The burgeoning cocktail scene in Singapore has provided us ladies (and many boys) with the hippest and coolest watering holes where we see those who wished to be seen. L'Aiglon, the latest offering, and an extremely attractive one, is gonna be where the party is. Owner Pierre-Emmanuel Plassart drew his inspiration from the golden ages of luxury travel when he designed L'Aiglon and this gem at 69 Neil Road absolutely embodies all that glamor.

We started our night with some delicious bubbly. Introducing the J.M. Labruyère Cuvée Tradition ($24/$110). There are only 60,000 bottles in the world and L'Aiglon is the only bar in the world that carries it. Really smooth.

Our drinks were prepared by the dashing world-class bartender Louis Tan, who recently won the qualifying round for the Diageo Reserve World Class 2014. If you find him familiar, he was the ex Head Bartender at Horse's Mouth.

A must try and my top favorite poison is the Screaming Tomatoes ($22). This is the wickedly seductive sister of the Bloody Mary. Made from fresh French cherry tomatoes with a bouquet of herbs, the flavor profile is peppery and savory; a spiked gazpacho. Vodka is used in this one.

If you fancy an adult's chai tea, then At World's End ($20) would be your choice. I'm not too much a fan of cinnamon so this wasn't really my cup of tea.

The other favorite of mine is the Tiger Tail Sour ($18), a sweet fruity and fun cocktail. I can see myself drinking this all night. It's full of Vit C too, made from fresh passionfruit, pineapple and lemon and topped with Rum. Glurps.

The French 69 ($22) is essentially the Champagne Labryère with gin and fresh lemon juice. Something light and refreshing if you like.

Well apart from the drinks, i must say that the snacks here are pretty amazing. Perfect finger food, similar price tags to my other favorite bar 28 Hong Kong. The Signature Pep's Chicken Mini burger (3 for $14) came with nicely toasted crunchy buns which sandwiched the juicy and well marinated chicken patty. Other signatures to look out for are the Obsiblue Tartare with ginger flower and lime caviar ($18) and the Smoked Salmon Maki ($14). 

We couldn't get enough of the Crab cakes ($14) with curry salsa and Granny Smith. The flavors kinda explode with each bite; it's a bit of that creaminess, with a hint of spice, some acidity from the apples and the savory crab meat. Drools. The Gent's chicken samosa (3 for $12) pales in comparison. 

So here you go, L'Aiglon, what is probably going to be the hottest thing on the cocktail scene in Singapore.

L'Aiglon
69 Neil Road
Mon - Sat: 5pm - 2am

The revival of Ann Siang Hill, with its smorgasbord of restaurants, have brought gleeful smiles to the hungry diners. One of the hottest restaurants is Lolla and i'm sure many of you have already heard/seen their signature Sea Urchin Pudding making its rounds on Instagram and Facebook.

A long overdue catch up session with B provided an opportunity to check out this small but uber hip tapas bar. Reservations were made but it was only for the communal table in the basement. Thankfully we were early (7pm on a Wed) and managed to score seats at the most coveted spot in the restaurant- the 13-seat zinc-topped bar counter (walk ins only, except for lunch).

My love for food goes beyond what is presented on the plates and i love watching how my food is prepared. Food voyeurism is not a bad thing in this case. The lighting is also perfect for the droolicious pictures that you are about to feast on.

The tapas dishes are a fusion of European and Japanese flavors. Portions are on the small side for some dishes but give yourself time (and tummy space) to decide and order along the way. B and i ordered the following to share.

Sea Urchin Pudding ($19/half portion) is a must order. This is a rich, creamy, sweet and savory ink pudding adorned with tongues of creamy raw sea urchin. This 3 inch ramekin, though minute, is packed with decadent breakfast flavors. It is made from squid ink, egg yolks, cream and tomato sauce. The taste can get quite overpowering and we spent the whole night nursing it in between the other dishes. We can't fathom how people can even finish a half portion on their own.

The Duck Rillettes ($15) came with nicely toasted baguette. This was probably the greatest (and only) disappointment of the meal dry. The meat was dry and lacking in the creamy and savory flavor of duck fats. The meat was also too minced up and it resembled canned tuna when served. We left it much untouched.  

