Review: Zheng Yuan Wei 蒸原味 @ Katong Square

One of the interesting restaurant that opened at the newly refurbished Katong Square - Zheng Yuan Wei. They specialised in steampot, which retains the original flavours of the ingredients and making it a much healthier choice. Steampot originates from Guangdong and is very popular in Hong Kong and Taiwan right now. You can even find the steampot pot being sold in supermarkets!

We went there as a party of five and ordered their set menu for 4, a Boston lobster, a plate of pork belly and a pot of tea. The total damage was just slightly less than $300. The set menu of 4 comes with vegetables (lotus root, corn, pumpkin and sweet potato), one whole fish, scallops, clams, mussels, oysters, prawns, flower crab (it was out of stock so they replaced with a mud crab which I think is better) and rice grains. The seafood were all 'live' seafood.

The rice was first put into the bottom of the pot to be transformed into a porridge and eaten at the end of the meal. The idea is for the condensed steam to stream down to the bottom of the pot, and together with the juices from the seafood, forms a hearty porridge.

The staff will put the seafood one at a time on the steamer and set the timer for you. Each item usually takes about 3 to 5 minutes before it is ready to be eaten.

The seafood were all fresh and firm, but only the lobster, clams and prawns require minimal seasoning. The other seafood will be better off if you make your own dip (included as part of your meal) to accompany it. Special mention goes to the fish (deboned) which made even a non-fish lover like me fell in love with it. The crab's flesh was also really sweet and I would recommend it over the flower crab if given the choice.

Once you are done with all the ingredients, the staff will start to mix the porridge for you. By this time, the rice grains have become the consistency of a Cantonese porridge. Spring onion, an egg and fried onions are then added to the mix. Do not expect it to be a rich seafood porridge, rather it is a homely porridge with a tinge of the sea. You can add in a bit of soya sauce if you find it too bland, but I actually enjoyed it with just a dash of pepper. This finale dish will definitely satisfy the elderly who prefer something lighter.

It was generally a good dining experience and everyone enjoyed the food. It would be even better if they can have a variety of set menu or make it more customisable.

Review: Chicken Hotpot 鸡公煲

Today is my fourth time at Chicken Hotpot, so you know it's good! If you like steamboat and ma la xiang guo, this is the dish for you. They have a simple menu with 4 types of pot: chicken (their signature), beef, prawn and fish. I have tried both the chicken and prawn pots before, generally preferring the chicken, although the prawns they provided are easy to eat (partly de-shelled) and quite big.

Their signature chicken pot is heavy on the spices and you get to choose your level of spiciness. Bear in mind it can get quite spicy so if you are not good at spicy food, just go for mild. The chicken (bone-in) are chopped into chunky pieces and simmered in the thick spiced gravy. If your gravy runs low, the staff will pour in some chicken stock for you, which is more suitable to be drank rather than the thick gravy.

Recently they also have a promotion item which is my all-time favourite, the chicken and pork tripe pot. This is strongly recommended by me and I feel is more to Singaporeans palate. In fact, when I first tried Chicken Pot, I had their significant chicken version and prawn version and wasn't that impressed. This chicken and pork tripe version made me came back 2 more times!

If you like peppery bak kut teh, please choose this version and you won't regret. It can be a bit too peppery at first taste, but as you add in more ingredients, it gives the soup base more flavour and take away some of the peppery taste. Similar to the other version, you can get a refill when the stock runs low. The soup is really tasty and comforting especially on a rainy day. A chicken and pork tripe pot comes with chicken pieces and chunky pork tripe pieces.

The best way to enjoy Chicken Pot is not to over order the main pot, but select the additional ingredients. For 2 pax, I would just order a small pot then choose some of the ingredients from their fridge (self service). Their steamboat ingredients are all nicely displayed and wrapped up in the fridge and the pricing is differentiated by the colour of the plates.

