Ms Skinnyfat

A Food & Travel Blog from Singapore

Pretty unicorn hair comes at a cost, that means bleached, dry, and unmanageable hair. But i'm always well taken care of at Silkcut Salon. Wendy always prescribes a hair treatment (or 2) to go with any chemical coloring. And most recently, I tried the brand new Kerasilk Keratin treatment to smooth this mess! 
That's the after of course. Now let's take a look at the before! 
Actually my hair doesn't look this bad. This is the post-hot-yoga-pre-hairwash look, hence the maximum fuzziness. 
Don't cry for Meat Argentina. The truth is... Argentinean cuisine is more than just meat. In fact over at Bochinche, chef Diego Jacquet will expose you to the bold Argentinean flavors with quality seafood, cheese, and greens, other than meats.
The ideal start to a night includes a round of drinks with with the small plates. With the daily Happy Hour on from 5.30 - 7.30pm (wines and cocktails go for $10), you know dinner is off to a good start. Go with the refreshing Mr Hendricks ($19), a classic lemony cucumber cocktail; or shake things up a little with Spicy Lolita ($19) made using a house spiced vodka. Argentinean wines are available too and I highly recommended the smooth and full bodied Cadena 2012 Mendoza Malbec.
Be there on Wednesdays at HH and you'll get the delicious Provoleta with Almond and Oregano honey ($17) free with 1 HH drink! You know where you'll find me on Wednesdays!
That salty sweet baked cheese is best complemented with the Iberico Cold Cuts ($22) which have been cured for 30 months (my favorite is the lomo). I would also have some of Chef's special salted butter (which he makes in small batches each day). If you miss that, the olive oil is amazing too with the Rosemary focaccia and ham.
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've not gone without colored hair since i was 18 (oh but that was just a couple of years back HAHA). Anyway, with all that chemical treatment, the only way to keep my tresses strong and healthy is with lots of hair treatment! I was introduced to the latest Olaplex hair repair treatment by Silkcut Salon and Geri informed that this treatment is taking the hair community by storm (especially in Hollywood)! If you have bleached hair, this is definitely the best treatment for you. 
Well, for me, since i color my hair so often (once in 2 months), it's good to know that Olaplex can be mixed in with the coloring products to minimize the damage to my hair. It can also be used as a separate treatment if you don't color your hair.
Other than making your hair stronger and healthier, Olaplex also makes the color last longer. 
This treatment is compatible with all hair types from virgin to extremely compromised chemically treated hair.
A second step is added after coloring for additional repair and strengthening. 
Look at that shine and bounce! 
It is recommended that you take home the Olaplex No. 3 Hair Perfector for continued use at home. Even after all that sun and sea in Koh Samui, my bleached hair ends are still pretty strong and not frayed as usual. You can check out this treatment at Silkcut Salon and the price starts from $80. I'm gonna head back soon for another treatment. :)


22 Havelock Road #01-693, Singapore 160022
Tel: +65 6275 6108
Weekdays: 11am - 8pm
Weekends and PH: 11am - 7pm
I would fly anywhere for food (sorta) but currently there isn't much of a need to with Citibank's $100Gourmet. Since April 2015, Citibank has been bringing in the foreign star chefs to Singapore and toying with creative collaborative cuisine with our local stars every month. From now till April 2016, there would be one visiting chef working in partnership with two major Singaporean restaurants to present inventive menus at a special  price of $100++ for Citibank cardmembers. 
A 6 course menu is presented over a period of 6-8 days and seats are super limited. We were lucky to bag a table for the month of July and had the dinner by Nick Bril (The Jane Antwerp, Belgium) and Takuma Seki (IKYU).

