東京: Tokyo round-up

Am back from our winter holidays and I feel even more tired after the break.  Don’t get me wrong.  I’m not being ungrateful for while I do enjoy being away from work for the past week or so, but the body has also taken ‘a beating’ with the amount of food and drink throughout the entire trip with the gang (this time round, 22 of us in total).

Ditched the camera back home and went with photos taken on the iPhone.  Quality may not be of the best, but it’s good enough.  Here are some random shots to remember the trip by:

We arrived into Tokyo at about 11pm and after checking-in the hotel, all I could think of was sleep.  The Man, on the other hand, could only think of Ichiran Ramen.  So we piled on the layers and took a slow walk in the cool winter breeze to our favourite ramen joint.

Figured since we made it all the way there, I might as well indulge in a bowl of ramen noodles (sans oil in my bowl of soup).

Look who’s the happy camper here!  If you are interested to find out more about Ichiran Ramen, check out the posts that I’ve written previously.

Undeniably my favourite place to go pick up beauty products in Tokyo.  This store was close to where we lived in Roppongi.  The best part?  It was still open at midnight!! 

A new brand that I’ve come to discover with cool products.  The only thing that’s stopping me from acquiring them?  The price point.  Pretty ex IMO.  And guess what?  For once, I didn’t really feel like shopping much in Tokyo.  Shock much?  Yeah, I’m shocked as well.  ;0

Pint-sized servings of coffee or matcha latte only available in Starbucks Tokyo!

And we took onsen to a whole new level when we smuggled our own cups and Umeshu into the hot springs. ;p  Yup, crazy Singaporeans on-the-loose in Hakuba.

We did also squeeze in some time to check out a couple of restaurants (which explains for the food coma and how I need to lose more weight after this trip).  Reviews on those to come soon. 

I’m turning into a…

snowbunny for a while..

off to hit the slopes so see you in a week’s time!

大年初二！

Hope you all are enjoying this Lunar New Year break!  And what have we been up to the past few days?

Nothing much, really.  Apart from the usual visiting of our relatives, we’ve been hanging out with this lil’ guy.  He feels a little excluded from all the visitations so we just make it a point to stay him and keep him company.  The rainy weather hasn’t been ideal for getting around but perfect for an evening of steam-boat.

And this season is not complete without the customary red packets filled with good wishes for the young and the elderly.  No guesses which design is my favourite of the lot.  Hehe.

Last but not least, would like to take the opportunity to wish you and your loved ones a joyous and prosperous time in the year of the Snake!  May the coming of the New Year bring you joy, peace, health, happiness and love all year round!

A rare treat..

It was a public holiday in the US, so the Man had a night-off from his weekly Monday video cons.  Took the opportunity to gather a couple of our friends for a dinner at Jaan (our current fave restaurant).  The food was great, the wine was even better coupled with incessant chatter for the pals.

Checking out: Keong Saik Snacks

Been raving about the cocktails at Catalunya to Fashionista Cat and had planned to head there on a Wednesday evening.  When we finally did one wet Wednesday evening, we were turned away as the place had been booked for a corporate event.  Darn!  FC was disappointed and so was I.  Scrambling to find another place to head to for drinks and dinner, I suggested Keong Saik Snacks.

It was a place I had wanted to go check out but again there is a no-reservations policy.  Heard the queues can get pretty scary but figured since it was pouring, we could take our chances and head on there early to secure a table.  And we did!  Got a table with no fuss at all.

Blending local and British cafe culture, and giving modern twists to great classic comfort foods from around the world, KEONG SAIK SNACKS is the new go-to social bistro that is part brainchild of Michelin Star Chef Jason Atherton with an unpretentious environment, and serving familiar yet new, clever food options.

The menu wasn’t too extensive but everything that was on the menu sounded oh-so-good.  FC and I glanced at the menu and spotted at least 4-5 items that we wanted to order.   Feeling greedy, we decided to first order 4 items that we really wanted to eat before deciding if there is room for dessert.

The garlic chilli fries served was good – not overly spicy but be warned, extremely addictive.  I enjoyed the DIY Tuna Tartare.  The sauces that went into mixing the tartare were very light and appetising.  Mixing the tuna up and spreading it on to the thin biscotti made for a fun dining experince.  My only gripe?  Wished that we have more of the bread to spread the tuna around.  2 slices simply was not enough.

Now on to our mains.  The Lobster Roll with Spiced Mayo and Iceberg Lettuce came highly recommended in most of the reviews that I read.  I haven’t had a good Lobster Roll in a long time so I thought this was pretty good.  On the other hand, FC thought the Lobster Roll served at Luke’s was TDF!  She didn’t particularly think this was anything special.

Feeling greedy, we went ahead to order the Iberico Ham and Manchego Cheese Toastie which felt like a sinful version of breakfast food topped with a tiny fried quail’s egg.  The Manchego Cheese was powerful and strong.  One couldn’t really go wrong with the combination except that it veered towards the salty side.

Feeling stuffed and with no more space for dessert, we called for the bill and headed down to The Library for another round of drinks after they dished out the secret password.

