checked my registration papers later when I got home, as well as the back of the box of my phone). Filed the report online via a iMac at the epicentre at ion. The Singapore Police has a Handphone IMEI Tracing System which will log all the reported lost/stolen IMEI numbers so that if a lost set was caught or if someone tries to sell it to a secondhand shop it will be more difficult. Apparently my sister's friend's phone was found via this method and the fella got fined.

Went to the PS starhub centre at B2 after dinner to get a new sim card (free if its the first time) and cancel my other sim so that person cannot make any calls with it.

So that's it. Nothing else to do except check the Find my iPhone app every few hours. There is also a Remote Wipe function on the app, but that will also mean that I won't be able to track it again but I am determined to track that bugger down at least just to know what happened to my phone. It has been turned off ever since 4+pm on 30th December 2011 though, so I guess the person knows not to turn it on to receive a slew of warning messages once the phone connects to a network.

Currently using my cousin's 3GS which sure beats the nokia i was using for a few hours before that. Sigh. Feeling quite sad over my carelessness and all the hassle, plus now I have to fork out some cash for a new one. Only other consolation is I can get the new iPhone 4S, but I really feel like I should wait for the iPhone 5, which will probably come out only in this September. But I can't wait that long!

So, that is the story of how and when I lost my iPhone.

Hello 2012. May you treat me better than 2011.

I love mashups 2 - DJ Earworm and DJ Trademark 2011

2011-12-30T14:33:00.000+08:00

Found out yesterday that DJ Earworm has once again released his highly anticipated United State of Pop 2011 mashup. However, it was not that catchy - in fact I call it uninspired. Perhaps this year he didn't have a good selection of pop. Colin says he cheated because he didn't use Billboard Top 25! Agreed.

Here's his mashup anyway. You can download the mp3 on his website.

However, when I tweeted about DJ Earworm's, a tweep replied and asked me to check out DJ Trademark instead, and I did. It was cool, so here it is!

I did a search on youtube and found a 50-song pop 2011 mashup by Daniel Kim which totally rocks!

Do let me know if there are any more good 2011 mashups yea and I'll add it in before the year ends. in a few days. Happy 2012!

Like my Facebook Page!

2011-12-29T13:35:00.003+08:00

Hi everyone, I have just launched a Facebook Page for my blog, and it will be great if you can

LIKE alex.is blog

Thanks :)

Makeup Review: L'Oreal Infallible Eyeshadows

2011-12-27T18:59:00.003+08:00

Awesome find alert, gotta tell my female readers! I've been meaning to get my grubby hands on these L'Oreal Color Infaillible eyeshadows ever since I swatched one of them at Watsons a couple of weeks back. Then I went online and read all the rave reviews , saying that they are comparable to Armani's Eyes to Kill. Not to mention that almost every drugstore I went to after that was OOS of these eyeshadows, sometimes with just 1-2 left on the shelf in the colour I did not want.

So imagine my delight when I popped into the Guardian's at Citilink mall and saw Black Onyx in stock (left 2 more)! Turns out, Guardian was having a 20% off L'Oreal products as well so this little baby only costs SGD$11.92.

Thus after walking for a while I decided it is a sin not to get more since there is a 20%, so I went to the Suntec guardian after that and found the next shade I think will work really well - Bronze Goddess.

The eyeshadows are actually pressed mineral powder that is 24 hour and waterproof. They are displayed bottom up, because it is transparent in the bottom of the flat jar. The top is a screw cap.

Here they are, opened up. There is a black flattener on top of the shadow - we are supposed to keep it so as to keep the shadows 'pressed' and fresh. Just a slight hassle in that extra step of removing that lid then. As you can see, there is also LOADs of eyeshadow jam packed into that jar. I can never finish them in my lifetime.

And here's a brief swatch of the gorgeous eyeshadows on my thigh and fingers. Apologize as the colour is not very accurate due to lighting. You can view swatches of more here. As you can see the colour is really intense when it is swabbed on my finger. On skin, you can layer it easily. There are several methods - using a sponge tip, a brush (wet for more intensity) or just your fingers to pat them on. The texture is really buttery soft, no huge glitter bits. It is also very waterproof because I ran my fingers under the water and it didn't come off until I rubbed them with some soap.

