I have a bag problem. It has come to my attention that i am lacking a big sized carryall for gym. Since i started going for yoga classes, i realized that i've been in a small bag phase for a very long time (my definition of very long is actually 2 years). How is a girl supposed to look fashionable after yoga if she has to lug around a huge ass sports duffel like that from Nike, Puma or the other sports brand. Those bags are only appropriate IF you are lazy and do not bother changing out of your gym attire. I however do not advise that. Gym wear is not attractive, unless you are showing off your washboard abs but even i don't do that.  

I've been making do with my Longchamp Le Pliage tote in graphite. This is my brainless day to day bag. Perfect for throwing it all around, rain or shine, dust or grime. It's quite small too but manageable since my pieces of clothing aren't that big.

My other option is to use my Limited Edition Eiffel Tower Le Pliage Tote. I seldom use this because the bag gobbles everything up! It's amazing how a bag that small (or big) can make things disappear once you put them in. I usually take a minute or two just to find something that i need. Yes i need a bag organizer and i do have them, it's just really troublesome still. 

I was in a terrible rush for class today because I couldn't find a bag BIG enough to throw all the things i need. Plus i had to send another bag in for servicing at the shop (story for another time. Was quite pissed at the bag/brand). I had no choice but to carry S's Graphite Medallion Luggage which i borrowed it for my upcoming Vietnam trip.   

I love that the bag is so roomy and perfect for traveling. It is also a really good gym bag! Though it looks ridiculously big on me. I think i can sit in it. 

I seriously need an alternative. I think the YSL medium Easy would be perfect. I was so close to getting one in June but i couldn't get hold of a particular limited edition that i wanted. OOS in Europe and i wouldn't pay that 1k extra for the same bag in SG.

Lovely right? Black eyelet studs. S thinks that they look like little evil eyes. Love the toned down rocker look. Same reasons why i love the Alexander Wang Rocco (Read about it here). Too bad, no luck with the bag.. :(

I shall continue searching for a suitable gym bag for all you ladies out there. We definitely need a nice bag to match an after-gym hot bod! Updates soon!

If you have any suggestions, do share it with everything by leaving a comment. :))

I love the eastern part of Singapore- it's chill, laid back, hippie and it has the highest concentration of good food. Tell me where else can you find streets packed with eateries, cafes, restaurants that are all filled? Colourful Geylang, traditional Katong and yuppie Siglap. Each one of these areas has its special personality. The boy and i kinda grew up eating at these places, attended schools here and still love hanging out in the East on our free days. True blue Easties are we. :)


Anyway, the boy and i have this problem of deciding what to have for our meals. It used to be a huge problem and often a cause of tension. I did a random poll with my gfs and turns out that this is apparently a typical relationship problem!


However, we have a bigger complication. He's an easy eater so he pretty much eats everything. I, on the other hand, is extremely picky and chooses food based on tummy cravings. I also like to pretend that i'm an easy eater. Problem with that is i usually end up not liking his suggestions even when i say i don't mind having anything. But of course, the boy would sense that and i usually end up having the make a decision (i hate picking because i am afraid that i'm afraid that it may suck or that i don't really feel like having it when we arrive at the restaurant). Girls and their indecisiveness i know. It got better over the years and S has become the worm in my tummy. He can somehow sense my cravings these days, sometimes even better than i do, which is awesome. 


Today was another indecisive Sunday BUT the boy said he'll just decide (after failed attempts to get me to choose) and he simply put me in the car. I knew the choice couldn't be wrong, after all we were headed towards the Katong area. I was quite surprised when he pulled into Telok Kurau, a residential area. 

We were greeted by the cute garden slug and sleepy cats chilling out on the benches and tables. Adorable much! 

The setting is very casual and relaxing. There was a old za2 huo4 dian4 (neighborhood grocery shop) just further down. It was almost like eating at a coffee shop at the old housing estates. The good weather calls for some alfresco dining, Also, i noticed that the seats inside do kinda smell of food but the diners don't seem to mind. 

