Bali 15-18Dec11

Stayed at a highly-rated resort called 'The Ulin Villas and Spa' in the Seminyak area. It is nicely located near the shopping streets of Seminyak and the service here is excellent. All 14 villas (1, 2 or 3 bedrooms) feature a private swimming pool (size varies according to no. of bedrooms) and a separate kitchen/dining area. Pretty impressive. Much effort taken to decorate the villas (see flowers strewn on the floor?), create mood lighting (read on), and offer services that exceed expectation. Things like complimentary welcome drinks, welcome bottle of rosé in each room, welcome fruits and free minibar made us feel pampered the moment we arrived. The 4D3N package that we took also included complimentary return airport shuttle (approx. 30mins normal traffic), one 4-course dinner, one 90-minute spa massage per person, and in-villa breakfast everyday among other free services. Thumbs up for that.

Day view of the pool and kitchen/dining area, S' parents painting outside their bedroom, aromatic flower bath. Love the spacious outdoor toilet/bath area.

Lunch some 40mins away recommended by our driver for the day. Location unknown. Babi Guling = Suckling Pig. Local delicacy that you should try. The famous stall is supposed to be 'Ibu Oka' located in Ubud but it was too far away from our villa (approx. an hr). If you're not so adventurous when it comes to food, I'd highly advise you to order just the skin & meat. I liked it but the others weren't too enthu about it. So, gd luck!

Golf at Nirwana Bali Golf Country Club located just 30mins from Seminyak. Touted as the best golf course in Asia, the ocean views and landscaped rice terraces undoubtedly wowed me. It is also at this signature hole that you can see the Tanah Lot temple in the distance. Nice.

In-villa breakfast spread everyday. Followed by the best Italian restaurant in Seminyak - Ultimo. Very reasonably-priced. Love the grilled baby lobster, grilled tiger prawns, calamari and spaghetti aglio olio. Oysters, salmon carpaccio and wagyu beef weren't so good. Will definitely be back.

Name: Ultimo

Location: Jalan Oberoi (Laskmana). Seminyak, Bali 80361

Expenditure: ~S$35pp (excl. corkage fee of S$7 per bottle)

The night we were going to have the complimentary dinner, they set up many candles all over the place and got us really excited. When night fell, the romantic ambience created by the lighted candles was simply amazing. This is what I meant about the mood lighting. 10/10!

Took the free shuttle to the Ku Dé Ta beach (~5mins drive). That's the Ku Dé Ta restaurant btw. We soaked in the sun for a little while then headed back to our villa on foot, dropping by a flea market (an eerily quiet one) on the way and stopping by a cafe called 'Junction'.

What I absolutely love about the Ulin Villa is that they allowed us to check out as late as 5pm! Which was perfect since our flight was at 8pm. Highly recommended :)

Name: The Ulin Villas and Spa

Location: Jl. Merta Sari  Seminyak 80361, Indonesia

Expenditure: 514usd nett per night (2 bedrooms)

Bday 2011 @ Joël Robuchon Singapore

Before I commence on the dinner, can I just mention that my car's luck has been really fowl lately? Just 3 weeks back, while cruising on the expressway, the 'pressure' indication suddenly came on and I had to pull over at the road shoulder to check the car. Nothing visibly wrong. But just to be on the safe side, I immediately exited and went to the nearest petrol station. Only then did I find a nail stuck into one of the tyres. Scrambled to find a workshop that was still opened at 7pm. Tough but I managed. Frustrated to have wasted 2 hours of my life.

On the 3rd dec, just a week after, I was happily looking for a lot in Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) when I heard a weird metal-clanking sound. To my utmost dismay, my tyre struck another nail again IN THE CARPARK. Fish. I really didn't want to miss our dinner (which S has planned a long time ago and we were super looking forward to it) over that damn tyre. So I just decided to leave that damn car there, called for bm's tow services, and carried on with life. Although I had to excuse myself for half an hr during the meal to settle some paperwork, I'm glad we went ahead with dinner because it was so enjoyable.

