*Method: Brow Construction - Threading
*Price: $15/session
*Package: $107 for 11 session of Brow Construction (Threading) 1 session of Forehead Threading
Normally, I go to Hollywood Secret at Scotts to trim my eyebrow... But currently, Scotts is under renovation. Ever since Scotts is under renovation, my brows are left unkept... I don't pluck my brows myself...
"Eyebrow Threading is a very quick and effective, traditionally Indian and Middle Eastern, way of getting rid of rows of unwanted hair, but it is catching on in the West too. Threading method is also known as the “fatlah” or “khite”. It is done by twisting a thread to pull or cut hair. The therapist uses a piece of taut twisted thread to pull out the hair. It is no more painful than tweezing and is faster. Eyebrows threading is done in usually every 2-3 weeks. Eyebrow Threading is more thorough as compared to waxing, in taking off individual hair strands."
Threading your eyebrows is better than plucking because by eyebrow threading the hair grows slowly, plucking hurts more. and plucking takes time whereas threading can be done in less than 2 minutes.
So I was shopping at Raffles City that day... I just walk into Browhaus...
As compared to Hollywood Secret, there's no crowd here... Browhaus specialize in brows hence there are much more therapists here...
I'm someone who fear pain.. As compare to the normal tweezing, threading is less painful and it's faster... Within 10 minutes... WooHoo... My brows are done!
The place is very clean and the therapists are all very friendly... No hard selling!
With such good skills and service, I signed their package immediately! I look forward to my next visit!
Last wednesday, I attended a wedding at Pan Pacific...
The menu as follow:
1. Combination of Deluxe Appetizer (Suckling Pig, Roast Duck, Prawn Salad, Chicken Money Bag & Jellyfish) My mummy commented that the Jellyfish is very nice... Bouncy and juicy... I find the whole dish a bit cold... If it's pipping hot... It will be great... Mummy 'suaned' me saying that this is a cold dish... Therefore it should be cold... =X
2. Braised Shark's Fin Soup with Shredded Fish Maw and Crabmeat Everyone of us had a big bowl of shark fin... There were more fish maw and crabmeat than shark fin... It was juz so-so...
3. Poached Live Prawns with Chinese Wine This dish is superb! The prawns are fresh and sweet... It taste like drunken prawn to me... I don't see any diff between the 2 dish...
4. Roasted Farm Chicken in Honey and Soya Sauce in Jasmine Tea Leaf Definately I couldn't taste the Jasmine Tea leaf... and I don't taste any diff of a farm chicken and non-farm chicken... Anyway it juz an average dish...
5. Steamed Fillet of Sea Perch With Crispy Fermented Bean Crumbs in Superior Soya Sauce.. This dish is quite different from the normal wedding fish... It doesn't comes in a whole... It's serve in fillet... So very easy to eat... No need to scare of bones... The fish is fresh... NICE...
6. Braised Sea Cumcumber and Bai Ling Mushrooms with Oyster Sauce on Seasonal Greens I love the sea cumcumber... very very well cooked! Soft and the sea cumcumber has 'soaked' the sauce in... Yummy
7. Braised Ee-Fu noodles with straw mushroom, preserved vegetable and yellow chives Nothing special abt this dish.. Nothing worth mentioning...
8. Sweetened Yam Paste with Ginkgo Nuts A very traditional Teochew dessert... From young, I hate this dish... Normally I will juz take a tiny spoon of it... As usual, I took a tiny spoon.. and I love it... I love the extra taste of corn in the coconut milk! It's so corn- sweet... My favourite dish of the night!
Somehow, I went to the dinner with some expectations... After it's Pan Pacific right? But I find the dinner average... And I believe a table there cost a bomb... It won't be cheap... And I dun think the price jusitfy the food...
Page One @ Vivo doesn't have any special theme. I'm not quite sure whether if it's an upscale book store like Kinokuniya or Borders, it wasn't really close to any.
The first thing I observed from the entrance was the small walkways leading into the store. Perhaps more space should be allocated there, since the entrance is the place with the highest human traffic. Imagine that you haven't even start your search for the books, you have to squeeze through the shelves and people clogged at the entrance.
The other thing I observed, they allocated a small area with seats for talk-shows. In fact, when we were there there was indeed a talk-show going on. It is propped right at the side of the entrance and I guess that is a sign that there will be regular talk-shows on book reviews etc. Isn't it great?
The decor of the place wasn't anything fantastic I guess. The usual huge bookshelves where every book is lined up side by side. One thing though, I didn't really see any displays of special featured publication. Maybe there are, but they are not eye-catching at all.
Usually at a bookstore, I would only gun for two topics. Religious and Marketing/PR books. I was surprised that alot of popular titles and publications are not available here. I did a very quick scan around these two topics, I didn't really see much publications from famous marketing writers like Philip Kotler or once popular Naked Marketing. Religiously, I scouted for one of the top selling book titled The Decline & Fall of Church of Rome... again to no avail.
The staffs were helpful and polite though. When I couldn't find the religious section, I was answered in a way I have never experienced in famous bookstores. "Sir, can you follow me please? I will lead you there," he answered with a smile. Some bookstores employees I encountered probably gonna point in a general direction and tell me it's there.
