Rebel Rebel

Let's face it, wine can be intimidating. And we're lucky to have the daring Rebel Rebel (and RVLT) which breaks down the stiffy French attitude and promises a ton of fun and adventure with their selection of down-to-earth, small-batch, and handcrafted wines that are terroir driven. Fret not if you're a newcomer to the wine world, Rebel Rebel offers wine by the glass and has a good mix that is rotated weekly, so you'd be able to try something new without having to commit. There's a curated range of over 200 wines priced from under  $100 to over $200 range if you wish to stick to the bottles. 

The bold wine-bar concept is supported an equally daring food menu by Burnt Ends alumnus Deborah Yeo, who throws together a exciting fusion cuisine. We started with slices of sourdough ($8) because we needed something to dip into the Pork Fat ($6), a translucent cream that is whipped fat topped with topped with crunchy farro and barley and some honey for a touch of sweetness. Something must have been wrong with my taste buds that night because i couldn't taste the gaminess ("porkiness") of the fat until i was almost done with the bread. It was enjoyable for me till then. You either love lard or hate it. 

We then went with another toasty snack, the Prawn ($14/2pcs). This smelled exactly like Otah but tasted more like a Thai prawn cake. While reading the reviews, i originally decided not to add on the uni to the toast because the overall spices would overpower the fresh sweet uni. Also, i thought the price was a tad pricey ($28 add on for 2 toasts) for a few pieces of uni. Well, all willpower vanished when the server asked if i'd like uni. So yes, it was a regretful move but i made sure to savor the uni on its own. 

Pick the Hamachi salad ($24) if you're looking for a refreshing plate in between the heavy ones. This Asian salad with Kumquat is almost like the Chinese Yu Sheng that we eat during Chinese New Year, but less diabetic. The bright salad was adorned with fresh slices of yellowtail. We could certainly do with a bigger portion. 

Violet Oon Plant-based and Gluten-free menu

Vegans and Vegetarians rejoice! Homegrown restaurant Violet Oon has launched an extended menu of plant-based and gluten-free specialties at its Clarke Quay outlet Violet Oon Singapore Satay Bar & Grill, where you can enjoy smoke-kissed dishes alongside your meat loving friends. 

Expect big flavors with the use of regional spices, rempahs, house-made sauces, and the smoky sear of the grill. 

For starters, the Eggplant Goreng Dip with Emping Crackers ($17) was irresistible with the light bitterness of the belinjau nut crackers, balanced with the savoury coriander-infused eggplant purée. We got hold of some green chili sambal and boy it was a killer combination. 

The Grilled Cauliflower Sambal Tumis ($19) packs a smoky punch but I must warn that moreish sambal sauce requires a refreshing cocktail to extinguish the heat. Thankfully the cocktails at Violet Oon are perfect for that. Go for the Assam cocktail, it's my favorite of the lot.

Meatless Meatball Rendang ($18) was a soft mix of walnut, cheese and Impossible meat dumpling, braised in a spiced creamy coconut cream sauce. Honestly no one would have known that this was meat free. Certainly one of my favorite dishes on the menu. 

On to mushrooms, a crowd favorite is the Kunyit Lemak King Oyster Mushroom ($24), which sees a full-bodied grilled meat oyster mushrooms coated in an earthy turmeric-infused coconut sauce. 

Restarting my skincare regime- IDS Skincare Part 2

It has been a month since i started on the skincare products by IDS Skincare (read Part 1 of my review here) I've been told by Dr Michelle Wong that i'm likely to experience some break outs as the products help to purge the underlying blackheads and impurities. Well even though that was expected, i was quite concerned with the additional spots, which unfortunately i picked at. SOBS. 

Apart from that, the dry skin condition has eased with the Recovery Serum and Moisture Boost combination! No more annoying flaky spots!

When i headed back for my review, Dr Michelle Wong assured that my skin was fine and that the Hydro-Therapeutics Treatment (HTT) ($198+) would help with clearing my skin further. This treatment works through various levels of deep cleansing to remove accumulated dirt, product build-up and clogged sebum that no regular cleanser can. It also helps with lines and wrinkles too!

The 60 minute facial is suitable for all skin types and leaves you with clearer and brighter skin. Check this out if you don't believe. 

Before

After

The facial started with double cleansing followed by HydroD, a water dermabrasion which uses a multi minerals solution to remove surface impurities. Though dermabrasion may sound invasion, but you'd only feel a light suction on your skin. A deeper cleansing using ultrasound was next and you'd experience some light tingling zapping sensation (not painful at all). Then the usual extractions. I was told that my skin condition was pretty ok so that provided some assurance to my concerns. 

After the cleansing, Vitamin C is applied and with the help of the ultrasound device, you could expect better penetration of the serum. Lastly, a whitening mask was prescribed based on my skin condition.

The HTT treatment was very soothing and i was surprised at how bright my skin was immediately after. Will certainly do this facial again. 

IDS Clinic

INTERNATIONAL BUILDING

360 Orchard Road

#02-02 International Building

Singapore 238869

T: +65 6450 3555

NOVENA SPECIALIST CENTER

8 Sinaran Drive

#05-09 to 10

Singapore 307470

T: +65 6568 3555

Golden Peony Conrad Centennial CNY 2021

It's been a long time since i last visited Golden Peony at Conrad Centennial and i remember being rather impressed on my first visit. The restaurant is helmed by Executive Chinese Chef Ku Keung who has over 20 years of professional culinary experience in Hong Kong, Malaysia, and Singapore. Over our Chinese New Year tasting menu, i noticed that Chef is actually quite playful and adventurous when it comes to incorporating new food trends and also elements from other cuisine. 

We started our feast with an appetizer inspired by the Indian Puri snack. This Pao Pao minced duck reminded me of the typical second dish when having Peking duck, except that puri is used in place of lettuce. A savory sweet mix of minced duck and diced vegetables filled the crispy puffs, providing textural delight.

The Fortune OX Yu Sheng with salmon and wagyu beef contained a surprising element, which is mock salmon. Chef wanted to give us a taste of this vegetarian replacement and the texture was surprisingly decent and almost fish-like (it was a bit more like jellyfish). 

Next, an abalone ingot pastry served with sliced abalone rolled with asparagus and prawn paste. The seafood roll is apparently a new item and i'm sure it'd be a crowd favorite for all seafood lovers.

If you enjoy Pen Cai, know that it's included in the Diamond Ox menu ($1998 for 8 pax). Among the usual delicacies like abalone, scallops, prawns, lobster, sea cucumber, fish maw, conpoy and roast meats, lies a homemade meatball, made using Impossible meat! If we were not told of this, we wouldn't have thought the meatball was anything but the regular sort! Sneaky Chef but it is a great way to change diners' mindset on alternative meats/meat substitutes.