Ah, who can resist an extremely good durian mooncake, especially since mid-autumn festival is right around the corner?
I came across this particular brand at the mid-autumn festival fair at Ngee Ann City. They boasted a mean D24 Pure Durian Mooncake, and so I succumbed. I'm a sucker for the strong tasting, mind-numbing, unabashedly delightful flavour of durian, and no durian lover can resist this.
Having tried the durian mooncake from both Goodwood Park and Home's Favourite, I've got to say they're pretty much on par. It's very dependent on individual taste. The latter is cheaper, though ;)
I bought a box of 4 for $41 (original price at $48, but they had a 10% promotion going on) and it all came individually packed in styrofoam boxes in little gold trays. It had to be kept frozen, so this is a huge plus point for packaging. The pretty floral white box with cream and pink ribbons as the handles make this durian mooncake an ideal gift for friends and family, or even as corporate gifts.
They have other flavours as well, like the Black Durian Mooncake and Golden Phoenix Durian Mooncake. I was quite tempted to try the Lycheetini Mooncake, but I was on a budget, so maybe I'd go back and indulge myself after payday... After all, mid-autumn festival only comes once a year, right?
No pictures because I was too eager to eat those yummy yummy mooncakes :P
I read with much interest the opening of yet another burger joint, this time by the owners of Island Creamery who decided that they wanted to do something else besides making ice cream. And with prices starting at about $5.70 for a beef burger, who could resist the lure to try it out?
Occupying the space that used to house Melvados at King's Arcade along Bukit Timah Road, Burger Shack boasts a white spartan cafe like interior with a couple of tables and chairs for dine in customers. How this place works is simple. You place your order at the counter, make payment and wait for your order number to be called out to collect your food.
Double Original Burger - Greedy me couldn't be satisfied with a single patty hence I opted for the double ($7.70) with an addition of sauteed mushrooms ($1.50) and bacon ($1.50). To be honest, it was smaller then what I had expected and the quality was downright disappointing. The beef patties didn't taste fresh and had quite a bit of fatty meat in it. On the upside, you could see it as the patty being hand chopped rather then machine processed. Apparently their buns are made from scratch, like Everything with Fries so comparisons might seem inevitable. Actually no comparisons are needed as Burger Shack's buns came across as dry and hard - worse then most buns I've had. I honestly can't bring myself to believe that the buns are made from scratch.
Grilled Chicken Burger - The grilled chicken burger was sandwiched between the hard and stale buns but at least the breast meat was relatively tender. It would have been better if the fatty skin had been removed and they had added some seasoning into the otherwise bland and flat piece of meat. The tomato puree atop didn't help matters much. Don't get me started with the shoestring fries, which were hard, dry and proved quite a chore to chomp through. But at least there was seasoning.
We paid about $22 for our dinner and walked out of the place smelling of food from head to toe. They really need to do something about the ventilation of the place. Food for thought - Success in one area of F&B doesn't guarantee success when diversifying into other branches of the everchanging culinary landscape. And that is something Island Creamery has to think about. Should it leverage on its core competency and continue to sell ice cream or should it move into offering burgers? If the latter, I suggest they relook into their burger recipes before Burger Shack dilutes the Island Creamery brand name.
I mean Singapore is such a tiny place.. and there's two IKEAs.. On top of that this one is much bigger then the other.. The Father of all DIY furnitures.. I should say what makes IKEA crowded all the time is not just the value for money furnitures.. but more of the Creative Ideas they Give you....
I mean its FUN to shop at Ikea.. First the parking is so considerate.. They actually have bigger parking space for families with children, prams and whatever Huge MPVs, SUVs, Monster Truck you have. Clean and huge toilets with children bowls for the small buttocks.. I mean its a pretty scary thing to fall into a Toilet bowl... I mean toilet bowl today are much bigger then before.. We have to accomodate the bigger personalities... Thanks to the fast food culture.....
The layout of the place are well thought off.. neat and not obstructive. Its easy to locate the big entrance/exit and wide areas for loading and unloading to prevent traffic obstruction.. To a female driver IKEA is such a SAINT.." WHY DO WE ALWAYS GET HORNED AT... AND STOP SHAKING YOUR HEAD AT ME, I'm only trying to PARK"
When you get there.. You can immediately Dump your kid at the enclosed playground for their leisure.. They have a great system to monitor your kids and HUGE number tags... Now you know who bullys who.... and you definitely won't lose your kid.. even if you want to.... Now you can start shopping in peace, without a constantly demanding little monster running around and banging into stuffs.
They have everything you need in a house, including that little candle stand or photo frame you frame your wonderful memories in. Items are packed logically with related things nearby. More then one area to find some handy items and creative slogans and ideas just simply pop about in your brain. Its fun and exciting to discover the many things you can put onto that one flimsy shelve and find fun from your mundane working weekday 9 to 5 life. If you happen to get lost in that big big space, you could always find a location map and before you know it, you're already on your way out.
Some of the items are really cheap and useful. Theres not restriction to the usage of any items.. only how you want to use them.... I love the lamps especially.. With many colours and wondeful shapes and sizes and most importantly, i find the lamps value for money. Though DIY is not my forte, they made it look so EASY... and I always renewed some DIY confidence when i shop at IKEA....
When you get hungry.. you could always stop by the cafe for some free flow coffee or yummy beef balls.. I mean so juicy yummy and a good portion for one... You will definitely have no left overs for this. If its too crowded then get downstairs for some HOTDOGs... they are cheap, tasty, quick and very fun to squeeze sauce on them. Its like trying to milk a cow.. try it and you will know...
