My Manicure Experience at Kimiyo-G Beauty, Clarke Quay Central

I am a very lazy person so embarrassing as it is, I must admit that I have not pampered my nails for a long while. Recently, for the upcoming pre-wedding photoshoot, I finally had the opportunity to get my nails done at Kimiyo-G Beauty.

Kimiyo-G Beauty specialises in face, body, and nails, and provides holistic services for beauty, health and wellness. They opened their second outlet at Clarke Quay Central two months ago.

It was pretty quiet when I was there, partly because it is a new outlet, and partly because it was a weekday afternoon I guess. The service was rather prompt, and I was served a cup of piping hot green tea while they make the necessary preparations.

I opted for cuticles trimming as well, so the manicurist worked her magic while I browse through the gel colour palette.

I was given this overwhelming palette of colours to choose from, but I have decided on pastel pink prior to the appointment, so it kind of narrowed down my choices by half.

I liked how professional and efficient the manicurist was. Within the hour when I was there, she trimmed my nails, removed excess cuticles, applied three coats of polish, and finished off with moisturiser and a quick hand massage!

And ta-dah! Say hello to my squeaky clean sparkly nails!

Kimiyo-G Beauty

Blk 204 Serangoon Central #01-110 S(550204)

Tel: 62889280

Daily: 1100 to 2100hrs

Public Holidays:1100 to 2000hrs

Clarke Quay Central

6 Eu Tong Sen Street #03-69 S(059817)

Tel: 62215592

Daily: 1100 to 2100hrs

Public Holidays:1100 to 2000hrs

[F&B] Mitsuba by Yurine Japanese Restaurant at Clarke Quay Central

Met up with my girl friends (Jels and Els) last week.

Time passes and we have all changed and chose different paths in life, but one thing never does change... Deep in our hearts, we are still the young crazy and positive girls we were in Secondary School! Meetups with the girls is when we leave behind the unhappiness and worries in the real world of corporate politics and the harshness of reality, and we can talk about everything and anything under the sun.

It is really great to have friendships that you know will last, and people whom you can count on if anything ever happens.

ok, i seemed to have side-tracked.

Another thing we share, is the love for Japanese Cuisine. People have always told me how having Japanese food in Singapore cannot be compared to the real authentic Japanese Cuisine in Japan itself. but hey, I have not been there before (yet), so I have to make do with what I have and look for the best Japanese Cuisine here isnt it?

And speaking of which, I'm setting off for Japan for the first time in my life! *excited* I just hope that the flight experience will be safe and good.

Back to Japanese Cuisine, we decided on Clarke Quay Central's Mitsuba By Yurine Japanese Restaurant. Restaurant was not that big, so we made a reservation beforehand. 

The restaurant was a little too dark for my liking, as evident from the gloomy and shadow-y photos turnout in this post. However, the service crew was really polite and we were served by this really enthusiastic gentleman (we secretly think that we were showered with attention because my friend is pretty). We were quite amused when he switched on the tower fan and directed it at my friend lest it was too warm for "us". 

Besides that overflowing enthusiasm and passion for the customers, the crew was really attentive and made sure that our cups are always filled (except for the last half an hour when they were preparing to close for the day and didn't really bother to do so). We didn't know that warm green tea was complimentary so we were pleasantly surprised when the bill did not include drinks. 

The restaurant provides a 2-pax set dinner at $128++ but the menu was a little vague:

Jels ordered a Sashimi Moriawase (SGD$30), which looked like a small portion, but if you look closer, they are really generous with the sashimi. Each slice is thickly cut, especially the salmon, and it was really filling:

Els had the Haru Chirashi (SGD$28), which came in a bento box. Apparently this is the second time Els is ordering this set. She said that the sashimi is fresh, and it comes with a raw oyster, which was absent in the sashimi moriawase above. The full set looks like this:

I wasn't feeling too hungry that day, plus I just had a sashimi overdose over at Ryoshi Sushi Ikeikemaru (see my post here), so i decided to get a Saba Shioyaki set (SGD$15, SGD$9 for alacarte saba order) instead. The side dish (top right) is cucumber cubes with unagi, something different and refreshing. else, the saba was pretty normal:

The total bill came up to ~$86SGD, so on average we spent around SGD$30 per pax:

Mitsuba by Yurine Japanese Restaurant
6 Eu Tong Sen Street
The Central #03-88
S(059817)
Phone: +65 6227 0388

Restaurant Week 2013: Equinox Restaurant, Swissotel the Stamford

Restaurant Week is here again!

