白 White Restaurant at The Punggol Settlement

Recently my friends have been a little adventurous, wanting to go to super ulu food outlets with crazy queues.

Boon Lay power nasi lemak was crap so I won’t even bother with that (in short, not worth the time spent driving there and then queuing), but a more notable place would be the White Restaurant at Punggol Settlement.

The Punggol Settlement is actually a row of F&B outlets by the sea, reminding me a little of the seafood restaurants along ECP. 

We went to the White Restaurant on a Thursday night and this was the queue.

The waitress passed us the menu to order while queuing and within 20 minutes, there was a table ready. However, the waitress seemed quite insistent that we pass her our order before we were seated and kept rushing us to complete the order form, which was a bit of a turn off.

Signature White Bee Hoon

I actually never heard of the place before my friends told me about it so when they said white bee hoon, I assumed it was the dry kind we normally eat for breakfast. This was more like hor fun or mui fun, but without the burnt taste those 2 always seem to have. It was served with prawns, squid, vegetables and LOTSA egg in a tasty gravy that was just the right consistency, not too thick or diluted. Very yums! 

Price: $15 (L) 

Prawn Omelette

I liked this 'coz it combines 2 of my favourite things, however some of the guys said that it was a little bland.

Price: $8 (S)

Sweet Potato Leaves

Did not touch this as it was spicy, but my friends loved it and one even said that it was the best side dish.

Price: $8 (S)

Signature Meat and Seafood Roll

I was expecting alot more from this dish, but it was quite dry and I couldn't really taste the seafood. The rest weren't really impressed either. My mum's ngoh hiang wins hands down! 

Price: $15 (M)

Salted Egg Sotong

Definitely my favourite side dish!! No, scratch that, it was my favourite dish! I may be biased 'coz i LOVELOVELOVE salted egg but the salted egg went so well with the sotong, crunchy and chewy and just YUMMY. 

Price: $12 (S)

I've heard that the original outlet at Sembawang is nicer, but I ain't gonna travel all the way there when this is good enough and nearer. Apparently there's one bus (84) that stops at The Punggol Settlement, but driving would probably be more convenient (just don't lose your way; we did at first). Bus or car, I'm definitely going back there for seconds!

白 White Restaurant

3 Punggol Point Rd, The Punggol Settlement, 828694

67022002

Mon - Sun: 11.30am - 2.30pm, 5pm - 10pm

Groupon Review: Dazzling Café Singapore

I’m back! Wanted to post about my Taiwan and Beijing trips but I figured they will be pretty lengthy so decided to post this first.

Since I’m always buying coupons from Deal and Groupon, I’ll be posting reviews occasionally to let you guys know if it’s worth it or not. Just remember that I’m usually easily satisfied so if I say it’s good, please take it with a pinch of salt.

I was really happy when I came across the deal on Groupon (apparently it’s still on) as I’d heard so much about their popular honey toast and amazing ambience.

Immediately fell in love with the décor the minute I spotted the place.

So pretty! And don't ask me why but I like seeing silhouettes of girls like the one on their board so that attracted me even more.

These were the choices we were given from the Groupon deal.

The deal

• 1 set meal (for 1 to 2 people) for $49.90 instead of $73.47
• 2 set meals (for 2 to 3 people) for $94.90 instead of $146.94

Set meal includes

Main dish (choose 1 for 1-set meal option / 2 for 2-set meal option):

• Truffle mushroom risotto with freshly shaved truffles
• Bacon and mushroom fettuccine
• Mushroom and zucchini fettuccine
• Mentaiko spaghetti in cream sauce
• Scallop and crabmeat spaghetti aglio olio
• Spicy seafood tom yam tomato spaghetti
• Pan seared duck breast spaghetti in orange mustard sauce
• Black truffle and wild mushrooms spaghetti

Signature honey toast (choose 1 for 1-set meal option / 2 for 2-set meal option):

• Party in your mouth honey toast
• Banana chocolate honey toast
• Matcha with azuki beans honey toast
• Hazelnut chocolate honey toast
• Cheddar cheese danish toast
• Dazzling classic honey toast
• Strawberry lover honey toast
• Mango and coconut gelato honey toast

Drinks (choose 1 for 1-set meal option / 2 for 2-set meal option):

• 1x cocktail
• 2x non-alcoholic drinks

Iced Hazelnut Cocoa 

This was one of the best cocoa drinks I've had in recent times! The chocolate was thick and mixed really well with the hazelnut, way better than the ones I had at Cocoa Colony and Awfully Chocolate.

