i’ve been waiting a long while to say this: i’m finally going to bangkok! by this time tomorrow i would be having a nice sumptuous dinner in the land of smiles, followed by some cheap drinks at a pub. this is a city i’m very fond of. it’s where i chose to make my first solo trip ever back in ‘04. and now, no amount of chaos or riots would turn me off.

that’s why my last food review before the trip is reserved for lerk thai, my favorite thai restaurant in singapore. i think it’s rather fitting!

we have dinner at lerk thai almost every week and the few staples we would order are the fried kang kong with belachan and the ever awesome red curry chicken. but sometimes we do enjoy trying out a couple of new dishes, such as this deep fried fish.

Pla Naam Tok
(Deep Fried Fish Fillet with Thai Herbs, Lime and Chili)
Price: $8.50 + 10% Service Charge + 7% GST
Dish rating:

i like having something interesting to look at when i’m eating. so when a dish is beautifully presented or colorful, it’s already won me over. that’s why i love the colorful mexican cuisine! it works the same way for this dish of deep fried fish fillet with thai herbs, lime and chili. but not only is it a kaleidoscope of colors, it’s a multitude of flavors too!

first of all, the fish is crispy on the outside, moist and tender on the inside. it does not, thankfully, reek of that awful fishy stench, probably due to the robust sour sauce it is drenched in. spice lovers would like this one — it is very hot! a dish that is spicy and sour like this really peps one up!

Gai Phad Bai Gra Phao
(Fried Minced Chicken with Basil Leaves)
Price: $7.90 + 10% Service Charge + 7% GST
Dish rating:

one dish that we have tried out recently and immediately promoted its status to a must-order is the fried minced chicken with basil leaves. again, this is a dish that really tantalises the taste buds with a nice salty and highly addictive taste. it goes extremely well with white rice. plus, it’s VERY fragrant. we always have to fight to finish the last bits of the chicken!

Gaeng Kiew Whan Gai (Red Curry Chicken)
Price: $7.90 + 10% Service Charge + 7% GST
Dish rating:

and that’s the aforementioned red curry chicken. it’s here because it’s one spectacular curry dish that deserves a mention and a photo whenever the opportunity strikes. the curry is a delightful sweet flavor and makes you wanna drink it all up. that reminds me: i must try out the curries in thailand during this trip!

with that, i’m off on my week-long trip to thailand. i can’t wait to embark on this adventure to the land of smiles (once more)!

 Lerk Thai - Siamese Dreams
 Lerk Thai - A Taste of Siam

Blog post taken from http://sparklette.net/

Lerk Thai - And I’m Off to Thailand!

have you noticed that in recent years, people have taken quite a liking to handmade pau (chinese buns)? very often i would see long queues forming at hawker stalls selling such handmade pau and eager customers buying them by the dozen.

there’s good reason for such brisk business. a pau that is lovingly made by hand tends to taste better than one made by a machine. its skin may be thinner, its portion more generous, the recipe for its char siew (sweet barbecued pork) filling more perfected.

many of these pau come in bite-sized portions no bigger than ping pong balls. so you have to eat 4 or 5 of it at a time to feel anything inside your tummy. some people like it in such a cute size, but for me i still prefer a regular-sized pau. so i was very happy when i was introduced to hua ji bao dang （华记包档) at bukit merah view food centre.

Char Siew Pau (Buns with sweet barbecued pork filling)
Price: $0.80
Dish rating:

the best-selling char siew pau comes in a good-sized portion (similar to the ones sold by major pau makers) and is served piping hot from the steamer. once you sink your teeth into a soft fluffy bun, you would taste an extremely fragrant, juicy and delightfully sweet filling!

unlike many common char siew pau out there, the meat here is minced and so very tender — you won’t feel the rough lumpy chunks. no wonder these buns sell out so quickly!

Big Pau
Price: $1.50
Dish rating:

the char siew pau really is the true star here because the big pau simply pales in comparison. its meat filling is much less fragrant and tastes more of salt than anything else.

Siew Mai (Steamed prawn dumpling)
Price: $0.60
Dish rating:

for some variety, we also ordered a plate of siew mai (steamed prawn dumplings). each one has a firm and moist texture, and contains a generous amount of ingredients.

all the pau would be sold out before noon and the sellers can just close shop for the day! ain’t that nice?

well, not really. pau making is hard work. at a time when most of us are still away in dreamland, the sellers already have to do their preparation work to open for business at 6am each day.

at the back of the stall, you can see the elderly uncle working diligently, his skillful hands moving rapidly to prepare the dough, put in the filling and steam the pau.

the stall is prominently located at the front row of the food centre so you won’t miss it. it’s actually two stall units combined into one. from the queue you know that the business here is good. to avoid disappointment, do go there early!

