Looking for a dress for wedding or prom? Looking for something different and that has a low possibility of someone else having? Try Strut!
I got to know of Strut at the Yebber Fashion Fusion2 and I must say I was super excited! A pity I didn't have any upcoming event to shop for.. The dresses were so beautiful! Dresses at Strut are the-best for special ocassions, but some of them would be good for casual wear too.
I find that the designs at Strut are rather unique. Girls, that's important right? You don't wanna go to your prom and see another girl in the same dress as you. These dresses are design by a local designer and I find it really impressive!
However, I do find the dresses a little expensive. Unless I have a particular event to attend, I don't think I'd be shopping for dresses here. They are about 129 and 199 for the around-knee-length dresses and 299 for the super long dresses! Though they're really expensive, I do think that their long dresses are really elegant and short dresses really sweet!
When the time comes, I'd be searching for my prom dress at Strut!
(Their dresses can be found at CK Tangs or at Vivo Tangs!)
To be honest, I found the place pretty small when I first stepped in. Perhaps it was the impression formed from the empty space on the layout on paper that made me feel that the place was going to be much bigger. I did hear quite a few people complaining that the place was rather small, but as a customer, I actually felt it was good that at least there was ample space to walk! (Ok, other than when people who just enter decide to all stop at the same place to see the same stuff haha.)
I liked the variety of items that was provided to us. There were shoes, clothes and accessories, and that's basically all a girl needs! (Though I guess it would have attracted more crowd if there were more guys' stuff? Haha. But I think it's a trend or something, that it's always girls' stuff at bazaars like that.) If the items at one shop doesn't appeal to you, you can always go to another! I really liked that I had a few choices even for the same sort of stuff. Plus, I did find that the different price range was good in catering to different people. I noticed that some of the things there were pretty expensive. No doubt it was nice, but I could only browse most of the time. Some things were really expensive for a student who's out shopping on their own with friends, and as I noticed, there were many students who turned up. Fortunately, there were stalls like Dainty Damsels who provided these people with an alternative.
But one thing I'm definitely grateful for this FF2 is that I did most of my Christmas shopping there! Settled a few items in a day, at a really good price, on top of that, with another 15% discount! FF2 was like an avenue for nice and unique stuff that I could get for my friends without having to worry that it could be too common or something.. (or my friends won't accidentally stubble upon the shop and find out how much their gift costs.)
On the whole, I did enjoy myself at FF2! And it is definitely an improvement from the first event! In terms of location, I felt that Suntec was a good place because it's rather convenient to go. But I though having it in the room actually reduced the potential of bringing in more people. But at least there was air-con! I think that's good for both vendors and shoppers! :D I can't wait to attend the next Fashion Fusion!! :)
I don't know if it was because I ordered the wrong thing or what, somehow it didn't feel to me like I had as good an experience there as bobo and feizhu did.
I, too, ordered the Grilled Half Shell Scallops with Linguine. Sounded really good to me, what with the scallops and the whole set meal. However, I was pretty disappointed when my order came. Felt like the scallops were done in 4 different ways - Well done, medium well, medium and rare. Yes, it certainly did look so. The scallops weren't sweet either. The linguine did not really have much taste other than the spice on it and loads of Olive oil. It was very dry, like fried noodles left over, re-fried. I thought that I had to mix it, but even until the end when I had less linguine and a lot of olive oil left, it still didn't work. In the end, my pasta became very oily, you can feel all the oil around your lips.. =s
The soup, though, was not bad I felt. It wasn't too diluted and was rather tasty. Served with 2 small slices of bread, which, for me, didn't seem to hard after dipping it into the soup. But I'm more of a smooth-texture-soup kinda person, so I didn't quite like the little bits and pieces of carrots (I think) in it. It's like an ice-blend drink not well blended.
Though what I had wasn't exceptionally good, I think I would still go back and give the place a try. I did get to try abit of their pan-fried dory which I thought was not too bad, hence I wouldn't conclude that the quality of the food there is poor. Also, I find the restaurant somewhat welcoming. Could be due to the fact that the waitress in there seemed pleased to welcome us in. Just feels very comfortable.
