Dayre

For some time now, I've been neglecting this space of mine.

It's not that I've been busy with the new Dayre where you'd be able to get more constant updates of my life.

But I've been busy with some DIY stuff for the wedding too. More to come on the wedding blog, but in the mean time...

Follow me on Dayre :)

http://dayre.me/shad0wcharm

Dress Up, Perk Up

You know how articles always talk about dressing up to feel good?

That's what I've been doing these days, and I even try to stop wearing slippers everywhere I go. Instead, I learnt to match my outfit with a decent footwear. Just like how I wore my Birken's today.



FYI, this pair of Birken's was bought more than 6 years ago. Can you imagine?!

Anyway, wearing my Birken's made me feel awesome!




Do you feel awesome when you dress up?

Kombi Rocks

I can be easy bribed with food. And I can be easily happy if I get to eat my favorite food or visit somewhere new.

On our way back from The Factory on Monday, we realized that Kombi Rocks was just at the next street!



Famed for its fleet of vintage cars and it's retro looking cafe, we had always wondered if Kombi Rocks was a place from yesteryears.

Even the menu is extra retro.



What I didn't expect from the place that looked like it would serve western crusine, just like Billy Bomers', was its Thai Chinese zi char menu.

Thai Fish Cake - S$4.00

We ordered the recommended Thai Fish cake which won our taste buds over immediately. I had not expected the food to taste good at such theme cafe.

Minced Pork Omelette - S$8.00

Ordered the Minced Pork Omelette too which wasn't my favorite because of the vegetables mixed in the eggs. But it was still surpringly tasty.

Crab Fried Rice - S$12.00

Ordered the Crab Fried Rice which we were convinced to be from a famous zi char stall. The crab meat were even in chunks!

To quench our thirst, we ordered a Steward Float which was good for 2 to share.




KOMBI ROCKS 
66 Yio Chu Kang Road (Behind Serangoon Stadium)

Me Time

Squeezing out some "me-time" amidst bringing grandpa for radiation is essential to keep me sane.

There's no time for facial, so I put my own mask.




But I cannot resist squeezing out some time to fix my nails with the upcoming events the next 2 weeks.



Don't you just love how "bling" my nails look?

I shoot every Food!

Apparently owning a better camera has made me go snap-happy every moment possible.





But tell me, don't the Prata look extra appetizing in these photos taken with my new iPhone 5s?

Radiation . The Factory

It's another battle with cancer for Grandpa.

Mount Elizabeth Radiology Oncology

Thankfully on our 1st visit, I've hubb with me to lend some support.





But there's no better perk-me-up than the promise of food.
Better still, a visit to a cafe we haven't been to:

The Factory is a small cafe located at a rather ulu Lim Tua Tou Road along Upper Serangoon Road.

Thankfully I know my area quite well, so we were able to locate the place in no time.


Nothing fanciful caught my eyes other than the fries with some rather unique dips, which is the cafe's specialty anyway. So I ordered a large fries with 2 artisan dips to share




(Top) Large fries with 2 artisan dips:
- marmite with honey aioli
- spicy melted tomato with chinchalök

I love the marmite when the fries were still fresh out of the kitchen. But the spicy tomato was a little too spicy for me.

Hubb ordered a Hearty Beef Lasagne (bottom) which came with fries and dip.He chose Chilli Crab dip which would have tasted better if served warm. Eat the beef lasagne with the fries, and it is awesome!


Since I wasn't having any mains, thought I try the soup of the day:

Tomato with Spicy Pepperika

It tasted like minestrone but richer. And I loved it!



We also ordered the fruit drink: Lychee, Longan, Giko Berries.




What a way to start the week of Radio Therapy sessions with Grandpa.
Good food just sets everything right, and make me a happy girl!




THE FACTORY
22 Lim Tau Tou Road, Singapore 547772
Tel: +65 6283 7680
Monday to Friday 1pm to 10pm
Saturday and Sunday - 11am to 10pm

iPhone 5s

At last, a new camera for selfies & food porn! 

Lovin' the purple casing. Yes, I love purple!

Wild Honey

Few nights ago, I saw a friend posted the runny egg yolk of the poached eggs from Wild Honey. I drooled.

When I finally had a free afternoon, I dragged Hubby to Wild Honey. Alas, there wasn't a queue.


Wild Honey serves all-day breakfast. Just the type of place for breakfast when though you had just woken up at 12pm. 


I ordered the EUROPEAN since it was the dish that my friend had posted which attracted me there.

European

European is one of the signature dishes at Wild Honey. It is actually eggs Benedict served with 2 perfectly poached eggs, sauteed mushrooms, Italian prosciutto, and home made Hollandaise sauce on signature brioche.

I love the brioche! It is buttery and crispy, and simply out of this world.