I recommend ordering the prawn/cuttlefish paste which comes in an 'icing bag'. You will have to ask the staff to cut a hole at the tip when you are ready to it. Their cuttlefish balls also go well with the chicken and pork trip pot. Other ingredients available include vegetables, fish paste, pork belly with enoki, mushrooms, noodles, sliced fish, sliced meat etc.

Lastly, a shout out to the manager (short-haired lady) at the Bedok Point branch who always has a smile on her face and provided very attentive service. There was once we ordered a plate of enoki mushrooms and had already eaten more than half of it. The manager suddenly came over with another plate of enoki mushrooms and said she realised the staff had under-weighed the entire batch, so she gave us another plate. Honest shops like this are really hard to come by nowadays so it was a pleasant feeling even though she could have ignored it as we couldn't tell we were shortchanged. 

Singapore Restaurant Week, October 2016: Umi + Vino @ Emporium Shohukin

The last restaurant week, we went to another one of Emporium Shokuhin's establishment, Takujo Fine Dining. The experience back then was enjoyable and worthy of visiting during the restaurant week. This time round, we decided to try Umi + Vino, a modern seafood joint that is part of Emporium Shokuhin.

The 3-course dinner give diners a choice of asian prawn stew or french oysters as a starter, a la plancha sampling platter or braised wagyu beef as a main, and a chocolate cake for the dessert. We got around to try each dish on the restaurant week menu.

I had read good reviews of their asian prawn stew, and true to that, it turned out good. The grilled prawns were served in a lemongrass-infused broth and with toasted bread. The highlight of this dish was the broth, which was full of flavour without over-killing the taste of the prawns.

On the other hand, the oysters were well, decent oysters. It was most definitely fresh, but the accompanying raspberry shallot vinaigrette did nothing much to it.

I was looking forward to my main course, the a la plancha sampling platter, which is essentially a mix of grilled seafood. It came with half a lobster, squid, prawns and a piece of rice cake. The prawns were cooked the same way as in the asian prawn stew - grilled and lightly seasoned. The lobster was of a decent size and they even extracted the claw meat from it's shell for you! The squid and rice cake were my favourite. I have a soft spot for squid, especially when it's grilled and lightly seasoned. The rice cake was like a MOS burger rice burger patty but with even better seasoning. It might come across as oily for some, but I thought it was a pretty good twist to plain old rice. The accompanying ginger shoyu sauce was not necessary at all and savouring the seafood on its own is more than enough. 

The portion of  braised wagyu beef was quite big, suitable for guys. However, it was too oily and rich for my liking.

Last but not least, the chocolate cake was of a certain quality, and not just a filler to the set meal. I was surprised that the cake was comparable to those found in specialised bakery shops. It wasn't a rich chocolate cake. The layers of chocolate sponge, whipped cream, liquer, nuts and chocolate mousse made it a light and enjoyable end to the meal.

Review: Grilled Scallops over at Unkai Japanese Cuisine

Grilled scallops (Hotate Tobiko) at $15 for half dozen, the only item I ordered at Unkai. They also sell raw oysters, sake sashimi and chilled/grilled crabs.

At $2.50 per piece, it was a good indulgence. Scallops were juicy with a pleasant torched taste.

51 Old Airport Road

#01-88/89 Old Airport Road Food Centre
Singapore 390051

Ma La Xiang Guo @ Bedok Interchange

Tried the Bedok Interchange's Ma La Xiang Guo twice to pen this review.

The concept is similar to the well-known Ri Ri Hong Ma La Xiang Guo in Chinatown. You just need to tell the stall helper what ingredients you would like, the level of spiciness and the staple to go with your xiang guo. The helper will then give you a tag and call out your number when it's ready. They also serve other Sichuan dishes like 'Baked fish (烤鱼)' and 'Water-boiled fish (水煮鱼)' which are all spicy food.

First impression of the stall puts me at ease. It looks cleaner and the ingredients neatly displayed in their fridge. I compared it to Ri Ri Hong which may be a bit unfair given that the Bedok ma la xiang guo stall is relatively new. 

