LP+Tetsu (30Nov12)

From their website: "LP+Tetsu is a collaboration between one-Michelin-starred chef, Laurent Peugeot and home grown F&B lifestyle company Food Junction Holdings Limited. It is a contemporary French-Japanese fine dining restaurant helmed by one-Michelin-star Chef Laurent Peugeot."

Came here on C's account. Thanks! All 4 of us took the chef's 6-course surprise menu (small version) at $120 pp. Food's not bad, some misses but overall ok. I've a couple of friends who dined there that day too and they didn't like it. So it's pretty hard to judge. Perhaps for the price it could be better?

The place is too dark so pardon the photos...

Name: LP+Tetsu
Location: Tanglin Mall, 163 Tanglin Road, Singapore 247933
Expenditure: $140 pp excl. alcohol

RGS 10 Yr Reunion (24Nov12)

Started off with lots of catching up with the old classmates of 404. Then a short opening, fundraising for Joan's Fund, An Chyi's slideshow, dedication song, rgs cheer (zomg we still had it), batch phototaking at the amphitheatre, booth phototaking with the netballers, some catered snacks and finally class videos on loop. T'was all great fun!

Catalunya (23Nov12)

It's our 2nd visit to this highend Spanish tapas place. They have a separate bar and restaurant area with different menus. The bar offers tapas only while the restaurant offers both tapas and other mains (like the famous whole suckling pig). Been to both and like both.

Note though that the tapas come in very small portions and are more fanciful than the traditional ones so it might not be suited to everyone's tastes. Mixed reviews for the suckling pig as well but I personally like it for its softness. Keep in mind that you can and should NEVER compare the chinese roast pig (烧猪) to the spanish type.

This time at the bar we ordered lots of tapas and 3 bottles of wine. Set us back quite abit but it's up to the individual to determine if it's worth it. Managed to get comfy couch seats. What's good: bread with tomato, anchovies, iberian ham 5J, tomato tartar confit (love it), calamari, fried potatoes, suckling pig. What's not: mussels, chicken wings, omelette deconstructed.

Reservations for the restaurant should be made at least 2 weeks in advance. The bar does not take reservations so it's perfect if you're able to end work early.

It being a round standalone structure on the water is special and the night view is pretty. But it will in no way be a quiet romantic dinner because Spanish tapas bars are supposed to be noisy and boy was it.

Name: Catalunya
Location: The Fullerton Pavilion, 82 Collyer Quay, Singapore 049327
Expenditure: S$700+ for 6 persons incl. 3 bots of wine

National Day Parade 2012 (backdated)

Quite a memorable day. Played golf at Marina Bay Golf Course (MBGC) with A&S. Then packed some food from the canopy restaurant. Together with E & W who later joined us (and who brought other goodies), we had picnic at the park next door! Think it's considered Gardens by the Bay East. A rather gem location which fortunately not so many people knew about.

A handful of us sprawled along the park and we had unobstructed view of the fighter planes performance and the fireworks. No doubt we were further from the action than desired but ah wells, we had good fun ourselves. We even had the radio on.

With some wind, this place is really ideal for picnics. Bring a torch if you plan to stay late. And oh yea..I'm sorry I spoiled the picture. What country did I think I belong to? Greece? Scotland? Bah...

Esquina Restaurant (9Nov12)

Checked out Esquina Tapas Bar in Chinatown area with Angel and Susan. We all know that this place is popular and they don't take reservations. So obviously I made it a point to be there as early as possible (which isn't too hard for me after work). They open at 6pm. I was there at 540pm but I came in 2nd. Hmph. Sat at the outdoor tables while waiting. No biggie as the server so kindly took our wine order and served us some.

Small area as expected. Ambience and layout of this Singapore tapas bar is the most spanish-like by far (comparing to the fabulous experience we had in Barcelona). Seats were filled up very quickly so be there at 6pm or be nothing. Cramp, noisy and bustling - traits I found familiar. Food wise, I love the oysters, fried squid and kingfish sashimi. Slow-cooked egg is not bad. Big scallop, braised pork cheek, bone marrow and desserts were normal. Think we had a couple more dishes but I missed capturing them.

There were 6 off-the-menu specials that day and all sounded really good. Am going back today to try the rest of the menu! :)

Name: Esquina Tapas Bar
Location: 16 Jiak Chuan Road, Singapore 089267
Expenditure: ~S$330 incl. 1 bot of spanish white for $95

Hokkaido Sushi Restaurant (9Oct12)

Went with the family on a Groupon deal. Quite value for money in my opinion. For $53.90 nett, we got mixed salad of fried bean sprout, century egg tofu (nice appetiser), assorted sashimi (good size), halibut fish or salmon (flavorful), ikura chawan mushi (my fav), scallop, wagyu beef (very good), garlic fried rice, miso soup and ice cream. Corkage at $20 is also reasonable.

