WHO: Birds of a Feather, modern Sichuan cuisine. I'm a repeat customer. Enuff said. Read more here.

WHAT: Food Bundle Set for 2-4pax ($68) for variety's sake even though. This is definitely good to share among 3. 

Find The Chicken in the Chilis- Flavorsome crispy chicken bits with sesame seed and tons of dried chili and peppercorn. The numbing spice kicks in after a couple of bites so do alternate it with the other dishes. 

Spicy Oriental Bolognaise- the noodles are beehoon like and i do love the pull of the noodles. They also held up well during the delivery and wasn't too dry or clumpy. The chili oil of the tangy, pickled chili bolognaise helped. 

Tender Chicken Grains Bowl- a healthy bowl that is big on flavor. I love the mix of grains which were chewy and sweet. I mistook the chicken for oyster mushrooms at the start because they looked so smooth and boy were they tender too. 

Fried Pig's Intestines- the porky flavor was a bit strong or perhaps i'm not accustomed to it since i haven't eaten this in a while. The dried chili powder helped to mask the gaminess a bit. 

Bird's Brown Sugar Fresh Milk Boba Pearl 
x2- BOBA. That's all. 

WHAT ELSE: I struggled because i really wanted to eat the Baked Eggplant with Fried Mantou ($16). This is one of my favorite dishes at Birds of a Feather. Please order it for my sake. You won't regret it. 

HOW: Order from https://www.birdsofafeather.com.sg/en_SG. Minimum order of $50, $5 delivery fees.

 WHO: Singapore's favorite chicken rice Chatterbox and 2 Michelin Star Shisen Hanten

WHAT: 50% off all items from Mandarin Orchard. Chatterbox's world-famous Hainanese Chicken Rice is only priced at $13.50 now. Features tender-boiled chicken, jasmine rice, and chicken soup, served with homemade chilli, ginger, and dark soya sauce. 

Get yourself a DBS/POSB card and enjoy 1-for-1 deals.

Chatterbox Signature Bento ($34 for 2 sets)- Mandarin Chicken Rice, Braised Bee Tai Mak with Abalone, Tauhu Goreng, and Rojak. The sides change over time. The earlier set we had featured abalone ko lo mee which was fab. My mum had the bee tai mak recently and said it wasn't good. I'd recommend the chicken rice for sure. Oh and get another portion of the refreshing rojak! 

Shisen Hanten Bento  ($34 for 2)- Gave the Chen's Mapo tofu another try in this bento and still did not enjoy it. Too one dimensional with the numbing spice but it wasn't like spicy either. The bento was a lot less satisfying than the Chatterbox one. Give this a miss.

HOW: Place your orders on https://shop-orchard.meritushotels.com/en_SG. Free delivery over $80. Free parking for 30mins if you're taking away. 

WHO: One Michelin Star restaurant Basque Kitchen by Aitor. Also the best Michelin takeaways that i've had so far (yes better than Burnt Ends)

WHAT: Basque food (from Northern Spain) where they do pintxos and not tapas. 

Sharing Set for 2 ($98)- also the best 98 bucks i've spent on food this CB. 

Whole homemade sourdough bread with smoked French butter- da bomb! This made me soooooo happy. One freaking gorgeous loaf of sourdough that was still warm after a 30min travel home. Such fantastic thin crust with a chewy open crumb and THAT SMOKED BUTTER. We've not finished a loaf so fast (we had it for dinner, breakfast, and lunch) and i'm still rationing the smoked butter. 

Txaka- Sweet Jumbo crab meat with egg and mayonnaise. It's a great addition to the smoked butter on sourdough.

Croquetas de Bayonne ham, Espelette aioli- the thin crust of the balls erupted and released silky creamy center peppered with smoky bits of ham. The engine-red pepper aioli provided just that sufficient hint of spice 

Iberico Pork Ribs- the other highlight of the meal even. It may seem like a small portion but these sticky fork-tender fatty ribs satiated our appetite with its big flavors.

