Very very new blogstore with very very few items for sale.
Items are all imported either from Japan or Korea, and therefore the prices are of the middle to high range. However, the products look like they are made of high quality materials. So if anyone is looking for stuff that would probably last longer under heavy usage and you don't really mind the extra costs, do consider purchasing from this blogstore.
Photos of products are well taken, the layout of the entire blogstore and all the entries are very neatly and well done.
I especially love the header banner with the blinking stars (very nicely designed!) and the image of balloons floating into the blue sky! It gives me a very fresh and uplifting feeling and it really adds optimism to the overall package. Love it!
Please bring in more products so that online shoppers can have more variety!
The layout is simple and clean-cut, just like the accessories sold there. I believe the blogshop is rather new and therefore there aren't many entries and accessories.
What's there, however, is nice and easily matchable with everyday casual clothes.
One of the pieces that caught my attention was 'Ophelia'. Its a long necklace and the pendant is made up of a jade donut, a very pretty butterfly charm and some glass beads. Wendy (the owner of the blogstore) manages to add youth and elegance to the jade piece and shows that jade is not simply for more matured ladies! Very impressive!
But does $28 really cover the cost of the jade? I'm not really sure if its even real jade because a piece of genuine jade of that size would surely cost quite a bit more?
Generally a nice blogstore to view. Only a few pieces of accessories that made me stop scrolling and stare at them for awhile, but i think its good enough considering there isn't that many accessories to begin with. Keep up the good work and keep making more accessories!
My first impression, or rather, the first thought that ran through my head when i landed on this blogstore was "Oh mannn. Headache, headache!"
While it might be a unique concept (I have yet to come across another blogshop that put the photos of their accessories up quite the same way...), it is really a major headache when you're browsing through a full page of all those sketchy cut-out pictures! (refer to submitted pictures... *editted* photos removed on request of blogstore owner)
I always think that while creativity is highly crucial, the basis of presentation is still neatness. You have to be neat and keep things tidy in order to sell stuff!
The way she does it, she doesn't highlight her accessories. At least not to me. The sketchy-ness appears somewhat amateur-ish to me, and it becomes quite an eyesore after awhile.
Another thing i don't understand- Is there really a need to use a hole-puncher to punch such a huge hole through the guitar picks? Isn't there some hole puncher that allows accessory-makers to punch tiny holes that allow the rings and joints to fit through nicely? The "gaping hole" is quite unsightly.
I feel that the pricing system is rather inconsistent. Some items are well-priced and worth paying but i can't say the same for others.
Some of the wireworks aren't very well done too. But its room for improvement, so its ok. I believe the owner of this blogstore has a vision and she's able to visualize amazing things in her head, but perhaps she still lacks the skills to translate it into reality. Keep working at it, though! You'll get there! Oh and the layout can be further improved too, please!
Nice music though.
Visit the blogstore if you want. The accessories are alright and definitely not hedious... But you might wanna be warned about the impending headache you might be experiencing.
I have eaten at this place a couple of times. I find the space provided quite comfortable although there were some tight spaces due to the odd shape of the restaurant.
The chairs are quite comfortable and the table has enough elbow room. The servers are alert even when it's crowded. A good start.
Waiting time for the food to be served is still reasonable, about 10 minutes. However, it's not recommended if you are rushing to watch your movie. Ice water is refilled without needing to call upon anyone.
Vouchers are given for every $15 spent. However, the vouchers are valid only at Cathay's Billy Bombers, meaning you have to eat at the place almost once a month. It would be flexible if all Billy Bombers accept the vouchers too since they have quite a number of branches.
If you have been following through LIC, you will know that i never fancy buffet, because the greedy me will want to eat as much as possible to satisfy the price, and you need to fork out big money for quality buffet, think The line at Shangri-la, Wasabi bistro, Melt the world cafe.
Having said that, as my family wanted a weekend dinner buffet without being too heavy on the pocket, i did some research online, and decided on Feast @ East the buffet restaurant. Nothing mind-blowing, just the rather reasonable bill for a weekend dinner buffet, which can otherwise be very expensive.
Feast @ East is located at Grand Mercure roxy hotel at East coast road, just directly opposite Parkway parade. I do have doubts about restaurants in hotel situated in suburban area initially. But i guess there’s always a first time for everything.
The interior of Feast @ East is rather big, i think housing 80-100 shouldn’t be a problem. As the name implies, firstly the heritage feast in the east. And second, they are a buffet restaurant. Duh!
A gastronomic journey of food from a bygone area which many may have forgotten and also the familiar favourites. Truly authentic tastes from the various cultures and lifestyle of Singapore.
This is how Feast @ East describe themselves, and i do agree to certain extent. What really impress me about Feast @ East is the small little details they go into, to create the bygone area feel with some of the stuff that we used to see when we are just small kids. You will see them in the pictures later.