The first thing that caught my eye was obviously "All Day Breakfasts". Breakfast is one of my favorite foods. I could do breakfast food anytime of the day, any day of the week. My future cafe is definitely gonna have ADB and tea (another of my favorite meals!). However, all the breakfast eating the past week has gotten to me so i ordered a pasta instead. I was secretly hoping that S would order from the breakfast menu so that i could steal some and he did! Worm in my tummy he is!

The fatty boy started lunch with a sundae of all things. Such a monster. Knickerbooker Glory Sunday ($12.50)- Vanilla gelato with Peach Melba, almond stracciatella, sea-salt dulce de leche & jaffa truffle bar. This is a very interesting eat. Every mouthful is a burst of flavors and the mixture was absolutely exhilarating and surprising. Some orange, then chocolate then REAL vanilla ice cream (with vanilla beans!) followed by the taste of sea salt caramel and then hitting the sweet notes with the Peach Melba again. This is a must try. 

Then came our mains. His Runny Salmon Scramble-Up ($12.50)- Creamy scrambled eggs topped with lots of smoked salmon, warm toast by side. This was heavenly. The eggs were runny as promised and had a rich creamy texture to it. Z would love this for sure! The salmon provided the slight saltiness that the dish required. Only downside is that the salmon didn't seem very fresh? Didn't have a very nice bite to it? Not chewy enough i guess.

My Juicy Shrimp & Roast Pumpkin ($14.90)- A rich pink sauce of tender baked pumpkin, shrimp and whole oven-roasted garlic cloves. The linguine was more on the cooked side but the plus point is that it makes it really easy to swallow (trust me that's a good thing). I was basically gobbling mouth after mouth of pasta. The sauce was light and not too sour, perfect base for a pasta marathon. I could go on eating this forever (ok i exaggerate.)

Look at the size of the dishes. It's twice the size of my stomach!

Of course, the only way the meal would progress is shown in the following sequence.

1. Me feeling all stuffed from eating my own food

2. S exchanging his dish with me

3. Me taking a few more polite nibbles and biding time while he finishes most of my dish

4. Me taking a couple of bites of my original dish

5. Me staring at my unfinished food with the most painful and pitiful look

6. S finally telling me to stop eating if i can't finish (to which i do a little song and dance. i kid you)

7. S polishing everything that's left (if he has space, which he usually does! Haha.) 

Obviously the pasta was too much even for 2 of us!

Happy us after a good Sunday lunch. The carb and sugar overload sent us home to our beds and we napped till the next meal. Piggies we are. 

In all, The Garden Slug provides high quality hearty meals. The service was also excellent, the servers extremely attentive to the guests and anticipated every need the diners may have. Serving plates were served without being asked because they knew we would be sharing. Quick, polite and warm service staff always helps in retaining and attracting new customers. This i feel TGS has done extremely well. I would certainly be back. :)

The Garden Slug

55 Lorong L Telok Kurau
#01-59/61 Bright Centre, Singapore
Tel: 6346 0504 
Mon–Tue: 6pm – 10pm
Wed–Thu: 10am – 10pm
Fri–Sun: 9am – 10pm

  

While randomly browsing sites on bags, (haha who do i kid? What are the chances of it being random? :P), i chanced upon the Alexander Wang Rocco Mini Duffel bag. I was delightfully surprised that i haven't noticed this before. The bag has been on the market for a while but it didn't catch on in Singapore (reason for that in a bit). I haven't seen any one carry this and of course that appeals even more to me. Honestly who would want to be carrying something everyone else is carrying right? Yes Balenciaga, i'm referring to you. 