 Wow Wow West - Gettin’ Jiggy Wit’ It
 Tong Fong Fatt Hainanese Boneless Chicken Rice - Chickalicious!
 Ichiban Congee - It’s Cheap, It’s Yummy, It’s Ichiban!
 Tiong Bahru Lien Fa Shui Jing Bao - Crystal Clear This Is the Best Crystal Dumpling
 50s Wanton Mee - Quality Hong Kong Wanton Mee

Blog post taken from http://sparklette.net/

Hua Ji Bao Dang - Pau, Handmade with Love

this tree is being displayed at the ground floor of the suntec international convention & exhibition centre. the stuffed toys have all been received in a charity drive.

can you spot your favorite cartoon character in there?

obviously, this tree brings much joy to all those around, especially the metta welfare association pre-school children. 3578 stuffed toys have been collected for these kids!

the full set of hello kitty and dear daniel stuffed toys forms the middle layer. i remember back in the year 2000 when mcdonald’s sold these along with their extra value meals. it sparked a really mad frenzy among singaporeans to collect these toys! i still have the full set sitting at home somewhere.

in this photo alone, you can already spot several famous cartoon characters. it’s so awesome to see them all together at one place. my favorites are of course the two care bears (blue bedtime bear and orange tenderheart bear)!

have a merry and extra cuddly christmas!

 Christmas Tree of the Day #11 (2007 Edition)
 Christmas Tree of the Day #11 (2008 Edition)
 Christmas Tree of the Day #10 (2008 Edition)
 Christmas Tree of the Day #9 (2008 Edition)
 Christmas Tree of the Day #8 (2008 Edition)

Blog post taken from http://sparklette.net/

Christmas Tree of the Day #12 (2008 Edition)

a huge christmas tree forms the centerpiece of the snow party. this year, the tree carries with it an important message: people with disabilities deserve a chance in society, just as if used plastic bottles were given a chance, they can be used to create something beautiful. like this cute christmas tree!

Photo credit: Agnieszka Qetton

this 12 meter tall tree is the result of the christmas tree of life 2008, a project that aims to create awareness of people with disabilities.

the ornaments are constructed from thousands of used plastic bottles.

the little reindeer looks like he’s been made from recycled materials too. this isn’t the first time that seemingly useless junk has resurfaced at christmas. the nanyang academy of fine arts students transformed them into beautiful christmas trees last year.

Photo credit: chooyutshing

when the first snow falls, that’s when the magic begins. notice that once the snow foam party starts, the lights on the lower portion of the tree go out. i asked around and the volunteers there said that this happens every night once the snow starts falling (short circuit or something)! it’s pretty hilarious :)

 Christmas Tree of the Day #12 (2008 Edition)
 Christmas Tree of the Day #10 (2008 Edition)
 Tetsu - Festive Dining
 Christmas Tree of the Day #9 (2008 Edition)
 Christmas Tree of the Day #8 (2008 Edition)

Blog post taken from http://sparklette.net/

Christmas Tree of the Day #11 (2008 Edition)

i still remember this time last year, i was busy hunting down beautiful christmas trees in singapore to feature as my “christmas tree of the day“. a year later today, i still very much enjoy doing this. for me it’s just one of the many things i look forward to at christmas :) and for many of you, the series brings much festive joy.

now more than ever a year doesn’t seem that long. a friend recently told me that there’s a theory out there that claims time passes faster today than before. it’s not merely an illusion and it actually is happening (although time itself IS an illusion).

i’m not sure how true this is. it does seem that time is passing faster now as compared to, say, when i was 10. does anyone have a theory? i would love to hear it.

many of us are too focused, worried or afraid about the past and the future to fully live in the moment. i say this christmas, let’s all treasure and hold on to what we have now. because only by letting go of our fears and worries would we be truly happy.

merry christmas to all of you! i wish you and your loved ones all the peace, joy and love in the world this holiday. have a great one!

much love,
veron Happy Lunar New Year 2008!
 Merry Christmas 2007!
 Selamat Hari Raya Aidiladha 2007!
 Happy Deepavali (Diwali) 2007!
 Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri 2007!