However, the food really is average, nothing much to shout about, and before the buffet here, i had Kampong chicken, went to Bark cafe, so i wasn’t very hungry.
“Authentic” local delights Somehow i feel that they are more like Hawker food, and honestly, hawker food are best eaten in hawker, not a restaurant.
Roasted meat selectionsSurprisingly the roast duck is actually quite good. I am more of a duck than chicken fan, and i must say the duck gets the thumbs up!
Gammon Ham The gammon ham is too salty, not to our liking. Generous in serving, but wait, this is a all-you-can-eat buffet after all.
Mee Siam I had a taste of the mee siam, i’m not sure how you exactly describe a good mee siam, but i think this one is normal.
Laksa The laksa is quite all right to be fair, nothing fantastic, but nothing bad either.
The desserts section are really the part that set me licking, literally. I am a sucker for desserts, and for feast @ east, i didn’t really try most of their local food, instead my efforts are all channel into, yes desserts.
How can one resist the warm and chocolaty, chocolate fondue. Definitely not me, put a marshmallow under the flowing chocolate, and its simply goodness, do it the same with different kind of fruits!
The desserts and cakes selections are rather comprehensive, there are hits and misses of course.
Total Bill is $134.15 for 4 person which works out to be about $33 per head. The normal price for their buffet dinner will be $38, but we use the Citicard promotion, 1 dines free with 3 paying adults. At $33, i guess the price isn’t that expensive given its a weekend buffet dinner. But at $38, i might think twice before coming.
You can’t really speak of quality in the food, we felt that they are normal, at best a few dish stands out. Otherwise you are actually paying for the experience of eating hawker food in a restaurant environment. Dessert-wise i think its not too bad, with quite a repertoire to choose from.
Like what i mentioned earlier, credits to Feast @ East for putting in the effort in the small details which creates a truly heritage feel, the gastronomic journey of food from a bygone area which many may have forgotten. The concept is good, but the food just needs to be better.
If you are not too fussy about food, Feast @ East do makes a nice place to bring your family along for a buffet spread. But if you are particular about the quality of food, stir clear of this place.
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written herein are my genuine feelings expressed in words. Food, my dear, is what they call an adventure!
Dim sum was on the cards again and this time it was at Peach Garden at OCBC building. Peach Garden appealed with its location, promise of a great view as well as its stellar reviews for dim sum.
Perched on the 33rd floor of OCBC building at Chulia Street, Peach Garden offers a birds eye view of the surrounding area if you manage to get a window seat of course. The interior oozes class with its traditional Chinese wooden decor complete with thick carpets for that touch of exclusivity.
Appetiser - This was really weird tasting to me because it had cordyceps in it, which reminded me of maggots. I shall not attempt to elaborate more.
Steamed Siew Mai with Phoneix Prawn - A staple in any dim sum offering, the siew mai was quite different in the sense that there was alot of prawn in it and though fresh, it overwhelmed the taste of the pork. I'm not really complaining though. What I didn't appreciate was the prawns not being fully de shelled, with the tip still showing. I guess the purpose was to show that it was a whole prawn in the siew mai.
Steamed Fresh Prawn Dumpling - You can't really go wrong with Har Gao and Peach Garden wasn't just about to challenge that notion. The skin, though a little too thick for my liking, was rather chewy and enveloped a dollop of nice crunchy prawns.
XO Carrot Cake - Okay this wasn't exactly very good, with the carrot cake a tad too soft and salty. Portions were very small as well for the price ($8). On the upside, it wasn't too oily and came across as rather fragrant.
Baked Spare Rib with BBQ Sauce - I've actually eaten this quite a few times from Peach Garden so it was no surprise that it was good as I remembered it to be. Crisp along the edges with a nice sweet aftertaste from the BBQ sauce while succulent and naturally sweet on the inside. But at $7 a pop, I don't exactly find it value for money.
Steamed Rice Roll with Prawn & Steamed Rice Roll with Char Siew - I hate to say this but both the steamed rice rolls aka chee cheong fan, were substandard. For one, the cheong fan's texture tasted rather coarse, not silky and smooth as I would have expected. To put it in perspective, there are a lot of hawker stalls out there that sell the same quality of chee cheong fan.
Boiled Porridge with Century Egg and Pork - The porridge was salty and between the 8 of us, we almost couldn't finish 4 bowls of it. That probably says alot. And strangely enough, the pork tasted more like chicken.
Steamed Xiao Long Bao with Conpoy - Average average average. The final verdict that most of us handed down. The skin was a tad too dry and thick while the juice within wasn't flavourful enough. Probably the only saving grace was that the pork taste wasn't too overwhelming.
