Shunjuu Izakaya

Shunjuu is one of my favorite jap restaurants. The yakitori items (chicken meatballs, rolled beef with cheese) are pretty good, thought I gotta be honest that Kazu is better. What keeps me going back is the sashimi salad and the century egg tofu. Yums. And, the location. I just lurve hanging out at the Robertson Walk area - super chill vibes.

For the month of October, there's another reason to visit Shunjuu - SHOCHU 1-FOR-1 Promotion!! It's a pretty sweet deal, I paid $75 for these two bottles of 750ml shochu. And if you can't finish two bottles in one go, they allow you to store the unfinished bottles with them for up to 3 months.

Wait for 3 months? Never! I plan to go back very soon to finish up muhahaha.

We Love Air

I am in love with the furniture at AIR. We love AIR is right - I feel so tempted to buy everything in the store!

AIR is having a sale this GSS and the timing couldn’t be better for me. I’m looking to buy a sofa for the new flat. Gorgeous the wares at AIR are, but pricey too. The 25% discount during the GSS definitely makes it more affordable for a mere mortal like me. Not that $2k for a sofa is cheap. But trust me, after hours prowling the likes of Furniture Mall and looking at ugly and not-that-cheap-either things, AIR is really a breath of fresh air. Unique, modern, quality designs!

It’s been a long-drawn process but I finally found the dream sofa. 3 expeditions to the Wilkie flagship store before I made my decision. Thanks NDee for sitting on so many sofas with me. Thanks K for getting me the additional 5% discount which sweetened the deal.

Yay, I’m having my NUBAR 3-seater customized in fabric – the loveliest shade of my favourite colour green and quality water repellent for easy maintenance. It’ll take 5-6 weeks. I can’t wait to see it sitting pretty in my living room *big smile*.

Brawn Steakhouse

I'm a sucker for deals, I am. Brawn is a new steakhouse at Marina Bay Financial Centre which I had walked past a few times and thought looked nice. When I heard about the 1-for-1 Dinner Special with DBS Cards, I immediately grabbed some friends to go check the place out.

The deal was sweet. Free flow of lamb and beef from the spit roast, salads, pita bread, hand cut fries and Charlotte Street Red or White wine at $88++ per set ($50 per pax). Available till 31 July on Mondays-Wednesdays and Saturday (working area no crowd?).

So there we were, on a Saturday night, fine dining (some sort). Ambience was nice and service was attentive - plus. The food itself was just so-so. The cuts of meats were a tad fatty and inconsistently cooked, there were some nice medium rare slices and then there were the dry overcooked slices. Overall, the beef was better than the lamb and I suppose for the price I can't complain. I have to commend the choice of house white and red wine, quite palatable and so we kept topping up haha.

Would I return? Hmm maybe, just to enjoy the deal again before it expires. I wonder if the ala carte meats are cooked with greater care. If not, I will not pay full price to eat here.

Starbucks Promotion

I love the frappuccinos from Starbucks but at $6 a pop they cannot be a daily affair. They are also sugar-laden and that can't be good for me. So imagine my happiness when I heard about this promotion.

As part of their launch of the However-You-Want-It Frappuccino, Starbucks will holding Happy Hour event from 16th to 20th May 2011, 3pm to 5pm, at all their outlets. Customers can enjoy their personalized Frappuccino for half price.

Shangri-La Hotel's Big 40

It just gets better and better. First, it was 38% discount off total bill, to celebrate their 38th anniversary. Then, it was 39% discount, to celebrate the 39th anniversary. This year is the 40 大寿 so from now till 31st July 2011, Shangri-La Hotel is offering 40% discount! It's true what they say, that life just gets better as you grow older hurhur.

The discount applies to The Line, Shang Palace, Nadaman, The Rose Veranda and BLU, for a maximum of 8 persons. Reservations can be made up to 40 days in advance and only online at http://dine.slsrewards.com.sg/.

Tips

1. I managed to snag a booking for 5 pax at the Line’s Thursday Seafood buffet last year and it was a fantastic deal. Originally $88++, each of us ended up paying only $63 nett – for copious amounts of fresh lobsters, oysters, prawns, crab (you get the idea) AND best of all, free flow of house wines, beer and juices! The free flow of booze only applies on Thursdays though so plan your reservation ahead of time.