Another must order is the Scrambled eggs with Bottarga di Muggine ($22). We could taste every bit of the TLC Chef put into it. He stood there over the low fire and did not stop stirring for a good 3-5 minutes. Well, the results speak for itself.

Just look at that velvety luscious texture. This is certainly the best scrambled eggs that i've had in my life. The sweetish briny flavors of the Bottarga di Muggine (salted, pressed and dried roe of gray mullet) brought the dish to the next level.

Instead of following the crowd and ordering the Grass fed Ribeye ($52), we opted for the Lamb cutlets ($28). This is by no means less inferior and turned out to be the highlight of our meal. The lamb is first seared and then finished in the oven, simply seasoned with salt and herbs and served in its own jus but oh that crust and oh that juicy tender meat. And i'm not even a lamb fan (i only have a weakness for lambskin). The dish is rather small, i wouldn't recommend sharing if you're not ordering many dishes.

Dinner concluded on a high (from the sweetness) with the Steamed Dark Chocolate Pudding ($15). There is so much of that rich chocolate sauce with dark chocolate chunks on top of the cake. I thought the cake was a little dry that night though. Ice cream comes with real vanilla beans (i expect nothing less) but the flavors didn't quite pop. Nonetheless, a nice dessert to end the night. 

Lolla is certainly going on my favorites list. B, who didn't have a good impression of Lolla, became a convert after this meal. All thanks to my stellar taste in food no doubt. Our bill was only $110 because we weren't up for more eating and drinks weren't included.

You definitely have to check Lolla out if you haven't!

Lolla
22 Ann Siang Road, Singapore
Tel: +65 6423 1228
Mon-Sat: 12pm - 2pm, 6pm - 12am

Mouth Restaurant was first established in the 80s in Chinatown Point and is known for its well made Cantonese Dim Sum. The tea house, which originally served delicate pieces of steamed dumplings, has gone on to provide more cooked dishes at its current China Square Central and Plaza Singapura outlets in Singapore.

We went in search of some Salted Egg Yolk Custard buns, which Mouth Restaurant is famous for.

Managed to snag a table for dim sum on Saturday noon. We were lucky to get a table despite the last minute reservation.

Century Egg and Shredded Pork Porridge is one of my standard dimsum order. Nice gluey texture of the congee with generous amount of pork. 4 of us shared a portion in order to make space for more food.

Shanghai Xiao Long Bao, Har Gao (Steamed Prawn Dumplings), and Spare Ribs in garlic and chili. All great dishes. The Xiao Long Bao skin was sufficiently thin and encased the juicy pork meat in a robust broth. Har Gao was big, fresh and juicy (i can never resist prawns). The ribs were well marinated and flavorful as well. 

Mouth Restaurant also offers Colored Har Gao instead of the typical Colored Xiao Long Bao and they are Squid Ink, Spinach, Sweet Potato, Pumpkin, Carrot and Original.

More prawn filled dumplings but this is wrapped with wanton skin and deep fried. Love the contrasting textures.

The Pan Fried Carrot Cake (another of my favorite dim sum item) was nicely browned and lightly crisp on the outside. The springy texture is just what i look for in a good carrot cake. Oh and the delicious strips of turnip and preserved Chinese sausages (lup cheong) had me finish most of this myself.

The Steamed Rice Roll with Fresh Prawn aka Cheong Fun was alright. It's not that they weren't good, the skin was silky but perhaps thicker than what i prefer. Prawns were great as usual but the sauce was a little bland in my opinion. 
Now now, the reason why we went to Mouth Restaurant. Here's the baked Salted Egg Yolk Bun (3pcs per set) Mind you, they run out fast. Just look at that lovely Hong Kong Bo Lo crust made from sugar, butter and milk powder. It's hard to believe that this is baked because the crust is so crunchy.

Be careful how you bite into the bun. Be warned that the piping viscous, creamy, savory and sweet lava may just erupt in your mouth and potentially over your plate, and shirt, and your fellow diners' shirts. It may be a little on the greasy end but the flavor was spot on.