Baked Mini Egg Tart - Flaky with a nice and not too sweet custard filling, the mini egg tarts were rather decent but not outstanding. For one, the crust was tasteless and at $1.30 each, its a total rip off.
Steamed BBQ Pork Bun - I personally thought that the flour was a little too thick for the bun, which made it quite a chore to eat. The char siew filling was decent though but it wasn't enough to make me write this dish off.
Steamed Yolk Cream Bun - A signature dish of Peach Garden and rightly so. The delicious smooth molten custard gushed out as soon as an opening was made in the moist bun skin, making for a messy but delightful dish. However, as with the BBQ pork bun, I did find the flour a little too thick as well. One thing I also found lacking was the presence of egg yolk sediment in the molten custard, which would have given it a slightly salty taste and a rougher texture. But all in all, an excellent eat nevertheless.
Baked BBQ Pork Pastry - After the excellent BBQ pork pastry aka char siew sou I had at Yan Ting, nothing else comes close. And Peach Garden's rendition was in no position to contest that claim. Though decent, the char siew did seem a tad too sweet for my liking while the pastry came across as flat.
An uninspiring dim sum session for 8 cost to the tune of $178 after a 15% discount. Service overwall was rather terrible save for a few rather nice gestures by 2 ladies who I presume to be the owners. Prices are still rather reasonable and if you can look past the hits and misses and generally slightly above average dim sum, you will probably like Peach Garden. As for me, I'll be happy to stick to my regular haunts.
Nothing much spectacular about this blogshop. Its not good but its not bad either. Therefore the 3 stars.
Adelin's accessories are pleasant to look at and very practical too. All of them are basic and simple pieces that can be worn with everyday clothes, even jeans and t-shirt. Actually, maybe even t-shirt and shorts and slippers. Hehe.
Certain materials Adelin uses are without a doubt rather unique (that bead thingy in the E089 earrings) but the overall design of the accessories isn't that spectacular. But that just means room for improvement!
The prices of her accessories are very affordable! If i was to buy something from the site, i would NOT think twice because the price is justifiable.
Cova, which opened in 1817 beside the famous “La Scala” theatre, was founded by Antonio Cova, a soldier of Napoleon who first ‘campaigned’ as a pastry chef in the Galleria De Cristoforis.
Over the past 190 off years, Cova has built up a name for its authentic Italian culture , offering an espresso coffee or a tea savoured in the comfort of a neo-classical lounge in the mainstay of high-society life.
Outside of Italy, Cova can only be found in Japan and Hong Kong, so land ahoy! For Cova has finally opened on our shores. Choosing the ritzy Paragon Shopping centre where the likes of Prada, Gucci can be found, for the opening in Singapore certainly won’t go wrong for a premium brand like Cova.
Caffe Cova is spilt into a tea room and restaurant, with the open concept cafe having the space once taken by Dome, and the restaurant taking over the premise of Swarovski crystal shop.
The restaurant interior is done up splendidly, the lighting and the tone is set in majestic gold to reflect the ambience of the place. The serving waiters are dressed smartly, stepping inside the restaurant, think fashion and lifestyle.
They had quite a wide range of cakes available, but its not available on the menu because the cakes changes everyday. So you’ll need to go to the counter to order for it.
But, the big but, there’s only several cakes of the day, which you order in slices. The rest are all sold in whole, which makes it difficult if you want to try many different cakes, or unless you got a large group with you.
Prices in a posh restaurant like Cova is definitely not what you will describe as affordable. For their dinner menu, the mains are all in the 30 range.
For a swanky restaurant, you may ask 30 should seem rather reasonable, given there’s other places not in their league but charge around the same price. But Cova being famous for its coffee, cakes and pastries, i remain skeptical about paying 30 for their main course.
My secret food partner and I went for dinner, but we were after their cakes and pastries after all. So we didn’t ordered any main course, desserts are enough!
Unfortunately for us, Caffe Cova seems to be very popular during tea time, when we went during dinner time, quite a lot of their pastries are sold out, that includes their signature Sacher cake. And we went just one week into their opening.
Bigne Pistachio Cova has sets for their mini pastries, with assortment of 4 petite ones going for 9 bucks. For such a miniature pastry at 2 bucks, it will make Bread Papa’s cream puff seems a very good deal. The bigne Pistachio does not really have much of a pistachio taste. Period.
Mini Chocolate Raspberry Tart The chocolate shavings on the mini chocolate raspberry tart is what caught my attention, its done very exquisitely and pretty to look at.
The raspberry in the middle is rather sourish, but i guess it gives a compliment in taste to the sweet chocolate. But i’ll rather the raspberry to be slightly sweeter to perfect the overall taste.