Chewy and thick black pebbled leather (can't remember if it's lamb or calf), it's so squishy i would hug it to sleep, use it as a pillow or sth. This is extremely hardy. If you are wondering how i knew that from doing research online, well i went down to the nearest On Pedder to check if they carry the bag shortly after. Haha :P

This beauty is also a celeb favorite! Kristen Cavallari, Mary Kate Olsen, Dakota Fanning, Rosie Huntington, Nicki Hilton, Jennifer Love Hewitt have been spotted carrying it around. 

Kristen looks especially amazing with it. She goes everywhere with the Rocco. It's casual, it's cool, it has that rocker glam factor as well. The studs are absolutely gorgeous. I don't own any black bag (not a casual one that is. My classic Chanel flap is not counted) because let's face it, it's a boring colour though highly flexible. I would choose grey over black anytime. However, the studs add on a bling factor to black pebbled skin without being too ostentatious. I was absolutely in lurrrvvvveeee... 

Mary Kate also looks fantabulous with hers. This is just the perfect bag for me. Suits me to a T. 

A bit more on the style- I would liken it to a love child of Balenciaga (the studs) and YSL (the pebbled skin), both features i love. The size is very similar to the Louis Vuitton Speedy 30. It also kinda resembles the Givenchy Nightingale (W highlighted that to me). I was first attracted to the bag because of the pebbling- was also looking at the YSL Easy at the same time and they have a black pebbled one as well though a little dull. 

I almost bought the bag immediately online but i'm glad my sanity prevailed. While trying the bag and On Pedder, i realized that the bag has inherited the negative trait of Balenciaga and multiplied it by 10 times at least- the weight KILLS. According to the SA, the bag weighs a whooping 1.5kg. However, the SA at the AW pop up store says it's 3kg. I didn't ask for a weighing machine but it is obviously too much to handle. That said, i was still blinded by love and lust. It was not only until the 2nd time i went down to the store that i realized it is way too heavy for me. I sometimes complain that my Mulberry Alexa is heavy and this is an overkill. I could use this as weights. 

This is the biggest problem of the bag. It's such a pity really. If made lighter, the bag with 105 studs would look so lovely on my arms. Sigh. Please make some tweaks to it Mr Wang, this would really be perfect in my bag collection.  

If you have the arm power to lift this baby, you can get it at On Pedder for about 1.4- 1.5k sgd. I can't remember the exact price. Alternatively, Shopbop sells it for 895USD. How awesome is that right?! For now, i can only admire it. Pity pity pity. Hopefully someone knocks some sense into the team at AW soon. 

In the end, I got something much lighter though. Reveal due soon!  

Before i get accused of being too atas, let me reiterate that my idea of good food is not expensive food but food that tastes good. I love my foie gras as well as my kway chup. I would choose the economic bee hoon from the coffee shop aka kopitiam near my place over brunch at Wild Honey. I'm the versatile and flexible diner who eats according to my cravings and my mood. I can feel at home in a hawker centre or a high end restaurant though i very much prefer a more relaxed and vibrant setting (many high end restaurants feel stuffy and uptight!) I'm always darn happy when i find cheap and good food. 

Chin Mei Chin is one of such places. It has remained true to its roots, serving kaya toast the old school style in an old school shophouse with mosaic tiles. Whenever i feel like having some traditional chinese breakfast, i would head there. 

Join in the queue (boy there could be one, especially on weekends) and wait for your turn to grab an empty table. There is no need to flip through the menu (there isn't one), just pick up what you like from the open shelves and bring it to your marble table tops and sit on the old wooden chairs and start eating. My favorite is the luncheon meat bun which is so fluffy on the inside. Pick through the bun to arrive at the little strip of treasure hidden within. The only downside is that it's a really small piece of meat. :( The cream horns aren't too bad themselves. You just need to look past the greasy texture of the cream. Again, it's the kinda stuff we used to eat as kids.   

There are other baked goods like cupcakes (a little dry), custard tarts, raisin buns etc. You can also purchase their bottled home made kaya. More on that in a bit.

