Prime Society @ Dempsey Road

DS and DBiL's Wedding

Cutie was a page boy for his Yee Yee's wedding.

He was tasked to carry the wedding bears up the aisle.

Doesn't he look handsome in his suit?

He did his job so well! He ran into the auditorium, fearless and brave... even though the church auditorium was filled to the brim with unfamiliar faces.

Then he strolled down the aisle with ease. Isn't he just the cutest?

Wedding Dinner

The place was beautifully decorated and the food was excellent. DS' and DBiL's thank you speech was prepared with much thought and effort, and was so touching that everyone at my table was a little teary.

Cutie had lots of fun that evening. He ran up and down the aisle, danced on the stage, and generally enjoyed himself a lot.

Prime Society @ Dempsey Road

DS and DBiL didn't just prepare a touching thank you speech. They prepared gifts for everyone in the family, including DH and I. One of the vouchers that they gave us was for Prime Society (10 Dempsey Road #01-20 Singapore 247700, tel 6474 7427), a place that specialises in meat.

They take their meat very seriously here. The cutlery was in an envelope called the "Inauguration Kit". The placemat featured a picture of a cow with all the edible parts labelled.

My steak sarnie (SGD20) from the brunch menu was excellent. The beef was tender and sliced nicely. (They did forget to put the camembert cheese, but all was forgiven when I asked and they brought the missing slices to my table). And the fries, the fries was magnifique! Crispy and hot and salted just right. They were perfect with tomato ketchup (although they also provided a lime mayo dip).


DH's ribeye (SGD34) was from the Christmas menu, and it was very substantial. The baby potatoes were just right, crispy skin, tender potato.

Close up of the hunk of meat. I think it is seared not grilled, which to me makes it a little oilier?

We also ordered a salt and pepper calamari starter (SGD16) with lime mayo. It was nice but a very small serving for that price.

Ben and Jerry's @ Dempsey Road

We then brought Cutie to Go Go Bambini's where he could play in this 3 storey play gym with a ball pit. He had lots of fun... We didn't stay long, just half an hour. He liked it so much he kept asking to go back.


We went next door to Ben and Jerry's for ice cream. DH and I shared a waffle with whipped cream, chocolate syrup and ice cream (SGD9.50).

Cutie was more interested in driving the Ben and Jerry's ice cream van outside.

See how pleased he looks!

XMAS DINNER AT TUNG LOK SEAFOOD GALLERY AT EAST COAST

We brought DH's mom to dinner at this restaurant. Lots of nice food. But no pics cos I was too busy trying to feed Cutie.

We later went downstairs to the kiddy rides where Cutie decided to drive a bus...

He was having so much fun, it was hard to get him to leave.

Here, he told us that we could leave first. Bye Bye.

Les Amis Restaurant @ Shaw Centre

My lovely and very charming friend took me to lunch at the newly renovated Les Amis.



Les Amis is such an institution that it's always a treat to be dining there. A gastromical feast with such wonderful company elevates this meal to my hall of fame.



Since Gunther has left the kitchens of Les Amis, Thomas has taken over the helm.



Their styles, as I understand from my learned friend who dines there so frequently that the staff refer to the restaurant as his "canteen", is rather different, with Chef Thomas leaning towards the lighter flavours.



I cannot be sure if I prefer either style, but I do think that Chef Thomas tries very hard to incorporate lots of different flavours and textures into each dish.



This was my chosen starter - truffle ravioli. The ravioli was stuffed with different kinds of mushroom, and fragrant black truffles were shaved over it. It was served with wilted spinach and some reduction.

We both had the same main - turbot with lobster foam. Our waiter described it as very delicate fish cakes. I quite agree. It was very light, like eating air.

We both had the same dessert - pear sorbet with apple canelloni. The apple pastry had a tinge of cinnamon in it, which made me feel very Christmassy.

Inagiku Japanese Restaurant @ Raffles City Shopping Centre (again!)

Christmas time! Love Christmas time! So does Cutie. He likes the Christmas tree at home.

We visited the refurbished Inagiku at Fairmount Hotel (previously known as Raffles the Plaza)recently.

The new place is definitely more sleek and cool, with lots of dark wood and warm lighting.
The food is also more innovative.

Unfortunately I haven't had a very good appetite. So I didn't order much.

This is my unagi baked in cheese and gingko nuts (SGD25). A bit odd on the palate really. fish and cheese is a very funny combination.

DH ordered the Inagiku set.