What I like about the Bedok version over Ri Ri Hong is the variety of ingredients. More unique items include beef tripe, cuttlefish, pork innards and a wider variety of vegetables. Besides rice, you can also opt for Mantou which I saw many Chinese nationals ordering. Their pricing is also reasonable, like Ri Ri Hong - $1 vegetables, $2 chicken/pork and $3 seafood/beef/lamb.

My order of cuttlefish, kangkong, pork balls, beef tripe, pork belly, bean curd, enoki mushroom and a bowl of rice costs $13. Bear in mind that the Bedok version is saltier and you will definitely need some staple to go with it. Most of the time when I eat at Ri Ri Hong I don't need any rice to go with my xiang guo. Taste-wise, I think Ri Ri Hong still has that special fragrance coming from the bean paste, nonetheless, Bedok is a good alternative!

Review: Yong He Bak Chor Seafood Noodles

Tucked away in one corner of the coffeeshop, one might just missed it despite its bright and attractively taken display photos. Yong He bak chor seafood noodles is a relatively new stall in this old neighbourhood, but the description of their menu excites me.

I love my bak chor mee and I love seafood so this definitely attracts me. Their menu is simple with only 4 main course options. I always order their signature seafood bak chor mee ($5) while my mum likes to upgrade to the large prawn bak chor mee ($12).

This is what you get for their basic $5.50 seafood bak chor mee. A sweet prawn, some clams (they called it lala), braised mushrooms, braised pork, minced pork, sliced abalone, a scallop and lettuce.

While it has the usual bak chor mee ingredients, the slightly pricier price point can be justified by the seafood items. The prawn was sweet and fresh enough to suck the umami goodness from its head. Beware of the excessive pork lard if you are health conscious or not a fan of that. The only downside to this rendition of bak chor mee is the strip of braised pork which has been braised till black and dry. It is like eating a piece of bakkwa. They could have just used the normal poached sliced pork.

My mum's large prawn version. She claimed they were sea prawns and very good.

The shop is located at the coffeeshop just opposite Temasek Junior College. The coffeeshop also has a very interesting stall selling sandwiches and salad. Shall give it a try next time!

Address

Blk 18 Bedok South Road, 

Singapore 460018

Review: Ah Hua Kelong (The Bedok Marketplace)... from kelong to table top

As a huge fan of seafood, Ah Hua Kelong was high up on my must-try list when I first heard about it. I was pleased to know they had an outlet at The Bedok Marketplace in Simpang Bedok, which was a place I frequent. Their seafood are local, live and fresh from their kelong, grilled to perfection at their stall.

I got to say that after my first trip to Ah Hua Kelong, a second trip followed shortly. I have tried them twice and now I can give a partial verdict, i think. Staff was friendly and helpful, showing and explaining what are the items available that day. The two times I went, I ended up ordering sets that are not on the menu based on their recommendation.

My opinion of Ah Hua Kelong's seafood is that it is fresh and very briny. The molluscs were extremely briny, not sure if that's a good or bad thing, but I don't really mind. I must say the mussels were a big surprise. I tend to avoid mussels at buffet because they are kind of tough and has a cheaper taste as compared to oysters. Ah Hua Kelong's mussels were super soft and juicy. I didn't feel sick even after eating a number of them. They really changed my opinion of mussels.

The XXL clams were nothing noteworthy except for their size. We asked for the lalas to be cooked 'well-done'. These were huge and I cannot imagine myself eating it slightly blanched like the kind in laksa. The lalas were kind of tough and chewy maybe because of the doneness. 

Next up we had the prawns and scallops. The scallops are must-try! I love the sweetness of the scallops paired with the crispy shallots. The prawns were nothing to shout about, but enjoyable when paired with the thick black soy sauce with chilli padi.

The grilled sea bass was the last to arrive. During my first trip to Ah Hua Kelong, the fish was the star of the meal because of the soft and sweet fish, charcoal-grilled to perfection. There was no unpleasant odour or fishy smell from the fish. The chinchalok condiments goes very well with the fish and helps to cleanse the palate.

