I have a new travel companion!

My Urbanears have finally gave up on me after 2.5 years of abuse. I really loved those headphones even though they're so bulky. I can't live without a few hours everyday tuning out the rest of the world and drown myself in sweet tunes, so I set off looking for a worthy replacement.

Thanks to omy.sg, I've been chosen to participate in a campaign involving the new Plantronics BackBeat GO 2 earbuds. My task is to showcase how I incorporate these buds into my every day life. You probably know by now that I travel for work and how I am on the move most of the month. So these buds are a godsend!

Plus, I am really, really excited because it's my first time participating in a blogger competition that is based locally. As snotty as this may sound, I am pretty choosy with the products I choose to put my efforts in reviewing on this blog. It can't be any random thing off the streets; it must be something I can trust and get everyone to like it too. And, I get new earphones to play with.. what could be more awesome than that?

My posts on the BackBeat GO 2 will be up on the campaign blog along with 20 other bloggers competing for the grand prize of SGD 500 cash. They are all accomplished Singaporean bloggers, and I feel like a new kid at school. So do check them out too!

Plus, for a limited time, Plantronics is extending a discount of 15% off your new BackBeat GO 2 (earbuds + carry case/charger) to all my wonderful readers. Use the code: 15omyintan upon checkout to enjoy the great discount! Unfortunately, only available to Singapore residents only. Sorry guys. :(

Enjoy the rest of your week!

Brunching at Jamie's

Because I felt bad I wouldn't be in Singapore for my bitch's birthday, I decided to take her to Jamie's Italian for lunch. We were finally going to check out what was all the fuss and hype about, besides it being owned by a celebrity chef.

The menu was rather extensive, we both had a difficult time trying to decide what to order. For appetisers we had their Posh Chips, which was a bowl of french fries topped with parmesan and topping them off with a generous drizzle of delicious truffle oil. Amanda got the Baked Salmon, while it was a toss between the Wild Truffle Risotto and Lamb Chop Lollipops for me. The latter won in the end.

I am the worst person to judge the taste of salmon because I have it home-baked/grilled/pan-fried once every week. If nothing captured the attention of my tastebuds, means it was good... but nothing to write home about.  My lamb chop lollipops though, were marvellous. Maybe a little too oily for my liking, but it was tender, with a slight charred taste and texture that I love and the flavour... mmmm, so rich.

For drinks, I had the day's special mocktail: Maroon 5. Unfortunately, it didn't come with Adam Levine (le sigh) but it was refreshing and good so I let that slide. For the life of me, I can't remember what was Amanda's cocktail, but she didn't think it was fantastic... so, no loss there. We skipped the dessert unfortunately. Maybe next time we'd try the ever popular panna cotta and the lemon meringue.

Good food, good atmosphere and vibes, and service. Would definitely head back there soon. Not so soon though, because even though the food is semi-affordable, I'm still not earning enough to live such lavish lifestyle.

Dude! My cravings were satisfied at Artichoke.

I had the pleasure of being in the company of 10 over chefs-to-be from the Culinary Institute of America at an informal, lively communal dining at Artichoke Cafe & Bar. I swore to stay away from town during the F1 weekend, but relented in the end because I was seduced by the special menu. Be prepared to drool buckets because the food was AWSUM.

The three different types of dips came first, served with piping hot and crispy breead with an olive-y soft centre. The red one is called Beetroot Borani, the one in the middle is the Carrot Curry Tzatziki and the one on the top right is the Chickpea Hummus. My favourite is the Carrot Curry Tzatziki with the pomegranate seeds. The hummus is one of the better ones I've tasted, really smooth and flavourful. Yum.

The dish in the middle with the round thing on top is called the Midnight Munchies. It is made up of crunchy ramen, fresh veggies, kimchi (I swear, it must have slipped past my buds cos I didn't taste any) smoked egg and some nuts. We had a good time picking at the salad and I got a little too excited when Rasyidah cut the egg and out came the perfect yolk. No regrets there.

The Salmon Pancake caused the war of flavours on my tastebuds. There were so many different flavours infused in one dish, I had trouble savouring them. The pancakes were soft and the smoked salmon was like any other smoked salmon but the sour cream gave it an extra kick. Nay on the onions though. Maybe if it were caramalised, I might reconsider.

This was my second favourite dish. These babies were glazed with Red Bull. How cool is that? I make an exception to my no-sweet-on-my-savoury tastebuds to these wings. They were crispy, the glaze went perfectly well with the wings...
Awwww, yeah.