I love to go to IKEA.... its all for the fun... and while having fun.. get some shopping done...
Leave the fixing to the men at home..... why bother.. buy first.......... then I also can shake my head at them....... *Fab!*
Before I start reviewing.. I would like to thank Essy and VO man for buying me dinner at this very classy chinese restaurant with such tasty and elegant looking food.........
Lets start with my favourite dishes...
1) Peking Duck
Its really half a duck... Skin so crispy and juicy... I mean who can resist peking duck... Wrap the crispy skin with fluffy thin skin, lace on some thick savoury sauce add on a fresh green onions stalks... You're ready to go....The first bite was all crunch and flavour from the Over Roasted Duck skin laced with herbs and spices... and then while u chew.. the fresh green onion flavoured with salty and sweet sauce emerges to tantalize your tongue and refreshes it.... Its simply perfect....................
Thats not all... the meat of the duck could be fried or served as it is.. you can choose fried with black pepper, ginger slices or in any way you like it to be.
We choose black pepper and it taste really great.. The duck flesh is usually pretty blend however fried it taste savoury and great with a good bowl of rice.
2) Triple Egg Spinich... Theres Salted Egg, Normal Egg and Pee Dan... "Black Black Egg"
This dish I am particular picky.. because first.. its alot of calories to bet on... and second, its a pretty wierd combination. If not properly done.. will really taste wierd.. however, Tung Lok did it Pretty Welll or i suppose more then well done.
Spinish itself is tasteless and the normal egg provides the smoothness in this dish. It is not fully cooked and made the accompanying sauce smooth and easy to eat. Salted egg is of the right combination and blended in correctly with the egg whites cut into tiny pieces as the whites are really salty and york in slightly bigger pieces so the dish is not too SANDY... The century egg PEEDAN.. is well inculcated to produce the Zest like a little surprise in this dish.. A wonderfully balanced dish.. I personally like the way they made this dish.
Without further boring everybody with details, i shall say... the PRAWN is Yummy, crispy and Savoury, I can't get enough of those! Crispy Pork Belly was CRISPY, Not too Fat and easy to eat!
Lets now go straight to the desserts....
They have a good range of traditionally brewed desserts which is both healthy and makes skin glow with great complextion, so they say... Items like white fungus with red dates, Shue Ge, etc are rather slimming and soothes one's throat Its great to finish your meal with something sweet so that IT WILL BE COMPLETE.
Now for the ambience.... For a chinese restaurant, I would say this place is more then chic... It has traditional elements however embedded into modern fixtures... I love the way they have a good balance of both and still be able to portray rich culture in their designs. The Service was great.... Waiters and Waitress many with great smiles and attention to all tables. Reasonable waiting time for dishes and refilling of tea pots efficient.
Besides the price, I would say this is a great place to dine in.. Its above average I must say but its so WORTH IT!!!! A must go for celebrations... I mean who needs a reason to celebrate? Celebrate everyday and Thank God You're Still ALIVE......
Essy.. If you see this please provide the pictures of the yummy food...
Old Girls???
Over Grown???
Odd Garments???
Ordinary Garments???
Old Gone?
Ohh!!! Girls!!!
Think about it.....
I thought about it for a long while when being thrown this question and after a long thought with all the idiotic funny answers I can think off... finally my not so dumb friend told me the answer....
Are you Ready???
OG.... actually stands.. for .....................
Oriental Garments.....
Now you know why you can really find alot of Cheee Naaa Cheee Naaa stuffs in OG.. Its suppose to be ORIENTAL...... Talk about the CNY traditional chinese Cheong Sam, they have it... the more trendy Cheee Naa.... Clothes they have it.....
Its a total middle aged woman's HEAVEN..... Talk about retro... and with the Nonya BABA wave..... You can find them all in OG.....
However, the OG at orchard point here have a good balance of traditional and trendy stuffs. I mean... just look at the interior design of the shop..... Large Clear Glass panals with a good array of modern popular perfume and skin care counters.... Expensive Bags from Popular Brands such as Bonia, Guess, Renoma, etc... as well as a good range of men's wear from Crocodile to Alligator to Levis.... Etc....
Here you can find almost everything even Japanese tit-bits and famous cartoon imprinted food stuffs.. Kids will love it here with the wide array of popular toys both for children, youths and even board games for adults.
You can join them as a member now for no membership fees with only a combined receipt of SGD75. You will not only get membership exclusive discounts, there are also freebies for redemption and special purchases just for members. On top of these, redeem points for special exchanges. Prices i should say is pretty average. Its not super low like some warehouses, however, the special discounted items, sales and certain items are really very value for money, or somewhat cheaper then what you can get outside.
Also check out good, traditional, reliable and reasonable pricing household and kitchen wares. My mum used to buy from OG as, some of them comes with warranty as well as good sales persons to explain to you how to use these wares and preserve them for extended life span..
Its a great place for the whole family and not usually crowded..
It's interesting how eateries are named nowadays. Some allude to hidden references while others, like Everything with Fries, tells you straight up what to expect from the restaurant. Indulge in my lameness for a bit as I can't help but think that this cafe's name is in response to the "Would you like fries with that?" question. HAHA.
