Bites from Bo Innovation

So I was fortunate enough to land myself a free ticket to Savour 2012 this year - tickets for Friday afternoon. Not ideal, I had thought initially (ok I know I really shouldn't be complaining since it was free) but it turned out pretty darn good - no queues to buy the food and it was sheer bliss at the free wine tasting session - everyone eagerly offering us wine.

Yes, I'm quite the cheap drunk (as if you didn't know already).

Anyway, the highlight foodwise for me was the Bo Innovation booth. I can't afford to go for a meal at the HK restaurant proper, but I did spend all of my $21 savour dollars there!



First, I tried the legendary "molecular xiao long bao (XLB)" which most rave about. Indeed, Alvin Leung's technique of making skinless raviolis (apparently popularized by Ferran Adria) was most impressive. The "bubble" just burst XLB juice in my mouth and it was really very tasty. At $9 dollars a pop though, I'd say it's a "try once" novelty.

Luckily, the Har Mae Lo Mein was more filling. It's supposed to be a deconstructed version of the famous Malaysian classic. I loved it - dry noodles infused with rich robust prawn flavour and the scattering of tobiko truly complemented the dish.



Hmm, is it too ambitious for me to say I'd try re-creating this at home? Nice event, Savour. I'd go again next year!

Takashimaya Hokkaido Fair

Yes, it's on again! I received a mailer and once I saw the pictures of this (see below) little beauty I knew I had to go get it.


Crab Chiraishi. Doesn’t it sound sexy? And it looked utterly tantalising. It ain’t cheap - $23 a bento - but there was no stopping me. What Lizzie wants, Lizzie gets. (Ok, that sounded wrong. Disclaimer: I am only referring to food.)

Also on sale were the famous Maruamami cream puffs, as well as some fried croquettes (selection of crab/corn/scallop cream). They looked so good my eyes kept straying. Focus on your Chiraishi, I willed myself.

For once, resistance worked. I walked away, found a nice seat in the foodcourt and savoured my crab chiraishi. I love how sweet and fresh the pieces of shredded crab were. And the ikura (fish eggs), ooohh once you pop, you can't stop. The rice was a tad dry though, could have done with more vinegar.

No matter. I was one happy girl. The fair ends this Sunday. Go try this!

Carrefour Wine Fair

When it comes to buying wines from Supermarkets, Carrefour (Suntec City) is my number one choice. Their range is huge, and their wines are consistently the cheapest. With my POSB Everyday Card I also get a 5% rebate on all purchases – it’s one sweet deal. So it’s no surprise that I wound up at the Carrefour International Wine Fair 2011 last Sunday.

This time around, the wines featured include: Chateau Malartic Lagraviere 2009 Pessac Leognan Rouge, Connetable Du Chateau Talbot 2008 Saint Julien, Reserve De La Comtesse 2009 Pauillac, Chateau Bernadotte 2009 Haut-medoc, Chateau Marquis De Terme 2009 Cru Classe Margaux, Chateau Soutard 1981 Grand Cru Classe Saint Emilion Grand Cru, Arthur Metz Alsace and Carrefour Demazel 2000 Bordeaux Rouge. Prices are in the brochure below.


But I bought none of those. Me, I was just there to stock up on cheap Bordeaux. Like I was telling a friend the other day, one mustn’t spoil one’s wine palate too much. As it is, my regular wine dinners with vino shifu has “exposed” me to too many expensive (fabulously delicious) wines. My palate has, GASP, unwittingly become DISCERNING!

For casual drinking, I think I should stick to under $25 wines. Carrefour is the perfect place to stock up on these. There’s a good range from Bordeaux which, although non-impressive, are still very enjoyable. The Chateau Lartigue at $18 and the Chatueau Cajus at $25 are perfect examples. As is the South African Tall Horse Pinotage at $19 – a reliable everyday red. Slightlier pricier at $29, Château Lamothe Bergeron is an excellent buy (one of my faves).

I also discovered an excellent value sauvignon blanc - Clearwater Cove from Yealand Estate, Malbourough, NZ. Very easy drinking with green-pepper aromas and subtle characteristic gooseberry flavours. At $19 a pop, I made sure to stock up a few bottles!

The fair will be ongoing for a bit so be sure to check out these wines. Erm.. if you are a cheap drunk like me lah. Check out how much we stocked up on!

Event Details:
Date: 30 September – 12 October 2011
Venue: Carrefour Suntec Atrium

Restaurant Week

Yay Restaurant Week is back from 9 - 16th October! $25++ for a 3-course set lunch and $35++ for a 3-course dinner is one sweet deal.. Especially considering the list of participating restaurants, which include atas places like Absinthe, Au Jardin etc (see complete list here).

Hurry and make your bookings! Reservations are supposedly only open to the public only on 21 September (Amex cardholders are entitled to exclusive early booking privileges from 14 September) but let me let you in on a secret:

Even if you don't have an Amex card, just go to this link - http://www.restaurantweek.sg/lang/en/cities/singapore/restaurants/

Yes, no need Amex also can early book!