Keong Saik Snacks

Address: 49, Keong Saik Road

Telephone: +65 6221 8338 

Singapore Open 2012

I have been going to the Singapore Open for the past couple of years. Then, it was more of a social event for I never quite understood the rules of the game. The only thing I was probably interested in was whether there are cute golfers and the food. The former hasn’t quite changed.

We were invited once again to the Singapore Open. I had been looking forward to this event because I kinda picked up watching golf. Note, it’s watching and not playing. Remember this? Yes, the process of getting a handicap is still very much work-in-progress for me. How long? I dunno… I just got chided again by the Man for the lack of determination to see this through.. SIGH… But I really do have loads of work excuse just didn’t cut it with the Man.

So we went there to catch the play-offs for the Tournament on Saturday and Sunday. When we arrived at the Pavilion, we were greeted with light drizzle and grey skies. Thankfully, the game pressed on and after a while, the skies cleared up with the sun peeking through.

We had quite a good view of hole 9 and hole 18 where we were seated so the friends and us pretty much stayed in the Pavilion most of the afternoon.

Boy was it a star-studded event. There were a couple of guys that I was out to see.. one of which was Rory Mcilroy, the other was Adam Scott. ;p I did manage to catch some of them and even added a new golfer to watch out for in my list. Hehe…

Here’s Rory setting up his shot at hole 18 for his last game. This was quite an awesome putt that he made, quite happy to have witnessed it for myself.

It’s also kinda endearing to see his girlfriend being there for him to support him by walking the entire course as he played the game. Didn’t quite manage to get good shots of her but the Man did come quite up close to them by chance. Hmpf!

And this is the guy I’m keeping a lookout for the next time I watch golf games on the Golf Channel – Matteo Manassero. Aged 19, this Italian young gun eventually went on to win the trophy at this year’s Singapore Open. Did I mention, I think he’s really cute as well? ;p You should go and check him out.

Checkin’ out: Catalunya

Of late, the Man has been hanging out at Catalunya pretty often and what’s not to like about the place?  It’s close to the office, the cocktails are really pretty darn amazing, the food is just wonderful (personally, I think it was better than our dining experience in Pollen) and it boasts a spectacular view of some of Singapore’s key attractions.

See what I mean?

But more importantly, I was keen to visit Catalunya and try out the food offerings for it is helmed by Chef Alain Devahive Tolosa who spent a decade in the kitchen of El Bulli.  Now that El Bulli has shut its doors, I was mighty glad that one of the seasoned chefs has decide to come to our sunny shores to open shop – a testament that our culinary scene has definitely evolved.

As with the other new places that we’ve checked out, I firmly believe that dining is so much more enjoyable when like-minded friends come round the table to share the meal.  So, we finally nailed a date and the whole Gang headed out for a mid-weekly dinner affair.  I had been so looking forward to the date, wanting to document the entire dining experience given that the Gang being the gluttons will probably want to order majority of the food items on the menu.

BUT, lighting at Catalunya was really pretty bad and after a couple of failed attempts at taking the photos of the food, I decided to give up.  Looks like I just have to come back during lunch and document what we loved.

We started the evening with several rounds of cocktails.  Personally, I think the bartenders at Catalunya make up a delicious and mean cocktail.  Fresh and fruity ingredients are used in their concoctions.  No wonder this has become one of our favourite watering holes after work. My favourite so far is the ‘Stairway to Heaven’ cocktail.  Try it and let me know know if you like it too.

Oh and ladies, if you are reading this, let me fill you in on another sweetener.  Wednesday nights are Ladies Night at Catalunya.  You know what this means right?  1-for-1 cocktails for all the ladies in the house.  Offer only valid at the Bar but it’s good enough if you ask me.  You can order on some light bites while sipping the delicious cocktails with your girlies.

Food-wise.. what can I say…most of the items that the Man ordered for the Gang were hits.  For starters, I particularly enjoyed the Tomato Tartar Confit which resembled like a beef tartar when our server put it down but taste hardly anything like it.  The finely minced tomato bits were extremely refreshing.  Best enjoyed with thin wafer crisps, this made for a wonderful start to the meal.  Other memorable starters that we had were the Jamon Iberico Croquettes and the individual serving of the deconstructed Spanish Omelette.

If the round of Tapas haven’t filled your tummies by now, then go on to the next level and order the mains.  That’s the beauty of dining in a big group I guess.  The suckling pig was a must-order according to the Man and another friend.  When our server showed us the little suckling pig, I almost felt bad.  Took a pic but had it removed.  On hindsight, it may be offensive to some.  That said, the suckling pig was indeed very tender and you know that it’s cooked to perfection when you bite into that thin crisp layer of skin.  What’s also interesting to watch is that they cut this little suckling piggy at the table with a dessert plate.  With the amount of strength that they exert during the cutting, I half-wondered why the plate hasn’t cracked by now.

Dessert-wise.  I can’t particularly remember anything that was outstanding.  Perhaps it was the alcohol that finally kicked in but it was a merry night to remember.

Catalunya
Address: 82 Collyer Quay, Singapore 049327
Telephone: +65 6534 0886