Prego @ Fairmont Hotel

Prego has been one of my favourite places for pasta for many years, and part of the reason is because of the Feed at Raffles membership that was bundled in my AMEX card since 2008. When AMEX decided to change their dining benefits to Palate, Prego was one of the main reasons I decided to buy the Feed at Raffles membership separately.

Spinach salad, $22

This is a fantastic starter, with tuna, corn, red onions, and grilled zucchini. I have no idea what dressing was used (I only know that it is cream-based) but it goes extremely well with the spinach and salad, and definitely helped to work up my appetite!

Saffron Fusilli, $34

This was one of best pasta I have ever had, and ever since I tried it at Prego, I found myself ordering it on almost every subsequent visit. It comes with zucchini, chives and an extremely generous serving of crab meat. The crab meat was large and chunky, and the seafood cream sauce was obviously made using crab as well. This gives the dish an unbelievably rich seafood flavour. 

Organic Risotto, $34

The dish looks simple enough - risotto with tiger prawns, saffron, and fennel fronds. Today's fennel fronds tasted a bit more sour than usual, but the tiger prawns were bigger and pan-fried just long enough to give it a slightly brown covering and smoky taste. Out of the many times I have ordered this dish, today's was the best.

Credit card annual fees

Once a year, my credit card statements will reflect something which I dread - the annual fee. To clarify, I don't dread paying, because everyone knows that you can always request for a waiver. What I detest is having to call the bank up and navigate through their automated phone labyrinth before I can get through, and it wastes a lot of time. 

So I wonder - why do banks still ask customers to pay annual fees? How many of us actually pay annual fees, for one thing? Most people would simply call the bank up to request (or is it demand?) for a waiver. If the bank refuses, we cancel the card - there are so many cards out there that one card less wouldn't make a difference.

To me, the annual fee is somewhat like a lose-lose situation. To the customer, he loses because he either pays the fee, or wastes time and effort to request for the waiver. To the bank, assuming that the majority of people would not pay, it loses because it needs to waste precious resources for their call centres to answer such calls. Just imagine - if this annual fee did not exist - more resources can be diverted to handle other customer issues, like enquiry of their products and services or other matters. 

So why do the banks still charge them? Maybe it's to give the customer the impression that their card is more prestigious, thus justifying the fee. And when the bank agrees to waive the fee, it generates goodwill. (But I doubt if there is any goodwill generated now since it's the norm to waive fees.) Or maybe the bank hopes that some of their customers will overlook the fee and pay it accidentally. Or perhaps there is a minority that couldn't be bothered about the fee (or too busy to call and waive) and just pay up. Another possibility is that they force customers to call them up, and meanwhile they may take the chance to cross-sell other banking products.

To me, as I mentioned earlier, what I dread most is to call up the banks and get thrown into a maze, where it takes skillful navigation and patience before you can reach your destination. It irks me too when they take the opportunity to promote some of their products to you before giving you the phone options, when all you want is to settle your business as soon as possible without listening to any additional crappy advertising.

So far, the best experience I have had is with HSBC Bank. If you were to call their hotline, the first option given to you is to press '2#1' if you are calling to request for a credit card fee waiver. It is definitely refreshing not having to plunge into their phone jungle and bash your way through thick bushes and trees before getting what you want.

But the best method is just to eliminate it entirely. It saves the customer time (and money), and it frees up bank call centre resources. And compared to the current situation, it certainly looks like a win-win situation.

Chaos Rings Omega

Chaos Rings Omega
Source:guide4gamers.com

I mentioned in a previous post that I was waiting for this game to be on a sale, and my chance came when Chaos Rings 2 was released. Chaos Rings Omega's price was then decreased from US$14.99 to US$5.99, so I bought it without hesitation.

After a few minutes, I came to the conclusion that this game is almost exactly identical to Chaos Rings in terms of gameplay, maps, music, puzzles, and monsters. The slight differences are the puzzles, which are more difficult and give the player the option to skip after three attempts - and the bosses. 

Plot-wise, Chaos Rings Omega takes place ten thousands years (I think) before Chaos Rings. Instead of four couples, the game chooses to focus on the past of one of the key couples in Chaos Rings, and in this aspect, it fares pretty well. There is no need to play the game four times in order to complete the game entirely, so it is shorter and simpler.

