The crazy hot, humid and sunny weather is terrible for our delicate skin. If you have an active lifestyle, especially one that involves the great outdoors, then you'd probably be battling the 6 common imperfections- pimples, redness, pores, shininess, dull complexion and scarring. The nice folks at Vichy Laboratoires recently sent me their Normaderm care package which is formulated to treat these skin problems. Clearer skin within a week? Why not?

The sweet surprise in a beautiful tin box.

Here's the basic regime that you should start/maintain to get relatively problem free skin! I love the light, refreshing fragrance of the Vichy products. It's a cool floral scent which reminds me a little of Marc Jacobs Daisy?

Step 1: Cleanse
The Deep Cleansing and Purifying Gel (200ml, $29) leaves the skin clear and fresh. I liked that the gel doesn't leave my skin feeling too dry or tight. There's a nice cooling sensation on my skin after using the gel.

Step 2: Tone
Follow it with the Normaderm Astringent Cleansing lotion to tighten the pores and give your skin a matte finish. I would think that this is a toner but it left a slightly sticky feeling which I didn't quite like. So I use my DRx toner to cleanse my skin after.

Step 3: Treat
Tri-Activ Anti-Imperfection Moisturizer (50ml, $39). This is the no.1 selling oil control moisturiser in derma skincare. It's very lightweight and easily absorbed by the skin, leaving no greasy feeling at all. My face felt cool and refreshed after applying the moisturizer.

Step 4: Target

Vichy's latest product is the Hyaluspot Treatment (15ml, $29.90), a rapid action anti-bacterial bandage spot treatment gel to treat pimples. The Hyaluronic Acid content in the gel will form a protective layer on the pimple, while the Salicylic acid and LHA prevent further contamination and intensely purifying the skin from within, thus removing the pimple. The metal tip applicator is supposed to help cool your skin and also make application easier but I don't think it wise to contaminate the tip or content with the exposed skin /pimple.

Vichy also threw in some myth-busting cards to provide more tidbits on attaining clear and beautiful skin. How thoughtful of them!

Myth: Oily skin is horrible because it causes breakouts and shine. This is probably the most common misconception on oily skin! I used to think that as well but it is FALSE! :/

I'll leave the reading to you guys. But some oil on your face is actually good (as highlighted by many of my doctor friends). It's better than a dry wrinkly face for sure!

If you are not sure what products you should be using, you could do an online consultation on the Vichy website or head to the leading pharmacies for more details.

Say hello to clear and smooth skin!

Krispy Kreme is coming to Singapore! Ok old news. I'm sure you guys already know about this long ago. I've been waiting for this day since i bit into the warm fluffy sugar dough that S went to great lengths to procure for me years ago. Since then, we (I) would go crazy buying KK every time we hit Hong Kong and Japan.

I'm sure you've seen pictures of happy Singaporeans munching on Krispy Kreme all over social media. In the past couple of weeks, KK delivered 100 000 doughnuts to companies and schools that nominated themselves on KrispyKreme.sg. I too, got my sugar high from the 2 dozens of these sugar glazed babies sent by the nice folks at KK.

Don't be jealous. You can get your fix soon as Krispy Kreme gears up for its Grand Opening of its flagship store at Tangs Orchard Basement 1 on October 12th. Be prepared for the long queues though..

I'm gonna do a quick comparison of the Singapore version vs. the US version. It could be the heat and the delivery but the glaze melted and got soaked up so it didn't have that nice texture that i remember.

I'm hoping to see the same version as i did at the US stores (pic above) when the Tangs outlet opens. I thought that the SG version was a little oily. I guess the Americans are good at making junk food appear/taste less junkish? Anyhoo, i'm not a huge fan of the original flavor, i mean, why would you go for plain when the filled shells are so much more interesting?

Take a look at how airy and light the Powdered Raspberry filled KK is. I cannot tell you how poofy each bite was. It was too easy to devour 2 KK in 1 seating and i had to restrain myself before i supersize myself I believe that they were pretty much gone after we pulled out of the KK drivethru. THE HORROR.

