As we end this adventure experiment, I therefore conclude that time flies so fast.

It’s been just months ago since I first flew in Singapore. I next thing I knew, I stepped onto Orchard Road’s pavement roads again, sauntering whilst looking for a place to shop.

Initially, I was there mainly for business, although the business part went rocky and bombed. Nonetheless, amidst all the stress that this ditz who’s currently typing away random shite had, I was still able to score a tourist one.

Anyhoo, I’m here to chronicle my happy thoughts, and leave that short period of distress be.

As soon as I landed, I jump-started my day (or rather night) by visiting Clarke Quay again, and ate at the same place again along with an old friend and a new friend. I know, I know, I was feeling nostalgic, hence I almost did the same things I did the last time. I kinda miss the place, or should I say, I kinda miss the “city”. I’ve been living in a province for almost a month, and I guess I’m still amidst adjustment period.

Come second day, I did more interesting things by making a quick visit to Ngee Ann City’s Crystal Jade Ginseng Chicken BBQ (where I ate an expensive but worth-the-bucks lunch), strolled along Orchard Road where I passed by an Art School (which’s one of my future plans), stopped a small garden-slash-park, and finally took a train ride to Marina Bay.

I wasn’t able to visit Marina Bay Sands during my last trip, so I took the opportunity to view the cityscape from the hotel’s Skypark.

But, my main purpose was to watch the awesomest play in the universe (been watching local plays so pardon my sheer ignorance with actual Broadway plays) — Wicked!!!

The best part went to Elphaba levitating whilst singing Defying Gravity. For me, it’s the play’s denouement already! I was immobilised, frozen in pure awe as I watched it. I thought I was going to well out after. ‘Twas that spectacular!

This isn’t the exact play I watched (not a good copy either), but well, you get the picture. It’s way, way awesome when seen by naked eyes. Jemma Rix really rocked the part!

After which, the day ended dining at the same place, Lau Pa Sat, and eating the same food, beef and chicken satay with the best peanut sauce I’ve ever tasted!

Last day came to pass, so I had a quick visit to Sentosa for one more time.

Of course, went straight ahead to Orchard Road for the last time. I need some therapy, you know.

Finally, had my dinner at Crystal Jade La Mien Xiao Long Bao, where I had prolly the best dumplings in the world.

Then straight to Takashimaya where I got assorted Japanese cakes and this: Rokumeikan’s Leaf Pie.

Passed by Kinokuniya, where I got books and magazines. I was a happy bubble after. I don’t have any onsite pics, coz I was busy feasting my eyes on beautiful things.

Last stop was in ION Orchard, where I shopped for some necessary stuff (at least in my honest opinion).

I saw a lot of Pinoys, specially in Sephora. One of them was a cute Pinoy guy who assisted me picking some scents…not until some beki cut in and ruined my moment. Ha-ha, kidding! The beki was helpful naman indeed.

I’ll try posting something semi-specific during my Singaporean trip, but well, I have a feeling it wouldn’t happen soon or ever.

My friends and I were talking about cooking and recipes when I thought about “writing to this blog”.

Dear Blog,

Funny that I stumbled upon you today, after several months of putting you on the back burner. I’ve had enough giving sorry excuses like being on a hiatus, being too busy at work, or forgetting to schedule a typing sesh with my computer. We shouldn’t be dwelling on the past, and should rather care on what’s today which is much more important.

Today’s news is pretty much like yesterday’s. It IS boring. The only difference about doing mostly the same thing everyday is on where it is done. If you’re one of my closest friends, which’s apparently not, you already have a clue where in the world I am right now.

Close to two weeks has passed, since I flew from Manila to Koh Samui. To tell you the truth, I had never known that such place existed on the map, until I got a new job. My friends and I would pretty much talk about Phuket (that resembles Coron, only more expensive to travel to and fro) or Bangkok (for shopping for clothes that People Are People sells at + 500% or more of the actual “net” price. It’s just chismis, so I can’t prove the verity on that), but not Koh Samui. Anyway, I’ve been feeling like Mark Twain. I’m up for a new adventure. Koh Samui isn’t really a bad place n seeking for something to scribe on a new chapter.

