the company i missed...the places we reminisce

crossroad cafe, marriott hotel singapore

mezza9, grand hyatt singapore

the perfect yolk watery egg!

Tonkotsu Shibori Ramen
(Pork Flavoured Ramen)

the focus is not the ramen but the egg. we got the recipe from here...and D prepared it...it was sooooooo good. i got the ramen from isetan scotts last week while they were having some japan fair at the supermarket. to perfect the meal, we wanted the authentic ramen egg. like it? try making it...it's really easy...

Paul & Joe : Facial Mask / Blusher

been meaning to get the mask since i last chat with jules via fb. she told me that the mask is sooooo good. i couldn't resist it...well...as age catches...we need to supplement our skin, especially our face right? i was told you can either wipe the mask off after 3mins of applying (oh..it comes with a cute spatula!!) or you could spread a thin layer on your face evenly and leave it on through the nite...sounds good right? it's gonna be my weekly routine from now on!

and the blusher....it was 20% off .. i got the neutral pink since my blusher is gonna be finishing soon...i thought i'll try this brand this time .... got a free shopping bag and some little sample for my purchase...woohoo...yes yes..i'm a sucker for such pretty things...!

Girls' Nite Out - Spruce / TCC Scotts / Mac

we tried meeting every month...but didn't or couldn't...but well, we did try. so, since D was having exams today, i arranged dinner with the gals.

i had to intro the gals to spruce , the must-go place now..it was kinda nice tonite since it wasn't as crowded as the last round when i was there for brunch with D...tonite, we ordered ahi tuna, caesar salad to share..and CT had fish and chips, JC had seared tuna, JL had the kurobuta bolognese and i had steak frites (medium rare! yum...). did you gals enjoyed the food? i hope you did...

after dinner, we proceeded to tcc at scotts for coffee and tea..as in the picture here. bright and happy place and great for pics...then we went to mac to wait for D..hee..thanks for waiting up with me...so nice...

always being myself around you gals...happy. =) will think of where to go next time round....and that'll be quite soon! heh!

Cooking Weekend - Dinner

had 2 new dishes for dinner...which turned out nice..hee!

kaffir leave in sambal sweet potato leaves

兩瓜湯
(thanks water for the chinese characters)

the vege was simple to make. i wished i could make my own sambal balachan..but to save the trouble i got a bottle from ntuc....and it was tasty! simply with garlic, small onions, kaffir lime leaves and the sambal balachan...stir fry the ingredients by adding some water till boil...then add the vege..cover the pan....then open the cover in less than a minute, continue to stir fry lightly...and that's it! this could be done in 5mins!

as the name implies, 兩瓜湯 simply have 2 types of cucumber - sharksfin cucumber and old cucumber...then some herbs - wolfberries, red dates, apricot kennel and not forgetting the essence of the soup, pork bones (chicken breast meat works too) after boiling for 2 hours, you'll get a thick and wholesome home-made soup...so healthy!

Cooking Weekend - Salted Egg Yoke Fried Rice

it didn't turn out the way i wanted to. the salted egg yoke wasn't as salty as i thought it will be, so it turned out that i had to add in some thai fish sauce. the making of this dish made me perspired alot...didn't know that making fried rice needed so much stamina! haha...will try again next time!

"i will be back..."

in the meanwhile, D...enjoy..!

Cooking Weekend Cont'd - Lunch

"all spices" curry chicken

this was simple. all you need is lemon grass, kaffir lime leaves, curry leaves, onions, chilli padi, curry powder and of course the potatoes (got red potatoes which doesn't go flaky after long boils) and chicken drumlets (best with bones for flavour)...i tried adding tomatoes this time round for "umami' and it worked!! glad to say that the curry tasted even better than before...i had cooked this yesterday and to keep its spiciness (spicy food do not maintain its spiciness if you do not have it on the same day), i added one chilli padi today......shiok!

Cooking Weekend - Supper

my all time favourite supper - maggie mee's assam laksa. it's not just any instant noodles. D added curry leaves, lemon grass ...errmm...and i'm not sure what else goes in there. it's reaaalllyyy good!

so as i've said, it's not just any instant noodles.

Cooking Weekend - Dinner

Ragù Porkloin, baby potatoes and portbello with red wine

hee, glad D enjoy this newly created dish. the Ragù sauce was selfmade. i boiled baby roma tomatoes and carrots in red wine with fennel seeds, english parsley, basil and porkbone for a good one hour..with the reduction, the sauce thickens. i then added cut chilli to heighten the complexity of the sauce. i think with this receipe, i could do a good spaggetti bolognese next time! =)

Cooking Weekend - Lunch

this is gonna be an all-cooking weekend since D will be having exams the next two weeks. hope these meals keep him going. kambate!

we had these with rice ...

the usual tenderloin beef cubes with fried garlic and yuzu dressing dip

brown japanese mushroom with mirin and shoyu

another kind of long japanese mushrooms with ginger and pork bones soup

Blackmore's Night - Now and Then

does it happen to you that for some songs you keep listening them, and then forget about them till you listen to them again?

this is one of them....glad it was shuffled to play on my ipod...and i listened to it on my way to work.

well, i couldn't find the original version except this animated one.
but still, i would like to share this song with you. for some, you might relate to the lyrics....enjoy...

all of a sudden, i feel like going to the playground...
the old kind, what we used to have...
the slides, the tyred swings, the roundabouts and the sand...
where can i find them now?

Brunch at Spruce

yeah! am finally able to upload the pics. was having trouble yesterday and getting a little anxious as i like to blog stuff "hot from the oven".

aye..finally...a day out..and yes, the sky was dark. but nothing's gonna stop us..!!
or me!! from getting to Spruce... keke...

me in a casual 3/4 sleeve dress and havaianas slippers...

look at the crowd, i suggest you make reservations for your meals there
or be disappointed...it's getting popular with the arty farty,
families and the chi-chi crowds... ummm...

the brunch, lunch and dinner menus vary slightly..
and for brunch, they have hearty breakfast selections and
that includes pancakes and waffles too!

but whatever there is, it's great that the ahi tuna tartar
with toasted ciabatta and avocado is on all menus...ALL THE TIME!

this is the really good kurobuta spagetti bolognese

look at D, taking a break from the books and having a good banana pancake
with walnut crunch and blueberry syrup.
i must say........ goodbye cedele!

woohoo.. i'll be going back there again next weekend for a girls nite out!! can't wait!!