Mini Chocolate Gooseberry Tart Chocolate toppings coupled with gooseberry in the middle to make up the tart. Personally i do felt that the mini chooclate gooseberry tart is my least-like among the 4 pastries.
The gooseberry is too sourish, and its not like the case of the raspberry. Not so sure whether thats how gooseberry should be, but i don’t like the mini chocolate gooseberry tart.
Mini Chocolate Hazelnut Tart The hazelnut tart is the best of the lot, with the other three being quite a letdown. I love hazelnut, eating nutella out of the container is a favourite pastime for me. The mini chocolate hazelnut tart is gone in a mouthful, you wish there is more.
Assortment of cookies ($5.50 per 100 gram) There’s quite a wide variety of cookies to choose from, but please don’t be mistaken by the picture, there’s more cookies from the 100gram than the seven shown in it.
Back to the point, the cookies are actually quite ordinary, like your normal butter cookies. I like the Krumiri (long banana shape-like), butter cookie with chocolate coating at the tip.
My partner preferred the star shape cookie with-a-hole-in-the-middle, which is covered with sugar.
The assortment of cookies at $5.50 per 100 gram isn’t very expensive, for a place like Cova where everything else is so expensive. But considering the fact that Famous Amos cookies are priced in the repotire of 4 plus, i do think buying famous amos is a better economic choice
Nevertheless, Cova cookies selections are placed in a nice bag, which makes a rather affordable and presentable gift for friends and family.
Gamberi ($14) A refreshing combination of prawn and mayonnaise. The bread was a soft brioche so credits for that. But the Gamberi sandwich wasn’t even hot and toasted.
Furthermore, the sandwich portions were meagres given the price, the shrimps were crunchy but there’s only 3 tiny ones in the sandwich.
Total Bill is $32.50 for the pastries, cookies and sandwich. All in all, Cova is a good place for novelty, if u havent been to better italian sidewalk cafes, or even tried da paolo’s sweet little treats, its a nice place to experience the tai-tai lifestyle. Otherwise, i do find it quite a rip-off, which Cova rides on its brand name and not really worth it.
There are certainly other places for better cakes and pastries, but i guess going to Cova is more than just that, its the overall glamorous experience seating in Cova that really attracts people there. Maybe i will go back again for their Sacher cake.
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written herein are my genuine feelings expressed in words. Food, my dear, is what they call an adventure!
First impression of the site was pretty good. Nice header banner and tabs for easy navigation. But when i scrolled further down, i was sorely disappointed.
Ever experience the feeling of being "cheated"? Like when you see something so awesome from the outside that you feel like checking it out inside, but when you go in, you wanna go back out again.
Thats what i felt like after i scrolled down the page.
I just don't get what's going on! I feel like there's simply no concept or theme for any of the pieces of accessories, and i simply can't find any tinge of character in the accessories.
Most of them are bordering visually-tormenting. Perhaps its my individual taste, or maybe it could be my high expectations, but really, i can't find anything i'm remotely interested in owning from this blogstore!
The pictures i have submitted are what i consider to be the best pieces of accessories i can find from that blogstore, and frankly speaking, i don't really like any of it.
I can't comment on their service and after-sales service because i don't even want to buy anything from there.
Visit them only if you think i'm being overly critical.
An aesthetically pleasing blogstore to browse through, The Red Jewel has a very nice and well-designed layout which very much suits the name the of the blogstore!
The Red Jewel is run by Sam, a Singaporean girl currently based in Australia.
Her accessories are mostly simple and clean cut, with an occasional few slightly more complexed ones.
Judging from the website, i personally feel that Sam, the owner of The Red Jewel, specializes more in necklaces. Her more complexed pieces are mostly found in the necklace section.
Not that all the other accessories aren't nice. They are, in fact, rather pleasing! Plus they are easy to match and not too showy, which is a good thing because it means that its very much suited to daily use!
However, i feel that some of the prices are quite high and its the only factor that's keeping me from sweeping the whole blogstore clean! Good and bad in certain ways i guess. Or perhaps its just me being strict on my budget.
After-sales service is awesome! I always feel that after-sales service is extremely important in order to make customers even more satisfied with their purchases!
The first time i bought a bracelet from Sam, it arrived in the mail all broken! I immediately contacted her about it and she told me to mail it back to her and that she'd repair it and send it back at no cost at all, and she even gave me a free pair of earrings to make up for it!
Now that is not a must for all blogshop owners, but what she did was really sweet and i feel that she really took it to another level by doing such a thing, and i was really pleased with how she handled everything, unlike some other blogshop owners who shirk responsibilities of accessories being spoiled in the mail.
Do visit The Red Jewel if you're looking for some nice accessories and you're not too tight on budget! Its worth paying for!
1=SGD 0.0587
Very very new blogstore with very very few items for sale.
