Akashi, Starbucks Rochester

Codfish set

Chiraishi set

Lunch at Akashi Paragon is worth the savings instead of dinner cos for exactly the same set at different times of the day its cheaper..plus there was zero crowd. Prob the default jap choice for town food now for mummy and me... Today's more of a pre recee trip prior to my jan ny trip to prep up for woodsbury

Choc lava

Apple Crumble cheesecake

At Starbucks Rochester with J fiddling with the white light settings so that my cheesecake doesnt appear more yellow then it actually is...

Alfresco balcony settings is quite the chill out here at Rochester starbucks, in a colonial bungalow. Loving it.

The Knolls, Capella

Love the variety in the bread basket

Love the froth in the seafood soup!

Seabass pasta...the tiny bits of pasta was really delicious in the tomato based sauce though im not usually a fan of the latter...

Creme brulee...and a very thin layer at that (such that the caramelised layer felt as thick as the creme layer)

Enjoying the art at Capella..

Hugx

Its just too dark everywhere in capella...

But drive in through the dark for this gem;) restaurant week 11

Skyve

My mantra in PAS...

Eggs Benedict, Truffled scrambled eggs, Ricotta Cheese pancakes, Rosti..

Post call me fetched on call Cheang out = 2 sleepys, 1 post wedding...heh. 3 girls = getting disorientated trying to find this place.. plus a super power woman who shifted away.. Was such a lazy brunch (till cheang had a new case). Super healthy tasting food - Cheang was craving the ricotta cheese pancakes (which was super thin but had this crisp nutty nougat that was really delish). The rosti was really crisp too. The eggs were a little too airy fairy. Overall just a very bright sunny spacious place to hang out, see and be seen. Misst the old District 10 ;) and its very yummy truffle mushroom pizza...soon to try!

Rio Tapas Bar

Post call day, but still ended up oversleeping and had to ask Kels to leave my Wicked ticket by the counter...sorry dear!! Wicked's cast was as amazing, and surprising as the set. Gorgeous set it was. And it was hilarious too..blondes can be so...yes..self deprecatingly so too...

We bumped into Cheryl and Andrew, and even Jianping and his gf..how coincidental!!

We shopped abit - shops close at 1145 pm on weekends at MBS..and eventually walked downt all the waterfront bars - either too noisy or the bar food sucks so we ended up right at the other quiet end at Rio Tapas Bar .. last order at 12 and we were there at 1130 so we decided to settle down at that quiet place (the other couple moved after a while so we kinda owned the place and our little booth!!)
Green tea alcoholic milkshake (tasted no matcha!!) and yumms truffle fries...

Scallops (which Kels already OD on over cny)..I kinda misst the scallops from Sabio

More truffle in the Oxtail Soba...this is = to my dads oxtail soup, just need to coerce him to buying that $45 bottle of truffle oil from La Forketta...

Really crisp churros with dips - loved the chocolate one.. its really ang moh youtiao, but very airy very crisp!

Walked one round to Fullerton before heading back to leem kopi but decided to head out to Starbucks City hall which reminded Kels of the allgreen allnighter we had at Bugis. What would I do without my best friend!! I would definitely be a hungrier person...hehe...

St Jerome's Laneway festival

Sunday was crowds madness..the entry queue never seem to end (all the way to the ballet academy!!) so sent J to get the xkcd comic i bought heh. And once we got in (and they never checked our bag for food nor the 3litre water bag that is our survival...)..Moved thrice.. all to avoid the sun and the standing crowd (can everyone please sit down so we can sit down and actually see something!!).. central grass patch to secret corner under the trees to eventually in front of the prive booth, on the steps..

Okay enough complaints about the people. or the weather. Armoured with raybans, brollie (the impossibly big one J was holding...), and of cos the 3litre water bag (the beer queue was just insane)...we were well prepared. Plus seats in front of the food booth...and behind the (insanely crowded) drinks booth...what more can we ask for?

but great music, of cos.