The eatery's stark white facade cuts a contrasting impression amongst the faded walls of its neighbours along Joo Chiat Road. Wait staff in pink tops and white shorts add to the overall "uplifting" ambience of the place. There is the problem of cramp spaces though. We got a seat next to the walkway and every time someone walked past, they had to squeeze their way in. Imagine someone's butt scraping past your table when you are eating. Definitely not a pleasant prospect.
Egg Soup - Apparently a signature and the only soup available on the menu, the one egg soup was essentially chicken broth with a slightly creamy texture and a sourish hint. The accompanying portion of deep fried whisked egg tasted a little like french toast sans the bread. Rather appetising I must say, especially with the addition of ground pepper.
Grilled Pork Chop - The pork chop's seasoning was quite good but probably a wee bit too flavourful for my liking. Grilling imbued it with a nice smoky taste but unfortunately the meat came across as a little too dry. And as the name of the eatery suggests, it came with a choice from a selection of fries (original, curry, salt and vinegar, sour cream and onion, garlic and herbs) as well as a salad, to balance out all that unhealthy stuff. I'm not too sure the fries were that fantastic though, nothing like my favourite fries from New York Fries.
Cheeseburger - My initial reaction upon seeing the burger was one of mild shock. The beef patty was probably only the size of 1.5 Macdonald patties, which is really quite small. Size aside, the texture of the patty was rather uneven, which probably means that it hasn't been machine processed. But I would have liked it a little juicier. The bun is purportedly made from scratch and I must say that I enjoyed it quite a bit. Light without being too dense and mildly sweet with a coating of butter, pan fried till lightly charred on the surface - very good!
Pear Tart - The nutella tart was sold out so we had to settle for the pear tart with an additional scoop of ice cream ( $1.80), which tasted suspiciously like Wall's ice cream. This dessert was a poor attempt at a tart in my humble opinion. The crust was suppose to be flaky but turned out rather elastic. And its a little odd if pear slices don't taste like pear. Overall still edible but don't expect much.
Dessert and cramp spaces aside, I must say that the meal was quite enjoyable, especially with the relatively economical price tag and chirpy service. I would definitely make it a point to return, but in the meantime, they might want to take a look into their table arrangement.
For the first time in many years, I ventured into Far East Plaza, known for its very fashionable stores and their wares. I hardly shop there as the clothes are rarely my style and I'm the sort to look for clothing suitable for work.
I stumbled onto this tiny shop tucked away on the entrance level (3rd floor). Small as it was it had plenty hanging on its racks. I took up some of the dresses and was amazed at the quality of the material used. The seams are also well done and the lining for each dress was well sewn.
My excited friend and I spent 3 hours at this shop trying on about 30 pieces of clothing. The salesgirl never once showed a face and volunteered more pieces to try. She gave her honest opinion when some dresses didn't fit too well and tried her best to understand our style, thus not pushing every single piece of clothing to us.
When some of the pieces we liked had an odd button or feature we didn't quite like, she offered to have them removed or altered for free. Any alteration (even tightening of waist areas) was offered for free. If it only required a shortening, it could be done immediately even.
What I liked most was the good quality for a reasonable price. One dress cost about $79 and cost me less than $70 after discount. I washed the dress when I got home and it didn't even require any ironing. Just hang straight and drip dry.
Another top I got cost $34 initially. The salesgirl noticed that there were some makeup stains on the white collar and she took the initiative to look for a new piece even when I didn't notice the stain. Then as there weren't any more pieces, she brought me a black one and told me that I still wanted the white one she would send it to the laundry and have it cleaned for free. How's that for service? That's not all. I told her that I could not afford the time to come down again any time soon and asked for a discount so that I could bring it to the laundromat myself. They agreed and let me have the blouse for $26 with an $8 discount which can easily cover the costs of having it washed.
When we left, it was really late and most of the shops at FEP were closed but they were still all smiles and actually called us by name. It's no wonder I saw a number of Tai-tais buying a large number of clothing from them within the time I was there!
If you don't live around the area, you probably wouldn't know this place exists. Tucked away under a HDB block next to the Toa Payoh industrial park, it's easy to get lost especially when you're driving.
Nonetheless, it was a traditional Chinese restaurant boasting good seafood, so how could I resist?
Though it looked like the typical zi char stall, it had an air-conditioned section cordoned off specially for the restaurant. Plus points for comfort!
There were only four of us, but we were hungry and we ordered...
Jin Du Spare Ribs Tender and sweet, I love how it wasn't chewy and average like the other zi char stalls.
Three Type Egg with Kow Kee A dish cooked with normal eggs, salted eggs, century eggs and Kow Kee. The gravy wasn't thick and flavourful enough but it wasn't bad either.
Pumpkin Custard Baked Live Prawn Now this is a dish with an identity crisis. It had pumpkin, it had custard, it had curry leaves... I wasn't quite sure how to react! The curry taste overshadowed the pumpkin taste, and the strange slightly spicy and sweet taste reminded me of Japanese curry. Not a bad dish, but could be better
Chilli Crab How can you go to a restaurant with the name of Famous Crab King and not order crabs? We ordered only one chilli crab, and the plate that arrived was humongous. There was so much gravy that we had to order an extra plate of Fried Mantou. The Fried Mantou was awesome, though. The outside was crispy but when I tore it in half, the insides were so soft and fluffy it was almost cotton-like.
But I digress. Back to the Chilli Crab! The sauce was much more spicy than your regular chilli crab sauce. Loved it to death.
The pincers were HUGE and the shell was so thick that even the crab shell cracker couldn't even dent it. The meat inside was so juicy that the juices keep running down my hands as I was trying to get the meat out in one piece.
