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Food & Beverage
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1=SGD 0.0587
I had my first Brazilian Wax today! Yes I was a Brazilian Virgin at Strip @ Raffles. I was really apprehensive at first.. I mean who wouldn't be when someone's staring at your nether regions.
They have two sorts : The Soft Wax and the Hard Wax (if I didn't hear her wrongly)
I chose the Hard Wax. It's slightly warm when smoothed onto the skin and hardens after a while. Then the lady will pull the hard wax off with all the hairs in it. She did it a few times and TADA it was pretty clean! Then she used the soft wax (cloth) to take the finer ones out and finally she tweezed the hard to reach places. It was all done in 15 minutes. Great speed and she was very professional, giving me some warning when it's off places that will hurt and asking me to breathe normally. She was all smiles and so were the other people in the place!!
It cost me $60 for that session. If you picked soft wax it would be $46. I signed for the $380 package which has $480 credit to begin with. More waxing for me!! :)
**For obvious reasons there aren't photos attached to this review since the photos that matter cannot be posted. :P
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I was at Vivo for some window shopping and dropped by at Kiehl's which is located near the taxi stand. It's well-known for their quality skincare so I decided to give it a try.
Once I stepped in, I was greeted with smiles but there wasn't any hounding. The staff stayed at a reasonable distance, ready to help when it is called for. That I did, and Ms. Joey Huang immediately appeared. I told her I was looking for a good moisturizer for people with sensitive skin. She asked some basic questions about my lifestyle and recommended me two types. After advising me on the benefits and differences between the two, she also showed me the different sizes available. What I liked was that she wasn't pushy about asking me to take the biggest bottles and such.
After paying, she also gave me 4 sachets of samples to try as I had told her that I was apprehensive about buying new products thanks to my sensitive skin. The service provided was definitely good.
The product I bought:
Creme de Corps - The Original Rich Nourishing Cream
250ml for $54
Its yellow colour made me think that it was very thick at first but it came out watery. Once on the skin, a 20 cent dollop managed to cover quite a bit of area. As my skin is pretty dry, it was absorbed fast and didn't leave any greasy after-feeling. In fact, the area was immediately softer (slightly). I've applied it thrice since and my skin doesn't feel as parched as usual. Thanks to its texture I think this would last me about 1 and a half months which I find reasonable for its price.
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As requested, an extremely overdue post on Botak Jones. Personally, i have been there at least 5 times over the past 1.5 years and each time with a different group or by myself. So this is more or less a collective experience post. (PS: pardon the horrible pictures. The food looks much better when you are there.)
Located in a humble coffee shop setting in the middle of nowhere in Ang Mo Kio, i was apprehensive at first during my first visit. This however, gave way to appreciation as the prices were definitely lower then its restaurant counterparts. Along the same vein as Aston's and Blackboard, Botak Jones was probably one of the pioneers in this field (correct me if i'm wrong please). Now, after four years, Botak Jones boasts a total of 6 outlets and a strong following of loyal customers with new ones born everyday. Be warned that if you arrive late for the meal, be prepared to wait at least 30 minutes for your food.
The Double Botak ($9.50) - Botak burger, 2 150 gram beef patties set atop a lightly toasted bun with tomatoes onions and lettuce. The burger comes without cheese or any such toppings unless ordered, toppings are priced between $1 to $3.50 on top of charge for the burger. I recommend the cheddar cheese topping for a more wholesome taste. As you can see, the burger i ordered did not come with cheese because i conveniently forgot. The patties are as i remember it, moist and medium well done on the inside which oozes a pleasantly strong beefy taste. The patties were smaller then i remembered however, and it was a little drier then my previous visits for some reason, the lack of cheese also took away a significant portion of enjoyment. The fries were thick and came with chilli powder sprinkled over it.
Cajun Chicken ($7.50) - Having never ordered anything apart from Botak Burger, i was pleasantly surprised with the Cajun Chicken my dad ordered. Chicken breast thats tender, a novel concept and well executed. The chicken was tender, juicy, easily cut and full of flavor from the mozeralla cheese and the spicy cajun sauce. Thats my impression from the one piece i had, my dad enjoyed it and said it was good. Enough said.