I've checked out the Krispy Kreme menu for the Singapore store and my favorite flavors are available! Sorry if yours isn't. :P You have to get the Cappuccino Franco, Chocolate Iced Custard Filled and New York Cheesecake! The Chocolate DreamCake sounds very interesting and by the looks of it, it's probably a chocolate custard filled shellwith cookie bits on top. There is also a Red Velvet Cake one that i wouldn't mind trying.

Good news to all doughnut fans who are planning to get their hands on the first Krispy Kreme doughnuts at the Tangs Orchard store. KK will be giving away up to a year's supply of Krispy Kreme Doughnuts to the firsts in line via a Golden, Silver and Bronze ticket, as well as heaps of prizes! 12 October 2013- Mark the date.

Krispy Kreme Singapore

Tangs Orchard

310 Orchard Road, Basement, Singapore 238864

Daily: 8am - 11pm

5 stores will open in the next 5 years!

A good buffet line isn't one that has a whole truckload of crappy food but one with a crafted selection of fine dishes. Olive Tree at InterContinental Singapore has just the right ingredients to make it a great buffet line, especially with their best of Thai cuisine offering right now. 

With two renowned guest chefs from the Thailand Culinary Academy – Chef Surasak Kongsawat and Chef Jareuk Sriaroon, together with a locally acclaimed Thai culinary expert Chef Hansongkhram Chutnapa, Olive Tree is determined to deliver a truly authentic Thai experience from now till 13 October 2013.

I started with a sampler of the starters, which award winning and mini celebrity Executive Chef Eric Neo enthusiastically plated for me as he brought me around the line. The seafood salads fared well with its mix of succulent prawns paired with pomelo and roasted chili paste. The Spicy Beef Salad was also well flavored with lime, chili padi and fish sauce. For some crunch, try the fluffy Catfish and Green Mango Salad.

My favorite appetizer was no doubt the Kao Tang Na Tung. 

It looked like hummus and it even had that grainy creamy texture but this sweet and savory paste was actually minced pork. Slather the crispy rice crackers with this and i swear you wouldn't be able to stop munching on them.

For more salads, head over to the Som-Tum bar where you can get your hands on the spicy Green Papaya Salad with fruit, corn, prawns and salted egg. When you're done, move on to the Claypot Curries.

There were 4-5 types of Claypot Curries stewing away. The Green Curry Pork was fragrant and minty. I thought it fared better than the Deep Fried Seabass with Red Curry. 

The best curry was hands down the Beef with Mild Red Curry Sauce Pu-Pad-Pong-Kari! Extremely tender beef in a semi sweet peanut red curry. I could have a huge bowl of rice with this one. Do not miss out on the Kor Moo Yang, a succulent char-grilled pork shoulder with a secret blend of spices.

Other classic dishes such as the Stir Fried Beef with Thai Basil, Stir Fried Chicken with Cashew Nuts, Pineapple Fried Rice, Pad Thai and Tom Yum Kung were part of the line up. The tom yum and pad thai could be more fiery though. 

The colourful Lup Chup (fruit-shaped desserts made of mung-bean flour with natural colouring) looked too pretty to be eaten. I've tried them before along the streets of Bangkok but never took to it. I was surprised that these ones were actually tasty. The Red Ruby in coconut milk was a great option after the spicy meal. Skip the Mango Sticky Rice and the steamed puddings. You may want to do the international selection of chocolate fondue and cakes if you wish. 

On top of the special Thai cuisine, there are the regular international seafood, sashimi and dessert section for the added variety.

Thank you InterContinental Singapore for hosting me at the Journey to Thailand buffet. Highly recommended if you enjoy Thai food.

Journey to Thailand buffet
Available: 27 September 2013 to 13 October 2013

Weekdays: 6 - 10pm

Weekends & PH: 7 - 10.30pm 

Price: $55++ for 1 diner, $88++ for 2 diners

$128++ per family (2 adults and 2 children aged 12 and below)

Top up $15++ to enjoy free-flow Chang Beer

Reservation: Reserve online at www.facebook.com/ICSingapore to enjoy a complimentary round of

Chang Beer

Olive Tree
InterContinental Singapore

80 Middle Road, Singapore 188966

Tel: +65 6825 1061

I'm not sure if you have noticed but Penang is quite a big weekend destination for Singaporeans these days. The association with delicious hawker food, other than its UNESCO World Heritage status, is certainly a huge draw for us foodies. If you do not have the time to hop on a flight to Penang, Traders Hotel Singapore is showcasing the flavours of Penang at Cafebiz and Ah Hoi’s Kitchen till 31 October 2013.