My only gripe is that the shell was so huge but the meat inside was only 2/3 the size of it... Paid $51 for the crab itself... The shell was so hard and thick I think we were paying more for the shell than anything else!
While I was there, I saw the next table order things like Suckling Pig and Lobsters and I'm so tempted to try them... I think this warrants a trip back sometime soon, when I have lots of money to burn.
I had always been under the impression that Crystal Jade Palace and Crystal Jade Golden Palace were one and the same restaurant. But a chance dining encounter at Crystal Jade Palace some weeks back proved otherwise.
Like its equally upscale sibling, Crystal Jade Palace boasts a tastefully designed interior that oozes contemporary Chinese chic at its store in Ngee Ann City. And what's surprising is that amidst the recession, the place was packed to the rafters by about 8pm. And you would think that such an upscale Chinese restaurant would see a decline in patronage.
Double Boiled Shark Bone Soup - The restaurant's shark bone soup was honestly not my cup of tea. It came across as way too milky for my liking and rather bland. And the sticking point was the thick layer of residue it left on my tongue.
Roasted Pork Belly - I'm a sucker for roasted pork belly and this one had crackling crisp skin above proportionately lean meat that wasn't too dry or salty. I would have loved to have seconds if not for my very strained wallet.
Roast Duck - The roast duck's skin wasn't crisp and there was a lingering fowl taste. Decent nonetheless but I've had way better and definitely not worth the 18 bucks.
Broccoli with Crab Roe - Tasty but the gravy was a little too starchy which made me nauseous after a bit. However, the serving of crab meat was generous and the broccoli, cooked just right, which more then made up for it. Best eaten with rice.
Deep Fried Ice Cream - Overinflated best describes the deep fried ice cream, which had a thin hot air inflated crust that looked and tasted like what you would find in goreng pisang. And within that crust lay a scoop of peach flavoured ice cream that seemed to be melting at an exponential speed. Decent.
Durian Pudding - Durian shreds embedded within smooth and chilled pudding that promised a glimpse of the real mccoy. What's not to like? However I prefer puree or real durian flesh anytime.
Dinner for 2 crossed the century mark at about $106. I am not sure that the quality of food commands such a high price tag and I definitely favour Golden Palace over this, even with the not too recent disappointment. Service is generally good but I sure didn't like the idea of sitting only about 30cm away from the next table.
I bought two make-up palettes from Magical Tannsu - the 88 Ultra Shimmery Eye Palette and the 66 Lip Palette as a gift for my friend, as I know she has been meaning to get them but never got around to doing it.
These palettes claim to be from the supplier of Coastal Scents, a claim I can neither refute nor confirm.
Anyhow, there are many blogshops selling the same item but I needed these palettes urgently, therefore I decided to buy them from this store as it was the only one that had both items in stock. Otherwise, I would have purchased them from My Classy Closet - they have better reviews and lower prices anyway.
So here's my experience - I added everything to cart, checked out and got an automated invoice instantly. There was no instruction on payment mode, I had to scour her very unorganized blog site before I found the "Payment Procedure" tucked away in a obscure corner of the sidebar.
There were 2 options - make my payment first to speed things up or wait for her email. I opted for the former, obviously because it was urgent.
After making my payment, I emailed her (Tues night) and politely requested for an immediate shipment the next day as it was a really urgent order.
I did not get a reply until Thursday afternoon. She confirmed my payment and stated that my parcel will be mailed out 3 days after payment. Obviously, she did not bother to read my emails, or she failed to understand the concept of urgency.
You may think that I'm being impatient, but let me point out what's wrong:
1) Other blogshops reply within 24hrs 2) Other blogshops send shipments the next working day after receiving payment. 3) While looking for her HP number on her blog, I realised she had time to update her many blogs, but did not have the time to check her emails, which, let me remind you, are the main source of her income, and the logic in that is completely beyond me. 4) She did not offer any explanation for the late reply, even though I emailed twice chasing for her to at least confirm my payment.
Fine, maybe she's too busy to read emails. I decided to text her and request for a self-collection instead, since it couldn't possibly reach me in time by post anymore. After some discussion, we decided on Thursday night itself. She said I could collect the items at her block anytime after 9pm and I could just text or call her when I was there.
So Thursday night, I reached her block at around 9.15pm. I called her phone. It was switched off. Naturally, I feared that I had been scammed. I tried to text, and called several more times. It was still switched off.
I gave her the benefit of the doubt still - maybe her battery died? I waited 5 minutes and called again. This time it was turned on but it rang and rang and rang until it got cut off and she still did not pick up. I gave her a total of 11 missed calls.
At 9.45pm, she called me back and said she just reached home and she was coming down with my package now.
She came down, with no apology, no explanation and handed me the items for me to inspect. I was fuming, but I kept quiet, because you don't reprimand the waiter before he serves you the food, right? I checked the items, they looked fine, and I left.
What I don't understand is, if you tell your customer to collect something after 9pm, you make sure you're bloody home by 8.45pm right? Instead, I was kept waiting, with no explanation. Even if she was going to be late, at least have the decency to inform me beforehand. I, the customer, was made to wait like a fool.
I find her absolutely irresponsible and inefficient. I will never buy from her blogshop again, and I strongly advise you not to either.
1=SGD 0.0587
Ah, who can resist an extremely good durian mooncake, especially since mid-autumn festival is right around the corner?
