Archive for Dinner

Now I know what they call it HAPPY birthday…

December 17, 2008 · Filed under Birthdays, Dinner, Family, Friends, Just Us, Random Babblings

An absolutely pleasant surprise, a delicious dinner, a decadent birthday cake, not one but two presents and a whole lotta love.

That basically sums up my 23rd birthday. Thinking about it makes me smile all over again.

My brother certainly wasn’t lying when he said “spoil market” because it was JY who orchestrated the entire thing. From telling me “we’ll have dinner, just the two of us” from the start and misleading me (literally, he told me we were going Pariss to eat. Waraku is at the other end.) right up till I saw my parents in the restaurant and then bluffing me again about not having a birthday cake when one from St. Pierre appeared (Grandma Stroobant’s Flourless Belgian Chocolate Cake from St. Pierre no less).

As if all that wasn’t enough (I was already totally beaming and grinning like a cheshire cat) he presented me with an envelop (naughty fella used his company’s envelop). On the top it says, nicely printed in stylish curvy font, “To satisfy the Literature Worm in you”. Flipping over was an invoice from Amazon.com with an order of “The Complete Monty Python’s Flying Circus 16-Ton Megaset”. But wait, there’s still more! While I was a clapping my hands in sheer excitement he presented me with another envelop. Similar to the first, this one read “To satisfy the Foodie in you.” Again, another Amazon.com invoice. This time it was for a whole year’s subscription of Delicious magazine.

What really touched me is not the presents but the fact that he knows exactly what would make me happy and puts in so much effort. He remembered how I said I was upset about no birthday dinner last year and this year obviously made it a point to ensure one would take place. On top of that, the presents were not something I told him I wanted. Rather, he paid attention and noted the things I liked. Especially the Monty Python Dvd set which I think I seldom mention or only pointed it out when we were at HMV once or twice. His generosity also overwhelmingly shows how much he loves little ol’ me which in all honesty can be very annoying, unreasonable and just plain stubborn.

Above all, i thank God for being so gracious and giving me such a wonderful person to love and be loved by. Of course not forgetting my amazing parents for the “stawberry and chokolat” chocolates and my brother who so generously gave me $40 worth of Kinokuniya vouchers. To Elliott too for coming and adding in his signature witty comments, making the dinner and car ride home even more memorable. Thanks also to Janet for the present (which I’m excited to use before the sale ends)!

Special thanks to Ally for cleverly deducing it was my birthday yesterday from my msn nickname today and treating me to a yummy lunch at Sushi Tei!

(:

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Hey ho! Its the Weekends!

November 29, 2008 · Filed under Dinner, Shopping, Work

But I’m feeling a little under the weather. Bah. Hum bug.

Nonetheless, its the weekends!

Kicked it off yesterday with my parents, brother and JY at MOF for my parents’ 34th wedding anniversary. Looking at them, it really seems easy to make a marriage last so long but I know it comes with its fair share of hard work, patience and God’s love shared between them to make it work, and make it worthwhile. Even after 34 years of being together, they still crack jokes about each other (especially my dad, who sometimes makes the lamest comments which everyone else except my mum understands. go figure.) and have lots of fun moments together. Here’s wishing dad and mum many more happy years together!

Company was fun and the food was good. Portion-wise and taste-wise the food was above average and after discount (I’m an MOF member!) the bill came up to $137 for 5 people who each had a main course and dessert + 1 serving of salmon sashimi + 1 serving of soft shell crab. Value for money no? And there was a $10 voucher as well!

So its Saturday today but I’m be stuck at home with a runny nose and because JY is off for the whole afternoon at some church meeting. Boo. But we’ll all be going to the airport tonight to see my mum off – she’s going to Israel with 33 other church members! Sigh. So fun. I really wanted to go too but I just started work and have no leave to take, unless of course I take no paid leave which I really don’t think I can afford (no pun intended) to do. Oh well. Hopefully I’ll be well enough, or at least whine enough, to be allowed to eat Popeyes later. Heeheehee. I hope they finally have the biscuits!

Work-wise, I’m still trudging through. Well, it’s ok I guess. *shrugs*. I feel bad that I’m only doing it because the economy is a mess right now. But I guess journalism will still be my first love. Guess one should never start by working with a magazine as one’s first job and be spoilt by the fast-pace, crazy-deadline-driven but filled with fun and perks job scope of being a writer with a lifestyle magazine! Doing the food section was just the final sweet-chocolate-dipped cherry on the top.

The week definitely did have its little highlights though. Tuesday night I met JY for dinner and managed to score a pair of pants and a shirt on sale at Esprit. Especially exciting about that was the pants which I had already eyed previously before the sale, but they didn’t have my size. But now, it was on sale and in my size! Haha. Cheap thrill I know, but every dollar counts!

Another highlight would be buying JY his really early Christmas present – UM1 earphones + govibe martini headphone amp. Its just a really expensive and high-class pair of earphones for the budding audiophile in JY. Haha. But the good news is, I got myself a free pair of PINK bijou in-earphones! It was a gift from the shop owner, “Uncle WIlson” who says my good deed should be rewarded. Haha. But hey, it came at the right time because my ipod earphones are peeling and God knows I wouldn’t spend a single cent getting a replacement pair, much less on a pair of $70 in-earphones!

(:

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Some things just never change…

June 29, 2008 · Filed under Dinner, Food, Friends, Personal Quirks

For example,
How Michele will be late and have to take a cab down to meet me.
How Gina will just let out a loud burp and an equally loud “excuse me”.
How the three of us will get lost.

Haha. Two days ago on Friday, I finally had a chance to meet up with michele and gina. Was so nice to be able to see them again. We were, sorta, “inseperable” in uni because we did a lot of similar modules, especially me and michele who only did 1 module that wasn’t the same, so people just assumed “if you want to find michele, just find gina or kat” etc. So it was kinda like a “reunion” of sorts. Haha.

Given that I’m supposed to be a food writer and never been to botak jones, they insisted that we have dinner there. The interesting thing is that none of us knew where exactly in ang mo kio the shop was. Haha. Our brilliant plan was just to meet at ang mo kio hub and find our way. Well. In the end we did. Haha. But that was after a few phone calls, a wrong bus ride and asking the bus uncle as well as a random stranger at the traffic light. Haha.

Since it was my first time at botak jones, I decided to get the fish and chips. The queue was long and tables mostly filled with people eating botak jones (plus a lot of raves about it from friends) so expectations were a little high. Unfortunately, despite my hunger, the fish and chips failed to impress. It was dry, hard and kinda tasteless. Thankfully the tartar sauce was nice (saved the day!), the fries were decent (thanks to the cajun spices) and the coleslaw was one-up from KFC’s. Michele’s cajun chicken was pretty good though, tender and flavourful. But otherwise, I think the quality and taste of the food wasn’t enough to justify its $6.50 price tag. I rather eat the western food at hougang central. Haha.

After eating, I (no surprises here) suggested dessert. Haha. You can’t blame me! I was totally unsatisfied with dinner! (Although, due to sheer hunger, I managed to finish all the fish) We decided to go back to ang mo kio hub but as you can guess, we had no idea how to. Haha. So we just walked to the nearest bus stop, whiled our time away while waiting for the bus by taking the usual silly shots, boarded the bus which (surprise surprise) took us one big round. Haha. But hey! We eventually got to our destination!

Dessert was at Anderson’s but the apple crumble kinda sucks and the scoops of ice cream are so tiny. Haha. Oh well. We left Anderson’s at 10:30pm with the intention of taking the bus home but me and michele just had so much to catch up on and talk about we ended up chatting for the next one and a half hours sitting down at some random staircase near the bus interchange. Haha. Some things never change. And I’m glad it didn’t.

I miss those two and it was really nice to see and hear how’s everyone doing. It’s also nice to be reminded of friends that you know will stick by you when you need a shoulder to lean on.

So now, I’ve been left with the task of making sure us three girls meet up on a regular basis.

Geez. Probably one of the hardest things to do!

(:

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Nippon Fare…

February 27, 2008 · Filed under Dinner, Food · Tagged , , , , , ,

Yes, again! Of late, I’ve been really feasting on nothing else but Japanese food. Which, no surprise here, is my absolute favourite world cuisine.

Had dinner with JY at VivoCity last night and we ended up at Shin Kushiya all thanks to him making the final decision (I can never ever ever decide what to eat. I want to eat too many things!) Glad to say, the quality of food hasn’t wavered too much since the last time I was there, for some dishes at least.

The highlights of the night was the beef tongue (a must order everytime I’m there), the tako fry as well as the thick and fresh salmon sashimi (you notice a trend here don’t you…JY never fails to order this for me whenever we’re having Japanese..). But the star of the night was the udon, served in a claypot. The claypot was a great idea since it kept the oh-so-delicious soup hot throughout the meal. The noodles were just the right chewiness and texture as well. Definitely a bowl (or claypot) of noodles to satisfy any udon-cravings.

The misses, unfortunately, were the sticks of yakitori. Ironic too since Shin Kushiya are known for their sticks of grilled meats and vegetables. The foie gras came really cold and mushy with a slightly “pass-its-due-date” taste which was rather revolting. The grilled pork belly with mustard, black pepper chicken and bacon and scallops were nothing great. The scallops especially. If not for the bacon, the scallops were totally bland. I had to ask JY what I was eating!

Another down side of Shin Kushiya? Depending on what you order, the bill can come up to quite a hefty sum. For all the above dishes, plus two cups of hot green tea, the bill came up to a whopping $71. *GASP*. Way more than I expected. But, as is his usual generous self, JY paid for the bill. (:

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Stagnation Nation

February 22, 2008 · Filed under Dinner, Food, Personal Quirks, Shopping, Work · Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

That’s pretty much what this blog of mine has become. I thought a new blog, a new place and a new name would keep me interested and going but alas, it is not to be.

Being lazy is not a particularly well-known trait of mine but trust me, I can be pretty lazy. But that’s because I choose to be (as is the case for most people). I mean, I’d be in the bus on my one and a half hour journey to work and I could think up things to write, how to write and even what anecdotes to include. The only problem, then, is the lack of discipline or plain interest to sit down and type out my thoughts. So basically, the reason for the lack of blog entries, is not exactly the lack of material, but rather, laziness!

Geez. Did I just explain myself? Or did I just try to sound convincing that laziness should be a trait that is forgivable and excusable? Hurhur.

Anyway, nothing much has been going on. Work has been same ol’ same ol’. Going for events, eating, tasting, bringing home freebies (mostly coffee lately…which doesn’t benefit me the non-coffee drinker…so it all goes to JY) and typing away endlessly. I’ve been slightly more busy lately though as we’re trying to wrap up the production of a food booklet that’s scheduled to be out in April. A lot of odds and ends that needs to be tied up and photo shoots to coordinate and items to borrow and return! I don’t believe I’ve ever been so busy at work. There was a day that I didn’t have time to eat lunch! That’s quite something, considering I’m usually the restless little one at work always bugging people to go for lunch!

Well, I suppose I should blog about how my Valentine’s Day went. Heh. I requested we don’t do anything lavish and waste money this year and insisted JY adhered to the “No Flowers!” policy. Don’t get me wrong. Flowers are a lovely thing to receive, especially if they come as a surprise like during my graduation, but after that what happens? These pretty things die and I’m heartbroken when I have to get rid of it. So, spare me!

JY wanted to bring me to Ashton’s to have western food but it was closed when we got to the Serangoon Garden outlet. Haha. So we tropped on over to Sushi Tei, not that I’m complaining of course. I thoroughly enjoyed my two plates of Aburi Sushi (seared salmon sushi topped with salmon roe) and plate of salmon sashimi. For dessert, black sesame and milk tea ice cream from haato, because Cafe Cartel was too crowded. Haha. All in all, a super duper night spent with JY. Oh! And of course, my Valentine’s Day gift of a chocolate pot from Chocolat Factory! How could I have missed that one out. (:

Nothing much coming up in the next few months except for some traveling: to Phuket (Hilton Hotel here I come!) if the press trip is confirmed, up the hills to Cameron highlands in June for church camp and, hopefully, flying off to Perth in July to enjoy the cold winter I will never get here in Singapore!

p/s: With regards to my previous³ post, I decided on a pair of skinny jeans (which JY bought. heh. yay!) from Miss Selfridge. It was an easy decision since it fit perfectly -Petite size 4. I didn’t get the chance to visit Miss Sixty though…

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Sun with Moon…Finally!

January 25, 2008 · Filed under Dinner, Food · Tagged , , , , , , , , , , ,

Sorry for the lack of posts the past few weeks. I’m still trying to figure out how to use WordPress, especially how to put up pictures without having to first upload them elsewhere and then linking it here. Sigh. Oh how I miss the idiot-proof and straightforward interface of blogger. Geez. I think I might just switch back…

Anyhow, despite me being the  writer for the food pages, I regretfully never had the chance to try Sun with Moon Japanese Dining and Cafe. But all thanks to JY’s generosity, I finally got to taste their much-raved about dishes last night. JY and I both ordered one of their specialty kamameshi. This traditional steamed seasoned rice pot comes in a heated metal bowl and a wooden cover. And of course, that novelty timer (which looks just like those you use when you play boardgames) which tells you when its time to lift up the wooden cover and smell its delicious aroma.

Before that, we selected an appetizer each. JY went for the recommended traditional Sun with Moon tofu. Served with bonito flakes, spring onions, one unidentified Japanese condiment and a little bowl of soya dipping sauce, the tofu was cold, smooth and bland; until of course you added the sauce. Definitely delicious but JY felt it wasn’t worth the $8.50 (if I remember correctly). Being the die-hard sashimi lover, I ordered the maguro, avocado and cucumber roll topped with shredded spring onions. Quite unique as it was wrapped in rice paper rather than the usual nori. Unfortunately, I thought the cucumbers were cut a little too big and the rice paper rolls a little too chewy. Made for less-than-fully-satisfied-whole-piece-in-the-mouth-at-one-go-eating-pleasure. Heh.

JY had the chicken assortment kamameshi while I decided on the yakiniku kamameshi. Knowing how much I adored the fatty yet silky goodness of foie gras, JY kept coaxing me to get the beef + foie gras kamameshi. Too bad I wasn’t in the mood for that kind of sinful overindulgence (and high price tag). Didn’t really matter too much actually, as my yakiniku turned out delicious. I have to say that it was more like the glorified version of yoshinoya’s beef bowl but with (of course) higher grade beef slices, fluffier rice, tastier sauce, and chestnuts, fat edamame beans and pickles. Absolutely delectable. If I could, I would have stomached the entire bowl of rice. I did have a little taste of JY’s rice (which he offered me after hearing me rave about my toothsome grains of rice) and sadly, it wasn’t as good as mine. I think it was most probably because it lacked the sauce that accompanied the yakiniku. Nonetheless, the chicken “sausage” in his bowl was yummy.

Unfortunately, I didn’t get to try the famed Tofu cheesecake (for reasons I shan’t be too proud to disclose of here) but JY gave it two thumbs up. Oh well. It gives me a jolly good reason to go back! Heeheehee. (:

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