These would be perfect for a smokey eye look for a night out, be it clubbing or a dinner. I would imagine bronze goddess to be more subtle yet will work really well for our asian skin tone!

Can't wait to try it. Folks, if you see them on the shelves in Watsons/Guardian you know what to do!

Food Review: Spice Peranakan at Centros, Biopolis, Singapore

2011-12-26T11:42:00.002+08:00

On the eve's eve of Christmas, guess where I had dinner? Biopolis. That's right, you heard correctly. The reason is very valid -- town will be jam packed with the friday weekend pre-christmas frenzied shoppers who are thronging with a vengeance. Plus, there is a possibility of the Orchard Pond making an appearance. I do not fancy getting ankle or shin deep into muddy waters. My feet was already soggy from the day's rains even though I am wearing sandals, so no thanks!

So me and my bestie ZQ devoted our energy to finding the most "ULU" place in Singapore to have a meal, and that's when I suggested Spice Peranakan because I just read about it recently on ieatishootipost in Dr. Tay's Circle Line trip. It has to be the most deserted place ever, and we were right.

From the circle line station we had to walk up a hill towards Biopolis, and find the building called Centros - there was actually a cafe and a Indian restaurant in that same building too. Wow, never knew this place had anything other than cold concrete. Spice had quite a few patrons when we were there - they were finishing up though, as we only reached at 8.30pm.

We ordered the otah otah, chap chye and beef rendang! ZQ was looking very much forward to the rendeng, having read good things about it. It was the best dish among the lot. However, the otah was jam packed with spices and quite spicy, which makes it really satisfying. The chap chye was normal, nothing much to shout about. The sambal chili on the other hand, was uber spicy so much so that zq was perspiring from having it! I of course steered far away from that red stuff, the spice wuss I am.

The side dish of anchovies was also quite appetizing. Caution on ordering dubious drinks though - my honey lemon lime drink tasted weird because there was plum bits in it, which was not written in the menu itself. The lemongrass drink zq had was normal. Next time I'll stick to canned drinks!

Overall it works out to be around 25 per person. Slightly on the pricey side but hey, they have a tough location. They also have lunch sets at 9.90 and 15.90 I think, which is value for money. I bet their lunch crowd from the people working in Biopolis is better than the dinner one!

Quite enjoyed myself there simply because it is the most quiet and peaceful dinner I've had in a long while. In the ever overcrowded Singapore, this is simply a hidden gem. Do visit if you are in the West! The family business thrives solely on word of mouth, so here I am telling all my readers about it.

Spice Peranakan
20 Biopolis Way, #01-01 Centros Biopolis, Singapore
Tel: +65 6738 8887
Lunch: 11.30am – 3.00pm, Dinner: 5.30pm – 10.00pm (Closed on Sun & PH)

Food Review: Rong Cheng Ba Kut Teh, 22 Sin Ming Rd, Singapore

2011-12-25T11:19:00.000+08:00

Other than fancy french food and novelty coffees, I do love my chinese simple fare. In fact, every Sunday I would go with my primary school mates on a breakfast brunch/lunch hunt all over Singapore! Having a car for all of us is no doubt very useful as well. However, we all live around the AMK/Bishan/Thomson area, so we tend to favour these areas a lot for good ol' favorites.

I also kept telling Vic that only good old heartlands have good food. Punggol? Pffft. (He defends that Punggol has good stuff too because he does real estate there, haha. OK, I believe, when we go there next time.)

So last Sunday, we revisted Rong Cheng Ba Kut Teh again because it was drizzling, its cold and a warm bowl of peppery soup will do just fine.

Sin Ming Ba Kut Teh it is, among other choices like founders, admiralty, amk.. Are you ready to salivate?

It was delicious, as usual. The rib had to be consumed caveman style, there is no other way. I also prefer the light soup to the dark herbal one. This one could be more peppery though, it is not as peppery compared to Founder's at Balestier. It is however much less exorbitant. For $6 you get a big rib, some other pieces of juicy meat, and rice, I think.

