Review: Aura (Restaurant Week 2015)

Aura was my second restaurant week meal. After a disappointing first meal at Sabio by the Sea, I wasn't expecting much.

We went for the lunch, and being one of the first few to visit the National Gallery before it officially opens, it was a nice visit. The restaurant two floors, one for their main restaurant, and the other for their bar. Both have a nice view overlooking the padang.

Appetizer was scallop crudo with truffle. It was too delicious, with the scallops and truffle complementing each other very well. I truly enjoyed this dish found myself craving for more.

Next comes the whole wheat stracci with duck and foie gras. Another appetizer?! It was a heavy dish but enjoyable. Reminded me of the Chinese dish of noodles with duck in hoisin sauce.

For the main course we had a choice of the black cod or beef sirloin. I chose the sirloin which was a clear option for me before the meal. However, after the heavy stracci dish, I was feeling quite full and longed for the black cod instead. Thankfully the portion of the beef sirloin was just nice. Nicely seared on the outside and still pink and juicy on the inside. A respectable sirloin, just not entirely wow.

After the sirloin, I was certainly not looking forward to the profiteroles dessert because I was already 90% full. It came looking pretty with each colour representing one of the 3 flavours: strawberry, pistachio and chocolate. Surprisingly the little dots of berry sauce on the plates were very appetite-inducing and I managed to taste the profiteroles. My order of preference: pistachio > strawberry > chocolate. I really like the pistachio which was more distinctive.

All in all it was a good meal and I would certainly recommend checking out Aura.

2015 Taobao Double11 (双11) Bargains!

Come midnight, more than half of China's population will be stalking out at Taobao for their annual big sale. The Double11 (11 Nov) sale. This is the time where things on Taobao are sold at remarkably low prices. Let's examine some of the bargains, and see if it is really worth the effort and the shipping cost.

1. Etude House Eyebrow Pencil + 2 pc Mask set (RMB 19 = S$4.30 before shipping)
Etude house has several set offers but this seemed to be the star item of the year. The offer was being prominently placed on Etude House's Taobao site. I compared with the prices on Qoo10 as well as Etude House official SG site, this set is definitely cheaper. However, as much as I like the eyebrow pencil, I don't really fancy the mask... so it's like buying something which I don't need just because it is cheaper. It is still worth buying if you needed the mask, because the cheapest I have seen on local sites is $4.90 for the pencil only (including shipping).

2. Uniqlo Unisex Sneakers (RMB 149 = S$33 before shipping)
I included this item because it is great for pairing with various outfits and not available in local uniqlo stores. Although it is just a dollar cheaper than if you buy it in Japan, but for those who won't be traveling to Japan any time soon, this is a deal. The only other consideration is the shipping, because shoes aren't the lightest of items, but Taobao's shipping deal to Singapore will probably only cost you an additional S$5.

3. Kate Trap Impact Eyes Eyeshadow (RMB 74 = S$16.50)
I was looking to get a simple eyeshadow palette this Double11 and chanced upon this Japanese brand with good reviews. It is about the same price as you would buy in Japan. The brand has some lovely tutorials on how to apply this eyeshadow here.

4. Staccato Shoes
This is a Chinese brand so for sure it will be cheaper than any where else unless you are from Chian, Hong Kong or Macao. They have a wide variety of ankle boots (cos it's the winter season now) priced at around S$130 during this sale period. Heels and stilettos are in the S$90 range. Good deal considering the quality and comfort of their products.

You will notice that I mainly lists down Asian brands. Reason being they are more likely to be significantly cheaper in China than anywhere else because of the geographical proximity. There are some good deals, especially for clothings, for American and European brands, but you will need to surf through it yourself to see if it suits you.

Review: Sabio by the Sea (Restaurant Week 2015)

A group of us went for the restaurant week dinner menu at Sabio by the Sea. It was a big mistake. The staff who took our order was polite but couldn't quite comprehend our orders due to English not being her first language. She did not try to suggest other items instead of all of us ordering from the restaurant week menu.

As it was our first time at Sabio, we thought it will be the usual western food concept where each our tapas, main and dessert. Unfortunately for us, the food was too heavy and oily to our liking, we ended up struggling to finish. It will be more ideal if half of the group try the restaurant week menu while the rest choose from the standard menu.