The only thing was that some of the food had already cooled as the staff did not immediately bring the food over from the teppanyaki counter once they were cooked. Hence I'd suggest sitting yourself in front of the chef if you want it freshly hot, and if you don't mind some smoke. We had baby Jerome with us, so we thought not and moved out of the teppan room. Overall, original menu is probably overpriced but we're definitely on the lookout of the next Groupon deal!

Name: Hokkaido Sushi Restaurant
Location: 81 Anson Road, M Hotel Level 9 Singapore 079908
Expenditure: ~S$60 pp on Groupon deal

Chiang Mai 26-28Oct12 (2)

After the segway tour, we were really excited and relieved to find a massage parlour that looked pretty decent (too many dodgy ones around). I highly recommend this Tong Ta Massage as it's super cheap and good! So relaxing that I didn't even bother with the free wifi. It's at the start of the Night Bazaar street I think. Some stalls were open during the day but judging from the merchandise, I can see how this bazaar would have been too touristic & dull for us. Did some shopping at Boots (similar to our watsons) just opposite.

Continued walking to the Whole Earth Restaurant (88 Sri Donchai Rd) also recommended by a friend. As usual we over-ordered but the fried fish was excellent.

Full and satisfied, we walked back to the hotel and crashed. We were tempted to veg out the rest of the evening but I had the inkling that their much-talked-about Saturday Market should not be missed. So we left the hotel around 8pm for Wua Lai Market at Wualai street. We were pleasantly surprised by the uniqueness of the market and we super highly recommend it! Lots of mystery meats, street sushi, traditional thai nimnoms, creative handicraft, on-the-spot handicraft, performances... Love the authencity of it. A true local market that caters for the local crowd, not like those commercialized ones that can't wait to get their hands on our $. The street is long but we gladly walked the entire stretch. Too bad about missing out on their Sunday Market.

Indeed on the last day we had a long breakfast, lazed by the pool, ordered room service, lazed some more, checked out at 3pm, and had a foot massage near the hotel before leaving for the airport. I love our holidays =)

Chiang Mai 26-28Oct12 (1)

Flew direct to Chiang Mai on Silkair. They don't fly everyday but the timing is excellent. Departed first thing in the morning and arrived at the airport before noon, upon which we took a cab straight to the Alpine Golf Resort (~45mins). It's a very scenic course surrounded by vast mountains. We really enjoyed it but we advise against taking the expensive buggy as it's buggy on cartpath only and we ended up walking a fair bit. Quite silly really. Also, the weather's no longer as cool as it used to be. Almost as hot as Singapore and we even got caught in a sudden downpour. Weird climate these days...

Reached The Chedi hotel at 6-ish. We were treated to a free upgrade to the club suite as they were fully booked. How nice of them! Late arrival has its perks. We love how huge the room is. Straightaway we decided to stay in on the 3rd day instead of checking out early to play golf :p Naturally we opted for room service instead of going to the night bazaar (which fortunately we did not).

Had a late breakfast next morning. The buffet selection is very limited but you can order quite a number of things on their ala carte menu. Riverside outdoor area can get crowded but there's reason for it. Spiral staircase leads to the gym. This hotel restaurant occupies a restored colonial British Consulate building and we love the style. Overall a very neat and peaceful accom that can pass off as a recluse resort.

Finally headed out to the city center. Main mode of transport is tuk tuk. Things are pretty closely-knit so moving area isn't any hassle. Recommended by a friend, we went for a Segway Gibbon Tour! S was rather reluctant as the machine looks intimidating but I managed to get my way ;) Ok, Segway is "the world's first electric, self-balancing personal transport vehicle". Pretty cool. We started off with some training with the instructors, then went out to the streets! Can be a lil wobbly at first but it's surprisingly easy to get used to. Unless you're like the punky boys who zipped around like F1 cars and eventually met with some flips and falls. So I'd say it's actually potentially dangerous.

 

Anyway, we rode on the Segway and visited some of Chiang Mai's main attractions. Very touch-and-go. Not that I really minded cos standing on the machine can get tiring too! Conclusion: Great for a new experience, not cheap (S$65pp for a 2hr tour), dangerous if exceed 6 persons per group.