Like I said I would, I headed back to Kai Garden for their Dimsum because that Pan Fried Charcoal Pork Bun ($6.80 for 3pcs) induced tears of joy when I first sampled it. Oh and that Peking Duck is another tear jerker (read my previous Kai Garden review here).

Dimsum is available every afternoon, along with their a la carte dishes and set lunches. Despite the generally dead crowd in Marina Square, Kai Garden was packed with dimsum loving people dining in the natural light washed dining hall with a view of the Marina area.

I like to start my dimsum meal with some steamed goodness and the Steamed Cheong-fun with prawns and chives ($7.80) awakened our palates with succulent prawns wrapped in the fluffy rice flour rolls, doused with a light sweet soy.

The Steamed Prawn Dumpling ($6.50 for 4pcs) is often used to determine the standard of dimsum at any Chinese restaurant and as far as this goes, i was very happy. The chunky prawns and sweet seafood broth were held perfectly in that translucent skin. Give the Steamed Scallop Dumpling with Abalone ($9.80) a miss unless you are into super bland dumplings that well.. don't taste much of anything.

I love my traditional Cantonese carrot cake and this Wok-Fried Carrot Cake in X.O. sauce ($9.80) was super addictive. It's even better when you eat it with the housemade chili paste. 

Something special to order at Kai Garden is the Pan-fried Pork Dumpling ($8.80 for 4pcs) 烧卖. These are giant bites of chunky minced pork topped with ebiko. Honestly i would go with steamed because the wanton skin isn't exactly best prepared pan fried and the crust turned out to be a little dry. Well i guess maybe the photo opp makes up for it? Hur.

Chef does the char siew super well btw. The dark charred honey BBQ meat had gorgeous layers of rendered fats, plus the meat was simply tender! Is this the best char siew in Singapore??! 

I also cannot stop raving about the stellar Baked BBQ Honey Pork Pastry ($5.60 for 3pcs) 叉烧酥. That buttery pastry was so thin, flaky, and crunchy, which I found unbelievably good! Of course, it was packed with all the char siew (less fats in this one). It's been a while since i last had such delicious char siew sor. 

If you need something to warm your belly, have the umami Double-boiled Lobster Soup with Dumpling ($14.80).

On to the sweets! Make space for the Mini Egg Tarts ($4.80 for 3pcs)! This super wobbly egg pudding sits within a thin crispy pastry shell which is almost a shortcrust. Yummy!

Kai Garden's other sweet dimsum signature is the Steamed Custard Bun ($5.80 for 4pcs) or Liu Sha Bao. I liked the viscosity of the golden lava but found it to be a tad sweet. Balance that and up the notch of the saltiness and this would be a bigger hit.

My other sweet favorites include the Chilled Aloe Vera and Lemongrass Jelly ($6.80) and Chilled Coconut Puree ($6.80). Both of them provide a cold and refreshing end to the meal. 

Kai Garden is a great addition to my dimsum list with some really stellar hits that i would die for. Will definitely be back!

Kai Garden

#03-128A/B Marina Square

Raffles Boulevard Singapore 039594

Tel: +65 6250 4826

Weekdays: 11.30am - 3.30pm, 6 - 11pm

Weekends & PH: 11am - 4pm

Tian Fu Tea Room is my secret afternoon high tea dimsum spot. It's always an oasis of calm and serenity, perfect for contemplation and small talk over perfectly crafted nibbles paired with excellent Chinese teas. Of course, feel free to let your inner Chinese scholar/poet come out to play (we couldn't resist giving our best shot at some calligraphy).

There are 3 Tian Fu Tea Rooms at the PARKROYAL Hotels at Beach Road, Top of UOB Plaza, and Kitchener Road, each serving slightly different versions of the high tea. During this CNY period from now till 22 Feb 2016, a special Imperial Reunion High Tea is served from 2.30pm - 6pm daily for $38/pax (usual $30/pax). During this period, diners will enjoy an individual portion of Yusheng (yes even if you dine alone), with 9 other light bites (including a rice/noodle dish). Beach Road and Top of UOB plaza serves the crunchy and refreshing Prosperity Salmon Yusheng with crispy fish skin while Kitchener Road serves a Premium Black Truffle Yusheng!

Fine Chinese teas are paired with the dishes. We started with the Bai Mu Dan (White Tea) and then moved on to the Bi Tan Piao Xue (Flower Tea) with our spicier Sichuan dishes at the Beach Road outlet.