Normal price: $9

Iced Strawberry White Chocolate Mocha Latte

The BFF had this, the white chocolate was pretty thick as well. 

Normal price: $8

 Pan Seared Duck Breast Spaghetti

The duck was tasty and tender but I expected the orange mustard sauce to be more creamy than tangy so I did not really like this entire dish.

Normal price: $24.90

Hazelnut Chocolate Honey Toast

With hazelnut-filled cubes of toast under that huge chunk of cream, ice cream and chocolate sauce, this was really an indulgence, but it was so yummy! 

Normal price: $19.90

The thing is, I didn't read properly when I was buying the Groupon and thought it was $49.90 for 2 sets instead of just 1 so we were kinda surprised when we got there and realized it was for one set. Kinda expensive to be paying $49.90 for one person. However, after the shared meal both of us were full so no complains there. Total savings of $11.90 but like the BFF said, we could've gone there and ordered other things which might have come up to around the same price, without the limited options of the deal. 

I actually went to Dazzling Cafe Pink, its first store in Taipei, during my recent trip and wasn't very impressed with the decor.

It was similarly girlish like the Singapore one, but it looked a bit dull and worn out, perhaps because it's already 5 years old. And for some reason, Tweety Bird was all over the cafe. Felt like it just clashed with the sophisticated theme of the place. The prices were a lot cheaper and food quality was similar as well though.

Overall, the deal was pretty worth it as an opportunity to try the items Dazzling Cafe Singapore offer, but I wouldn't buy the Groupon again and if I do go back, it will probably just be for their drinks and toast.

Dazzling Cafe Singapore
15 Stamford Road, #01-85 Capitol Piazza, 178906

6384 3310
Mon- Sun: 12-10pm

Great Eastern Women’s Run 2015 Race Day + Restaurant Week: Wooloomooloo

Sunday was an extra activity-packed day for me and since I’ll be going to Taipei and Beijing from 4-15 Nov, I decided to post abit before I fly off!

Great Eastern Women’s Run 2015 Race Day

We did it!

Happy with this run coz for the first time ever I was able to jog all 10km! However, wasn’t very pleased with my timing which was about 10 minutes slower than the previous run. Will work harder for the next one!

Refuel pack

I would have very much preferred normal bottled water instead of the fancy sparkling grapefruit flavoured water they gave us. I already dislike gassy drinks and what made it worse was that it was sugarless! But after the run, anything in liquid form was like a Godsend so I finished it promptly.

We walked around the Live Great Race Village after the run and it was SO PACKED.

There were 3 drink tents serving small cups of drinks and we went to the Magnolia one to get milk then went to the Hotdog collection tent to claim our hotdog (one per pax). Didn’t take any photos coz my phone was dying and it was packed. Next to it was the Snack tent and they were giving out muffins and apples. The muffins ran out within the 5 minutes we spent queuing and they just left a few boxes of apples in the open, free for all. The way some of the women snatched the apples you’d think they haven’t eaten anything for days. I’m not kidding when I say that it was literally a rampage.

But overall, I was happy with the route as there were no bottlenecks and the after race activities were alright too. Definitely will consider signing up again next year!

Restaurant Week: Wooloomooloo

I heard so much about this place from my steak-loving friends, so I was kinda disappointed when the place was initially fully booked when I checked the website. But luckily I continued checking and some slots opened up, probably coz of cancellations or something. So, I booked immediately then asked the BFF if she wanted to go (I knew she’d say yes coz she loves beef too!).