I came across this particular brand at the mid-autumn festival fair at Ngee Ann City. They boasted a mean D24 Pure Durian Mooncake, and so I succumbed. I'm a sucker for the strong tasting, mind-numbing, unabashedly delightful flavour of durian, and no durian lover can resist this.
Having tried the durian mooncake from both Goodwood Park and Home's Favourite, I've got to say they're pretty much on par. It's very dependent on individual taste. The latter is cheaper, though ;)
I bought a box of 4 for $41 (original price at $48, but they had a 10% promotion going on) and it all came individually packed in styrofoam boxes in little gold trays. It had to be kept frozen, so this is a huge plus point for packaging. The pretty floral white box with cream and pink ribbons as the handles make this durian mooncake an ideal gift for friends and family, or even as corporate gifts.
They have other flavours as well, like the Black Durian Mooncake and Golden Phoenix Durian Mooncake. I was quite tempted to try the Lycheetini Mooncake, but I was on a budget, so maybe I'd go back and indulge myself after payday... After all, mid-autumn festival only comes once a year, right?
No pictures because I was too eager to eat those yummy yummy mooncakes :P
Rating given:
I read with much interest the opening of yet another burger joint, this time by the owners of Island Creamery who decided that they wanted to do something else besides making ice cream. And with prices starting at about $5.70 for a beef burger, who could resist the lure to try it out?
Occupying the space that used to house Melvados at King's Arcade along Bukit Timah Road, Burger Shack boasts a white spartan cafe like interior with a couple of tables and chairs for dine in customers. How this place works is simple. You place your order at the counter, make payment and wait for your order number to be called out to collect your food.
Double Original Burger - Greedy me couldn't be satisfied with a single patty hence I opted for the double ($7.70) with an addition of sauteed mushrooms ($1.50) and bacon ($1.50). To be honest, it was smaller then what I had expected and the quality was downright disappointing. The beef patties didn't taste fresh and had quite a bit of fatty meat in it. On the upside, you could see it as the patty being hand chopped rather then machine processed. Apparently their buns are made from scratch, like Everything with Fries so comparisons might seem inevitable. Actually no comparisons are needed as Burger Shack's buns came across as dry and hard - worse then most buns I've had. I honestly can't bring myself to believe that the buns are made from scratch.
Grilled Chicken Burger - The grilled chicken burger was sandwiched between the hard and stale buns but at least the breast meat was relatively tender. It would have been better if the fatty skin had been removed and they had added some seasoning into the otherwise bland and flat piece of meat. The tomato puree atop didn't help matters much. Don't get me started with the shoestring fries, which were hard, dry and proved quite a chore to chomp through. But at least there was seasoning.
We paid about $22 for our dinner and walked out of the place smelling of food from head to toe. They really need to do something about the ventilation of the place. Food for thought - Success in one area of F&B doesn't guarantee success when diversifying into other branches of the everchanging culinary landscape. And that is something Island Creamery has to think about. Should it leverage on its core competency and continue to sell ice cream or should it move into offering burgers? If the latter, I suggest they relook into their burger recipes before Burger Shack dilutes the Island Creamery brand name.
See all my pictures here.
Rating given:
Can it GET Bigger???
I mean Singapore is such a tiny place.. and there's two IKEAs.. On top of that this one is much bigger then the other.. The Father of all DIY furnitures.. I should say what makes IKEA crowded all the time is not just the value for money furnitures.. but more of the Creative Ideas they Give you....
I mean its FUN to shop at Ikea.. First the parking is so considerate.. They actually have bigger parking space for families with children, prams and whatever Huge MPVs, SUVs, Monster Truck you have. Clean and huge toilets with children bowls for the small buttocks.. I mean its a pretty scary thing to fall into a Toilet bowl... I mean toilet bowl today are much bigger then before.. We have to accomodate the bigger personalities... Thanks to the fast food culture.....
The layout of the place are well thought off.. neat and not obstructive. Its easy to locate the big entrance/exit and wide areas for loading and unloading to prevent traffic obstruction.. To a female driver IKEA is such a SAINT.." WHY DO WE ALWAYS GET HORNED AT... AND STOP SHAKING YOUR HEAD AT ME, I'm only trying to PARK"
When you get there.. You can immediately Dump your kid at the enclosed playground for their leisure.. They have a great system to monitor your kids and HUGE number tags... Now you know who bullys who.... and you definitely won't lose your kid.. even if you want to.... Now you can start shopping in peace, without a constantly demanding little monster running around and banging into stuffs.
They have everything you need in a house, including that little candle stand or photo frame you frame your wonderful memories in. Items are packed logically with related things nearby. More then one area to find some handy items and creative slogans and ideas just simply pop about in your brain. Its fun and exciting to discover the many things you can put onto that one flimsy shelve and find fun from your mundane working weekday 9 to 5 life. If you happen to get lost in that big big space, you could always find a location map and before you know it, you're already on your way out.
Some of the items are really cheap and useful. Theres not restriction to the usage of any items.. only how you want to use them.... I love the lamps especially.. With many colours and wondeful shapes and sizes and most importantly, i find the lamps value for money. Though DIY is not my forte, they made it look so EASY... and I always renewed some DIY confidence when i shop at IKEA....
When you get hungry.. you could always stop by the cafe for some free flow coffee or yummy beef balls.. I mean so juicy yummy and a good portion for one... You will definitely have no left overs for this. If its too crowded then get downstairs for some HOTDOGs... they are cheap, tasty, quick and very fun to squeeze sauce on them. Its like trying to milk a cow.. try it and you will know...