In addition, the interior is simply decorated, with cute wall paper. Somehow adds a tinge of cosy-ness and comfort to the place. Plus, there's television too! I like watching TV and eating at the same time.. Haha.
On the whole, I think the place is nice and the price is decent. Service is good. Plus!! There's no GST inclusive - kinda important, especially if your meal totals up to be quite expensive right. Would give the place another try, since it was only my first time there. ;)
I just got back from a fruitful trip at Hong Kong! I was there a few years back, but I must say Hong Kong has changed a fair bit, and it is better now. I don't know if people still have the idea that HK is a dirty place with litter all over the floor or something, but if you do, I must say you have to change your perception. It wasn't too bad when I was there a few years back and it's even better now!
Like what tinkerbell said, their train system is very similar to what we have in Singapore. After coming back from HK, I realized that it does make a difference when instructions were given in 3 different languages, rather than just English (like in singapore). Also, it was very easy to figure out where you are by looking at the map on the train, which indicates where you are through little blinking lights.
On the whole, it's not just on the train where they give instructions. Even at the escalators in the train station, you will hear reminders to hold on to the handrail for your own safety, all given in Chinese, English and Cantonese. The lift of the hotel I stayed at would also tell you which floor you're at and all. I feel that much thought has been put in to create a user-friendly environment for everyone, even handicaps.
Nonetheless, I felt that the walking distance from the entrance to the MTR was pretty far for most places. I guess you can't help it when the place is big. And train stations were always packed, people had to really squeeze in the trains. It's worse than during the knock-off time in Singapore and it's harder to get seats.
Also, transportation is more expensive in HK. Could also be due to the location the train system covers. If you cross over to another island, it's like having to pay a toll fee, your ride could cost you more than S$2.20. Bus rides could be about S$1 too. But if you're going from Tsim Sha Tsui to Central, you could try taking the ferry instead. It's cheaper and you get to avoid the crowd at the train station.
As for shopping, there are many huuuuuge malls in HK. However, many of these malls are like Paragon - yes, the up-market place. But if you were to go during the November period, where they're clearing the summer clothes to make space for winter stuff, you might get quite a good buy at these shops. Unlike Singapore, you seldom get deals like 30% off at shops like Morgan or even up to 70% at other shops. I must say after the discount, it's a really good buy. Even certain shops like Nike and Esprit are cheaper there, probably also due to the exchange rate, putting us at an advantage.
Nonetheless, we're often looking for cheaper stuff when we're shopping right. And so, I don't suggest that you go to the big malls around. As mentioned above, Li Yuen Streetat Central would be a good place to go. But some other possible places to go would also be Stanley Market, near Repulse Bay. It's a bit more expensive than Li Yuen, but for some places bargaining is still possible. However, these places are mostly good for shopping for women only. Some other places to explore could be the little shop units along the street of Tsim Sha Tsui (for the slightly cheaper things) and Causeway Bay (definitely more expensive).
I used to hear that shop owners in HK don't like people touching their things unless they're going to buy. But I don't think that they are like that now. They're much friendlier, especially the younger people. The service of the sales people there are better than in Singapore too. Especially in shops with their own fitting room, they would offer to take your clothes to the fitting room while you're still scouting for other clothes. Frees your hands for more! And most places I went didn't seem to have a limit to how many clothes you could try. It's a little different though, because the malls are seldom fully packed like it is in Singapore, maybe that could be why it's not a common gesture in Singapore.
New Territories is a good place to go for sight seeing. It's a little more laid back, but I like it there. It's more relaxing. They've got their famous wishing tree there, as tinkerbell has mentioned above, along with many other places to visit.
One more place worth going would be the famous Ocean Park! For dolphin lovers, don't miss their dolphin show. It's my first time watching an animal show overseas and I find the dolphin show much more entertaining than shows you get in Singapore. Of course there are other shows which I didn't catch, as well as aquariums and a pseudo reef with many sea creatures, plus their new addition of the Giant Panda. Do go as early as 1030am to beat the tourist crowd. After about 330pm when there's no more animal shows, the place would be pretty packed. Think it'll be good to start early and leave early.
As for food, I did hear that the goose was good, but I didn't get to try. However, I suggest that you have a go at their seafood as it's mostly fresh and it's relatively cheaper there too! Things are much bigger there too, like their fish and crab. I'd say it's pretty worth the money too, for the quality and quantity you get.