We paid $89 for the above items which is a new set currently not found on their menu. The staff said it was meant for 3-4 pax but even a small eater like me could easily finish half of the seafood. I would say at most 3 pax for this set if you add on rice for each person.

If it is your first time, you might want to go for their various set, but if you would like to save space to try out the other stalls' offerings, I recommend the mussels, scallops and sea bass!

How to get there by MRT

- Alight at Tanah Merah MRT

- Walk towards Katong Flower Shop

- Cut across the playground/park to Upper Bedok Road

- Walk along Bedok Road to Jln Chempaka Kuning

Which EZbuy service should I use? Ship for me or Buy for me?

EZbuy, formerly known as 65daigou, was one of the pioneering Taobao purchasing agents in Singapore. I have used their service to get some stuff from Taobao previously and it was a breeze. However, ever since Taobao started their own forwarding service, I have stopped using EZbuy.

Recently, I have been hooked on buying stuff from US. I came back to EZbuy again after finding out they now provide forwarding service for US parcels! I have since tried their Ship-for-me and Buy-for-me service and here's a lowdown on which service will be more suitable depending on your needs.

The Service
Ship-for-me means you place and pay for the order yourself and ask them to ship to EZbuy overseas warehouse. Thereafter, they will ship to Singapore and you pay for the shipment.
Buy-for-me means you ask EZbuy to help you place and pay for the order. On top of the shipping fee to Singapore, you also have to pay for an agent handling fee.

International credit card
This is the most important criteria in determining whether you can even use ship-for-me service. If the website you are buying from does not allow international credit cards or modes of payment e.g. paypal, you will not be able to use ship-for-me service. Your only option is to use buy-for-me and EZbuy will charge you an additional 10% handling fee on top of your product cost and agent fee (if any).

Agent Fee
In terms of pricing, the only difference between the two services is the agent fee. If you are familiar with the website you are purchasing from, you can use ship-for-me and save on the agent fee.
However, I do notice EZbuy does a lot of promotions where they waived the agent fee. You can also use EZbuy credits to offset part of the agent fee for buy-for-me.

Risk of missing/wrong parcel
What I refer to as missing parcel is when it goes missing from the shop to EZbuy warehouse. If you had chosen buy-for-me, you won't have this issue because EZbuy would be accountable for helping you purchase and ensuring it arrived at their warehouse. If anything goes wrong in between, I would expect them to be the ones liaising with the seller. Also, EZbuy helps to inspect the parcel to ensure the item the seller delivered is the right one e.g. colour, size is correct.

Website promotions
Some US stores may offer promotions where they require to key in promo code for a discount. Both service allows you to take advantage of the promotions. You can key it in yourself for ship-for-me or include in the remarks for EZbuy to do when they buy for you. However, certain promo code may have restrictions e.g. only for new accounts or the promo code is tied to certain email. In this case, you will only be able to do it through the ship-for-me service yourself.
Further to that, if you find yourself frequent a particular store often, you want to use ship-for-me service and start building up those loyalty points or VIP benefits yourself!

Timeliness
My experience with EZbuy buy-for-me service is that it can be slow. If the order is not straightforward, they might get back to you and seek your opinion before proceeding. For e.g. if you mis-calculated the total price (including the shipping), they will inform you that you need to top up additional $x and ask if you are agreeable to it. This might take one or two days depending on how fast they or you reply.
This also brings me back to my previous point on website promotions. If the store has a flash sale and an item is only on offer for a day, EZbuy might not be able to place the order in time or the product might be sold out.

I generally would prefer to use ship-for-me service and have used it at least 3 times already. I find their buy-for-me service to be very slow and I wouldn't have used it if not for the website doesn't allow international credit card. I paid for my item 4 days ago and till now I don't think they have purchased it yet. Day 1 was spent asking if I'm ok to top up additional 10% fee because the shop doesn't accept international credit card. Day 2 was spent telling me that I miscalculated the shipping fee which I have no idea why because when I carted it, it has free shipping. Day 3 was spent telling me that the link I gave them for one of the items did not work (that's because they took quite some time and the item was sold out). Now, I'm still waiting for the status to change from 'purchasing' to 'purchased' for my 1 item.