I love to go to IKEA.... its all for the fun... and while having fun.. get some shopping done...
Leave the fixing to the men at home..... why bother.. buy first.......... then I also can shake my head at them....... *Fab!*
Rating given:
Before I start reviewing.. I would like to thank Essy and VO man for buying me dinner at this very classy chinese restaurant with such tasty and elegant looking food.........
Lets start with my favourite dishes...
1) Peking Duck
Its really half a duck... Skin so crispy and juicy... I mean who can resist peking duck... Wrap the crispy skin with fluffy thin skin, lace on some thick savoury sauce add on a fresh green onions stalks... You're ready to go....The first bite was all crunch and flavour from the Over Roasted Duck skin laced with herbs and spices... and then while u chew.. the fresh green onion flavoured with salty and sweet sauce emerges to tantalize your tongue and refreshes it.... Its simply perfect....................
Thats not all... the meat of the duck could be fried or served as it is.. you can choose fried with black pepper, ginger slices or in any way you like it to be.
We choose black pepper and it taste really great.. The duck flesh is usually pretty blend however fried it taste savoury and great with a good bowl of rice.
2) Triple Egg Spinich... Theres Salted Egg, Normal Egg and Pee Dan... "Black Black Egg"
This dish I am particular picky.. because first.. its alot of calories to bet on... and second, its a pretty wierd combination. If not properly done.. will really taste wierd.. however, Tung Lok did it Pretty Welll or i suppose more then well done.
Spinish itself is tasteless and the normal egg provides the smoothness in this dish. It is not fully cooked and made the accompanying sauce smooth and easy to eat. Salted egg is of the right combination and blended in correctly with the egg whites cut into tiny pieces as the whites are really salty and york in slightly bigger pieces so the dish is not too SANDY... The century egg PEEDAN.. is well inculcated to produce the Zest like a little surprise in this dish.. A wonderfully balanced dish.. I personally like the way they made this dish.
Without further boring everybody with details, i shall say... the PRAWN is Yummy, crispy and Savoury, I can't get enough of those! Crispy Pork Belly was CRISPY, Not too Fat and easy to eat!
Lets now go straight to the desserts....
They have a good range of traditionally brewed desserts which is both healthy and makes skin glow with great complextion, so they say... Items like white fungus with red dates, Shue Ge, etc are rather slimming and soothes one's throat Its great to finish your meal with something sweet so that IT WILL BE COMPLETE.
Now for the ambience.... For a chinese restaurant, I would say this place is more then chic... It has traditional elements however embedded into modern fixtures... I love the way they have a good balance of both and still be able to portray rich culture in their designs. The Service was great.... Waiters and Waitress many with great smiles and attention to all tables. Reasonable waiting time for dishes and refilling of tea pots efficient.
Besides the price, I would say this is a great place to dine in.. Its above average I must say but its so WORTH IT!!!! A must go for celebrations... I mean who needs a reason to celebrate? Celebrate everyday and Thank God You're Still ALIVE......
Essy.. If you see this please provide the pictures of the yummy food...
Rating given:
Have you ever wondered WHAT DOES OG Stands For???
Come on.... Make a Guess!!!!
Old Girls???
Over Grown???
Odd Garments???
Ordinary Garments???
Old Gone?
Ohh!!! Girls!!!
Think about it.....
I thought about it for a long while when being thrown this question and after a long thought with all the idiotic funny answers I can think off... finally my not so dumb friend told me the answer....
Are you Ready???
OG.... actually stands.. for .....................
Oriental Garments.....
Now you know why you can really find alot of Cheee Naaa Cheee Naaa stuffs in OG.. Its suppose to be ORIENTAL...... Talk about the CNY traditional chinese Cheong Sam, they have it... the more trendy Cheee Naa.... Clothes they have it.....
Its a total middle aged woman's HEAVEN..... Talk about retro... and with the Nonya BABA wave..... You can find them all in OG.....
However, the OG at orchard point here have a good balance of traditional and trendy stuffs. I mean... just look at the interior design of the shop..... Large Clear Glass panals with a good array of modern popular perfume and skin care counters.... Expensive Bags from Popular Brands such as Bonia, Guess, Renoma, etc... as well as a good range of men's wear from Crocodile to Alligator to Levis.... Etc....
Here you can find almost everything even Japanese tit-bits and famous cartoon imprinted food stuffs.. Kids will love it here with the wide array of popular toys both for children, youths and even board games for adults.
You can join them as a member now for no membership fees with only a combined receipt of SGD75. You will not only get membership exclusive discounts, there are also freebies for redemption and special purchases just for members. On top of these, redeem points for special exchanges. Prices i should say is pretty average. Its not super low like some warehouses, however, the special discounted items, sales and certain items are really very value for money, or somewhat cheaper then what you can get outside.
Also check out good, traditional, reliable and reasonable pricing household and kitchen wares. My mum used to buy from OG as, some of them comes with warranty as well as good sales persons to explain to you how to use these wares and preserve them for extended life span..
Its a great place for the whole family and not usually crowded..
Rating given:
It's interesting how eateries are named nowadays. Some allude to hidden references while others, like Everything with Fries, tells you straight up what to expect from the restaurant. Indulge in my lameness for a bit as I can't help but think that this cafe's name is in response to the "Would you like fries with that?" question. HAHA.
