Friday, November 11, 2011

welcOme baBy eHren!

My bestie got promoted to being a mummy today!

Congratulations to Claudia & Auggie!




Baby Ehren arrive on 11 Nov 11



My gift to him!



Welcome gift



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Sunday, November 6, 2011

[Holiday] Hong Kong Trip Day 3

Day 3 of our Hong Kong trip.

It's the 2nd morning straight that we are having dim sum for breakfast! And it's not any random dim sum but dim sum from Tim Ho Wan!

Haha.. That is exactly how crazy we can be when we love a particular food.

Yesterday I made an interesting discovery that Tim Ho Wan has a 3rd branch that is on Hong Kong island itself! The main branch and 2nd branch are on Kowloon and that is quite far away. The 3rd branch is at IFC located near Central (中环) MTR. Actually the shortest way is to alight at Central (中环) MTR and from within the MTR station, located the Hong Kong station. Once u come out of the HK station, u are already in the building where Tim Ho Wan is.

And so, with only a few stops between Causeway Bay and Central, we headed straight for their 3rd branch. Being located in a CBD area and on a Sunday, there was only a small crowd outside Tim Ho Wan. We waited for like less than 30 mins before we were given a seat to enjoy our delicious food.





We ordered almost the same items and yet again the char Siew bao came out TOP! *simply heavenly*

After lunch, we headed up to The Peak. Stupidly someone misguided us and advice us to take a bus up. Hence we miss the tram ride up.

We enjoyed a pre-birthday celebration at Kyo Hachi. It looks like a absolutely atas restaurant. So we ordered a set lunch for 2 pax which cost us HK$498.

The set lunch includes:
1) Green House tomato and vegetable
2) Salmon roe with assorted sushi
3) Pork loin cutlet
4) Baked crab shell
5) Handmade udon in soup
6) Vanilla ice cream





At such a set lunch pricing, I am really disappointed by the food quality. The assorted sushi platter, which is a main course, wasn't up to our expectation at all. The freshness of the raw sashimi isn't there. In fact, I think Sushi Tei will do a better job.

The next main dish - pork loin cutlet was too dry and hard. We couldn't finish it at all.

The only redeemable was the baked crab shell.

Out of boredom, we added coke to our vanilla ice cream and that was the tastiest dish in the meal. This dish saves me from worsening stomach flu.

The peak tram ride descend was really steep and fast! At some "station", it was about 45deg. Really steep!

Evening activity was to take ferry ride over to Tsim Shai Tsui from Star Ferry Piers, Central. It was kinda exciting taking the ferry ride, thou it was a bit bumpy.

By the time we arrived at 7plus, the promenade was already filled with people who has secured a good seating to watch the Symphony of Lights which commence at 8pm. We have heard so much about the Symphony of Lights and that must have rose our expectations. No doubt the whole harbor was brightly lighted, we didn't think it really lived up to the fanfare that was previously heard.

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Saturday, November 5, 2011

[Holiday] Hong Kong Trip Day 2

Dim sum dim sum!
A must try in any HongKong trip.

Day 2 started with us heading over to Tim Ho Wan (添好运) for breakfast. This is a one star Michelin restaurant accredited for it's dim sum!

As we were not keen on having to queue for 2 hrs at their Mongkok outlet, we headed straight for their 2nd branch which is located at Sham Shui Po. The journey to seek good food is always tedious!

As this 2nd branch is located between 2 MTR station, we thought the easiest way would be to take MTR to the nearest station and continue the short journey over by cab. What happened next totally spoils our lovely Day 2 morning. The cab that we hopped on was super unhappy about our end destination. It was made worst when he knew we were going there for dim sum. In response he scolded us. *faints* Then he drove at the fastest speed his taxi could take him and honked all the way even when there is no obstructing traffic ahead. At a junction, he was honking madly at an elderly couple that was crossing the road. Honestly, this is so uncalled for. By honking, did he really expect the elderly couple to be able to walk faster? If he is not happy about the short distance, he could have jolly well tell us when we showed him the address before we boarded the cab!

The horrendous taxi journey ended when 添好运 signage appears in sight.

Maybe it's the bad taxi experience, we were compensated by a super pleasant surprise at 添好运! There was no queue in sight and we were ushered in almost immediately!