So, here we are, at Joel Robuchon. Everything about the restaurant felt familiar. The details, decorations, service, food menu, even the servers & sommelier (expecially the French ones) transported me back to our time in Europe. I love that feeling. I knew then that my night would turn out just fine, despite the hiccup.

A special occasion calls for a good bottle of wine. And that's precisely what S embraced that day. She brought a 1986 Pichon Lalande (that she had purchased elsewhere months before) to complement JR's exquisite dishes. This wine is was as old as me! And as smooth :p I was excited to find the exact same bottle on the wine menu, and shocked to see the price tagged to it. Can you spot it?? Goodness gracious. We savoured every drop of it like gold. Even though S got it at a lower price, it's still high enough for me to drink each mouthful like its last. Mmmm...

Brought my G10 out without its memory card again. Darn it. Hence I didn't take many photos of the meal itself. Which perhaps was good in a way because then I could fully appreciate the dining experience instead of trying to shoot away each time something is presented in front of me.

You can never go wrong with the Jambon Iberico as a shared starter. Make sure you choose the full-sized one - definitely better value. Hamachi was light and refreshing, bone marrow a tad heavy and not as tasty as I'd expected, while the lamb and quail - perfect. All degustation portions. Just the right amount for the both of us. Not forgetting the ever so creamy (and famous) mashed potato that comes with the meats. Ended sweetly with a complimentary dessert platter from JR for my birthday. Presented with a bday song by the staff. Nice touch I must say. *beams*

Name: L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon

Location: Hotel Michael Level 1, Resorts World Sentosa, Singapore 098269

Expenditure: $380 (excl. our byo, incl. corkage fee of $80 which was waived after we bought a $100 bottle from them to bring home)

And this wasn't the end of a happy night. Rushed over to Firefly @ Marriot Hotel in a cab for a 'Herstory' party with several friends. Special thanks to them (and S of course) for the amazing time I had. Couldn't ask for a better birthday (who cares about the car). =D Photos will be up soon, yes Joey?

Bintan 18-20Nov11

Bintan is really close to Singapore - about an hour's ride on the ferry. Cheap too with ticket prices ranging from S$50-S$60+. So I don't know why this is only my first time there! Chose the 'Bintan Lagoon Resort' because of its friendly golf course. Just the perfect kind for me. Out of 2 available course to choose from, we opted for the more popular Jack Nicklaus Sea View Course because of its signature hole that features a sea view..of course.

Great view if you stay in rooms labelled "facing the sea", which you have to pay an additional S$20-30 for. We opted for one without view but it didn't quite bother us as we were mostly out during the day. And hence this photo was taken along the corridor. Anyway, that's the swimming pool with a pool-side bar (the hut in the center). Love the submerged seats and pool-side table for your drinks or finger food!

Walked to the other wing where the beach-side restaurant called Orzo is located and had a drink there. Lunch menu supposed to be reasonable but dinner's just way too uppety. A place to people/acitivty-watch.. since there were various groups playing team-building games, beach volleyball, beach soccer, water activities like banana boat, jet-ski etc. Interesting :)


I don't have a picture but I'd also recommend the Japanese restaurant Miyako. Good bento sets and reasonably-priced soba noodles. Nonetheless, read the menu carefully and take note of the prices!

Clifford Restaurant - Restaurant Week Singapore 9-16 Oct 2011

Restaurant Week has always been a perfect reason to expand our restaurant repertoire affordably. And so we wouldn't miss the chance to at least have one nice meal at one of the many participating restaurants :) This time, it's Clifford. Love the high ceilings.

The pink veal entrée is surprisingly refreshing and light. Promising start. Then comes the chorizo studded cod. I actually really like the cod, but the taste was kinda "distorted" by the chorizos that were stuffed in the centre. Most probably because I'm not a big fan of the chinese sausage (lap cheong) taste of the chorizos. Hmm. Duck confit's not bad according to S. Can't remember the desserts. Ok I know I don't sound excited but overall I think the food's quite good. No matter what, Restaurant Week still enabled us to eat here without paying a bomb!