On the whole, HK is rather similar to Singapore in terms of fashion and transportation. However the people there are friendlier. To me, I think it's worth the experience traveling and being exposed to different cultures in different countries (: I definitely did enjoy myself on this trip!
Cafe Cartel is a decent place to go I must say, with the price they charge (excluding GST) and the ambience of the place. It's not some romantic place, but it's good for gatherings with a small group of friends.
I was just there with some friends. Somehow we always end up at Cafe Cartel when we're looking for somewhere we can afford and yet looks good. So here we are, eyeing the free flow of bread and comfy couch. Ok and of course the food plus half-price cakes after 9pm!
As with most the other Cafe Cartels that I've been to, I was expecting the bread to be served to us. Or at least, they would offer to cut the bread for people at the bread station. However I was somehow a little disappointed when I realized they didn't work this way there. It wasn't that they were too busy, there were 2 waiters chatting away beside me. And when I asked for more bread, they said they'll get it for me but eventually we still had to go back to the bread station to get more ourselves.
Apart from that, I feel that the people there are a rather bubbly group. It actually seems to have an effect on the surroundings, makes the place much more lively.
I ordered a seafood combo I think, because I was looking for something which has calamari! But I was quite disappointed by the grilled fish. It was rather bland. But the pork chop and fish and chips my friends ordered were not bad. They were of reasonable standard. The pork chop came with a sauce that tasted abit like Char Siew (haha!) but it went well with the meat. It was a large serving though. Would have been good for big eaters!
Finally, we were so full but we had to get ourselves the half-price cakes! So we ordered a blueberry cheesecake to share. I think the cake was not bad! The blueberry on top was very smooth and sweet, with little bits of blueberry in it. The cheesecake itself was soft and not too rich either. Sometimes you tend to get sick of cheesecake very fast, but I find this just nice. It was 2.30 after discount! Really worth it right :D
However, with the GST, our bill totaled up to 53.80 for 3. Not very cheap I must say(even with the half-priced cake! haha). Good thing students have a 10% discount (which is better than nothing)! Or else I really won't go there so often..
1=SGD 0.0587
I got to know of Strut at the Yebber Fashion Fusion2 and I must say I was super excited! A pity I didn't have any upcoming event to shop for.. The dresses were so beautiful! Dresses at Strut are the-best for special ocassions, but some of them would be good for casual wear too.
I find that the designs at Strut are rather unique. Girls, that's important right? You don't wanna go to your prom and see another girl in the same dress as you. These dresses are design by a local designer and I find it really impressive!
However, I do find the dresses a little expensive. Unless I have a particular event to attend, I don't think I'd be shopping for dresses here. They are about 129 and 199 for the around-knee-length dresses and 299 for the super long dresses! Though they're really expensive, I do think that their long dresses are really elegant and short dresses really sweet!
When the time comes, I'd be searching for my prom dress at Strut!
(Their dresses can be found at CK Tangs or at Vivo Tangs!)
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To be honest, I found the place pretty small when I first stepped in. Perhaps it was the impression formed from the empty space on the layout on paper that made me feel that the place was going to be much bigger. I did hear quite a few people complaining that the place was rather small, but as a customer, I actually felt it was good that at least there was ample space to walk! (Ok, other than when people who just enter decide to all stop at the same place to see the same stuff haha.)
I liked the variety of items that was provided to us. There were shoes, clothes and accessories, and that's basically all a girl needs! (Though I guess it would have attracted more crowd if there were more guys' stuff? Haha. But I think it's a trend or something, that it's always girls' stuff at bazaars like that.) If the items at one shop doesn't appeal to you, you can always go to another! I really liked that I had a few choices even for the same sort of stuff. Plus, I did find that the different price range was good in catering to different people. I noticed that some of the things there were pretty expensive. No doubt it was nice, but I could only browse most of the time. Some things were really expensive for a student who's out shopping on their own with friends, and as I noticed, there were many students who turned up. Fortunately, there were stalls like Dainty Damsels who provided these people with an alternative.
