Shanghai 2014 Food Highlights

1. Very yummy egg tarts from Lillian Bakery.
2. When in a foreign country, try all the usual fast food chains! I tried both McDonalds and KFC - didn't really like McDonalds (picture is the curry pork cutlet wrap) but the chicken tenders rice set from KFC was so good! Sadly I gobbled that down before taking a photo.
3. Hai Di Lao Hotpot (海底捞火锅) was exceptional and the service was beyond amazing. We felt like royalty. 

4. We visited Hangzhou on the second day and feasted on so many street food goodies. This fried tofu is SO GOOD.
5. 叫化童鸡 (Lotus wrapped chicken) - one of Hangzhou's specialties and it was really savoury and succulent. I can eat one whole chicken by myself.
6. Before our train's departure (back to Shanghai), we went into Mr Lee (李先生) - a noodle-based fast food chain. Kengying's bowl of dry minced meat noodle was extremely salty and extremely delicious. I'm all for heavy seasoning so this bowl of noodles got a standing ovation from me.  

7. The many Pocky and Pejoy flavours.
8. Xiao Long Bao from the really famous 南翔馒头店 - honestly, they were just alright.
9. Soup bun from the same store. I didn't like this at all. The soup was really fishy; I think because of the crab roe in the filling.
10. There was a Paris Baguette near our hotel and they had Blueberry Pudding! Price points were only slightly cheaper than Singapore. 

Our last meal was at Wai Po Jia and it was the best meal that I had for the entire trip. We also had some sponge cake from Ruby's (红宝石). Our Shanghai trip ended on a high with these two impressive shops. 

Shanghai: 8 May 2014 - 12 May 2014

Source: X

Source: X

Off to Shanghai to visit Mr Chung with his family! 

Can't wait to start the eat-shop-sight see-sleep cycle! :D Have a great week ahead guys!  

Maison Ikkoku (Bugis)

The PPGs finally met up for a good catch up session at Maison Ikkoku. It has been long since the four of us met up as a quartet. I can't believe I have known these girls for almost 3 years already? Wow! That first day of work at MTV as interns and all of us were still awkward with each other. A few weeks after that first day, we had lunch together, we gossiped about other colleagues (lol I believe that the most basic instinct of a female human is to gossip) and celebrities together - 6-7 months passed way too quickly with these girls around (and the other amazing interns of course) and after that we were off doing our own things. I'm glad we still meet up over brunch even though each of us is busy with our own lives. 

Thank you neonoms for the stellar brunch location recommendation. It was most certainly one of the better brunch places I have dined in. HUGE portions, reasonable prices and VERY DECADENT eggs. In my life dictionary, brunch = eggs. No eggs, no brunch. I think the 4 of us share the same sentiment HAHA. All four of our plates had eggs and all of them were AMAZING. 

Ahh~ If only I could eat eggs for every meal. This familial hypercholesterolaemia risk (basically inherited high cholesterol levels from birth) is hindering me from enjoying my egg dishes. :(  

On a side note, I think it's time to get a thorough medical check-up. I was running the past 2 days and every time I ran past the 40-minute mark, I would get this mild pain on my right chest; very much like something is putting pressure on that area and once I stopped running, the sensation would dissipate quite quickly. MEH. Looking at how my uncle had heart treatment in his late 30s, I think I need to be prepared. HAIYAH. 

Okok, back to Maison Ikkoku. 

Each of us ordered a main each and we were almost bursting at the seams at the end of the meal. We also ordered a beverage each. The meal cost us S$25 each - very, very reasonable for the quality and quantity of food that was served. 