A pork belly craving had us ordering a portion of meat, which was terribly unsatisfying. The meat was sorely lacking in flavors. Just stick to the dim sum.

Head on to Mouth Restaurant for a classic dim sum fix this weekend! Forgot the prices but it was about S$75 for 4 pax. 

Mouth Restaurant
China Square Central #01-61, 18 Cross St.

(just under the bridge that links to Hong Lim Complex, facing DBS bank)
Tel: +65 6438 5798
Weekdays: 11.30am - 3pm, 6pm - 10pm
Weekend &PH: 10am - 4pm, 6pm - 10pm

68 Orchard Road, #02-01 Plaza Singapura
Tel: +65 63377446

Weekdays: 11.30am - 10pm
Weekend & PH: 10am - 10pm

The girls and i went on a little getaway some time back. Due to the limited time had, we could only manage a quick escapade to Batam, where we checked out the No. 1 resort, Tempat Senang Boutique Spa and Resort.

The resort is a quick 45 minutes away from Singapore in the Indah Puri Sekupang enclave. We were promptly picked up and ushered onto our private transfer and within minutes, we stepped into the lush gardens of Tempat Senang. Love the tranquility and peace of the surroundings. TS doesn't allow guests below 15 so it's rather perfect for an adult getaway. 

Even though I knew there were only 13 themed room and suites, I was kinda expecting a larger set up with bigger communal spaces. There were 3 mini pools around the resort, and by mini, i mean that 5 (maybe 6) would be a crowd in the pool. The above picture shows the largest pool of the lot, which is located next to the restaurant. 

Prior to booking the suites, we had a hard time deciding on which themed room we wanted. Our top choice was the Thai Room (2-4pax), which has a private Turkish Fish Spa in the room with a stone terrace. The Abu Dhabi Harem Suite also looked really exotic and has a private terrace that looks out to the golf course. Well sadly, these were unavailable and we settled for the Javanese Joglo Suite which came with 2 King Sized beds, one of which is in a little room of its own.

Really cosy isn't it?

Our 4 poster king sized bed was very comfortable too and the nets kept the mosquitoes from biting us.

The room is rather large, with a small sitting area as shown above and another bigger one where we hung out over Moscato, snacks and movies. There is also a front porch with table and chairs. The room is on the dim side though the toilet is very well lit. Be prepared for some visitors e.g. lizards, bugs and the likes as we've been told they are rather eco-friendly. We were visited by a little mouse who came in through the roof and played hide and seek with us on the beams. We just let it be and it left shortly (we hoped).

Other than catering for groups, Tempat Senang also provides a solo traveler package in their Standard themed China Room and it costs from S$235 nett/pax for 2D1N stay.

Included in the price for the overnight stay is a 3 hour spa session for each guest. You can customize your own spa session from the variety of treatments available. We did a variety of facial, hair spa, massage, scrubs and wraps. The massage was truly relaxing and before we knew it, it was time for dinner.

Dinner was served on the open-air terrace restaurant which offers a range of traditional Indonesian, Western, and Thai dishes. We had the Beer Can Chicken for 2 (S$49), a 1.6kg chicken placed over a can and baked on the BBQ. Sadly it was bland and a little on the dry side. This was served with a huge side of mash potatoes.
The Nasi Campur for 2 ($49) was delicious and more traditionally Indonesian. Well marinated and tender Beef rendang, Gado gado, Lumpia, Satay, kaffir lime chicken, fish fillet, acar, emping crackers and rice. This more than enough made up for the tasteless chicken.

Make sure you bring your own entertainment and snacks. While there is a collection of pirated DVDs available, it can get quite boring. Remember that you're kinda in the outback and there aren't shopping centers or restaurants around. The snacks selection from the 'convenience' store is also miserable and the kitchen closes at 7.30pm.

Breakfast is provided and a small spread of local food is available. The nasi lemak had us going for seconds. An egg station provides guests with freshly cooked eggs.

The raisin brioche was superb with the honey and marmalade too!