"If it aint broke, don't fix it. Don't reinvent the wheel." Those were the thoughts that ran through my head as i sat through the preview of The Fabulous Baker Boy's new dinner menu. If only Juwanda were to stick to his brunch fare and cakes, I'm pretty sure people would love to have that for dinner as well (read my previous review here)..
Let's start with my favorite part of the meal- the cakes. TFBB is known for their cakes and while there were hits and misses (Green Tea Praline was too dry, Red Velvet a tad sweet), the latest addition, the Pam D'OR stole the limelight. This cake was created in honor of Juwanda's muse, actress Pamela Oei, a dear friend of his. 
What's better than sticky date pudding? A sticky date cake sandwiched with layers of butterscotch and cream cheese. Oh brown sugar, latte butter cream, and Valrhona chocolate. This cake wouldn't always be available in store but i think it should be made a staple. A 3kg 9" cake will set you back by $105 and each slice is $10. Love this one!
Back to the dinner menu, skip the salads and starters as they are quite blah. The Almond Encrusted Salmon with a mango hollandaise ($22) had several decent elements, such as the fragrant fat-free mango hollandaise sauce that had just a hint of sweetness. The salmon was a little overcooked but still palatable and would certainly do well with more sauce. The contrasting textures could be enhanced with a creamier spinach rather than one that looked like it came through the cold pressed machine but the flavor of the veg was on point.
I thought the Duck Confit ($21) was regular and by regular i do mean that it's not too bad. One of the more flavorful dishes of the night and the plus points were that it was fork tender and not too dry. I liked the cranberry plum compote that accompanied the duck.
Steak Frites ($25) 230g NZ grass fed sirloin, grilled on the griddle, dressed with mushrooms and caramelised onions and the horrible fries. No comments on this one as it was forgettable. The fries were just horrid i can't even begin to describe them (gosh the oil).
Serious room for improvement in the Fish Burger ($14.50). The components that i liked about this dish don't maketh a burger- the tangy Siracha tartar sauce, hint of curry leaves in the batter and the buttery billowing brioche. The batter needs to be WAAAY thinner and the fish needs more flavor on its own. Comes with the same horrible fries. 
The bastardized Fried Chicken & Waffles ($21) which was served with a half chicken. The horrors!!! Always chicken fillet. ONLY chicken fillet. I didn't like this dish due to the super hard and dense waffle and the overdose of syrup on this one (it was already drenched when served). TFBB definitely needs to work this one out man. That said, the meat was sufficiently moist though the buttermilk flavor could be enhanced.
Well well, that's my honest take on TFBB's dinner menu. Honestly i'm pretty certain customers would be happy with an all day brunch menu here with some heartier options. I do hope they work things the kinks out for dinner. In the meantime, be glad that you can now enjoy a slice (or two) with the extended opening hours at TFBB! 
The Fabulous Baker Boy
The Foothills, 70 River Valley Road, #01-15, Singapore 179037 
Tel: +65 6694 8336/ 9729 8560 
Tues to Thu: 11am - 10pm 
Fri & Sat: 11am - 11pm 
Sun: 11am - 5pm 
The only reason why i'd want to go to a buffet would be for the sheer variety (must be quality item of course) but i wouldn't mind going for a crab buffet since the meal wouldn't be that heavy (so i thought). On that note, if you're a crab fan, then you should check out Brizo Restaurant & Bar at Park Hotel Clarke Quay as they are presenting their second run of ‘Crazier about Crabs’ Buffet from 1 April to 28 June 2015.

Ok I lied! This is really the last Chinese New Year post and I'm ending it with sweets from my all time fav Tiong Bahru Bakery. It's cny goods with a twist by French baker Gontran Cherrier with three localized creations to celebrate the Lunar New Year – the Pineapple and Coconut Tart; Orange and Chocolate Marble Cake; and Chocolate and Hazelnut Kouign Aman.

Festive season calls for a color update! I got a little sick of my ash hair which was looking kinda washed out. Ash is a wonderful cool color but it does turn yellow rather easily and one would look ashen and sallow and your hair may look dry as well. After a long discussion with the wonderful ladies at Silkcut Salon, Wendy and Geri finally decided on giving me some vibrant but healthy colors.
And I went back to being a red head! Just look at how vibrant the dye is.
Lots of work going on right there. Being pampered like a princess as always.
My head was on fire with that fiery engine red dye. What's life without some fun colors right? If you're wondering why the top was bunned up, well that's because it was gonna be purple on top! Of course it wouldn't take that long for the girls to come up with just plain old boring red. ;)
And as usual, hair care is a must following any dye job and Wendy recommended the Moistcare hair treatment. This treatment from Japan contains collagen and keratin to hydrate and strength the hair. The result? Shiny, glossy and super smooth and silky hair, just like in a shampoo ad. It was so satin-like and i cannot even bun my hair up because my hair tie kept slipping off! 
I love how Geri and Wendy did my hair with the darker purple top and the fire engine red under. Put it down for a slightly serious look at work and up for more fun the rest of the time. I already know that red  is a great complement to my skin tone and even Geri, who is extremely fond of cool colors, had to agree that this warm (more like hot) color is perfect for me. ;)
The purple has faded a bit and it looking a bit more strawberry on the top, but it still holds nicely at the ends. Be careful when you do reds because it will keep bleeding till it's completely gone so no white tops unless your hair is completely dry.
Thank you Silkcut Salon for the stellar hair work as usual. My friends have been raving about that insane hair color and molesting the smooth locks as well. I highly recommend the Moistcare hair treatment! It's only $115 for my hair length (super cheap!) and definitely something that i'll keep going back for.

So it's bright hair, bright skin (I use Derma-Rx products) and a brighter smile (thanks to Invisalign). On a side note, my Invisalign treatment has ended and I'm just waiting to do my refinement. Whee!

Time to get yourself ready for the hols! What's your prep strategy this holiday?

