Dinner at Dazzling Cafe @ Orchard Gateway

277 Orchard Road, #01-12 / 15 Orchard Gateway, Singapore 238858

Tel: 6385 3639

Website: http://dazzlingcafe.sg

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dazzlingcafesg

Having tried Dazzling Cafe at Capitol Piazza before (review here), we decided to head for their newer outlet at Orchard Gateway for dinner.

The decor here is more lavish - at least the racks and carousel of displays. Not sweet horses, but beautiful accessories and mini carousels for sale. The theme is not Tiffany Blue as well - it's pale pink; though the chairs with rabbit ears prevail.

Service was decent enough. We did not like their estimation of time to serve our food though. Ordered mains each, and a dessert to share - we asked the guy how long would oour mains take, and would dessert (toast) be faster. He informed us that serving time for food would be 20 to 30 minutes "because it is crowded now" (there were only about 6 small tables filled btw), and "dessert will definitely be faster", so we said to bring dessert first while we waited for mains. To our utter horror, everything came within 15 minutes together, fighting for space on our tiny tabletop.

Never mind that.

A MountainFresh Fruit Juice started the meal, made up of Grape, Blueberry and Apple Juice. Pretty refreshing, immersed in sweet and sour notes.

The Mentaiko Spaghetti with Cream Sauce (SGD $18.90) was al dente in texture, richly creamed over with bites from the tiny mentaiko grains.

Seared Scallops with Parma Ham (SGD $15.90) was a beautiful composition of bouncy scallops sweet in its naturality, and crispy parma ham slices crackling between the teeth. The palate high was brought down to earth with Cous-cous offering the tiny speckles melting in the mouth, that I so enjoyed.

Finally, Gula Melaka Honey Toast (SGD $18.90), a tall crispy cube of toasted bread topped with ice-cream and buttered bread squares. The smear of melted butter made the toast exceedingly aromatic; sauce were served on the side for us to douse according to our own level of sweet tolerance.

Overall dining experience was not bad; food was palatable and desserts delightful.

Lunch at The Flying Squirrel @ Amoy Street

92 Amoy Street #01-02 Singapore 069911

Tel: 6226 2203

Website: http://www.theflyingsquirrel.com.sg

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theflyingsquirrel.sg

The Flying Squirrel is a hidden treasure in the beart of bustling CBD area,  a hole-in-the-wall Japanese gastrobar restaurant with a side entrance from the alley of Amoy Street shophouses.

Dimly intimate and darkly elegant with a lovely bar counter, the cosy restaurant serves up Japanese-inspired dishes tossed with touches from Melbourne, New York and Singapore. Service was impeccable as well, with thoughtful crew wearing lovely smiles throughout.

I sipped a glass of Chardonnay while browsing their menu, having a hard time deciding what to eat. There were lunch bento sets comprising of sashimi, vegetables or curry; as well as a huge variety of sushi items to choose from (no easy feat!)

Eventually, we made our choices. The beautiful Sashimi Bento Set (SGD$26.00) included a piping bowl of Miso Soup, refreshing Salad, Japanese Rice, Fruits and best of all, good assortment of Sashimi. The platter of raw fish consisted of salmon, white fish, shrimp, tuna and squid etc.

I had the Summer Chirashi Bento Set (SGD$25.00), made up of sashimi-laden bowl with Japanese Rice; served with Miso Soup, Salad and Fresh Fruit.

The raw fish was fresh and firm in texture, bouncing ever so gently upon teeth's clamp. We enjoyed our palatable lunch greatly and would be happy to return for more.

Review on Lancome's Rouge Cream

Guess what's red, creamy and kissable? Lancome's Rouge Cream glides onto the lips like a dream, keeping the wearer and her smile beautiful. 💋

The most interesting part is that you dont open this tube of lipstick by twisting the lid. You simply press the top of the tube to eject the lipstick.