Was so excited just entering in anticipation of the juicy steak! Apparently this place is up there with the likes of Morton and Lawry’s when it comes to steak.

We were served some nice warm bread rolls after we ordered. Even their bread rolls look more sumptuous than normal ones, what with the onions and all!

Smoked Salmon

I love anything salmon but always find smoked salmon a little too salty, so the avocadoes and watercress were a good mix to counter that.

Normal price: $19 (This item doesn’t seem to be on their menu so I took the Garden salad’s price for comparisons sake)

Australian Grass Fed Filet Mignon

This was quite disappointing, to be honest. Maybe it’s because I had high expectations, but I found the steak to be quite average and a little dry. Moreover, I requested for a medium well doneness and it seemed just very well done. However, Jace said that her medium rare was good, so maybe it was due to the doneness level.

Normal price: $62

Chocolate Bread and Butter Pudding

I don’t normally like bread and butter pudding but this was yummy! Probably coz it was chocolate and the custard sauce complemented it very well. 

Normal price: $19 (This is for their normal Bread and Butter Pudding as the chocolate one wasn't in the menu either)

Lemon Curd Citrus Tart

Jace had this and found it abit too sourish, as did I. 

Normal price: $20 (For the Wooloomooloo Lemon and Lime Tart)

The lunch set cost $40++ instead of the usual $25++ as it had a Dining City star so I saved $60! Woohoo! Will give it another try the next time around and order a medium done steak to see if it's any better. 

Anyway, I'm posting this as I am boarding my flight! So, sorry if there's any weird alignment of photos and text! I'm off to Taipei for now!

Wooloomooloo Steakhouse
2 Stamford Rd, Level 3 Swissotel The Stamford, 178882
6338 0261
Mon-Sun 12pm to 2:30pm / 6:30pm to 10pm

Restaurant Week: Napoleon Food & Wine Bar

For those of you who didn't already know, Restaurant Week is a week-long event where renowned restaurants serve 3-course meals at a somewhat more affordable price than usual.

I only 'discovered' Restaurant Week last year through one of my ex-colleagues, so I've been very enthusiastic in booking places when they returned for the 10th edition early this year and the recent 11th edition this week!

Previously, I just chose whichever place served beef but that didn't turn out so well coz some of the servings were REALLY small (Caffe B) and some weren't impressive enough for the price (Barossa).

So this time I researched based on menu (MUST HAVE BEEF!) and reviews. The first one on the list was Napoleon, which we took some time to find as it was nestled inconspicuously among a row of shophouses. Turns out it's actually just next to The Market Grill, which serves AWESOME lobster rolls by the way.

The server who greeted us was friendly and apologetic that we had to wait for awhile before the table was ready. Once we were seated, I quickly scanned through the menu to check what the normal prices of the dishes were, coz I always get a cheap thrill knowing how much I'm 'saving'.

Lobster Bisque

My absolute favorite soup!! I LOVED this ever since I first tried it at Jack's Place when I was about 5 or so and when I say I love it I mean I would choose it as part of the menu for my last meal. This was creamier than most lobster bisques I've tried and I kinda liked it that way.

Normal price: $13

Sautéed Angus Beef Tenderloin 

My only beef (heh) with the steak was that they didn't let us choose the doneness but I guess that was coz it was already cut up into bite-sized pieces, which is pretty neat for a lazy person like myself. I also didn't like the fact that it was a little spicy coz of the chilli in the sauce, but that's coz I don't like spicy food in general. Mashed potatoes were good, the melt-in-your-mouth creamy kind.

Normal price: $30

Chocolate Mi-cuit Canele

Turns out Mi-cuit is just an atas name name for lava cake. And it was SO decadently yummy!! Served with a small piece of ganache to make me feel even more sinful than I already did. The chocolate went well with the ice cream and the mini coffee cookie bits. 

Normal price: $15

My friend had the Tuna Avocado Tartare ($19) for appetizer, which we both weren't that impressed with, and Lemon Tart Brûlée ($12) for dessert. 