Hubb, being the meat-lover, ordered the SPANISH HASH.

Spanish Hash

2 perfectly poached eggs & Hollandaise sauce sits on top of diced Chorizo, house corn beef and potato, complete with grilled ciabatta.

I adore the potato for it's fragrance, but the corn beef reminded me of pet's food. Not something I'd order again.


As usual, for drinks I ordered a Hot Chocolate.

Hot Chocolate

It was a miserable serving, but thankfully there was water served.

Overall, the service there is really infamous. But the brioche is something worth going back for.

Strangers' Reunion

Still on that list of "20 Cafes to Visit in Singapore" by Burpple in my Safari bookmark, we decided to explore yet another a cafe.

Credit: Evonnz

It was a random day out and of all unhealthy food, I was craving for roasted pork belly. (Don't ask me how I can stomach such food without worrying about clogged arteries or whatever health problems. For such food, I die happy.)

That was exactly what I ordered!

Crispy Pork Belly with Truffle Mash - S$24.90

The pork belly was crispy and tender at the same time, with little fats compared to our traditional meat dish. The truffle mash is to die for, since I love truffle.The "Ginger Date Apple and Date Chutney" to the left of the plate was an interesting dip for the pork.

At S$24.90, it was rather pricey tho.

Buttermilk Waffles with Strawberry Maceration and Ice Cream - S$12

Notable for a place with the best waffles, I wasn't too impressed by the waffles. Not doubt that the waffles mix gave the waffles a nice good fluffy look. But it didn't tasted as rich as it looks.

And all the waffles came with fruits. I'd prefer my awesome waffles plain. That's how you enjoy the taste of a good waffles.

Lotus Roots Chips with Spicy Aioli - S$12.90

For this big bowl of Lotus Roots Chips, S$12.90 seem rather worth it until one remember that lotus roots isn't that costly actually. And compared to the one at Ippudo, it isn't as tasty.

But it is a good "light bites" to order and share with friends or even order when you're there alone to read a book.

Magic - S$5.50

One of their signature drink, Magic is really double ristretto and milk.

Not much of a coffee connoisseur, I was left wondering what the Magic was about. 

And the "Magic" is that you couldn't sleep well that night.


Not a place that I'd want to go back unless initiated by friends.



STRANGERS' REUNION
37 Kampong Bahru Rd,  Singapore169356
Tel: +65 6222 4869
Daily 9am - 10pm (Closed on Tuesday)

High - Tea @ WOOBAR, W Hotel

Been wanting to try out the high-tea set at W Hotel for the longest time.

Located in Sentosa Cove, W Hotel is one of the newest hotel to open its doors in Singapore this year. Since then, the "DROP THE T2" high-tea set from it's lounge bar, WOOBAR, had been making waves through the little sunny island.


Eager to bring Mum and Dad to explore Sentosa Cove while showing them the free drive-in access into Sentosa with my Islander Card, I made a date with them since Dad was not working.

Tea menu

The wide selection of TWG Tea is free-flow from 3pm to 5pm. Apart from that, you can choose from a variety of coffee such as the usuals Cappuccino and Lattes.

A variety of sweets

There was even a variety of sweetness for your drink: brown sugar, fine sugar, honey etc.

As the high-tea set was for 2 person, I ordered an extra drink for myself while sharing the set with Mum and Dad.

My choice of drink is always Hot Chocolate.

Hot Chocolate

It is hard to find a place with Hot Chocolate that has the right amount of milk and cocoa powder. And WOOBAR is one place where the Hot Chocolate is just average.


The set was served as soon as the drinks were served. Service was fast.

Getting Sandwiched

From left:

• Grey Shrimp Brioche Classic Cocktail  - just shrimp with sandwich
• Rich Baked Gruyere Tart Thyme Tomato Jelly - tasted like pizza in a tart. I like!
• Smoked Salmon Profiteroles Cream Faiche and Chives - just salmon with sandwich
• Foie Gras Ganache Tart Pot Wine, Gold Leaf - interesting mix of foie gras with pot wine.

Decorative bird cage

From Top:

• Pistachio and Chocolate Macaroons - average tasting macaroons, not the Laduree standard
• Cranberry and Chocolate Scones with Passion Fruit Curd, Clotted Cream - I love scones, I love cream. Not the best, but it was rather nice.
• Metallic W LCM's 
• Chocolate and Coconut Sponge Fresh Cream - reminded me of a cake I had in Gold Coast Australia!
• Passion fruit Meringue (Clotted Cream and Mango) - I still prefer my chocolate marshmallow meringue from Antoinette
• Vanilla Cream Slice Crisp Pastry 
• Baked Custard Tart Cinnamon Dust

Overall, though the high-tea set was rather average, it is worth the price for the free-flow of drinks and the beautiful scenery.