I really love the Chong Qing Chicken with Spicy Bean Paste! The ma la chili really whets the appetite and packs a punch. The Chilled Sliced Duck wrapped with Salted Egg helped to balance that spiciness but honestly you don't taste much of the duck.  

Some steamed dimsum bites with the chunky Sliced Prawn in Black Bean Sauce and Steamed Fish Balls with Black Moss, both of which I thought were well made but on the bland side. Somehow they were missing the fresh seafood flavor as the fish paste used in both were a little starchy.

We loved the Pan-fried Glutinous Pancake with Minced Camphor Tea Smoked Duck. This was an expected savory mochi with a dark saucy minced duck filling. 

Behold the paper thin crispy layers of pastry! Give me more of that Deep-fried Radish Puff with Dried Scallop. I was mind blown by how that thin puff could hold all that juicy disintegrated radish. We followed the fried dishes with a Dong Ding Wu Long (Oolong Tea), which is said to cleanse our palate (not that the dishes were any oily).

As much as i tried to avoid carbs, i finished every single grain of the fluffy and fragrant Fried Rice with Waxed Meat and Matsutake Mushrooms. This was amazingly good as the rice seemed more steamed than stir fried actually and had the lingering earthy scent of the lotus leaf and prized Matsutake mushrooms.

I'm a new fan of fried nian gao and Tian Fu Tea Room's version in a flaky and crunchy Honey Glazed Pastry Puff was a stellar rendition of this traditional sweet. 

We've had way many Liu Sha Baos but this was the first super deep-fried one in a slightly mochi like skin. It was artery-cloggingly delicious but we had to drain some of the oil out of the one for fear of a heart attack while finishing this.

If you're up for more traditional dimsum sort, you may want to check out the Kitchener and UOB Plaza outlets. There is the ongoing UOB card promotion- 1 dines free with 3 paying guests. Time to get your lo hei going!

Si Chuan Dou Hua Restaurant
PARKROYAL on Beach Road
7500 Beach Road, Singapore 199591
Tel: +65 6428 3170

PARKROYAL on Kitchener Road
181 Kitchener Road, Singapore 208533
Tel: +65 6428 3170

TOP of UOB Plaza
80 Raffles Place #60-01, UOB Plaza 1, Singapore 048624
Tel: +65 6535 6006

Daily: 11.30am - 10.30pm
High Tea: 2:30 - 6:30pm

Farther off Robertson Quay is Rodyk Street, which was for a bit, a hipster spot (thanks to Toby's Estate). Even though i used to frequent this spot, i've not noticed Verre, formerly a wine bar hidden behind dark and heavy drapes. Thankfully, after a relaunch, Verre Modern Bistro and Wine Bar has lost all that darkness and brought light, and great food to its mix. 

The new direction cannot be a better choice really. With their expertise in wine (they have over 750 labels of fine wine mainly from Bordeaux and Burgundy), Verre is able to provide great pairings with their Modern French dishes created by Chef Consultant Masashi Horiuchi (who also manages Shelter in the Woods). We had an extensive night of food and wine pairings, something easily done since one could have over 30 wines by the glass with your food choice.

A good start to a meal at Verre would be the creamy Chicken Liver Parfait ($24) paired with a reduction of port wine, madeira wine shallot, balanced with a tangy mandarin orange jelly and a dehydrated honeycomb-like mandarin orange. This was paired with a dry lemon lime Paringa Estate Riesling 2012 ($19.50). 

The Half Lobster Salad ($38) features a sweet Maine lobster cooked in court bouillon, with a creamy guacamole and a refreshing calamansi and honey dressing. I would order this dish for the sweet and tangy dressing! The wine pairing was the Stick Chardonnay 2013 ($18) with flavors of grapefruit, white peach, citrus and oak spice.

I enjoy fine dining, dishes plated like art, and deep conversations over a good red. But sometimes, raucous-energetic-casual is the perfect way to let loose and unwind, with small plates and bites, plus tipples (always). Missing the open air Fukuoka yatais and smoky izakayas in Nagoya, we headed to Uma Uma at its latest location on the Japanese Food Street at Millenia Walk. Here, we kicked back with grilled Yakitori and Kushikatsu,  cocktails and drinks by Horse’s Mouth and Hakata-styled ramen from Uma Uma Ramen.

It really felt like we walked into a Hakata izakaya at Uma Uma, with its slightly crampish seating, long bar/ramen counter and warm Japanese hospitality. Orders were placed swiftly, so that the a la minute sticks with homemade sauces (created by Head Chef, Shota Kaneko) would arrive quickly.  