If you wish to get some shopping done before heading home, get the open ferry ticket which allows you to arrive at Sekupang and depart from Batam Center. The transfer from the Resort to Batam Center will cost you S$10. Make sure you arrange for the return tickets with the Resort upon arrival. 

I wouldn't say that Tempat Senang Batam Resort is the most fantastic weekend getaway, i think i would have enjoyed Montigo Resorts much more (i prefer modern touches). But if you want to be closer to nature and just getting away from the crowd, Tempat Senang isn't a bad choice, just that it's a little pricy (but hey, spa is included). I wouldn't recommend a stay longer than 2D1N unless you are the bummer sort since there isn't a beach here.

The rates are as follows: 

Weekday (Mon - Thu) and Weekend (Fri - Sun, PH)

2D1N S$235/$259 nett per pax

3D2N $259/359 nett per pax

Prices are for 2-3pax in standard themed suite, upgrade at additional costs.

For 4pax or more, prices start from $204 in the bigger suites/apartments.

Tempat Senang
Indah Puri Sekupang,
Batam Indonesia
Tel: +62 778 325 616

Tim Ho Wan, a household dim sum name in Hong Kong and now Singapore, has had me standing in line and then surrendering and eating at some other Chinese restaurants several times due to the impossible lines. Read my review on the Hong Kong Tim Ho Wan here.

I finally sampled the Singapore version when we managed to score seats at the newly opened Bedok Mall during dinner time.

We started with some Century Egg Congee with lean pork and salted egg ($4.20). I didn't try this in Hong Kong but hello salted egg! The flavor of the silky smooth and thick congee was certainly enhanced by the salted egg. Delicious!

I've heard enough negative reviews on the baked bbq pork buns but i gotta try it for myself. First glance at the Baked Bun with BBQ Pork ($4.50) didn't leave a good impression already. It was pasty looking, nothing like that golden exterior of its hong kong sister. The bottom was oily and the bo lo crust wasn't milky nor crumbly enough. Kudos to that pillowy texture sandwiched between the meat and the upper crust, however, it wasn't good enough to cushion that shock i received from the char siew.

Upon splitting the csblb into halves, my immediate reaction was WTF? How is that char siew?! Artificial coloring could be seen from a mile away and instead of juicy meat, i bit into chunky fats. I simply had to ask the waitress if this was really the csblb. Such a disappointment.

The other standard Heavenly Kings include the Ma Lay Gao (Malay cake) a steamed cake with sugar. Honestly if you want steamed cake, you should just get it from any confectionery store. $3.80 per piece of cake is totally not worth the price. I gave the pan fried Carrot Cake and the Cheong Fun a miss this time since i wasn't overly impressed by them in Hong Kong.

Decided to taste the Beancurd Skin Roll with Pork and Shrimp ($4). It was saucy and savory but kinda lacking in the filling department.

The Har Gao or Prawn Dumplings ($5.50) were on the powdery. Instead of whole prawns, i believed they were filled with chopped up ones and it seems like fish/prawn paste were added to the mix. MEH.

The other dish that hits the mark was the Tonic Medlar and Osmanthus Cake ($3.50). It had the same intense flavors as the Hong Kong one and left us refreshed with its lingering fragrance. 

Overall, edible dimsum, not super fantastic. I've had better dimsum in Singapore really. I wouldn't mind eating it is there isn't a queue but if i were to wait 1h for this, i would surely be darn pissed. 

p/s: Heard that the Toa Payoh outlet serves the best dimsum out of the lot. Let me know what you think!

Tim Ho Wan

Jurong East #01-03/04

Bedok Mall #B1-51/52

Plaza Singapura #01-29A/52

Toa Payoh #02-02

I'm an Udon girl. Even when the ramen craze came and swept Singaporeans and foodies around the world off their feet, i remained faithful to my thick chewy white noodles. After I ate at one of those udon and tempura joints in Tokyo, I told S that udon would be the next big thing in Singapore. Of course he didn't believe me. Well now that Tamoya Udon has crossed over to our shores and gained a following, I'm making him eat his own words (or noodles).

