Monday, July 29, 2013

Cupcakes :)

Over the weekend,
we made a reservation at Vienna International Seafood buffet to celebrate daddy's birthday.
3 years ago, we had celebrated his birthday here as well,
and it somehow made a lasting impression on him.
For the past 2 years, we had brought him to have crabs at House of Seafood,
and International buffet at Fullerton Hotel.
But somehow, he didn't remember enjoying them as much as he did at Vienna.
So yea, after these 2 years, we are back to Vienna.

I took pathetically few photos of the food,
 cuz honestly they are nothing to rave about.
There was the normal seafood - Prawns and Crayfish were fresh enough.
The crabs weren't though. There was this mushy texture that I didn't like.
The cheese-baked crayfish was pretty nice,
just that the mayonaise on top was a tad too sweet.

I'm not sure if it's because I have eaten at way too many buffets in the past 2 years..
but coming back to Vienna was a big mistake for me.
It felt like a huge letdown :(
I still remember 3 years ago, when I first ate at Vienna,
I walked out totally impressed and satiated.
But on Sat, I was really disappointed. 

To be fair to them, the fried durian mochi which they had was good.
Perhaps my tastebuds had gotten more picky after being exposed to superb quality buffets previously :x

Decided to camwhore while waiting for the rest to take their food
Finished the dinner around 8pm.
The bill came up to about $370 in total for 5 ($44.80++ per person)
Don't think I will ever come back to Vienna's again.
It was sardine-packed with people, with everyone jostling around to get the best food items.
I think Vienna is trying to fit too many people within its premise to get more business.
There were a few times when I was so fearful that my plate of food will get knocked over by the crowd.
Yes, there were many children running around, and, many of them are our chinese foreigners. 

For those who are still interested:
Vienna International Seafood and Teppanyaki Restaurant
101 Thomson Road #B1-01
United Square
Singapore 307591

One last vainpot shot of myself.
Top from Bysi, skorts from Lovebonito, Silver bag from Zara, Pumps from Aldo

It was MJ for the rest of the night.
I was so lucky to get an animal farm straight from the first cut of my tiles!


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Started Sunday early.
Wearing the Fairebelle Laser Cut Romper :)
Love how the romper fits me nicely without having to make any alterations.
Went for a niece's first month luncheon, before going for my fondant cupcake making class.
It was super fun :D

Opps, the bride fondant can't really be seen.
It's real pretty actually, with a floral imprinted bustier design. 

Here's the completed box of 6 cupcakes.
The lashes are so cute right :)
Fondant cupcakes look very pretty, but it's all sugar paste.
I will try to make the layers thinner in future,
so people won't get a sugar overdose from all the paste.


That's all folks!
If you are keen to have wedding cupcakes for your wedding,
I'll be happy to do them for you.
Drop me an email :)
My preference is for the left column; the modern version ;)
hehe.

Saturday, July 27, 2013

Living the baking dream

 Living the baking dream. :Baking macarons: dream, that is.
More on that later.
But yes, I've been periodically baking them again.
Tried my hand at a strawberry cream cheese ganache.
It turned out rather mushy, much to my dismay.
It barely makes the mark, but it's much better after being left in the fridge for a few hours.
I threw away my first batch of strawberry buttercream as it turned out way too runny for use.
Will keep trying till I nail the perfect strawberry flavor.
My ideal strawberry ganache is of a soft fluffy buttercream with the sweet citrusly scent of strawberries. yum.
The one thing about macaron is that there is endless possibilities,
and there are so manyyy flavours out there waiting for me to explore.
How I wish I have more time to bake.

 Did the rose pink brush stroke to differentiate the pink macarons as well.
The effect turned out pretty well, just that I have to let them air dry for a bit.
Macarons are pretty little things,
and I love how a little pattern makes the whole macaron even more brighter looking.

 The completed macaron order.
I totally adore the white macaron packaging.
But the price is too steep for me to continue using them.
I've found an alternative from Phoon Huat,
but they are kind of too long for my liking.
Oh well, the strugge of aesthetically pleasing vs good economical sense.
I guess at the end of the day,
people will toss away the packaging without a second thought,
so yea, I guess I'll go for good economical sense in this case.

 Early grey shells out of the oven
The deep bergamot scent filled up the entire kitchen.
One of my favorite flavors in the whole wide world.
Earl grey soya milk, milk tea, macarons, cupcakes..
Then again, it's not an easy taste to bring out.
I had to steep the earl grey in the whipping cream overnight for the chocolate ganache.

 Rose pink brush strokes

Had did this order for a dear colleague, and for Ainsley's family.
Glad her family enjoyed them!



Mm.. back to the point on the baking dream,
I think most people who know me will associate me with macarons.
Even my office's intern thinks so.
The top left one (the one with macarons in hand) is me.
haha. speaking of which, I think we have really talented interns!
Many of them have designed similar items for us, mostly with our unique characteristics.
I still remember my very first one was of me with my favorite hershey cushion.
I guess I grew out of hugging the soft hershey cushion after a while.
So now, I'm associated with macarons.
Can't really escape the association when I bring macarons on such a frequent basis to office. heh.

Well, that's in fact, not a bad thing.
I'm happy and proud to be able to bake, well, macarons.
And I do like to share the fruits of my labour with people around me.

That being said, when I tell people I bake,
the first reaction illicited would mostly be
"You're very free is it!?"
Such disparaging remarks do deal blows, yet I have to put up a front,
and feel obliged to explain why I have time to bake.