In conclusion, this game is a rip-off of the first game, and fortunately I played it six months after completing the first one. Only the plot managed to salvage the game somewhat, and I was playing (paying?) it entirely for the story. Chaos Rings Omega is arguably worth it for the hardcore fan after being on offer at US$5.99. If not, it's a waste of money and many players would feel cheated after paying for it. It feels like a filler to refresh gamers' memories of Chaos Rings before Chaos Rings 2 comes out.

Tung Lok Signatures @ Vivocity

Next restaurant on the Palate program - Tung Lok Signatures, at Vivocity.

Deep-fried Silver Bait with Seven Spices, $8

Not salty enough, and the taste of the fish was overwhelmed by the batter.

Pan-fried French Foie Gras and Beancurd Skin served with Pancake, $14.80

A new way of eating foie gras to me - wrapping it with the beancurd skin (reminds me of Peking duck). But the foie gras was over-cooked - a sin when it comes to foie gras!

Steamed Chicken with Fungus and Red Dates, $20

Only thigh meat was used for this dish, which was a plus. The chicken was still rather tender, and the taste of the gravy was not bad. But once I bit into the chicken, the insides were quite tasteless. 

Poached Crispy Rice with Fresh Crab Meat in Superior Broth, $32

I expected this to a strong-flavoured dish, because it had crab meat and superior broth. But it turned out to be too light and watery. Quite disappointing.

Total bill came up to $44.75 after the 50% discount. Honestly, I wasn't particularly impressed by any of the dishes and wouldn't order any of them if I were to come here again.

I will revert to you in due course...

I recently made a travel insurance claim, as I was down with tonsillitis right after my Bangkok trip. After I submitted the claim, I received an acknowledgement receipt by mail from the insurer.

"We acknowledge receipt of your Accident Report/Claim Form. 

We are currently assessing your claim and will revert to you in due course, do bear with us in the meantime. 

Kindly quote our reference number when communicating with us."

It's surprising how many people use the word 'revert' to mean 'get back to you' or 'reply'. Like, "have they reverted to you?" or "I am still waiting for the supplier to revert." And in the example of the insurer above, they actually drafted this as their formal acknowledgement reply template.

According to dictionary.com, the word 'revert' has the following definitions:

1) To return to a former habit, practice, belief, condition, etc.: They reverted to the ways of their forefathers.

2) (Law) To go back to or return to the former owner or to his or her heirs.

3) (Biology) To return to an earlier or primitive type.

4) To go back in thought or discussion: He constantly reverted to his childhood.

I wonder how this started. Maybe some people thought that using the word 'revert' sounds more professional than 'reply' and started using it this way. And the rest followed suit.

Draw Something... or Write Something?

Recently, there has been a craze over a new app on iOS and Android - the Draw Something app by OMGPOP, which is something like Pictionary. There are some interesting features though, like being able to earn in-game coins when your word is guessed correctly or when you guess a word successfully. The app provides you with the length of the word and twelve letters to choose from, so it makes the game somewhat simpler. For a start, you are also given five bombs, which can be used to destroy the unnecessary letters, leaving you to unscramble the remaining letters to solve the puzzle. Coins can be used to purchase colour packs, as you start with a rather limited selection of colours. Alternatively, you can use coins to buy more bombs.

I get quite irritated when people write words instead of drawing pictures. What's the point of playing then, if you just use words? This game is Draw Something. The goal is to use pictures instead of words to get your point across. Some examples of this app becoming Write Something:

1) Subway - a picture of a sandwich and the words '6 inch sub' above

2) Bon Jovi - 'it's my life!'

3) Alone - 'home-?' + a picture of a house

4) Password - 'User name & ?'

5) Ferry - a picture of a boat and the word 'Batam' above it
6) Vader - a (horrible) picture of someone that looks like a skeleton and the sentence "I am your father" above it

And of course, the best examples are those who just spell out the whole word itself with a lame apology "I don't know how to draw!".

Look, if you don't know how to draw, don't choose that word. One good feature of this game is that the game lets you choose one out of three words to draw, so there is no excuse as to not knowing how to draw. The three words vary in difficulty and gives one to three coins (to both parties) if it is successfully guessed. Some examples of the easier words (worth one coin only) - ear, eye, cry, love, moon, boat, rain, smile, bird, ladder, leg - they are so easy that there is simply no excuse for not knowing how to draw them.

