Carpe Diem 一期一会

Sunday, March 06, 2011

Treat Him Like A Dog

Saw this article in Female or Women magaine while i am having my hair cut in NEX, hm... (Right click to enlarge)

Green Pumpkin

Cute find in Nex, a bakery by Ichiban boshi as well. This is a Puo Luo Bao with pumpkin's filling.

Bag Day at NEX

Last Tue was a bag day at Nex for me. Bought 3 bag in a day!

Laptop bag from challenger, $21 i think it's a steal.

Bag in bag 包中包, $12.

Dog bag for MIL's dog Chong Yi $46 from Pet Lovers Center

See how thick the cushion is?

This whole bag is surrounded with cushion that thick, it's guaranteed comfort. Chongyi is so blessed.

TonTei Pork Restaurant

TonTei from Ichiban Boshi group at Nex shopping mall. This has become the husband's favorite restaurant as they are serving everything with katsu (fried pork).

Service is good, they serve us salad with carrot vinegar sauce within 5min upon ordering our food. This salad is unlimited refillable.

Rosu katsu set $13++

Add $6 for salad, sushi and miso soup. I find the combo in TonTei super worth it.

Curry cream katsu $13++ They added cream, bacon and onions to thicken this curry sauce, it doesn't taste like the typical Japanese curry.

Add $8 to for salad, sashimi, rice and miso soup. Their sashimi comes in generous chunk, especially the sword fish and tuna are so fresh and fatty. Now i wish they open this in Tiong Bahru.

The trip the husband and me has been talking about it since the day we got hitched. I told him i didn't want a wedding dinner but i need to have a honey moon trip to Europe and finally after 2 years we are going to Europe this summer.

Went Natas last week to book my Europe trip. Give up the idea of F and E when i saw Ee Mian's F and E bill turned out to be 10k for 2 pax just for accommodation, air ticket and food. Negotiate around and we sign up with most valued for money tour agent Five Star who charge us $3828/pax for a 16days trip where other agency are marking their 16days at over 5k.

Other fee include optional tour fee $400, tour guide fee at $85/pax and insurance $80/pax. It is already $230 for the tram up the mountain in Interlake Switzerland and we checked around, no agency will include this in their package so this is a payable sum for every tour group.

Tour name: 16D European Highlights

Highlights:
Italy *Vatican City • St Peter’s Basilica • St Peter’s Square
*Rome • Colosseum (entrance fee) • Roman Forum • Victor Emmanuel II Monument
• Venezia Palace • Trevi Fountain • Spanish Steps
*Siena • Piazza del Campo • Marble Cathedral
*Florence • Door of Paradise • Piazza Signoria • Ponte Vecchio • Santa Croce Church
• Piazza Michelangelo
*Pisa • Square of Miracles • Leaning Tower of Pisa • Baptistery • Monumental Cemetery • Duomo
*Venice • St Mark’s Square • Clock Tower • Bridge of Sighs • Doge’s Palace
• Venetian Glass Blowing Factory
*Milan • Orientation tour • Gothic Cathedral • La Scala Opera House • Duomo Square
• Gallery Victor Emmanuel II
Switzerland
*Interlaken • Orientation Tour • Jungfraujoch - Top of Europe (optional)
*Engelberg • Revolving Cable Car • Mount Titlis
*Lucerne • Chapel Bridge • Lion Monument
Germany
*Titisee, Black Forest • Mysterious Black Forest • Cuckoo Clock Making Workshop
• Cologne • Gothic Cathedral
The Netherlands
*Amsterdam • Royal Palace • Dam Square • National Monument • Canal Cruise
• Diamond-cutting Factory • Windmill village of Zannse Schan
Belgium
*Brussels • Atomium • Grand Place • Manneken Pis • Royal Palace
France
*Paris • Orientation Tour • Champs Elysees • Place de La Concord • Arc de Triomphe
• Eiffel Tower (2nd level) • Notre Dame Cathedral

Freebies collected that day:

From Five Star's spin and win

From CitiBank, 28" American Tourister luggage

Texas Chicken

Get to taste some Texas chicken at Expo during Natas. Critics are similar to what my other friend has reviewed: not nice, Popeye is much better. Chicken is crispy but not as flavorful, biscuit not salty and mash taste like 7-11's mash.

海中寶 Hai Zhong Bao Fish Head Restaurant

Finally we walk over to try the cze char that open inside Henderson's industrial area opposite our unit.

Fish head steamboat $25

Sibei shiok, comes with strong taste of herb and essence from fish and pork bone. Fish meat i ate that day was a bit stiff, might because i ordered the cheapest steamboat. Other (fish) options will cost around $45 ($6/100g) which is a little too pricey for dinner of 2. What i love about them is the generous supply of fried yam to curb my craving, i can totally give up fish meat for soaked fried yam steamboat.

Feb 2011

Tai Seng Restaurant 大成酒楼

Yi Mien brought us to this very traditional Tai Seng Teochew restaurant at the top floor of people's park center. I can confidently say the mean age of customer here is 50-60, you can constantly see grandparent with white hair walking in. Like five star dim sum restaurant, they maintain the 1960s nostalgic interior with a wedding stage in the middle of the restaurant. Serving very traditional and good TeoChew food with reasonable price. Paid around 20plus a pax for 6 dishes.

TeoChew folks eat chili to kill.

Braised cabbage with mushroom, a traditional TeoChew dish the TeoChew must have it during CNY. Although i didnt quite agreed with the price ($18++) but this is good stuff. The cabbage is steam to a point where it melt in your mouth. This is probably the only restaurant i will pay over twenty bucks for vegetable.

Fried prawn roll

Something new, chestnut chicken. Another good one, i loved the fragrant of the chestnut. Together with the stirr fried chicken, this combo creates an explosive flavors in your mouth. This creative dude who thought of combining these 2 ingredient is a genius.

Signature braised goose is as shown above, juicy and chewy.

I am not too sure what kind of noodle they use, it's something between beehoon and noodle and it has this QQ and flour texture which we love it! Even ms long is asking for more.

TeoChew orr nee (yam paste) with ginko nuts and golden pumpkin. I love orr nee but this is too sweet for me.. Maybe i should have remove the golden syrup pumpkin before i stirred it.

Totally enjoyed this much more than any other nostalgic restaurant from yesterday. The kind of place you will bring to impress your parent or grandparent.