J Pot Steamboat @ Vivocity

It was a rainy afternoon and I had been craving steamboat all week. YS kindly acceded to my request to come here for lunch even though she had already been here during the week.


The wide assortment of condiments that you get to pick from.



The seafood set for 2 was abundant, and wayy more food than we could finish.


The clams and prawns were very fresh! And not sandy!


I picked the tom yam soup base. It was great, exactly how I wanted it. YS had the imperial broth.


I am most pleased with my 2 unique concoctions. Everything tasted great with them. On the left: spring onion, chili padi, minced raw garlic in soya sauce and on the right: sacha sauce with fried garlic and chili oil.

thanks for lunch YS!

Garuda Padang Indonesian Cuisine @ B2 Vivocity

Vivocity always has a wide range of interesting things to eat. Not many classy joints but mid-range, fairly priced and a wide assortment of different cuisines abound.

So we ended up at at Garuda Padang Indonesian Cuisine, #B2-28 at Vivocity. It is a halal restaurant and it caters to a wide range of palattes - spicy, non-spicy, vegetarian, meaty, seafood. Free flow of rice and lime juice for a fixed price.

We ordered a number of dishes to share.

Sambal sotong (Spicy Chili Squid). It was done just right, not to chewy, and quite tasty.


Kari Ayam (Curry Chicken). Not too spicy, but the gravy was delicious. I got a piece of breastmeat so it wasnt very tender.


Sambal Terong (Spicy Chili Brinjal). This was my favourite. I could have eaten it all. It was just delicious. The chili was perfect, the brinjal was tender and totally yums.


The most interesting dish of the day - Kari Nangka (Jackfruit Curry). I like jackfruit, its one of my favourite fruits, because it is so fragrant. In a curry however, they use the young green jackfruit, so it has a different texture. A little chewy, a little fibrous. But very interesting nonetheless.


A crowd favourite - Rendang Danging (Spiced Beef Stew). It's very fragrant and delicious and the meat, while tender still has a tasty bite.


And then to end off a delicious meal, chendol gula melaka (iced drink with jelly and red beans and brown sugar syrup)!

Honestly the meal was only so-so because i find the spices too tame and not rich enough. But the company was top notch!!

Marusui Japanese fish Market @ B2 Vivocity

had an inpromptu lunch with CT, since we were both working late, and by the time i stepped out of my little office, I could only see her around. Everyone else had already gone out for lunch.

Suggested that new fish market place at Vivocity basement, opposite Giant supermarket. Its a little place with only a few tables, so if you can't get a seat, you might need to tarpow back to the office.

The sashimi and sushi is displayed in front of you like at the japanese supermarkets.. You choose what you like, then pay at the cashier. The chefs will slice up the sashimi for you.


CT patiently queuing to pay while I chope the seats!


Our sashimi selection! All fresh and nice. Came on a friday, which was delivery day! How lucky!


I like california rolls... Like all the ingredients and the happy orange colour. Started liking since my pregnancy days when I couldnt eat raw foods, but still wanted sushi.


This was on offer, alaskan crab on rice for SGD5.80 instead of the usual SGD12.80, so we got one to share. Yes, the crab was sweet. Then we saw a gentleman eat the entire crab leg. Turns out, that only costs $8! We should have got one! It looked quite nice.

Dian Xiao Er @ Vivocity

Went for lunch with DB at Vivocity.

I like lunching with him... he is fun to talk to.. And he isnt so self absorbed like other youngsters who only talk about themselves or their own angsty issues... He can discuss current affairs, he has intelligent views, and he is concerned enough to ask about me and the kids.

We went ala carte... and chose our faves.


The fried rice (SGD9) here is good. Each grain of rice is tasty and redolent with the fragrance of wok hei. I also like their fried vermicelli.. also has the same wok hei which comes from an experienced hand.




The crocodile soup with almonds (SGD6) used to be more expensive, now all the soups are 6. This was tasty and nice. DM says its too heaty though, should have avoided in these recent times of extreme hot weather.


A close up of the soup. We discovered this wormy things... and were told that these were cordyceps! Sure or not? I know that cordyceps are super expensive! They were crunchy but tasteless. Certainly no herbal taste. The meat tasted alright, not too tough, but certainly not tender either. DB says it tastes like pork.



The signature herbal roast duck - everyone loves it. It is fragrant and tender and delicious.


I can pick up peanuts with my chopsticks! IeatIshootIpost was recently blogging about the right way to hold chopsticks... how do I fare eh?


And, the main reason why I come here. The power chili sauce. Goes well with everything and really has the spicy kick.


Drinks from Queen and Mangosteen. Refreshing. I really needed a break, it has been a crazy week.


Best chocolate ice cream, cutest spoon and takeaway box.


Retail therapy - as I said, it was a crazy week. So, bought clothes for cutie from Club Marc - they are really expensive in the States (just try buying online!) but in its vivo outlet, it seems that they are having perpetual closing down sales.


Bought myself a pretty watch too.

Brotzeit, #01-?? Vivocity and Tung Lok Classics, Chinese Swimming Club at Amber Road

Went to Brotzeit for lunch today. It a German pub, run by Paulaner Brauhaus I believe. They do seem to have a wide array of drinks. Foodwise, it seemed pretty limited. There weren't many things that tempted me on the menu. Eventually we shared a sausage platter (SGD32) and ordered a potato salad (SGD5.80). He had a original lager (SGD10.90) and I had a Mango Wiessbier (a beer mixer of white beer and mango juice, SGD8.90). I enjoyed our lunch very much..


