When I first tasted Ippudo ramen in NYC, I literally went OMG. To taste ramen similar to that in Japan outside of Japan, is quite a big deal. It was so good that I wanted to re-visit the place again. So when I found out that Ippudo was hitting Singapore, I was completely excited.
We made 4 disappointing trips to the store. It was supposed to be opened but it was still closed. The second time, it was still closed. The third time, it was closed for lunch because it was a soft launch for dinner that day. Then on the fourth trip (after I had recommended it to people and my two friends had already tried it out!), the queue was insanely long. So again, we walked away disappointed.
Today, we decided to give it another shot. There were only 5 people in the queue so we decided to hop in. It wasn't too bad. Just a 10 minutes wait. The menu is slightly different or rather, lesser items offered. I remembered the pork buns being absolutely yummy so we ordered a plate or one. And it didn't disappoint. Service is pretty quick similar to the one in NYC and the decor looks the same as well.
The verdict on the ramen?
It is good ramen. Good bite and texture - the ramen thickness varies for example the Akamaru has thicker strands of ramen. However, we found the soup too salty. Overall, we both agreed that the one in NYC was better but it doesn't mean that it was bad here. I guess our initial expectations were way too high since we were totally raving about the one back in NYC.
We would go back again, I am not sure if this is my current favorite or the one at Gallery hotel. Meanwhile, I am still game to trying out good ramen places. Briiing it on!!
( More pictures here )
In Asia, we do get spoilt with the hotels as the rooms tend to be bigger and check-in timing is earlier (check-out is later). In Melbourne, we could only check in at 2pm so after the red eye flight, we had no choice but to leave our luggage at the concierge and roam around. I did want to shower but as I was pretty hungry, I didn't quite care!
Everyone wanted a good breakfast so I threw out the suggestion from JWang. Gluttoney. It wasn't too difficult to find - thankfully we had Lala who used to study here. Gluttoney is like most typical breakfast cafes with the usual fare. For some strange reason, all of us decided on the same item - Gluttoney.
It was a shocking amount but thankfully as we dug into the mountain of rocket, we realized that it was mainly rocket and two fat pieces of toast and a couple of bacon. It was filling for sure and as usual, I couldn't stomach all of it. Perhaps it was because I was already down with the sniffles that I didn't really enjoy the meal as much as I should or the fact that the poached eggs weren't quite runny but the yolks were solid. The toast was good, the rocket aplenty - I wished I could have enjoyed my meal more without sneezing into a tissue every few minutes.
Gluttoney
278 Smith St
Collingwood
Melbourne
+61 3 9416 0336
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!
See you tonight at Tangos....see I am kind...I didn't say how old you are today :P
- Mood:
chipper
Yesterday's run was a failure. The intended 10km run turned into a 5km walk. My sniffles decided to return and I was feeling under the weather.
The hot yoga sesh earlier on was refreshing. I had a good stretch and I knew that I was working hard when I felt a constant stream of sweat trickling down my back, face, arms and legs.
One of my 2010 resolution is to improve on my flexibility. I am inspired by this girl in class who had a rubber like body. As she laid down on her back to stretch and brought both shins to touch her face - legs straight and toes over her head, our jaws dropped. She reminded me of one of those Chinese gymnastics.
Stretch stretch stretch. It can only be beneficial for the body right? :)
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Anything is possible, but you have to believe and you have to fight.
By Lance Armstrong
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The Fur Rug turns 9 years old today! I'm not at home today to give her hugs and cuddles.. But she's definitely having a whale of a time because she won't get scolded today, will have long walks and car rides and can eat tons of doggie snacks.
Happy birthday FBB! We all love you very much! :)
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I love Christmas. The carols, the gift giving, the atmosphere, the decorations and everything is warm and fuzzy. It is my favorite time of the year. I get broke from all the gift giving but then I love giving someone a gift, knowing that it will put a smile on their face. Most of all, Christmas is a time where I sit down and reflect and be grateful for all that I have.
The first celebrations started for us over the weekend. We were invited over to Jwang's and we were excited that it was going to be a traditional Christmas dinner. B.T was over the moon when the email stated - TURKEY. I think he was counting down the days to the dinner more than anyone else.