But one thing I'm definitely grateful for this FF2 is that I did most of my Christmas shopping there! Settled a few items in a day, at a really good price, on top of that, with another 15% discount! FF2 was like an avenue for nice and unique stuff that I could get for my friends without having to worry that it could be too common or something.. (or my friends won't accidentally stubble upon the shop and find out how much their gift costs.)
On the whole, I did enjoy myself at FF2! And it is definitely an improvement from the first event! In terms of location, I felt that Suntec was a good place because it's rather convenient to go. But I though having it in the room actually reduced the potential of bringing in more people. But at least there was air-con! I think that's good for both vendors and shoppers! :D I can't wait to attend the next Fashion Fusion!! :)
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I, too, ordered the Grilled Half Shell Scallops with Linguine. Sounded really good to me, what with the scallops and the whole set meal. However, I was pretty disappointed when my order came. Felt like the scallops were done in 4 different ways - Well done, medium well, medium and rare. Yes, it certainly did look so. The scallops weren't sweet either. The linguine did not really have much taste other than the spice on it and loads of Olive oil. It was very dry, like fried noodles left over, re-fried. I thought that I had to mix it, but even until the end when I had less linguine and a lot of olive oil left, it still didn't work. In the end, my pasta became very oily, you can feel all the oil around your lips.. =s
The soup, though, was not bad I felt. It wasn't too diluted and was rather tasty. Served with 2 small slices of bread, which, for me, didn't seem to hard after dipping it into the soup. But I'm more of a smooth-texture-soup kinda person, so I didn't quite like the little bits and pieces of carrots (I think) in it. It's like an ice-blend drink not well blended.
Though what I had wasn't exceptionally good, I think I would still go back and give the place a try. I did get to try abit of their pan-fried dory which I thought was not too bad, hence I wouldn't conclude that the quality of the food there is poor. Also, I find the restaurant somewhat welcoming. Could be due to the fact that the waitress in there seemed pleased to welcome us in. Just feels very comfortable.
In addition, the interior is simply decorated, with cute wall paper. Somehow adds a tinge of cosy-ness and comfort to the place. Plus, there's television too! I like watching TV and eating at the same time.. Haha.
On the whole, I think the place is nice and the price is decent. Service is good. Plus!! There's no GST inclusive - kinda important, especially if your meal totals up to be quite expensive right. Would give the place another try, since it was only my first time there. ;)
Login to add your comment. Or, Register for an account now. It's free!Poor Zihui. The scallops were really not done properly...
21 Nov 2007 at 1:07 pm
haha.. yea.. but there must be better stuff right..
21 Nov 2007 at 1:49 pm
Like what tinkerbell said, their train system is very similar to what we have in Singapore. After coming back from HK, I realized that it does make a difference when instructions were given in 3 different languages, rather than just English (like in singapore). Also, it was very easy to figure out where you are by looking at the map on the train, which indicates where you are through little blinking lights.
On the whole, it's not just on the train where they give instructions. Even at the escalators in the train station, you will hear reminders to hold on to the handrail for your own safety, all given in Chinese, English and Cantonese. The lift of the hotel I stayed at would also tell you which floor you're at and all. I feel that much thought has been put in to create a user-friendly environment for everyone, even handicaps.
Nonetheless, I felt that the walking distance from the entrance to the MTR was pretty far for most places. I guess you can't help it when the place is big. And train stations were always packed, people had to really squeeze in the trains. It's worse than during the knock-off time in Singapore and it's harder to get seats.
Also, transportation is more expensive in HK. Could also be due to the location the train system covers. If you cross over to another island, it's like having to pay a toll fee, your ride could cost you more than S$2.20. Bus rides could be about S$1 too. But if you're going from Tsim Sha Tsui to Central, you could try taking the ferry instead. It's cheaper and you get to avoid the crowd at the train station.
As for shopping, there are many huuuuuge malls in HK. However, many of these malls are like Paragon - yes, the up-market place. But if you were to go during the November period, where they're clearing the summer clothes to make space for winter stuff, you might get quite a good buy at these shops. Unlike Singapore, you seldom get deals like 30% off at shops like Morgan or even up to 70% at other shops. I must say after the discount, it's a really good buy. Even certain shops like Nike and Esprit are cheaper there, probably also due to the exchange rate, putting us at an advantage.