Fish And Chips ($6.50) - The humble fish and chips or breaded fried fish, available everywhere and at low prices, how does their rendition fair? Supposedly made from pacific dory fish and breaded on the day itself, they tout it as being freshly made daily. The reality of it is that it still tastes generic albeit a much better one then those available in other hawker centers or coffee shops. This one beats Blackboard's rendition hands down. The fish was thick and sweet with a thin layer of batter, still, would be better if they gave even bigger servings.
"Damn good food at a damn good price!" is their tag line. From my visits, i got to realize that prices have been increasing and the food quality, though decent, have been sliding. The beef is where its at for me, but as prices increase ($1 for cheddar cheese?), the previous good value it offered is slowly offset as it now rivals restaurant prices when toppings are considered. Add the unpleasantness of its long wait times and somehow, the feeling of satisfaction it previously offered somehow ebbs away. Still, for its theme of American burgers, its currently still the better of the lot. Still, its more edging towards "Decent American burgers at semi decent prices" as opposed to what its tag line suggests.
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Featured on HDB Tai Tai sometime last month, September, piggy ole me was once again influenced into trying out a commercially reviewed joint for its food. Quite simply, the tv artists raved about its food and value for money. I was there to discover if what they touted was indeed true. (On a side note, the real reason i wanted to go was due to its cheap shark's fin noodles which really intrigued me to no end.)
We arrived on a rather awkward timing since it was a weekday afternoon but there was already quite a crowd within. Seats were aplenty though as this happens to be the biggest in its chain of restaurants in Singapore thus far. The interior was spacious and cozy with a very friendly male waiter who took the liberty of introducing us to his favorite and generally more expensive items. Established in 2004, simply enter their website to see them tout in bold letters "The Most Highly Recommended Hong Kong Cafe" How much of it is true? I'm not able to say yet.
Random ramblings. Why do they need a piece of paper to tick our orders and later follow up with 3 pieces of paper to note down the exact same orders? And all it does is lay on the table to be thrown away later. I've not seen a worst use of paper since....ever. Bad practice, really bad practice.
Mango King ($5.50) - The menu states: "Special blended mango juice with fresh mangoes and mango ice-cream" and thats exactly what it is. And truth be told, its probably the best item we had that day. Mango pieces were clearly visible but were sour and in actuality, the amount given was quite stingy. The mango ice cream was great however, lightly sweet with a soft mango and vanilla fragrance. The ice blended portion needed more work and the mango syrup simply wasn't good. At $5.50, i'd say they are pirates.
HK Fried Carrot Cake with XO sauce ($5.50) - The first that hits you is how small the portion is. You can practically count the number of carrot cake cubes. Portion aside, the dish came smelling heavenly. Taste wise though, the oil took up a huge part of it and where's the XO sauce? The carrot cake was firm and soft at the same time which made eating it a breeze but still, despite its generally sweet and soft texture, the residue of oil it leaves behind won't leave a good taste in your mouth.
Gold Medal Macau Baked ($14.80) - My gf had this. Let me explain the process involved in preparing this. Firstly, get ready made pasta, dip it in hot water and later cold water, lay a chicken chop, porkchop and some prawns and squid. Then separately put three different sauces, tomato, cream and curry sauce on the respective items and finally, add a layer of mozeralla cheese. Bake for about 5 minutes and serve the customer. Sounds decent right? However, they did not thaw the chicken and pork chop well enough, the also skimped on the baking process to speed things up and the pasta was not cooked properly. In its defense, the tomato base tasted good and the serving of meat is decent.
HK Street Shark's Fin Soup La Mian ($10.80) - This was what i came here for and this is the reason why i will not be back. The serving on television showed entire pieces of shark's fin which is obviously absent here. What was served was minuscule and insufficient. Worse, the La Mian was horrendously overcooked till it tastes soggy and the soup base was bland and tasteless. I don't know how they dared to feature this on television, this is plain bad.
An unsatisfying meal came up to $39.20 dollars without GST.
Disappointment stabbed at me as i left the place. I had high hopes for it since watching it on television but as usual, commercial reviews seem to overate these places at times. Maybe its because they get the food for free, or maybe they are paid to eat which thus skews their perception, but a paying customer like myself will tell you to stay away from this place. The pricing is ridiculous and the food laughable.
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I am a big fan of toastbox's soft bun. Haa... Vivocity outlet is one of the outlets that I usually would go to. Its location is good, once step out of the underpass, it can been seen. Therefore explains the large crowd as well.
The price is generally lower than other places.