Back on the news. Like what I’d been doing in Manila, I’ve been doing it in here. Here I am at home, the bedroom in particular, lying on an enormous bed and staring like a gecko all day long. I remember one time telling to myself that I’d want to be a gecko. I just wanna sit in the middle of nowhere, staring to nothingness and satisfying myself in the process. I usually tell that whenever I’m stressed or burnt out. Weirdly, they’re indeed a lot of geckos around here, doing the same thing as I’ve been doing – playing dead (well, I caught one dead and I was sure of it).

But hey, you don’t call news ”news” if it were just merely mundane monotonies of living. I assure you that I pulled out a few strings and made some measly tweaks on my life.

Unlike my usual Manila Friday night which involves doing the same usual routine (lie in bed, watch stuff and read some fluff – except Murakami’s and Gaiman’s of course), I’ve been going out with my new coworkers for booze, games and fun. Typically tiring, but worth the shot (pun not intended).

I don’t eat lunch on my work desk anymore. I haven’t done it ever since I got here. LOLOL.

I visited a massage parlour last night, and tried the original Thai massage for the first time. ‘Twas really good. The back massage was fair enough, but the leg and feet massages were heavier than usual (which I like).

And then, there’s work. I don’t really discuss about work during idle time. But anyway, work’s been different around here. It requires me to utilize my noggin that’s been almost devoid of neurons and synapses for so many ages.

To sum up my new list of activities (planner, you know how I just love making and jotting down lists), I’m planning to pull off a dish of my own one of these days. I’ve been ordering food to-go, and I know that one day I’ll eventually get tired of it. The day has yet to come to pass, though I feel that it’s pretty close.

I was supposed to post my out-of-the-country sojourns, but yours truly is devoid of time (or pretending to). Anyways, I’m in the middle of changing my course, and this one’s something that I can relate to — on a not-so-enamored level.

Better in Time – Leona Lewis

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Just a segue post. I’m currently hooked on it. It smells so delicious that I really wanna take a chunk out of this dome-shaped lippie. Read more about it here.

Wow, my plans of keeping this blog updated with my Singapore and Kuala Lumpur sojourns have obviously bombed, but I’m doing my best to catch up. I hope my memory serves me right; it’s the only thing that I can really trust whenever I blog something quite late.

Been referred by my lovely co-bloggers, I attended King Chef’s Grand Opening a couple of weeks ago.

King Chef Fine Dining Restaurant is owned by husband and wife tandem Michael and Marites Ang, along with Cantonese Soup Kitchen and King Chef Dimsum Kitchen which are also found in the vicinity.

For someone who does not frequent the place, I must say it’s a hidden sanctuary in Banawe.

I am not particularly accustomed to Cantonese fine dining, being exposed more to the Western side of fine cuisine. I remember the time though when I was a little girl; we regularly ate at this Chinese restaurant called China Pearl sitting within the slew of restaurants in Tomas Morato. Of course, I just know the usual Chinese dishes like sotanghon, chop suey , siomao (dimsum), siopao (pork pao) and pancit among others.

Going back, most of the dishes served were quite new to me. Sophie, who was my seatmate then, introduced me into the world of “Chinese Imperial Feast”. Such gastronomical celebration is common during Chinese weddings and other (perhaps, traditional) festivities.

The ten-course meal was just overwhelming for someone who doesn’t eat a lot (lies ), but then again I didn’t succumb and got to taste everything!

I arrived earlier than the usual, registered, and had my snapshot taken on the makeshift photobooth whilst wearing a crown headpiece (lol). Then, I paced upstairs, and there loomed before me a huge dining area upon reaching the next floor.

