Hoshino Coffee @ Ion Orchard

What comes to your mind when someone says we're going to dine at a Japanese-Western fusion style restaurant? 

Johor Bahru food trip & staycation

An Ash & Elm lunch

Bintan

A asked if I would be game to go for a quiet beach holiday and that saw us making an impromptu trip to Bintan island. 

Weekend Wanderlust in Melaka

A honeymoon in Spain and France

This blog entry brings to you snippets of my trip with my other half in Spain and France.

Hong Kong Food Holiday

Just came back from my holiday in Hong Kong and we spent most of the time eating! This post describes the places I went to and how well the food tasted. 

Ban Heng Restaurant

The thing about my mum is, when she decides on where to eat, it always has to be a place that serves Teochew food. Last weekend saw us patronising the Ban Heng Restaurant at Boon Keng Road. The food is cooked Teochew style there and although I'm not that big of a Teochew food fan, the place certainly made my mum and grandfather really happy.

The Clan Restaurant

Decided to try out a new restaurant called the "The Clan Restaurant" when Az said that there was a 50% promo if one used the Amex card.

MBS Staycation

Bangkok - once again

There are some places in this world which pulls you back time and time again. Bangkok is one of those for me. This time around, I went on a four day three night free and easy trip. The food and sights were nothing but amazing. 

Entertainer App Review 2015

When the Entertainer App for 2015 originally came out, I saw lots of food bloggers posting about the amazing 1-for-1 deals which this app had to offer. I was initially rather skeptical to buy the app. My skeptical self in me, assumed that most of the eateries would be those that were not so popular. I didn't want to waste my time and money on bad food and chucked the idea of buying this app aside. However after much advertisement from a friend who was constantly raving about the 1-for-1 deals, I decided to jump on the bandwagon and gave the app a try. 

I bought the app some time in March and with a discount count code from one of the bloggers. It cost me $54 and to date, my lifetime savings currently stand at $1857. Yay! Pretty delighted that in the end, the app was so well utilised.

The app has also introduced this feature called 'ping', which allows you to email your unused coupons to your friends. So the app not only benefits you, but also your friends! My lucky friend who loves Arteastiq Tea Lounge, had a free coupon from me. So happy to be able to share my good stuff! 

Amongst the many food outlets which are featured in the Entertainer App 2015, looking back, these were some of my favourites:

1. Toby's Estate

8 Rodyk Street, #01-03/04, S(238216)

One of my favourite places for a brunch date with my girlfriends. I like their breakfast sets, the tall windows for clear photography and the wide variety of tall pretty cakes which were just so nice to look at. 

2. Lime Restaurant & Bar, Parkroyal Hotel

3 Upper Pickering St, S(058289)

Came here to celebrate my birthday and I love the wide variety of food served at their buffet. Their wide variety of food includes seafood sashimi, local indian and peranakan cuisine and even a green tea matcha fondue for desserts. The quality of food was also top notch and I was even served a free cake just caused I was celebrating my birthday. 

3. The Lokal
136 Neil Rd, S(088865)

I tried the lobster roll with curly fries here and they were fantastic. Loved how succulent the lobster chunks were and the curly fries were fried, oily and crunchy! 

4. Spizza

Multiple Outlets around the island

The pizzas here are all named after women! I like the thin crust and how generous they were with the ingredients. My favourite was the Tara pizza.

5. Da Paolo Pizza Bar

44 Jln Merah Saga, S(278116)

An Italian join which scored well not just on pizzas but also their pastas. Brought my family of 5 here and we managed to share 4 main dishes for the price of 2. 

6. Bedrock bar & grill

96 Somerset Road, #01-05 Pan Pacific Serviced Suites Orchard, S(238163) 

The steaks here are not on the cheap side and the slabs of beef can go above a hundred bucks and that's where the entertainer app comes in. I love the texture of the steaks here and the cost savings from the entertainer app does help in making this an affordable place for a birthday or anniversary celebration.

As the year draws to an end, I'm still thinking if I should get the app for 2016. Any thoughts?

Dessert Hopping

Sorry for the lack of food updates, been terribly busy planning my wedding.

But anyhow, here's some pictures of where I've been pigging out at. 

Cravings

6 Tebing Lane, #01-05 S(828835)

website

Had a dessert date at this ice-cream cafe which is situated in Punggol. The cafe is a stone throw away from Hai Bin Prawning which is frequented by teenagers and families who go there for a round of prawning. It took awhile for our ice-cream waffle to arrive as they were freshly baked. I loved the texture of the waffles - crispy and warm. Worth a revisit if you are around the area or having just finished with prawning. 

Wayne's chill-out

The Punggol Settlement, #02-11 S(828694)

facebook

Another dessert place I went to at Punggol. This shop is located at Punggol settlement and you would get the view of the sea as you indulge in your ice-cream. The waffles weren't that fantastic here but the view of the beach was perfect a romantic setting. Oh yes, also loved how this dessert cafe served my all time favourite food in this world - french fries. 