Name: Clifford Restaurant

Location: Fullerton Bay Hotel, Singapore

Expenditure: $55 pp (only for Restaurant Week Dinner Menu)

Ku Dé Ta Singapore

Since the opening of the Marina Bay Sands, I've always wanted to go to the Sands Skypark that everyone has been talking and posting about. It never did happen because of the $20 entrance fee (which I felt was unwarranted initially but am now convinced the price should increase! Explain later.) Hence, what better way to avoid the fee than to have dinner at the Ku Dé Ta restaurant? =p Situated on Level 57, one would expect that the restaurant boast a breath-taking, unobstructed view of the Singapore skyline. Sure enough, Singapore never looked more beautiful. Best to arrive just before sunset.

S and I were there to celebrate a special occasion. We walked around the deck for 5 mins before heading to the restaurant. Wanting to admire the view while dining, we naturally reserved the outdoor seating (which is actually the Skybar). But, 5 seconds into warming our butts, the wind was so strong that I said to her, "How to eat with all this hair flying in my face?" Ha Ha. So we moved indoors and all was fine. *Take note: if you really want the view, request in advance for tables on the outest edge of the deck. Anywhere else you wouldn't be able to see much; just plain alfresco.

We ordered the tasting menu (min. 2 persons) which consists of 14 dishes. Served in common plates to be shared. 14 sounds like a lot, so we expected the portions to be tiny but they were surprisingly significant and we ended up having to doggie bag some! I love the selection & fusion style of the food and each course was suited to my taste. I guess if I had to choose some must-trys, I'd go for the black cod, the beef tenderloin, the baby squid and the pencil asparagus. I also like the eggplant with caviar but S didn't quite fancy that. Overall, even at $148 per person, I'd say the menu was rather value-for-money :)

Name: Ku Dé Ta

Location: SkyPark at Marina Bay Sands North Tower (1 Bayfront Avenue)

Expenditure: S$450 incl. a bottle of wine

Oh, right, I'm supposed to explain why the entrance fee should increase. Thinking that Ku Dé Ta is a fine-dining place, we expected a more romantic & exclusive ambience. BUT, on arrival, we found the place swamped with crowds of tourists and hotel guests. Which is fine since the observation deck is touted as an attraction. What shocked us was the proximity between the restaurant and the deck. Depending on where you sit, I think you could practically feel the crowd next to you watching you eat. Not very romantic eh? Thank goodness our table was tucked in a deeper corner of the restaurant. So yes, they should control the no. of people allowed there at any one time, or at least the area just outside the restaurant. Or perhaps they could cordon it off specially for restaurant guests only?

New roof over our heads

For those who have been waiting eagerly to see S' newly built house, let me take you on a simple virtual tour. Photos can only say this much; come over in person to view it in its entirety! ;)

1st floor family area/living room. 12m pool on the side, dining area in the background, and a narrow corridor that leads to the dry + wet kitchen at the back of the house. Stairs on the right leading up to 2nd floor.

2nd floor. Leads to the bedroom at the front part of the house, occupied by S' parents. Another 2 small rooms on the right of the corridor: one for mahjong, the other for gym.

Back part of 2nd floor belongs to us. It has been designed as a house-within-a-house in order to preserve some privacy. We say it's our little self-contained apartment which feels very much like the one we had in Paris! (Anne, don't you think the setting looks vaguely familiar?) The door in the middle leads to our bedroom, while the big brown door on the right slides open to our favorite space in this house - the AV/movie/entertainment room! With such a 'Gold Class' feel, it is no wonder that we rarely head out to the cinema these days.

Steps heading to 3rd floor, which consists of a large bedroom for S' bro and his wife, a (future) baby room, a family area and a huge balcony. Could only capture a decent photo of the balcony at night as it's way too bright during the day. On this particular night, we were celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival which involves eating mooncakes and sipping tea while admiring the full moon (which the photo fully portrays!). Love the unobstructed view and the beautifully lit up Bayshore condominiums.

Will update this post soon with exteriors of the building.

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