I remember when i was a kid (hard to believe i'm no longer one), my mum would always pour our hot milo onto the saucer to cool it for us before we drink it. My sis and I would pretend to be little kittens trying to lick the drink off the plate. If i do that now people would probably think i'm nuts. These are the things you can get away with when you are young.

Order the other stuff with the aunties aka kopi-sohs. The tea here is quite gao3 (thick and strong). The kaya toast is actually mini buns that are sliced into half and toasted on a charcoal grill. Little airy buns, cripy on the outside, slapped with eggy coconutty kaya and topped with my favorite SCS butter (because it's so salty)! I think i eat the buns mainly for the butter heh! 

 Just look at that.. drools...

Kaya toast is never complete without the half boiled eggs. I like mine with lotsa dark soy sauce and pepper. This is better than poached eggs really. :))

If you are craving for some old school chinese breakfast, this is the place to go. Be prepared to queue! Oh and parking can be quite a bitch, turn left after the bakery into the residential area to find parking, you may have to walk a long way but it's definitely worth it.

Chin Mei Chin Confectionery

204 East Coast Road, Singapore

Tue- Sun: 8am - 430pm

Closed Mondays

I used to think of Robertson Quay as the second Clarke Quay- back when Double O was occupying the corner space. The association wasn't a good one. Getting hit by army boys on their book out nights? -Shudders- And not to mention SPGs in skanky dresses and slutty heels preying on the expats? Eeew! Plus all those rowdy drunks from the nearby bars and pubs? Definitely not a place i wanna hang out at night.

I was surprised to find that the area has changed in the recent year (or at least i only discovered its change this year). Every place deserves a second chance right? That's when i realized that there are a lot of interesting restaurants providing a variety of cuisines such as Japanese, German, Italian, French etc. One of my favorites is Chikuwa-tei, which is along Mohd Sultan road. Ippudo Tao has also moved into the vicinity. Brasserie Wolf does good French food (had a tasting during Restaurant Week) and Brussel Sprouts is a must go for the sweet Belgian mussels. Oh and Laurent Bernard for their chocolate desserts. This is merely the tip of the iceberg. I reckon it would take me a good part of the year just reviewing every restaurant there!

The night and the day scene is quite different. I very much enjoy the laid back vibe in the lazy afternoons. Time seems to come to a standstill while you sip your tea and revel in the moment of peace and serenity. Now repeat after me, OHHMMmmm...

I chanced upon Hummerstons sometime in July, shortly after they opened. I was searching for a tea place one sleepy Sunday. Their banner caught my eye, only because they serve Papa Palheta's coffee. So i decided to give it a shot. I had a hard time trying to find the place and finally located it in a hidden corner on the 2nd floor. 

First impression- it felt like PS cafe. And it jolly well be because it was founded by former head chef of PS cafe, Bouk. Black and white interior checked. Huge chalkboard checked. Casual and comfort dining checked. Open kitchen concept checked. Sounds like a rip off? It certainly isn't. Now read on. 

What sets Hummerstons apart from PS cafe is the food. There is some hint of Latin America, a dash of Mediterranean and a sprinkle of Asian cuisine in the American dishes. Does that sound interesting, confusing or what? One example is the Smoked duck quesadilla ($26) which drew its inspiration from Mexican cuisine. I have yet to try this dish but it is one of their signature items. 

One of their most popular items is poutine. It is a Canadian dish of skin-on, hand cut fries (fried the kettle way) with lots of thick gravy. You can choose from a variety of add ons such as Monstreal (best seller, $19) which is topped with roasted mushrooms, pan-seared foie gras and grated Emmental cheese. What's there not to love right?? By now you would have figured that foie gras is one of my favorite dishes. Heh. Anyway I tried their Hangover Poutine on my first visit.