One feature that I found impressive - you are able to watch a live and real time recreation of your opponent's drawing process. And the app is designed such that 'idle time' is not included. So if you were to draw halfway, answer a phone call and resume drawing after ten minutes - this ten minutes is snipped away, sparing your opponent the frustration of staring at a half-complete drawing for ten minutes.

However, bugs and flaws are still aplenty. Once you enter a game, you can't exit and are forced to complete it from start to end, which encompasses seeing your opponent guess your word, guessing your opponent's word, followed by selecting and drawing your next word. One way to get around this is to shut down the app, but this sometimes causes you to 'pass' your turn involuntarily. 

Push notifications sometimes do not work, and games frequently do not refresh. The only way to force-refresh it is to shut down the app and start it again. Another serious bug prevents people from playing with each other entirely; games sometimes vanish from one player's screen but remains on the other player's. If you try to create a new game, the app will inform you that there is already an ongoing game and prevents you from proceeding. 

The game also doesn't allow you to view past history, whether it is your own or your opponents' drawings. There is no in-game chat too - something I would love to have, for example, to lambaste one of my friends for drawing an upside-down squid (tentacles facing upwards) and with ink clouds above it. 

And of course, to remind others that this game is not Write Something.

It's just an exam

I sat for level one of the CAIA (Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst) exam a few days ago at International Plaza. Security was tight - to the extent that I felt it was a bit overboard. 

After confirming that I was sitting for the CAIA exam, the counter staff started the security procedures.

"Your primary ID please." 

I handed her my NRIC. 

"Okay, now for your secondary ID."

I handed her my driving licence.

"We can't accept this. I need something with your signature, like your passport."

I stammered "Uhh... err... I didn't bring it..."

"How about your credit card? It has your signature, so it should suffice."

So I dug through my pockets and passed her my credit card.

"Okay, now can you place your right palm on the scanner?"

I did what she asked me to.

"Now for your left palm."

"Right palm again."

"Left palm again."

"Right. Left. Okay, done."

Finally, I thought. 

"Now, can you sit here and face the web camera? We need to take a picture of you. Don't move until I say so."

What the? 

"All right, we are done. Can you now keep your bag in the locker? You are only allowed to bring in your calculator and NRIC. You will need to take off your watch too."

The locker was a bit too small for my backpack and I had to force the door close in order to lock it. Then I proceeded to the examination room, where I was greeted by another staff.

"Here, please sign in by scanning your palm here." 

Okaaaaay....

"Sir, your calculator - you can't bring the case in. Can you keep it in your locker?"

Back to the locker again, and I repeated the process of cramming my bag in and forcing the locker door shut. Then I returned.

"Now, please empty your pockets to ensure that you did not bring in anything unauthorised." 

I emptied my pockets and discovered that my net worth just increased by fifty cents. 

"Oh, I didn't realise that I have a fifty-cent coin here. It shouldn't be an issue, right?" I asked.

"No, you can't bring it in. Please put it back in your locker." 

What the f...? Third round of bag cramming and locker door shutting. 

"Okay, you can now go in. This is your computer terminal."

I peered at the monitor. On it was written 'Candidate number 46411' ... with my picture below. This is getting hardcore. It's just an examination, for goodness sake. While it is good to ensure that examination standards are not compromised, doing it to this extent is definitely going overboard, in my opinion. 

Assuming I pass, I will need to go through this one more time when I sit for level two in half a year's time.

OChre @ Orchard Central

Orchard Central has been one of my favourite venues in Orchard Road, simply because fewer people go there. Today, my gf and I decided to have dinner at OChre, an Italian restaurant at OC. It is under the AMEX Platinum's Palate program, so we could enjoy a 50% discount.

I found the place a bit too warm and stuffy, and the spotlights above our table didn't help. I actually had to remove my cuff links and roll up my sleeves as it was getting a bit unbearable.

Some bread was served after we have ordered our food

Char-grilled octopus salad, $22

This was the starter we ordered. I didn't like it. The octopus wasn't springy enough, and the avocado was a bit too hard. Avocado, being an oily fruit, is supposed to be softer, but I suspect that theirs was still a bit too raw. My gf felt that they were a bit too generous with their vinegar too.

