Hua Xia Tai Mao Bi is a little shop in KK hospital which makes chinese brushes from children's hair. Newborns between 3 to 15 mths are brought to the shop to have their hair shaved off and made into chinese brushes for keeps.
I went with my friend's newborn that day and the lady patiently explained the process and let my friend choose the brush she wanted. They had quite a wide range,from fine ones to thicker ones. There were some with more intricate designs and others with simple paintings on them. The cheapest brush was $49 and the most expensive was $500 , I think.
Well the lady was quite gentle with my friend's 3 month old boy while shaving his head. He didn't cry at all and even fell asleep. He had plenty of hair so my friend chose 2 brushes.
The lady kept the enough to make the 2 brushes and returned my friend the rest. They had to go back 1 month later to collect the brushes. I was wondering to myself... how one would know whose hair was on the brush they made. Just purely based on trust I suppose.
Well the brushes DO NOT come in boxes and you have to purchase boxes too... which are slightly over $100...
The total for 2 brushes and a boxes to put both brushes in was $600.. which is a hefty sum I must say... I seriously don't think I would be spending this sort of money.
But I would have to give the lady credit for being so patient and providing such good service. Apparently Zoe Tay had her brushes done there too!
I've been here a few times and never wrote about it!
The 2nd floor is a great place to just chill and enjoy the music but the drawback is that there aren't any seats and it's constantly crowded. Not to mention it's easier to get in if you just buy a bottle. Just to skip the long queue. Being there early means you get seats... and also get eyed by later patrons cos they really want your seat. My friend went in super early just to reserve seats for us. The drinks are ok, not too diluted and I guess reasonably priced for a bar. I enjoy the live music though I'm not really a fan of that genre.
The ground floor is more for the soccer crowd and those who want to eat. Though it's quieter here but not quite the place for conversation either as it's quite cramped with people mostly.
With Seasons Reasons, the reasons is every seasons! With a passion for a different dining experience, Seasons Reasons is designed based on a quest of the 4 seasons - Summer, Fall, Winter & Spring.
Well, I am back at Raffles City again, just after two weeks since last visiting OChaCha, but then i can’t help it, nowadays there are simply too much to eat at Raffles City! So don’t be surprise if there are more new posts coming up.
Seasons Reasons is a small restaurant among the many new restaurants at Raffles City basement, but it stood out for its simple and comfortable setting. The menu is simple, with the usual starters, salad, soup, sandwiches, and main course. No doubt there are not much variety under each category, but i’ll say its more than enough for the average diners.
Appetizers start at $8.50 for their “hot pick” Golden potato prawn, to $13.80 for their seafood combo. Prices for the main course are pretty reasonable too, ranging from $11 to $20. But they are quite short on their spaghetti selections though, only two types are available. And i lamented the fact that they didn’t have much desserts to choose from.
Like mentioned above, the settings for the restaurant is simple and elegant, and there are also the cozy corner seats for diners who will like to enjoy some privacy.
My buddy and I didn’t have much trouble choosing what we want for lunch, after going through the simple menu once, we decided on Fish & chips, and lamb chop. We didn’t have any starters or soup as it was a simple lunch for us.
Fish & Chips ($14.80) Cod fish tempura and wedges served with lemongrass chili. To be honest, my first impression of the dish, it looks like just any other ordinary Fish & chips at other restaurants. But, my buddy commented that the fish was crispy on the outside, and where some other restaurants fish might get too dry, the one here is just nice. The interior of the fish was soft and not too dry.
Another point to note will be most places served their fish & chips with just tartar sauce, but Seasons Reasons had the tartar sauce, and also lemongrass chili which i find rather special.
Lamb Chop ($19.80) Baby rack of lamb char-grilled to medium well served with a glazed of honey mustard and fork mashed potato. The lamb chop at $19.80, is the most expensive dish served on the menu. And it did not disappoint, with a generous serving of 4 lamb racks, i believe it will fill most people.
The honey mustard sauce adds flavour to the grilled lamb chop, the meat is slightly tough, you’ll need some effort in biting and chewing the meat. But i do find the price of the lamb chop slightly steep, and most probably won’t order it again.
Total Bill was $40.72 for 2 person, not really expensive given we are dining in a restaurant. If you are looking for a simple dining place while you are at Raffles City, look no further than Seasons Reasons. The restaurant do put in effort in the food presentation, no doubt taste is the vital factor, but one tastebud will definitely open up if the food is presented nicely.
With so many restaurants at Raffles City, i don’t think i will be visiting again any sooner, unless they got new menu or promotions. I won’t say the food is excellent, but i’ll say its worth a try if you haven’t been there before.
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written above are my geniune feelings expressed in words that may be subjected to my personal distortion or bias. Please do not feel emotional or distress should you have any violent objections. Kindly click the little X at the upper, extreme right of your screen if negative adjectives would be derived. Otherwise, feel free to furnish me with comments, may it be positive or negative : )
This is sooo bad of me! I've known Beadyplace for so long and only today I went in to seriously take a look at the things she did!
