Backdates!

My blogging frequency is becoming more haphazard as I age. Used to blog every now and then, but now, even one entry per week is considered quite good already. Well, I shall update whenever I've the inspiration (and energy!). I bet the remaining little number of readers have long given up on me.



Enough of lamenting, here's what you've missed!





Mid-Autumn Festival 中秋节











Qx & I cleverly waited til the day before mid-autumn festival, went to the mooncakes fair and grabbed those on sale. We got these Bakerzin Assorted Truffle Mini Snow Skin mooncakes at 1-for-1! That's about $50plus for 2 boxes. One for his grandma and one for my family. Even though the mooncakes already weighed a ton, Qx still insisted on searching and buying a huge sweet pomelo for my parents, because he heard that giving pomelos is a gesture of wishing prosperity to the receivers! So sweet right! And he refused to let me help him carry anything. =(







Here's the exquisite mini snowskin mooncakes of 4 different flavours - Brandied Cherry, Rum & Raisin, Pink Champagne, Single Malt Whisky. I look so haggard here after work.







Shayna's 22nd Brunch at Choupinette on a breezy lazy Sunday







Juices to kick-start the brunch.





Me with the pretty Birthday Girl!





Liming & Shayna.



Freshly baked patissiere! Aim to try each and every one one day!



And our brunch arrives!







Liming in her lovely jade dress which I love so much.





And Rachel, the ever bubbly girl!





My poached eggs, which doesn't work for me. Sausage & sauteed mushrooms were delicious though!





Ordered a Raspberry Chocolate for Shayna! Again, it was heavenly. The cake just melts in your mouth.







And of course, group photos!





Liming and Rachel had to go off earlier so Shayna & I went into this cute little yoghurt shop, Sogurt!







If you haven't heard about them, they import special low-fat yoghurt (which tastes just like ice-cream) in many fruity & unique flavours! Check out their dispensing machines! Makes one feel like they've entered a candy land!









It's really simple, just choose a cup of your desired size, dispense your choice(s) of yoghurt flavours (you can mix & match!), add your favourite toppings and pass the cup to the pretty young ladies tending to the shop! Their yoghurt is priced based on the weight.





Here's Shayna with our Sogurt! Yummy!



What I wore: A light maxi dress with cheery striped prints! It came with an attached denim vest but I hate vests, so I snipped the vest off, and voila!







Venues:

Choupinette(to the right of Coronation Plaza)

607 Bukit Timah Road

#01-01

Tel: 6466 0613



Sogurt

617 Bukit Timah Road

S(269718)

Tel: 6468 6940

http://sogurt.com.sg/

From Me to Him

After a month of research, planning and arrangement with the respective service officers, I finally pulled it off. 2 Days & 1 Night of itinenary for him. I'm glad it was a memorable 24th for him. He deserves it. No, he deserves more actually. Alright, shan't say much, here's some of the pictures (a quarter of what we took).





The luxury boutique hotel I chose, after having painstakingly combed the web for reviews and comparisons. Naumi Hotel.





What surprises lie behind this door...?







Suite includes a fully-equipped Kitchenette, Working desk & Lounge area.









Made special arrangments to decorate the room for him!

















Very spacious and luxurious marble bathroom with complimentary Khiel's toiletries. <3<3<3!! href="http://s916.photobucket.com/albums/ad10/DevonP87/Blog%20Photos/?action=view&current=IMG_1172-1-tile.jpg" target="_blank">

Birthday boy had to 'hunt' for his present with the help of hand-written card clues.





Still searching...





And found it!















Garibaldi Italian Restaurant & Bar.



Highly-raved and recommended for their authentic Italian food and impeccable service.













Awesome Focaccia bread with olive & balsimic vinegar dipping.





Some crab-cheese starter tasting complimentary from the kitchen.





Parma Ham with Rock Melon! Our all-time favourite starter.





Roasted Veal with Tuna and Anchovies Sauce





Vegetable Minestrone with Basil Pesto





Our Entrees.



Shell Pasta with Asparagus and Gorgonzola Cheese Sauce





We had the UOB Chef's Special Creation Set for 2, and boy were we full when we reached our Shell Pasta. Pasta, although quite plain, was al-dente with just the right amount of creamy base.





Pork Scaloppini with Tomato Oregano and Capers. Scraped the whole dish even though I was quite full already.





Tiramisu with Homemade Lady-Finger Biscuits, Licorice Scented Mascarpone Cream





Specially designed hazelnut & chocolate gelato dessert, complimentary from the chef for his birthday. Aren't they sweet?!







After some late-night roaming and sight-seeing, we retreated back to our lovely room.











Late-night soak before turning in.





Next morning





Making espresso on the designer-brand Nespresso coffe-maker.





Breakfast was buffet style at the lobby.















More photos of Naumi...



Roof-top bar & Infinity Pool







Elated birthday boy. He said it was one of his most enjoyable and memorable birthday ever. I'm glad.

una cena magnifica

One of the top 50 Restaurants 2009, il Lido (name inspired from Venice's Lido Island), is renowned for its offer of a paranomic view of Singapore's straits. Adhering by that, we requested for al-fresco dining at their viewing outdoor terrace. And boy, this Italian restaurant does live up to its name.



We were there for a dinner a year ago, so yes, this post is a very back-dated one. Everything was perfect; location, food, service, scenery except for one thing, which I shall not be elaborating on. So fast forwarding to the food.

Every table is served with a complimentary basket which consist of thinly sliced crispy toasted bread. One bite, and we knew this was just going to be the beginning of a gastronomical dining experience. I still think about their bread and lament about not having the courage to request for refills. Oh well.

For starters, we had Lobster Bisque Soup and Parma Ham with Rock Melon (no pictures sadly). The saltish ham contrasted by the sweetness of rock melon is a match made in heaven. Love it, not liking the Lobster Bisque soup though.

Andt then we had one of their gourmet pasta and a fish dish. Pictures finally!

Spaghetti with Seafood and White Wine
Never had another plate of better pasta, the linguine was al-dente, not under-cooked (a certain ahh.. Pasta..F..hemmm) nor soggy. Served with limited but precious portions of succulent prawns, scallops, fish and a mussel, we were practically savouring every mouthful.




For fish, we had Pan Roasted Seabass with Broccoli Sprouts and Beetroot Sabayon. Another good choice. Nicely roasted to a crisp, the fish was tender and juicy. I don't usually eat beetroot or any veggies with elaborate foreign names, but this one, I cleaned the whole dish empty.



And an Italian meal isn't one without having their traditional dessert. Yes, tiramisu! I've high expectations of it as they were after-all an Italian restaurant and they didn't fail me, well almost, i could do with a bigger portion. Ha.



We also had a glass of wine each, red for him and sweet white for me. I gave up after a few sips, not because their wine sucked, but because I just cannot appreciate any wines other than Moscato. I know, what a loser.

Total bill came up to about $200 if I remember correctly, for 2 starters, 2 entrees, 1 dessert & 2 wines. If you're thinking about going, I say skip the wine or beverages, and spend the 40 plus bucks on their appetisers or entrees.


il Lido Italian Dining & Lounge Bar is located at:
27 Bukit Manis Road
#02-00 Sentosa Golf Club
Tel: 6866 1977