I looked for the bloggers’ table, grabbed the nearest seat, and chattered with my seatmates who are food bloggers. It was my first meal of the night. The rain was pouring down intermittently during the day; hence it was a good thing that a cupful of brewed tea was primarily served, along with a platter of Fried Prawn Dumplings (King Chef’s bestseller) and Malaysian Cakes. Due to my churning stomach, I wasn’t able to take pictures of these and gobbled like a monstrous glutton instead.

After minutes of waiting, the feast finally started. Much to my insatiable appetite’s delight, we indulged in Double Boiled Native Chicken Soup which didn’t fail my vapid taste buds. The meat was soft and delectable, reminding me that of Hainanese chicken.

Next was the Cold Cuts Combination. Funny to see a Japanese maki surrounded by Chinese delicacies.

Century egg has never piqued my interest. I completely forgot the details, but it was a childhood nightmare for me. Since then, I never dared trying it. Sophie, however, made me try the shredded jellyfish (salad). It turned out to be really good! It reminds me of Atchara.

The Suahe Tea Leaves was one of the interesting dishes served. The presentation as well as the aroma of green tea leaves caught my attention.

Of course, a Chinese (or any Asian) meal wouldn’t be complete without the rice. Here’s King Chef’s version of Yang Chao Fried Rice.

Loved it to bits! The rice wasn’t oily unlike its run-of-the-mill fast food versions. I was initially planning to scrimp on the rice, but I just couldn’t. It was that damn good!

The King Fish Mango Sauce was really, really yummy! It complimented well with the Yang Chow. The secret ingredient lies within the mango sauce itself.

Along came these huge slices of Imperial Spareribs. I loved the tenderness of the meat, which was really juicy on the inside. The sauce was good as well, although I liked the mango sauce more in terms of uniqueness of taste.

The dishes kept on coming. One of which was the Crab with Sotanghon Hotpot. I’m not a huge fan of sotanghon, but I was just in-love with the flavours. The sotanghon was nicely done as well. I chose not to dig into the crab much though, lest things would end up with a messy affair between me and my plate!

I found these Chicken Fortune Bags too cute that I didn’t wanna break them apart! I got some broccoli to boot, which almost jumped out of my plate (my bad haha[!]).

Saved the best for last with a huge bowl of Herbal Lemongrass with Mixed Fruits. Supping the lemongrass proved to be quite refreshing. The fruit titbits were light enough, so I was able to consume everything in my much smaller bowl.

All in all, it was a scrumptious experience. I ended up with my stomach so full, yet so satisfied! I therefore conclude that binging on Chinese cuisine has never this satisfying! It paved a way for me to re-embrace Asian cuisine in a new light.

So, how about a part two? Or perhaps, share the experience with someone else?

King Chef Fine Dining is located at 987-989 Banawe Street, Quezon City. For reservations, you may contact them via landline at 441-4177.

Thank you to King Chef Fine Dining and Abigail Ang for sharing this one-of-a-kind Cantonese cuisine experience with me.

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H’s friend G, who’s based in Singapore, served as our tour guide during the entire Singaporean trip. She took us to this quaint Japanese place for our late dinner, Tomo Izakaya, since most of the restaurants were already closed that time.

The first thing that attracted me to this place was the marvellous interior. The place had a cosy and relaxing feel like I was actually in some pristine Izakaya bar in Tokyo. I wouldn’t be surprised if they won the CNBC Asia Pacific Property Awards-Interior Design Award back in ‘09.

We’re greeted by this upsized fellow dangling a bottle of sake, which reminds me of Pho [of Kung Fu Panda]. I think this one’s a mole though, isn’t it?

Lovely lanterns. I want something like these in my bedroom.

We chose to sit on the illusory floor platform ala traditional Japanese dining setting. The tricky part is: it had actually a hollow space beneath the table where we could rest our legs, so we could seat upright. Neat, eh?

Dining friends, G & H.