Ingredients are imported twice weekly from Japan and the quality is best presented through grilling. My favorite Yakitori sticks are the Tsukune (chicken balls with soft bone) which was juicy with some crunch! All resolve to eat healthy will obliterate with a stick (or 2) of that crispy and sweet grilled chicken skin! How did i resist this for so long?! The Butabura (Pork Belly) and chicken thigh were a tad dry-ish and bland for my liking. And obviously I'm not a fan the bland soft bone. All Yakitori sticks are priced between $2 - 3 each.

If you're young and strong and are in for some fun and play in your yoga practice, then Vikasa Yoga Retreat Koh Samui will be perfect for you. This cliff side 'resort' will give you a stair master workout, which i think is great for that perky butt (werk it girls and boys) but may be pretty straining for some but hey, that's why you're going to a retreat right? 

After focusing on my Ashtanga practice for a week at Samahita Retreat (read review here), i shifted over to Vikasa Yoga Retreat (because i didn't want to leave Samui and so i extended my stay). Vikasa is a depart from the quietness that is Samahita. Read on to find out the difference. 

A quick run down on how to get to Vikasa Yoga and what to do. 

Step 1: Book a room

Morning Ashtanga self practice instead of Meditation class

Vikasa is an all inclusive yoga retreat, which means that you only need to pick your choice of accommodation, and you'll get access to all the group yoga classes conducted, facilities, and 2 daily buffet meals. Creatures of comfort should go with the Superior Ocean View Rooms (the ones facing the pool, near the Big Shala, are the best). Also, they are slightly nearer to the top, which means slightly fewer steps, but it guarantees you a nice ass still. Somehow i didn't book that one and i ended up in a less inferior standard Ocean Room (with balcony and semi outdoor shower). BAH. 

My semi outdoor shower, which i shared with my pet lizard which terrorized me every night. Where is the bathtub that i was promised?! 

The Zen bungalows

The Beach Bungalows are kinda really far out and i think the steps are pretty jagged and dangerous especially when navigating around at night. If you're a fan of A Bug's Life, then the Zen Bungalow would be your thing. College backpacker type can go for the Yoga Caves, which are essentially cubes with shared shower facilities. 

Step 2: Go for yoga classes

With 4- 5 classes a day which includes a meditation class every morning and a mix of powerful vinyasa and restorative yin kind of classes, there will be a class suitable for any yogi, from first timers to more advanced practitioners. I enjoyed the guided practice after all that Mysore at Samahita (though i did continue with my own Ashtanga practice on top of the Vikasa classes). Manduka mats are provided at each of the 3 outdoor shalas and they're pretty new and clean (yogis clean them using sanitizing spray after every class). Be covered in strong insect repellent or let the mosquitoes test your yogic concentration. Oh they bit through my Liquido leggings. Yea. If you're looking at becoming a yoga teacher, Vikasa provides a 200 hour Yoga Alliance certification. The crowd? It's mostly 20ish Caucasians looking to have fun, and maybe some purpose in life. 

Teachers wise, George and Alisa were great! Both are strong teachers and give tough classes but both are friendly, positive and humble. I was amazed at myself for completing the effortless transition from bhujanbikasana, flying crane, to bakasana, held it there and then jump back to chaturanga during the Vikasa class with Alisa. 

George also does a really fun acro yoga class if you managed to try it. I certainly had fun being spun around. It's all about building trust here- trust that your base doesn't drop you, and that your spotters will catch you when you do. For an interesting class, try Simon, a trippy yin yoga dude with a British sense of humor. Sergio did a great guided meditation and i felt myself focusing despite my horrible attention span. 

Step 3: Eat

I was rewarded with healthy tasting food at breakfast and dinner (both included in the per night price). Buffet style is done here and maybe i did overeat a little but hey, it's all vegetables and clean stuff which were mostly vegetarian with vegan options. 

Breakfast favorites were the muesli, chia seed pudding, mashed pumpkin (because i love), crepes with some of that yummy maca chocolate sauce. 

Dinner is a huge amazing spread with 1 seafood (fish/squid) option and 1 serving of dessert (they dont't give seconds). I could not resist that zucchini noodles with pesto sauce, edamame beans, thai stir fry zucchinis and the sourish cold rice vermiceilli. Be prepared to eat very well. 

Between meals, if you feel snacky, the Vikasa cafe is a great place to lounge and grab some juices, smoothies, and energy balls (those were amazing). Fuller options like burritos, salads, and Thai food are available too. 