So firstly, we had to sort out the secret santa. And J's smart boyfriend D, wrote, yes wrote a software program to randomly assign the secret santas to each one. In the automatically generated email, it stated who we had to buy a gift for and specifically stated that we weren't supposed to reply to it. Of course, my brillant boyfriend was so excited and clicked reply to D saying that it was awesome. D said that he deleted the email without reading it because we weren't supposed to know the details of the secret santa. Sigh. And this is the same boyfriend that asked me who else I wanted to invite for my surprise birthday party this year. *facepalm
B.T proudly bought a gift and refused to divulge who his recipient was. In the end, he blurted out the person's name and I was laughing my socks off. There were other funny stories too. Like how E landed up being B's recipient and we all said that it was unfair! Or the amount of time the guys took to wrap their gifts - B.T obviously got his wrapped at the store. Anyway, the gift exchange part was fun and we all had a good laugh exchanging stories. We also pulled Christmas crackers and wore Christmas hats at the table.
Besides watching Charlie Brown, Pankun and James (on Youtube), we watched Victoria Secret 2009 not once but twice on the big screen. Yes. The boys were so excited and they were caught staring a the screen completely mesmerized. I have to admit, we gals enjoyed it too. Abs, legs, pretty faces. Sigh..
And what is a party without food?!
The food was fantabulous. Yummylicious. We were all happily stuffed with turkey, honey baked ham, stuffing, roasted potatoes and vegetables, cheese and crackers, Christmas pudding, pork roll, bacon... it was so good. There is something about home cooked food that tastes better than whatever is available outside. I guess it's all the effort and love that is put into the cooking! Everyone contributed to the dinner too be it wine or some starters or side so it really felt like everyone had a part in the dinner.
By the time we left, we had been over for 7 hours! It's amazing how time flies when you are having fun :) Thanks for the invite J - it was a great party!
( More pictures here )
I have never had mulled wine before so when we were asked to bring it along for the Xmas party, I had to ask, Where can I buy it from? It turns out that I have to make it!
The recipe is simple and it turned out great! We are hooked on it! Try it this Christmas and it will go perfectly well with the festivities :)
Here goes..
In a saucepan, over low heat, stir in a bottle of red wine, 1 cinnamon stick, a pinch of nutmeg, 1 bay leaf, 2 tablespoons of sugar (we used regular but apparently brown sugar is better!), orange rind and juice from half an orange. Mix until the sugar melts and remove from the heat before it boils. Do ensure that the mixture doesn't boil. Let it cool for a bit and serve warm!
Different recipes have different ingredients. Some add gin or rum, you can add cinnamon sugar or whatever you wish to experiement with!
This is a 100% girlie post so for those that don't appreciate it - you can skip it :P
Yes. I have been on a bit of a bag splurge this year. Well, I got two branded bags so I guess that's a splurge to me! My black Miu Miu was subsidized by B.T for my birthday so that was lovely - he paid for the side that came with the inner pocket :P
My evil shoppaholic girlfriends got me into big trouble when I was enticed to shop at Zappos. I love online shopping and I do a fair bit of it but never for big price items like a Marc by Marc Jacobs bag! So this one a nervous first..
I spent a few nights surfing through the site, narrowing down my choices - B.T helped! And finally decided on the Twisted Q Lil Riz. The espresso color is gorgeous and well, I have leather bags in white, pink and black so a brown will be a nice addition.
So tada! Here is my new bag which I love very much. TS brought it over from the States and she was gushing about how lovely the leather smelt and coincidentally, she was eyeing the exact same bag but in purple. B.T likes it in fact :P He commented that it was made well with quality materials. Hhehee.
P.S TS, if you are reading this, thanks once again for bringing my baggie over. Muaks!
( More pictures here )
I was introduced to this Australian tea shop called T2. When I had a first whiff of the tea, I was completely sold. The aroma was amazing and it smelt delicious!
I headed on down to the shop and the selection was massive. There was every tea available possible! Black, red, green, white, fruity, flowery in all types - loose or in bags. Also available is a wide range of tea cups, strainers and what have yous. Admitedly, I was quite lost and didn't know quite where to start. I didn't have much time either to sniff and pick out what I wanted since my team was outside waiting so it was a good thing that I had browsed through the catalogue the night before and knew what I wanted.