Blog post taken from http://sparklette.net/

Merry Christmas 2008!

the shiny baubles in yellow, lime, dark blue, cyan and purple are a perfect match with the blue tree. i really dig the whole color combination, especially with the purple!

do you spot me in there?

i think the mall has done a very good job with its christmas decor. at almost every turn you would see something different. these christmas wreaths look gorgeous against that lavender silk backdrop!

there are a couple more christmas trees in blue, and a gold reindeer structure at the center.

wow, we’re already on our tenth tree — only two more to go!

 Christmas Tree of the Day #12 (2008 Edition)
 Christmas Tree of the Day #11 (2008 Edition)
 Christmas Tree of the Day #9 (2008 Edition)
 Christmas Tree of the Day #8 (2008 Edition)
 Christmas Tree of the Day #7 (2008 Edition)

Blog post taken from http://sparklette.net/

Christmas Tree of the Day #10 (2008 Edition)

unlike many places that jack up the prices during this period, tetsu is offering their festive set at a very attractive price. what’s more, the dishes included are the crowd favorites from the restaurant!

we first got to know of tetsu back in october and loved the food and the ambience. this time round, we found ourselves enjoying the festive set thoroughly.

Kani tofu
Dish rating:

the first three items (swordfish tataki, kani tofu and sake namazuke) on the menu are presented on a single long platter. while we’re already familiar with most of the food here, the kani tofu carries a little twist. it has this grey creamy substance which we found was… blended century egg! talk about surprises! and it actually tastes good!

Sake Namazuke (Salmon with vinegar)
Dish rating:

the sake namazuke (salmon with vinegar) is new to us. among the trio, this one is my favorite and really opens up the appetite for the rest of the meal.

Sashimi Moriwases
Dish rating:

sashimi! the little floral presentation reminds me of dozo’s artful plating. this is the first of three successive main courses.

Gindara Sukiyaki (Codfish in Japanese steamboat)
Dish rating:

the second main course would be the gindara sukiyaki. as you can see, you get two ample-sized codfish slices in the paper pot. while the soup isn’t as flavorful as the crab sukiyaki we had before, the codfish more than makes it up!

Rosu Katsu with Ebi Katsu (Pork loin with breaded shrimp)
Dish rating:

finally, the last main course is the best-selling pork loin katsu. it is extremely tender this time round. you get a small serving of it as well as the breaded shrimp. the shrimp is covered in the lightest batter you can imagine!

served along with the tonkatsu is this mortar and pestle set. we used it to grind the roasted sesame seeds for mixing with our dark sauce.

Garlic fried rice
Dish rating:

by the time we got to this part of the meal, we were really full! but nothing would stop us from trying the fragrant garlic fried rice.

Goma (Black sesame) ice cream
Dish rating:

and of course, the awesome black sesame ice cream that’s made in-house. i liked it so much previously that i had to ask for two servings of it!

Plum wine
Drink rating:

as for the drinks we tried out the plum wine. but with every two festive sets ordered you can pop a bottle of piper heidsieck champagne at just $68 (slashed from the usual $138).

to summarise, here’s what you get for this $58 set menu:
- swordfish tataki
- kani tofu
- sake namazuke (salmon with vinegar)
- sashimi moriwases
- gindara sukiyaki (codfish in steamboat)
- rosu katsu with ebi katsu (pork loin with breaded shrimp)
- garlic fried rice
- goma (black sesame) ice cream

 Tetsu - Full of Surprises
 Christmas Tree of the Day #11 (2008 Edition)
 Rakuzen - The Joy of Dining
 The Pasta Shop by Sakae - Affordable Wafuu Pasta
 Dozo - Taste Every Flavor

Blog post taken from http://sparklette.net/

Tetsu - Festive Dining

anyways, the christmas tree displayed at the main lobby of the ritz-carlton is one such “safe” tree.

it looks great!

i really like the white fluffy feather/leaf-like stuff they’ve used to decorate the tree. it lends a touch of elegance and uniqueness.

out of all the trees i’ve featured this year, this is only the first tree with presents at the bottom. kind of surprising!

 Christmas Tree of the Day #12 (2008 Edition)
 Christmas Tree of the Day #11 (2008 Edition)
 Christmas Tree of the Day #10 (2008 Edition)
 Christmas Tree of the Day #8 (2008 Edition)
 Christmas Tree of the Day #7 (2008 Edition)

Blog post taken from http://sparklette.net/

Christmas Tree of the Day #9 (2008 Edition)

normally, i would imagine a red christmas tree to look hideous. but this particular red tree has been done up in such a tasteful way, it is easily one of the most unique and stylish looking trees in singapore this christmas!

using shiny balls isn’t exactly a brand new idea though. the central did it with golden balls last christmas.

but for me, this red tree is way yummier and more christmasy too!