Dinner at Golden Beach Seafood Paradise @ Changi Beach Club (Revisit)

2 Andover Road, level 2, Changi Beach Club, Singapore 509984

Tel: 6542 7720

Website: http://goldenbeachseafood.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Goldenbeachseafoodparadise

Having visited Golden Beach Seafood Restaurant (review here) just on the first weekend in April and dining among the seas, The Beau and I found ourselves back here a week later again, this time with his family.

As his family enjoy seafood, and there were more of us, the items we ordered this time round were notably different.

Service was efficient enough given that it was a very spacious restaurant. We were allocated the exact same table - right before the alfresco area, and surrounded by huge glass panels overlooking the seas.

Started with Crispy Fried Fish Skin, a generous serving so all 8 of us got to enjoy it while waiting for food to be served.

Then we had the Wasabi Mayo Prawns - plump, bouncy prawns coated with wasabi mayonnaise - I felt that it would have been nicer if the wasabi was spicier; currently it was sweet.

Next, a plate of fresh Kai Lan Vegetables stir-fried with dried garlic to give it a hint of flavor.

Then the Peking Duck where they sliced the crispy skin in front of us, and arranged them delicately with cucumber slivers into egg sheets. The remaining flesh was being cut up and served so we could dig in the tender duck meat.

Following that, Spare Ribs, the same that we had the last time here - succulent and sweet, served with Onion Rings on the side.

Bamboo Clams were served next - juicy, silky and tasty, it was all we could do not to slurp up the almost slimy flesh cooked with chopped chilli and garlic and a savoury dark sauce. A small pile of vermicelli (dong fen) sat nestled on the longish shell, soaking up the sauce.

Salted Egg Crabs (SGD $60 per kilogram) meant 2 large fleshy crabs pranced on the plate, thickly coated with rich salted egg yolk sauce.

And finally, Black Pepper Crabs (SGD $60 per kilogram) - 2 large crabs robust with peppery kick of black pepper.

We spent SGD $374.00 for all food items for 7 adults and a kid, quite reasonable given that we had a fair bit of seafood. Everyone enjoyed the meal and ambience so I can see us returning for family gatherings.

Lunch at Wine & Chef @ Telok Ayer

7 Keong Saik Road, Singapore 089115

Tel: 6221 9279

Website: http://www.winenchef.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Winenchef

It was time for our monthly Foodies' gathering, and we decided to try out Wine and Chef located at Keong Saik Road, Telok Ayer area. An interesting and chillax gastrobar with a good selection of wines as well as contemporary fusion food. You haven't heard the best part yet - wines start from SGD$6.00 a glass! Yes, knock yourself out.

Service was excellent with very friendly staff ever ready to make good recommendations. Ambience was easy-going  with no formal dress code. Menu items have changed since our visit in mid 2017 but the selection still looks enticing (yes, sorry for  very delayed review).

We started with Crispy Fries (SGD$6.00) - thick cut with Cajun Spice to add that fiery kick to this starter. Do feel free to ask for the non-spicy version if you prefer.

The Tofu and Century Egg (SGD$8.00) was a heartwarming, delightful starter composed of smooth steamed egg beancurd, century egg pieces, and Pok Cui crackers that crunched deliciously in the mouth.

Next, Curry Pork Knuckle (SGD$20.00) - not your typical German pork knuckle with the crackling skin. This is done more Chinese style - braised to a gentle succulence with a nice curry flavour and Chinese Achar (pickled vegetables) to add on touches of tangy-ness.

Soya Sauce Chicken (SGD$16.00) is half French poulet cooked with five spices, soya sauce and Chinese herbs- bringing out the best of East-meets-West in one single dish. Chicken was very tender and tasty because of the infusion of flavours, making this dish one of our favorites, easily.

Following that, Crab Meat "Hokkien Mee" (SGD$26.00), an "atas" (classy) version of a local classic, comprising springy linguine pasta, saccharine shellfish broth, blue swimmer crab, tiger prawns and crispy pork lard cubes.

