Another Year

We celebrated Sam's birthday (22 Aug) earlier last Saturday. We went to our favourite Dempsey Hill for dinner.

It was our first visit to Chang Korean BBQ Restaurant. We had marinated prime rib, BBQ chicken thigh and Beef broth buckwheat cold noodle. Accompanying them were colourful array of complimentary banchan (Korean side dishes) that consist of protein, vegetables and seafood. The food was tasty, service was good (except for the one who took our order who seemed impatient, soft-spoken and didn't understand us). We had to pay a premium for the meal.

After our dinner, we proceeded to PS Cafe for our dessert and to enjoy the rustic outdoor ambiance. We shared a huge white chocolate coffee cake with mashmallows in between and ice cream on the side. It was sinfully delicious!

On the 22nd itself, we had to attend VOP practise for the performance on Friday, so there was no celebration. But I have had his favourite cheesecake delivered to the office so he could share the special day with his colleagues. :)

International Fireworks

Last Friday, we were privileged to be given tickets to watch the International Fireworks from the viewing gallery at the Marina Bay Floating Platform. The fireworks display with music accompaniment came from a Spanish company, and was choreographed internationally. The spectacular display spans across the bay area, and one could see the city skyline in the background.

The fireworks lasted for 15 mins. The challenged came when we were stuck in the human and traffic jam. It took us a long time to get out of the car park. And it was equally a challenge looking for parking in the area. Nevertheless, the fireworks display was lovely, and we got to visit the floating platform for the first time!

Simpsons

This evening, we visited the new Cathay at Handy Rd. Only half of the stores were opened/occupied. Most of the shops seem to cater to the younger crowd, much like the Hereen and Cathay Cineleisure.

We did not catch any movie as we were there only very briefly, but it was nice to meet the Simpsons and their new addition :)

Beancurd

After picking Sam up from St Andrew's Cathedral last night, we headed to the 'original' Rochor Beancurd stall near Selegie Road. Surprisingly the shop was very packed despite the late hour and we had much difficulty getting parking.

The rival sibling's beancurd stall was just next door but saw fewer patrons. As for me, I don't think I could differentiate the taste as I am not a food connoisseur. The beancurd we had was smooth and light, the yutiao not too oily but the egg tart a little too heavy. But since it's the more popular of the two shops, we went with the crowd :p

Dempsey Hill

Dempsey Hill has become our favourite haunt of late when we are in a mood to lounge, enjoy the greenery and tranquility. It is also getting more buzz these days as the former British Army barracks is being redeveloped into a latest wine-and-dine scene.

Our first visit to the area was some years back when we went for lunch at Sammy's Curry. In the past Christmases, we also visited the quaint St George's church that sits on the hill. In recent months, we enjoyed a couple of meals at PS Cafe. Lately, new cafes and restaurants have sprouted. There's Harry's bar, Ben & Jerry's, Margarita and Dome cafe (where we went this evening) apart from some high end restaurants and wine bars. In the day time, one could visit the spas, grocers, art gallery and of course the furniture shops.

We are excited about the development especially since it's so close to home. We could not resist the greenery, ambiance and privacy of the location. Thank God for the way our country is developing.

Seafood!

Got to eat a big feast last Thursday with 3 other colleagues and boss. We went to Owen Seafood Restaurant at Turf City for dinner. What's the special occasion? Well, just a dinner treat from those who received big bonus :)

There was just too much to eat, a King crab on top of the set meal. The set meal consists of crab cooked with salted egg, steam druken prawn, bamboo clam topped with lots of garlic, steamed bean curd with vegetable, Ee-fu Noodle, Bamboo Pith soup, man tou (toast bread) and dessert.

We had chosen the smallest King crab available. But the crab is so huge we have asked to cook them in different style, half chilli crab and half with salted egg. King crab has more meat than Alaskan crab. The pincers are gigantic, each is the size of a palm. Of course, the price of the King crab is also different. That crab alone costs $400+ after a 50% discount.

Boss also brought a bottle of white french wine. The wine definitely tastes different with a nice sumptuous meal. Boss also taught us lessons on wine appreciation, and encouraged us to collect red wines that will appreciate in value and taste.

Well, am thankful for the lovely treat. But... all the cholesterol means I have to work it all out!

Wedding Feast

We attended a wedding dinner on Sat night at the Four Seasons' Hotel. The ballroom was beautifully decorated in classic white, silver and gold colors, with lots of candles and off-white roses as centrepieces on each of the 30 tables. It was a formal affair with the men dressed in suits and ties, and the ladies in their evening best.

At the pre-dinner reception, instead of serving the usual mix-trail nuts, there were lots of strawberries served on shaved ice plateau and fountains of melted chocolate and brown sugar on the side for your fondue indulgence. The ballroom event began with the bride and groom marching down the aisle onto the stage where they cut the 3-tier wedding cake. A Priest was then invited to say Grace before we partake our dinner.

We were expecting a typical Chinese wedding feast, only to be individually served a 6-course fusion of western and chinese meal. The servings were in small portion much like a fine dining affair in a western setting. On the menu were Peking duck (skin), sharks fins, abalone, cod fish, duck meat and mee sua. There were a good beverage selection of beer (from Brewerks), red wine, white wine, and calamansi, apart from the usual chinese tea and soft drinks. We were all served champagne for the toast. For dessert we had the hazelnut chocolate wedding cake. It was delicious!

Like a western-style wedding, the groom (Sam's colleague) gave a speech followed by the best man and the maid-of-honor. The father of the groom, and some friends also shared on their joy of the union, and the speeches were followed by rounds of toasts. Throughout the evening, the friendly wedding couple went around socialising with their guests and thanking them for gracing the occasion. There were no structured photo sessions, or games to embarrass the young couple other than the rounds of toast to get them in 'high-spirit'. It was an interesting union of a Josephian and a Convent girl.

The highlight of the evening for me was the performance by this talented male jazz pianist cum singer. He sang all my favorite jazz pieces like 'Dream a little dream', 'Someone to watch over you', 'La Vie En Rose', 'The way you look tonite', 'Quanto, quanto' ... just to name a few. He also turned ballads like 'Moon River' and 'Somewhere over the rainbow' into lovely jazz pieces and sang to perfect pitch. You get the idea... it was a wonderful way to end the evening.