My picture does not do justice to this steak. Each slice was succulent, melts in your mouth and packed with flavour. One tiny downside though, the sauce was rather sweet. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't overpoweringly sweet, I just don't like my meat.. sweet. Hmm. Let's just say I prefer things that are savoury to stay savoury. Otherwise, it was a great piece of steak. Price was slightly steep though. But good steak.

I didn't get to try the Artichoke's signature Bak Chor Mee sandwiches because I don't eat pork. Bak Chor mee is essentially a noodle dish of Teochew origin with minced pork and loads and loads of sambal (chilli paste) on it. I remember my Chinese friends devouring bowls after bowls of these in school, and the redder it was with chilli, the spicier it tastes and the more 'shiok' (awesome) it was.

So this signature dish had savoury minced meat and crispy deep fried meepok noodles (flat, yellow and starchy kinds) encased in soft, steamed buns. Traditionally, the noodles be boiled.. but in this case, it's deep fried. The meat seemed to have been braised in soy sauce.. with a tinge of spiciness from the sambal. Rasyidah added that it's a 'ride for the mouth and the palette'. So it must be excellent. It had to be, since it was the dish represented Singapore at a recent Copenhagen food event.

The Lamb Poutine was my favourite dish of the lot. It may not look wholly appetising in this picture, but trust me... that was some delicious lamb. The meat was succulent, just like the steak and bits of it were charred to perfection and the fatty taste was just mmmmmm~ The fries paled in comparison to the party that was going on in my mouth, but hey... I have to admit it was a great sidekick.



We topped the meal off with a great tray of dessert. I am not a huge fan of sweet things, but I love the soursop meringue pie. It's sweet and sour and the crust is crispy and semi-savoury. So, so good.

Overall, the dining experience at Artichoke was a pleasant one. Loved the ambiance of the cafe; it was very warm an welcoming. The service is great, plus, we did a tour of the edible garden right outside the cafe! We got to try Chocolate mint leaves among other leaves. I am so not a culinary student. The prices were a little too steep, but the experience was definitely value for money.

I love the idea of communal dining where we'd order a few things to share and you have hands reaching out all over to grab at a piece of food. It doesn't make you feel completely full, but a meal always tastes better when shared. 

Don't you think?

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My latest obsession: Yankee Candles

I've been lusting over these candles for a long time since I read the wonderful reviews written about it all over blogosphere. Imagine my delight when someone walked by me yesterday holding the paper bag.

They have all kinds of wonderful scents in the store, I was spoiled for choice. I am not a fan of the floral scented ones because they generally gave me a headache. My personal favourites had to be the ones that were food related e.g. Christmas Cookie and Vanilla Lime (smells like the Solero Lime ice cream, I swear). I bought tiny sized ones (3 for SGD 9.90) to try, will upgrade to a bigger jar once I find something I'd like to grace my room with.

Currently scenting my room: November Rain

Perfect for the current gloomy mood in Singapore, it's more sexy and... well, masculine.. than fresh. It made my room smell like I've had a very nice smelling man parked himself in there. Hee.

What I Ate Wednesday: HARI RAYA edition

Just like how turkey is to Thanksgiving and Eggnog is to Christmas, we too have a few festive dishes. Hari Raya will never be complete with them. I looked forward to these every time because they're only a twice a year occurrence. Yum.

Lontong: Plain rice cake

Lauk Lodeh: Assorted vegetables, fermented beans and beancurd in coconut based gravy.

Sambal Sotong: Squid with spicy chilli.

Sambal Goreng: Green beans, beancurd, fermented beans and meat parts stir-fried in spices.

 Rendang: Traditionally Beef, now available in Chicken or Mutton variety, cooked in spices. My favourite.

Lepat : Glutinous rice cake with beans

 Serundeng: Sauteed grated coconut with spices. To be eaten with lontong.

We'd eat all these for a day or two before we get sick of it because these dishes are traditionally served at homes on the first day of Hari Raya (or Eid-ul-Fitr as many parts of the world call it). Still, I look forward to it every year.

JAPANESE FOOD!

I am not the biggest fan of sushi, but I LOVE Japanese food. Strange sounding? I thought so. But there's so many other varieties of Japanese food available that I am not a least bit sorry that I don't like cramming too many sushi pieces into my tummy. My favourite Japanese food go-to places had to be the all-you-can-eat buffets that are aplenty on this island.

There are a few all-you-can-eat buffets that I've patronised over the years and each of them had their strong points. Sakae Sushi used to be a favourite when I was back at school, and the unagi chawanmushi they had then was to die for. Unfortunately, they don't offer free flow of sashimi, sooo I moved on.