The eatery's stark white facade cuts a contrasting impression amongst the faded walls of its neighbours along Joo Chiat Road. Wait staff in pink tops and white shorts add to the overall "uplifting" ambience of the place. There is the problem of cramp spaces though. We got a seat next to the walkway and every time someone walked past, they had to squeeze their way in. Imagine someone's butt scraping past your table when you are eating. Definitely not a pleasant prospect.
Egg Soup - Apparently a signature and the only soup available on the menu, the one egg soup was essentially chicken broth with a slightly creamy texture and a sourish hint. The accompanying portion of deep fried whisked egg tasted a little like french toast sans the bread. Rather appetising I must say, especially with the addition of ground pepper.
Grilled Pork Chop - The pork chop's seasoning was quite good but probably a wee bit too flavourful for my liking. Grilling imbued it with a nice smoky taste but unfortunately the meat came across as a little too dry. And as the name of the eatery suggests, it came with a choice from a selection of fries (original, curry, salt and vinegar, sour cream and onion, garlic and herbs) as well as a salad, to balance out all that unhealthy stuff. I'm not too sure the fries were that fantastic though, nothing like my favourite fries from New York Fries.
Cheeseburger - My initial reaction upon seeing the burger was one of mild shock. The beef patty was probably only the size of 1.5 Macdonald patties, which is really quite small. Size aside, the texture of the patty was rather uneven, which probably means that it hasn't been machine processed. But I would have liked it a little juicier. The bun is purportedly made from scratch and I must say that I enjoyed it quite a bit. Light without being too dense and mildly sweet with a coating of butter, pan fried till lightly charred on the surface - very good!
Pear Tart - The nutella tart was sold out so we had to settle for the pear tart with an additional scoop of ice cream ( $1.80), which tasted suspiciously like Wall's ice cream. This dessert was a poor attempt at a tart in my humble opinion. The crust was suppose to be flaky but turned out rather elastic. And its a little odd if pear slices don't taste like pear. Overall still edible but don't expect much.
Dessert and cramp spaces aside, I must say that the meal was quite enjoyable, especially with the relatively economical price tag and chirpy service. I would definitely make it a point to return, but in the meantime, they might want to take a look into their table arrangement.
See all my pictures here.
Rating given:
For the first time in many years, I ventured into Far East Plaza, known for its very fashionable stores and their wares. I hardly shop there as the clothes are rarely my style and I'm the sort to look for clothing suitable for work.
I stumbled onto this tiny shop tucked away on the entrance level (3rd floor). Small as it was it had plenty hanging on its racks. I took up some of the dresses and was amazed at the quality of the material used. The seams are also well done and the lining for each dress was well sewn.
My excited friend and I spent 3 hours at this shop trying on about 30 pieces of clothing. The salesgirl never once showed a face and volunteered more pieces to try. She gave her honest opinion when some dresses didn't fit too well and tried her best to understand our style, thus not pushing every single piece of clothing to us.
When some of the pieces we liked had an odd button or feature we didn't quite like, she offered to have them removed or altered for free. Any alteration (even tightening of waist areas) was offered for free. If it only required a shortening, it could be done immediately even.
What I liked most was the good quality for a reasonable price. One dress cost about $79 and cost me less than $70 after discount. I washed the dress when I got home and it didn't even require any ironing. Just hang straight and drip dry.
Another top I got cost $34 initially. The salesgirl noticed that there were some makeup stains on the white collar and she took the initiative to look for a new piece even when I didn't notice the stain. Then as there weren't any more pieces, she brought me a black one and told me that I still wanted the white one she would send it to the laundry and have it cleaned for free. How's that for service? That's not all. I told her that I could not afford the time to come down again any time soon and asked for a discount so that I could bring it to the laundromat myself. They agreed and let me have the blouse for $26 with an $8 discount which can easily cover the costs of having it washed.
When we left, it was really late and most of the shops at FEP were closed but they were still all smiles and actually called us by name. It's no wonder I saw a number of Tai-tais buying a large number of clothing from them within the time I was there!
I'm planning to go again!
Rating given:
If you don't live around the area, you probably wouldn't know this place exists. Tucked away under a HDB block next to the Toa Payoh industrial park, it's easy to get lost especially when you're driving.
Nonetheless, it was a traditional Chinese restaurant boasting good seafood, so how could I resist?
Though it looked like the typical zi char stall, it had an air-conditioned section cordoned off specially for the restaurant. Plus points for comfort!
There were only four of us, but we were hungry and we ordered...
Jin Du Spare Ribs
Tender and sweet, I love how it wasn't chewy and average like the other zi char stalls.
Three Type Egg with Kow Kee
A dish cooked with normal eggs, salted eggs, century eggs and Kow Kee. The gravy wasn't thick and flavourful enough but it wasn't bad either.
Pumpkin Custard Baked Live Prawn
Now this is a dish with an identity crisis. It had pumpkin, it had custard, it had curry leaves... I wasn't quite sure how to react! The curry taste overshadowed the pumpkin taste, and the strange slightly spicy and sweet taste reminded me of Japanese curry. Not a bad dish, but could be better
Chilli Crab
How can you go to a restaurant with the name of Famous Crab King and not order crabs? We ordered only one chilli crab, and the plate that arrived was humongous. There was so much gravy that we had to order an extra plate of Fried Mantou. The Fried Mantou was awesome, though. The outside was crispy but when I tore it in half, the insides were so soft and fluffy it was almost cotton-like.
But I digress. Back to the Chilli Crab! The sauce was much more spicy than your regular chilli crab sauce. Loved it to death.