Sunday Folks

Chip Bee Gardens, #01-52 S(278116)

website

This is the sister shop to the highly raved Creamier in Toa Payoh. Dropped by here with my colleagues on a weekday afternoon and it was packed! The company has definitely kept to their high standards and the quality of both the waffles and the ice cream did not fail. The texture of the waffle was crispy and it paired very well with our strawberry ice-cream. This is a place worth travelling all the way to.

Cameron Highlands road trip

Last Thursday afternoon saw R picking me up from work and us heading onto Malaysia's North South highway for a very long but fruitful road trip to Cameron Highlands. We left the Singapore checkpoints at around 5pm and got into Ipoh by 10pm. Ipoh is situated at the base of Cameron Highlands and hence it was a perfect stop for our dinner.

Choya infused recipes by Spoonful

My sister and I were invited to a Choya cooking session organized by Spoonful. It was an eye opener learning how to infuse Choya into our cooking. Why Choya? Well, apart from its fragrant aroma and taste, Choya also aids in digestion and helps in improving blood circulation which is good for anti-aging. With that, I shall now share with you some recipes which I have picked up during the cooking session. 

Bishan Park cycling

Took the bicycle out to Bishan Park for a spin and 

I managed to snap a few rustic photos on the way.

#SG50 Celebrations

With Singapore's Golden Jubilee just around the corner, here are a series of media events that will be adding some buzz to this weekend's celebrations. 

1] Twitter collaborates with @Mediacorp

In its first-ever TV partnership in Southeast Asia, Twitter has announced a collaboration with MediaCorp to showcase video highlights of Singapore's 50th National Day Parade on the new @MediaCorp Twitter account (https://twitter.com/mediacorp). MediaCorp will tweet high-quality video clips during the live TV broadcast on the 9th of August to enhance the TV watching experience. Millions of people in Singapore and around the world will be able to view, video highlights of the amazing performances, breath-taking action and proudest moment of the NDP directly via MediaCorp's Tweets.

Joakim Gomez (https://twitter.com/JoakimGomez), one of the host of NDP2015, had the honour of launching the TV partnership with the below Tweet.

(https://twitter.com/JoakimGomez/status/629094602180440065)

2] Twitter commemorates Golden Jubilee with Singapore flag and SG50 Emojis

Twitter has launched a pair of emojis for Singapore! Its first ever for the country, to commemorate the nation's Golden Jubilee. With special permission from the Singapore government, the Singapore flag emoji will be seen when you hashtag #Singapore, while the SG50 icons will appear when you hashtag #SG50. Both emojis have been made available, giving Twitter users a fun way to Tweet, share and celebrate Singapore's Golden Jubilee. 

This morning, Singapore's mrbrown (@mrbrown) officially launched the nation's first ever Twitter emojis with the below Tweet. Consequently, #5wordSingaporeStories became the #1 Twitter Trend in Singapore within an hour.

(https://twitter.com/mrbrown/status/628014756859805696)

(https://twitter.com/TwitterSG/status/628016634947481600)

3] SG50's biggest fan wins an exclusive Airbnb staycation at the Esplanade

Following my previous post on the search for "SG50's biggest fan", Tay Zhi Wen has emerged as the winner with her 15 second musical mashup of "Happy Birthday" and this year's National Day song, "Our Singapore". Her creative video has earned her family and her a one-night staycation at the Esplanade Theatre and four tickets to the National Day Parade. Zhi Wen's video was chosen over 168 other participants who took part in the 10-day contest.

For more information on SG50, please visit the follow digital platforms:

SG50 Official Website: www.singapore50.sg 

SG50 Facebook: www.facebook.com/sg2015 

SG50 Instagram: www.instagram.com/singapore50 

3] WeChat celebrates SG50 with locally designed Ang Ku Kueh girl stickers

To celebrate Singapore's 50th birthday, WeChat is currently hosting a locally designed Ang Ku Kueh Girl on their dynamic new playground - WeChat's sticker gallery. Drawing inspiration from local snacks and everyday life in Singapore, the Ang Ku Kueh Girl consists of 16 stickers that have been specially designed for SG50. This emoticon sticker pack can be downloaded by all WeChat users.

Download the WeChat app at WeChat.com and visit the sticker gallery to start using the Ang Ku Kueh Girl stickers today!

Bread Street Kitchen Singapore

Finally! Oh finally! Gordon Ramsey has finally opened a restaurant in Singapore. 

I knew I had to try it after watching him on Masterchef. 

Win a unique #SG50 Staycation and 4 tickets to the National Day Parade

SG50, has launched an online search for "SG50's Biggest Fan". The biggest fan would walk away with a unique staycation at the Esplanade Theatre and 4 tickets to the National Day Parade over the Jubilee Weekend.

Aside from this unique staycation, the winner and their loved ones will also enjoy a culinary experience in the evening at Esplanade's rooftop restaurant. 

To enter the contest, click here.

For more information on this unique Airbnb listing, click here.

Kluang roadtrip

About an hour's drive away, this town in Malaysia evokes a laid back atmosphere and is perfect for those seeking a relaxing get away. Not as far as its bigger sister like Malacca, and less crowded than Johor Bahru, this town is an ideal stopover for some good Malaysian food and shopping.