My verdict? An average bookstore, if you look hard enough you might find some gems in there. However, I wished their topics can be arranged in a better way. What I didn't like for sure is the layout of the shelves, which makes crossing over to another shelf "complicated". I was almost trying to play "maze" in some part of the store.
Xi Yan first opened in Singapore in 2005, bringing along a whole new concept of dining to Singapore with the introduction of private dining whereby tables are extremely limited (think 3-5 tables), reservations are definitely necessary and the chef decides what you eat for that day. It does sound draconian, but the upside is that the menu changes daily, save for a few specialties and dining is exclusive!
Nestled amongst the old shop houses along Craig Road, Xi Yan, as mentioned earlier, is by reservations only and you need a minimum of 6 pax to dine there (exceptions can be made if you do not meet the required number of people, but you need to order the pricier menu. Rule of thumb is - You need to spend about $500-$600/table). The entrance to Xi Yan is discreet, without even a hint of its presence (That explains the difficulty we had in trying to locate it). Here's a clue though. It shares the premises with Sui Japanese Restaurant.
The interior is cosy and modernly furnished with hues of red and brown. Abstract paintings don the sides and ambient lighting is practised. Simplicity at its finesse .
Greenhouse Tomatoes in Sesame Sauce - As the name suggests, the tomatoes are grown in a greenhouse aka organic tomatoes and are much bigger than your average tomato. Not to mention that they cost ridiculously more as well. According to the waiter, these organic tomatoes are juicier and taste better. I am inclined to agree. The tomatoes were juicy and full of bite. With the wasabi infused sesame sauce, the tomato was refreshing and truly an appetizer.
Cold Tofu Pork Floss - Interesting dish with the tofu topped with pork floss, salted egg yolk, dried shrimps and deep fried shallot.A nice combination with the saltiness of the dried shrimp complementing the sweetness of the pork floss with the shallot to give it fragrance. However, the tofu which was supposedly imported from Japan, lacked the silky smoothness which good tofu should have.
Shrimp and Crab Paste on Baguette Toast - A fanciful presentation and preparation method, but tasted nothing out of this world. It is Hong Kong's version of our Heh Bi Hiam. I did find it weird eating bread during a Chinese dinner, but maybe thats just me.
Sichuan Pickles in Spicy Sauce - This dish came with pickles (or jerkins if thats what you know them by) and radish soaked in a spicy concoction of Sichuan peppercorn and a wee bit of sugar. I took a bite of the radish and sweared off it as it was way too sour for my liking. If you like sour and spicy stuff, then this might suit your tastebuds.
Deep Fried Prawns with Salted Egg Yolk - A few grievances about this dish. First of all, the prawns were only averaged sized. For the price we were paying, I had expected huge prawns. Second, the prawns weren't cleaned properly. The innards(or shit if you prefer) could still be seen. The good thing was, the salted egg yolk coating on the prawn shells tasted better with every mouth. It did come across as a little too mild at first though, but the more you suck at the shell, the better the taste.
Stewed Beef Shin with Tangerine Peel - The beef shin was quite good, soft and tender from simmering in the pot for 2 hrs. I could detect a tinge of sweetness as well, probably from the tangerine peel. However, the raw beef taste can be quite overwhelming at times and thats coming from someone who likes steak medium rare.
Sichuan Salivating Chicken - Please do not be mislead by the odd sounding name of this dish. The chicken does not salivate. The sauce is supposed to be so good that it makes the consumer salivate. Quite an audacious claim I must say. Ingredients in this dish are quite interesting actually, with chicken slices, yam noodles, roasted peanuts, chilli, coriander and century egg. I personally found everything normal except for the yam noodles which were surprisingly chewy and full of bite. I've never tried anything like it. Just for the record, this dish did make me salivate, but not from the goodness of the sauce, but from the chilli in it. An underhand method? You decide.
Fried Lemongrass Shrimp Paste Grouper - According to our waiter, many other restaurants would actually steam a good fish in order to exhibit its freshness. But not Xi Yan. What they have done is to deep fry the fish first till its 70% cooked and then coat it with the lemongrass shrimp paste and then deep fry again. The result? A crispy exterior with a soft and moist interior. I laud the skill in the preparation of this dish, but denigrate the quality of the fish. The flesh came across as rather bland, not sweet as I would have expected it to be.
Furong Chicken Soup - This soup was supposedly boiled for 4 hrs before serving. Though relatively long, it still doesn't qualify as double boiled soup and it certainly can't match the other superior soups that I've tried. But still very decent without a doubt.
Young and Old Happy News - Interesting name, uninteresting dish. The young referred to the Dou Miao while the old referred to the preserved vegetables. Lightly fried and beautifully presented, but nothing outstanding.
Tofu Ice Cream on Pandan Glutinous Rice - This was probably the best dish of the day. The ice cream was quite well done but in no way reminded me of tofu. The base of pandan glutinous rice was not too sticky and just right on the texture, tasting pleasantly of pandan. Does this remind you of the Thai style mango atop glutinous rice?
The 6 of us chalked up a hefty bill of $630, which we felt was grossly expensive given the quality of food and ingredients used. Sure its an exclusive novelty, but novelties can only last so long. Service was excellent though and the cooking process of every dish was explained to us by our waiter in great detail. However, that alone is not enough to entice us to return. Not unless the price drops to about $50-$60 per pax down from the $88 .