Catch of the day- flaky juicy fish battered with a savory mix. It's a good contrast to the rich ribs.

Classic mash potatoes- smooth and silky as expected.

Basque rice pudding, Japanese rice vanilla- it's lighter than you would think a rice dessert would be and reminded us of a Peruvian rice dessert that we had. Hints of spices and lemon in this. 

Guanaja" chocolate custard, dark chocolate & salted caramel pearls- i liked that the chocolate custard wasn't too sweet and the pops of salty caramel crunch broke the sweetness.

With a min order of $50 and if you pick up your food, you will get a free slice of their Signature Basque Cheesecake worth $16. The Idiazabal cheese provides a slightly more savory note and the cake wasn't that creamy. Jr preferred my version haha. 

HOW: Visit https://basquekitchenbyaitor.oddle.me/en_SG. Pre-order 1 hour in advance. Free Delivery for $100 and above. Surcharge of $3 will apply for eve of and on public holidays.

WHO: 8Crabs. Chinese tzechar with their specialty AAA premium Sri Lankan sourced wild crabs. Apparently they said that they are the only restaurant selling this grade of crabs. 

WHAT: BIG, JUICY, and MEATY crabs that are caught, flown, prepared and delivered to you within 12 hours plus you get your crabs delivered an hour after ordering. 

Award-Winning Chilli Crab ($68- 125)- We had the extra large which is about 900g-1kg at $88. The pincers were HUGE and the meat was really fresh and sweet. My MIL thought it was better than Jumbo Restaurant's. 8Crabs may be right about that triple A guarantee. However the sauce was a little on the sweeter side. 

WHAT ELSE: 

Signature Coffee Pork Ribs ($15-28)- I was surprised that the meat was boneless because that wasn't how it was presented online, but i didn't mind it at all. The meat was very tender and juicy with a smoky coffee flavor. 

Mee Goreng ($6-18)- thicker flat yellow noodles were used instead of what was shown online (again). This Chinese style mee goreng has more spices and is more savory compared to the Indian ones. I'm no mee goreng expert given how little i eat them but Jr on the other hand prefers Jumbo's though. I didn't mind this though.

Yang Zhou Fried Rice ($6-16)- quite regular. Small portion is good for 2 full portions or 3 slightly smaller portions. 

HOW: Visit https://8crabs.com/ to order. Free delivery above $120. 

WHO: Miss Vanda by One Michelin Star Labyrinth

WHAT: Expensive local food but ok we pay because there are some hot favorites from Labyrinth that is Mod-Sin.

Weekly Family Set Menu for 2 ($88) includes:

Har Cheong Wings- these arrived crispy still and i loved how it's deboned and the juiciness could be fully enjoyed. Super pungent (in a good way) and that sambal belachan is woah! Love this too.

Laksa- if you want a good bowl of laksa, go to Katong 328 (according to Jr). This was more like a seafood curry noodles with unfortunately mushy prawns, plus mussels, her giao and tau pok.

Wagyu Rendang- this super tender and intense rendang would have you reaching for a pot of plain rice, especially with the lumps of buah keluak in it. It's our favorite dish of the lot but we couldn't finish it as the rest of the dishes were all too big on flavors. 

Ang Mo Claypot Chicken Rice- this is chicken rice on crack. Try it on its own before you drench it with the mushroom sauce which i thought was a condensed Japanese Chicken ramen soup. I thought the rice was too mushy actually and together with the soupy sauce, it reminded me more of chicken baked rice. Tad too salty as well. 

HOW: Visit missvanda.sg, drive through pick up at Esplanade. Minimum order of $50 with a $10 island-wide delivery fee. Free delivery above $150. 

WHO: BoBo Fish Balls Singapore aka your trusty steamboat supplier. If you didn't know about their wide variety of steamboat products, well now you do. 