For our first stop in 2013, the man decided to have dinner at Equinox. There were 2 different options for each course, so we chose one of each to sample what they had to offer.

Equinox Restaurant is one of the 6 restaurants located at the Equinox Complex in Swissotel the Stamford. It presents diners with an exquisite Modern European culinary experience coupled with breathtaking views overlooking Singapore's busiest district.

The 3-Course Set Dinner cost $55++ per person and if you are keen to get a table by the window, it will be an additional fee of $20.

For this post, it is a combination of photos taken with my iphone and photos taken with the man's Sony RX100. Dim lights and scenery are just incompatible with the iphone, so the difference will be rather stark.

We figured that being on level 70 of the hotel, we should take this opportunity to witness Singapore's transition from day to night. We reached the restaurant at about 6.30pm, right after work. It was really bright and sunny, so we get to enjoy a day view of our beloved island from our seat:

The meal started off with us being served 2 slabs of butter, salted and seaweed-flavoured, and salt:

The waiter will come by with a basket of freshly baked bread and introduce us to the various bread before asking us to make a choice.

We liked the black olive bread, which was complemented well by the butter. The onion and cheese bread was stronger in taste.

Black Olive bread:

Onion and cheese:

We couldn't resist taking another photo of the breathtaking scenery:

We were also presented with a complimentary appetiser, though sadly I was unable to catch and remember the name of it:

For food pairing, we have separately opened a bottle of Moet & Chandon Rose Imperial for the night at the promotional price of SGD99++.



Pre-dinner Toasting while overlooking scenic Singapore:

After much anticipation, our appetisers arrived. I WAS SOLD (I am an appearance-sort-of-person though i don't exactly look appealing myself).

It was as if you can feel the heart and soul of the chef who has prepared them. The dishes were so sincere and exquisite! The naming of the dishes aren't exactly creative though... it is basically just telling you what's in the dish.

i. Grilled Vegetable Salad, Goat Cheese, Quail Egg, Frisee Lettuce, Horseradish

Special mention to the quail egg, which comes with a beautiful golden runny yolk centre:

After tasting the salad, i must say that grilling has brought out the sweetness of the various vegetables, and the quail egg's yolk was done to perfection. However, the dish in its entirety was not the best salad i have eaten, and appetiser wise, i prefer the tuna tartare (below).

ii. Tuna Tartare, Avocado, Crispy Onion, Soy and Lime Vinaigrette
We love the gorgeous presentation, which makes the food taste even better! The tuna tartare was light, and it was refreshing when paired with avocado:

Another sneak peek at the dimming scenery out there:

As the area turns from a bustling business district to a gorgeous entertainment central, we start our main course:

i. Poached Salmon Fillet, Star Anise Oil, Braised Lettuce, Beetroot Gnocchi, Razor Clam Sauce

It was getting a little too dark to see the dish properly. On the overall, I would not rate this too high, because the star of the main course (salmon) was a little too fishy in my opinion. However, the redeeming factor was that the razor clam was fresh and the braised lettuce and beetroot gnocchi were tastefully done.

[Mental OS] Looking at the presentation, I wonder what has happened to the kokoro ('heart' in Japanese) displayed during the appetisers...



ii. Breast and Thigh of Chicken, Potato Terrine, Morels, Cauliflower, Toasted Almonds, Roasted Onion

I love this, which was much better (in my humble opinion) as compared to the salmon fillet. The potato terrine was well baked, and the chicken paired well with morels.