Deep Cleansing Facial:
UOB debit Card is having a joint promotion with Body Contours. $28 for a session of deep cleansing facial. It’s quite worth it… And since I’m around the area, I decide to give them a call and try my luck to make an appointment. I called at 2:45 pm and WooHoo.. They got a slot at 3 pm…
So here I come!
When I walked into the building… The shop look so grand and professional… As compared to other beauty saloons I went to for facial… Body contours looks more pro… They have a group of customer service and sales consultant and every therapist is specialize. You wouldn’t find facial therapist doing body massage… And you won’t get therapist trying to sell packages to you when you are doing your facial…
The therapist was attended to me was Patricia. A middle aged auntie. She started the session with a face and head massage. The massage is superb good… I feel very relax and I lurve it… After the massage, was the usual stuff… Cleansing…
Next was the abstraction… The abstraction was HELL… It’s so painful.. I feel like crying… erm… actually I was on the verge of crying… Patricia used all her mighty strength to try to squeeze out whatever she is trying to squeeze. This is the first time I feel so painful. If she is gentler, perhaps I will enjoy the facial more…
She applied some cream/lotion/whatever that is to my face… Very cooling… Next was a icy cold mask… I guess by now my face is lobster red… Hence a icy cold mask might heal the swelling… That’s my guess…
She ended the facial by giving me another head and face massage. Out of the all the facial I did, Body Contours has the best face and head massage.
After the whole facial, a sales consultant, Helen took over… As usual… She introduces packages to me… I look at the ‘menu’ even before she approached me… On average, a facial at Body Contours is around $190. Yah, it’s rather expensive…
Anyway she offered the following (as far as I could remember):
1. Free and Easy Package
$1800 for 12 session 7% GST
As the name suggest.. Free and Easy… You could choose to do facial or body massage.
For the body massage, it includes steam bath, scrub and body massage.
I told her straight that I wouldn’t want to commit into such an heavy package. The products might not suit my skin. I prefer something smaller. Hence…
2. Free and Easy Package
$900 for 6 sessions 7%GST
It’s exactly the same as above… Juz half the package…
I can say after the facial I do have the intention to sign a package with them… I’m not young anymore… Time to take care of my skin… But $900 upfront is a bit too much for me… I do have my financial burdens… Hence…
3. Free and Easy Package
$500 for 4 sessions 7% GST
I find this package more suitable and affordable for me… $133.75 per session for a facial… I was not pressured by her to buy the package. It’s worth for the good service provided. The issue was whether the deal was good… I was wondering, what is their lowest limit… From $150 per session to $125 per session. Although it’s not significant for per session, but in a long run, it adds up to quite a lot! Maybe you can try to lower the price more…
So in the end, I did sign up for the last package… There is no expiry… and today’s facial is waived!
Therefore, it’s actually $535 for 5 sessions… It don’t sound that bad after all…
My tailored package:
4 Sessions of Free and Easy 1 Deep Cleansing Facial
Choose from:
Body massage with scrub with steam bath
Glyco Face Spa
Vitamin C Face Spa
O2 Oxygenating Face Spa
In Body Contours, there are more than the above 3 kinds of Facial… The sales consultant will recommend the ones that are suitable to you… And when you go for your facial, you don’t have to worry what to choose cos the therapist will decide for you depending the condition of your skin on that day…
For a start, I looked forward to this lunch meetup with Claudia and Bobo very much. Feizhu's arrival was a pleasant surprise, but one more friend is never too much.
I was pretty surprised that Earle Swensen’s was pretty empty when Bobo and I stepped in. Hey, it's a Sunday... we see plenty of people... it's lunchtime! Why shouldn't it be packed? As we made our way to the table, it's pretty evident of the spacious floor area, and the scenery overlooking the Sentosa was great. Like I was telling the rest, it would be absolutely stunning to have outdoor seats after the sun sets. I wouldn't mind bringing my own candles.
Let me leave the other food reviews to the individual rapists. (The criminals know what they did...)
Let me touch on my first order, the cappuccino... lousy! It tasted just like any coffee I can rip off in food courts, to the point I feel stupid trying to have my coffee fix there. Why on earth did I even spend more than what I paid for in CoffeeBean, and yet get a cup half the size of CoffeeBean's serving? Secondly, the cappuccino was almost cold. There is air-con but I doubt the air-con is that powerful? You can never bluff your way through with a coffee addict!
My main dish was Sirloin Steak with mashed potato. I have other options to go along with like french fries, but I always thought mashed potato is more appropriate to go along with steaks. For steaks, I often swear by Swensen@Orchard. Therefore, my obvious choice was to try their Sirloin Steak. One word - HORRIBLE!
To put it simply, it was small. I had wanted my steak done medium-rare, and any steak enthusiast should know how bloodied it should be. The very second my knife sunk into the steak, I know I'm in for a big disappointment. The feel of slicing into medium-rare steak just wasn't there. In fact, it took me quite some strength to slice it open for everyone to see. No kidding! Everyone could see that the steak was cooked right down to the center. Not a trace of blood and I'm sorry, that is not medium-rare! For a while, I thought I ordered Lamb Chop.
If you know it's a thin slice of steak, control the cooking time. This is really dependent on the chef and his experience.
However, the sauce was tasting good but too bad the steak spoilt the entire dish totally. Salvaging the dish was the mash potato, or so I thought. Tasted good, but it wasn't mashed properly. I could still bite little chunks of potato. My last hope for some form of compensation just got cruxified.
I'm convinced of my preference of Swensen steak outlet. Earle Swensen @ Vivocity definitely does not make the mark for my tastebuds.
My verdict? I'm sorry, but this place is not worth the money they charged. And I think it's slightly higher than other Swensen's branches? Avoid at all cost if you can, there are plenty more eateries along the whole stretch to satisfy your hunger. 2 stars for the generally friendly staffs, comfortable seats, clean environment and great scenery, that's about it.
Like the rest of them, if not for the great company I would have walked out of that place frowning. You just can't bluff your way through with sub-standard (if not horrendous) food, can you?
The best part about Equinox is the view especially at night. .
If you wanna the window seat... You have to go early... Around 6:45pm...
I tried the dinner set... A starter, main course and a dessert... Abt $170 for 2 pax... The food tast good... However... The portion is a little too small... I wasn't full after the dinner... =X
Anyway.. I reached Equinox around 6:50pm and stayed there till around 10 pm.. I was enjoying the view! I think i was facing nicoll highway (if my sense of direction is correct)...
If not for special occassion... I think I wouldn't not wanna spent so much for a meal which I wun be full...
I lurve this resturant! Althought the price is a bit steep for me... But it's my first choice when it comes to special occassion... e.g. my mum/dad/sis/ bday...
We love the claypot sharkfin... It's a indivdual portion but normally 2 of us will share 1 claypot... If I'm gg to finish one claypot myself... I think I don't have to order other stuff and I will be superb full... I don't really like eat the shark fin, most of the time, I will give it to my parents... I only lurve the soup..
So nice and sweet!
Apart from this... We can love the FRIED FISH MAW... It's a simple dish... yet... so yummy... My mum tried to cook it at home... But the taste is totally different...
Actually apart from this 2 dish, I find the rest of the dish so-so... Nothing much to mention... Haha!
It'a a Thai Sharkfin Resturant... So the focus shd be only sharkfin right?
Ryan in Aus : Today is my gf’s birthday, is it possible to help me order a cake and deliver to her place?
Me: HUH? It’s a bit late but I will try... Maybe a cake and flowers?
(P.S. Ryan is in Aus and his gf is in Sin)
Immediately I log on my computer... I spent the next 30 mins surfing around for a cake and flowers... Finally...
http://www.cakeavenue.com/ (check out my review on this too)
http://www.dandelionflorist.com.sg/
I called both shops cos I have past their cut off time. But thank god... Both shops are so nice! I manage to order a 24cm Tiramisu Cheese Cake and 12 stalks of Purple Roses. They can deliver before 6 pm! I called around 1 pm...
The person in charge at Dandelion Florist is SUPERB nice! She tried her best to accomplish my mission impossible... Not forgetting it’s a public holiday!
I believe Dandelion Florist is the only online florist that provides PURPLE roses... YES... Rose in purple... If you think it will look horrible... U are absolutely wrong... check out the pics I upload... It's took by Ryan's gf... It's the actual rose...
Anyway, the person in-charge was very nice... She called to 'warn' me that they might not have purple and ask what is my next choice... Anyway they do have pretty purple rose... SO... thank god..
On another occasion, I order the purple roses for my girlfren 22nd birthday... However this time round, I wasn't so lucky... The purple roses were abit greyish and the person in charge recommand a yellowish orange rose instead... My gf LOVE the roses alot...
One thing I like abt the roses here is the person make sure the colour of the rose is nice and fresh... Once she feels that the flowers are not nice enough, she will immediately call to ask for a second option...
Good service... Really value for money... $50 for 12 purple rose which include free delivery...
Ryan in Aus : Today is my gf's birthday, is it possible to help me order a cake and deliver to her place?
Me: HUH? It's a bit late but I will try... Maybe a cake and flowers?
(P.S. Ryan is in Aus and his gf is in Sin)
Immediately I log on my computer... I spent the next 30 mins surfing around for a cake and flowers... Finally...
http://www.cakeavenue.com/
http://www.dandelionflorist.com.sg/ (check out my review on this too)
I called both shops cos I have past their cut off time. But thank god... Both shops are so nice! I manage to order a 24cm Tiramisu Cheese Cake and 12 stalks of Purple Roses. They can deliver before 6 pm! I called around 1 pm...
The person in charge for Cake Avenue is SUPERB nice! She tried her best to accomplish my mission impossible... Not forgetting it's a public holiday!
According to Ryan the Tiramisu is juz so-so.. At least not the best Tiramisu his gf ever had... But with the right service attutide, I will definately go back to Cake Avenue to order birthday...
Most important, they have wide range of birthday cake to choose from... Same day delivery is possible depending on what they have... Yes they deliver to door step!
1=SGD 0.0587
*Method: Brow Construction - Threading
*Price: $15/session
*Package: $107 for 11 session of Brow Construction (Threading) 1 session of Forehead Threading
Normally, I go to Hollywood Secret at Scotts to trim my eyebrow... But currently, Scotts is under renovation. Ever since Scotts is under renovation, my brows are left unkept... I don't pluck my brows myself...
"Eyebrow Threading is a very quick and effective, traditionally Indian and Middle Eastern, way of getting rid of rows of unwanted hair, but it is catching on in the West too. Threading method is also known as the “fatlah” or “khite”. It is done by twisting a thread to pull or cut hair. The therapist uses a piece of taut twisted thread to pull out the hair. It is no more painful than tweezing and is faster. Eyebrows threading is done in usually every 2-3 weeks. Eyebrow Threading is more thorough as compared to waxing, in taking off individual hair strands."
Threading your eyebrows is better than plucking because by eyebrow threading the hair grows slowly, plucking hurts more. and plucking takes time whereas threading can be done in less than 2 minutes.
So I was shopping at Raffles City that day... I just walk into Browhaus...
As compared to Hollywood Secret, there's no crowd here... Browhaus specialize in brows hence there are much more therapists here...
I'm someone who fear pain.. As compare to the normal tweezing, threading is less painful and it's faster... Within 10 minutes... WooHoo... My brows are done!
The place is very clean and the therapists are all very friendly... No hard selling!
With such good skills and service, I signed their package immediately! I look forward to my next visit!
Rating given:
Last wednesday, I attended a wedding at Pan Pacific...
The menu as follow:
1. Combination of Deluxe Appetizer (Suckling Pig, Roast Duck, Prawn Salad, Chicken Money Bag & Jellyfish)
My mummy commented that the Jellyfish is very nice... Bouncy and juicy... I find the whole dish a bit cold... If it's pipping hot... It will be great... Mummy 'suaned' me saying that this is a cold dish... Therefore it should be cold... =X
2. Braised Shark's Fin Soup with Shredded Fish Maw and Crabmeat
Everyone of us had a big bowl of shark fin... There were more fish maw and crabmeat than shark fin... It was juz so-so...
3. Poached Live Prawns with Chinese Wine
This dish is superb! The prawns are fresh and sweet... It taste like drunken prawn to me... I don't see any diff between the 2 dish...
4. Roasted Farm Chicken in Honey and Soya Sauce in Jasmine Tea Leaf
Definately I couldn't taste the Jasmine Tea leaf... and I don't taste any diff of a farm chicken and non-farm chicken... Anyway it juz an average dish...
5. Steamed Fillet of Sea Perch With Crispy Fermented Bean Crumbs in Superior Soya Sauce..
This dish is quite different from the normal wedding fish... It doesn't comes in a whole... It's serve in fillet... So very easy to eat... No need to scare of bones... The fish is fresh... NICE...
6. Braised Sea Cumcumber and Bai Ling Mushrooms with Oyster Sauce on Seasonal Greens
I love the sea cumcumber... very very well cooked! Soft and the sea cumcumber has 'soaked' the sauce in... Yummy
7. Braised Ee-Fu noodles with straw mushroom, preserved vegetable and yellow chives
Nothing special abt this dish.. Nothing worth mentioning...
8. Sweetened Yam Paste with Ginkgo Nuts
A very traditional Teochew dessert... From young, I hate this dish... Normally I will juz take a tiny spoon of it... As usual, I took a tiny spoon.. and I love it... I love the extra taste of corn in the coconut milk! It's so corn- sweet... My favourite dish of the night!
Somehow, I went to the dinner with some expectations... After it's Pan Pacific right? But I find the dinner average... And I believe a table there cost a bomb... It won't be cheap... And I dun think the price jusitfy the food...
Rating given:
Page One @ Vivo doesn't have any special theme. I'm not quite sure whether if it's an upscale book store like Kinokuniya or Borders, it wasn't really close to any.
The first thing I observed from the entrance was the small walkways leading into the store. Perhaps more space should be allocated there, since the entrance is the place with the highest human traffic. Imagine that you haven't even start your search for the books, you have to squeeze through the shelves and people clogged at the entrance.
The other thing I observed, they allocated a small area with seats for talk-shows. In fact, when we were there there was indeed a talk-show going on. It is propped right at the side of the entrance and I guess that is a sign that there will be regular talk-shows on book reviews etc. Isn't it great?
The decor of the place wasn't anything fantastic I guess. The usual huge bookshelves where every book is lined up side by side. One thing though, I didn't really see any displays of special featured publication. Maybe there are, but they are not eye-catching at all.
Usually at a bookstore, I would only gun for two topics. Religious and Marketing/PR books. I was surprised that alot of popular titles and publications are not available here. I did a very quick scan around these two topics, I didn't really see much publications from famous marketing writers like Philip Kotler or once popular Naked Marketing. Religiously, I scouted for one of the top selling book titled The Decline & Fall of Church of Rome... again to no avail.
The staffs were helpful and polite though. When I couldn't find the religious section, I was answered in a way I have never experienced in famous bookstores. "Sir, can you follow me please? I will lead you there," he answered with a smile. Some bookstores employees I encountered probably gonna point in a general direction and tell me it's there.
My verdict? An average bookstore, if you look hard enough you might find some gems in there. However, I wished their topics can be arranged in a better way. What I didn't like for sure is the layout of the shelves, which makes crossing over to another shelf "complicated". I was almost trying to play "maze" in some part of the store.
Rating given:
Xi Yan first opened in Singapore in 2005, bringing along a whole new concept of dining to Singapore with the introduction of private dining whereby tables are extremely limited (think 3-5 tables), reservations are definitely necessary and the chef decides what you eat for that day. It does sound draconian, but the upside is that the menu changes daily, save for a few specialties and dining is exclusive!
Nestled amongst the old shop houses along Craig Road, Xi Yan, as mentioned earlier, is by reservations only and you need a minimum of 6 pax to dine there (exceptions can be made if you do not meet the required number of people, but you need to order the pricier menu. Rule of thumb is - You need to spend about $500-$600/table). The entrance to Xi Yan is discreet, without even a hint of its presence (That explains the difficulty we had in trying to locate it). Here's a clue though. It shares the premises with Sui Japanese Restaurant.
The interior is cosy and modernly furnished with hues of red and brown. Abstract paintings don the sides and ambient lighting is practised. Simplicity at its finesse .
Greenhouse Tomatoes in Sesame Sauce - As the name suggests, the tomatoes are grown in a greenhouse aka organic tomatoes and are much bigger than your average tomato. Not to mention that they cost ridiculously more as well. According to the waiter, these organic tomatoes are juicier and taste better. I am inclined to agree. The tomatoes were juicy and full of bite. With the wasabi infused sesame sauce, the tomato was refreshing and truly an appetizer.
Cold Tofu Pork Floss - Interesting dish with the tofu topped with pork floss, salted egg yolk, dried shrimps and deep fried shallot.A nice combination with the saltiness of the dried shrimp complementing the sweetness of the pork floss with the shallot to give it fragrance. However, the tofu which was supposedly imported from Japan, lacked the silky smoothness which good tofu should have.
Shrimp and Crab Paste on Baguette Toast - A fanciful presentation and preparation method, but tasted nothing out of this world. It is Hong Kong's version of our Heh Bi Hiam. I did find it weird eating bread during a Chinese dinner, but maybe thats just me.
Sichuan Pickles in Spicy Sauce - This dish came with pickles (or jerkins if thats what you know them by) and radish soaked in a spicy concoction of Sichuan peppercorn and a wee bit of sugar. I took a bite of the radish and sweared off it as it was way too sour for my liking. If you like sour and spicy stuff, then this might suit your tastebuds.
Deep Fried Prawns with Salted Egg Yolk - A few grievances about this dish. First of all, the prawns were only averaged sized. For the price we were paying, I had expected huge prawns. Second, the prawns weren't cleaned properly. The innards(or shit if you prefer) could still be seen. The good thing was, the salted egg yolk coating on the prawn shells tasted better with every mouth. It did come across as a little too mild at first though, but the more you suck at the shell, the better the taste.
Stewed Beef Shin with Tangerine Peel - The beef shin was quite good, soft and tender from simmering in the pot for 2 hrs. I could detect a tinge of sweetness as well, probably from the tangerine peel. However, the raw beef taste can be quite overwhelming at times and thats coming from someone who likes steak medium rare.
Sichuan Salivating Chicken - Please do not be mislead by the odd sounding name of this dish. The chicken does not salivate. The sauce is supposed to be so good that it makes the consumer salivate. Quite an audacious claim I must say. Ingredients in this dish are quite interesting actually, with chicken slices, yam noodles, roasted peanuts, chilli, coriander and century egg. I personally found everything normal except for the yam noodles which were surprisingly chewy and full of bite. I've never tried anything like it. Just for the record, this dish did make me salivate, but not from the goodness of the sauce, but from the chilli in it. An underhand method? You decide.
Fried Lemongrass Shrimp Paste Grouper - According to our waiter, many other restaurants would actually steam a good fish in order to exhibit its freshness. But not Xi Yan. What they have done is to deep fry the fish first till its 70% cooked and then coat it with the lemongrass shrimp paste and then deep fry again. The result? A crispy exterior with a soft and moist interior. I laud the skill in the preparation of this dish, but denigrate the quality of the fish. The flesh came across as rather bland, not sweet as I would have expected it to be.
Furong Chicken Soup - This soup was supposedly boiled for 4 hrs before serving. Though relatively long, it still doesn't qualify as double boiled soup and it certainly can't match the other superior soups that I've tried. But still very decent without a doubt.
Young and Old Happy News - Interesting name, uninteresting dish. The young referred to the Dou Miao while the old referred to the preserved vegetables. Lightly fried and beautifully presented, but nothing outstanding.
Tofu Ice Cream on Pandan Glutinous Rice - This was probably the best dish of the day. The ice cream was quite well done but in no way reminded me of tofu. The base of pandan glutinous rice was not too sticky and just right on the texture, tasting pleasantly of pandan. Does this remind you of the Thai style mango atop glutinous rice?
The 6 of us chalked up a hefty bill of $630, which we felt was grossly expensive given the quality of food and ingredients used. Sure its an exclusive novelty, but novelties can only last so long. Service was excellent though and the cooking process of every dish was explained to us by our waiter in great detail. However, that alone is not enough to entice us to return. Not unless the price drops to about $50-$60 per pax down from the $88 .
See all my pictures here
Rating given:
Deep Cleansing Facial:
UOB debit Card is having a joint promotion with Body Contours. $28 for a session of deep cleansing facial. It’s quite worth it… And since I’m around the area, I decide to give them a call and try my luck to make an appointment. I called at 2:45 pm and WooHoo.. They got a slot at 3 pm…
So here I come!
When I walked into the building… The shop look so grand and professional… As compared to other beauty saloons I went to for facial… Body contours looks more pro… They have a group of customer service and sales consultant and every therapist is specialize. You wouldn’t find facial therapist doing body massage… And you won’t get therapist trying to sell packages to you when you are doing your facial…
The therapist was attended to me was Patricia. A middle aged auntie. She started the session with a face and head massage. The massage is superb good… I feel very relax and I lurve it… After the massage, was the usual stuff… Cleansing…
Next was the abstraction… The abstraction was HELL… It’s so painful.. I feel like crying… erm… actually I was on the verge of crying… Patricia used all her mighty strength to try to squeeze out whatever she is trying to squeeze. This is the first time I feel so painful. If she is gentler, perhaps I will enjoy the facial more…
She applied some cream/lotion/whatever that is to my face… Very cooling… Next was a icy cold mask… I guess by now my face is lobster red… Hence a icy cold mask might heal the swelling… That’s my guess…
She ended the facial by giving me another head and face massage. Out of the all the facial I did, Body Contours has the best face and head massage.
After the whole facial, a sales consultant, Helen took over… As usual… She introduces packages to me… I look at the ‘menu’ even before she approached me… On average, a facial at Body Contours is around $190. Yah, it’s rather expensive…
Anyway she offered the following (as far as I could remember):
1. Free and Easy Package
$1800 for 12 session 7% GST
As the name suggest.. Free and Easy… You could choose to do facial or body massage.
For the body massage, it includes steam bath, scrub and body massage.
I told her straight that I wouldn’t want to commit into such an heavy package. The products might not suit my skin. I prefer something smaller. Hence…
2. Free and Easy Package
$900 for 6 sessions 7%GST
It’s exactly the same as above… Juz half the package…
I can say after the facial I do have the intention to sign a package with them… I’m not young anymore… Time to take care of my skin… But $900 upfront is a bit too much for me… I do have my financial burdens… Hence…
3. Free and Easy Package
$500 for 4 sessions 7% GST
I find this package more suitable and affordable for me… $133.75 per session for a facial… I was not pressured by her to buy the package. It’s worth for the good service provided. The issue was whether the deal was good… I was wondering, what is their lowest limit… From $150 per session to $125 per session. Although it’s not significant for per session, but in a long run, it adds up to quite a lot! Maybe you can try to lower the price more…
So in the end, I did sign up for the last package… There is no expiry… and today’s facial is waived!
Therefore, it’s actually $535 for 5 sessions… It don’t sound that bad after all…
My tailored package:
4 Sessions of Free and Easy 1 Deep Cleansing Facial
Choose from:
Body massage with scrub with steam bath
Glyco Face Spa
Vitamin C Face Spa
O2 Oxygenating Face Spa
In Body Contours, there are more than the above 3 kinds of Facial… The sales consultant will recommend the ones that are suitable to you… And when you go for your facial, you don’t have to worry what to choose cos the therapist will decide for you depending the condition of your skin on that day…
Rating given:
For a start, I looked forward to this lunch meetup with Claudia and Bobo very much. Feizhu's arrival was a pleasant surprise, but one more friend is never too much.
I was pretty surprised that Earle Swensen’s was pretty empty when Bobo and I stepped in. Hey, it's a Sunday... we see plenty of people... it's lunchtime! Why shouldn't it be packed? As we made our way to the table, it's pretty evident of the spacious floor area, and the scenery overlooking the Sentosa was great. Like I was telling the rest, it would be absolutely stunning to have outdoor seats after the sun sets. I wouldn't mind bringing my own candles.
Let me leave the other food reviews to the individual rapists. (The criminals know what they did...)
Let me touch on my first order, the cappuccino... lousy! It tasted just like any coffee I can rip off in food courts, to the point I feel stupid trying to have my coffee fix there. Why on earth did I even spend more than what I paid for in CoffeeBean, and yet get a cup half the size of CoffeeBean's serving? Secondly, the cappuccino was almost cold. There is air-con but I doubt the air-con is that powerful? You can never bluff your way through with a coffee addict!
My main dish was Sirloin Steak with mashed potato. I have other options to go along with like french fries, but I always thought mashed potato is more appropriate to go along with steaks. For steaks, I often swear by Swensen@Orchard. Therefore, my obvious choice was to try their Sirloin Steak. One word - HORRIBLE!
To put it simply, it was small. I had wanted my steak done medium-rare, and any steak enthusiast should know how bloodied it should be. The very second my knife sunk into the steak, I know I'm in for a big disappointment. The feel of slicing into medium-rare steak just wasn't there. In fact, it took me quite some strength to slice it open for everyone to see. No kidding! Everyone could see that the steak was cooked right down to the center. Not a trace of blood and I'm sorry, that is not medium-rare! For a while, I thought I ordered Lamb Chop.
If you know it's a thin slice of steak, control the cooking time. This is really dependent on the chef and his experience.
However, the sauce was tasting good but too bad the steak spoilt the entire dish totally. Salvaging the dish was the mash potato, or so I thought. Tasted good, but it wasn't mashed properly. I could still bite little chunks of potato. My last hope for some form of compensation just got cruxified.
I'm convinced of my preference of Swensen steak outlet. Earle Swensen @ Vivocity definitely does not make the mark for my tastebuds.
My verdict? I'm sorry, but this place is not worth the money they charged. And I think it's slightly higher than other Swensen's branches? Avoid at all cost if you can, there are plenty more eateries along the whole stretch to satisfy your hunger. 2 stars for the generally friendly staffs, comfortable seats, clean environment and great scenery, that's about it.
Like the rest of them, if not for the great company I would have walked out of that place frowning. You just can't bluff your way through with sub-standard (if not horrendous) food, can you?
Rating given:
I totally agree with GENESIS!
The best part about Equinox is the view especially at night. .
If you wanna the window seat... You have to go early... Around 6:45pm...
I tried the dinner set... A starter, main course and a dessert... Abt $170 for 2 pax... The food tast good... However... The portion is a little too small... I wasn't full after the dinner... =X
Anyway.. I reached Equinox around 6:50pm and stayed there till around 10 pm.. I was enjoying the view! I think i was facing nicoll highway (if my sense of direction is correct)...
If not for special occassion... I think I wouldn't not wanna spent so much for a meal which I wun be full...
Rating given:
I lurve this resturant! Althought the price is a bit steep for me... But it's my first choice when it comes to special occassion... e.g. my mum/dad/sis/ bday...
We love the claypot sharkfin... It's a indivdual portion but normally 2 of us will share 1 claypot... If I'm gg to finish one claypot myself... I think I don't have to order other stuff and I will be superb full... I don't really like eat the shark fin, most of the time, I will give it to my parents... I only lurve the soup..
So nice and sweet!
Apart from this... We can love the FRIED FISH MAW... It's a simple dish... yet... so yummy... My mum tried to cook it at home... But the taste is totally different...
Actually apart from this 2 dish, I find the rest of the dish so-so... Nothing much to mention... Haha!
It'a a Thai Sharkfin Resturant... So the focus shd be only sharkfin right?
Rating given:
On National Day 08/09/07
Ryan in Aus : Today is my gf’s birthday, is it possible to help me order a cake and deliver to her place?
Me: HUH? It’s a bit late but I will try... Maybe a cake and flowers?
(P.S. Ryan is in Aus and his gf is in Sin)
Immediately I log on my computer... I spent the next 30 mins surfing around for a cake and flowers... Finally...
http://www.cakeavenue.com/ (check out my review on this too)
http://www.dandelionflorist.com.sg/
I called both shops cos I have past their cut off time. But thank god... Both shops are so nice! I manage to order a 24cm Tiramisu Cheese Cake and 12 stalks of Purple Roses. They can deliver before 6 pm! I called around 1 pm...
The person in charge at Dandelion Florist is SUPERB nice! She tried her best to accomplish my mission impossible... Not forgetting it’s a public holiday!
I believe Dandelion Florist is the only online florist that provides PURPLE roses... YES... Rose in purple... If you think it will look horrible... U are absolutely wrong... check out the pics I upload... It's took by Ryan's gf... It's the actual rose...
Anyway, the person in-charge was very nice... She called to 'warn' me that they might not have purple and ask what is my next choice... Anyway they do have pretty purple rose... SO... thank god..
On another occasion, I order the purple roses for my girlfren 22nd birthday... However this time round, I wasn't so lucky... The purple roses were abit greyish and the person in charge recommand a yellowish orange rose instead... My gf LOVE the roses alot...
One thing I like abt the roses here is the person make sure the colour of the rose is nice and fresh... Once she feels that the flowers are not nice enough, she will immediately call to ask for a second option...
Good service... Really value for money... $50 for 12 purple rose which include free delivery...
Rating given:
On National Day 08/09/07
Ryan in Aus : Today is my gf's birthday, is it possible to help me order a cake and deliver to her place?
Me: HUH? It's a bit late but I will try... Maybe a cake and flowers?
(P.S. Ryan is in Aus and his gf is in Sin)
Immediately I log on my computer... I spent the next 30 mins surfing around for a cake and flowers... Finally...
http://www.cakeavenue.com/
http://www.dandelionflorist.com.sg/ (check out my review on this too)
I called both shops cos I have past their cut off time. But thank god... Both shops are so nice! I manage to order a 24cm Tiramisu Cheese Cake and 12 stalks of Purple Roses. They can deliver before 6 pm! I called around 1 pm...
The person in charge for Cake Avenue is SUPERB nice! She tried her best to accomplish my mission impossible... Not forgetting it's a public holiday!
According to Ryan the Tiramisu is juz so-so.. At least not the best Tiramisu his gf ever had... But with the right service attutide, I will definately go back to Cake Avenue to order birthday...
Most important, they have wide range of birthday cake to choose from... Same day delivery is possible depending on what they have... Yes they deliver to door step!
Rating given: