Arbite @ Serangoon Gardens

Arbite has been up and running in Serangoon Gardens for two years, but today was my first visit (and also the first time I knew of its existence). While it is located at a rather central area of Serangoon Gardens, it was on the second floor of a row of shophouses, above Guardian Pharmacy - and Guardian Pharmacy's bright and attention-grabbing signboard stole the limelight from Arbite easily. The only reason why I visited this place for dinner was because my gf chanced upon a review online.

We arrived at around 630pm, and the place was only one-third filled. It was quite small and cosy, but the walls were so sound-reflective that even at one-third full, the noise level made it feel as if it was almost full. I liked the layout and the furniture though - clean, well-lit, and simple.

A quick glance at the menu showed that the prices were actually quite reasonable. 

Mushroom soup, $4.50

This was a blend of four types of mushrooms - button, shitake, eryngii, and honjimeishi with a touch of cream. They added a bit of truffle oil too, as seen in the picture. The soup was quite light and not too creamy, but I felt that it wasn't sweet enough. Still, for $4.50, it is still pretty worth it.

Smoked Duck and Foie Gras Risotto, $29.90

This was a very special and unique dish. Arborio rice was simmered with smoked duck, porcini mushrooms, semi sun-dried tomatoes and foie gras, and a drizzle of white truffle oil was added to finish it. Each and every bite bursts with a variety of flavours, and if you were to pay attention, you can actually make out all the different ingredients used. However, I felt that using foie gras this way was a bit of a waste, as the foie gras was chopped into very small pieces and its full potential was not released. 

Asian Spiced Lamb Shank, $22.90

This was a piece of lamb shank stewed in a melange of Asian spices, and served with mashed potatoes and seasonal vegetables. The lamb meat was quite tender, and there was a noticeable lack of the gamey flavour, which is the main reason why some people avoid lamb (like my mother). Although the dish claimed to use Asian spices, I honestly couldn't taste any Asian flavour in the dish at all, and it felt like a pure Western dish. Still, the sauce was quite good. The mashed potatoes were creamy and smooth, and went down easily. 

My Wife's Chocolate Cake, $8

A simple piece of chocolate cake served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. I am not really a desserts person (except for ice cream!) but I must admit that this was really good. The layer of chocolate on top of the cake was delicious, and went quite well with the ice cream (Movenpick). There were some chocolate cookie crumbs served too (beside the ice cream) but I found it a bit too sweet.

In conclusion, Arbite serves pretty good food at reasonable prices, and I look forward to my next visit here for brunch. By the way, UOB cardholders enjoy a 10% discount until 31 Dec 2012.

Seah Street Deli @ Raffles Hotel

This picture was taken just for the cup...

Seah Street Deli is located at Raffles Hotel, and serves American burgers, salads, and other main courses. I recall their portions being quite generous, so my gf and I decided to share one burger and one starter. Which turned out to be a good choice, as we were quite full after this.

Fried calamari, $23

This was actually quite good! Just the right amount of batter was used, and the calamari was also thick, tender and fresh.

The Lincoln Tunnel, $39

Their supposedly signature dish, though I didn't find it really that good. It came split into two portions even though we didn't request for it, which I thought was a nice touch, actually. The fries were not bad, but the bread was dry and a bit stale. The beef was supposedly Angus beef, but it was a bit tough although we ordered medium rare. It was quite juicy, but did not have the kind of 'beefy' taste that one would expect from a burger patty.

In conclusion, Seah Street Deli is freaking expensive, even after the 50% discount from Feed at Raffles. $36.50 for a starter and a below-average burger is definitely not worth it. In fact, Carl's Jr would give you more value for money.

The Hunger Games

Katniss Everdeen preparing to shoot an arrow. Source: getthebigpicture.net

The idea of The Hunger Games is certainly quite sick and sadistic - pitting twenty four teenagers from the poorer districts against each other until one survivor remains, while the wealthy citizens from the capital cheer them on. The protagonist is Katniss Everdeen, who volunteers to join the games in place of her younger sister. 

The movie had rather positive reviews - 85% on Rotten Tomatoes as of 31st March 2012, so I had rather high expectations for it. True enough, I found it quite entertaining and likable, albeit being a bit low on intelligence. If you were to spend just a little effort thinking, it is easy to point out the loopholes and weakness in the plot. Spoilers ahead!

In such events, where there can only be one survivor, it is inevitable that self-survival instincts take over. Trust no one. Any alliances formed would be flimsy at best where each member would be wary of the other, not knowing when the alliance would crumble and when they would receive a knife between their shoulder blades. However, in the show, this doesn't happen. Five people form an alliance to hunt down Katniss first, because she seemed like the biggest threat. It is normal for people to band together in such a situation to get rid of the biggest foe, but the level of trust they showed each other was unbelievable. When they had her cornered up a tree, they actually slept at night. All of them, together! Firstly, if there was no one keeping watch, their prey could have slipped away easily (but Katniss was also sleeping, so whatever.). Secondly, one of them could have easily slit all the others' throats while they slept. One survivor, remember?

Things were also too convenient for Katniss. One obvious disadvantage of getting close to someone else is that you would never know when they will turn on you. Another is not knowing when you have to kill that person. All the friends that Katniss made were conveniently killed off by other players, relieving her of any possible guilt and dilemmas (and for the audience, drama.).

Near the final scene, when Peeta was being held hostage by Cato, Katniss skilfully shot an arrow at Cato's hand (which was wrapped around Peeta's chest to hold him). Common sense dictates that at such a short range, the arrow would have easily pierced through Cato's hand and injure Peeta as well, but that didn't happen. Cato's hand must be made of metal to be able to stop the arrow at its tracks like this.

In conclusion, The Hunger Games had great potential to become a dark and disturbing movie, but it seemed like the producers stepped away from that on purpose and toned it down significantly. There was lots of room to play on the audience's emotions, stirring up feelings of disgust on the sadistic nature of the show, but this wasn't done. The murder scenes were too quick and have too little blood, removing the sting of death and sympathy that the viewer may have at watching a teenager's life being snuffed out. On a related issue, the movie did not emphasise on the horror of teenagers committing murder as well. The ending was also weak, extremely weak - I would have thought that they would try and find a way to end the Games once and for all, but that didn't happen. They became the victors and went home. That's all.

Chong Pang Nasi Lemak @ Sembawang

It has been more than a decade since I last visited Chong Pang Nasi Lemak. During those days, I was still serving my national service and would occasionally be posted to Sembawang Air Base for night exercises. When we were done, we would take a cab down to Chong Pang Nasi Lemak for a supper feast, and all of us would always order at least two chicken wings each.

Chong Pang Nasi Lemak. Total cost = $12

The rice was light and soft, but not fragrant enough. Chilli was more on the sweet side; I would have preferred it to be a bit hotter. The fried fish was quite good and it was fried until most of the bones were crunchy enough to be eaten, and the ikan bilis (without peanuts) were excellent and go very well with the chilli and rice. I would have preferred them to be a bit more generous with the ikan bilis though.

The best was still their chicken wings, which were lightly battered and fried very well such that it was a bit crispy on the outside and yet wonderfully juicy on the inside. I am glad I ordered two at one go!

The rest were just so-so only - the otah, lady's finger (a bit too tough), and curry vegetables. However, the ngor hiang was really disappointing; it tasted very starchy and there was almost no taste of the usual fillings.

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...

The Sibelius Symphonies: Nos 4 & 5 (24 Feb 2012)

Venue: Esplanade Concert Hall

Conductor: Okko Kamu

Pianist: Benjamin Grosvenor

Programme:

Jean Sibelius - Symphony No.4 in A minor, Op. 63

Robert Schumann - Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 54

Jean Sibelius - Symphony No.5 in E-flat major, Op. 82

I have never developed a liking for Sibelius' pieces, so in this entry I shall just comment on Schumann's Piano Concerto.

This Piano Concerto, compared to other piano concertos, can be considered to be simpler and less technique-demanding. Rather than being a 'volatile' piece that is full of flashy and powerful cadenzas that is so common for the classical era, it is a calm piece that rotates around a hymn-like melody.

Grosvenor, a young and budding British pianist (only 19 years old this year), played it quite well in terms of technique - the running scales were clear and crisp, and the jumping octaves were also powerful and yet neat. However, his age - and the consequential lack of experience in musical interpretation - stands out. Although the piece was executed quite perfectly in terms of technique, Grosvenor failed to bring out the inner emotions of the piano concerto. Similarly, for the third movement - Allegro Vivace - a movement full of energy and virtuosity - was played accurately with almost no mistakes, but the mood was not brought out. Grosvenor was simply playing the notes and not the piece itself.

Maybe I will listen to him again in three to five more years. By that time, his musical understanding should have improved.

Bangkok (Feb 2012)

Travelled to Bangkok for a vacation with my gf and two other friends. Booked our flight via Jetstar, which cost us S$239.90 per pax, while the accommodation at Budacco Hotel cost around S$95 per pax. This came up to a total of around S$335 for flight and accommodation, which was still quite reasonable. But if I were to add my expenses there as well, I think I spent around S$1,200. Most of it came from the tailored clothes.

Day 1

Our flight was really early, at 7am, so I had to wake up at 430am to reach the airport at around 515am. Food wasn't served on the flight (it's a budget airline after all) so we had a quick breakfast at the airport first before departing.

Thailand is one hour behind Singapore, so we reached Suvarnabhumi Airport at around 835am (935am Singapore time). The Airport Rail Link was conveniently located at the basement of the airport, so we took it instead of a cab to avoid the jam. The train station looked brand new and sparse, devoid of any advertisements or notices etc.

This doesn't look like a train station at all.

It took around 45 minutes to reach Budacco Hotel, and we were relieved that they allowed us to check in early as it was not even 10am. The rooms there had several colour schemes (green, yellow, pink), and we were slightly turned off when we were allocated a pink room. But the room was still quite all right. Most importantly, it was clean.

Deluxe room at Budacco Hotel

The main door had to be locked by a traditional key, unlike the auto-lock doors with keycards at other hotels. So when we left, I just closed the door and assumed it would be locked. It was only ten minutes later that I suddenly remembered that I haven't locked the door, so I had to rush back to lock it. Fortunately we were still located within walking distance from the hotel!

Lunch was at an A&W outlet at Pantip Plaza, which was around 7 minutes' walk from the hotel. 

A&W Curly Fries. It's really different from McDonald's Twister Fries.

Love their root beer mug (and the root beer, of course)

Pantip Plaza is actually quite similar to our Simlim Square - well, more than ten years ago. It sells a lot of pirated software and DVDs. 

Pantip Plaza, our Simlim Square from more than a decade ago

After this, we took a cab to a tailor that one of my relatives recommended. However, we couldn't find the place, so a local directed us to another tailor instead, called The Oriental Galleria. While the shop looked much bigger, decent and professional compared to the other run-down tailor shops that I saw, I felt a bit uneasy as the original prices they quoted me were way too high, at THB1,400 (S$57.28) per shirt and THB2,000 (S$81.83) per trousers. This was a huge contrast from what my relative told me for the original tailor he recommended - THB900 (S$36.82) for one shirt, and THB600 (S$24.55) if you make 4 pieces or more. So I bargained rather hard, and all the while he insisted that theirs were of the 'best quality' and much better than the other tailors. In the end I managed to get it down to THB9,000 (S$368.25) for six shirts and two pairs of trousers.

Not as cheap as I hoped, but at least it was still significantly cheaper than Singapore. And after trying to find our way for around an hour under the hot sun, I just wanted to settle it as soon as possible. I was told to visit them again tomorrow for a fitting, and then they will deliver the clothes on the third day.

Proceeded to MBK Centre after that. It was a big and well-known shopping mall, though we didn't really buy anything - mainly because we intended to buy most of our clothes from Platinum Mall and Chatuchak Market.

We also tried a fish spa for the first time. It cost us THB150 (S$6.14) for 15 minutes.

It wasn't as ticklish as I thought it would be.

Once I immersed my feet into the water, my feet were surrounded by dozens of fishes in a matter of seconds, nibbling away. I felt like a buffet spread for the fishes. Contrary to what others tell me, it wasn't really ticklish. It was an interesting experience, though in hindsight, they should have asked customers to wash their feet first before using the fish spa, for hygiene reasons.

Had dinner at a Korean BBQ restaurant named Sukishi Charcoal Grill, located at the top floor of MBK Centre, which was recommended by one of my colleagues.

One of their BBQ sets

The food was not bad, though I think the main reason was because of the charcoal stove.

Charcoal stoves beat electric stoves hands down

Day 2

Budacco Hotel's breakfast cafe was a bit small, and the chairs were obviously too bulky. But at least the food, albeit simple, was quite all right. We were going to lunch at a Japanese buffet restaurant later, so I told everyone just to have a light breakfast.

After breakfast, I went back to the tailor for a fitting. The shirt and trousers I tried were just nice - they had followed my instructions quite well - so I had no complaints. Took a cab to Swissotel Le Concorde Hotel - that's where the Japanese buffet restaurant was - and was very surprised that all the cab drivers we flagged down did not know where it was, despite showing them the address. It was only until our fifth attempt that we got a cab - and this was because a nearby local helped to give directions to the cab driver. Sheesh.

I had made reservations at this restaurant, called Takumi, via email when I was still in Singapore. Reviews were very good, and they were well known for serving good and fresh Japanese food at a cheap price (for Singaporeans, that is). They serve their food via an a-la-carte buffet, which I actually prefer to a standard buffet.

Our private room at Takumi

Their private room was quite comfortable, and didn't cost anything extra too. No footwear allowed, though.

Mixed sashimi

Their sashimi was really good, especially the tuna, octopus, and squid. While I usually prefer salmon over tuna, this tuna was really outstanding and I ended up eating more tuna than usual.

Most of the food we ordered were quite good, except for their chicken, which was not fresh and had a slight 'defrosted' taste. This was evident in all their dishes with chicken, including the small chicken cubes in their chawanmushi. Their teppanyaki was not bad too (except the chicken, of course), and I especially liked their beef teppanyaki (partly because of the fats that came with it).

The lunch cost us around THB700 (S$28.64) per pax. I think this meal would easily cost more than S$60 back in Singapore. Definitely recommended!


Restaurant name: Takumi Japanese Restaurant
Address: 204 Ratchadapisek Road
Tel: +66 02-6942222

Bookings should be made preferably two weeks in advance (especially for weekend dinners) because they are usually fully booked. I made my reservation on their website.

On the way here, we passed by a big shopping mall called Central Plaza. Since it was just around 5 minutes away, we decided to visit it after lunch. Central Plaza was extremely new - so far, in fact, that the top floor was still incomplete. But the lower floors were already full of retail outlets.

There was a Krispy Kreme cafe here. I am not really a fan of donuts (the high calorie content doesn't help) - but I know quite a few friends who are crazy over it. So this time, I decided to try an original glazed donut.

Krispy Kreme original glazed donut

Oh my. It was delicious - a huge difference from the other donuts I have eaten before. The bread was soft, and had a wonderfully light consistency. It was sweet, but not too sweet. And the glaze gave it a melt-in-your-mouth feeling. After this, I vowed to eat at least one donut if I am overseas and pass by a Krispy Kreme outlet!

And here's the signboard for the restrooms at Central Plaza.

If you are feeling this way, please proceed that way

There was also a Uniqlo outlet here, but I didn't buy anything as the prices for their anime t-shirts were rather close to Singapore's. I did get a cardigan and jacket from Basic House, and it was a pretty good deal as they were nice and going at half-price. Spent THB2,490 (S$101.88) here after the discount. Now that I think about it... it's still pretty expensive after the discount!

What I found most interesting for this mall were the vintage cars on display just outside the building. One in particular caught my attention - a lime green car.

Lime green vintage car of unknown brand...

Look at the seats, steering wheel and gear!

Omg, it's a Toyota! (look above the left brake light)

Next stop - Platinum Mall, the supposedly "air-con version" of Chatuchak Market. The clothes there were already quite cheap, though some of their service was really atrocious. One stall stood out from the rest - the staff didn't bother to give us eye contact when we asked about the pricing. When we asked if she could give a discount, we got an immediate and curt no. And when my gf decided to try one of the tops by just wearing it over her clothes, we were berated with a sharp "Cannot try!". Naturally, we decided to bring our money elsewhere.

I bought quite a few t-shirts here (only to find out, after I returned to Singapore, that some shrank after washing, while others were too narrow at the waist area). Think I will just give some of them away to someone who is of smaller build (which shouldn't be too difficult).

Dinner was at Once upon a time, a restaurant near our hotel that serves local cuisine. It was recommended by our hotel, and it was indeed good (and cheap too)! There were too many mosquitoes though, despite choosing the indoor seats.

Some of the food we ordered at Once upon a time

Day 3

The main highlight of the day was Chatuchak Market, and we went there early in order to avoid the crowd and the afternoon heat. At 945am, only a third or half of the stalls were opened, however.

Chatuchak Market

The place was huge. There are thousands of booths there selling anything from clothes and food to pets and paintings.

The map of Chatuchak Market. If you look closely enough, each tiny square is actually one booth, so there are thousands of booths here.

The weather wasn't too hot, but it was the ventilation and the crowd that made it unbearable. So it was a big relief when we reached the pets section - a few of the shops selling pet accessories were fully air-conditioned, and we spent a disproportionate amount of time there just to get some respite from the heat. I did buy a few shirts for my dog, though. There were also puppies for sale, and they were all so cute!

Puppies for sale

Other than dog t-shirts, I also bought some shirts, belts, and ties. The stuff here were even cheaper than Platinum Mall. Chanced upon a stall selling really nice ties - they were more expensive than other stalls, but their ties were much nicer and of better quality. I ended up buying more than ten ties from this stall alone. The stall name is Sawasdee Neck Tie, and it is located at Section 24, Soi 3. It is to the left of the clock tower if you approach it from the main entrance. I can't remember how much they cost, but I think bargained it down to around THB125 (S$5.11) per tie. It's relatively expensive considering that the other stalls were selling their ties for only THB80 (S$3.27) each before bargaining.

After two to three hours there, I couldn't take the heat and stuffiness anymore and we decided to leave. I don't understand how some of my friends could spend two days here, with up to six hours each day!

Our next venue was Chinatown.

A dazzling display of colours at Chinatown

We had a quick and light bite at a dim sum restaurant. The food was just ordinary, but it was very cheap. Fortunately we reserved some space in our stomachs for what Bangkok is well known for - shark's fin soup and bird nest, which we had at a restaurant called Chinatown Scala Restaurant.

Fish maw soup

The shark's fin soup and fish maw soup were really good and cheap, going at just THB300 (S$12.27) per bowl, which was big enough for one to two persons. And for this price, they didn't scrimp on the ingredients too, unlike some hotel restaurants in Singapore. We also ordered crab fried rice, which was also pretty good and came in a huge portion for just THB200 (S$8.18).

After the meal, we walked around Chinatown looking for somewhere to visit, but after half an hour of futile wandering, we decided to return to the hotel for a short break before going for massage and dinner.

The hotel staff suggested that we visit the massage parlours near Baiyoke Sky Hotel, which suited our plans perfectly since we intended to have dinner at the 81st floor of that hotel. The massage was quite value for money - I chose a food massage; it lasted for an hour and only cost THB200 (S$8.18). After that, we went for dinner - mainly for the scenery, rather than the food.

It took a while before we could even sit down, despite making a reservation the day before. We still had to queue at a counter to get tickets, and after that, queue to get into the lift. By the time we were ushered to our table, I think it was already a good half an hour gone.

We got a balcony seat, which they termed as a 'private room'. The view was fantastic. (Pictures taken by one of my travelling companions)

Night view from Baiyoke Sky Hotel, 81st floor

Night view from Baiyoke Sky Hotel, 81st floor

The buffet spread was huge - but almost none of the food was really good. I suppose the dinner (THB890 - S$36.41) was more for the view than the food. There was practically nothing worth mentioning, and I never took any second helpings for a particular dish.

The way out wasn't much better than the way in. The lifts were always packed when they arrived, and they only came once every five to seven minutes. After a while, we figured that in order to get out, we had to take the lift up and then down. There was chaos, as people tried to squeeze into the lift without letting others out first. Some ang mohs even lost their temper. It was only twenty five minutes later that we finally managed to escape from Baiyoke Sky Hotel.


Day 4

Decided to take it easy today, so we woke up rather late. Paid Platinum Mall a second visit to buy some snacks to bring home, then back to hotel to pack our stuff and travel to the airport. My luggage was practically bursting at the seams - I think it weighed more than 20kg, and since we were travelling on a budget airline, I was quite worried that they would charge us extra. But fortunately, they didn't even weigh our luggage and urged us to board the plane as soon as possible, because there will be a long queue later.

So far, this trip has been quite enjoyable, especially with easy-going traveling companions. The walkie-talkie was the most important thing that I brought - it was so convenient for contacting each other when we split up at shopping malls! And I bet it saved us at least tens of dollars of phone bills.