I usually will go for the softbun set. They would toast the soft bun unitl it is crispy outside and inside is soft. Together with their kaya, and thick slices of butter. The combination of these 3 things make their soft bun simply heavenly!
The eggs came intact, so you have to break the eggs on your own. It is kind of fun to do it as well.
The tea that I usually have comes thick with full of tea and milk flavour.
They also sell other food like nasi lemak, mee siam, cup cakes etc. They also got a lot of different toast, kaya toast or thick toasts as well.
The service of the crew is fast and they also clean up fast as well.
The place always serves a good snack place if I happen to walk pass one.
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Passed this place a few times and always find it packed. So happen to find empty seats so decided to pop in for a drink. It got both outdoor and indoor seats. The indoor seats have serval plush and posh big sofa seats and have to say that they are very comfortable to sit and relax. Have to say that the coffee aroma is very tempting as well.
They got a huge varity of drinks and I decided to have a nice cup of Hazelnut milk. It turn out to be a pretty good steamed milk I have there. I loved it. Hang out there for a few hours chit chatting before heading home.
It is a nice place to sit, relax and people watch there, while enjoying their drinks there. If you got the sofa seats, count yourself lucky ok! Hee....
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Changi Village, one mention and what comes to mind will probably be seafood, nightlife and maybe sights and sounds of a different kind. Breakfast however, may be dominated by mentions of Nasi Lemak and maybe the Mee Pok or peanut pancake. Here's something a little less known for people who wants something a little different from an old location.
Located on the right hand corner of a coffeeshop, Le Xuan is quite easy to locate and very visible especially in the morning since its practically the few shops open at the coffeeshop and customers who know about it flock there for breakfast. Dim sum is prepared fresh and by hand to ensure it tastes its best.
Prices range from $2.50 to $3 for each item which seems to be the norm for this kind of cuisine.
Har Gao (Steamed Shrimp Dumplings) ($2.50), Fresh Shrimp Chee Cheong Fun ($2.50), Crispy Salad Spring Roll ($2.50), Crystal Dumpling ($2.20), Siew Mai ($2.20), Deep Fried Shrimp Dumpling ($3) and Traditional Egg Tarts ($2.50) - General impressions of the food here is simple. Nice, crunchy and sweet tasting shrimps which applies to everything from the steamed and fried shrimp dumplings to the Chee Cheong Fun. Of special mention is the sweet tasting soy sauce that comes with the Chee Cheong Fun which does a great job of enhancing the taste. Crispy salad spring roll was nicely crunchy and flaky on the outside with a sweet, fragrant yet fishy taste on the inside which were thankfully neutralized by the salad dip. Crystal dumpling was a first for a kampong guy like me but i honestly can't quite take to the item due to its overly strong meaty taste. Siew Mai's were too small and had a pasty texture to meat making it taste like eating fish ball. And finally, the egg tarts are baked with too much crust pastry which masks the egg filling unfortunately.
The offerings were a mixed bag of good, just passes and downright fails. It is however, safe to say that the items with shrimp are probably the better offerings in store. So if you come for a meal, order anything with shrimp for a safe bet. For the rest, take your own chances but it'll be your prerogative.
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Had a craving for authentic Thai cuisine one day and decided to take full advantage of the 30% discount offered by UOB to try out this restuarant with my gf and Gwenn. Featured in Singapore Tatler's top restaurants 2007 as well, i had pretty high expectations when i stepped in.
The interior was simple with wooden chairs reminiscent of Chinese coffee shops and cushioned seats along the walls. Worth noting were various Thai statues adorning the corners and multi colors 'fans' along the ceiling. Also to note was that there wasn't many people around when we arrived so there was no need to fight for any seats, the restaurant was packed by the time we left though.
Complimentary/ Compulsory Crackers ($2) - As we were awaiting the arrival of our friend, we promptly ordered everything we wanted for the day. The first item was this complimentary basket of vegetable crackers (or was it prawn crackers?) with Thai sweet and sour chilli sauce dip. The crackers were warm and very crispy, making it go really well with the dip.
Clear Tom Yam Soup ($12) - Any visit to a Thai restaurant would not be complete without an order of Tom Yam soup. I opted for the 'clear' version since spicy items make me pant with effort eating them. $12 serves up a small claypot filled with soup and assorted ingredients. The soup is spicy, sour and sweet with a full bodied seafood base. Appetising and satisfying.