Break Of Dawn
Pork bratwurst + crispy smoked bacon + vine cherry tomatoes + breakfast potatoes + scrambled eggs w/ chives + mesclun salad + double orange salad + pain de campagne toasts

Smoked Salmon Scrambled
Norwegian smoked salmon + dill crème fraîche + scrambled eggs with chives + chunky homemade guacamole + multigrain toast

Rendang Blackstone
Homemade spicy beef rendang + sliced seared tomatoes + poached eggs + toasted brioche

Hangover Omelette
Honey baked ham + Spanish onions + bell peppers + diced tomatoes + portobello mushrooms + mozzarella cheese + breakfast potatoes + sourdough

Maison Ikkoku is a great restaurant for those looking for delicious, yet affordable brunch items to satisfy a ravenous appetite. 

Maison Ikkoku

20 Kandahar Street Singapore 198885

Telephone: +65 6294 0078

Website

Facebook 

Griddy Gourmet Waffles (Westgate)

A couple of weeks back, JFKK went to River Safari (I find this sentence comical - JFKK sounds like a group of excited teenagers) and it was all free of charge thanks to Jeremy's lobang queen of an older sister. For dinner, we decided on Griddy Gourmet Waffles because both Kokky and I saw Wilson Ng's instagram photo and whatever he was eating looked so good, so yes off we went to Westgate! 

The prices at Griddy Gourmet Waffles were incredibly reasonable and portions were satisfactory. Personally, I prefer the savoury waffles better than the sweet ones. 

Ocean Catch
Fish Cutlet, Lettuce, Tomato, Tartar Sauce, Japanese Mayonnaise, Bonito Flakes with Sesame Waffle

Gourmet Ribs
Braised Beef Short Ribs, Lettuce, Tomato, Meat Sauce with Mushroom Waffle

The Gourmet Ribs Griddy Sandwich that we ordered looked nothing like the photo on the menu. It's supposed to be lathered in a chunky meat sauce but I think ours were more of a mushroom brown sauce? Nevertheless, it was a good sandwich.

Rocher Banana
Melted Hazelnut Chocolate Spread, Sliced Bananas, Rocher Gelato, Graham Crackers

One thing that irked me was the lack of attention the servers put on the service standard. It's nothing on rudeness or attitude because they were very nice and polite. When we had our dinner there, there were only a few tables occupied and there were quite a number of servers (5?). The servers were hovering at one spot chit-chatting away and they were not paying attention to the plates that were ready to serve to the customers. I saw our plates on the counter and none of the servers noticed until a few minutes later and by then time the food arrived, the savoury waffles were no longer hot and that dampened the overall eating experience.

That aside, all the items that we ordered were very delicious and I definitely would want to come back to try the other items on the menu.

Griddy Gourmet Waffles

3 Gateway Drive,
#B2-K12 Westgate,
Singapore 608532
Tel : 6465 9465 
Website
Facebook

New in: Sandals from Zalora

EDGE CALISTA Cutout Sandals

SIDEWALK Qarni Strappy Looped Sandals

VELVET Maddock Skull Thongs

Runway Bandits Haul

QERBE FLORAL CHAMBRAY BUTTON DOWN TOP - BLUE - S$27.50
ENOVS CROCHET TRIM COLOURBLOCK DRESS - BLACK - S$28.50

Under Eye Concealing Trick!

Ever wondered why your under eye circles looked even more pronounced and obvious after concealing? That's probably because you're applying your concealer wrongly. 

I recently learnt this trick from the phenomenal world of Google and it's an amazing trick! Now my under eye area looks well-concealed and because this "triangle" area includes the upper cheekbone area, the concealer looks more blended and put-together. A simple trick that makes a whole lot of difference! 

Instead of just applying concealer in around the eye contours, you should expand the application area to the triangle below the lower eyelid. Locate the side of your nose and the lower eye lid, and then just connect the line to form your triangle! This application method is also called the "Hollywood V" method because many Hollywood makeup artists use this trick on their clients to get that flawless, well-rested eye look. 

Instead of highlighting the under-eye flaws (which can be obvious if concealer is not applied properly), this method will fully hide them! 