I must admit I'm not a fan of accessories. Those who know me will know that the only thing I wear daily are my rings on my fingers. :) But when I saw the accessories this bimbo created, I'm tempted! One of the necklace and a bracelet are very simple and pretty. *hint hint* HAHA!
Love the simplicity of the designs. Personally I'd tried beading too, but my clumsy and fat fingers do not allow me to do it right. So i gave up.
This bimbo is a very busy woman, so when she finds time to do her accessories, I'm sure she concentrates 100% and gives good quality stuff. Go check out her blogshop if you're shopping for some gifts for your gfs. :)
It Shows happen once every 3 months nowadays and somehow, its no longer a surprise to anybody when a new IT gadget is announced. In fact, nothing much surprises anymore. Its just more of the same i guess.
Anyhow, if you got the money, this is the place to get your honey (if you are an IT enthusiast of course). As per Polarbear and Claudia's review. Yes, do not go with the intention of looking or else, you'll just be wasting time getting stuck in the human jam.
I do mean human jam you realise. The number of people gracing the event with their presence is insane. That is to say, its alot alot alot alot of people. Drive a car and prepare to park at bugis or further. Take an MRT and prepare to face the long queue the moment you get off. Its that insane.
For my part, i went on the first night and on the noon of the last day. The first night was alright, the crowd was still manageable but that already means jamming for 30 mins to see something of interest for 5 minutes. On the last day, i went slightly early at 12pm to 1pm and it was awful.
I bought a Kohjinsha SH811 tablet pc for a friend in Australia, the item cost me $1355 with an upgrade to a 2gb ram. Its quite amazing really. The 935gram machine has everything an ordinary pc has and then has touch screen functions as well. Nifty little gadget for people on the go. However, it uses windows vista which really isn't my idea of good.
Anyway, the road to buying the darn thing was horrible and the service was all the way to the dogs. Sim Lim PA mart sold it and i can tell you, the incharge of the event didn't leave a good impression on me at all. He promptly did not fix up the items for me, did not give me a bag, did not give me my payment slip which made me queue 45 mins for a redemption from UOB counter and worse of all, his attitude is obvious that he can't be bothered. When i asked for advice on what to do for future help and asked for his namecard, he promptly refused and turned away. Talk about bad service.
The UOB counter is another huge problem. Lines were so long, its unbelieveable. Take into account the bad service and horrible prizes. (i didn't win the psp nor any gadget, all i got was a letter opener from Beijing). The crowd management really needed to improve.
The worst thing is how the elevators, entrances and the lower levels served as bottlenecks. Its practically packed with people to the brim. I was so worried the elevators would collapse and honestly, given the security guards there, if a terrorist wanted to take out a whole bunch of people, coming to an IT fair would have easily accomplished that and with the bottlenecks, no one could escape. This is not even funny because i can tell you, if it happens, tragedy won't be the word to describe it.
Oh! Before i forget, i highly advice girls to avoid such events. There are whole groups of overactive nerds and Indian bangladeshi people in the show that are obviously not there for the purchase. I caught a few of them simply looking for where the crowd was thickest and closest to the booth girls so they can rub against the ladies 'accidentally'. And also, ladies, try not to wear high heels to such events because poor people like me wear slippers and i was 'stabbed' a few times by people walking past. Do have mercy on nice people like me.
That said, there were some truly good deals, like Sony Bravia 32 inch tvs for $799. Games at below $20 and outside storage of 500gb for a mere $199. Its real cost savings if you are into these things. Otherwise, stay far far away.
I chanced upon this printer while shopping at Funan. (I rarely go there you see) The thing that attracted me was their photo book. I'd always wanted to make a professional looking book of photos. (almost similar to coffee table book you see at weddings)
The pricing was pretty steep for the photo book, so I've yet tried getting one. But beside this product, they do namecard printing too. At just $24 for 2 boxes and $30 for 3 boxes, I thought it was quite a good deal (since the last time I printed cost me $35 for 3 boxes). So I went back another day to print my personal namecards.
There were 2 ladies at the counter when I was there. One was quite friendly while the other was quite cold. There were a few people there wanting to get their stuff printed, and all were waiting for the friendly lady to serve them. The other cold one was busy doing her own things behind the counter.
I was supposed to collect my namecard on a Monday as I sent it for print on Tuesday evening. (Usually they take 4 working days to print namecards) But as I had something on Friday, I called them up on Friday to check if my cards were ready. I was very happy to be able to get it earlier than expected.
So I went to collect my cards on Friday, but didn't check the cards properly before I left. When I reached home, I realised that the cards were dirty! It looks like the blade used to cut the cards were not cleaned, and it left ugly and sticky marks on the sides of my cards. About half of the box was damaged. (Pls view photo attached with this review)
Perhaps I'm just one of those unlucky customers who got dirtied namecards. Next time I must check all the cards before I leave the place.