Nihon Mura was another favourite, it's not too pricey and offers free flow drinks and sashimi and other yummy Japanese food items besides sushi, and they used to have BBQ scallops with a dollop of Mentaiko sauce on top, then blowtorched. Oh my God, these were amazing. It remained one of my favourite places to go for a very long time... till I discovered Senki Japanese Restaurant.

Located in Somerset, Senki Japanese Restaurant offers all-you-can-eat buffet for lunch and dinner. The first time I went, it was for dinner.. and it was pricey, at $45/pax and the second was lunch at $35/pax. But it was so worth it, I recommend you going.

The menu was incredibly extensive, ranging from the regular sushi and handrolls, to incredibly fresh sashimi, to salads and udon and other fried stuff like shisamo and croquette. One will never be able to try everything on the menu in one seating.

My staples for a Japanese buffet has to be their chawanmushi and miso soup. Unfortunately, they both disappoint. The chawanmushi had a great, silky texture but was too bland and the miso soup was too sweet. But it's okay, other yummy offerings make up for the mediocre experience.

What made our dining experience so special were the incredibly friendly chefs! The both times I was there, we were seated right where the chef worked.. so at times, we were slipped delectable sushi pieces that weren't available on the menu. My favourite has got to be this:

Sushi, with mentaiko sauce drizzled over a piece of fatty salmon belly before being blowtorched

You have to eat this as soon as its been served. The whole thing melts in your mouth like little pieces of heaven. God, thank you for such an unforgettable experience.

Claudia and I were discussing salmon with the chef while he was slicing pieces of sashimi to serve and we've had the privilege to taste four different kinds of salmon sashimi parts. 

For the life of me, I can't remember what the usual salmon sashimi part is called... but each part had a different texture. My favourite part depends on what I feel like cooking/eating. If I were to eat it raw, it'll be the belly because of the fattiness and the smooth, melt in your mouth texture. If I were to pan fry it, it'll be the belly too. Crispy skin and fatty meat. Yum. Bake... will be the fillet itself.

Alright, enough with my salmon obsession. Japanese food-loving Singaporeans go check this place out! And everyone else, what are some of your favourite Japanese food? :)

*This post is not sponsored by Senki Japanese Restaurant or anyone. All opinions are my own.

Krispy Kreme to open in Singapore, FINALLY.

Krispy Kreme's glazed donuts are the best I've ever tasted.. EVER. Had my very first bite at Melbourne's Tullamarine Airport and from then on, nothing else could compare to how soft and yummy those doughnuts taste.

Because there're no Krispy Kreme stores in Singapore, I tend to seek them out every time I travel. One time, when I was in Kuala Lumpur with a bunch of friends, we split up for lunch. I even had a friend who knew me well enough to correctly guess where I might be hanging out!

Now that the first store in Singapore is gonna be at Tangs Orchard, I CAN'T WAIT! When it finally arrives at our shores in October, I'm gonna let all the kiasu Singaporeans queue for a taste of those doughnuts first. I can wait a little longer till the fad dies down and I get them ALL TO MYSELF. *cue evil laughter*

My obsession with colourful, paper craft tapes.

I am super in massive love with these craft tapes. They come in all sorts of colourful patterns and they're so versatile! These could be used to decorate stationery, stick on letters to your penpal, pimp your notebooks and phone covers etc. An ex-colleague at our old workplace had her work keyboard pimped like the picture above! I used to have them on my MacBook too, but I peeled them off because they wore off and now waiting for new tapes for new designs. Unfortunately, these tapes are so expensive! Priced at a minimum $4, these tapes are a luxury I can only afford when it calls for a special occasion (e.g. retail therapy when depressed, maybe).

The factory where all these pretty tapes are produced is based in the western part of Japan. From what I read, the tour experience is simply MAGICAL. Visiting this factory definitely goes into my Japan bucket list (along with Tokyo Disneyland, Studio Ghibli, Pokemon Center.. and the soon to be opened The Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme park, among others). 

WHY ARE THERE SO MANY COOL THINGS IN JAPAN?!

But, BUT. A washi tape expo will be in Singapore a week from now! I was told that it's the closest to being as good as a factory tour itself, thus I CAN'T WAIT!

26 July 2013 - 11 August 2013

ION Art Gallery

2 Orchard Turn, Level 4, ION Orchard

Nearest MRT: (really Singaporeans? this is a no-brainer)

P.S: Government cheese of $500 crediting into the accounts of most Singaporeans on 1st August.... which means.... HEHEHEHEHE. Gosh, I am so obsessed.