Mixture of the good and the bad, with a booming surprisingly good sound system. We liked Girls (who started with an emotional rendition of And I will always love you.. and they are not girls!!) Laura Marling (folksy), Feist (++..great performer) and M 83. Too bad we missed Cults..came in just in time for Yuck. Though Chairlift was reviewed to be disappointing in Life, I liked Bruises lots...heard it from such a long time ago. Horror's Still Life had a really awesome sound on youtube, but as one of the three closing acts, was overshadowed by Feist and M83.

Did I say we sat right in front of Prive's booth?? the smallish unfilling Turkey/cheese wrap and Sundried tomatoes spinach salad.

Walked all the way to the exit end to check out the other food stall which turned out to be a repeat Shiraz stall that was next to Prive...

We had BBQ chips x 4 portions (bloody hell, $2.50 each, and tasted like NTUC chilli chips...)

Though Shiraz's chicken kebab sandwich was quite filling...and almost had seconds cos they didnt keep the coupons...messy messy (even the sandwich itself was messy...)

Nightfall came, and the laser show from MBS as the back drop and the moon too..gorgeous...

Isnt the double stage an ingenious idea?

Watching M83 was like watching trance being produced live...AMAZING closing act..

And thank goodness for single yellow lines...hehe..makes exit easy!

2am dessert bar

Basil White Chocolate with sea grapes (the cute greenish weed like stringy thing), coconut mousse, Passionfruit. Think I enjoyed the coconut mousse most!

Chocolate mousse, Evian water, Raspberry sorbet. Core of caramel was quite a surprise! ;)

Man U vs Liverpool meant missing out on the massage/ramen/walas and I ended up at cel and fly's 4th stop at 2am dessert bar (Holland Village). Cel's intense tiramisu craving gave in to chocolate mousse instead, gladly so. And her new found grey c ipad cover...gorgeous indeed. Chose bar seats over sofa seats (perils of skirts), white and dark chocolate. Misst you, M. Should pass you your Coach soon!

Aoki

Tomato salad, wintermelon

My Chiraishi set - lotsa tamago, mackerel, tuna, fatty tuna, sea urchin, squid

loved the gorgeous deep purple blue pickles..

Mummy's sushi set.. which I finished the tamago for her;)

Home made mochi, sweet corn ice cream, plum jelly.

Finally! Post call with one re-adm for isch gut (thank goodness no more chop..nothing much left anyway!!) and another at 3am for post gast (needed rrt the next am and lotsa tropes...) but other than that found a new ritual of digging up old papers in the cso to read after the night rounds..which feels like a walkabout not like the paper entries in pas...and the reg cooks!! gosh...pasta/meatballs/shrooms.. its a real luxury to have a home (or pantry..) cooked meal, this warrants another entry on its own once i figure out how to connect the phone to the com..yes kels..getting more tech savvy here okay... esp since this is the 2nd home cooked pasta meal on call..amazing anaesths ;)

anyways, with post call at 1030am (super shiok) napped abit before heading out with mom with an excuse to pick up obagi stuffs from taka, we ate at Aoki (Shaw Center), a meal i've promised her since xmas (but not successful cos Aoki doesnt open on Sundays). Appetiser was a tomato salad and a wintermelon salad (which initially my untrained buds thought was radish)..prefer the dressing at Tatsuya though. Mummy had the sushi set (though she was tempted by the $100 omakase...) and was eyeing my chiraishi... in the end we shared 50/50..she really liked mine.. the tuna was so fresh! so red and translucent.. the colour of fresh fish is really gorgeous. This is probably one of the freshest chiraishi I've had..quite enjoy the dices of fresh sashimi atop the sesame rice (though the bed of rice was too little....).

Desserts were also an interesting affair with plum jelly, sweet corn ice cream, home made mochi. But of cos as the day wore on we had to stop by for ice kachang/chengtng...mum was just looking for a pair of black shoes while receeing all the stuffs i bought in new york and the singapore version prices...just to feel good...haha. Face shop stocks a eraser like eye make up pen and a cheaper version of benefit's browzings which I cant wait to try! And orchard central's black market and editor's market was a little too interesting for street/office wear..