We ordered several dishes namely:
1) Pan fried turnip cake
2) Chee Cheong Fun with pig's liver
3) (Legendary-Must-Try) Baked bun with barbecue pork
4) Deep fried Glutinous Dumplings 咸水角
5) Steamed pork dumplings with shrimp
6) Steamed fresh shrimp dumplings
7) Chicken feet





And when the food was presented, oh man! It was heavenly especially the legendary must try baked char Sau bao! Unlike the typical SG version, this is one with those of polo bun surface and delicious chunky char siew!

Every other dishes were also great. And the best part comes when we were presented with the bill. For 08 dishes and tea for 2, it cost us a mere HK$126 which is approximately S$20! -Really good deal!





By the time we left at 11am, the restaurant is almost full of hungry customer queuing for their turn. It was great that we overslept and reached late at 10am for our dim sum breakfast! We reckon that by 10am, the breakfast crowd is long over and the lunch crowd has not arrive!





After lunch activity was a visit to Lantau island. We took the MTR to Tung Chung and opted for the glass cabin cable car for our ride to Ngong Ping. Via this glass cabin ride, we can see what's beneath us! It was a bit scary at first but eventually it turned out FUN! and worth every bit the price! Personally i think the cable car travels at a high speed!





We had another mango feast at 满记甜品 a dessert shop at Ngong Ping village. I love mango dessert!





After a sinful mango feast, we conquered the 270 steps up Tian Tan Buddha Statue. The weather was a bit hazy today and we couldn't take a clear picture of the Buddha statue. Reaching the top of the Buddha statue really brings about huge satisfaction especially since I am down with stomach flu.






We ventured into the wisdom path, which is quite isolated. It was about 15 mins walk from the Buddha statue. Along the way, we see cows and dung! Haha.

The wisdom path consist of 38 timber columns with inscription of the Heart Sutra. It was arranged to correspond to the topography of the landscape and in the figure of Eight configuration symbolizing infinity.





We lingered around the wisdom path to enjoy the serenity of the surrounding and to bask in the afternoon sun. *so relaxing*

Evening activity was shopping at Citygate factory outlet. But it was so crowded with mainland visitors. And since we didn't enjoy crowded places, we left the place pretty empty handed, save for a coach bag for MIL.

Dinner was at The Spaghetti House. It was nice and price was reasonable.




Day 2 of HongKong trip ended with us feeling tired but satisfied with the good food especially the dim sum that Hong Kong has to offer. However, their hospitality pales greatly in comparison to the Taiwanese. This is proven so by our nasty cab experience.

Friday, November 4, 2011

[Holiday] Hong Kong Trip ~ Day 1

How does it feel to start off a much anticipated holiday trip with stomach flu?

-It's bad-

Even before boarding the plane, i was badly affected by diarrhea and vomiting - symptoms of stomach flu, which makes me feel so terrible. I missed the Duty free shopping at Changi Airport as a result. But luckily, i am someone who can sleep well on the plane and after popping some medication, i slept soundly until i reach Hong Kong.

We arrived at Hong Kong Terminal 1 at 5am in the morning and waking up just invite the sick feeling back all over again. It didn't help that there was a very long queue at the passport clearance point. Maybe it is too early and so many of the immigration counters were closed.

The long long queue..
where is the end?



As it was too early and most outlets were closed, Breakfast was settled at 美心 Food and it sure was oily. *Just look at the picture* It simply worsen my stomach flu. Their milk tea tasted a bit funny and different from our local version.

Oily breakfast @ Mei Xin

We took their Airport Express and as claimed, it reaches the city in less than 30 mins! Unlike Singapore, the walking distance inside their interchange stations are very far apart. It is like never ending walk.

Our destination was Butterfly on Morrison at Causeway Bay, a boutique hotel recommended by our friends. If you don't like walking, please simply forget about this hotel. The 10 minutes walk from Causeway Bay station to Morrison Hotel requires you to pull your luggage along the NARROW street. With people queuing for buses on the very same pavement, there is hardly any more excess space for u to pull through with the luggage. It is definitely a struggle to manage this 10 minutes distance.