This is perfect hangover food. I have died and gone to fried, greasy, salty heaven (in the good way). This is no wonder my ass is the size it is. :( Anyway, this comes with sliced juicy sausages, mushrooms and poached egg with some cheese and lotsa gravy. I would have asked for more gravy if i didn't feel the bum spreading across my seat. :((

After introducing this hidden gem to my gf (who is also another skinny fat girl), we headed down for lunch soon after. And this time round, we had the foie gras profiteroles! The profiterole has to be one of the better ones around and the poofy/airy texture absolutely complemented the creamy foie gras. We were tempted to order another serving of this (it only comes in 2 pieces) but our liver was screaming for help. This is a MUST-TRY. Comes highly recommended.

Ordered the fish tacos for our main. Nice crunchy hard taco. As you know, i'm not a fish fan so i don't have much to say about this. The fish was succulent and not too dry, definitely not the hawker sorta fish and chip fillet. However, i felt that it may be a bit bland. Then again, i love savory food so this may be just right for you guys. Ms. Z thought it was fine though. 2 tacos, huge ass servings. I was stuffed by the end of it.

My stomach was stretched beyond its limits by then and we asked for recommendations of a 'lighter' dessert. My belief is that there is always space for desserts, no matter how full you are :) To my surprise, the server suggested the pumpkin cheesecake and he insisted that it's light. Verdict- it was really filling. Nothing light about it, other than the taste of the cheese. How can pumpkin, which packs in lotsa carbs, and cheese be a light combination right? I guess i wasn't in the right mind by the end of my mains so we just went ahead with it.  

It is a huge slab of cake and a thick graham based (tt was quite good). I was expecting it to be more cheesy (thank god it's not). The texture is dense but not in the typical NY cheesecake way but it maintains more of the pumpkin consistency. It's interesting but not my idea of a cheesecake. Then again, i'm picky when it comes to cheesecakes. Z thought it was good and she is also a picky desserts person. This comes highly recommended by I-S magazine too so it must be something. 

I asked them about their tea menu having seen it being mentioned on HGW and hence a 3rd visit was planned (within the same week in fact). However, the tea set was more than disappointing and we obviously gave them feedback on the dishes. The chef was still experimenting with the food but we were told that they will be scraping tea altogether. Wise choice i would say. My advice to any restaurant is to stick to what they do best and make it better. (Read about my thoughts on that here.)

To redeem themselves, we had a port wine fruit cake on the house and oh boy this is lovely! Fresh fruits and nuts soaked in port and then mixed into the cake batter resulting in a moist and dense texture. This is my dream fruit cake. I was secretly picking out the raisins and berries from the cake because they were so good! The choice of port is also a refreshing one because rum usually goes with raisin (maybe it's just another of my weird associations) but this went together perfectly.

I just headed back to Hummerstons with another gf for brunch. Hummerstons does a weekend brunch from 10-4pm, which is perfect for the lazy birds who want to sleep in on the weekends. You still get your worms here don't worry. V had the eggs benny (she likes the hollandaise sauce) and i had the Breakfast Tostada- very mexican with the tomato salsa and tacos. I like that the tacos are really crunchy even after soaking up all that salsa and juice from the eggs. Eggs were fine. Sausages were stellar as usual. For $16, i was thoroughly satisfied.

So yes, Hummerstons goes into my top list for chill out restaurants/cafes. They have a bar here as well so you can get drinks any time of the day. My choice of poison- Moscato. I only take sweet/dessert wines. 

Fingers crossed H wouldn't become too crowded for me. Please be considerate dear readers, do not go rushing to this place right now. Best if you guys can organize a timetable or something and do leave a slot on Sundays afternoons for me. :)

Hummerstons
11 Unity Street #02-14, Robertson Walk, Singapore
Tel: +65 6737 8863
Tue- Fri:12pm- Midnight
Sat: 10am - 2am 
Sun:10am - Midnight

I'm always on the lookout for nice food. Why waste calories on the norm when you can get much better. Before you form any preconceived ideas that i'm a brat and only eat at atas restaurants, let me highlight to you that i do hawker as well. My idea of good food is good tasting food. It doesn't have to be expensive. In fact, some expensive restaurants have failed me miserably e.g. ilLido. Trust me, you can get much better italian for the same price or less. 