Sabio

Red and white sangria

Thurs, met all my bosses - submitted irb so had to get signatures, res mid posting, team meeting when things had to be cleared with head. Awful awful. Post nasal drip and forms is trouble, so much so it necessitated stayaway on wed. Nonetheless was really happy to meet up with wans and with V to get the ASM going. brainstormed till 830 ish then while V went for team 1 and 2 drinks, wans and i went to get dinner at Sabio (Duxton Hill). Been a place i've been wanting to try for eons. Almost always packed till it trickles down to the brimish. Even today - we had to settle by the seats plastered to the walls - resulting in a smallish table which couldnt really fit all the food. But eventually we got cosied in, and didnt move to the bar. Plus it resulted in a very pyschedelic photo!
3 in 1 fish salad. For once, a salad with more meat than salad. Cod, Mackerel, anchovies. Even Wans who doesnt like anchovies lapped it up. Good stuff.
Octopus - very flavourful, and yet still crunchy despite absorbin the flavours from the broth.

Scallops in a lovely lobster-bisque like creamy soup. Prob the best dish of the night.

Garlic mushrooms, like tortillas is always a favourite to order. Love this. And its good quantity!

Totally recommend Sabio for the interesting tapas (lots more cold and hot to try) and the vibes, and the chic interior. As much as I love the bar food at 83 as well. It helps thatTapas and bar food is the way to go for me in 2012!

No Menu

Promised ML a treat for arranging all that leave for me;decided to go for the omakase Italian course at No Menu (Boon Tat Street) so that we dont really need to think and decide the dinner... Being adventurous in trusting the chef can be quite liberating.

Ate tons of this crusty bread. Thing about this no menu is that, you dont really know how much to expect - how many courses etc so I kinda ended up loading on the bread first. Well work makes me really hungry. Bread and butter (and olive oil and vinegar) is such comfort food.

Potato salad - somehow it reminds me of sec sch potluck days.

My was a substitute- roast beef (it'd have been parma ham) with honey melon, and more atop the same potato salad must have been a first, with tomato brushetta, buffalo cheese on tomato. Very refreshing I loved this combination.

Prawns and oyster. The cream sauce was super deliciouusss.

Pasta should come in a trio of tasting portions like these. Can try bits of everything and not having to struggle finishing up a pot of pasta and getting all carbo loaded.Risotto, gnocchi, ravioli. My favourite would be of cos the porcini risotto.

Seabass was not as nice as ML's lamb. Too small !

Again, desserts should come in trios! The hazelnut in the vanilla sauce was the most delicious. Meringue is not a fave though. Nice cuppa coffee to top it all.

Thanks ML for the lift up and lift back ;) Your perspective on r'ships is so very warped and so potentially influencing, real food for thought!

Baguette, Twelve Inch Records.

Monday is always best to start with an outing - Met C.O in the am when cheang's gastro c came then when the shuttle looked empty towards Bugis we wanted to take it but by the time slow cheang crawled there it was full and we had to head towards Novena!

So here we were at Baguette- a Viet-inspired deli (Level 2, Square 2) . They sell baguette sandwiches, rice and noodles( at room temperature haha)... Love the crisp airy baguette bread. Very crusty esp nice after getting it toasted. Mine was Tuna baguette and I loved the chilli sauce and the strips of veggies within.

Was very drained out that day and needed a upsized yuan yang to get me thru that day... after delivering the usual milk tea and choc/cran/cheese to dear kels who had a terrible call..again we misst the bus trying to buy gong cha and the queue..exploded!

Hurried to Twelve Inch Records (V Hotel, Lavender). Got lost cos was getting the cake from Chocz.. the tanjong rhu road so doesnt lead to town...it goes all the way to the marina bay golf course only. Found my way really illegally towards V Hotel - thank goodness it has a huge signage. Taking the fireman's lift up to level 4.