Next up was desserts!

i. Violet Wild Strawberry, Granite, Almond Sable, Meringue
It was definitely not as sweet as it looked and sounded. It was balanced, and you can experience different textures of the meringue, granite, sable... all intertwined together.

ii. Verbena Apricot, Preserved Blood Peach Jelly, Lemongrass Sorbet
I love the lemongrass sorbet, but i thought that the preserved blood peach jelly and verbena apricot were overly sweet. (actually, at first bite, i thought it was hawthorn and not blood peach *i need to get my tastebuds checked*)

Personally, I think that going to Equinox during restaurant week is very worthwhile, as they maintained their top service quality despite the much lower prices. However, it may be a tad overpriced for the same food quality because there are hits and misses along the way.

If you are running out of dating ideas, why not look out for the next round of restaurant week?

Equinox Restaurant
Swissotel the Stamford
2 Stamford Road
Singapore 178882

Hours:
Brunch on Sunday, 11am - 2.30pm
Lunch on Mon-Sat, 12nn - 2.30pm
High Tea everyday, 3.30pm - 5pm
Dinner everyday, 6.30pm - 10.30pm

Reservations online / phone (68373322) / email (reservations@equinoxcomplex.com)

BBQ Box 串烧工坊 at Bugis, Singapore

BBQ Box serves North-Eastern Chinese barbeque, and it has received raving reviews from the native chinese community here, complimenting them for the authentic food and ambience. 

We went BBQ Box for lunch one day and it was pretty good. Basically all the ingredients seemed to be grilled the same way with the same spices.

Despite that, we love chinese grilled food. When I was in Shanghai, we used to order these mutton/ chicken sticks (imagine satay chinese style) and eat them hot during winter/ spring.

I would recommend ordering chinese tea to go with the food (and to be liberal in asking for refill) as their dishes tend to be (very) oily.

Refillable pot of tea at $6 (Tie-Guanyin):

Sweet Potatoes at $2 (I love these... grilling brings out the sweetness in them):

Assorted meat(chicken, beef, mutton, and pork) at $1 each (Highlight of the day, love it!):

Grilled French Beans at $1:

Grilled Enoki Mushrooms at $1.20:

Grilled Eggplants:

Grilled Scallops (these were good, but slightly overpriced at $5.90):

Grilled Squid (We didn't like this dish. It was average but too overpriced at $16.80 for this standard):

Grilled Pomfret (The fish was tender, and the skin was crisp. Worth the 20 minutes wait for $16.80):

Chinese Dumplings, 10 for $6:

There are 2 outlets in total:

Main Branch at 101/103 Geylang Road, SG (389212)

Reservations 9234-8659

21 Tan Quee Lan Street, SG (188108)

Reservations 6835-7456

Opens 1400-0200hrs daily.

[After-note] This place has officially become my favourite haunt to satisfy my chinese BBQ cravings! Tried a few other places but they were just sub-standard compared to this place.

Review on Nine Thirty by Awfully Chocolate at Esplanade Mall

Late post on nine thirty restaurant...

We went for Singapore Chinese Orchestra's Mostly Gershwin concert, a 'East-meets-West' experimentation with the highly anticipated 'Rhapsody in Blue' and we decided to go to the restaurant after the concert for late dinner cum supper. I can't say we left the restaurant as high-spirited as we did when we enter it.

According to the official website, Ninethirty aims to showcase local heritage dishes in a modern setting, and they have adopted recipes and ideas that are 'testament to Singapore's adventurous melting pot of a food culture'.

The cakes on display, with the name of the restaurant being written out in chinese with cocoa powder:

We love the cakes and chocolates (dur right. with awfully chocolate being famous for their chocolate cakes) and these were what we had:

Mille Crepe Slice:

This was not too sweet, good for people who would love to catch up over desserts and yet have no liking for overly sweet cakes.

White Chocolate Butterscotch Block (i have absolutely no love for butterscotch, but my sis loved it) - $7.50 per 100g:

Super Stacked Chocolate cake - $7.50 per 100g:

The awesomeness packed in a stacked cake bar. With the rich chocolatey flavour filling your mouth as you bite into the soft dessert... PURE BLISS (i just have to type that in caps).

 What's dessert without tea? I prefer TWG tea (for the selection and unique blend), but Gryphon teas are still flavourful and strong:

The disappointment of the day was this. The souffle omelette.

We saw this on the menu and thought that it will taste as good as it sounded. On the contrary, it was a huge disappointment. Perhaps this is when the phrase, 'the higher the expectations, the greater the disappointment' comes in.