Step 4: Chill

There may not be a nice flat sandy beach, but you can lie on the flat rocks if you want to. The view is quite spectacular and it's possible to swim (if you're a strong swimmer). That or laze by the gorgeous infinity pool. You know it's the perfect place to strike your yoga pose in that IG photo because they even have blocks for you to balance on. Yea...

The spa is pretty amazing too with great ocean views by its cliff side location. It's super private as well. I enjoyed my Deep Tissue massage and they even have a special Thai Yoga Massage created specially for yogis. 

Step 5: Repeat

I can definitely do this all day err day man. Of course, you can also get out of the retreat to one of those night markets, just so you can say that you actually visited Koh Samui. The convenient location of Vikasa makes it easy to get to Lamai or Chawang Beach on a tuk tuk or taxi. 

A tip for you on getting to and from Vikasa from the airport. The taxi/minivan service (approx THB200/way) is much cheaper than the Vikasa transport (THB500/way) so you may want to consider that if the timing is right. 

Friends have asked which yoga retreat i preferred. Well.. I liked both actually so it really depends on whether you prefer variety (Vikasa) or serenity (and the punishing Ashtanga- Samahita). But whatever it is, Koh Samui is definitely another yogi heaven.

Vikasa Yoga Retreat Koh Samui

211 Bontji Moo 4 Koh Samui 84310, Thailand
Phone:+66 77 422 232

There's no better way to catch up with my girls than over coffee and brunch and we headed to Populus Coffee and Food Co. at Neil Road. The sister of Department of Caffeine is pretty new to the cafe scene but they are already drawing a crowd (do make a reservation to avoid the wait). 

Coffee is actually a focus here and they even have 3 different blends of espresso- Monolith (comforting and reassuring), Caldera (upligting and refreshing), and Duxton Vice (cheeky and adventurous). It's obvious which i chose! No doubt which i am. Coffee is priced from $4.50. Filter coffee of African origins are available too. My iced mocha was more milky than anything and i couldn't taste the coffee even though the chocolate wasn't sweet. 

A brunch hit is the Populus Scrambled ($18) which features eggs with fresh herb melange, marinated feta, and streaky bacon on top of a toasted croissant. The eggs could have been more runny. These were a little more cooked than i like but at least it didn't soak the flaky and buttery croissant. The bacon could do with more browning though. It's a decent brunch option however.

Perfect sweet mornings would begin with the Baked Pistachio French Toast ($19). Well this is actually a candy crusted brioche bread pudding with red wine poached pears, lemon curd, yuzu mascarpone, pistachio crumb, thyme infused pure maple syrup and flowers. Loved the moist fruit chunks (probably apple and pear) in the soggy-ish brioche, complemented with cornflakes bits.

The Buckwheat Pancake ($20.50) in a skillet could be described as a thick pancake or a flat fluffy cake, which wasn't too dry but it wasn't moist either. It was just.. undecided? Likewise, I couldn't decide if i liked this or not. It was simply a canvas for that tangy berry fruit compote, passionfruit curd, and cornflake crumb. It also felt like they kept reusing the same ingredients in the Pistachio French Toast. In fact, we saw many common elements in our dishes. Share this. I imagine I'd get sick of it after a bit.

For something that contrasts with your other dishes, perhaps go with the Harissa Baked Eggs ($19) with sumac! The Moroccan heartiness with spicy harissa chicken sausage would certainly brighten your weekend.

For something more lunchy, go with the grain bowls which use a base of quinoa, Bulgar wheat and pearl barley, like the savory Pulled Pork Grain Bowl ($18). I thought it was a seemingly Asian dish with the pickled cabbage apple slaw and furikake though the preparation and ingredients used were more Mediterranean. 

Our surprise birthday desserts were the Dark Chocolate Sundae ($13) and the Earl Grey Chocolate Cake. I was surprised by the rich flavor of the chocolate ice cream even though it had a very light texture. It's a return of the common ingredients of curd, berries puree, cornflakes, yada yada yada which got really old by the end of the meal. The cake sponge in the mix was meh at best.

Give me something no frills like the Earl Grey Chocolate slice anytime. Loved the intense earl grey flavor and it had the dense brownie type of texture. 

The Populus Coffee & Food Co. certainly gives its neighbor, The Lokal, a run for their money. Well more options for us i guess. I think i prefer this. 

The Populus Coffee & Food Co.

146 Neil Rd Singapore 088875

Tel: +65 6635 8420

Daily 10am - 7pm