WHAT: A mad variety of seafood products (i portioned them for a 2 pax steamboat)

Cheese meatballs/ Salted egg chicken meatballs, Cheese tofu- my absolute favorites and must have in any steamboat. Let them boil and bob around till afloat and be extremely cautious when biting into these scalding hot balls. 

Fresh fish balls, Fuzhou fish balls with chicken filling- bouncy things. I love that they are savory and do not have any overly fishy flavors to them. The Fuzhou fish balls has a fragrant sesame-oil flavored center. 

Fish Dumplings- another must-have. Slipper morsels with salty meat fillings.  

Big Fried Tau Kee- a new steamboat favorite for me! Pop them into the toaster/air fryer to reheat and crisp further. Generous layers of fishcake and beancurd skin. SO DAMN GOOD. 

Hi guys, hope you are well! Sorry for the lack of updates. The Circuit Breaker in Singapore has kept me very busy at work in fact and i resorted to updating more on IG @msskinnyfat instead. If you wanna stay connected with me, hop over to the other side to check out the meals i've been whipping up or work out with me! 

I was hoping that things would go back to normal soon but it'll be awhile before we can start dining out. I don't enjoy takeouts as much since the experience is very much diminished but i guess we all need something to look forward to and food is a way to maintain that normalcy. So i'm back to sharing here again but in a shorter form since things can get cray at work. 

Anyhow, here are some bentos from Yàn, a restaurant that i frequented. When it comes to takeaways, i enjoy variety and these are great for individual diners. There are 4 bentos to pick from and they are a steal at only $10.80. Plus you get a 20% discount if you pick it up yourself.   

My favorite is the Set A, which consists of Pan-Fried Carrot Cake with XO Sauce and  Chinese sausage; Honey Glazed BBQ Char Siew; Deep Fried Prawn Dumpling with Mayonnaise (2 pcs); and Mushroom with Broccoli. This bento holds up even with cross island travel and it also keeps well overnight in the fridge. I would know because i ordered an extra set to keep for lunch the next day. 

Lumo, or light in Esperanto (an artificial language), is a new addition to the expat clutter in Boat Quay. Thankfully, it sets itself apart some really good drinks by the bar team complemented by the approachable modern European dishes by Head Chef Martin Wong. Lumo aims to not only bring together diners, but also support the F&B community through collaborations with local brewers, coffee roasters and neighbors too (RVLT curates the natural wine list at Lumo). 

LUMO’s cocktail concept revolves around the essentials of life; so the launch cocktail menu focuses on Breakfast, the first and best meal of the day. The drinks are categorized into Brew, Milk, Fruit, ABC, Impossible™ Salad, Toast, Treat. If you're wondering how Impossible™ Salad would taste like in a drink, check out the Patty Royale, a cross between a Vesper and a Dirty Martini and is guaranteed to knock you out. An Impossible™ distillate is made with vodka and a fat wash using oil from the meat-free patty. The cocktail’s savoury profile is accentuated further with macerated fermented cherry tomatoes, buna shimeiji mushrooms, and shisho leaves soaked in vermouth, and a garnish of olives filled with vegan cheese. 

I started with an easy MILK cocktail, the Salt Honey Fizz, made with orange flower, fino sherry, sea salt, caramelized honey, plant milk, Tried and true vodka. On the nose, a familiar tang of sourdough, and on the palate, soothing cereal milk and a light citrus. It's way too easy to drink, and probably dangerous when you gulp this like you do out of a carton. 

The Brown Derby, is more my kind of thing. Rebel Yell Bourbon with zesty notes of shadow citrus and grapefruit bitters prove to be a great perk-me-up after a long dreadful day at work. Josiah made me another same-same-but-different cocktail which is stronger and my day was complete.

2020 hasn't been quite kind to us but life goes on. Hope everyone is taking the safe distancing thing and work from home seriously! Well if you get a chance to take a breather, i'm sure working from a tea lounge works too. Regent Hotel Tea Lounge has a well spaced layout that allows you to privately enjoy your three-tiered tea set that's served to your table on weekdays from 12 - 5pm. Regent's signature scones are one of my favorites in Singapore and best sliced apart and slathered with a thick layer to lush Devonshire clotted cream and a smidgen of lemon curd.  