Here’s what we had:

I wasn’t really in the mood for pigging out, so I got a bowlful of Tomo Caesar Salad (SGD 12.50), which didn’t fail my taste buds. Loveeed it to bits!

G got Tanuki Udon (SGD 9.00). It’s an udon noodle soup with tempura crusts.

She also got this Soft Shell Crab Maki/Temaki (SGD 7-10.50) which was made of win! I really, really loved this one. To think, I snatched two pieces from the owner. LOLOL!

H got this fiery hot Curry Nanban Udon (SGD 10.00), which she swore by the spiciness of it.

She also got Tempura Mori (SGD 20.00), which is a mixed variety of ebi and vegetable tempura. We all feasted into this, and it didn’t disappoint like the others.

I got Jikasei Goma Ice Cream (SGD 5.00) for the finale—aka the dessert. Been raving like mad coz this is one of the best-est ice creams I’ve ever tasted to date. I’m so getting this again should I go back to Singapore, which is soon!

All in all, the dishes were quite decent. I won’t hesitate to spend another dinner (or lunch) here, being a Japanese food lover that I am. The restaurant claims that their seafood is freshly flown from the famed Tsukiji Market in Tokyo twice a week, which is kind of awesome!

http://www.tomoizakaya.com/

Other reviews:

Clare Quay Branch

Esplanade Branch

My adventure in Singapore started a few hours after I got off the plane. It had been pre-planned that H (roomie and travel buddy) and I would go to Clarke Quay for our first stop.

Oh, hi there Marina Bay Sands!

Whilst riding a cab, we passed by the Marina Bay. That was the only time we did a flash of a second sight-seeing on the place, since we failed to actually go there.

Sitting by the Singapore River is Clarke Quay which looks magnificent at night. It houses a chain of restaurants, bars and clubs that literally glistens in a variety of iridescent lights; so, expect that nightlife is pretty much active here.

The deadening three-hour flight somewhat desensitised our senses. This gave us an idea of getting some adrenaline rush with G-MAX and G-5. Just a food for thought for the curious: it takes to be flat-out lionhearted in order to fully enjoy and savour the experience. Cliché as it seems; but, no guts, no glory!

G-MAX let us experience bungee jumping in reverse, as it hurled us up into the air bouncing up and down like a ball. Imagine your ride being dribbled as high as 60 metres with a thrilling speed of 200 kilometres per hour. It was a good idea not taking dinner before riding it, lest one of us might just get sick and shower our not-so-blessings to the bunch of spectators below. Apart from the slight whiplash to the neck, it was an exhilarating fun ride [of a lifetime] that I’d want to try over and over again.

Next came the GX-5 Extreme Swing or simply called G5, which fared really well (if not, even better) with G-MAX. If you love riding “anchors away”, then I’m sure you’d love this twice as much. Imagine being rapidly oscillated in midair like a pendulum—only just a 100 metres in distance! I was a bit nervous at first, since I’d been tasked to pull out the lever in order to set us off. Worse is, I had to wait for the green light signal before pulling out and letting go. I would have thought of doing it in advance, which made things a bit more scary. Luckily, all went well, ‘coz I followed the instructions to a tee.

Obviously, we tried both. The combo cost us 60 SGD each. The fun fearless me was ecstatic like a 5-year-old on a sugar rush thereafter, that I almost forgot that my ever-grumbling stomach was churning already. We resolved settling into a Japanese restaurant for our late dinner, which will be my next post.

Excited to know more about G-Max and G-5? Click here.

More Clarke Quay Pics:

Visit http://www.clarkequay.com.sg/ for more info about Clarke Quay.

I’m supposed to blog about my first stop in SG; but due to cerebral cortex functional constraints, I’mma reserve that for later (like tomorrow when I can think much clearer and better).

On a not-so related note, here’s a Deadmau5 remix of Foo Fighter‘s Rope. Deadmau5 is awesome so to speak, and I need my cream cheese as filling for my baked prawns. Yes, I know. Not-so related.