by joanna on July 21, 2010
If you are looking for custom made women’s clothing in Singapore, now is the time!
Our regular readers will remember my experience at Cayen where I recently had some clothing custom made. Since moving to Asia, I have struggled for years to find clothing that actually fits. I am not big by American standards (size 10/12), but by Asian standards where the largest size is often an 8, I had pretty much given up shopping. Until I found Cayen. So I am excited to tell you about a special offer that Cayen is running now – the Cayen Carousel. For a limited time, some of their designs are available at a very special price.
Here’s how it works – every week Cayen will be announcing a special offer, the Carousel offer. The offer lasts for one week only and is for a specific design in selected fabrics and at a special price, only be available on the Carousel. [keep reading…]
by joanna on July 10, 2010
South Asian meets European at this Rochester Park Hideaway
We’d kept hearing about Krish, the newest dining experience in Rochester Park. There had been a lot of buzz about the South Asian / Indian fusion cuisine. We didn’t actually know anyone who had tried it yet but after the 3rd person asked for our opinion and if we had been yet, we decided it was high time to make the trek over to Rochester Park. [keep reading…]
We really liked out dinner at Spruce. So we were excited to see they offer brunch… and not just your normal “let’s try and do a brunch to drum up sales/get rid of old product” brunch. The menu at Spruce looked to be a proper, well-thought out brunch. All the favorites, with a slight twist… just like the great dinner entrees we’d already had. As soon as we could line up all the brunch crew, we were off to see if it lived up to our expectations.
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It’s safe to say there’s a bit of animosity in Texas towards the French. I have no idea why or how it started, but some folks, particularly Texas males, find the whole concept of France… too French. Thankfully I’ve left home and experienced the wonderful culinary traditions of France and no longer share in my hometown scorn. As a kid growing up, you hear about the snails, the exploded duck liver, the rich sauces. For some reason the simplest of French cuisine never found it’s way to our ears. If there’s one concept though that could unite these two varied peoples…. it’s Steak Frites. There’s nothing more Texan than a steakhouse, and add all you can eat fries to the mix and you have a winning combo in my book.
In Singapore we have Les Bouchons. And it’s lovely in it’s simplicity. Could easy make a francophile of the staunchest red-blooded hillbilly 
[keep reading…]
by joanna on June 13, 2010
Tasty and cheap – Filipino Street Food in Singapore
Our Filipino friends, Monica and Lyan, are often part of our dining and brunch crew here in Singapore. We also lived in Bangkok together, have eaten countless meals together in Spore, traveled to Vietnam and so suffice it to say, we have similar tastes in food and travel and such. So when a passionate conversation about all things pork ensued one day over brunch, Lyan said that we must, must, must try some truly authentic Filipino pork in Singapore. It didn’t take much convincing…calendars were consulted and it was agreed that a few days later we would see what this Filipino pork was all about [keep reading…]
I’m not yet ready to add my voice to the heated online debate being waged over Tippling Club here in Singapore. I’ll do a full-on food review soon, but for now I’d like to focus on the drinks… because one, I don’t think we have enough drink coverage on the site and I’d like to start changing that. And two, the drinks here are damn good.
[keep reading…]
Hey all,
As I get closer to writing up my full Singapore burger round up, I thought I’d do a quick post with some of my favorites to date. I’m still welcoming suggestions for out of the way / smaller / not in the city center burger locations to have the full guide be as comprehensive as possible. In the meantime I give you three places that really surprised me with their burger offerings.
[keep reading…]
Hey all,
The S.Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2010 results are in and it’s good news for Singapore. My personal favorite, Iggy’s, climbs up 17 spots to number 28! The meal I had there was truly something special (so much so I’m now attending Iggy’s alma mater, SHATEC)… and while it’s not for everyone, I don’t think anyone can deny that what’s going on in that kitchen is moving the food world forward.
A new entry to the list for Singapore is Jaan Par Andre. I first heard of this restaurant and it’s young, Singaporean chef via Chubby Hubby. I’ve yet to visit, but it’s on my high-end shortlist. I’d try and get in quick though, because I’ve read the now hot chef is in talks to start a new restaurant. If this is true, I’d like to eat here before his attention is divided.
But wait, there’s two more Singapore spots on the list… not top 50, but at least top 100. Another of our favorites, Gunther’s, makes the list at 84. And the restaurant that seems to be the touchstone for Singapore fine dining, Les Amis comes in at 78. I don’t think you can read about any talented Singapore based chef and not see at least one Les Amis group restaurant on their resume.
So that’s a total of 4 restaurants in the top 100. Not too shabby, considering the size of the country… I mean that’s tied with massive Russia and one more than Japan. On a side rant, that’s my major gripe with this list… Having eaten in Japan, and not even at all the top places, I really don’t believe Japan is getting it’s due as even the not super top meals in Tokyo were on par with some on the list. There are more 3 Michelin-Star restaurants in Tokyo than Paris and so I really believe there are some great restaurants getting overlooked.
Congrats to Singapore though and Iggy’s in particular. I look forward to eating at Jaan Par Andre and Les Amis in the near future and hopefully working in one of these kitchens at the end of my year stint at SHATEC
Paul
by Paul on April 20, 2010
Anyone who knows me knows how much I love a good joke. At the risk of alienating some readers, I’ll come clean and admit that engrish is one of my favorite types of jokes. Living in Asia I get to witness some pretty epic engrish firsthand, as one might imagine. So from time to time I’m going to throw up a picture or two from random things we see around Asia that make us laugh. Hopefully they’ll make you laugh too.
The first one of these posts is from a food court nearby my culinary school in Singapore. The menu is full of little things that make me laugh… but nothing as much as their fish and chips plating…. now that’s branding!
Being from Texas I particularly appreciate the “Cowboy Meet”. I loved grilling up some “meets” with my friends on a warm summer’s day. I haven’t ordered it yet, but it’s hard to pass up a 12.80 “air flown” ribeye steak. Don’t know if that means imported or if it’s like how “grass-fed” next to the steak means it lived eating grass instead of corn products. Maybe “air flown” means the cows flew around in planes?
The food isn’t “bad” for the money. It’s no match for the wonderful black pepper chicken being served up a couple stalls down, but somehow it does manage to fill my need for crappy western food… think mash up of food served at a sport’s stadium and college stoner food (chicken chop with generic mushroom sauce and covered in cheap Velveeta type cheese). And as I’m the only Ang Mo (white devil) at my school and this food court, I guess this restaurant is for me. Thanks Mr Western for reminding me just how bad our international food reputation really is 
Paul
by Paul on April 15, 2010
Any chef that can have me actually dreaming of eating crocodile again is a chef of note in my book. Hong Kong Chef Liu Ching Hai of Summer Palace in the Regent Hotel is that chef. You might remember our recent review of Summer Palace. We were treated to a special Sunday lunch of traditional Asian dishes and ones with a more modern twist… every dish as tasty as the next. After the meal we were gifted another treat – a chance to sit down and talk (via translator) to Chef Liu about his life & approach to food… and we even got a signature recipe!
[keep reading…]