The pincers were HUGE and the shell was so thick that even the crab shell cracker couldn't even dent it. The meat inside was so juicy that the juices keep running down my hands as I was trying to get the meat out in one piece.
My only gripe is that the shell was so huge but the meat inside was only 2/3 the size of it... Paid $51 for the crab itself...
The shell was so hard and thick I think we were paying more for the shell than anything else!
While I was there, I saw the next table order things like Suckling Pig and Lobsters and I'm so tempted to try them... I think this warrants a trip back sometime soon, when I have lots of money to burn.
Rating given:
I had always been under the impression that Crystal Jade Palace and Crystal Jade Golden Palace were one and the same restaurant. But a chance dining encounter at Crystal Jade Palace some weeks back proved otherwise.
Like its equally upscale sibling, Crystal Jade Palace boasts a tastefully designed interior that oozes contemporary Chinese chic at its store in Ngee Ann City. And what's surprising is that amidst the recession, the place was packed to the rafters by about 8pm. And you would think that such an upscale Chinese restaurant would see a decline in patronage.
Double Boiled Shark Bone Soup - The restaurant's shark bone soup was honestly not my cup of tea. It came across as way too milky for my liking and rather bland. And the sticking point was the thick layer of residue it left on my tongue.
Roasted Pork Belly - I'm a sucker for roasted pork belly and this one had crackling crisp skin above proportionately lean meat that wasn't too dry or salty. I would have loved to have seconds if not for my very strained wallet.
Roast Duck - The roast duck's skin wasn't crisp and there was a lingering fowl taste. Decent nonetheless but I've had way better and definitely not worth the 18 bucks.
Broccoli with Crab Roe - Tasty but the gravy was a little too starchy which made me nauseous after a bit. However, the serving of crab meat was generous and the broccoli, cooked just right, which more then made up for it. Best eaten with rice.
Deep Fried Ice Cream - Overinflated best describes the deep fried ice cream, which had a thin hot air inflated crust that looked and tasted like what you would find in goreng pisang. And within that crust lay a scoop of peach flavoured ice cream that seemed to be melting at an exponential speed. Decent.
Durian Pudding - Durian shreds embedded within smooth and chilled pudding that promised a glimpse of the real mccoy. What's not to like? However I prefer puree or real durian flesh anytime.
Dinner for 2 crossed the century mark at about $106. I am not sure that the quality of food commands such a high price tag and I definitely favour Golden Palace over this, even with the not too recent disappointment. Service is generally good but I sure didn't like the idea of sitting only about 30cm away from the next table.
See all my pictures here.
Rating given:
I bought two make-up palettes from Magical Tannsu - the 88 Ultra Shimmery Eye Palette and the 66 Lip Palette as a gift for my friend, as I know she has been meaning to get them but never got around to doing it.
These palettes claim to be from the supplier of Coastal Scents, a claim I can neither refute nor confirm.
Anyhow, there are many blogshops selling the same item but I needed these palettes urgently, therefore I decided to buy them from this store as it was the only one that had both items in stock. Otherwise, I would have purchased them from My Classy Closet - they have better reviews and lower prices anyway.
So here's my experience - I added everything to cart, checked out and got an automated invoice instantly. There was no instruction on payment mode, I had to scour her very unorganized blog site before I found the "Payment Procedure" tucked away in a obscure corner of the sidebar.
There were 2 options - make my payment first to speed things up or wait for her email. I opted for the former, obviously because it was urgent.
After making my payment, I emailed her (Tues night) and politely requested for an immediate shipment the next day as it was a really urgent order.
I did not get a reply until Thursday afternoon. She confirmed my payment and stated that my parcel will be mailed out 3 days after payment. Obviously, she did not bother to read my emails, or she failed to understand the concept of urgency.
You may think that I'm being impatient, but let me point out what's wrong:
1) Other blogshops reply within 24hrs
2) Other blogshops send shipments the next working day after receiving payment.
3) While looking for her HP number on her blog, I realised she had time to update her many blogs, but did not have the time to check her emails, which, let me remind you, are the main source of her income, and the logic in that is completely beyond me.
4) She did not offer any explanation for the late reply, even though I emailed twice chasing for her to at least confirm my payment.
Fine, maybe she's too busy to read emails. I decided to text her and request for a self-collection instead, since it couldn't possibly reach me in time by post anymore. After some discussion, we decided on Thursday night itself. She said I could collect the items at her block anytime after 9pm and I could just text or call her when I was there.
So Thursday night, I reached her block at around 9.15pm. I called her phone. It was switched off. Naturally, I feared that I had been scammed. I tried to text, and called several more times. It was still switched off.
I gave her the benefit of the doubt still - maybe her battery died? I waited 5 minutes and called again. This time it was turned on but it rang and rang and rang until it got cut off and she still did not pick up. I gave her a total of 11 missed calls.
At 9.45pm, she called me back and said she just reached home and she was coming down with my package now.
She came down, with no apology, no explanation and handed me the items for me to inspect. I was fuming, but I kept quiet, because you don't reprimand the waiter before he serves you the food, right? I checked the items, they looked fine, and I left.
What I don't understand is, if you tell your customer to collect something after 9pm, you make sure you're bloody home by 8.45pm right? Instead, I was kept waiting, with no explanation. Even if she was going to be late, at least have the decency to inform me beforehand. I, the customer, was made to wait like a fool.
I find her absolutely irresponsible and inefficient. I will never buy from her blogshop again, and I strongly advise you not to either.
Rating given: