Have a new distraction recently - Team Fortress 2 - a really cute game (it's like Counter-Strike but much cuter with various items) introduced by XL and the best part is that it's free to play! Considering that, it's really a v good game and I realise that the offers on Steam (esp the Xmas deals so far) are really v good and MUCH cheaper than buying from the shops here!
Anyway, nothing much recently other than enjoying myself playing com and chilling at home. Met up with Jon, DS and Roy to play mahjong on Wed and after going up the 1st round, the 2nd round was terribly bad with v bad luck. You know it when you keep picking up bad cards like the 2nd last or last card of a wind or dragon and when you're calling 3 cards to game and pick up a card to throw for a "men-qing" (that's a ping-hu with nothing on the table) [not as bad as the time when I almost tian-hu then threw 3 kah-loongs to lose lol]. People zi-mo 4/5 tai when I never throw anything to them so it's just suay lor but oh well, that's mahjong and puts and end to my winning streak, just when I thought I was bouncing back on a string of big wins haha. But it was really fun and enjoyed the crapping when we were playing - a lot of dirty jokes and trash talk =P Dinner at Eastpoint Paradise Inn and the food is quite tasty, one of the reasons I enjoy eating food at the various Paradise Inn outlets - so far all have served good quality food at reasonable prices. =)
Met up with the MJ Bros for a massage at Chinatown on Thu at this shop called Teo Chew Meng Reflexology Centre and it was pretty good. For Singapore, the prices are probably on the cheaper side ($20 for 45 min of foot + shoulder massage - mainly foot) and the aunties there quite friendly and seem quite pro lol. They will tell you what problems you might have as they press your feet and mine asked if I'd been drinking a lot of soya bean (true, a small pack everyday) and cold water (not water itself, but other beverages) and drinking water too fast (maybe true)... The most painful part for all of us was when they press the region between the toes and the toe joints cos those are the least meaty parts so it's super pain! But ok lah, I felt good after the massage I think it's worth it =) Went for dinner at the nearby market at People's Park Complex and the guo1 tie1 from Tian Jin Fong Kee is really good! After that we went to HS's place to play a new game he bought called San1 Guo2 Sha1, basically a game based on Romance of the Three Kingdoms but the ideas are the same as a game I played before called Bang! It's just that they used the story to link to the cards but concept wise it's the same. Quite enjoyable first game but second game was a drag (and quite silly because I died abruptly after being struck by lightning, crap! =P) because it took ages to finish after the game was left with 3 so probably need to tweak that. It's a good game though at a price of $24.9, especially for fans of ROTK. =)
Met up with LJ (for gym) and XL (to see MY off to Canada) recently and they had some dental tips - (1) Floss everyday - something that people rarely do but it is v effective in preventing problems. Both of them do it regularly and even spend half an hour daily so it must be v important! (2) Do NOT brush your teeth immediately after you have eaten. Wait at least 30 min because your body produces lactic acid to break down the food (that includes drinks and sugary stuff such as sweets are the biggest culprits if you don't take care of your teeth properly) and this will soften the enamel which you will remove if you brush your teeth too soon. Your saliva will help to remineralise the teeth over time hence you should wait at least 30-40 min before brushing. Great tip I think! I used to think it's good to eat breakfast then brush so that can remove the food immediately but looks like it's not a good idea! (3) Brush your teeth in the correct manner so that the food from the small holes around your tooth (not visible to our naked eye) can be removed. This means to angle your toothbrush at 45 degrees to the base of your teeth (not a flat up and down kind of movement).
Time to review the many eateries that I've been to from July onwards! It's been really long though so I can't remember every dish but vaguely recall the better ones... (1) Bali Thai (at ION Orchard) - food's quite tasty at a decent price but the wait was v long (on a weekday dinner). The dish I like most is their chicken wings! (2) 3-Inch Sin (at Cluny Court - beside Serene Centre) Went there for dessert after Kuriya Dining and the molten chocolate cakes were AWESOME! I'm not a fan of chocolate but I loved eating it so that says much about it! (3) Lawry's (at Mandarin Gallery) - went there for high tea with my HJM from MJC after the mid-year exams, LOL. It was quite nice and a real "attas" ambience there. Food was decent but maybe pricey (attas food) but if you're a tai-tai that's not a problem. A nice place I'd say. (4) Marutama Ramen (at United Square) - I rem the first time I went to Marutama was at Liang Court with quite a few of my MJC friends a few years back and it was quite tasty though pricey. This time it seemed just ok and still quite pricey so not a fan of this - perhaps standards have dropped with the franchising? (5) Santoro (at Amara Hotel) - considering we spent about $80 per pax but I can't recall any dish that probably means it's decent but not outstanding to me at least... (6) Otto Ristorante (at Maxwell Road, Red Dot Traffic Building) - v nice place, nice ambience and I loved eating there, even though I'm not a big fan of Italian food. I think I had the degustation menu (nowadays I tend to spoil myself occasionally if it's about $100 or so - I've not earned enough to go for those $300+++ types yet =P) cos I remembered having a lot of dishes there and the one I remembered most was the amberjack because it was the first time I ate it and it was really tasty. I remembered they had a vegetarian set also so veggie lovers can try this place too! =) (7) South Coast (at MBS) - an Australian eatery I think and this was part of a dating event thing that I attended lol and the food was just ok to me and so were the people (most of them were much older than me lol). This really is NOT my kind of thing but I just accompanied a friend to look look see see. Can't hurt I guess but ya, I rather not go for such things again... (8) Novena Peranakan Cuisine (opposite Novena Square) - food was not bad but I remembered there were ants in the drink so that is a big no-no for me, never going back again. (9) Western Bar (at Jalan Gelenggang) - Quite a nice place but not easily accessibly via public transport. White truffle mushroom soup was the outstanding choice but the rest of the food was just ok. The boss was quite nice though cos the salad given didn't match the description in the menu so when we explained he offered us something else at no charge! (10) Honeymoon Dessert (at Bugis Junction) - my first visit was with some of the MJC (and ex-MJC) friends and the dessert there is quite tasty. Go for the "ren2 qi4" ones as shown in the menu and you can't go wrong! (11) Prive Cafe (at Keppel Bay) - nice ambience but can be v dark outside lol but also v inaccessible without public transport. Food there is decent and it's just a quite place near the waters if you like those kind of setting. (12) Tajimaya (at Vivocity) - v popular place and rightly so because the wagyu there is fantastic! It's a place I would want to go back to eat! (13) Ice Edge Cafe (at Kovan) - decent place for ice-cream but didn't excite me haha (14) Novus (at National Museum) - nice ambience but having spent about $100+ per pax I can't remember clearly what we ate. I think I had cod fish and some zucchini soup there but didn't recall v much, not a good sign I guess haha. The service was decent and they did have signs which explain the dish you are eating so that's quite cool. (15) Verve Pizza Bar (at Marina Bay City Gallery, around MBS) - ok place, food was just ok. The other thing I can recall was the waiter was v friendly and helpful haha... (16) Tampopo (at Liang Court) - quite a large variety of food and went for their ramen which was ok. The thing I like most is the milk pudding which is a must try! (17) Seafood Paradise (at Defu Lane) - have been hearing about the crabs at Defu Lane for a v long time and it didn't disappoint (though they only had the small ones) but quite inaccessible again.
(18) Joel Robuchon (at RWS) - By far, THE BEST restaurant I've ever been! It's soooooo good it deserves a paragraph of its own LOL. Really, eating at Joel Robuchon wasn't just a meal, it was a LIFE-CHANGING EXPERIENCE. From the moment you enter, it's like wow - super posh! Beautiful and grand decor, from the lights to the table setting which have a grand black and gold colour combi, this was fine dining at its finest. It really made us feel under-dressed for the place so if you ever go there, please dress to the occasion! Why is it an experience? Because I saw and experienced more things than I ever did eating there. (a) They have separate menus for guys and ladies - the guys one have prices and the ladies one don't LOL. That's in line I guess with the French culture where the gentleman pays for everything. (b) There's a trolley for bread, another for cheese, and yet another for desserts - free flow! It's like OMG! The bread trolley was like wow - every single thing you've ever seen and more! From the basics like croissants (and there are many varieties) to basil and saffron flavoured bread, it'll bring tears of joy to bread lovers! Then there's the guy who comes around with butter flown in from France which is kept in a bell jar and he'll cut the butter for you on the spot before serving you. How cool is that??? I'm not a cheese fan so I didn't try but they also had huge varieties from the soft to hard so cheese lovers will enjoy that, together with the fruits that you can choose from. The dessert trolley was another wow - again almost everything you can think of, from macaroons, fruit tarts, opera cake - everything looked and tasted great! (c) The food was exquisite and some of the designs were simply intricate - like the dish where the chef dotted the entire plate with some greenish sauce and the dots were symmetrically placed and each dot was well done - something which looks so simple but yet requires much skill to make it so visually appealing! I had my wagyu, which was very nicely done (medium rare actually, something which I don't normally try in normal restaurants cos it can be v bloody) but it is the foie gras that was mind-blowing! Anyone who eats foie gras knows that moment when you bite into the foie gras and the oil oozes out to give you a truly o* feeling in your mouth. Hence the texture of the foie gras is important because if it's a little too hard then the kou3 gan3 will be lost. What distinguished the foie gras from anything else I've eaten is that it was sooooo smooth and soft inside that when you bite into it, it just melts into your mouth and gives me a high I've never had before. You know those food shows where the celebrities will give you this face and say it's soooo good? I'm sure you'll be like this too if you eat this! The only bad thing about eating this is that all other foie gras I eat since there just pales in comparison to it LOL. Summary: At about $200++ per pax it's the most expensive place that I've eaten at so far but NO REGRETS. Remember: It's NOT just a meal, it's an EXPERIENCE!