Herb crusted Kurobuta pork belly, $36

The portion was a bit small for this, but as I wasn't feeling too hungry, I felt that it was just nice. I don't really like polenta cake, so I didn't finish it. The pork was not bad, and surprisingly it wasn't that fatty; I had expected at least 20% of the pork belly to be fat, but there was only one rather thin layer of it. Not good for those who love their pork belly to be really fat, but for me, I thought it was perfect. The amount of fat was insignificant enough that I didn't mind eating all of it. The meat was a little tougher than I thought, but at least it still tasted good.

Arborio risotto, $32

This came with prawns, escargots, and a poached egg topped with a bit of cheese. The risotto was harder than usual, but it was prepared quite well and tasted very strongly of prawns. The escargots and prawns were also quite good, but the poached egg was too cooked. Overall, this dish was still rather well done and I wouldn't mind ordering it again next time.

Total bill came up to $48.15 after discount, which was really worth it! But without the discount, I wouldn't have visited as the food, although good, wasn't fantastic enough to justify the price.

"The new iPad"

"The new iPad" just got announced, and surprisingly, they decided to drop the numbering behind. Somehow, I feel that dropping it reduces the hype about it somewhat, and that calling it "the new iPad" seemed like it has moved one step back instead of forward. But maybe that's just me. 

This aside, the new features were hardly exciting (to me, that is). A better display - this was definitely expected. A 5MP iSight camera - not really surprising too, considering how lousy the iPad 2's camera was. Being able to connect to 4G networks... okay, maybe we will be moving towards that soon. But will it happen in one year? (I might as well wait till the next iPad gets released next year. Wait - what will it be called? "The newer iPad"?) And a microphone for Siri - well, as I mentioned before, I don't really think Siri is useful. 

And for these features, it weighs 49g more and is 0.61mm thicker. Is it worth buying? Yes, if you don't have an iPad now. But if you already have an iPad 2, I think people can just stay put.

Too poor to afford apps?

Ever since I got my iPhone in 2010, some people have been asking me why I did not jailbreak it. My reply was, I don't see the need to. I don't need the extra features gained by jailbreaking, and I would prefer not to ruin the iPhone experience - of going to the App Store, choosing an app that I want, keying in my password, and voila - the app goes into my phone. 

Then I ask them in return - why did they jailbreak their iPhone? The most common response is, naturally, to avoid paying for apps. 

But are apps really that expensive? Most of the apps are free, and even if they do need money, they usually cost only USD0.99 or a bit more. I find the cost to be very reasonable, so I don't mind paying for it. 

What irks me is when they counter with this:

"You very rich, you can pay for the apps. I very poor, no money..." 

I find this extremely disgusting. Is USD0.99 really a lot? It's just around S$1.25, for goodness sake. If you choose not to upsize your McDonald's meal, you can already buy almost two USD0.99 apps. (And it does you good too not to upsize.) If you choose not to order a Coke when you visit a restaurant, you can buy three such apps. And if you decide to forego a Starbucks Frappuccino, heck, you can buy five such apps. These apps will be there in your phone for as long as you want. 

This scene can be compared to years ago, when pirated games for Playstations could be bought for just a few dollars. It made sense to buy pirated games, because an original game can cost more than S$70, which can be considered expensive even for a working adult. 

But hey, an app costs just a little more than a dollar. Are you telling me that you can't afford that, considering the fact that you could afford getting an iPhone and that you are earning an income now?

If you are stingy and refuse to pay for apps, so be it. But don't attribute it to me being rich enough to afford apps while you can't. Because you definitely can.

My Humble House @ Esplanade

AMEX changed their attached Feed at Raffles membership for their Platinum Card to Palate, which offered similar discounts but for a different set of restaurants. Being a frequent visitor of Esplanade, I have always passed by My Humble House but never got to try it as it looked posh (and of course, expensive). But with the new Palate program, I decided to try it as I could enjoy a 50% discount for 2 pax.

What they serve is somewhat closer to Chinese fine dining food, so the portions were rather small. But because of this, we got to try many different dishes instead, so it wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

Crisp-seared Foie Gras marinated with Seven Spices on Caramelised Watermelon, $16

This was quite good, especially when the foie gras was eaten with the bread underneath. I found the foie gras to be a little dry though - foie gras is supposed to be more oily and fatty - but it was still enough to satisfy my craving for foie gras.

Roast Boneless Chicken marinated in Smoky Sauce, $12

When this dish came, my first thought was "hey, I don't think I ordered any scallops..." But this was nice, and the taste was rather unique. The smoky sauce and the accompanying black stuff under the chicken (I have no idea what it is) went quite well with the chicken.

Crispy Boneless Sakura Chicken marinated with "Mao Tai" Wine, $16

Sakura chicken is a special breed of chicken from Japan, and is supposedly not injected with any hormones. It is also given more space to run around compared to normal chickens, and has less fat too. So obviously it costs more than normal chickens. 

For this dish, the chicken was pan-fried quite well, and the skin was indeed crispy but not too dry. But I found the meat to be somewhat lacking in flavour and juice. Ironically, I found the previous dish, which uses normal chickens, to be better than this Sakura chicken.

Poached Baby Spinach with Three kinds of Eggs in Superior Broth, $8

I have tried this dish many times before at Crystal Jade. But this was really much better. While the broth and eggs did not really stand out, the baby spinach was excellent - it was really succulent and rich in flavour.

Crisp fried Pumpkin glazed with Salted Egg Yolk, $8

The salted egg yolk made the dish taste all right, but the pumpkin wasn't sweet and moist enough.

Homemade Noodles with Crab Meat and Roe drizzled with Red Vinegar, $14

This looked very filling, but it was surprisingly light. The homemade noodles were homemade indeed - they were very smooth and went down very easily. The sauce looked thick but was actually just nice. Now, if the crab meat and roe had a stronger presence, this dish would be perfect.

Warm Truffle Noodles with Fried Sliced Fish in Salted Beans, $12

There was nothing really special about this dish, and it tasted quite plain.

The total bill came up to around $51 for 2 pax, which was quite reasonable considering that the food was quite close to fine dining, and that we got to try a variety of dishes. Wouldn't mind coming here again to try their other dishes.

Morton's The Steakhouse @ Mandarin Oriental Hotel

Morton's The Steakhouse - the best place for steak in Singapore, and is a paradise for all beef lovers. Brought my family here to celebrate my father's birthday, as he loves beef. (It helps that I love beef too.) And Morton's serves US beef, which really stands head and shoulders over most other types of beef.

I had actually made a reservation several weeks back, and had quite a few requests - for them to print my father's name on their menu, and an order of three prime ribs (two centre cuts, one end cut). If it's a birthday celebration, they will offer a free dessert. Being wine-lovers more than dessert-lovers (my father and I, that is), I asked if they could change the free dessert to free corkage instead, because their corkage costs a staggering $60. And they agreed, so my father happily brought one of his best wines to pair with one of the best steaks in Singapore.

I had been to Morton's before and knew that their steak sizes were huge. But still, I underestimated it and when the three prime ribs arrived, I knew that there is no way the four of us could finish it. I think they weighed more than 2kg easily in total!

Morton's Prime Rib - end cut ($118)

I ordered this end cut mainly for my mother, as she doesn't like her beef to be too raw. The end cut was supposed to be done more towards medium. The charred sides were undoubtedly the best parts - wonderfully delicious, slightly crispy, and a bit salty due to the salt seasoning. But the thicker side of this cut was still a bit too raw. When we told the waiter about it, he took it back immediately to cook it a bit more. When it came back, it was perfect.

Morton's Prime Rib - centre cut ($118)

This was the centre cut, so it was more raw - more to medium rare, which is the preferred doneness for me, my father, and my brother. This was also fantastic and juicy. Although the prime ribs are quite expensive at $118 each, it was really worth every cent - and it was already sufficient for two people to share.

Morton's Salad ($22), Steak Fries ($18)

While some may balk at the price of their steak fries ($18!), it was really good. Fried to perfection, and even after some time, it was still crispy - unlike other fries that lose their crispiness in a short while. My mother loved this. 

The Morton's Salad was quite good, but I personally prefer their Center Cut Iceberg, which I tried during my previous visit. The blue cheese taste was a bit too bland for the Morton's Salad.

Other than the food being fantastic, I must say that their service also matched their food quality. A few of their waiters greeted my father by name and wished him happy birthday. The waiter who attended to us was also very friendly, attentive, and helpful. 

Now, when should my next visit to Morton's be? Hmm...