I'm trying not to go into a senseless rant here,
so in keeping it short, here's my thoughts:
I commit the same number of hours as any typical Singapore employee does,
and I do have a portfolio under my belt.
Just as resting is second nature to you when you reach home,
baking is second nature to me when I hit home.
Perhaps that is exaggeration to a certain point,
but I look forward to baking whenever I have some time at hand.
I take less than 2 hours to bake certain items,
and yes, I sleep at midnight as well too, in case you're wondering.
Rather than spending time surfing 9gag, facebook, videos online when I reach home,
I bake.
As simple as that.
Don't judge me simply because I choose to spend my time in a different manner.

On a lighter note, there are family, friends and colleagues who have been very encouraging :)
I guess it's easier to focus on the negative than the positive.
In the future, there will still be people who will pass insensitive remarks,
but I will just think of the people who have been encouraging and kind;
the people who matter.

Ok, enough of ranting ;)
Here's a funny photo of the doggie with me.
Dear Monkey (the doggie) doesn't like to take photos.
She's the kind that will strut away if you point a camera at her.
So here's her looking all pitiful and sad :(


 I even have to tug her back halfway when she tried to walk away. haha.

Finally a happy photo of her!


Ayt, have a lovely weekend people!

Monday, July 22, 2013

Weekend ♥

Had a rather fruitful weekend,
and I'm back to recommend some places to hang out :))

After hearing so many reviews on La Cantina in Venezia located at Changi Village hotel,
we decided to head there for dinner on saturday.
Was quite looking forward to the trip, esp the part on the Crabmeat linguine.
Here's the rooftop view which greeted us when we stepped out from the lift.

Actually, the hotel's pool is just next to us.
It's kinda weird cuz this means the pool is open to the public as well?
I wouldn't mind having a staycation here though!
The pool is kind of small, but it's an infinity pool after all ;)
But currently, it's overlooking.. erm.. construction cranes..
cuz there are some works ongoing.
Will kiv till the view's cleared.

oh, my outfit's from ASOS.
Got it for 50% off during its sales. heh. 
Heels are from our local brand C&K.
Was so happy to snag the last pair in size 35 :)

Here's the view from my seat.
See those sparkly lights there?
Yup, that's the pool area.
Shane's seat overlooks the sea,
but the lighting wasn't very good,
so I didn't post up the photo :x



For starters, we went ahead with the Parma ham with melon ($19.90),
and the mushroom cream soup ($10.90, i think).
We were quite disappointed with the quality.
The parma ham had this very distinct raw meat taste.
I can't really put it to words,
but it wasn't too appetitizing.
The mushroom soup was.. well.. normal.
The complimentary bread which came with the meal was much better though.


Here's the crabmeat linguine which I ordered ($29.90).
It was indeed divine.
Cream overload, with huge chunks of crabmeat tossed in.
The crabmeat was fresh and succulent.
The cream sauce was really special too.
Could taste a tinge of egg in it.
This dish was really the saving grace for the meal.
Shane had ordered the Al funghi pasta I think,
and it wasn't anything near fantastic.

Overall, I paid about $120 for the meal.
Would I come back again?
I guess probably not.
The ambience is perfect, but the service was slow,
and food qaulity wasn't quite up to expectation.

La Cantina in Venezia
Changi Village Hotel, 1 Netheravon Road
#08/09-02, Singapore 508502


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Started sunday bright and early at Pasar Bella!
Located at the former Turf City in Bukit Timah,
this place is a lovely tuckaway from the hustle and bustle of the nearby Orchard road.


The directory of stalls.
Can't really find familiar names of usual brands.
Thumbs up to that.

Pictures below show the Japanese stall that you'd see upon stepping into Pasar Bella.
Apparently, it's the must-try when eating at Pasar Bella.
But we weren't too inclined towards seafood for the morning.
So yea, we skipped that.








As you can tell, I was having loads of fun at camwhoring. lol.
There were many stalls there selling fresh organic produce, pastries,
wine, beer, cookies, vintage furniture etc.
It felt like I stepped into an european market of sorts :)
And the prices weren't too steep too.
Managed to score these half dozen cookies from "Cookies from Sid" at $7.80.

Don't they look too pretty to be eaten?
After all the camwhoring and shopping, we headed to omakase burger for lunch.
Saw many friends posted their meals from here,
so I couldn't resist the urge to go in and try their food too as well.







Had ordered the Ultimate burger,
along with truffle fries to share,
plus root beer floats each.
The beef burger was very tender and flavorful.
The combination of beef patty, bacon, cheese seldom go wrong.
But the truffle fries were serioulsy overfried.
Could feel the oil bursting into my mouth as I bite into each fry.
The truffles taste was pretty nice though.
I'm a fan of crispy fries actually, but this version of it was an overkill.
Shane thought the supposedly upsized burger to be too tiny.
hence, the skeptical face. lol!

Finally smiling :)

With that meal, we ended the trip to Pasar Bella.
I should be popping by soon to try the Japanese seafood :D

PasarBella
at The Grandstand Bukit Timah Singapore
200 Turf Club Road Singapore 287994


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Ended my sunday with baking macarons (again!)
Haven't baked them for quite some time.
The baking craze kind of died down after I stopped being overstressed at work. haha.
Nevertheless, I always welcome the lovely scent of baked macarons in my kitchen :)
Here's the earl grey macarons order for my colleague



Till the next, hope you'll all have a lovely week ahead.