Sunday 14th Dec '08

Singapore Day 13

[1100hrs] David wanted to take Christina and I to Jones the Grocer for brunch today but when we arrived, the place was packed out. So, instead, we went to P.S. Cafe nearby at Dempsey Hill.


- poached egg portobello stack - SD$22.00
stack of 2 poached eggs, portobello mushrooms,
grilled bacon, wilted spinach,
baked creamy potatoes with smoked cheese

macchiato - they brought me a baby cino!

The building was once used by the Singaporean National Service but is now a bustling cafe set amongst some lush green vegetation. It was a nice change to not have noodles or rice for breakfast!

[1445hrs] Lunch at the Marina Food Loft at Marina Square.

beef ramen - SD$4.50
side of ikanbilis & kim chi

There was nothing special about this dish. It pretty much just tasted like a packet of instant mee goreng noodles in a salty stock. Needless to say I didn't finish it.

[1630hrs] I met up with Christina and David to watch Twilight at Cineleisure on Orchard Road.

[2000hrs] We went to Jit Hiang and Ivy's place to go for dinner together. We were shown the posters advertising the pre-kindy class Zhi Heng attends that is on the ground floor of their apartment building.



We had dinner at IVINS, a restaurant serving Peranakan cuisine. We've been influenced so much by the daily TV soap drama series 'the Little Nyonya' that we asked if we could have Peranakan food one night. The restaurant uses paper menus that also serve as a place mat so I kept a copy and asked David to circle the dishes he ordered in order to help me with this blog entry.


ayam buah keluak - SD$5.90
- a signature dish of Peranakan Cuisine -
chicken braised in thick spicy tamarind gravy
with buah keluak nuts

I tried one of these 'buah keluak' nuts. It looks like a larger version of a chestnut, black/dark brown in colour. I was supposed to open the shell up to get at the tender inner bits but we couldn't get it open. I managed to get a bit out with my fork and everyone laughed at the look on my face in response to the taste. No, not a fan!

garam assam fish head - SD$13.20
red snapper fishhead served with lady's fingers
in spicy tamarind gravy

sotong sambal - SD$4.80
squid stir-fried with sambal

ayam goreng rempah - SD$4.90
deep fried chicken in special marinate

sambal kangkong - SD$4.50 - no photo!
- an IVINS crowd favourite -
fried water convolvulus with sambal belachan

sayur lodeh - SD$4.50 - no photo!
stewed curry vegetables

itek sioh - SD$5.50
- a typical Peranakan dish -
stew duck in sweet tamarind gravy

beef rendang - SD$4.90
authentic Indonesian dish, done Peranakan style

otak otak pangang - SD$1.60
spicy fishcake grilled in banana leaf

fried ngo hiang - SD$3.80
deep fried pork rolls

hee peow soup - SD$5.50
fishmaw with fishballs and cabbage in clear soup

pulot hitam - SD$1.20
black glutinous rice served with coconut milk
served hot

The food was great! We had two orders of the beef rendang - the beef in the first dish was a bit on the tough, gristle-y side, but the second dish they brought out was beautiful! Tender chunks of meat. Mum and Aunty weren't very impressed overall but I had my Peranakan fetish satisfied.

Christina & Zhi Heng

Christina, myself & Zhi Heng

Zhi Heng - amateur photographer
he took these himself, using my camera

Zhi Heng took these of himself
- with a little bit of help from my steady hand

Saturday 13th Dec '08

Singapore Day 12

[1045hrs] Last night we bought some little cakes home but no one wanted any, so I had one for breakfast.

strawberry cheesecake

[1300hrs] I got hungry, so snacked on some leftovers from dinner last night.

steamed rice with stirfried beans

[1500hrs] We went to Macdonalds in West Coast Park to have a late lunch with our cousin Jit Hiang, his wife Ivy, and their son Zhi Heng.

Big Mac meal!

The Macdonalds is situated amongst a family friendly park area so we took Zhi Heng to play after we finished eating. There was another little boy there playing on his own so the two started running around together. They were absolutely adorable!



[1800hrs] We went swimming at David's apartment. Zhi Heng loves to swim!



[1945hrs] With our appetites in tow, we went to Han's Cafe at Novena Square for dinner.

combination ho fun

I love this photo of Zhi Heng

[0045hrs] Technically, this is tomorrow - David, Jit Hiang, Christina and I went out for supper.

laksa & Tiger beer
an assortment of tofu/dumplings

Friday 12th Dec '08

Singapore Day 11

[1300hrs] Had lunch at the food court in Lot 1.

braised pork knuckle with rice – SD$4.00

[1430hrs] Mum peeled some mangosteen.



[1830hrs] Christina, Jocelyn and I went to Lot 1 for dinner.

yong tau foo
1 x piece eggplant
1 x piece okra
1 x bunch enoki
1 x bunch Chinese vegetables
3 x pieces chilli stuffed with fish puree

I also put my usual dollop of chilli into the soup, but the stuffed chillies were actually pretty hot tonight so my tongue was burning by the end of the meal!

[1930hrs] We headed back home, with snacks of course!

Old Chang Kee fried octopus stick – SD$1.50
dragonfruit & guava juice – SD$2.00

At home, I mixed my drink with some vodka - hee hee.