This was the restaurant week menu taken from the restaurant week website. Besides the set dinner, we ordered an additional hot tapas (Pulpo a la gallega, octopus cooked in paprika, olive oil and lemon) to share.

Within the group, we tried the different options within the restaurant week menu. The eggplant caviar was the one of the rare item on the menu that is light on the palate. It's slightly vinegarish and was delightful on the toast.

The oysters were fresh but true to it's description, it's really deep-fried. Nothing particularly outstanding about this dish though they were generous in their servings, giving 4 oysters per person. This was the item that got me feeling sick and almost-full. If you are a small eater like me, I would suggest you go for the eggplant caviar instead of the oyster.

The octopus, which was an add-on item, was by far my favourite dish of the night. Seafood and butter always complement each other. The sliced tentacles were cooked to perfection, so tender yet flavourful from all the spices added in. There was also a potato-ish taste to the gravy.

By the time my paella arrived, I was 85% full. I didn't get to try the meat paella, but the seafood paella wasn't too bad given that I'm already not in the mood for my main anymore. The rice was nicely scented but the essence of the seafood wasn't integrated into the rice. No complaints about the seafood which was plenty though nothing to shout about.

I wasn't looking forward to the dessert, knowing that it will be another oily dish. Was so sick of it that I didn't bother taking any photos. The churros itself wasn't that bad but the combination of a fried dough stick with rich coconut and gula melaka taste just threw us all off. None in our group liked the combination.

Their standard item menu should be worth visiting, but my first restaurant week experience was kind of disappointing.

Review: Air+ Smart Mask

With the haze condition seemingly getting no better, I bought another mask after reading about it on their website. Despite me already having a big box of 3M N95 mask, I still went ahead to purchase the Air+ Smart Mask for about S$37. I am asthmatic so I do invest a bit in ensuring I breathe in 'good' air.

The normal N95 masks are effective in blocking out most of the pollutants but they are uncomfortable to wear. In our weather conditions, prolonged wearing makes the enclosed area humid and stuffy. The Air+ Smart Mask aims to solve this problem by having a small ventilator attached to the mask. It's not going to be like an air-conditioner, but it will push out the carbon dioxide and ensure better air circulation without compromising on the air you breathe in. What I also like about this mask is that it is made in Singapore! It comes in two parts sold separately - 3 pc mask (~S$7) and a ventilator (~S$30), which I got it from Watsons.

The have different sizing for the mask which you can estimate your size based on the chart at the side of the mask packaging. I have a small face but I'm using M, so I guess S are really meant for small kids.

There are two ways in which you can use the Air+ Smart Mask.
1) Without the ventilator. There is a cap cover included which you can capped it on your mask.
2) With the ventilator. Just twist and attach the ventilator and switch it on.
The first way is ideal for a short trip outdoors or if you are conscious about how you will look with a ventilator attached to your mask.

Comes neatly packed with detailed instructions are available when you opened up the packaging. Very easy to understand! The masks are FFP1 / 2 European certified N95 mask and comes individually packed.

This is how it looks like what the ventilator is attached and put on! The wearer will be able to hear a light buzzing sound when the ventilator is switched on.

The ventilator comes with a USB charging cable. It is said to be able to last for 2 hours after a full charge. Haven't tried for that long though.

This is a really well-designed and thought out product. Even without the ventilator, it still feels comfy probably because the edges of the mask are well-lined and soft enough unlike some of the other masks. I also like the adjustable strap which makes it so much easier putting it on than the 3M N95 mask! My only small complaint is on the storage of the individual parts (mask, air pocket cap, ventilator and charging cable). There are just too many items and you need to find a pouch to keep all these. I almost misplaced the cap after putting on the ventilator.

Pros:
- comfortable even when used as a normal mask
- with the ventilator, it does makes the wearer feel more comfortable than wearing a normal mask
- the adjustable strap makes for easy wearing
- blocks out the burning smell effectively
- light-weight, very portable

Cons:
- slight buzzing sound from ventilator may be annoying to some
- could do with a pouch for the various parts of the mask

Review: Innisfree The Green Tea Seed Oil

I first came to know of this product through some samples that came along with my other beauty products purchases. The little satchels of samples seemed quite effective in keeping my face 'hydrated' during the night.