During the Restaurant week promotion this year, while discussing which restaurants to dine at, several of my friends couldn't stop raving about Absinthe. I didn't managed to get a booking there but sampled the menu at its sister resto OSO and it was good. I knew i had to try Absinthe soon.

My opportunity came when i was planning S's surprise birthday celebration (we did a staycation at the New Majestic Hotel, read about it here). Absinthe was the perfect choice- it was just opposite our hotel. How convenient!

I went for the Menu Absinthe which is a 6 course meal (if you include the coffee at the end? Is that even a course really?). This is so typical of me- Variety first. Stomach space second. Besides there's the boy to finish up my food for me :)) And the smart S anticipated that already so he only ordered an appetizer and his main. :)

Bisque de Homard

Lobster Bisque for the boy. Creamy rich seafood with chunks of fresh chewy lobster flesh. I didn't taste much of it because he finished EVERYTHING. He didn't even offer me much. :(

Carpaccio de Saint Jacques, Marinade Citron et Tuile à l'Encre de Seiche

Scallop Carpaccio, Squid Ink Tuile and Lemon Dressing- Sweet succulent scallop flesh. Granted it's not as good as the fresh ones at the markets in Hokkaido but it sure cuts close. The lemon dressing is refreshing with the rock salt and pepper crunch and mint leaves of sort.

Gambas Flambées à l'Absinthe, Pignons de Pin et Petite Salade 

Sautéed King Prawns Flambéed with Absinthe, Pine Nuts and Herb Salad. The dish is quite small but just about the right portion. It's a tomato cream base that is not too heavy. Slightly bland and no hint of Absinthe at all? Prawns were fresh and crunchy like fei cui xia (if there's even such a thing).

Foie Gras Poêlé, Blinis et Cerises Griottes

Pan Fried Foie Gras, Morello Cherries and Blinis- My favorite dish!! Foie gras with cherries is the best combination ever. I like that it is a little charred on the outside (hence the crispiness) and the interior just melts (how can it not? it's pure fats anyway!). The creamy texture is contrasted by the tangy sourish sweet cherries. And the little bliny just soaks all that juice and essence up. My mouth is watering just thinking about it...  

Boeuf Wagyu Grillé (8+), Millefeuille de Pomme de Terre, Petits Légumes et Jus Naturel

Grilled Beef Wagyu, Potato Millefeuille, Baby Vegetables and Natural Jus. Steak has to be done medium rare to maintain the juice and the soul of the cow. I kid you but this steak is extraordinary. There is no gravy with the steak but it is moist and flavorful. Must be some secret marinate that was used or some technique that sealed the flavor in. Blew my mind.

Cabillaud Rôti, Risotto au Crevettes, Emulsion de Feuille de Kaffir 

Roasted Black Cod, Prawn Risotto and Kaffir Lime Leaf Emulsion. I'm not a fish fan but this comes recommended by the server. It was the cod or the milk-fed veal fillet. I was leaning towards the latter but that would be quite predictable. As usual, fresh ingredients. Very light despite the cream based risotto (that was cooked perfectly). A little bland. I'm quite a savory food person. 

Forgot to take pictures of the desserts because i was busy texting our friends who were waiting at CM-PB to complete the surprise celebration. It was a citrus flavored Blanc Mangé with Almond Tuile.

Brownie and chocolate cake @CM-PB. The chocolate cake was surprisingly good. Moist and rich. Should try this some other time.

Absinthe
48 Bukit Pasoh Road, Singapore 089858
Tel: +65 6222 9068
Lunch : 12pm - 2:30pm (Mon - Fri)
Dinner : 6:30pm - 10:30pm (Mon - Sat)

They'd be moving to 72 Boat Quay come Jan 2012! Bookmark it please.