Nonetheless, we're often looking for cheaper stuff when we're shopping right. And so, I don't suggest that you go to the big malls around. As mentioned above, Li Yuen Street at Central would be a good place to go. But some other possible places to go would also be Stanley Market, near Repulse Bay. It's a bit more expensive than Li Yuen, but for some places bargaining is still possible. However, these places are mostly good for shopping for women only. Some other places to explore could be the little shop units along the street of Tsim Sha Tsui (for the slightly cheaper things) and Causeway Bay (definitely more expensive).
I used to hear that shop owners in HK don't like people touching their things unless they're going to buy. But I don't think that they are like that now. They're much friendlier, especially the younger people. The service of the sales people there are better than in Singapore too. Especially in shops with their own fitting room, they would offer to take your clothes to the fitting room while you're still scouting for other clothes. Frees your hands for more! And most places I went didn't seem to have a limit to how many clothes you could try. It's a little different though, because the malls are seldom fully packed like it is in Singapore, maybe that could be why it's not a common gesture in Singapore.
New Territories is a good place to go for sight seeing. It's a little more laid back, but I like it there. It's more relaxing. They've got their famous wishing tree there, as tinkerbell has mentioned above, along with many other places to visit.
One more place worth going would be the famous Ocean Park! For dolphin lovers, don't miss their dolphin show. It's my first time watching an animal show overseas and I find the dolphin show much more entertaining than shows you get in Singapore. Of course there are other shows which I didn't catch, as well as aquariums and a pseudo reef with many sea creatures, plus their new addition of the Giant Panda. Do go as early as 1030am to beat the tourist crowd. After about 330pm when there's no more animal shows, the place would be pretty packed. Think it'll be good to start early and leave early.
As for food, I did hear that the goose was good, but I didn't get to try. However, I suggest that you have a go at their seafood as it's mostly fresh and it's relatively cheaper there too! Things are much bigger there too, like their fish and crab. I'd say it's pretty worth the money too, for the quality and quantity you get.
On the whole, HK is rather similar to Singapore in terms of fashion and transportation. However the people there are friendlier. To me, I think it's worth the experience traveling and being exposed to different cultures in different countries (: I definitely did enjoy myself on this trip!
Login to add your comment. Or, Register for an account now. It's free!Sounds like you had fun! :D
16 Nov 2007 at 4:02 pm
heh. it was not bad :) it can't be bad when you get to shop and eat all day. ahhaha
16 Nov 2007 at 4:10 pm
I was just there with some friends. Somehow we always end up at Cafe Cartel when we're looking for somewhere we can afford and yet looks good. So here we are, eyeing the free flow of bread and comfy couch. Ok and of course the food plus half-price cakes after 9pm!
As with most the other Cafe Cartels that I've been to, I was expecting the bread to be served to us. Or at least, they would offer to cut the bread for people at the bread station. However I was somehow a little disappointed when I realized they didn't work this way there. It wasn't that they were too busy, there were 2 waiters chatting away beside me. And when I asked for more bread, they said they'll get it for me but eventually we still had to go back to the bread station to get more ourselves.
Apart from that, I feel that the people there are a rather bubbly group. It actually seems to have an effect on the surroundings, makes the place much more lively.
I ordered a seafood combo I think, because I was looking for something which has calamari! But I was quite disappointed by the grilled fish. It was rather bland. But the pork chop and fish and chips my friends ordered were not bad. They were of reasonable standard. The pork chop came with a sauce that tasted abit like Char Siew (haha!) but it went well with the meat. It was a large serving though. Would have been good for big eaters!
Finally, we were so full but we had to get ourselves the half-price cakes! So we ordered a blueberry cheesecake to share. I think the cake was not bad! The blueberry on top was very smooth and sweet, with little bits of blueberry in it. The cheesecake itself was soft and not too rich either. Sometimes you tend to get sick of cheesecake very fast, but I find this just nice. It was 2.30 after discount! Really worth it right :D
However, with the GST, our bill totaled up to 53.80 for 3. Not very cheap I must say(even with the half-priced cake! haha). Good thing students have a 10% discount (which is better than nothing)! Or else I really won't go there so often..
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