Bistro One Zero Three sounds quite interesting right? Being the inquisitive me, i was naturally attracted to the name, and hence the visit to the place. Located at Pasir Panjang, its not a place where you’ll imagine a restaurant like Bistro One Zero Three will be situated. Nevertheless, the ‘ulu’ place makes it fun to go to, as though like we are on a food-hunting trait.
Initially we thought it was near the Haw Par Villa area, so we started looking for it there, but then how wrong we were, Bistro One Zero Three is at the other end of Pasir Panjang Road, quite near to PSA Building. If you are going there by train, i suggest stopping at HarbourFront and take a bus there, its only a couple of bus-stops away from HarbourFront.
The cosy 52 seater bistro is into its tenth-month, and started by the owner Eric, together with his sister and his sister-in-law as the chef. Stepping into Bistro One Zero Three, we felt totally at home, the homely-wood furniture plays a part, but it is the friendly service of the owners who welcomed us enthusiastically, and serving us ice-water while we were going through the menu, that impressed us.
The Menu comprises of sandwiches, gourmet salads, some sides, spaghetti and the mains. They are actually in the midst of introducing more items to the menu, but meanwhile, this are the options available.
Besides dining, Bistro One Zero Three also provides services for birthday-party events, company functions. The previous night they just had a event where guests let their hairs down and party till late night at the bistro. The bistro is a draw for the working crowd during weekdays, and on fridays & saturdays there are people like you and me who specially visit the place.
Well, i like the early-bird feeling, when we got there for a early lunch, we had the whole place to ourselves, totally like what i experienced in Sweet Indulgence! Being hungry people, we went through the menu and didn’t have much problem ordering the food. My dining companion being a Salmon-lover, naturally she’ll order Pan-fried Salmon. My two other mates had Cajun chicken wrap and Salmon & crab meat spaghetti, while i had the bacon, ham, mushroom spaghetti.
Salmon & Crab Meat Spaghetti ($14.50) We began our meal at Bistro One Zero Three with the Salmon & Crab meat Spaghetti. With two generous piece of salmon on the tomato-based spaghetti, it got our salivary gland working even before we started eating! While slurping down the pasta, we can also taste the crab meat which goes quite well together.
Bacon, Ham & Mushroom Spaghetti ($13.50) There are tomato, carbonara style and aglio olio options to choose from, I chose carbonara style since the other spaghetti is tomato-based. The carbonara Bacon, Mushroom Spaghetti here at Bistro One Zero Three is slightly different from the usual one you’ll find in other restaurants.
Usually the egg in carbonara style will be mixed together and cook with the heat of the pasta itself, but in this case, the chef put on his thinking cap and played with his creativity by leaving the egg yolk on top of the pasta. This is a pleasant surprise for us knowing the chef actually put in his heart & soul into making something different from the norm.
Well, i’ll preferred the salmon spaghetti to this one, not that this is not good, but after trying both pasta, we come to a consensus that the tomato-based spaghetti here taste better!
Pan-fried Salmon ($16.50) With Balsamic glaze & acompanied with seasonal vegetables, the Pan-fried salmon is a must-have for all the salmon-lovers out there. Balsamic dressing is a traditional flavoured vinegar commonly used in Italian cuisine, the Balsamic glaze here added a slight twist of Italiano to the salmon.
Cajun Chicken Wrap ($15.90) Tomato herb Tortilla & Mesclun mix are found inside the Cajun Chicken Wrap. The chicken wrap does give me an oddly feeling of ‘popiah’. The two Cajun chicken wrap serving is rather small, and definitely not enough to serve a grown-up (well depending on the appetite also). My mate wasn’t full after he finished it.
Warm Brownie w/ French Vanilla ice cream ($5) Who can resist the temptation of desserts after a meal? Not me, there is always room in my stomach for them! For the record, i love my desserts more than my main.
The warm brownie together with a scoop of the cold ice cream seems to match nicely together. The brownie is not too sweet also.
Panna cotta with Mocha ($5) One thing about Bistro One Zero Three is that they currently have limited desserts selection, only two! So we ordered both the brownie and this one to share. The owners are looking for new additions to the desserts section, so we had to make do with this two for now.
At first glance, we thought that the dessert was a soup, but on second note, it was not! Panna Cotta is actually an Italian Dessert made by simmering together cream, milk and sugar, mixing this with gelatin, and letting it cool until set.
Panna Cotta is usually eaten plained or sweetened with vanilla, chocolate or fruits. But the one we had at Bistro One Zero Three gave a different twist by adding Mocha to flavoured the dessert.
Total bill for 4 person (4 mains & 2 desserts) adds up to $82.86 (including GST & service charge). Overall the experience at Bistro One Zero Three is a positive one, and its a good place to chill out & dine with your friends. The place isn’t really inaccessible if you know where it is, just a few bus-stops away from Harbourfront. And the cozy environment and friendly service from the boss definitely makes it a plus for a revisit, but they need to work on their desserts selections if they are to satisfy my desserts-demand.