It also comes with the salted vegetables, and the peanuts. You can return them if you don't like so you don't get charged. They are not free.

The full spread. The guys also ordered a very fatty piece of pig's trotters! Apparently, meat are juicy only because of the fat content they have which elicits a saliva response in your mouth, making you think they are juicy. This fact was kindly provided by peng, writer of gyuto food blog.

For me, I love to have my bkt with a bowl of dry white rice, and drench it with soup and some dark sauce with chili. This is a good place for a late breakfast -- with the monsoon rains this December, I urge my readers to go try it soon, but do expect a crowd on weekends!

Also, the Ah Orh zichar at the same coffeeshop does a roaring business at night with seafood and etc. Very delicious as well. That warrants another blog post altogher!

Rong Cheng Bak Kut Teh (Rou Gu Cha)
Block 22 Sin Ming Road, Singapore 570022
Tel: +65 9754-4774
Operating Hours: Daily from 7am to 4pm

French Food Find: Bistro du Vin at Shaw Centre, Singapore

2011-12-24T17:10:00.001+08:00

Celebrated my darling friend's birthday 2 Fridays ago at Bistro du Vin, a charming little french bistro by the Les Amis Group at Shaw Centre facing the Pacific Plaza. I've walked past that place several times, always wondering if the food there is any good and finally there's an opportunity to taste it since Wing wanted to have French cuisine!

Our first choice was Le Bistro du Sommelier, but unfortunately it takes a week of reservation in advance if you want to get a proper timing instead of at 9.15pm, which was offered to me. So we went for Plan B - walk in to the bistro du vin! We were lucky to get a walk-in table because the place was fully booked and they managed to find a free table for us.

The place was decorated very much like a classic french bistro, which adds to a certain ambience. It was a bit too noisy as the crowd came in though, but that can't be helped.

Here's the birthday girl!

We didn't have to wait long for the food -- perhaps that's because we told the kind waitress that we have to leave in an hour to catch a movie, which is true.

The baguette served to us was quite divine, crusty on the outside and soft inside. Quite addictive but we didn't want to have more or it will spoil our appetite!

Our food came really swiftly! We ordered escargots ($15) to share, and I had the coq au vin while Wing had the beef cheek. As you can see in the background, the escargots were served with the shells itself, not in those indented dishes. The garlic herb butter was quite satisfying, though I won't say it managed to infuse the meat thoroughly. Could be better.

The coq au vin ($33) itself was quite amazing. Tangy with the wine reduction, I even found some 3-layered pork among the savory gravy - seems quite Chinese styled cooking, almost. It's like a chicken stew with the meat melting off the bone very easily. The carrots were also super soft.

The main dishes are all served with a separate pot of mashed taters, which is simply amazing. It was finely mashed, and the potato fragrance managed to linger. Perfect combination with the salty gravy.

Here's wing's beef cheek in red wine ($33) with the same other ingredients as mine. The beef cheek was also melty and soft while retaining the beef taste. Heavenly!

I also liked how all the dishes are served in "pots" - makes it very home-styled and authentic, less chi-chi like your typical haute française cuisine!

Here's me and the birthday girl after being completely stuffed after 40 mins. Yay!

Overall, I would recommend this place for a casual but still good dinner - the dishes are on the slightly pricey side, but just convert them into Euros and you'll feel fine. C'etait bon! I would love to go back and try more of their food, especially their desserts too.

Bistro du Vin

1 Scotts Road, #02-12 Shaw Centre, Singapore 238868

Tel: +65 6733 7763

Daily: 11.30am–2.30pm, 6.30pm–10pm

Menu [PDF]

Maru the cat pic

2011-12-23T09:50:00.000+08:00

Because I did not blog for a while now, here's a Cute Photo of the Day to make up for it.

MARU!

Say Ahhh~

[Source]

Adventures of MikMikk #2

2011-12-16T10:00:00.002+08:00

Mickey has a new friend.

Adventures of MikMikk #1

2011-12-14T14:10:00.002+08:00

Really like how my sister created this comic strip with Mickey our dog, and captioned it. Sharing it with you guys! It's a dog's life.