Lemon Tart Brûlée 

I thought it was okayyyyy but he didn't really like it. Probably better for people who like tangy desserts. 

Anyway! I "saved" $23++ in total! Taking into consideration the value of the meal, the taste and the ambiance I'd give it 4/5! Please note that, like movies, I'm easily satisfied when it comes to food so please take the rating with a pinch of salt! 

Napoleon Food & Wine Bar
206 Telok Ayer Street (S)068641
62219282
Mon - Fri: 11.45am - Midnight
Sat: 6pm - Midnight
Sun: Closed

[Our Times 我的少女时代] fangirl post

Went to watch [Our Times] over the weekend and it was SO GOOD! Yeah yeah.. It was a nostalgic rom-com with a 90’s throwback, it was funny, it was heart-wrenching, but the main reason why I liked it? 

Darren Wang Da Lu!

Honestly, I didn’t even know who he was before this movie but now I know he’s my future husband (those of you who watched the show will get the reference)! The moment he appeared on screen I was transported right back to my teenage years when I was crazy about ah bengs.

People always used to ask me why I liked ah bengs and my reply was always, “The hair.” I don’t know why but I have a thing for floppy dyed longish hair. The idols I was crazy about throughout the years all had floppy hair!

Vanness Wu

Joe Cheng

 Mike He

 Lee Hong Ki

 Lee Seung Gi

Actually.. Almost all Korean actors.

Doesn’t Darren Wang look so good with this hairstyle? Couple that with his manly demeanor and cheeky smile.. *swoon*

It's really about the hairstyle though. Compare that with this..

meh.

Anyway, before you guys write the show off as some chick flick and decide not to watch it, Song Yu Hua from [Café Waiting Love] is also in the movie!

The plot might be a typical girl-meets-bad-boy-with-sad-past-and-turns-him-good plot but the execution of the story and script were really good. This show has been compared extensively to [You are the Apple of my Eye] but I felt that this was wayyy better. Some of my guy friends even watched it more than once. I’m easily satisfied when it comes to movies but trust me on this one! 

Agent Provocateur

A few days ago I came across this article. To summarise, women are actually PAYING for another woman to seduce their husbands so that the husbands will leave their mistresses. Just how screwed up is that? There’s even a term for these paid “agents”; honey trappers.

I was kinda stunned after I read the article, because I actually read a book about a honey trapper many, many years back and I thought honey trapping was totally fictitious! 

It was about a woman who was so sure her husband wouldn’t cheat on her that she made a bet with a honey trapper to try and seduce him. The thing is, she tells the honey trapper everything about her husband, including his likes and dislikes, so that the honey trapper can tweak herself accordingly to seem like the husband’s dream woman. Needless to say, the honey trapper fell in love with the husband that she was supposed to seduce. It was twisted but intriguing, really. Spoiler alert, the husband did not cheat, surprisingly. But then again, it’s called fiction for a reason. Sorry, I know I’m being cynical but guys people nowadays seem to take marriage so lightly I wonder why they even bother getting married.

I guess the growing trend of hiring these honey trappers is a good thing for women overall though. At least wives will find out when husbands are unfaithful and guys who hear about this may be more afraid to cheat.  Of course, it says a lot about you if you have to hear about this to be afraid to cheat la. One thing I just can’t understand is the women who hire the honey trappers to get their husbands to break up with the mistress. If you know he’s cheating, why not just leave?

After reading the article, I went to search more on honey trappers and found this other article, which was a little similar to the book, just that the ending was a lot more realistic.

The girl already found out that he was a cheater and that should have been it. End of story. BUT NO, she had to call him and get ‘worried’ that he wasn’t replying and even begged him to reply. Seriously? I understand some people do get blinded by love and all but if it’s to this extent it’s just pure stupidity.

I don't want to start ranting about how some people have a lack of conscience because it will just get super lengthy. Of course, I do still believe there are good people around. But there seems to be a lot of temptation out there these days too. So the next time any of you are tempted to cheat, just remember, the third party may have actually been hired by your very own partner.

Great Eastern Women's Run 2015 - Race Pack Collection

Met this girl on Saturday to collect our race packs for the Great Eastern Women's Run. I peeked into the bag while we were having dinner and was very pleased with the contents! 

Being a very typical kiasu Singaporean, obviously I wanna get my money's worth when I pay to do something which I can actually do for free. Many of my friends have scoffed at the idea of paying to run when you can do it anytime and anywhere. (Not to mention the fact that I have a gym membership as well.) Actually, every time I participate in a run I'd ask myself why I’m torturing myself and make a mental note to never do it again, but the satisfaction upon completing is totally worth it. Of course, there are other reasons why I like participating in runs.

1. It gives me a goal to work towards.

When I'm at the gym, sometimes many times I get a little lazy and just decide to use the elliptical (those cross trainers but with stationary handlebars). However, if I have a run to prepare for, I will push myself to use the treadmill to train for it. I try to participate twice a year and aim for a better timing each time, but my last timing was one of my personal best already so if I can maintain or even just get a few seconds less I’ll be satisfied!

2. The other runners help to pace me.

I love the vibes I get from an enthusiastic, pumped up sweaty crowd of runners. Call me weird but I like crowds and being part of thousands of people moving towards the same goal just motivates me A LOT more than running alone. Also, I like using “that girl in the pink shoes” or “that guy in the blue shorts” as a pacer to keep up with. It makes running more fun and makes me think less of the fact that I’m so tired I just wanna collapse.

3. The race packs are so worth it!

The very first “run” I went for was the Nike 10km human race 6 years back. I say “run” because I actually walked most of the way and took the same time you'd take to watch an entire movie lol. I actually got “tricked” into joining by the BFF, which is weird ‘cause that was her first and last run whereas that run, or rather, the race pack, actually piqued my interest in running. The fee was only $20 (very low considering it was NIKE and an average run costs about $50?) and there was a Nike tee and bottle in a drawstring bag. A Nike tee would normally cost about $40 so that in itself was already damn worth it!

Anyway, after that I tried to go for at least 2 runs a year and the regular one I sign up for is Sundown which is my favourite ‘coz I hate the sun and Sundown is, obviously, at night. But the sponsor for Sundown changed from Adidas to New Balance and then to OSIM, so it was a bit of a turn off. For the other run, I would usually try to go for one with very attractive race packs.

Last year I went for the ST Run, which included TWO New Balance tees and an Alive museum admission ticket among other goodies. This year they gave 2 New Balance shirts as well, but no admission tickets and I didn’t know what else they were giving so I wasn’t very enticed. After some research, I decided to sign up for the Great Eastern Women’s Run as they were giving 2 Adidas (my personal fav) tees for their 10^th year. And I am so glad I did! This was the race pack..

The most goodies I ever saw in a race pack! Yes, I know they’re mostly sample-sized, but I’m easily satisfied ok! Think I have found my other regular run! If the race pack continues to be this good of course..

And I read that there will be a FREE food tent on the actual day!! :D

Will update again after the run!

to new beginnings

HELLO!

For those of you who didn't come from the old blog, I'm just a girl (yes I know I'm 30 but I refuse to call myself "lady" or "woman") who loves writing. I got lazy and stopped for a bit, but thanks to the encouragement of my friends, here I am again!

Since I'm quarter-way through life already (no, I didn't count wrongly, my grandma is 100 next year and I'm sure I have her genes!), I feel like it's about time to do something I'm really passionate about. Oh, and also, I get immense satisfaction once I finish a post, regardless of whether people read it or not. Of course the satisfaction is multiplied if there is some sort of approval, like it being published in Thought Catalog! Sorry, I just had to bring that up again. =x

It's actually been so long since I changed my blog layout that I don't even remember how to do it anymore so bear with me while I get the layout and skin sorted out. In the meantime, here's to new beginnings!