Review: Linjer Doctor Bag in Navy

The long-awaited review of Linjer's doctor bag. Ordered this from kickstarter almost half a year ago and finally received it in March.

First look
It came neatly packed, with the Linjer box nestled within a standard cardboard box. One look and you know this packaging is definitely fit for gifting. Everything was packed so neatly, from the padding of the bag down to the tying of the drawstrings on the dust bag.

The Bag

The leather smells divine and smooth to touch. The brass metal parts added a touch of elegance to the bag. It was slightly bigger than I imagined, and because it is a structured bag, I figured petite women might have an issue with it. Nonetheless, I have nothing to complain about the look of the doctor's bag.

After admiring my bag, it was time to open and see the insides. Like I said in my earlier post, the major problem of this bag was the hinges. It was so darn hard to open. In fact, I couldn't open it at all. I wasn't sure whether I should apply more force sor was I opening it the wrong way. I decided not to risk damaging my bag and drop Linjer an email.

Roman replied pretty fast, and suggested some ways to loosen the hinges. His reply did gave me some reassurance that things will be solved somehow. It made me feel that a real person is actually trying to help me solve my problem so I really appreciate that.

Here's a screenshot of Roman's message for those who are facing the same issue. Hope it helps.

So... I did try the above but it didn't help at all. I even got my mom to help with it and no matter how hard we pull or press or push, it didn't bulge a bit. At one point, the flap even sink further in until it was really hard to have a good hold of it to pull open the bag. Because of the pulling and pushing, my bag ended up with some finger nail marks :(

I dropped Roman another email, telling him that his methods didn't work. He was very apologetic and said he will send a new one over together with a small token that is not available on the webshop.

It took another 2 weeks or so before the new bag arrived. The small token wasn't there but that wasn't my motive so it didn't really bother me much. I tried opening the new bag the usual way and it still wouldn't open! Twice in a row, could it be that I really didn't pull it hard enough? I got my mom to help me again. We tried until our arms were aching and it didn't move a bit. 

My mom suggested putting some 'lubrication' so she got out her needle oiler and carefully put some at the hinges. We tried again. This time, it seemed there was some progress with the slightest creaking sound of two layers rubbing against each other. We worked on it for almost half an hour before it finally opened! The hinges were seriously too tight and it wasn't easy to close it too. Once closed, it took us a long time to open it again. 

While I appreciate Roman's effort in helping me solve my problems, the technical aspect of this bag is one major flaw. What's a bag if it's not functional? I have decided to take it out once in a while to open and close it to loosen the hinges before I dare to bring it out. I cannot imagine if I'm rushing for time and I had to struggle to open the bag just to get something from my bag! I do believe that over time it will loosen and it will be a lovely bag, but having to overcome this first obstacle is a big problem.

Overall

More photos of the bag's interior and close-ups can be seen below. Tight hinges aside, it really is a lovely and quality bag. The bag is spacious, sturdy and thoughtful. I would definitely see myself carrying it to work or a dinner. 

Linjer's next step is to really work on solving the hinge issue.

Review: The Burning Oak

I've been wanting to write a review on The Burning Oak for a long time but has been procrastinating. Now that I have decided to write it, I had since tried them twice during lunch time, once to takeaway and once dine-in.

I want to put it up front that I absolutely love their food. It is definitely value-for-money. It's a pity that I haven't gotten down to try their dinner menu, but the set lunch menu was all satisfying. My favourite was the pork cheek bento set which came with a generous amount of meat, pickles, fried shredded ginger, rice and a bowl of miso soup.

You can really feel the amount of effort and patience that goes into each of the item. The pork cheeks were nicely grilled with a smoky charred taste while the pickles seek to tone down the oiliness from the pork. The miso soup was worth mentioning, having a high concentration of bonito flakes resulting in a rich earthy taste.

Although the stall is in a hawker setting, the waiting time is about 15min since they make-to-order. I will be back again to try their dinner menu next.

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.

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