(19) Mozza Pizzeria (at MBS) - a popular place it seems and food was quite ok but seemed pricey to me and I don't think I'll ever like the salty meat kind of dishes that many Italian restaurants serve haha. (20) High Society (at MBS) - had stacks of macaroons, many funky flavours as we celebrated Shan's Birthday together and I realise macaroons really aren't my kind of dessert. It's too sweet for me! (21) Cherry Garden (at Mandarin Oriental) - went there for dim sum lunch and it's very tasty! Can see why they are so highly rated! Maybe a little pricey but for hotel food and the standard they have I think it's ok. (22) Urban Spoon (at Jalan Kayu) - food was sucky and really NOT worth the money. That was the worst $40 I spent on food! (23) Todai (at MBS) - as I'm listing out I just realise I seem to be eating a lot at MBS haha. Anyway, the buffet spread there was ok but for $50++ it was kinda difficult for me to eat my money's worth. It's good, but not good enough for me =) (24) Prime Cut (at Kovan) - ok heartland type of food at ok prices, nothing special to me... (25) Itacho Sushi (at Plaza Singapura) - v good place and they have a lot of good daily deals. The fresh scallops were the outstanding pick and highly recommended! (26) Tatsuya (at Goodwood Park Hotel) - outstanding sashimi! Fresh-flown from the famous Tsukiji Market! The $100 platter for 2 is definitely worth it cos there's a good variety and most importantly they taste really good and fresh! Will go back definitely! (27) Shin-Sapporo Ramen (at Century Square) - decent place, nothing much else... (28) Momoya (at Picardy Garden) - nice place for Jap buffet but quite inaccessible. (29) Ikkousha (at Iluma) - the place where there are many ramen stalls and we went for the one which seemed most popular and it was quite ok but seemed to be slightly more ex. Come to think of it, I really need to pay attention and find out which is the best place for ramen! (30) Nara (at Goldhill Centre near United Square) - decent Jap food at reasonable prices. (31) Royal China (at Raffles Hotel) - went for dim sum lunch with my HJM from MJC and the food there is quite good at decent price! Wouldn't mind going back again. (32) Keyaki (at Pan Pacific Hotel) - a real disappointment considering this was I think the first place that I ate during my journey of fine dining. Went for the omakase and had like 10+ dishes but none of them left me wanting for more and the worse part was that there was a bone in the salmon sashimi - something I've never had in years of eating sashimi even in crappy food places and nobody else seems to have experienced that before. The worst thing? Having to pay $150 for the meal - THAT is a waste of money! Not going back there again! (33) Peach Garden (opposite Novena Square) - decent dim sum at reasonable price. The XO carrot cake was quite good! =) (34) L'Angolo Ristaurante Italiano (at Maxwell Road, Maxwell Chambers) - nice place for Italian food at a price though. The cod fish was quite well done and other dishes were decent though I can't recall much... (35) Jones the Grocer (at Dempsey Hill) - had the wagyu beef burger and it was quite nice. Nice place to chill but Dempsey Hill isn't a very accessible place. Mandarin Gallery would be much better and there's another branch there. (36) Megumi (at East Coast) - nice place for Jap food and went there to celebrate Jana's birthday. Liked the fried rice but foie gras was just ok =D
Ok, finally done with the reviews - phew! Been absent from blogging too long already and still need to update my thoughts and reflections for the year before 2012 starts soon! For now, it's time to play! Just bought L4D and L4D2 online and downloaded liao so gonna start killing zombies! =D
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