Do give it a try! Also, another trick will be to apply concealer using your finger, and not a concealer brush. A concealer brush is good, but applying with your finger is great! I think the warmth of the finger makes the concealer blend more effortlessly. Just pat, pat, pat and blend away. No swiping!! 

Lip Obsession: NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream

Highly pigmented, applies like a dream, has the perfect soft matte finish, not easily transferable and very long-lasting (>12 hours WOW). All the things a good lip product should have. 

I really want all the other colours! Time to drop Smoochiezz a visit!

Long Phung Vietnamese Restaurant

Chay, Yinghui, Jeremy and I went for a rather larynx-damaging session at Teo Heng. Jeremy is a rapping superstar (he rapped to the entire Where Is The Love with such gusto HAHA) and we are all Crayon Pop's biggest fans (BAR BAR BAR!!). 

After that very draining workout, we had a really excellent dinner at Long Phung Vietnamese Restaurant. We walked all the way from Katong Shopping Centre, so we were all pretty starved. To our dismay, there was a long, snaking queue from the fully-packed restaurant. Initially we were a bit annoyed and we were searching for alternatives on our smartphones, but in the end we decided to just persist and join the queue. Best decision EVER because Long Phung Vietnamese Restaurant definitely serves one of the better (if not one of the best!) Vietnamese food in Singapore. 

Even though the queue was alarmingly long, it moved quite quickly so after 20-25 minutes, we made it into the restaurant!

The four of us ordered a different main course each and had the spring rolls and morning glory as our sides. 

Yinghui had the Pork Chop Rice and the pork chop was flavourful and tender. She said she was really full after the meal, which means a lot because it's not easy to get Yinghui full. :D 

Jeremy had the Chicken Rice (for the lack of better words - I completely have no idea what this dish is called) and even though it was bathing in oil, the chicken that I tasted was really yummy!

Chay's Chicken Slices & Bamboo Shoot Vermicelli. This will be a great dish for those who love bamboo shoots. I tasted the soup and since I'm not a fan of bamboo shoots, it's just alright for me. 

I ordered the standard Raw Beef Slices Pho and IT WAS HEAVENLY. The soup stock is sweeter than the usual ones that I had and with the addition of lime juice, it was the best pho that I've every eaten. So so good!

We also had the Fried Spring Roll. We wanted the normal Vietnamese Spring Roll, but we had a little bit of miscommunication with the staff so we got this instead. It's still really delicious though, so all's good. 

I will recommend Long Phung Vietnamese Restaurant to everyone I know. Just go! Please!! SO SO GOOD.

Long Phung Vietnamese Restaurant

159 Joo Chiat Rd, Singapore 427436

Phone: 63442005 

Hungrygowhere page - 88% thumbs up from 73 votes!

A little bit of Dr. Seuss wake-up call...

You have brains in your head. 

You have feet in your shoes. 

You can steer yourself any direction you choose.

You're on your own. 

And you know what you know.

And you're the one who'll decide where to go.

- from "Oh! The Places You'll Go!" by Dr. Seuss

I don't read a lot of Dr. Seuss as a kid. I read his books more when I was lost in my late teens. All his books are categorised as children's books, but the stories and the myriad of quotes appeal to all ages. At least that's what my personal opinion is. 

These last few weeks have been really rough, mostly emotionally. I tend to think too much and over-thinking a simple, innocent gesture can have immensely calamitous effects. Yes, my words are perhaps way too exaggerated. However, at those exact moments, my words described exactly how I felt. It's a mental demon that I have been fighting with for years, and sometimes it really overpowers my rationality. 

After a few weeks of negative and self-harming thoughts, the cycle will rotate to the "reflective" mode. That's when simple quotes like the above and simple words of encouragement from friends who matter help the most. 

Smiling seems to be best solution. Let the endorphins surge. When I know what I know rationally, I'll decide where to go. 

My biggest wish currently is to slowly mould the still-malleable depression cycle clay into a straight line of positivity.