After the morning meeting with our client, we headed off to look for the legendary 避風塘螃蟹。

Lunch @ Hee Kee

This meal came out to be a super expensive one! Approximately S$200 for just 3 dishes. We concluded it is because of the 2 plates of seafood that we ordered. At this price, i can stuff myself silly at Melben seafood! Their signature 避風塘螃蟹 is done too salty. I would think they have coated it with salt and long after the meal, i was still feeling thirsty. 

As we started the day too early, we went back for a nap at our hotel before heading out for dinner. 
Dinner was at Lei Bistro 利小館
銅鑼灣勿地臣街1號時代廣場地庫2B217-B218號舖

 We ordered a soup, vegetable, xiao long bao and noodle to share.
Maybe as i am still suffering from stomach flu but the food tasted plain to me.
Huge contrast from lunch time.

Dinner @ Lei Bistro

Oh, McDonald is having a Hello Kitty plushie promotion again. 
With any food purchase, one can purchase a hello kitty pushie at HK$25! 
I got 3 and only the hamburger hello kitty is for myself while the other 2 will be X'mas pressie for jerzelle & jovie!
McDonald Hello Kitty Promo!

Before ending day 1  of hong kong trip, we visited the renowned dessert shop that my friends were strongly recommending before the trip. To us, it tasted normal and not exactly very fabulous! Still, pictures...

Hong Kong is the land of shopping and eating. How can we end off this day without some shopping victories?
From Jill Stuart
I love their Fairy Garden Collection! The colors are all so sweet and magical! It's a pity that JS is not retailing in Singapore. Hubby bought a Seiko watch as his birthday present!
Seiko Watch

Monday, October 31, 2011

of little fOotprints - oCtober 2011

Bye bye October.

This month, we have been blissfully married for 03 years! We had a short getaway at The Sentosa and ended off with a relaxing massage session at Spa Botanica. I always love the "Bali" feel at The Sentosa.
































our room 2011





us before dinner





the breakfast spread at Terrace





the Honey spread at Terrace





the drinks section at Terrace





Many TWGs to choose from!





my simple breakfast





plain porridge





my morning juices




Spa Botanica


Contrary to everyone's belief, I passed my Traffic Police test on the very 1st attempt on 04 October 2011!!! This really is one of the highlight in this year for me!



First attempt @ TP Test! - I Passed

It has been super fun attending classes at BBDC over the past 2 months, especially with all the great instructors from Grp 8011. Special thanks to Mr Ker Sam, Mr Lim, Mr Pang, Mdm Chua, Mr Sim, Mr Lee, Mr Gan, Mr Leow and Mr Teo for all your valuable teachings!

Passing TP test is one thing, but actual driving on the road is another. It's been almost 1 month since I got my license, thanks to the coaching of zh, I am more confident now.

One day while driving pass Bukit Batok area, I saw car 113! This was one of the car I was taught in!




My learning car!


I am loving polka dots these day. This month, I did my 1st pink French manicure with white polka dots tip. Am really loving it!



Polka Dots!


This month, we also embarked on a healthier lifestyle by trying to run for at least 30mins each session. It sure was tiring and I hope to continue!




Tired us after a run at NTU


Good food is never missing from our life and this month, we discovered a few hot spots!

A good and quiet French-Japanese restaurant tucked away in a secluded corner in siglap! I love the food.



Etoile @ Siglap


A nice pasta/western food restaurant in Sunset way. We love their set dinner and pasta so much that we visited this place twice this month. If you happened to be a Safra card holder, you are entitled to 10% discount for ala carte dishes (above $50).



Buttercake N cream @ Sunset way


Ristorante de Valentino, an Italian restaurant that is strongly recommended by I&S! However, one man's meat is another man's poison. This is probably true for us in this case.




Ristorante de Valentino @ Rifle range road


This October, these words have the strongest impact on me:

在最悲伤的时候,不能失去信念
在最幸福的时候,不能忘记挫折

I came across them when I was very very sad. 不能失去信念!

Can god please help me?

Saturday, October 29, 2011

[Fun] Cycling at ECP

Haven't cycled for the longest time ever.

Today, we headed over to ECP for a cycling session. For $10, we got 2 hours to cycle.

The weather is good, quite windy and it makes cycling very relaxing.