Items are all imported either from Japan or Korea, and therefore the prices are of the middle to high range. However, the products look like they are made of high quality materials. So if anyone is looking for stuff that would probably last longer under heavy usage and you don't really mind the extra costs, do consider purchasing from this blogstore.
Photos of products are well taken, the layout of the entire blogstore and all the entries are very neatly and well done.
I especially love the header banner with the blinking stars (very nicely designed!) and the image of balloons floating into the blue sky! It gives me a very fresh and uplifting feeling and it really adds optimism to the overall package. Love it!
Please bring in more products so that online shoppers can have more variety!
Rating given:
A very nice and simple blogstore.
The layout is simple and clean-cut, just like the accessories sold there. I believe the blogshop is rather new and therefore there aren't many entries and accessories.
What's there, however, is nice and easily matchable with everyday casual clothes.
One of the pieces that caught my attention was 'Ophelia'. Its a long necklace and the pendant is made up of a jade donut, a very pretty butterfly charm and some glass beads. Wendy (the owner of the blogstore) manages to add youth and elegance to the jade piece and shows that jade is not simply for more matured ladies! Very impressive!
But does $28 really cover the cost of the jade? I'm not really sure if its even real jade because a piece of genuine jade of that size would surely cost quite a bit more?
Generally a nice blogstore to view. Only a few pieces of accessories that made me stop scrolling and stare at them for awhile, but i think its good enough considering there isn't that many accessories to begin with. Keep up the good work and keep making more accessories!
Rating given:
My first impression, or rather, the first thought that ran through my head when i landed on this blogstore was "Oh mannn. Headache, headache!"
While it might be a unique concept (I have yet to come across another blogshop that put the photos of their accessories up quite the same way...), it is really a major headache when you're browsing through a full page of all those sketchy cut-out pictures! (refer to submitted pictures... *editted* photos removed on request of blogstore owner)
I always think that while creativity is highly crucial, the basis of presentation is still neatness. You have to be neat and keep things tidy in order to sell stuff!
The way she does it, she doesn't highlight her accessories. At least not to me. The sketchy-ness appears somewhat amateur-ish to me, and it becomes quite an eyesore after awhile.
Another thing i don't understand- Is there really a need to use a hole-puncher to punch such a huge hole through the guitar picks? Isn't there some hole puncher that allows accessory-makers to punch tiny holes that allow the rings and joints to fit through nicely? The "gaping hole" is quite unsightly.
I feel that the pricing system is rather inconsistent. Some items are well-priced and worth paying but i can't say the same for others.
Some of the wireworks aren't very well done too. But its room for improvement, so its ok. I believe the owner of this blogstore has a vision and she's able to visualize amazing things in her head, but perhaps she still lacks the skills to translate it into reality. Keep working at it, though! You'll get there! Oh and the layout can be further improved too, please!
Nice music though.
Visit the blogstore if you want. The accessories are alright and definitely not hedious... But you might wanna be warned about the impending headache you might be experiencing.
Rating given:
I have eaten at this place a couple of times. I find the space provided quite comfortable although there were some tight spaces due to the odd shape of the restaurant.
The chairs are quite comfortable and the table has enough elbow room. The servers are alert even when it's crowded. A good start.
Waiting time for the food to be served is still reasonable, about 10 minutes. However, it's not recommended if you are rushing to watch your movie. Ice water is refilled without needing to call upon anyone.
Vouchers are given for every $15 spent. However, the vouchers are valid only at Cathay's Billy Bombers, meaning you have to eat at the place almost once a month. It would be flexible if all Billy Bombers accept the vouchers too since they have quite a number of branches.
Rating given:
If you have been following through LIC, you will know that i never fancy buffet, because the greedy me will want to eat as much as possible to satisfy the price, and you need to fork out big money for quality buffet, think The line at Shangri-la, Wasabi bistro, Melt the world cafe.
Having said that, as my family wanted a weekend dinner buffet without being too heavy on the pocket, i did some research online, and decided on Feast @ East the buffet restaurant. Nothing mind-blowing, just the rather reasonable bill for a weekend dinner buffet, which can otherwise be very expensive.
Feast @ East is located at Grand Mercure roxy hotel at East coast road, just directly opposite Parkway parade. I do have doubts about restaurants in hotel situated in suburban area initially. But i guess there’s always a first time for everything.
The interior of Feast @ East is rather big, i think housing 80-100 shouldn’t be a problem. As the name implies, firstly the heritage feast in the east. And second, they are a buffet restaurant. Duh!
A gastronomic journey of food from a bygone area which many may have forgotten and also the familiar favourites. Truly authentic tastes from the various cultures and lifestyle of Singapore.
This is how Feast @ East describe themselves, and i do agree to certain extent. What really impress me about Feast @ East is the small little details they go into, to create the bygone area feel with some of the stuff that we used to see when we are just small kids. You will see them in the pictures later.