I'm quite a practical person and couldn't care less about the packaging. As long as it works to what it claims, that's good enough for me. Let's see what Innisfree says about The Green Tea Seed Oil:

Since it bills itself as a moisturizing and nourishing essence, I would expect it to work very well in the moisturizing aspect. It does make my skin feels softer and not that dry after a night in an air-conditioned room, although some dry patches on my face still remained.

Press and apply a few drops on your palm or finger tips.

As you can see, it's a clear oil but not thick consistency.

Massage and pat to let your skin absorb the oil. There will be a slight sheen afterwards.

What I like:
- Not greasy
- Slight after-sheen that makes your skin looked healthier
- Does locked in moisture for a couple of hours
- Requiring only a few drops of the essence each time
- Easy to apply

What I dislike:
- The smell/fragrance was too strong and unpleasant for me
- Will cause a stinging sensation on dry patches or slight abrasions
- The glass bottle makes it difficult to bring it out
- Tends to get oily and disgusting when you sweat

Best use: Apply before sleeping in an air-conditioned room.

How do I use Qoo10 Gift Card?

If you noticed, Qoo10 has recently added a $10 gift card prize to their daily roulette. This to me is the penultimate prize from the roulette. I have no idea what is the algorithm behind this roulette, but I guess you stand a higher chance of winning the gift card if you are Gold or VIP member.

The $10 gift card on the bottom right of the wheel

I have only won it once and I forgot to screenshot the steps so I shall just explain it. The way it works is pretty simple. Once you received it, you can go to 'My Qoo10 > Q account > Gift Card'.

Click on 'My Gift Card' to redeem one (if someone sent you a gift card serial no.) or activate one (if you receive it from the roulette Q). You should see something like this:

If you are using gift card verification, just typed in the serial no. and verification no. and click 'Use'. If you received the gift card through roulette Q, the gift card will appear below the 'Gift Card Verification' part and you can just click 'Use'. The gift card value will automatically be activated and deposited in your Q-money portion of the Q-account. This amount cannot be withdrawn but is like e-cash that you can use during payment.

You may now proceed to add items to your cart and check-out through the usual way. At the Step 2 'Place Order' page, scroll down to the part on Q-account/Q-money and typed in the amount you would like to use for this payment. Fill in the payment information and click 'Order Now'.

That's it! Very easy. You will notice your Q-money decreased by the amount you used for payment!

Review: Qbap handcrafted kebabs @ Raffles City (Closed)

I have a thing for Middle-eastern food. The spiced and juicy meat... drools. Chanced upon this halal joint at Raffles City selling kebabs. If you have been to Europe, you will know that kebabs are sold everywhere and are considered street food. Here, a restaurant selling kebabs in the town area? Hmm, must be expensive.

It's always their meat and rice that attracts me, hence, I opted for the rice instead of the wrap. I don't really like wraps as it tends to be messy. Ordering is a breeze as they don't have much items on the menu board. Choose your type of kebab, your choice of vegetables, and in the case of the rice, a sauce. Like subway style.

I had the chicken with triple mustard sauce with arabic rice. The rice was kinda disappointing as the flavours wasn't to my liking. Nothing to complain about the vegetables. The chicken was flavourful but could be juicier. Portion was generous and I saved the unfinished for dinner.

I don't mind coming back again, maybe to try their lamb instead of the chicken. It can be my comfort food when I crave for a healthy meal I guess.

Get rebates for positive reviews on Taobao!

Following my guide on shopping on Taobao, I have another tip to share!
Yes! You can actually get a rebate/refund of RMB 2 to RMB 5 from leaving a positive review of the item you purchased on Taobao! I know that isn't a lot. Averages about S$1 for a review, but it gets credited to your Alipay account and after a few reviews, you can actually have enough to buy a small item.