[2015hrs] I had some of the tofu soup that Aunty made, while she, my mum and cousin had a homecooked dinner.





[2030hrs] Lucas fast asleep in his crib. We all had a rather uneventful day today.

Thursday 11th Dec '08

Singapore Day 10

[1000hrs] Mum bought food from the markets this morning.

my breakfast - roast pork noodles - SD$4.00
Shui kueh - SD$2.20

Aunty with a smiling baby Lucas

[1100hrs] Went for a swim.

[1300hrs] I always feel hungry after a swim. I headed to Lot 1 to get lunch.

you guessed it - Yong Tau Foo - SD$4.00
3 x chilli stuffed with fish paste
1 x tofu stuffed with fish paste
1 x slice of eggplant
1 x bundle of chinese vegetables
1 x bundle of enoki mushrooms

[1330hrs] After getting quotes for a hairdo, I decided that I’d have it done at the same salon I had my hair done at last week - Jantzen. The girls there are really friendly and I just feel comfortable even though they weren’t the cheapest quote I got. It’s all about the comfort!

I had a ceramic perm done. I’ve been thinking of getting this done for quite some time now. I’ve always wanted to give curls a go because it would add volume to my otherwise lifeless, mundane hair. I just never really looked into it and only just found out yesterday that you can have a ‘ceramic’ perm or a ‘digital’ perm. I forget what the difference is, but apparently the ceramic perm lasts longer (if you look after it).

BEFORE

BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN

AFTER - YAY!

[1930hrs] I’ve always wanted to dine in a restaurant serving French cuisine. I finally thought I needed to head out for the night and really complete the pampering (I always want to go out after having my hair done!). I searched online for a restaurant nearby, rang up and made a reservation and headed out.

I took the MRT to Buona Vista and from there, followed some signs to a taxi stand a few minutes down the road. Luckily the driver was able to look up the location on his GPS because I was of no help to him. We drove down a little side street that’s littered with little restaurants offering European cuisine. My cousin, Kim Kee, told me that it’s really popular with the expats living in Singapore. We spotted my restaurant and I hopped out, really really excited! Just on time - dinner for one at 8pm.


BISTRO PETIT SALUT
Once inside, my waitress was Anne. She was very articulate and knew the menu well. I asked if she could recommend some wine matching for the dishes I’d selected and she did a superb job.

fresh bread, olive oil & balsamic vinegar

1st entree - Pan-seared Duck Foie Gras with Duck Vinaigrette - SD$34.00
wine choice - Masotina Veneze Pinot Grigio: Veneto, Italy - SD$11.00

This was my first and long-awaited time of tasting this dish. Although I have nothing to compare it to, I found it was everything I’d dreamt of. I knew It was goose liver so I wasn’t turned off when I sliced into it and found the middle was "gooey", for lack of a better term. The liver was panfried - seared all over and nicely rare (I think it was rare but can’t be sure - it was too dark to see!) in the middle. It was served with delicately julienned green apple, some baby salad leaves and a duck sauce. If I could orgasm over food, I would have while eating this. I think the people at the table next to me could probably hear me moaning at every bite.

2nd entree - 1/2 dozen baked Burgundy Snails
with Cherry Tomato & Garlic Butter - SD$12.00
wine choice - Maison Joulie, Chardonnay: Macon Villages, Burgundy - SD$13.00

I began growing nervous in anticipation while waiting for my escargot to arrive. I asked for a fifteen minute break between the first entree and this second entree, during which I worked on a crossword puzzle. The snails came out - I thanked the waiter and as he walked away, I started feeling anxious. I looked down at my plate - six little cooked snails sitting in its own little mold. I felt a slight panic set in so I took a few sips of wine, then dug a snail out and popped it into my mouth, chewing gently but as tactfully as I could in order to swallow the little critter.

one down...five more to go

I ate my second one with a little piece of bread with a smudge of butter. This helped to take my mind off the texture of the little snail. I have to admit, they're sort of similar to a cooked mussel but my mind just couldn't help wandering off to those disgusting little snails that run amok in my vegetable garden at home.

two down...four to go

Each snail came with a half cherry tomato, a little crouton and a delicious splatter of garlic butter - similar to a pesto. Delicious!

all six snails down the hatch!

main - Coq-Au-Vin - Chicken Leg braised in Red Wine Jus
with Root Vegetables & BaconSD$28.00
wine choice - Chateau Damasse Merlot,
Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Carmenere:
St. Emilion, Bordeaux - SD$13.00

The chicken was so tender, it fell off the bone. I do wish there had been more 'root' vegetables though. The carrot was beautifully tender and juicy, having soaked up all the juices. The potatoes were the size of quail eggs - I wanted more vegetables!

Well, I was really happy with my choices of dishes and the glasses of wine that Anne selected for me. That's three dishes I can knock off from the VGT's Omnivore's Top 100 List.

dessert - Classical Creme Brulee infused with
Madagascar Vanilla Beans - SD$14.00
digestif - Campari & Soda - SD$14.00

*moans with pleasure* What a perfect way to end this dinner - with my favourite dessert!

[2330hrs] Back at home, I had a Vitagen drink. I want to give my digestive system as much help as possible for this gruelling time ahead!

Nightcap - Vitagen