I am not a compulsive tea drinker but when I do drink tea, it's usually green tea. Currently, I have packets of green tea (with roasted rice and bits) from Japan. I decided that I would get some green tea in two different types to share with my Mom.
I picked out Gorgeous Geisha (isn't the name pretty?) which has hints of strawberries and cream and Sencha vanilla which well, has strong notes of vanilla! Lovely! It costs AUD$12 for a 100g box. I was tempted to buy white tea as I like it but it is very expensive - AUD$26 for 50g. So I decided to give it a miss.
We have been drinking the tea and I half wished that I bought more! So anyone visiting Australia should visit T2. They have outlets all over - the one I went to was at Chadstone shopping mall.
Decided to treat myself to something this Christmas...something NON kitchen related for a change. Well it is purchased to keep me company in the kitchen. I have been using my iphone built in speakers when i am mucking around in the kitchen, and well lets just say the sound isn't that hot.
I have wanted one of these for over 2 years....and well i decided to stop being lazy....made a trip down to funan and got these little babies. Sigh...now that I know that I can connect more than a pair at one go...i am so tempted to get more!! I like my new toy....
- Mood: cheerful
- Music:Grease Lightning
Thanks to everyone's recommendations for Melbourne! I tried my best to cover as many places possible but time was tight since I was on a business trip. It's my third trip to Melbourne but it's been awhile so it was nice to visit places again.
After eating pizzas and pastas for a couple of meals (one of the reasons why I didn't have Italian at Lygon!), we decided to get some good ole' Asian grub. Everyone readily agreed on Vietnamese pho and Lala who studied in Melbourne for a few years was a great guide in bringing us to the list of places that I had from you guys!
Apparently, this place has been around for eons. It's old school looking but electronice PDA like devices are used to take down orders. Service is efficient and it's nothing fancy. Food is great. The broth is clear, sweet and not salty or artificial tasting. Beef slices and beef balls were generous however I have to say that I do prefer corn fed beef compared to grass fed beef! I know that the latter is healthier but I find beef in Australia gamey and too beefy.
We ordered a couple of sides. The rice paper rolls were great with the thick sweet sauce and the char-grilled chicken was excellent. I can understand why this place remains so popular after many years. Everything was perfect from the texture of the rice noodles to the broth and the whole ambience. We were all duly satisfied. And it was indeed, one of my favorite meals that I had in Melbourne.
( Just two more )
Pho Bo Gai Mekong
241 Swanston Street
Melbourne
+61 9663 3288
My newly acquired jewellery organizer. It fits necklaces, earrings, rings and bracelets. Even hair ties etc. Awesome! Everything is kept dust free and stored easily by hanging in the wardrobe. I will still display my most used accessories on the other stands that I have but this one will hold the rest in place.
Stole them from B.T - two Chupa Chups key chains. They are now hanging on my backpacks. :) I likey.
We are two weeks away from the new year and I am panicking! Panicking because there is still so much to do! Not that I can't do it in 2010, but it's like bad luck to keep to-dos overflowing to the new year.
Anyway, I returned from a lovely work trip from Melbourne albeit a terrible cold. I got sick the moment I landed, my nose was runny for the entire day and by the end of it, the skin was all dry and raw. Urgh. Then I passed my germs onto my entire team and 3 were down. My director says I am patient zero. Sigh.
The Melbourne weather was as usual, unpredictably crazy. I found myself carrying a cardigan AND a hoody wherever I went to. It went from chilly to scorching hot and my flu went up and down. On one of the days, I was extremely grumpy (from lack of sleep and uh a hangover) and the weather made it heaps better by raining buckets.
In a nutshell, I do like Melbourne but it's such an expensive place to live in! Everything is costly. At the factory outlets, prices were still high - perhaps I am spoilt from shopping in the States where you can get everything and anything, cheap or cheaper. So I did minimal shopping except for a dress from Supre, tea, some accessories some Hurley stuff from the employee store and yup! That's it.
Look out for updates and photos on Melbourne, it will come along slowly. My calendar is jammed packed with meet-ups, to-dos and activities. I have barely seen (and spent time) with my family and feeling awful about it, I see B.T daily but we are both stuck in our own activities half of the time, I have seriously so many things to do. Today alone, I went for a medical check-up, did yoga, shopped for groceries, met up with TS who is in town and I was friggin' excited, brought her to get a massage and eat her missed local food and now while my boy is out karaoking (don't ask me what he is singing since he cannot read and sing in Mandarin), I am trying to sort out my life.