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written above are my geniune feelings expressed in words that may be subjected to my personal distortion or bias. Please do not feel emotional or distress should you have any violent objections. Kindly click the little X at the upper, extreme right of your screen if negative adjectives would be derived. Otherwise, feel free to furnish me with comments, may it be positive or negative : )
lo and behold! The new kid on the block, Obolo opened along the popular Joo Chiat Road late 2007, serving up desserts and drinks. It has a small seating area with 3 tables for about 10 people.
I liked the interior decor. Very modern and yet cosy like. They had pastry books for browsing on the coffee tables which was a nice touch. The well-taken pictures of their own cakes adorned the walls.
I happily plonked myself down on the seemingly comfortable chair to discover that it was hard as stone. *ouch* The table was the same height as the chairs so you really have to bend over to have your cake.
Noisette $6.90 Dark chocolate mousse, caramelised toasted hazelnuts, crunchy praline feullitine, chocolate genoise enrobed in a shiny chocolate glaem I wanted to order this at first and regretted that I didn't. My companion did though and I had a taste of it. I like it pretty much. It was quite light and easy on the stomach despite looking so chocolatey but it is mousse you know. I could taste the chocolate nicely but it wasn't too rich. But it wasn't fantastic too.
Guanaja Cheesecake $6.90 Dark chocolate cheesecake, topped with a chocolate macaron This cheesecake was very thick. Not the light and fluffy sort I like. Don't be fooled by the colour, the cheesecake doesn't really taste of chocolate. Only the base is made of a tangy dark chocolate. The macaron on top is SUPER sweet, and this comes from someone with a sweet tooth. It was so sweet it made me cringe for a few seconds, having my companion guess what I was trying to say.
I actually find the privilege programme a little tricky as you can only have the 10% discount if you spend more than $10. Doesn't sound so privileged after all isn't it? AND you have to spend $100 within a month to get these privileges..... mmm
I would be back though. I was intrigued by the rest of the cakes. They did look very nice but I do hope they taste as good as they looked. They had tiramisu in glasses which I'm really tempted to try. Anyone?
Cakes, cakes, cakes. Who can ever get enough of these soft, sweet tasting delicacies that come in a rich variety of flavors and mixed with different mediums? I for one, never feels a cake is enough. This post is a little late of course but hey, better late then never yeah?
After scouring for cakes for Christmas for a long time, and seeing the obscene prices each cake is being touted by in almost all the shops we visited, me and my gf finally settled on something very familiar and almost guaranteed to satisfy. The choice is none other than the Four Leaves cakes that we pretty much swear by for any occasion. Does it disappoint though?
Christmas, a season of giving and sharing. And also a season of eating, partying and generally getting fatter. Well, my success in that field is pretty much legendary i suppose. Back to the cake at hand.
Despite the rather cute appearance, the cake has its roots from an old favorite of mine. The much revered Cocoa Exotica. The main difference is on the icing and cream which adorns the outer layer and a distinctly smaller inner layer in terms of the usage of cream and chocolate. Nonetheless, the cake itself simply melts in your mouth, and the hazelnut cookie layer gives it much needed fragrance and taste. Do not be mislead by the thick icing and cream you see, it never gets overwhelming nor unpleasant as the icing itself is just a tad sweet and is strangely soft that it is easily taken in. I like this cake as much as the Cocoa Exotica, enough said.
So far, in terms of cakes, i haven't had a particularly disappointing experience with Four Leaves yet. And if they keep up the good work, this is one of the better cake shops out there despite its abundance in malls.
Fancy cakes with a strong chocolate twist? Tired of old and run-of-the-mill cakes available everywhere else? Want something reasonably affordable and yet packing in the taste department? Well, welcome to choc-a-bloc. Coincidentally, the word "bloc" actually means blissfully luscious orgasmic chocolate as is positioned on their website. I wouldn't go that far to say their cakes are the best but i do second the fact that they are less common then the rest thus far.
This is a customized version of the "Mom's coco fudge cake". One thing about the cake is that its generously big (though of course you have to pay for it to be big.) The cake is surprisingly simple and expensive. 2 layers of chocolate and 3 layers of sponge cake is pretty much all you get for the price and yet. It feels surprisingly worthwhile. For one thing, the dark chocolate used is tastefully chosen. Being just the right balance of sweetness and bitterness which it balances very well. So much so that despite the big portion, i had no difficulty in finishing the cake at all. Being a fudge cake, it is also nicely soft and filling. One of the simplest and better tasting cakes i've had actually. I have to say its pretty much on par with the renditions even in Secret Recipe and some french gourmet cakes i've had. (Maybe i just have not eaten enough cakes to have a cake that has a higher standard yet but i'm getting there.)
I'm interested in having more actually but i do feel the pricing is abit steep and seems to have increased. Anyone who has tried better cakes out there, do let me know so i can try others yeah?
1=SGD 0.0587
Hua Xia Tai Mao Bi is a little shop in KK hospital which makes chinese brushes from children's hair. Newborns between 3 to 15 mths are brought to the shop to have their hair shaved off and made into chinese brushes for keeps.