I love bringing my parents out (of Jurong) to "see the world"!

Mum & Dad joining in the cam-whoring!

Details:

The glamorous high-tea experience at WOOBAR happens daily from 3-5pm that features an exquisite selection of Dilmah’ s finest tea and savory delights served up in a silver bird cage with a whimsical touch. Priced at SGD$58++ for two persons (Weekend SGD68++).

Ippudo - Mandarin Gallery

There is not doubt I love IPPUDO so much that I need to go back for some of that ramen, every time possible.

I'm not sure whether is it the high-cholesterol pork lard filled soup that is tastier than my Grandma's own double boiled soup. Or that soft yet bouncy ramen that I cannot get enough of.

Modern Tonkotsu: Akamaru Tamago with seaweed

I had my usual Akamaru with egg, and I couldn't resist adding seaweed. Ippudo didn't used to have seaweed for their ramen previously. It's a new addition with their new menu. And I love how the seaweed taste after soaking in the tasty soup.

Spicy Tonkotsu: Karaka Tamago

Hubby had the spicy ramen, which was also his favourite. I didn't and never tried his ramen before since I don't take spicy. But I'm sure it's good, that's why we keep going back for the same stuff.

Renkon Chips

We also ordered the Renkon Chip, also known as Lotus Roots Chips. The portion has shrunk compared to the previous times we were there. It is another of our must-eat dish as the lotus roots is naturally sweet and tasty, it somehow neutralises the saltiness of the ramen soup.

Teba Gyoza

The tenderness of the chicken made us forgot what this dish is really about, until we reach the filling. It's just another japanese gyoza, except that it's wrapped in chicken.

Not my favourite dish since I hate spring onions. But you'd love it if you love such veggies.



Such hearty meals is always the best way to end the week.
Good food always make us smile!

Cake Spade - Nutella Fudge Crumble

Ever since I spotted the brownies at Cake Spade, I've been wanting to go back to try their chocolate creations.

I'm a huge fan of chocolate and I love brownies, as you would noticed from my frequent cravings for the Warm Brownie with Ice-cream. But when the term "Nutella" comes into the picture, I'd choose Nutella anytime.

  

Nutella Fudge Crumble

 

I literally forgot that I was there for brownie when I lay my eyes on the Nutella Fudge Crumble (S$4.20 for a bar / S$7 with ice-cream).

 

A layer of chocolate fudge and Nutella sandwiched between buttery short crust pastry and crumbs, it was a brilliant way to add Nutella into pastries. The buttery short crust pastry was exceptionally well-done, with just the right amount of butter and the right texture.

 

Adding a scoop of ice-cream was a good way to make the Nutella Fudge Crumble taste less chocolate if you're not a fan of sweets. But overall, the pastry isn't too sweet with or without the ice-cream.

 

 

I'd be heading back soon to try the brownie!

 

 

Cake Spade

1 Tras Link, #01-06, 
Orchid Hotel, Singapore, 
Singapore 078867

Visit their facebook page for more photos!

Halloween 2013

I never had the chance to pub crawl for Halloween before. I never had the chance to dress up for Halloween either. This year, I jumped at the invitation by RR to dress up for Halloween.

Even so, the outfit I had put together for Shawn and I were no frills. Just simple and very comfy to hang out all night if we had to.


We were the INMATES of the State Prison.







Complete with shackles and tattoos, I made sure we had every detail covered. And he even had a hockey mask to hide behind as a psycho killer.


Here are some photos from the night:

Pumping petrol in full costume. We got stares for this!

Psycho drinking "pussy" drinks.(They were the driver for the night.)

Evil FOX was really choking me in this photo!

The Scare team!

Girl fight!

The lights at Clarke Quay added to the scare-factor

With Freddy and Jason

With Slipknot

With PCK and Lone Ranger, we saw them earlier at Alley Bar too!

At Clarke Quay - kenna photobombed.

With our undead friends, they were so amazed that we were able to find the shackles to complete the look.

With the Dictator

With Mona Lisa, who had to abandon her friends because too many people wanted photo with her.

With the Huggies Twins

It was a night of fun with plenty of love for our specially DIY outfit put together for less than S$50 each.

For those who would love to replicate our costume,

Costume Information:

Orange Overalls = S$17
Boon Lay Shopping Centre

"STATE PRISON" wordings on overalls = S$20 for a A4 size wordings or image
Smart Image
Jurong Point #03-127

Shackles = S$9.90
Tattoos = 3 for S$4
V-Force Novelties and Toys Trading (Chinatown outlet)
People's Park Centre #01-37,

Hockey Mask= S$3.95
Khiam Teck Wine Store
265 Holland Avenue (Hollad Village, beside Hatched)