So let me take a breather right now and uh.. go wrap the final lot of Christmas presents. *wails
N and I have been chatting about dancing classes we were forced to take growing up, and he is keen on picking it up again.
When I said "The Tango as well???" I gotta say his comment cracked me up.
"What's not to like....it allows me to grope women!"
Posting two of my favourite tango movie scenes....gotta say i prefer the Antonio one....SOOOOOO HOT!!
When I said "The Tango as well???" I gotta say his comment cracked me up.
"What's not to like....it allows me to grope women!"
Posting two of my favourite tango movie scenes....gotta say i prefer the Antonio one....SOOOOOO HOT!!
- Mood: cheerful
- Music:Asi se Baila el Tango by Veronica Verdier
I have been very good this year....can I please have the above for Christmas?? I promise to keep up the good work.
More of Gideon's works can be found here...
- Mood: cheerful
- Music:Girls & Boys, Blur
I had pre christmas drinks with my dragonboat team mates yesterday....which is always fun.
I did make a comment that almost made our captain fall off his chair. Instead, he just slapped his forehead and mumbled...."Ness...you have rendered me speechless again!"
All I said was "You know? My new year resolution was to actually turn up for Saturday paddles more often...then what do you do??! You schedule the first paddle on my birthday. Now I got to find a new resolution! tsk!"
Come to think of it...it is kinda funny...hehehehehe.
I did make a comment that almost made our captain fall off his chair. Instead, he just slapped his forehead and mumbled...."Ness...you have rendered me speechless again!"
All I said was "You know? My new year resolution was to actually turn up for Saturday paddles more often...then what do you do??! You schedule the first paddle on my birthday. Now I got to find a new resolution! tsk!"
Come to think of it...it is kinda funny...hehehehehe.
- Mood: cheerful
- Music:Bad Romance - Lady Gaga
I like Melbourne but the erratic weather is a nuisance.
It was cool when we reached and in fact chilly at night. Yesterday, it got slightly warmer. Today, it's a high of 34 degrees celsius and it drops to 17-18 at night -_- I just took a walk around the office block and it is HOT HOT HOT. The sun is really out strong and I need my sunblock! We are absolutely going to melt when we do our retail visits in the afternoon. Although it's so hot, I have packed my cardigan and hoody inside my bag because the weather can change anytime. Since I am wearing a dress, I have even packed in my stockings just in case it gets chilly at night -_-
Weather forecast tomorrow is going to be rainy. And it drops to 12. Sigh.
Meanwhile, I flew in with a terrible cold. I was sneezing non stop, my nose was all runny and had to take some meds. The meds worked and I was fine the next day but uh I think I off-loaded my germs to the team so they are all kinda under the weather right now -_- Annnnnnndreeeea!!! Oops.
And I seem to have the sleepy bug as well. I have been falling asleep everywhere. In the car, I am out in a few seconds much to the amusement of the rest. In fact, they exited the car and locked me inside and I woke up and found all of them laughing. The joke is that they are going to leave me inside the car and let the valet park me away for the night. It's Day 4 and I am still perpetually sleep. Heelp.
Page Summary
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif)
am_klutz : Ippudo in Singapore [+0] - am_klutz : Gluttoney [+0]
- vanessafrida : Mistress of Pain... [+0]
- am_klutz : Like a rubber band [+0]
- am_klutz : Quote of the day [+0]
- am_klutz : Turning 9 [+0]
- am_klutz : The first Xmas party [+2]
- am_klutz : Mulled wine [+0]
- am_klutz : Twisted Q Lil Riz [+6]
- am_klutz : T2 [+4]
- vanessafrida : My New Toy [+13]
- am_klutz : Penguin goes shopping [+0]
- am_klutz : Pho at Mekong [+4]
- am_klutz : Two things that made me smile [+11]
- am_klutz : I'm back [+0]
- vanessafrida : Tango [+12]
- shemboy : Do the test.. [+0]
- vanessafrida : Dear Santa... [+13]
- vanessafrida : Lost Cause?? [+10]
- am_klutz : Four seasons in a day [+2]