On weekends, the tea lounge takes on a semi buffet format. The current theme is English Garden and you will find counters stocked with English cheeses and dainty sandwiches filled with black truffle, egg mayonnaise and cucumber. 

I very much enjoyed making these bite-sized blini sandwiches, which i generously topped with the various caviar. Other English delights include mini pot pies with Angus beef ragout, classic roasted Wagyu beef rump with truffle, and Yorkshire Pudding.

It's been more than a year since #meetthelulus went on our honeymoon to Morocco and i've procrastinated on the writing because i found it daunting to cover a 12 day trip in 1 post. The only thing i managed so far was a trip report on the wonderful Singapore Airlines A350 business class from Singapore to Barcelona. 

I wanted a fuss free honeymoon experience which doesn't involve fretting over the logistical arrangements on the road so i booked a private tour with Berber Space Morocco, a Moroccan agency that started in the Sahara Desert. I compared several Singapore and Moroccan agencies before deciding on them due to the great pricing and good reviews. I provided them with a skeleton itinerary (of cities to visit and activities that i want included in the trip) and they got back with the rest- which included accommodation options. 

The accommodation that we took were mostly riad stays (think of them as small boutique hotels) with some hotel options (for convenience in the bigger cities). I was happy with most of the options except the one in Fes (there was some screw-up and we were put up at a different riad). Anyway, if there's a specific accommodation that you want for sure, just let them know and they'll make the necessary arrangements. 

To get into Morocco, we took SQ from SIN to Barcelona, and then Royal Air Maroc to Casablanca. Our English-speaking driver Hamid drove us around the country and helped us settle into our local accommodation, got us our SIM cards and also helped us with general enquiries and suggestions. At the various cities, we were met with the local guides who'd provide us with insights to each location. Breakfasts are provided, and some dinners are included too (in locations that are not accessible e.g. in the desert and mountainous regions). Our luxury desert camp stay which includes our camel rides were also part of the package. The price was only 1400 Euros per person. We added on a little bit more for a half day hiking trip at the Atlas mountains (100 Euros each). Honestly i think it's a steal. A friend went on a 10 day trip and paid more than S$4000 per pax. Her accommodation was more standard luxurious but i was pretty satisfied with what we got at the price we paid. 

Below is a highlight of my trip. Do note that in order to visit the following spots, there may be some long drives in between and overnight stays in smaller towns. 

Casablanca-Rabat

We stayed the night at Riad Zyo, a clean and modern riad just outside the old city (medina), had our first Moroccan meal of chicken with preserved lemons at Dar Naji (they did not speak a word of English) and spent the next morning with a local guide touring the medina. We visited the oldest house in the Medina and the Kasbah des Oudaias which overlooks the Atlantic Ocean. Here you'll see houses painted in white and blue (apparently to keep out the mosquitos). While touring the Medina, we saw a really lovely riad Dar Shaan which you could also consider.

Chefchaouen

Chefchaouen is the blue city of Morocco, situated at the footstep of the Rif mountains. Unlike many parts of Morocco, Chefchaouen was occupied by Spain; therefore there is much influence from the Spanish civilisation and Moorish architecture.

Our original planned riad was supposed to be Darech Chaouen but somehow the booking changed and  we were put up somewhere else. Thankfully Riad Cherifa was equally charming, where every nook is the perfect photo spot. They have a pool and a hamman too! It was our safe harbour from the torrid rain that we experienced the 2 nights we stayed in Chefchaouen, which ruined our plans to go hiking.

There's nothing to do in Chefchaouen except to explore the labyrinth of blue alleyways and take plenty of pictures. A guy tried to show us his marijuana farm situated inside his house, which we politely declined of course.