After 2 hours of cycling, our back were really numb. Why can't there be better cushioning for cycling seat?

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Thursday, October 27, 2011

[Eat] my favOurite breakfaSt ~ Ya Kun

A traditional breakfast!
One of my favourite morning indulgence!

A sip of coffee, 2 half boiled eggs and a nicely toasted butter kaya slice!



What else can beat this heavenly combination?

Thanks dear for giving me such a great meal!

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

[Eat] Ristorante De Valentino

Happy Deepavali!

We managed to book a precious dining space at Ristorante de Valentino today!
The legendary crab meat linguine that Ivan has been telling us about and thus, we decided to try it out on this precious day!

Met Sw & Zz and we drove in to this rather deserted place at Rifle Range Road.
It really is inaccessible and parking spaces are really limited.
Luckily we got the 6pm slot and managed to park along the minor road.

The restaurant is quite a homely setting and seating spaces are really limited.
No wonder reservations are needed.

To make a direct comparison between La Cantina & Valentino, we decided to order the same dishes.

Appetizer: Parma Ham with twisted mozzarella cheese
When this dish was first served, i was shocked.
The Parma ham serving was very generous and it came as a separate dish.
On the other dish was the twisted mozzarella cheese with baby tomatoes.
For us, the best part about this dish is to sample the cheese, ham and tomato together.
The baby tomatoes were really juicy! The juice simply burst out when you bite it in your mouth. *thumbs up*
The parma ham is best eaten together with the cheese and tomato cos it is simply too salty to be eaten alone.
The Mozzarella cheese pale in comparison with that of Burrata cheese.

Verdict: We (all 4) still prefer the Burrata cheese at La Cantina. But we also agree that the baby tomato was simply too delicious! *slurp*

Main Course: Squid Ink Fettucine tossed with Crabmeat in Creamy Tomato Sauce
The serving is smaller as compared to the one served at La Cantina.
In a battle between Fettucine vs Linguine, my personal preference is still Linguine.
Having tried the squid ink linguine at La Cantina, my choice is still La Cantina.
However, Valentino's serving of crab meat is really chunky!
Creamy tomato sauce is still won by La Cantina.

Because hubby decided to be special, he was the only one that ordered a different dish ~ Stuffed Pasta with Porcini mushroom perfumed with Truffle Oil.
We were all so shocked again when his dish was presented.
The serving was small.
Oh man! We can literally count the number of stuffed pasta on the plate.

Bill!!!
This came as a greater shock to us.
Gosh, this dinner was all about being in a trance of shock! haha...
A dinner with just 1 appetizer and 4 pasta cost us $200!

My eyes popped out when i see the bill!
The "killer" turns out to be the appetizer.
No wonder the parma ham was served separately away from the mozzarella cheese.

This is definitely costly as compared to us dining at La Cantina.
A bill of $100 could fetch us 2 serving of drinks in addition to our appetizer and main course.

We walked away feeling unsatisfied. Really.
I wondered when we will revisit this place again as long as La Cantina still lives on.
It was a hands down victory for us personally where this battle is concerned.

Till the next time maybe?

Friday, October 21, 2011

[Eat] Buttercake N Cream

Today we chanced upon a nice western restaurant ~ Buttercake N Cream at Sunset way.

Buttercake N cream @ Sunset Way

We have passed by this restaurant many times thinking it sells only coffee, pastries and desserts like what it's signboard has written. However, that is not all that this small restaurant has to offer.

Beside indoor dining, there is also an Alfresco dining area. The restaurant has installed fans, a lovely thoughts.

We opted for their set dinner.

Set dinner for 2!


Appetiser: Chef's Wild Mushroom Soup
~ Tasted Nice and Normal

Appetiser: Seafood Cocktail Salad which comprise of baby octopus drizzled in thai salad dressing


Roasted Teriyaki Chicken Leg that comes with chicken sausage
~its so delicious that we have forgotten to take the picture


Grilled Pork Collar ~ Yummy!

Coffee Chocolate Doodle
~ Sinfully delicious!

Coffee, Chocolate and Vanilla Tart coated with peanuts 

Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream


The food was good.
We enjoyed it so much.

A place that we will definitely revisit!
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