Seafood Ciambotta (SGD$38.00) graced the table next,  luscious seafood broth stewed with Hamachi octopus, tiger prawns, Hokkaido sea scallops, mussels, potato cubes, zucchini, tomato and onion. A hearty combination of crustacean goodness that pleased the palate immensely; best served with some baguette to soak up the sweet broth.

Finally, Angus Beef Short Rib & Foie Gras (SGD$42.00), with moistened, tender braised Australian Angus beef short rubs, Royale chives, Burdock and buttery foie gras that melted in the mouth.

Beverages are at an all-time low starting from SGD$3.00 for a cup of Coffee or Hot Chocolate (yes, unbelievable that such prices are available for gastrobars, isn't it?). Their House Wine selection (ranging between SGD$6.00 - SGD$10.00) bear interesting names such as Delightful Sparkles, Refreshing White, Premium White, Elegant Red, Premium Red and Happy Sweet - each name giving a good idea of what the wine is all about.

There are also non-alcoholic grape juice aka "Children's Wine" for the non-alcoholic drinker. So yes, there is something for everyone here.

Overall dining experience at Wine and Chef was very enjoyable, with palatable dishes and good wine to cater to our exploratory nature. This place is definitely highly recommended.

Outfit of the Day - black blouse over silver satin shorts

"I realized that so many clever people respect fashion so much.” – Miuccia Prada 

 On the Hanoi V-spirit cruise at Halong Bay. My black satin roses blouse over silver shorts.

Blouse: Bought in Hong Kong
Shorts: Bought in Hong Kong
Bag: Guess

Beauty Review: NotS 28 Remedy Repair Cream

NotS 28 Remedy Repair Cream (SGD$126.00) - functional ingredients such as Neem Tree Extract and Nopal Cactus Extract effectively revitalize, promote skin repair, smooth acne scars and supply nutrition. .

Cooling on skin when applied, this cream heals skin effectively and also has anti-wrinkle properties. I love it and am glad to have discovered it.

Review on Winter Floral Collection by Floral Garage [Sponsored]

Winter Sonata

Floral Garage Singapore

Address:  756 Upper Serangoon Road #03-34 Singapore 534626

Tel: 9387 8871 / 6282 2813

Website: https://floralgaragesg.com/winter-collection-2017

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FloralGarageSG

Cones and Cotton

Christmas Efflorescence

In my previous post reviewing Floral Garage's flower basket (review here), I also made a brief introduction about their gorgeous Winter Collection.

Dreams have come true and I now have their beautiful 30cm Christmas Wreath (SGD$76.90) around my house, made from real Christmas pine for that lovely scent, adorned with gold and white for that festive look. Feel free to add decor such as red poinsettias, tiny bells or greeting boards to further enhance this beauty.

Other Winter Bouquets:

• Christmas Efflorescence (SGD$130.00 - SGD$147.00) - flurry cottons and thin leaves foliage; option of vase may be included.
• Winter Cones (SGD$54.00) - coney, fluffy and long lasting.
• Cones and Cotton (SGD$99.90) - cottony, coney with dried flowers arranged into a sphere; long lasting and comes in a pretty vase for display.
• Winter Silverbells (SGD$72.90 - SGD$87.90) - fluffy cotton with Silver Brunia balls; choice of different wrapper available
• Winter Sonata (SGD$126.90 - SGD$141.90) - cottony, Silver Brunia balls and mixture of dazzling Christmas decor.

There are very attractive discounts for the Winter Collection right now so do check them out for your Christmas and New Year's orders.

Winter Cones

Winter Silverbells

To recap, Floral Garage provides premium flower delivery service in Singapore, specializing in same-day delivery so feel free to entrust your urgent orders to them. They also have a wide selection of products and flowers, including bouquets, gift baskets, hampers and party supplies etc. They are so far the florist with most reliable and excellent service I have used. Drop them a visit right here.

Thank you Floral Garage for the gorgeous Christmas Wreaths!