Tamoya was established in the home of udon, Sanuki (now known as Kagawa) prefecture in 1996 by Sanuki udon champion, Tamotsu Kurokawa. The delicious Sanuki udon is hand-crafted from Tamoya's unique flour mixture (made from 3 different flour) to give it that extreme chewiness.

The ordering method is the same as the udon shops in Tokyo. First you pick the type of Hot or Cold udon you prefer. It comes in various version, Zaru style (cold, dry with dipping sauce), Kama-age (Hot Al dente, dry with dipping sauce), Kake (Special "Golden dashi broth"), Sanuki (thick soya sauce broth). Meat toppings and Curry options are available too. After which, move down the counter to pick up your choice of tempura, pay and there you have it, a cheap and delicious meal. Prices are nett. There's no service charge or GST. :)

The udon starts from $4.80 for a regular portion. There's quite a bit of noodles in this one. A large bowl of noodles (from $6.80) is more than enough for sharing between S and i. I absolutely love the Cold Zaru Udon. It is so hard to find such QQ cold udon in Singapore! 

Hot Kake Udon ($4.80/6.80) in Golden Broth is also very delicious. It's a simple but a refreshing dashi stock. The hot udon is not as chewy as the cold one though.

Help yourself to the tempura batter, seaweed and preserved plum. But please don't be a cheapo and pile your bowl with them.

The tempura selection is rather limited compared to what i've seen in Japan. Vegetable tempura are from $1 and the ebi tempura is most expensive at $2.50 each.

The tempura isn't the most fantastic actually. The first time we tried it at the Clarke Quay Liang Court outlet, the tempura items were a little cold and the batter had lost its crunch. The prawn was a little powdery and unlike the typical crystal version that is usually used in Japanese ebi tempura. The fried chicken ($2) was flavorful and well marinated though. The Chinatown Point outlet fared better imo.

Tamoya, best value for money and uber delicious udon. This is definitely where i'm heading everytime i have an udon craving. Endorsed by the many Japanese i see digging into the noodles at Liang Court. Check it out if you haven't!

Tamoya Udon

133 New bridge road B1-48/49 Chinatown Point
177 River Valley Road #01-32, Liang Court Shopping Center
Daily: 11am - 9.30pm

I love Ho Chi Minh City. I love the laid back vibe, the strong coffee, the cheap local food and really affordable and delicious French food. I like that there is nothing much to do or see (in terms of tourist attractions). Roaming the streets aimlessly and chilling out at cafes is my kinda traveling.

If all you want to do is escape for a bit, 48 hours is just about perfect for HCMC or Saigon as most affectionately know it as (provided you skip the touristy Cu Chi Tunnel). So here's my perfect Saigon weekend escapade itinerary. 

Here's the flight plan. Jetstar has the best timing to HCMC (budget is perfectly fine for a 2h flight). Depart Friday night out of SIN at 7.35pm and take the return on Sunday night 9.15pm flight home. You'll reach Singapore slightly past midnight but it's perfectly ok! Nothing like a strong coffee to keep you up on Monday right?

Our choice of luggage- Rimowa and rimowa mini!

Pack light. You may need to leave from the office. You only need a hand carry since there's not much shopping to be done (unless you're interested in knockoffs at Ben Thanh Market, which i disapprove.). Check into your choice of hotel in District 1, a 30min cab ride away from the airport. The backpackers' area near the Market has many cheap but comfortable options e.g. Beautiful Saigon (about 25usd/night) and the likes. Grand Silverland Spa is also not bad too (love their freshly prepared pho at breakfast). Or if you'd rather the Dong Khoi area, Oscar Saigon is comfortable and they have yummy croissants at breakfast. And of course there are the more expensive ones like Park Hyatt, InterContinental, Nikko etc.

Put down the bags and head out for supper. Tuck into a bowl of piping hot and savory Pho Bo at Pho Quynh 323 Pham Ngu Lao, an unpretentious hawker stall that is recommended by the locals. I find it better than the chain pho stores e.g. Pho 24, Pho 2000 etc.