When i arrived I had the last bits of the beef. They name all their pizzas after the names of the local bands (I guess the bands either inspired the flavours or they suggested the flavours).

Lamb and Black pepper crab. The lamb was laden with papadum. The crust was crisp and was my favourite part; too bad it was real flat and exposed so it turned cold very fast. Cheese was not steamin' like in Pizza huts ads
Egg and Duck. This crust was like a prata dough, I liked it too. I just like crust and its edges (just like how I like all the edges of the bread). The egg was like the crispy layer of a fried egg.


We actually ordered so much we managed to piece together another whole pizza to dabao. didnt photograph that picture of art;)

Cheese fries.

Chocolate hazelnut truffle cake from Chocz. (Basement 1, Kallang Leisure Park) They loved the dark choc mousse and hazelnuts which seem to be drowned in alcohol. Macaroons kept getting bounced off each other!

Long chat till midnight wondering what happened this year and what we will converse about at this point next year. What a year it has been, woman.

Buyan, Marmalade Pantry at the Stables

Cheese sticks - Buyan

Salmon soup - Buyan

Cheese and mushrooms -Buyan

Double black out cake - PS cafe, Ann Siang Hill

Above and Beyond

Marmalade Pantry - Crabmeat Caesar salad

Marmalade pantry - Burger

Us against the world.

All geared up for Above and Beyond (thanks alot, Matt!! back door man!) we headed to the Duxton area for dinner - I wanted to try either Sabio or Buyan (Qian recommended Buyan's casual restaurant) and since Chongs tried Sabio before we headed to Buyan (Duxton Hill) for dinner. Buyan is a Russian restaurant and has areas for fine dining , casual dining , and the bar. We dined at the casual dining area which is at level 1. Level 2 is the fine dining area. Attracts a predominantly foreign crowd - mostly by the bar having drinks. Surprised the waiter and eventually the boss for not ordering any drinks. Apparently they do have good non alcoholic drinks as well.

We started off with the cheese sticks - half expecting it to be the thick mozarella kind- but no, it was like strips of unadulterated cheese! It was uber long and fun to eat cos it was so chewy and salty. Very savoury and I guess very good together with drinks.

We also had the salmon soup - lotsa carrots within, this was clear, comfort soup.

Also ordered the cheese mushrooms- oily and succulent with a layer of cheese atop. the favourite of J's!

Didnt take a picture of their signature dish - The plov. It was a rice dish with tender slices of lamb within and tasted between a hybrid of bryani and risotto - herbed and spiced, fluffed up grains. very interesting to eat.

We then headed to the Ann Siang area looking for desserts and ended up at PS cafe (Ann Siang Hill)- they were closing but were okay to take desserts. Drowning in the double black out cake - why cant the proportion of ice cream to cake be greater?? love love the ginormous cakes.

To Above and Beyond - parked outside for the night (turned out to be a great idea), and met M before he brought us in through the back, stampless. haha. Was still okay to get around though - Velvet was closed for renovations. Hung around members which was uber uber crowded, and got really sleepy despite! redbull (thanks M....) and took turns asleep at the bend. Then again at the car (no more re-entries through the back :( ).Until 5am when we had enough with the knocks (and unlocked...) and headed to my place to sleep over. Plans for bf at 530am were postponed cos we concussed till brunch time - Headed to Marmalade Pantry at the stables.

Oh boy it was crowded! indoors was definitely full, alfresco was out cos it was drizzling so we were sent to the area facing the carpark (and trees) with the balloon kids. We loved the balloons( i loved the bomb) and the balloon man very politely asked if we wanted any. I shoulda taken the bomb! Ordered the crabmeat caesar salad and the burger. I actually preferred the salad. The burger's patty was really nothing much to shout about.

Then headed to town to shop around Cine/Mandarin Gallery in our shirt/shorts combo until she realised at the very end that gasp! she left her credit card behind at the Stables! It marks the end of the night to day adventure. really misst this spontaenity so so much! age!