2. My next target is to use the promotion to check out the degustation “Experience Menu” at BLU (original price $148++ per pax). I can’t wait! 6 courses left to the imagination of Chef Kevin Cherkas - previously from Lafite in KL, and stints at 3-Michelin stars Arzak and El Bulli. Woohoo – the gym can wait haha.

Miss Read-a-lot

One of my new year resolutions for 2011 is to "read voraciously". Besides LKY's Hard Truths (which I will be reviewing soon), my list of books to read include many classics such as Wuthering Heights, the Great Gatsby etc. I don't like borrowing books from the library because I don't like the smell of the old books (sorry, a bit spoilt here). Buying the books would typically be expensive, but thankfully, I found this series of books from Penguin Books. I bought 10 (!!!) titles from Kinokuniya and average price was between $6-7 - SWEET. "Good quality contemporary fiction should be made available at an attractive price and sold not just in traditional bookshops, but also in railway stations, tobacconists and chain stores." Hear hear! It's time we all extol the joy of reading as a way of life. Even though the iPad is about the coolest gadget out there now and I'm lusting after one myself, nothing beats the pleasure of burying one's nose in a good book.

Affordable Morton's

Last June, I checked out Morton's Steak and Seafood Combo and walked away a very happy girl. Guess what... the offer is now back. Until March 31st so hurry!


Same deal: $95++ gets you the following:

First Course:Caesar Salad or Morton's Salad
Second Course:Single Cut Filet
Seafood side: (select one) Broiled Sea Scallops, Colossal Shrimp Alexander or Jumbo Lump Crab Cake
Vegetable side: (select one) Signature Potato or Fresh Vegetable

Tips
1. Go with a friend and upsize the steak to a double cut for $15 more. Share everything else.

2. Go easy on the onion loaf, I know it's hard to resist. Doggy back the remaining and toast it the next day with some garlic butter - heaven!

3. $60 corkage is a killer and wines by bottles are expensive. Order by the glass. $20++ per glass is still pricey but they are generous so yay.

4. Save some space and order a Chocolate Martini from the bar. Best dessert ever.

Essensuals at Bugis

It's time for a haircut but I'm a bit cash strapped after paying for my flat. What to do? Let my hair go untamed? Luckily for me, I found this precious little salon which offers great hairdressing services at amazingly affordable prices.

Essensuals is located at Bugis Village, directly above Burger King (enter from the staircase by the side). I liked the space the moment I walked into it - modern, clean with lots of natural lighting - always puts me in a relaxed mood.

Service was warm and welcoming. The stylist Gina patiently discussed the hair style I wanted with me after I announced I wanted the Haircut, Blowdry and Treatment option at $50 nett (!!!) option. Check out the other fab deals they offer.

First, the hair wash. I was impressed when the shampoo boy (sorry, for lack of a better term) asked if I preferred cold or warm water. It was an unhurried relaxing 10 minute wash at the sink. Next, they did the 20 minute hair treatment using this impressive looking steam/heating contraption. Finally, the haircut - to Gina's credit, she understood my anxiety at cutting bangs and suggested a "progressive approach". Oops, difficult customer I am. She just earned for herself a returning customer. At these prices, I am tempted to get some khaki highlights soon.

Au Petit Salut

There are many great value-for-money set lunches in town and I am on a mission to check out all of them. The problem is that I work in Shenton Way and the furthest I'd stretch lunchtime is two hours (boss, are you reading this?). Lunch beyond the radius of Tanjong Pagar/Raffles Place/ City Hall will be a tad rushed on weekdays.

Restaurants that offer their weekday lunch deals even on Saturdays are a godsend , and Au Petit Salut is a gem. The 3 course set lunch at $30++ is really a great deal. Comes with coffee or tea too.




My choices for the set was a salad as appetizer, braised beef cheeks as the main, and for dessert, the chocolate choux bun with vanilla ice cream. Well-researched choices, if I dare say so myself.



Good quality ingredients, delightful taste and generous servings. I liked the relaxed ambience of the restaurant. An ideal venue for a leisurely lunch on a Saturday afternoon.