S' Birthday; L'Ogre

Had fun celebrating S' birthday last weekend. When the clock struck 12 midnight, I surprised her with a brownie birthday cake that I had baked (for the very first time) from scratch. Was tempted to use those premix but thought that wasn't very sincere. Heh. Followed a recipe on allrecipes.com titled "Brooke's Best Bombshell Brownies" but made some adjustments to cater to S' taste. I cut the sugar by more than a third, used normal bar chocolate w pecan nuts (cut up into small pieces to replace the chocolate chips) and added pistachio nuts. Turned out really good except that the pecan nuts from the bar choc sorta disappeared and the pistachios weren't substantial enough. Will add lots more nuts the next time round. I also added a personal touch by writing on the cake using edible glitter glue. :)

On her birthday itself, we went to Chinatown for lunch and checked out the CNY atmosphere. Didn't expect much but were pleasantly surprised to find that lion dance performances actually took to the streets! Totally lifted my spirits. And we found a gem restaurant by luck. Superb dry fried beef guo tiao, salt & pepper crab, roasted duck and red bean dessert drink. Extremely satisfying meal!

Name: Hao Hao (好好) Restaurant

Location: 23 Avenue de Choisy, 75013 Paris

Expenditure: 40€ (incl. 2 bottles of tsing tao beer)

Later that night, we had a fabulous dinner at a nearby restaurant. I arranged a little surprise for her by making a prior visit to the restaurant in the day and instructing the crew to serve 2 glasses of champagne when we arrived. The champagne would be served in personalized engraved flutes which I had ordered online. BUT they made a mistake and presented the 2 flutes as presents on the table instead. What a spoiler. Nevertheless, S said she was happy and surprised enough to have been welcomed with presents ;) Commenced with their complimentary starter - salami w herbed butter.

The entrées were really good. Bamboo clams with a tasty sauce (almost chinese-style) and a huge bone marrow. First time trying bone marrow so didn't expect it to taste SO MUCH like fats. I was so worried I didn't dare finish the entire thing. However, I had bone marrow again just yesterday at another average restaurant and voilà, by comparison, the one at this place tasted wayyyy better! Now I crave for it and will definitely head back again. Main dishes - nothing as wow as the entrées. Pork with crispy skin wasn't well done, 1 piece was too tough and the other was too soft. Risotto with scallops & black truffles was not bad but could do better considering its price tag of 35€.

Here's the eiffel view from our table and a very happy us!

Name: L'Ogre

Location: 1 Avenue de Versailles, 75016 Paris

Expenditure: 200€ (incl. 1 bottle of excellent wine @ 120€)