I'm a bit disappointed that Fiftythree is not in the list of participating restaurants this year. But oh vell. At least I managed to snag reservations to Kudeta, Le Saint Julien and the Salt Grill. These restaurants are awarded the "dining star" so there's a $15 and $20 supplement for lunch and dinner respectvely, but I did my homework and overall it should still be a good deal!

Retrolicious 2011

Yes it's here again! Retrolicious 2011!

Last year, we saw Debbie Gibson, Rick Astley and Johnny Hates Jazz and it was a blast. This year, it gets better. Bananarma, The Human League and my very beloved Belinda Carlisle. Oooh Heaven Is A Place On Earth, Mad About You, Leave A Light On, SUMMER RAIN! I grew up listening to her songs lor.



The concert is on 8th October at Fort Canning park (http://www.live4music.com.sg/events/profile/452). Still a long way to go but me and my fellow 80’s-phile friends are all psyched up. Some of them have even booked a room at Fort Canning Hotel (I know, very kiasu right) - pre-empting a long night and it's the perfect excuse to also check out the boutique hotel heehee.



Tickets go at $100 but there's a 10% discount with OCBC cards (20% if you book before August 7th). Hurry, get off the couch and go buy your tickets. Yay, the 80s was a very danceable decade - FUN!

Now, to go dig up my stonewashed jeans and shoulder pads *grin*

Because It's Hard

I’ve never been a very sporty person, but since last year I started going to the gym and I run regularly now. Not hard-core running, but at least I don’t wheeze on the treadmill anymore. When Yuming told me this morning that he signed up for the Standard Chartered Bank Marathon and encouraged me to do the same, albeit for the more palatable half Marathon, I was tempted.

Why run a marathon? I took the day today to consider my motivations carefully. The reason I finally arrived at was: I want to do it because it’s hard.

In the early 1960s President Kennedy set a national goal of landing a man on the Moon. He said that we choose to do this not because it is easy but because it is hard. One of Edmond Hillary's comments about finally scaling Everest was: "It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves. We all need challenges and the sense of euphoria that comes from achieving a difficult personal goal.

Well, I for one don’t expect myself to ever stand on the Moon or the summit of Everest. But a marathon – now that’s something I can do. It’s not going to be easy but it’s ACHIEVABLE. I just have to keep putting one foot in front of the other, complete the distance, no need to come in first or anything. I just need to prove to myself that I CAN DO IT.

The secondary reason of course is that training for the half-marathon will give me the focus I need, and hopefully distract me from unhappy thoughts. Send me a minor victory to cheer me up please!

So 4^th December will see me taking on 21.1km. I hear the views on the route are going to be great. There’re early bird offers and discounts for SCB card/ Passion card holders so go check out http://www.marathonsingapore.com/ if you are keen!

Wine Dinner at MLSP

I hadn’t hung out with Vivo Shifu for a while, so when he asked me to join for the June Ribera del Duero dinner at My Little Spanish Place, I was quite happy to join. The promise of free-flow jamon definitely helped sweeten the deal haha.

So there I was, blind tasting various (blends of) tinto fino (the local name for tempranillo) and stuffing my face with jamon. Whilst the offerings from Pago de los Capellanes, Domino de Atauta and Protos were all fairly decent, it turns out my favorite was the Crianza 2008 from Pago de los Capellanes – what can I say, I’m a cheap drunk!

Dinner with wines was priced at $90+, good value, considering the jamon-ful dinner and “freebies” of rose wine. Foodwise other than the jamon, the paella was flavorful although a tad dry for my liking. I remember from the last time we celebrated Bev’s birthday here that the meatballs, grilled squid and mushroom tapas were a hit, so be sure to sample those if you happen to visit MLSP.

Pink Dot 2011

Looking for something meaningful/interesting to do this Saturday June 18th? Go down to Hong Lim Park to form a human pink dot!


Yes, it’s PINK as in gay, lesbian, transsexual/ transgender/ bisexual/ intersexual/ queer. This will be its 3rd year running and like previous years, Pink Dot aims to nurture an all-inclusive, non-discriminatory society which appreciates diversity and understands the basic human need to love and be loved. Everyone deserves the freedom to love!

Kudos to Google for supporting the event and making the concert possible. The event this year promises to be BIG, with a whole slew of celebrities performing, including the Dim Sum Dollies and the Broadway Beng.

Tips
1. Go at 4pm or earlier to chope a nice picnic spot right in front of the stage. Concert starts at 5pm sharp and the whole event is expected to end by 6:45pm.

2. There’ll also be a lot of other activities going on around the park so feel free to bring the whole family along. Going by last year's experience, I think it will all be very subtle and tasteful.

Nueva Cuba

It was the first launch of “Wine Tastings Evenings” by Trevor and I decided to show support by rounding up a group of wino friends for the event. Tastings of 6 different wines from France along with 6 Cuban tapas. $65/pax. A pretty neat deal, considering what we had.