However, the food really is average, nothing much to shout about, and before the buffet here, i had Kampong chicken, went to Bark cafe, so i wasn’t very hungry.
“Authentic” local delights
Somehow i feel that they are more like Hawker food, and honestly, hawker food are best eaten in hawker, not a restaurant.
Roasted meat selectionsSurprisingly the roast duck is actually quite good. I am more of a duck than chicken fan, and i must say the duck gets the thumbs up!
Gammon Ham
The gammon ham is too salty, not to our liking. Generous in serving, but wait, this is a all-you-can-eat buffet after all.
Mee Siam
I had a taste of the mee siam, i’m not sure how you exactly describe a good mee siam, but i think this one is normal.
Laksa
The laksa is quite all right to be fair, nothing fantastic, but nothing bad either.
The desserts section are really the part that set me licking, literally. I am a sucker for desserts, and for feast @ east, i didn’t really try most of their local food, instead my efforts are all channel into, yes desserts.
How can one resist the warm and chocolaty, chocolate fondue. Definitely not me, put a marshmallow under the flowing chocolate, and its simply goodness, do it the same with different kind of fruits!
The desserts and cakes selections are rather comprehensive, there are hits and misses of course.
Total Bill is $134.15 for 4 person which works out to be about $33 per head. The normal price for their buffet dinner will be $38, but we use the Citicard promotion, 1 dines free with 3 paying adults. At $33, i guess the price isn’t that expensive given its a weekend buffet dinner. But at $38, i might think twice before coming.
You can’t really speak of quality in the food, we felt that they are normal, at best a few dish stands out. Otherwise you are actually paying for the experience of eating hawker food in a restaurant environment. Dessert-wise i think its not too bad, with quite a repertoire to choose from.
Like what i mentioned earlier, credits to Feast @ East for putting in the effort in the small details which creates a truly heritage feel, the gastronomic journey of food from a bygone area which many may have forgotten. The concept is good, but the food just needs to be better.
If you are not too fussy about food, Feast @ East do makes a nice place to bring your family along for a buffet spread. But if you are particular about the quality of food, stir clear of this place.
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written herein are my genuine feelings expressed in words. Food, my dear, is what they call an adventure!
Rating given:
Dim sum was on the cards again and this time it was at Peach Garden at OCBC building. Peach Garden appealed with its location, promise of a great view as well as its stellar reviews for dim sum.
Perched on the 33rd floor of OCBC building at Chulia Street, Peach Garden offers a birds eye view of the surrounding area if you manage to get a window seat of course. The interior oozes class with its traditional Chinese wooden decor complete with thick carpets for that touch of exclusivity.
Appetiser - This was really weird tasting to me because it had cordyceps in it, which reminded me of maggots. I shall not attempt to elaborate more.
Steamed Siew Mai with Phoneix Prawn - A staple in any dim sum offering, the siew mai was quite different in the sense that there was alot of prawn in it and though fresh, it overwhelmed the taste of the pork. I'm not really complaining though. What I didn't appreciate was the prawns not being fully de shelled, with the tip still showing. I guess the purpose was to show that it was a whole prawn in the siew mai.
Steamed Fresh Prawn Dumpling - You can't really go wrong with Har Gao and Peach Garden wasn't just about to challenge that notion. The skin, though a little too thick for my liking, was rather chewy and enveloped a dollop of nice crunchy prawns.
XO Carrot Cake - Okay this wasn't exactly very good, with the carrot cake a tad too soft and salty. Portions were very small as well for the price ($8). On the upside, it wasn't too oily and came across as rather fragrant.
Baked Spare Rib with BBQ Sauce - I've actually eaten this quite a few times from Peach Garden so it was no surprise that it was good as I remembered it to be. Crisp along the edges with a nice sweet aftertaste from the BBQ sauce while succulent and naturally sweet on the inside. But at $7 a pop, I don't exactly find it value for money.
Steamed Rice Roll with Prawn & Steamed Rice Roll with Char Siew - I hate to say this but both the steamed rice rolls aka chee cheong fan, were substandard. For one, the cheong fan's texture tasted rather coarse, not silky and smooth as I would have expected. To put it in perspective, there are a lot of hawker stalls out there that sell the same quality of chee cheong fan.
Boiled Porridge with Century Egg and Pork - The porridge was salty and between the 8 of us, we almost couldn't finish 4 bowls of it. That probably says alot. And strangely enough, the pork tasted more like chicken.
Steamed Xiao Long Bao with Conpoy - Average average average. The final verdict that most of us handed down. The skin was a tad too dry and thick while the juice within wasn't flavourful enough. Probably the only saving grace was that the pork taste wasn't too overwhelming.