Silkcut Salon
22 Havelock Road #01-693, Singapore 160022
Tel: +65 6275 6108
Weekdays: 11am - 8pm
Weekends and PH: 11am - 7pm

There's a blazing fire that is out to turn up the heat on Hongkong Street and that is FOC Restaurant, a new Spanish dining concept and cocktail bar. FOC is an inspired collaboration between Michelin-starred Chef Nandu Jubany, Chef Jordi Noguera formerly from FoodBar Dada, and award-winning mixologist Dario Knox previously from Catalunya Restaurant. Yes it's a star studded team!
Expect a contemporary small plates menu with Catalan and Mediterranean influences, complemented by a selection of inventive cocktails. They even created a selection of Asian inspired tapas which were honestly pretty darn good.
Gazpacho de sandía con helado de aceite de oliva ahumado. Watermelon “Gazpacho” with charcoal smoked olive oil ice cream ($12). Light and tangy cold soup to awaken the taste buds. Love how the dish is kept cool with the olive oil ice cream!
Croquetas de setas. Mushroom croquettes ($8 for 4). There's something about breaded and fried mashed potatoes that have me ordering it over and over again and these were creamy with chunks of earthy mushrooms.
Coca de anchoas y escalivada, con queso Idiazabal. “Coca” with anchovies, charcoal grilled peppers, eggplant, spherical Idiazabal cheese ($16). This is great for vegetarians and meat eaters alike. I love the smokiness of these Nightshade but that kind of overpowered the cheese when you pop it in whole. It's a little pricey though.

Vieiras con caviar de soja. Scallops soy caviar ($20). It's scallops, and it's nicely seared and it's in a salty soy. There's really nothing else to it.
Pulpo a la gallega. Octopus Galician style, prepared with paprika, olive oil and potatoes ($22). I'm not a fan of octopus because it is rather flavorless and is easily rubbery. The pulpo at FOC is first sous vide so it's firm but not overly chewy and lightly spiced. I liked the potatoes more than the octopus though.
“Cansalada” confitada con pure de coliflor. Confited pork belly with cauliflower puree ($14/4pcs). Bland. Fatty. Bleah. Give me that cauliflower puree on its own.
Paella de arroz negro con mariscos y “all I oli”. Black Mediterranean “Paella” with seafood and garlic mayonnaise ($22). The rice was just right, done al dente of course. The rice tasted more sweet than salty, which took me by surprise on the first bite. Some salt please. I liked that there were generous chunks of squid mixed very nicely with the rice.
Cochifrito. Crispy Pork Taco ($14/2pcs). This is one of my favorites if not the top favorite dish. This is FOC’s take on the Mexican taco, and that crispy shell was too addictive. It's like a really awesome fried wanton skin filled with tender pulled pork. I really liked the crispy pulled pork. I didn't even mind the dou miao and I don't even like bean sprouts. Now could we have this in jumbo size or what?
Bocata de foie-gras a la brasa y shitake marinado. Grilled foie-gras with marinated shitake and green apple ($22/2pcs). Loved that broiche bun with a glossy blistered exterior. It was very crunchy and extremely buttery. Even though the foie gras was on the oily side, it had a nice creamy texture and i liked that the green apples added that tinge of tartness.
Chuletón a la brasa con guarnición. Grilled “Chuletón” beef steak with garnish ($35/150gm). Order if you really need your meats. It's tender and juicy but nothing spectacular. 
Espuma de Crema Catalana . “Crema Catalana” FOC Style ($12). Now this is like a Spanish creme brûlée with a distinct dulce de leche ice cream in the middle which was kinda icy. Nice sour strawberries break the monotony of the light foamy cream but still not quite my idea of desserts.

FOC Hamburguesa de chocolate
FOC chocolate burger ($12). Now here is one carefully crafted dessert burger made from white chocolate, vanilla mousse, strawberries and mint leaves. You should eat it all together for a balanced review of this dessert. The combined flavors of the smoky caramel, sweet milk chocolate and the tart strawberries were delightful. The cream in the 'bun' had a marshmallow texture too!

If you find the food a little too pricy, i'd suggest that you line your tummy somewhere else and then come here for drinks and some snacks anyway! The impressive and affordable drinks menu curated by Dario certainly gives 28 HongKong a run for their money plus there are available ALL DAY. Dario also started FOC’s own solera system to age a range of spirits and makes an extensive list of syrups, infusions and bitters.
The Madame Butterfly ($13) was a delicate like a rose with many house made ingredients e.g. lavender honey infusion and Floral Gin Blend N. Great drink for the ladies.
If you're for something refreshing, the Indochine Enchantée ($16) will cool any Singapore heat. Distinct passion fruit, mint, lime and honey could be tasted. If they could up the ginger flavor, the drink would be perfect.

If you want something with a kick (spice), then the Blacked Out in Bangkok ($13.50) would be your thing with the home made Lemongrass-Ginger-Cachaçz, Kaffir Lime Leaves Infusion and Chili Padi-Lemongrass Tincture. SPICY!
For Serious Drinkers, El Vermouth de Dali ($15.50) is a strong one. It's citrusy with a light bitterness and spice. You will also taste a hint of the smokiness.
I would recommend the bar counter for an interactive dining experience (only if it's just the 2 of you).
For bigger groups, i love the space at the further end of FOC Restaurant with double-height ceilings, a large skylight and three communal tables that seat up to eight diners each. Very cosy indeed.

Adding to my list of favorites for tapas and drinks. Will certainly be back with friends!

FOC Restaurant
40 Hongkong Street
Singapore 059679
Mon - Sat: 12pm - 2.30pm; 6 - 11pm
Cocktails and bar bites available all day