The so called souffle omelette was actually just fluffed up egg whites baked into the shape of an omelette it seems. there were grated parmesan cheese in the middle of the omelette (which weren't melted, and hence was just there in bits and it was actually the only taste the omelette had. 

I mean, how much flavour does egg white has right.

The other weird thing was the chicken rice chilli at the side (i think so la, it tasted like it). The chilli did not blend into the dish and it served no purpose in enhancing the taste of the dish.

We painstakingly finished half the dish before surrendering.

My sis had to request for the dish to be cleared off the table because quoting from her, 'she is going to puke soon if she has to look at it anymore'.

 

All in all, Awfully Chocolate should perhaps just stay with selling chocolate cakes and ice cream. I wouldn't recommend people to try their mains (I have heard other reviews about their other dishes).

Ninethirty
Address: 131 East Coast Road S(428816)
Contact: +65-6345-2190
Opening Hours: Mon to Thu: 1200 - 2300hrs, Sat: 0930 - 0100hrs, Sun: 0930 - 2300hrs, Fri and eve of PH: 1200 - 0100hrs

Review: Opening of Laduree ~Fabricant de Douceurs~ in Singapore

Image from Laduree FB Page

Ladurée is a French luxury bakery and sweets maker house created in 1892. It is one of the top premier sellers of macarons in the world. I heard about the crazy queues that formed for this famed bakery when it opened its first store in Ngee Ann City, Singapore.

When I was planning farewell for my colleague, I remembered that she mentioned Laduree's tea collection is on her wishlist. Basically, that sounds like the best excuse for me to convince lazybum me to make a trip down to Laduree.

I went to the counter store on Level 1 of Ngee Ann City and I was captivated.

I am not a sweets person to start with, but the macarons neatly lined up by flavours beckoned. In the heat of the moment, I decided to ignore the fact that the dainty little macarons will cost me more than a plate of chicken rice, or the fact that given my appetite, it will take at least 10 macarons to fill my tummy.

A box of 8 macarons cost SGD$30.40 (the cheapo me did a quick calculation and there is no discount from the individual price of SGD$3.80 per macaron).

From left to right - Pistachio, Salted Caramel, Praline, Orange Blossom, Rose Petal:

Ok, on to the taste.

I asked the lady which flavours are their bestsellers and she recommended: 'vanilla', 'orange blossom', 'rose petal', and 'praline'.
The macarons are one of the best which I have tried so far. Though my sample size is pretty small (I have only tried Bakerzin, Antoinette, TWG), there is a distinct difference that set them apart.

These macarons are crunchy and soft at the same time, and the signature sweetness of macarons spread swiftly within as you bite into them. The rich flavours linger in my mouth and I particularly love their 'vanilla', 'rose petal', and 'praline'. 

The best thing you can have at the particular moment, is a pot of freshly brewed tea.

Speaking of tea, it was supposed to be the main focus of my Laduree trip. We bought the Tea-Tasting set (SGD$63), which consisted of Jardin Bleu Royal, Laduree, and, Marie-Antoinette.

According to the Laduree Official Webpage:
Marie - Antoinette : An dulcet marriage of Chinese black tea combined with rose petals, citrus fruit and honey. An pastoral walk at the « Petit Trianon ». An delicious afternoon tea for a sweet and romantic pause. All the spirit of Ladurée.
Ladurée : An elegant association of Chinese black tea, citrus fruit, flowers, light spices and vanilla. A tasty blending sweet and delicate. Ladurée’s signature.
Thé Jardin Bleu Royal: Non-smoked China and India tea blend with rhubarb and wild strawberry flavours, scattered with cornflower and belianthus petals.

My colleague had yet to tried the tea leaves, hence I am unable to comment much yet. Will update when I have more information.

All in all, it is worth a one-time splurge at the very least.
But wait till I get a chance to try it in Paris, then I will tell you if it is still worth the extra markup for the direct import from Europe. :D

LADURÉE SINGAPORE

Address: Takashimaya S.C., Ngee Ann City #02-09
Tel: +65-6884-7361
Opening hours: 1000hrs - 2130hrs