Baked Mini Egg Tart - Flaky with a nice and not too sweet custard filling, the mini egg tarts were rather decent but not outstanding. For one, the crust was tasteless and at $1.30 each, its a total rip off.
Steamed BBQ Pork Bun - I personally thought that the flour was a little too thick for the bun, which made it quite a chore to eat. The char siew filling was decent though but it wasn't enough to make me write this dish off.
Steamed Yolk Cream Bun - A signature dish of Peach Garden and rightly so. The delicious smooth molten custard gushed out as soon as an opening was made in the moist bun skin, making for a messy but delightful dish. However, as with the BBQ pork bun, I did find the flour a little too thick as well. One thing I also found lacking was the presence of egg yolk sediment in the molten custard, which would have given it a slightly salty taste and a rougher texture. But all in all, an excellent eat nevertheless.
Baked BBQ Pork Pastry - After the excellent BBQ pork pastry aka char siew sou I had at Yan Ting, nothing else comes close. And Peach Garden's rendition was in no position to contest that claim. Though decent, the char siew did seem a tad too sweet for my liking while the pastry came across as flat.
An uninspiring dim sum session for 8 cost to the tune of $178 after a 15% discount. Service overwall was rather terrible save for a few rather nice gestures by 2 ladies who I presume to be the owners. Prices are still rather reasonable and if you can look past the hits and misses and generally slightly above average dim sum, you will probably like Peach Garden. As for me, I'll be happy to stick to my regular haunts.
See all my pictures here.
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Nothing much spectacular about this blogshop. Its not good but its not bad either. Therefore the 3 stars.
Adelin's accessories are pleasant to look at and very practical too. All of them are basic and simple pieces that can be worn with everyday clothes, even jeans and t-shirt. Actually, maybe even t-shirt and shorts and slippers. Hehe.
Certain materials Adelin uses are without a doubt rather unique (that bead thingy in the E089 earrings) but the overall design of the accessories isn't that spectacular. But that just means room for improvement!
The prices of her accessories are very affordable! If i was to buy something from the site, i would NOT think twice because the price is justifiable.
A pleasant blogstore to browse.
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Cova, which opened in 1817 beside the famous “La Scala” theatre, was founded by Antonio Cova, a soldier of Napoleon who first ‘campaigned’ as a pastry chef in the Galleria De Cristoforis.
Over the past 190 off years, Cova has built up a name for its authentic Italian culture , offering an espresso coffee or a tea savoured in the comfort of a neo-classical lounge in the mainstay of high-society life.
Outside of Italy, Cova can only be found in Japan and Hong Kong, so land ahoy! For Cova has finally opened on our shores. Choosing the ritzy Paragon Shopping centre where the likes of Prada, Gucci can be found, for the opening in Singapore certainly won’t go wrong for a premium brand like Cova.
Caffe Cova is spilt into a tea room and restaurant, with the open concept cafe having the space once taken by Dome, and the restaurant taking over the premise of Swarovski crystal shop.
The restaurant interior is done up splendidly, the lighting and the tone is set in majestic gold to reflect the ambience of the place. The serving waiters are dressed smartly, stepping inside the restaurant, think fashion and lifestyle.
They had quite a wide range of cakes available, but its not available on the menu because the cakes changes everyday. So you’ll need to go to the counter to order for it.
But, the big but, there’s only several cakes of the day, which you order in slices. The rest are all sold in whole, which makes it difficult if you want to try many different cakes, or unless you got a large group with you.
Prices in a posh restaurant like Cova is definitely not what you will describe as affordable. For their dinner menu, the mains are all in the 30 range.
For a swanky restaurant, you may ask 30 should seem rather reasonable, given there’s other places not in their league but charge around the same price. But Cova being famous for its coffee, cakes and pastries, i remain skeptical about paying 30 for their main course.
My secret food partner and I went for dinner, but we were after their cakes and pastries after all. So we didn’t ordered any main course, desserts are enough!
Unfortunately for us, Caffe Cova seems to be very popular during tea time, when we went during dinner time, quite a lot of their pastries are sold out, that includes their signature Sacher cake. And we went just one week into their opening.
Bigne Pistachio
Cova has sets for their mini pastries, with assortment of 4 petite ones going for 9 bucks. For such a miniature pastry at 2 bucks, it will make Bread Papa’s cream puff seems a very good deal. The bigne Pistachio does not really have much of a pistachio taste. Period.
Mini Chocolate Raspberry Tart
The chocolate shavings on the mini chocolate raspberry tart is what caught my attention, its done very exquisitely and pretty to look at.
The raspberry in the middle is rather sourish, but i guess it gives a compliment in taste to the sweet chocolate. But i’ll rather the raspberry to be slightly sweeter to perfect the overall taste.