Here's how it works:

1. Leave a positive review (denoted by a red flower) with at least 10-20 characters
2. Screenshot your submitted review
3. Send a private message to the seller with your screenshot
4. Send the seller your Alipay (China version of Paypal) account user ID
5. Most seller will send you a screenshot of the refund transaction

Things to note:

a) Not all seller will give you a rebate for positive review. Most sellers that have such benefit will enclose a slip packaged together with your purchase. Looks something like below:

b) The general requirement for receiving the rebate is to leave a positive rating, give them 5 stars rating for all categories, and to write a minimum of 10-20 characters review. I noticed that most of the time, the seller won't/can't check whether you did give them 5 stars for all categories. As long as you screenshot the positive rating you gave and the review write-up, they will give you the rebate (at least that's my experience thus far). The screenshot that I paste to the seller to claim my rebate:

Notice the red flower at the side, that's the indication for a positive review. You can view the reviews you gave by going to 我的淘宝 > 已买到的宝贝 > 评价管理 > 给他人的评价 (copy and use Ctl+F to search for the link to each page).

c) If you can understand Chinese, you can just go to the seller's Taobao page and look for '客服' (customer service). It looks like a blue water droplet. Just ask (if you are unsure) if they allow for positive review rebates '请问好评有返现吗?'

If you can't understand Chinese, I suggest you just paste the screenshot straight and says '给了好评，请返现' followed by your Alipay user ID 'xxx@gmail.com' 

Usually the seller will say ok and inform you that they will process it shortly. Depending on the seller, the refund may be immediate or the next working day.

d) Here's some sample general positive reviews in Chinese for the non-Chinese users:

- 宝贝实在太棒了! 选了这个保证没错，质量也相当的好！喜欢！

- 对这次购买的宝贝非常满意。以后还是会光顾这家

- 宝贝质量好得没话说！物流也非常的快，喜欢！

Please only do it when you are really satisfied with the product. If the product sucks, do not give it a positive review so that others won't be similarly cheated!

Review: Lolla

touted as one of the top 10 hottest restaurant in the world by zagat, i knew i had to make a trip down to try their signature sea urchin pudding. located near maxwell market but away from the noisy main street, lolla seems like a restaurant one would miss even if you walk past it everyday.

made a reservation for two  beforehand and were given a counter seat. surprisingly when we arrived slightly past 12noon, there were already a couple of customers in the restaurant. for those who do not want to reek of smokiness after your meal, my advice is not to take the counter seat.

ordered a full portion of sea urchin pudding (no surprise), tomato salad, grilled octopus and a roasted duck breast with date puree from the specials board. it didn't felt like we ordered a lot because we were under the impression that lolla's concept was of small plates, so four small plates to share seems reasonable. service staff were polite, attentive and helpful.

the main attraction, the sea urchin pudding, was the first to arrived. i watched as the chef gently placed the sea urchin on top of a bowl of prepared squid ink pudding. mmm... one can never go wrong with sea urchin, especially when theirs was very fresh and creamy. the squid ink pudding was rich and savory with no fishiness. the two, when eaten separately, was enjoyable, but i can't really feel any synergy from putting these two together, except for that additional umami-ness i guess.

next up was the grilled octopus. i love eating octopus and its hard to find them on menu in singapore. having cooked octopus myself, i know it is not an easy ingredient to play with. it arrived looking nicely grilled with lots of char bits which i like. however, the first bite was disappointing. because they used a large tentacles, so they had tried to tenderise the insides, which made it slightly fibrous. it felt like eating a piece of boiled dried cuttlefish. the seasoning was also not to my liking. the potatoes that came with it couldn't save the dish either. i would prefer my octopus to be juicy and less fibrous.

the grilled octopus filled me up, so it was good to see the tomato salad served next. looks just like it is, simply tomatoes with a balsamic dressing. the tomatoes were fresh though, but not a wow dish.

despite being very full by the time the roasted duck breast arrived, this dish was surprisingly good. i would say this was my favorite dish for this meal at lolla. the duck breast was cooked to a perfect medium-rare and served on top of date puree, together with some nuts and fruits. it has the aroma of foie gras with a good balance of meat and the fats. the nuts and fruits complemented the duck meat really well and i could have polished off the entire plate if not for being too full from the previous dishes.

 

8 Lesser-known Singapore food to try

this list is for foreigners who want to explore singapore food beyond the better-known chicken rice and chilli crab. there is so much more local favorites that foreigners might not have chance upon but is so well-loved by singaporeans.