Pineapple rice ($15) - A medium portioned pineapple rice is actually a very big serving. Generously sprinkled with dried and cooked shrimp, it is served in a pot in all its yellowish wonder. The rice nicely cooked but seems to lack the pineapple fragrance that is supposed to be a mainstay for this dish. Also, please note that only the regular sized portion has the item served in an actual pineapple skin.
Lemongrass Chicken ($14) - Lemongrass spring chicken actually tastes more like normal spring chicken to me. I couldn't make out the lemon grass taste but instead found the meat tough and having a strange tofu-like taste. The skin was crispy and nice though. Strange because i thought an item bearing the restaurant's namesake would be at least worthy but that is unfortunately not the case.
Hot Plate Beancurd ($12) - This was good. The sauce was sweet, tangy and a little sour but otherwise thick with minced meat and assorted vegetables. The beancurd was of the egg variety and had a very soft melt-in-your-mouth texture and a soft but firm outer skin. There was also egg beneath all that goodness and to top it all off, the item is hot from start to finish.
Green Curry Beef ($12) - Green colored curry with beef. The curry was not spicy in the least and had an overwhelming coconut milk taste. That said, the curry was thick and came with quite a generous serving of beef which had us picking it out long after we've finished the main mean items. Personally, i wouldn't order it again though.
Mango with Glutinous Rice ($8) - Having satisfied our hungers, we wanted something light for dessert and Gwen suggested we have a Thai dessert which is a must-have for any Thai cuisine fan. When it was served, i was pretty sure there was no room left for something as heavy as this but i was wrong. The mango was served warm with a strangely cold glutinous rice. The result of the combination is actually a very nice appetizing dessert that eventually was finished by a very stuffed trio of customers.
The bill worked out of be $64.85 for 3 people after a 30% discount. Not too much to ask for the food quantity and service.
A generally good experience with good tasting food and unforgettable tastes of Tom Yam and an interesting dessert. Could have been cheaper though. Without the 30% discount, this would have been a little too expensive.
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Changing Appetites. I remember a time long ago when their tag line was: "Japanese and Western fusion for the masses." but its been some time since that particular portion of history and now, the new tag line is: "The all American and Dessert Cafe" which is still mildly inaccurate due to the infusion of Mexican influenced items since early 2007.
Relaxed, huge and cold would most probably pop into your minds when you see this place. Located along a stretch of food joints such as Carl's Junior, Cafe Cartel and Swenson's, it wouldn't be exaggerating to say that competition is stiff. It still managed to grab my attention over the more generic outlets available due to its bright colors and reasonable prices. And because it was one of the first places i brought my gf for a meal when we started out. Nostalgia abound.
Strawberry Frozen Magaritas ($10.90) - Big, that was the first thought when i saw this drink. I know places that charge higher prices but serve miserly portions of the drink. Strawberry bits were readily apparent from the outset but i'm not sure if concentrate was used instead of actual strawberries. However, i do know that it is not sweet enough so i'm guessing they used real strawberries in blending this concoction. The white outer layer is salt and believe me, you'll need it because the alcohol is pretty strong and generous as well. A good item if it was just a wee bit sweeter.
Boneless Shanghai Chicken ($8.90) - An appetizer i ordered out of curiousity which i was soon to rejoice because its very well done. Deep fried crispy chicken tossed with pineapple-citrus sauce and topped with sesame seeds. Its basically a cross between 3 different culinary disciplines since even wasabi mayo sauce is used for its dip. The result is a tender, crispy, sweet, sour, spicy and yet light tasting chicken which tastes better when everything is mixed together. Do try this.
Chicken And Mushroom ($16.90) - This dish came looking less glamorous then its menu picture showed which kinda turned my gf off a bit. Her request for more cheese also fell on deaf ears with our extremely forgetful waiter who seems unable to remember anything longer then 4 words. Taste wise, the chicken was rather bland and the cheese was not as strong as it could have been. However, wrap it in the flour tortillas, add a little sour cream and fill it up with onions, bell pepper, chicken and sauteed mushrooms and take another bite for a refreshed feeling of this item. Although not good enough to elevate it to a status where i would say it is delicious, it is at least better then when the items were taken individually. Not that i would order it again on my own though.