Mini Chocolate Gooseberry Tart
Chocolate toppings coupled with gooseberry in the middle to make up the tart. Personally i do felt that the mini chooclate gooseberry tart is my least-like among the 4 pastries.
The gooseberry is too sourish, and its not like the case of the raspberry. Not so sure whether thats how gooseberry should be, but i don’t like the mini chocolate gooseberry tart.
Mini Chocolate Hazelnut Tart
The hazelnut tart is the best of the lot, with the other three being quite a letdown. I love hazelnut, eating nutella out of the container is a favourite pastime for me. The mini chocolate hazelnut tart is gone in a mouthful, you wish there is more.
Assortment of cookies ($5.50 per 100 gram)
There’s quite a wide variety of cookies to choose from, but please don’t be mistaken by the picture, there’s more cookies from the 100gram than the seven shown in it.
Back to the point, the cookies are actually quite ordinary, like your normal butter cookies. I like the Krumiri (long banana shape-like), butter cookie with chocolate coating at the tip.
My partner preferred the star shape cookie with-a-hole-in-the-middle, which is covered with sugar.
The assortment of cookies at $5.50 per 100 gram isn’t very expensive, for a place like Cova where everything else is so expensive. But considering the fact that Famous Amos cookies are priced in the repotire of 4 plus, i do think buying famous amos is a better economic choice
Nevertheless, Cova cookies selections are placed in a nice bag, which makes a rather affordable and presentable gift for friends and family.
Gamberi ($14)
A refreshing combination of prawn and mayonnaise. The bread was a soft brioche so credits for that. But the Gamberi sandwich wasn’t even hot and toasted.
Furthermore, the sandwich portions were meagres given the price, the shrimps were crunchy but there’s only 3 tiny ones in the sandwich.
Total Bill is $32.50 for the pastries, cookies and sandwich. All in all, Cova is a good place for novelty, if u havent been to better italian sidewalk cafes, or even tried da paolo’s sweet little treats, its a nice place to experience the tai-tai lifestyle. Otherwise, i do find it quite a rip-off, which Cova rides on its brand name and not really worth it.
There are certainly other places for better cakes and pastries, but i guess going to Cova is more than just that, its the overall glamorous experience seating in Cova that really attracts people there. Maybe i will go back again for their Sacher cake.
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written herein are my genuine feelings expressed in words. Food, my dear, is what they call an adventure!
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First impression of the site was pretty good. Nice header banner and tabs for easy navigation. But when i scrolled further down, i was sorely disappointed.
Ever experience the feeling of being "cheated"? Like when you see something so awesome from the outside that you feel like checking it out inside, but when you go in, you wanna go back out again.
Thats what i felt like after i scrolled down the page.
I just don't get what's going on! I feel like there's simply no concept or theme for any of the pieces of accessories, and i simply can't find any tinge of character in the accessories.
Most of them are bordering visually-tormenting. Perhaps its my individual taste, or maybe it could be my high expectations, but really, i can't find anything i'm remotely interested in owning from this blogstore!
The pictures i have submitted are what i consider to be the best pieces of accessories i can find from that blogstore, and frankly speaking, i don't really like any of it.
I can't comment on their service and after-sales service because i don't even want to buy anything from there.
Visit them only if you think i'm being overly critical.
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An aesthetically pleasing blogstore to browse through, The Red Jewel has a very nice and well-designed layout which very much suits the name the of the blogstore!
The Red Jewel is run by Sam, a Singaporean girl currently based in Australia.
Her accessories are mostly simple and clean cut, with an occasional few slightly more complexed ones.
Judging from the website, i personally feel that Sam, the owner of The Red Jewel, specializes more in necklaces. Her more complexed pieces are mostly found in the necklace section.
Not that all the other accessories aren't nice. They are, in fact, rather pleasing! Plus they are easy to match and not too showy, which is a good thing because it means that its very much suited to daily use!
However, i feel that some of the prices are quite high and its the only factor that's keeping me from sweeping the whole blogstore clean! Good and bad in certain ways i guess. Or perhaps its just me being strict on my budget.
After-sales service is awesome! I always feel that after-sales service is extremely important in order to make customers even more satisfied with their purchases!
The first time i bought a bracelet from Sam, it arrived in the mail all broken! I immediately contacted her about it and she told me to mail it back to her and that she'd repair it and send it back at no cost at all, and she even gave me a free pair of earrings to make up for it!
Now that is not a must for all blogshop owners, but what she did was really sweet and i feel that she really took it to another level by doing such a thing, and i was really pleased with how she handled everything, unlike some other blogshop owners who shirk responsibilities of accessories being spoiled in the mail.
Do visit The Red Jewel if you're looking for some nice accessories and you're not too tight on budget! Its worth paying for!
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