I was there early and as usual I was starving. We got some tostadas to tide us over first – creamy cheesy shrimp and mozzarella cheese mushroom – good stuff, especially paired with the welcome glass of Chateau d'Esclans Whispering Angel Rose.

Finally my group of 8 arrived and the tasting started proper. First up, a nice tapas platter to pair with 3 white wines. To be honest, I’ve only been to Nueva Cuba for drinks, so I was pleasantly surprised by how good the food was. I really enjoyed the quesadilla, salmon wrapped asparagus and skewered mushrooms. Not to mention the glass of Sacha Lichine, yums.

The second tapas platter was just as impressive as the first. Here we had beef, salsa and cheese layered tortilla (I think that was what we had but it was excellent, in any case), some chorizo tostada, and bacon wrapped asparagus. 3 reds were paired with this, my favourite being the Bordeaux from Thunevin Presidial.

Verdict: I’ve known for a long time that Nueva Cuba, like its Clarke Quay counterpart Cuba Libre, serves up the best mojitos in town. It’s good to know that they have now also expanded their wine list for the benefit of us wino-sapiens. Most importantly, they serve really delicious food! I see myself making return visits to further explore the food menu here.

Beerfest Asia 2011

Beerfest Asia is back! Gather a group of booze-minded friends and prepare for a fun night out.

I attended it last year, and the year before, and I want to go again this year. It's like Oktoberfest in summer, only better. So many types of beer, be prepared to be spoilt for choice.

Dates: 16 - 19 June 2011 (Thurs - Sun)
Time: 6pm - 1am (Thurs)/ 6pm - 2am (Fri& Sat)/ 12p-9pm (Sun)
Venue: Marina Promenade
Early bird price: $20 - 28 (depending on day)
Normal price: $32 - 37 (depending on day)

Tips
1. There are discounts if you book with OCBC cards. For the hard-core beer guzzler, there's also the OCBC 4-Day comb ticket at $50. You can buy tickets here. There are limited early bird tickets so hurry.

2. Ticket price includes 2 free beers, remember to redeem! There's a choice of lager, cider, stout, weiss beer, ale and fruit beer available.

3. Additional beers are purchased with tokens. Don't get carried away by buying too much tokens. Although they may be cashed back, there is a 10% charge.

4. The beer list is not out yet but there were a lot of exotic beers we tried last year. Some weren't cheap, so find an adventurous friend to share with you.

Importantly, it'll be a long night, so go easy and try to remember most of it the next day!

Hubers Food & Wine Fair

If you are looking for a place to hang out on weekends, this might be worth checking out. In conjunction with the Straits Wine Company, Huber's Butchery at Dempsey is having an outdoor food and wine fair. Up for sampling are a selection of meats, cheeses and antipasto, with (they say perfect) wine pairings no less.

Wine. Cheese. My two favourite things :)

Event details
Date: 28 - 29th May, Sat & Sun
Time: 9.30am - 6pm
Location: Huber's Butchery, 18A Dempsey Road
Price: $25 (Full access for 1 day, rain or shine)

Get your tickets at Huber's Butchery or the Straits Wine Company.

Ion Sky Bar and Bobby Chinn

I attended the launch party for Discovery's TLC channel on Thursday at Ion Sky. TLC is a lifestyle channel which will replace Discovery Travel & Living and it promises to be "bigger, better and bolder"… featuring new faces, new genres and new places. "TLC celebrates everyday life and special occasions by offering both new perspectives and shared experiences from real-life people in remarkable circumstances."

Ion Sky is located on levels 55 and 56 of the Orchard Residences, the highest point in Orchard Road. The view was fantastic indeed! It was kinda surreal, looking out at the night view, sipping the freely flowing bubbly and eating the delicious canapes (I am so coming back to the Salt Grill for dinner). The highlight of the evening was taking a picture with celebrity chef Bobby Chinn! Justin Quek was there too :)

I thought the event was well planned - the turnout was good and guests were kept well entertained with activities such as a lash bar, caricature drawing and tarot card readings. K and I dressed up and had our photos taken for personalized luggage tags. Lovely freebie evening!

Shakespeare in the Park - Macbeth

Pack a nice picnic basket and make your way to Fort Canning Park this April/May for an evening under the stars and a touch of drama. Shakespeare in the Park returns this year with the story Macbeth. Yes, we are going!

Dates: 28 Apr to 22 May 2011 s
Time: Gates open at 6.30pm and show starts 7.30pm
Price: $38 for advance tickets (up to a day before), $48 for normal tickets.


Tips
1. Arrive early to "chope" a nice spot to lay your picnic mat. Aim for somewhere up the slope for better breeze and unobstructed views.

2. It gets dark by 7.30pm so start your picnic at 6.30pm. Get food that's easy to eat - sandwiches etc.

3. If you don't have time to pack a picnic basket, they sell some food and beverages there too. It'll be pricey though.

"Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn and cauldron bubble."


I had a blast last year's Much Ado about Nothing. I think Macbeth would be even better. See you there!