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.

Raffles Hotel, Burgundy Wine Dinner (19Oct12)

This wine dinner was a 'Feed at Raffles' member invitation and it fitted us perfectly for our celebration of a special occasion. Raffles Hotel is very charming and the restaurant Raffles Grill set a flawless ambience for a night of good wine accentuated by good French cuisine.

"Presenting on this special night the wines from top producers Aubert de Villaine and Domaine Tollot-Beaut – 2009 Aubert de Villaine Bouzeron Côte Chalonnaise Viticulture Organique, 2008 Domaine Tollot-Beau Savigny-lès-Beaune Premier Cru Les Lavières Côte d’Or and 2007 Domaine Tollot-Beau Chorey-lès-Beaune Côte d’Or."

"This dinner which is served from 7pm to 10pm will have a Five Course Set Dinner with Wine Pairing at S$198++ per person. The menu is prepared by Deputy Executive Chef Nicola Canuti, each course designed to pair perfectly with the featured wines."

S chatted with the Sommelier and I listened on intently as usual, trying to make sense of all the wine regions, wine makers, grape types etc! When it gets too confusing, I just drink ;) Food started off well but it became a tad heavy. I managed to finish everything on my plate while S struggled with hers. Funny cheese story too (private joke). At the end, we went home with 6 nice bottles of red.

Back to Swissotel and Prego breakfast the next day. Cheerios!