The starter arrived in a laquer basket and looked really pretty. He said it was quite nice.

His sashimi was fresh.

His fish and mushroom soup which I didn't try.

His 3 slices of wagyu beef cooked on a leaf over a hot flame. I stole one slice, and it was very tender and tasty. The miso paste was a little salty though.

His lobster tasted a little too robust for me, but he seemed to like it, judging by the swiftness with which it was demolished.

Cutie came too. He had a chawanmushi, and then ran off to play with a new friend. He's trying to say "cheese" - japanese style.

Roti Prata @ Seah Imm

My typical breakfast is either muesli with milk from the office pantry or fried beehoon from the vegetarian hawker stall at Seah Imm Hawker Centre.

Today I ventured out of the ordinary by having roti prata (2 kosong ie no egg) and a teh Tarik.

The prata was crispy and fluffy and hot (80 cents each) and I gobbled them down very quickly indeed. I miss eating prata. I used to eat prata from the coffee shop opposite my JC for breakfast, and boy they were good. Those were the good days. I miss those carefree times! Sigh. and since I have long since left those happy times behind... I guess the closest thing is to eat prata for breakfast once in a while, and remininsce over those good ol' days.

The teh tarik was smooth and fragrant and not too sweet. I think it costs maybe $1.20.

Wow cheap and good.

Tom Yam Soup @ Vivocity

I just came back from Bangkok, but hardly had much Thai food there.

So.....

no more lor mee!

I am now hooked on tom yam!



Thai Express @ #B2-30



I was a little disappointed when the tom yam noodle soup (SGD9.90) arrived - it was so colourless and plain! It could have passed off for seafood soup from the foodcourt!


But, it sure packed a fiery spicy punch! It was seriously way too spicy for even my hardened taste buds. In fact, the spiciness overwhelmed all the other flavours, so it sure didn't taste like the tom yam that I was looking forward to. I like my tom yam soup with subtlety of flavours with a hint of fish sauce, hint of lemongrass, hint of spice, hint of sourness.



The mango sticky rice dessert (SGD5.90) was generous, with a whole mango placed on top. Pity they did not remove the skin of the mango before serving it, so it was a bit fiddly having to scoop the mango flesh out. Also, the mango was not sweet at all. It was not fibrous, and was in fact quite smooth, but too bland.

Thai Accent @ #02-145

This place had a much nicer ambience, with a view of the shorefront, facing Sentosa, nice wooden furniture, and soothing music from the CD which features songs by the Thai king.

Their Tom Yam Noodle Soup (SGD12.90) was much better. It came in the typical lovely reddish hue, and it contained various herbs which added fragrance to the dish. I could taste the variety of complementary flavours, including my beloved fish sauce (to which I admit I am very partial). It was also quite spicy, seeing that they add fresh and dried chilli peppers to it.

However you can scoop them out before they add too much spiciness to the soup. I find that the dish is much spicier at the end than at the beginning because the chilli peppers would have somehow added a lot more spice through osmosis.

The mango sticky rice (SGD5.90) was great. The mango was sweet, and there was the addition of some crunchy coconut or rice husks or something, which added an interesting texture to this dessert. Loved it.

VERDICT: since the prices are not that much different, I'd go for Thai Accent. Both places have a promotion for credit cards from Standard Chartered bank, but at Thai Accent, it is an outright discount but at Thai Express, they give you a complimentary dish.

Happy Birthday Choc Reindeer!

This blog is 1 year old!

How time flies.

I started this blog exactly a year ago to commemorate a lovely birthday surprise organised by DS... and this year was just as lovely!

Ah Yat Seafood Gallery @ Shaw Tower

We had a combined birthday dinner celebration for Kong Kong and I.

Lots of yummy seafood... This place was a little crowded though.

We started with geoduck sashimi, SGD 114. the most expensive dish that day. I think we kena cheated cos the waitress purposely picked a geoduck that was very heavy for our table of only 6 people - 1.4 kg! I should have gone to the tanks to pick out my own.

We could either eat it sashimi style or cook it in a steamboat of herbal stock.

Actually it is very nice, crunchy and sweet, and just a hint of chewy texture. But, for SGD114, I think I will stick with prawns, thank you very much.

We then had each had one yummy abalone braised in thick sauce, with a choice of sea cucumber or goose web as accompaniment. So nice. I don't like to share my abalone! So glad DH ordered one serving each for everyone!

I also liked these bamboo clams, also 1 serving each. It is steamed with lots of garlic, just the way DH and I like it! They do it by slicing the flesh of the clam into large pieces so it retains it succulence and juiciness. Some other restaurants slice it more thinly, but then it would require more skill to cook it right.



Then some other thingies...

scallop in yam

seafood claypot

The chili mussels (half eaten) were the most worth it - SGD9 for a big plate!


Thanks DH for the birthday dinner!

















Cutie loved playing around the fish tanks... seeing the fish and trying to catch them.










Birthday Cake @ Home











Then on the actual day, we had a birthday cake with lots of candles (haha, old already). Cutie had fun blowing out the candles and helping to cut the cake.

Kong Kong's birthday @ Home

Cutie likes this part best I believe.

Look at how engrossed he is in this photo, cutting Kong Kong's birthday cake.

Cutie's birthday is coming up soon, I will update you all on that shortly!

Lakshmi Vilas Restaurant @ Wishart Road

This is such a quaint place - a little eating place from a forgotten era. It is located at the corner of Wishart Road, just diagonally opposite Vivocity. And, despite its proximity to the bustling, booming megamall, this quiet little eating sanctuary remains virtually untouched by modern commercialism.



A friend who recently emigrated to Melbourne but had to come back for some work matters brought me here for breakfast. And it was such a surprise since I didn't know such a place existed!



It's just a tiny place, but very airy, well ventilated and cheery with bright yellow walls.

I had a masala thosai while he had the plain one. I should have gone for the plain one, this was way too much for me. Filled with potato curry, it was a heavy breakfast!

One gets to scoop one's choice of accompaniment - so there is some green yoghurty thing with seeds and there is the vegetable korma. The accompaniments are free-flow and come in this big metal bucket (like a slop bucket) which you scoop out of.

Love the yummy teh tarik. It was thick and fragrant and just sweet enough for me to feel satiated and satisfied and happy!

Can you see the side of my korma tin in the above picture? See how the sides are so stained! I wonder if they even wash the tins, or do they just keep refilling the tins with more curry each time.

Inside view of the place. See how the people here are all so relaxed... taking their time to savour that fragrant cup of teh tarik... This uncle was just so cool.. he noticed me taking the photo but nonchalantly continued sipping his tea... as though he poses for photos like this all the time.. hahaha...

food republic @ vivocity 3rd floor

The fishball noodles are on promotion currently, and what a good deal it is!

Ah Koong fish ball noodles / yong tau foo

For only SGd16, you get a set meal for 2 that comes with 2 drinks (your choice of barley or luo han guo), 2 bowls of noodles, 2 bowls of mixed fish balls and stuff, 1 plate of braised yong tau foo and 1 plate of fried fish cake.

Choose the dry noodles, it comes doused in a tasty black sauce, Malaysian style. This is not your typical Singaporean hawkerstyle fishball noodles. This is a famous stall from somewhere in Malaysia where the fish is made from fresh ikan parang (thereby ensuring that they are very bouncy). I like the noodles. It tastes very robust.

The fishballs in the soup are truly bouncy and fresh tasting.

The braised yong tau foo were very good as well, not too salty.

I think it was a value for money meal.

Excellent.

I love this place.

Lunch @ Golden Mile Hawker Centre

I went to Beach Road to run errands...The Concourse at Beach Road is where all the best party supplies are, so I am told. I went there to see what was available. I am making goodie bags for the kids at Cutie's birthday party at the end of the month.

Lunched with Mr G, and at his recommendation we tried this Lor Mee stall on the 2nd floor of the hawker centre. A queue of about 3 people, but it moved pretty quickly. There were lots of accolades posted on the front of the stall, and the lady was quite nice and friendly.

SGD4 for an upsized portion. Wow, quite pretty isn't it? the fried wontons which lined the bowl were large and very crispy. Interesting addition of fried sliced lotus root. Quite yummy too. The gravy was not as generous as I liked, but that's just me. I like lots of gravy to slurp my noodles in. I think the lady here puts less gravy so that her wontons, which were clearly the stars of the event, wouldn't get soggy.

Dessert next.

I was thinking of trying the Belgian chocolate waffles (lots of hype about this angmo selling dessert in a hawker centre), but Mr G isn't keen on chocolate, and I also felt rather heaty so we ended up with a nice cooling dessert of tang yuen instead. Mine came in almond paste and his was a peanut soup. This stall was from the 1st floor, and though it had some accolades on the store front, it wasn't crowded. SGD2 for the almond paste, balls are an extra cost.

Thanks for the recommendations Mr G.