Brussel Sprouts at East Coast

To mark my last day of being 32, I decided to check out the new outlet of Brussel Sprouts at the Playground, East Coast Park. We had earlier tried going there two months ago but it wasn't opened yet. They are one month old and I'm so glad I don't need to travel to Robertson Walk to satisfy my mussel cravings anymore!

It's a lovely location, overlooking the sea and the place has high wooden beam ceilings with a long bar at the corner. Perfect to chill out at on weekends. Service was a tad slow because it's a new outfit but the staff were generally attentive.

Tips

1. A must-order is the mussels in poulette broth (mushrooms, chicken stock, cream, butter, parsley) - it's so good I slurp up every drop while K looks on mildly embarassed. The free-flow fries are soooooo good, we polish off the whole lot and ask for more. I like the salad liegeoise (warm salad with green beans, bacon, onions, potatoes and poached egg) too.

2. Happy hours are daily till 8pm, I heart the leffe beers. They also do mussel promotions on weekdays and weekends.

3. Parking space is aplenty although if you are a beer guzzler I'd advise you not to drive :)

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!

Moo-oose

Not sure if you heard but Abercrombie & Fitch is coming to Singapore!

The brand's second Asian store (after Japan) will be at Knightsbridge (for the suaku amongst us that's the new building in Orchard opposite to Mandarin Gallery) where Topshop's largest flagship store also sits. Personally I love their cute tees and little towel dresses. Shopaholics had better walk down Orchard Road at their own risk haha. Around the corner at Orchard Building, there's also the H&M's flagship store so bring (or don't) your plastic!

Level 33

There is only 1 lift to go up to the 33rd floor of the Marina Bay Financial Centre and a bit of a wait. But once up at the "world's highest urban craft-brewery", the view is awesome.

(pic from is-asia-city.com)

There's nothing quite as surreal as guzzling beer, looking out at a view like that and feeling the (oh man, what a) breeze in your hair. It really helped take the edge off my hard day at work. Clearly I'm not the only one who feels that way because the place was PACKED with thirsty office types.

Purists will like the signature brews on tap - choice of lager, ale and stout. Me, I ordered the House Porter, a mix of stout and ale. It was good, yummy velvety balance of dark beer with a 4.5% alkie buzz. ~$14 a pint during happy hours.

I was hungry and wasn't in the mood for pub grub so I ordered THIS for dinner. Ain't it a beauty? Jumbo prawns, soba in lobster bisque with mango salsa! Admittedly a bit pricey at $39 but oh so good...

I have a craving just thinking about it. Will return for a fix when I feel rich *rubs hands in delight*.

Wine Company @ Sentosa Boardwalk

It was one of the first places in Singapore to bring quality wines at affordable prices to consumers and I'm happy that Wine Company has done well for itself. Many a bottle and cheese platter I have lingered over in the good company of family and friends.

My usual hangout is at Dempsey or Woods, but when I heard that they opened a new outlet at Sentosa Boardwalk, I knew I had to go check it out.

Spot by the water, Mediterranean theme, this outlet definitely stands out from the rest. Luckily, the value-for-money concept still remains. We ordered a nice Fairview shiraz from South Africa (deep red, ripe plum aroma with pepper and some spice, good full finish) - $45, great price.

There's more on the menu in terms of food here. In addition to casual bites, they attempt more serious eats including coq au vin, lambshank and duck confit . We ordered the steamed mussels (just so-so), aglio olio (good - spicy and al dente), the cheese platter (can't go wrong) and tuna steak (favourite - nicely seared, semi-rare and juicy).

Tips

1. Make a reservation for either the indoor window seats or go alfresco if weather permits. You'll get a nice sunset view of the harbour. Also watch out for the buskers and stilt walkers.

2. Sign up for the your wine company card (ywcc). It's $21.40 for a year membership and it entitles you to 10% off all food and drinks, definitely worth the cost.

3. Park at Vivo City and walk to Sentosa Boardwalk. We didn't know and drove in to Sentosa before turning back out.

I hear there's another new outlet at Changi Village. Will be checking that out soon!