I went with my friend's newborn that day and the lady patiently explained the process and let my friend choose the brush she wanted. They had quite a wide range,from fine ones to thicker ones. There were some with more intricate designs and others with simple paintings on them. The cheapest brush was $49 and the most expensive was $500 , I think.
Well the lady was quite gentle with my friend's 3 month old boy while shaving his head. He didn't cry at all and even fell asleep. He had plenty of hair so my friend chose 2 brushes.
The lady kept the enough to make the 2 brushes and returned my friend the rest. They had to go back 1 month later to collect the brushes. I was wondering to myself... how one would know whose hair was on the brush they made. Just purely based on trust I suppose.
Well the brushes DO NOT come in boxes and you have to purchase boxes too... which are slightly over $100...
The total for 2 brushes and a boxes to put both brushes in was $600.. which is a hefty sum I must say... I seriously don't think I would be spending this sort of money.
But I would have to give the lady credit for being so patient and providing such good service. Apparently Zoe Tay had her brushes done there too!
Rating given:
I've been here a few times and never wrote about it!
The 2nd floor is a great place to just chill and enjoy the music but the drawback is that there aren't any seats and it's constantly crowded. Not to mention it's easier to get in if you just buy a bottle. Just to skip the long queue. Being there early means you get seats... and also get eyed by later patrons cos they really want your seat. My friend went in super early just to reserve seats for us. The drinks are ok, not too diluted and I guess reasonably priced for a bar. I enjoy the live music though I'm not really a fan of that genre.
The ground floor is more for the soccer crowd and those who want to eat. Though it's quieter here but not quite the place for conversation either as it's quite cramped with people mostly.
Rating given:
With Seasons Reasons, the reasons is every seasons! With a passion for a different dining experience, Seasons Reasons is designed based on a quest of the 4 seasons - Summer, Fall, Winter & Spring.
Well, I am back at Raffles City again, just after two weeks since last visiting OChaCha, but then i can’t help it, nowadays there are simply too much to eat at Raffles City! So don’t be surprise if there are more new posts coming up.
Seasons Reasons is a small restaurant among the many new restaurants at Raffles City basement, but it stood out for its simple and comfortable setting. The menu is simple, with the usual starters, salad, soup, sandwiches, and main course. No doubt there are not much variety under each category, but i’ll say its more than enough for the average diners.
Appetizers start at $8.50 for their “hot pick” Golden potato prawn, to $13.80 for their seafood combo. Prices for the main course are pretty reasonable too, ranging from $11 to $20. But they are quite short on their spaghetti selections though, only two types are available. And i lamented the fact that they didn’t have much desserts to choose from.
Like mentioned above, the settings for the restaurant is simple and elegant, and there are also the cozy corner seats for diners who will like to enjoy some privacy.
My buddy and I didn’t have much trouble choosing what we want for lunch, after going through the simple menu once, we decided on Fish & chips, and lamb chop. We didn’t have any starters or soup as it was a simple lunch for us.
Fish & Chips ($14.80)
Cod fish tempura and wedges served with lemongrass chili. To be honest, my first impression of the dish, it looks like just any other ordinary Fish & chips at other restaurants. But, my buddy commented that the fish was crispy on the outside, and where some other restaurants fish might get too dry, the one here is just nice. The interior of the fish was soft and not too dry.
Another point to note will be most places served their fish & chips with just tartar sauce, but Seasons Reasons had the tartar sauce, and also lemongrass chili which i find rather special.
Lamb Chop ($19.80)
Baby rack of lamb char-grilled to medium well served with a glazed of honey mustard and fork mashed potato. The lamb chop at $19.80, is the most expensive dish served on the menu. And it did not disappoint, with a generous serving of 4 lamb racks, i believe it will fill most people.
The honey mustard sauce adds flavour to the grilled lamb chop, the meat is slightly tough, you’ll need some effort in biting and chewing the meat. But i do find the price of the lamb chop slightly steep, and most probably won’t order it again.
Total Bill was $40.72 for 2 person, not really expensive given we are dining in a restaurant. If you are looking for a simple dining place while you are at Raffles City, look no further than Seasons Reasons. The restaurant do put in effort in the food presentation, no doubt taste is the vital factor, but one tastebud will definitely open up if the food is presented nicely.
With so many restaurants at Raffles City, i don’t think i will be visiting again any sooner, unless they got new menu or promotions. I won’t say the food is excellent, but i’ll say its worth a try if you haven’t been there before.
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written above are my geniune feelings expressed in words that may be subjected to my personal distortion or bias. Please do not feel emotional or distress should you have any violent objections. Kindly click the little X at the upper, extreme right of your screen if negative adjectives would be derived. Otherwise, feel free to furnish me with comments, may it be positive or negative : )
” For everything, there is a Reason “
Rating given:
This is sooo bad of me! I've known Beadyplace for so long and only today I went in to seriously take a look at the things she did!
I must admit I'm not a fan of accessories. Those who know me will know that the only thing I wear daily are my rings on my fingers. :) But when I saw the accessories this bimbo created, I'm tempted! One of the necklace and a bracelet are very simple and pretty. *hint hint* HAHA!
Love the simplicity of the designs. Personally I'd tried beading too, but my clumsy and fat fingers do not allow me to do it right. So i gave up.
This bimbo is a very busy woman, so when she finds time to do her accessories, I'm sure she concentrates 100% and gives good quality stuff. Go check out her blogshop if you're shopping for some gifts for your gfs. :)
Rating given:
It Shows happen once every 3 months nowadays and somehow, its no longer a surprise to anybody when a new IT gadget is announced. In fact, nothing much surprises anymore. Its just more of the same i guess.
Anyhow, if you got the money, this is the place to get your honey (if you are an IT enthusiast of course). As per Polarbear and Claudia's review. Yes, do not go with the intention of looking or else, you'll just be wasting time getting stuck in the human jam.
I do mean human jam you realise. The number of people gracing the event with their presence is insane. That is to say, its alot alot alot alot of people. Drive a car and prepare to park at bugis or further. Take an MRT and prepare to face the long queue the moment you get off. Its that insane.
For my part, i went on the first night and on the noon of the last day. The first night was alright, the crowd was still manageable but that already means jamming for 30 mins to see something of interest for 5 minutes. On the last day, i went slightly early at 12pm to 1pm and it was awful.
I bought a Kohjinsha SH811 tablet pc for a friend in Australia, the item cost me $1355 with an upgrade to a 2gb ram. Its quite amazing really. The 935gram machine has everything an ordinary pc has and then has touch screen functions as well. Nifty little gadget for people on the go. However, it uses windows vista which really isn't my idea of good.
Anyway, the road to buying the darn thing was horrible and the service was all the way to the dogs. Sim Lim PA mart sold it and i can tell you, the incharge of the event didn't leave a good impression on me at all. He promptly did not fix up the items for me, did not give me a bag, did not give me my payment slip which made me queue 45 mins for a redemption from UOB counter and worse of all, his attitude is obvious that he can't be bothered. When i asked for advice on what to do for future help and asked for his namecard, he promptly refused and turned away. Talk about bad service.
The UOB counter is another huge problem. Lines were so long, its unbelieveable. Take into account the bad service and horrible prizes. (i didn't win the psp nor any gadget, all i got was a letter opener from Beijing). The crowd management really needed to improve.
The worst thing is how the elevators, entrances and the lower levels served as bottlenecks. Its practically packed with people to the brim. I was so worried the elevators would collapse and honestly, given the security guards there, if a terrorist wanted to take out a whole bunch of people, coming to an IT fair would have easily accomplished that and with the bottlenecks, no one could escape. This is not even funny because i can tell you, if it happens, tragedy won't be the word to describe it.
Oh! Before i forget, i highly advice girls to avoid such events. There are whole groups of overactive nerds and Indian bangladeshi people in the show that are obviously not there for the purchase. I caught a few of them simply looking for where the crowd was thickest and closest to the booth girls so they can rub against the ladies 'accidentally'. And also, ladies, try not to wear high heels to such events because poor people like me wear slippers and i was 'stabbed' a few times by people walking past. Do have mercy on nice people like me.
That said, there were some truly good deals, like Sony Bravia 32 inch tvs for $799. Games at below $20 and outside storage of 500gb for a mere $199. Its real cost savings if you are into these things. Otherwise, stay far far away.
Rating given:
Good service. But not so good product.
I chanced upon this printer while shopping at Funan. (I rarely go there you see) The thing that attracted me was their photo book. I'd always wanted to make a professional looking book of photos. (almost similar to coffee table book you see at weddings)
The pricing was pretty steep for the photo book, so I've yet tried getting one. But beside this product, they do namecard printing too. At just $24 for 2 boxes and $30 for 3 boxes, I thought it was quite a good deal (since the last time I printed cost me $35 for 3 boxes). So I went back another day to print my personal namecards.
There were 2 ladies at the counter when I was there. One was quite friendly while the other was quite cold. There were a few people there wanting to get their stuff printed, and all were waiting for the friendly lady to serve them. The other cold one was busy doing her own things behind the counter.
I was supposed to collect my namecard on a Monday as I sent it for print on Tuesday evening. (Usually they take 4 working days to print namecards) But as I had something on Friday, I called them up on Friday to check if my cards were ready. I was very happy to be able to get it earlier than expected.
So I went to collect my cards on Friday, but didn't check the cards properly before I left. When I reached home, I realised that the cards were dirty! It looks like the blade used to cut the cards were not cleaned, and it left ugly and sticky marks on the sides of my cards. About half of the box was damaged. (Pls view photo attached with this review)
Perhaps I'm just one of those unlucky customers who got dirtied namecards. Next time I must check all the cards before I leave the place.
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Bistro One Zero Three sounds quite interesting right? Being the inquisitive me, i was naturally attracted to the name, and hence the visit to the place. Located at Pasir Panjang, its not a place where you’ll imagine a restaurant like Bistro One Zero Three will be situated. Nevertheless, the ‘ulu’ place makes it fun to go to, as though like we are on a food-hunting trait.
Initially we thought it was near the Haw Par Villa area, so we started looking for it there, but then how wrong we were, Bistro One Zero Three is at the other end of Pasir Panjang Road, quite near to PSA Building. If you are going there by train, i suggest stopping at HarbourFront and take a bus there, its only a couple of bus-stops away from HarbourFront.
The cosy 52 seater bistro is into its tenth-month, and started by the owner Eric, together with his sister and his sister-in-law as the chef. Stepping into Bistro One Zero Three, we felt totally at home, the homely-wood furniture plays a part, but it is the friendly service of the owners who welcomed us enthusiastically, and serving us ice-water while we were going through the menu, that impressed us.
The Menu comprises of sandwiches, gourmet salads, some sides, spaghetti and the mains. They are actually in the midst of introducing more items to the menu, but meanwhile, this are the options available.
Besides dining, Bistro One Zero Three also provides services for birthday-party events, company functions. The previous night they just had a event where guests let their hairs down and party till late night at the bistro. The bistro is a draw for the working crowd during weekdays, and on fridays & saturdays there are people like you and me who specially visit the place.
Well, i like the early-bird feeling, when we got there for a early lunch, we had the whole place to ourselves, totally like what i experienced in Sweet Indulgence! Being hungry people, we went through the menu and didn’t have much problem ordering the food. My dining companion being a Salmon-lover, naturally she’ll order Pan-fried Salmon. My two other mates had Cajun chicken wrap and Salmon & crab meat spaghetti, while i had the bacon, ham, mushroom spaghetti.
Salmon & Crab Meat Spaghetti ($14.50)
We began our meal at Bistro One Zero Three with the Salmon & Crab meat Spaghetti. With two generous piece of salmon on the tomato-based spaghetti, it got our salivary gland working even before we started eating! While slurping down the pasta, we can also taste the crab meat which goes quite well together.
Bacon, Ham & Mushroom Spaghetti ($13.50)
There are tomato, carbonara style and aglio olio options to choose from, I chose carbonara style since the other spaghetti is tomato-based. The carbonara Bacon, Mushroom Spaghetti here at Bistro One Zero Three is slightly different from the usual one you’ll find in other restaurants.
Usually the egg in carbonara style will be mixed together and cook with the heat of the pasta itself, but in this case, the chef put on his thinking cap and played with his creativity by leaving the egg yolk on top of the pasta. This is a pleasant surprise for us knowing the chef actually put in his heart & soul into making something different from the norm.
Well, i’ll preferred the salmon spaghetti to this one, not that this is not good, but after trying both pasta, we come to a consensus that the tomato-based spaghetti here taste better!
Pan-fried Salmon ($16.50)
With Balsamic glaze & acompanied with seasonal vegetables, the Pan-fried salmon is a must-have for all the salmon-lovers out there. Balsamic dressing is a traditional flavoured vinegar commonly used in Italian cuisine, the Balsamic glaze here added a slight twist of Italiano to the salmon.
Cajun Chicken Wrap ($15.90)
Tomato herb Tortilla & Mesclun mix are found inside the Cajun Chicken Wrap. The chicken wrap does give me an oddly feeling of ‘popiah’. The two Cajun chicken wrap serving is rather small, and definitely not enough to serve a grown-up (well depending on the appetite also). My mate wasn’t full after he finished it.
Warm Brownie w/ French Vanilla ice cream ($5)
Who can resist the temptation of desserts after a meal? Not me, there is always room in my stomach for them! For the record, i love my desserts more than my main.
The warm brownie together with a scoop of the cold ice cream seems to match nicely together. The brownie is not too sweet also.
Panna cotta with Mocha ($5)
One thing about Bistro One Zero Three is that they currently have limited desserts selection, only two! So we ordered both the brownie and this one to share. The owners are looking for new additions to the desserts section, so we had to make do with this two for now.
At first glance, we thought that the dessert was a soup, but on second note, it was not! Panna Cotta is actually an Italian Dessert made by simmering together cream, milk and sugar, mixing this with gelatin, and letting it cool until set.
Panna Cotta is usually eaten plained or sweetened with vanilla, chocolate or fruits. But the one we had at Bistro One Zero Three gave a different twist by adding Mocha to flavoured the dessert.
Total bill for 4 person (4 mains & 2 desserts) adds up to $82.86 (including GST & service charge). Overall the experience at Bistro One Zero Three is a positive one, and its a good place to chill out & dine with your friends. The place isn’t really inaccessible if you know where it is, just a few bus-stops away from Harbourfront. And the cozy environment and friendly service from the boss definitely makes it a plus for a revisit, but they need to work on their desserts selections if they are to satisfy my desserts-demand.
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written above are my geniune feelings expressed in words that may be subjected to my personal distortion or bias. Please do not feel emotional or distress should you have any violent objections. Kindly click the little X at the upper, extreme right of your screen if negative adjectives would be derived. Otherwise, feel free to furnish me with comments, may it be positive or negative : )
“ Who say guys don’t like their desserts? I do! ”
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lo and behold! The new kid on the block, Obolo opened along the popular Joo Chiat Road late 2007, serving up desserts and drinks. It has a small seating area with 3 tables for about 10 people.
I liked the interior decor. Very modern and yet cosy like. They had pastry books for browsing on the coffee tables which was a nice touch. The well-taken pictures of their own cakes adorned the walls.
I happily plonked myself down on the seemingly comfortable chair to discover that it was hard as stone. *ouch* The table was the same height as the chairs so you really have to bend over to have your cake.
Noisette $6.90
Dark chocolate mousse, caramelised toasted hazelnuts, crunchy praline feullitine, chocolate genoise enrobed in a shiny chocolate glaem
I wanted to order this at first and regretted that I didn't. My companion did though and I had a taste of it. I like it pretty much. It was quite light and easy on the stomach despite looking so chocolatey but it is mousse you know. I could taste the chocolate nicely but it wasn't too rich. But it wasn't fantastic too.
Guanaja Cheesecake $6.90
Dark chocolate cheesecake, topped with a chocolate macaron
This cheesecake was very thick. Not the light and fluffy sort I like. Don't be fooled by the colour, the cheesecake doesn't really taste of chocolate. Only the base is made of a tangy dark chocolate. The macaron on top is SUPER sweet, and this comes from someone with a sweet tooth. It was so sweet it made me cringe for a few seconds, having my companion guess what I was trying to say.
I actually find the privilege programme a little tricky as you can only have the 10% discount if you spend more than $10. Doesn't sound so privileged after all isn't it? AND you have to spend $100 within a month to get these privileges..... mmm
I would be back though. I was intrigued by the rest of the cakes. They did look very nice but I do hope they taste as good as they looked. They had tiramisu in glasses which I'm really tempted to try. Anyone?
**photos up later**
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Cakes, cakes, cakes. Who can ever get enough of these soft, sweet tasting delicacies that come in a rich variety of flavors and mixed with different mediums? I for one, never feels a cake is enough. This post is a little late of course but hey, better late then never yeah?
After scouring for cakes for Christmas for a long time, and seeing the obscene prices each cake is being touted by in almost all the shops we visited, me and my gf finally settled on something very familiar and almost guaranteed to satisfy. The choice is none other than the Four Leaves cakes that we pretty much swear by for any occasion. Does it disappoint though?
Christmas, a season of giving and sharing. And also a season of eating, partying and generally getting fatter. Well, my success in that field is pretty much legendary i suppose. Back to the cake at hand.
Despite the rather cute appearance, the cake has its roots from an old favorite of mine. The much revered Cocoa Exotica. The main difference is on the icing and cream which adorns the outer layer and a distinctly smaller inner layer in terms of the usage of cream and chocolate. Nonetheless, the cake itself simply melts in your mouth, and the hazelnut cookie layer gives it much needed fragrance and taste. Do not be mislead by the thick icing and cream you see, it never gets overwhelming nor unpleasant as the icing itself is just a tad sweet and is strangely soft that it is easily taken in. I like this cake as much as the Cocoa Exotica, enough said.
So far, in terms of cakes, i haven't had a particularly disappointing experience with Four Leaves yet. And if they keep up the good work, this is one of the better cake shops out there despite its abundance in malls.
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Fancy cakes with a strong chocolate twist? Tired of old and run-of-the-mill cakes available everywhere else? Want something reasonably affordable and yet packing in the taste department? Well, welcome to choc-a-bloc. Coincidentally, the word "bloc" actually means blissfully luscious orgasmic chocolate as is positioned on their website. I wouldn't go that far to say their cakes are the best but i do second the fact that they are less common then the rest thus far.
This is a customized version of the "Mom's coco fudge cake". One thing about the cake is that its generously big (though of course you have to pay for it to be big.) The cake is surprisingly simple and expensive. 2 layers of chocolate and 3 layers of sponge cake is pretty much all you get for the price and yet. It feels surprisingly worthwhile. For one thing, the dark chocolate used is tastefully chosen. Being just the right balance of sweetness and bitterness which it balances very well. So much so that despite the big portion, i had no difficulty in finishing the cake at all. Being a fudge cake, it is also nicely soft and filling. One of the simplest and better tasting cakes i've had actually. I have to say its pretty much on par with the renditions even in Secret Recipe and some french gourmet cakes i've had. (Maybe i just have not eaten enough cakes to have a cake that has a higher standard yet but i'm getting there.)
I'm interested in having more actually but i do feel the pricing is abit steep and seems to have increased. Anyone who has tried better cakes out there, do let me know so i can try others yeah?
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