Guest chefs Lim Thow Shong and Ridzuan Bin Mat from Golden Sands Resort Penang will prepare a menu comprising popular Penang dishes, including Char Kway Teow, Assam Laksa, Hokkien Mee, Assam Prawns, Chicken Curry Kapitan, Rojak, Tau Kwa Sumbat, Nasi Goreng Teluk Bahang, Loh Bak, Mee Goreng Mamak Penang and Curry Mee. These dishes are featured on a rotating menu for the Cafebiz buffet, together with a range of international cuisine. A selection of six dishes will be available for dinner at Ah Hoi’s Kitchen.

The Assam Prawns were one of my favorite dishes of the lot. The sauce was pretty much the rojak sauce which is made of a pungent, sweet and sour prawn paste. I've never had prawns cooked with this sauce before so it was rather refreshing.

I love my prawn noodles dry, with plenty of chili and shallots (my favorite is Blanco Court's, read review here!) but i took to Cafe Biz's soupy version with rice vermicelli. The broth was a little on the sweet side but it was adequately savory and rich enough.

I must be the only crazy person at the tasting to think that the Assam Laksa could be more sour. This made me crave for the uber spicy Nyonya Laksa i had in Malacca (read about it here)!

There were some hits and misses with the Penang dishes at the buffet. The Chicken Curry Kapitan smelled better than it tasted. I found the rempah (spices) too bland. The Penang Char Kway Teow was also very meh. I took 1 bite and that was about it. The biggest hit was probably the Pengat Pisang dessert. Think a rich gula melaka (brown sugarcane sugar) with coconut broth and mushy bananas and you have a hit.

The buffet selection may be rather limited but the lobster claws and prawns from the seafood section had me going back for seconds. The roast duck was surprisingly good, and so was the chicken rice. The braised pig trotters were flying off the line too!

From now till 31 Oct 2013, diners may win a two-night stay at one of three Penang hotels during the hotel’s Penang food promotion. The hotels are Shangri-La’s Rasa Sayang Resort and Spa, Golden Sands Resort and Traders Hotel, Penang.

The Penang Food Promotion at Cafebiz is priced at $47 for the weekday Buffet Lunch and $58 for the weekend Brunch. Dinner buffet is priced at $58 from Monday to Wednesday and $63 from Thursday to Sunday.

Cafe Biz, Traders Hotel Singapore
1A Cuscaden Rd, Singapore 249716Tel: +65 6831 4374
Weekdays: 12 - 2.30pm, 6.30 - 10pm
Weekends: 12 - 3pm, 6.30 - 10pm 

What do you do when you have a successful food brand? Do you replicate it or do you change it? Well for Chef Marc Wee and his team at Arbite (read more about Arbite here), they took the 'Go bold or Go home' approach with their second outlet, A for Arbite. Instead of doing the tried and tested hearty western fare, they have developed a tapas style menu that includes drink pairing.

A for Arbite aims to provide a complete dining experience that isn't too atas (no snooty sommelier) or boring (You take plain water with your food? Seriously?) Instead, some tried and tested pairing with craft beers, cocktails and even artisan teas are suggested with your meal. Do feel free to experiment with the various combinations. A for Arbite is all about fun as their decor suggests and the friendly wait staff are more than happy to provide some inspiration.

As we were set to taste a whole lot of dishes, Marc choose 2 versatile drinks that would go with most of our food. 

  

The Belgium Peach beer ($10) was malty and sweet. This would certainly appeal to all you ladies out there, or guys if you have a sweet tooth. The Yuzu Mojito ($14) was crisp and refreshing but could do with a little more citrus.

We were advised to pick about 4-5 small dishes each and 1 or 2 bigger dishes to share. Honestly, that was a lot of food for S and me. I would say cut that by half first and then add on as you go along. Let me start off with the small plates that i like. 

The Lobster Thermidor ($12) was absolutely creamy, rich and delicious. Like the juicy lobster and crab meat chunks, I was swimming in delight of thec ream, mustard, brandy and parmesan cheese sauce. Oh and there's plenty of truffle oil too!