The Barbarian Burger ($20.90) - This is the main reason i keep returning to Changing Appetites. Despite being raised by $1 since my last few visits, this is still value for money regardless of how you slice it. 2 200gms of well marinated and totally compressed beef patties which even my gf said tasted good when she's not a beef lover, 1 dory fish fillet which is actually really small but tasty nonetheless and 1 spicy grilled chicken patty nestled within 2 slices of brown cereal bread, tomatoes, lettuce and onions. And finally, served with a huge serving of piping hot fries. I have personally tried to finish this item 4 times, with and without other items beforehand, and sad to say, i've never been able to finish it. The beef patty is where it is all at, marinated minced beef meat without further additions make it compact, tender, juicy and absolutely bursting with taste. Still one of the better patties i've had, at a rather hefty price i must admit but i say its still worth it. Do challenge yourself with it and let me know if you actually finish everything on your plate.
Cookie Monster Mudpie ($7.90) - Dessert was a cookie monster mudpie. Cookies and cream ice cream decked in hot chocolate fudge and sprinkled with oreo cookie crumbs. Sweet, sinful, slightly bitter and very tasty. The mudpie is as i remember it to be, smooth in texture, hard but easily cut away and melt-in-your-mouth tasty. Though i have to say, the best tasting mudpie i had was the complimentary watermelon mudpie i had during my previous visit. A shame it wasn't on the menu though.
To my surprise, a meal for 2 came up to $77. Which is quite a hefty sum for a total of 5 items. Although of course, whatever we had could have easily fed 3 young adults but i do miss the support of UOB promotions in this joint. *hint hint*
Not many places serve burgers as big as this place packing the same amount of taste. For a fusion restaurant, there are bound to be a few hits and misses in their items and honestly, i've seen my friend strike out in their fish and chips, my gf in their chicken and mushroom and her previous order of something associated with chicken as well. So i'd say their not all good but have certain good calls that are bound to please. Do give it a chance.
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Sage the restaurant is situated at Robertson Walk. It is a tastefully designed restaurant tucked away in the corner of the 2nd level. Warm cosy lights and soft jazz playing in the background made up a wonderfully romantic ambience. So it was no surprise there were couples enjoying themselves in little corners. There were two other small groups that Friday night. Our group of 10 trotted in happily with our trigger-happy fingers at 8 , ready to attack.
The food…
Amuse Bouche (Complimentary)
A small shotglass of minced pork topped with tomato puree. I’m really not a fan of pork and was very apprehensive when this arrived first. But I was pleasantly surprised. The savoury tasteof the meat combined with the tangy tomatoes certainly prepared my stomach for the dishes to come.
Scallops
Seared King Scallops on a salad of homemade squid ink capellini, marinated ocean trout and avruga caviar, braised scallop lips and leek & potato vichyssoise
First up was the very fresh scallop served with on a creamy soup (potato vichyssoise). The scallop was well-cooked with a slight crisp on the outer layer, while still maintaining its texture inside. The soup that came with it was not too creamy and had many of us grabbing the bread for a good dip.
Foie Gras
Pan-seared Duck Foie Gras with pistachio crust and fig compote, Granny Smith apple puree and a dressing of red grape mustard vinegar
I have to admit. This is my first time and I’m glad it was here at Sage. The crisp on the outside and the lightness of the inside was a great combination of texture. The foie gras practically melted in my mouth and was definitely far from overwhelming. I loved the apple puree too!
Cod & Bouillabaisse
Effeuille of Cod and and grey prawns in a seafood bouillabaisse with ratte potatoes and garden vegetables accompanied with rouille on toast
I was so happy that I picked this dish! (There was Beef and Lamb) It’s because it’s not on Sage’s regular menu and if I didn’t pick it, I wouldn’t have tasted such goodness! The cod just melted in my mouth… and the bouillabaisse tasted just right. I can still imagine the taste.
Crème Brûlée
Lavender Crème Brûlée with blood orange sorbet on redcurrant jelly and Navel orange meringue
When the dessert was served, I was really full and satisfied by the main already and didn’t feel ready to tackle anymore. But the nicely sour sorbet helped a bit. I liked how the jelly and sorbet went together as the jelly was a little bland but gave a different texture to the sourness of the sorbet. I enjoyed the crème brûlée but not the meringue which was too sugary sweet for my liking.
The damage: $1022 for 10 of us (inclusive of a bottle of wine)
Individual damage: $96 (I didn’t drink)
It was expensive, but strangely enough I didn’t feel any heartache. Maybe that’s what great food and good ambience does to people.
More pictures here
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