It was enjoyable conversation, with refreshing insights. He is very mature, very smart... yet also very nice and warm. He looks cool, but now I see that he actually has very grounded and traditional values. He was trying to convince me of the sanctity of marriage. He actually firmly believes in the doctrine of marriage... and the erosion of family values is a phenomenon that worries him. How quaint, and sweet.


Tung Lok Signatures



We went to Tung Lok Classics at Chinese Swimming Club for dinner over the weekend. The restaurant was well reviewed in the local papers in the past week, resulting obviously in a large crowd of people descending on the place. It wasn't equipped to take the crowd, and there was no sitting area for a comfortable wait.

To appease us, they sent a complimentary juice desssert, served in an extravagant display of shaved ice.


Cutie liked the juice, I think he had 2!

No matter. The kids had fun though.


Cutie and Daddy.


Me and Sweetie.


Cutie doing his own thing.


Sweetie doing her own thing.


Bought a new camera - a Canon Ixus. Love the functions, and the various cool and nifty things like automatic macros function, nice sleek design etc.


Took this photo in the car, and see how well it turned out!

Cutie

Generally, he has been a good boy, he is learning to accept criticism, and we are learning to do it in a more gentle manner. He can be quite embarrassed if we scold him in public or in front of others. If we are insensitive to his feelings, he will manifest his feelings of hurt pride and/or embarrassment by talking louder, in this pseudo macho bravado - "If Daddy scolds me again, I will cut him with the scissors! Lalala..." He says it loud enough for the people around to hear... I think it's so that he can manage his fragile male ego from being told off. Is this a guy thing?


Due to the extreme heat conditions here in Sunny Singapore, we have been eating ice cream a lot. Here he is, eating vanilla ice cream. His favourite flavours are green tea and vanilla.



Cutie also copes with the heat by taking frequent baths. He loves to have lots of bubbles in the tub, and if I take away the bathsoap, he will use shampoo, handsoap and anything else that is available. SIGH. How to scold him, when he is so delighted?

Sweetie

Our little princess. Wearing a tiara.


Sweetie is very good at posing for the camera... it's an instinctive girly thing maybe... she will turn to the camera and smile!

Sweetie is 10 months now. Very sweet and observant and friendly.

You know, I am very proud of my 2 little ones, they are growing rapidly! I find such joy in playing with them, reading to them, going for walks or just watching them.


I find that Cutie is a very good big brother, albeit a little rough from time to time... He takes time to play with Sweetie, does silly things to entertain her and make her laugh... Here is the video evidence of the above! I wasn't sure if my approach was right... you know, at first, when I decided to spend more time with Cutie after Sweetie arrived. Some experienced moms, and most books, suggested that it was important to spend more time with the elder sibling, because the elder sibling would be very aware of the new addition, and would be particularly sensitive to the intrusion and/or change. The baby would however be blissfully oblivious. So I adhered to this rule... resulting in me spending more time with Cutie than Sweetie.

The good thing of course, is that Cutie never felt threatened or abandoned. So he loves Sweetie and is always sharing things with her and playing with her. Nevertheless, I worried about this approach, I obssessed that Sweetie might not be close to me. The fears were of course unfounded. Sweetie still prefers me over any other caregiver. But now that she is older, she is more vocal in her demands for my attention as well. Fortunately, now that we are all pretty settled into the new family structure, the fact that I am now paying more attention to Sweetie does not change Cutie's attitude towards her. He is still the caring and loving big brother. I hope the way I dealt with this situation had helped, in a way. I think different kids respond differently so I dont know if my approach would be appropriate for everyone, but I think it did work well for me.

Dim Sum Lunch @ Crystal Jade Dining IN

lunched with DC and PC, both classmates from my secondary school and JC days. It's so funny how we have really grown up since our carefree days in school.. and yet, we aren't really that grown up!


Spicy squid. I thought it was going to be calamari, but this is even better. I liked squid generally for its chewy texture. This was also very tasty, with generous bits of chili. I liked this very much. Eat it quick though. It turns hard when it gets cold.


Siew Mai was ordinary. I am not a fan of siew mai. I find it too stodgy.


Spinach dumplings. I liked this for its fresh and tasty filling.


Char Siew Pastry was a winner because it contained lean char siew meat (please dont put fatty bits into it, i dont like that.. and its really not necessary to put fatty bits in order to get tasty char siew). It also has bits of century egg. Not a lot, just a little bit to make it more interesting.


Har gow was smooth and fresh, one of my favourite dim sum items.


fried carrot cake, this was smooth fragrant and superb. This is my 2nd favourite dim sum item and is a must order every time I eat dim sum.


Cheong fun with prawns is my favourite dim sum item of all time (it;s right up there with chicken feet!). I like this because it is smooth and savoury and healthy.

FOOD AT HOME


birds' nest dessert. Cutie is learning to take some too. He asked whether it was egg white, since it tasted so eggy.


And I made sandwiches for DH. This is honey baked virginia ham with lettuce, tomatos and brie cheese. Improvised from a cedele sandwich that I had during the week.


I made a version with dressing (honey mustard and french mustard mix) but DH seems to prefer the plain.