As you can tell (or maybe not), this is a baby tea cup size. I wouldn't recommend sharing this because sometimes good food are meant to be enjoyed alone. :P

Pan fried Scallops ($8) was one of my favorite dishes as well. The texture is pretty much like the Aburi style, with a lightly charred outside and a tender raw inside. What's special was the prune and balsamic purée which gave it a sweet and sour flavor. And the icing? Crispy Parma ham. Enough said.

The Braised Smoked Pork Belly ($7) could be my sg replacement for the Momofuku Pork Buns (read about them here). Rendered fats, savory braised streaky bacon with kimchi and leaf bun; a little sweet, a little fermented, a load of yum.

Something special to order would be the Deep Fried Quail ($8.50). The gaminess of the tender meat was overcome by the Moroccan spices. It was on the salty side but it would satisfy any fried food craving. 

If you like duck and don't mind the oil and sodium, then the Jar of Duck ($19.50) would do it for you. I love the ingredients; duck rillettes, black truffle, foie gras and diced smoked duck breast, but the oil was simply too distracting for me. It would have worked better if everything were chilled other than the foie gras.

The Beef Onglet Tataki ($6) was an average dish. If you didn't notice by now, A for Arbite is quite big on the Japanese influence. This one had shoyu, sesame oil, onion soil, shiso and mushrooms, all typically Japanese condiments.

The Green Tea Spaghettini ($7) was also made to look and taste like cold soba. Due to the similarity in presentation and taste, i can't help comparing it with the Japanese version and the texture of the pasta simply lacked the crunchy texture that i'm so fond of and the broth was bland as well.

The 2 mains that we had were heartier and great choices for sharing. The risotto is a hot favorite at Arbite and Chef decided to keep it on A's menu.

Tri Pepper Spaghettini ($10.5). The spaghettini faired better in this cooked dish and the crunch in the handmade pasta was certainly welcomed. This dish lived up to the umami Japanese flavors with a whole load of peppers in the pasta (green, pink and black!). The spring onion and chili gave it that additional zing as well. Chef Marc was also very generous with the crab meat and i loved that crispy soft shell crab tempura.

Squid Ink Risotto ($16.50). The squid ink wasn't quite smokey enough for me but the dish caught on after a few mouthfuls. Every bite was filled with prawn, squid and mussels chunks along with shreds of crab meat. The Aborio rice was done a little over al dente but still perfectly crunchy. Take note, it's a little spicy. I'm not much of a fan of the oily fried halibut though.

 

The Cookies and Cream Cheese Cake ($8) was worth every bit of my remaining calories. The black cookies, cream cheese mascarpone and milk espuma were buttery, sweet and savory! Love love love the airy milk espuma.

If you are a Chinese dessert fan, you may enjoy the Ginseng Panna Cotta ($7). I hate ginseng so i have nothing good to say about this dish. S thought it was rather interesting, especially after the chrysanthemum sorbet melted. The pudding was a little too set so i'm missing that creamy texture in it.

I enjoyed the meal at A for Arbite very much. It's laid back, charming and the service was great. I'm not saying it because it was a hosted dinner but we noticed how attentive the wait staff were to other guests as well. Great place to hang out with the pals. Aliwal Street is a little off the Bugis/Haji area but the walk is certainly worth it. 

Thank you Chef Marc and Hayden for the invitation!

A for Arbite
28 Aliwal St #01-01 Singapore 199918
Tel: +65 8321 2252
Tue – Fri: 11.30am - 11pm
Sat: 11am -11pm
Sun: 9am- 9pm



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6 hours, 6 top restaurants in Singapore, 6 signature dishes, 6 wine pairings. If you have a big heart, and a big stomach, then you should join me for a gastronomic experience come Saturday 28 Sep 2013 for the very first FIJI Water Signature Creations Expedition, which will raise money for the Children's Cancer Foundation. 

From 12 noon to 6pm, you would be chauffeured in a luxurious coach to the participating restaurants- Tippling Club, Fat Cow, Absinthe, The Pelican, Prive Grill and Hashi, where you would be served signature dishes handpicked by leading local food critics such as Wong Ah Yoke from Straits Times Life! Each signature dish will be paired with a wine and comes with free flow of FIJI Water.

Only a limited number of tickets (80 seats only!) are available for the inaugural event and you can get them at www.tuckshop.sg for S$180 nett. All proceeds from ticket sales will be donated to the Children's Cancer Foundation. FIJI Water hopes to donate S$10 000 to support the efforts of the Foundation. 

FIJI Water will also be launching an Instagram competition to document the trail. Arm yourself with the hashtags #FIJIWaterSignatureCreations, #RESTAURANT_NAME and the guest with the best album will walk away with dining vouchers of the participating restaurants and 1 year's supply of FIJI Water. 

What are you waiting for? Hurry get your tickets now. I can't wait to sample the offerings at these restaurants! This is THE meal of 2013. See you there. :)

FIJI Water Signature Creations Expedition

Visit www.tuckshop.sg for ticket purchase.

Tea (the event) is the best thing that the English have invented. Nothing beats whiling the afternoon away in the garden with buttery and crusty scones, clotted cream and jam. Best place to do it in Singapore? Try The Halia at Singapore Botanic Gardens, a romantic and picturesque restaurant tucked away in in the lush foliage centrally located in town.

What was supposed to be a stroll in the park turned out to be an amazing race when the GPS directed me to the wrong location. Halia is situated at the Ginger Garden, which is nearer to the Tanglin gate and not the Cluny one.

My frazzled nerves were soothed by the Chilled Halia Infusion, a lightly spiced tea sweetened with honey, while we waited for our tiered tea set to be served. You could pick other teas or brewed coffee as part of your set. I much prefered the chilled version over the hot one that i had during brunch the last time (read review of Brunch at The Halia, Raffles Hotel here)

The Halia Tea Set (for 2). Individual portions come in the tiers too!

There's something romantic and decadent about eating off a tiered tea set don't you think? I'm a sucker for pretty things i guess but it adds to the overall experience of a meal, as do ambience and service.

Always start with the scone when doing tea. It kind of sets the tone for tea (that and you really should eat it when it's hot) and i knew i was in for a great time when i bit into the crusty and dense pastry slathered with chantilly cream and a tinge of orange ginger jam.

There's a nice balance of sweet and savory bites in the tea set, which i alternated between. It's a quirk that i have and i always start with something sweet.

From the savory plate (CW)- House-cured salmon, pickled cucumber and toasted rye. Smoked trout parfait, cucumber, apple and lime that was presented as a piece of tofu. Love the smokiness followed by the refreshingly sweet apple. It was certainly a surprise. The Gorgonzola and caramelized onion quiche had an absolutely buttery tart with a light blue cheese filling. This should be acceptable by normal human standards (i go for really strong blue). There's also the poached chicken and smoked paprika finger sandwich and the meh-ish Wagyu beef rendang samosa. Fennel custard with parmesan and almond in an egg shell was a creamy and nutty affair.

The sweet plate consists of the delicious scones, the towering coconut panna cotta with mango, passion fuit and lychee. I quite enjoyed the moist carrot cake with crème cheese icing and certainly wouldn't mind seconds. The toasted Walnut Quince and Almond cake with crème fraiche contained the stewed fruit from the pear family, which according to Chef Peter Rollinson, the quince had been given a 24h treatment to give it that softness. New Opera Chocolate sponge layered with raspberry buttercream (new flavor and hence the 'New' Opera). I was impressed by the Ginger flower macaroon which had quite the perfect candy shell and slightly chewy center.

For $28 per individual set, I have to say this is a steal for tea. I'll definitely recommend this for a tea party with the girls! Think S would love this too. :) Don't miss out on this lovely tea at The Halia, Singapore Botanic Gardens which is available every weekend and Public Holiday from 3 - 5pm. Reservations are not accepted for brunch and tea service though.

The Halia at SBG
1 Cluny Road, Ginger Garden
(enter via Tyersall Avenue)
Singapore Botanic Gardens
Tel: +65 8444 1148

Weekday Lunch: 12- 4pm – Mondays to Fridays, 12 noon to 4pm (set lunch till 2 pm)
Daily Dinner: 6.30 - 11pm
Weekends & PH: Brunch 10am - 4pm, Tea 3 - 5pm