1. cereal/oatmeal prawn
what - fried prawns in cereal and curry leaves
who - suitable for all ages and especially popular among children
how - as it is crispy, most people will remove the head and eat the rest of the prawn shell-on. it is common to have excess cereal left behind, which kids will gladly scoop up and eat. a good cereal prawn should be fried with head and shell intact.
where - can be found in most seafood and tze char restaurants

2. prawn paste chicken
what - fried chicken coated with prawn paste, a fermented shrimp paste
who - suitable for all ages
how - eat it like any fried chicken
where - can be found in most seafood and tze char restaurants

3. fish head steamboat
what - a healthy dish of slice fish and vegetables in a clear broth. although traditional cooked using a fish head, a more popular option with youngsters is sliced fish. a good fish head steamboat should be kept continuously heated using charcoal.
who - for the health-conscious
how - the steamboat would have come with everything ready while servers will come around to top up the broth when it's running low
where - recommended stall: nam hwa chong fish head steamboat, 814/816 north bridge road, singapore 198779/81

4. samsui ginger chicken
what - steamed chicken paired with ginger sauce and wrapped in lettuce
who - suitable for all ages
how - take a piece of lettuce, and place a piece of chicken on top together with the special ginger sauce
where - http://www.souprestaurant.com.sg/

5. claypot beehoon
what - beehoon (thin vermicelli noodles) and seafood cooked in a claypot. there are several varieties like crab claypot beehon, clams claypot beehoon etc.
who - suitable for all ages
how - the portion is usually for sharing, hence everyone takes a portion of the beehoon from the pot
where - recommended stall: http://www.dianxiaoer.com.sg/

6. yu sheng
what - a raw fish salad for good fortune, available during the lunar new year period.
who - suitable for all ages except those adverse to raw fish
how - during the lunar new year period, most chinese restaurants will have this as the first dish. the waitress will pour each item onto a plate while reciting some auspicious words. everyone will then come together and toss the salad to mix it. it is perfectly fine to be a bit messy when tossing, since everyone will be tossing at the same time.
where - can be found in most chinese restaurants during the lunar new year period

7. ah balling (dessert)
what - glutinous rice balls with sweet fillings and in a sugary soup. common fillings include peanut, seasome and red bean.
who - suitable for all ages
how - be careful when biting into the rice balls as the filling might be hot. as it is made of glutinous rice, it fills one up easily so avoid eating too much
where - recommended stall: ah balling peanut soup, bedok north street 4, singapore 460085

8. soya beancurd pudding (dessert)
what - a pudding made of soya bean. while soya beancurd can be found in many chinese-speaking countries, but this singapore invention has been popular these days. the difference between the usual soya beancurd and the pudding version is the consistency of the beancurd.
how - scoop and eat it like a jelly
where - recommended stall: lao ban soya beancurd, 51 old airport road, 390051

Review: Chicken Up @ Tampines Mall

the queue might be long, but they have an efficient automated queue ticketing system. key in your mobile number and you will be notified of how many groups are ahead of you in the queue and approximately how long you have to wait. they will give you a call when your table is available.

the system indicated a waiting time of about 30mins, but we were seated at our table within 15mins. their menu is simple, with several flavours of half chicken and wings and some side dishes. we ordered some sticky soya sauce wings and a spicy half chicken which was highly recommended by chicken up. we also added a seafood scallion pancake and watermelon soju to our order. 

i would recommend going for the sticky soya sauce chicken because its juicier and the sauce was very savory. the spicy half chicken tastes vaguely similar to a crispy kfc chicken, though fresher and less oilier. unless you like alcohol, i will not recommend the watermelon soju as it's more soju than watermelon, giving it a bitter tastes. the scallion pancake was forgettable and one of the worst scallion pancake i eaten in singapore. it was thick with batterbut with generous amount of seafood (mainly squid and shrimp). i prefer my scallion pancake to be thinner and crispier.

My black friday American Apparel haul!

Got these during the black friday sale via the American Apparel Singapore online shop! Have long wanted to get that flex terry headband, but it costs S$10 and the shipping is a flat rate of S$10 if total purchase is less than S$100.

The parcel took about a week to arrive. The items arrived neatly packed individually.