I had the privilege of attending the opening night of Ong Shunmugam's fifth collection Whenever I Fall at Your Feet at the National Museum of Singapore. Priscilla's label has always focused on engaging the modern women in dialogue about the Asian origin and identity and this collection has brought that theme out even more strongly with its dedication to the historic structures in Singapore.

Each piece of garment was designed after a national monument or other historic buildings and places such as the Cenotaph, Tanjong Pagar Railway and Tiong Bahru flats to name a few. They serve as a reminder for us to re-evaluate the importance of history and reconsider the destruction of the past in our chase for development and progress.

On a lighter note, introducing the Tiong Bahru flats dresses. I love the one on the left!

To me, these are pieces of art and not just clothes. The designs embody the silhouette of the socio-historical foundations of the buildings, as well as personal emotions that people have towards them. Filmmaker Jacky Lee and Photographer Clarence Aw tastefully captured these anecdotes on media and you would be able to gain an insight to the what, why, and how the collection came about.

One of my favorite outfits, the F16 blouse and F13 skirt inspired by an Indian barbershop in Holland Village. The fabric design and colors are drawn from the cutting tools and religious symbols which feature in the shop. 

My other favorite, cropped top and pants suit inspired by the Jamae Mosque. Also digging another fuchsia ensemble based on the Former Cathay Building. Too many great pieces!

Drinks for the night was sponsored by Grey Goose Guild. Teh O Ais Limau specially created for the exhibition. Very tasty! The cool stirrer spins around in the champagne glass when you swirl the drink. It also doubles as a hair pin! ;)

Fly away little goose.

Remember to check out the exhibition at the Stamford Gallery at the National Museum of Singapore from now till 28 July, 10am to 6pm daily. Admission is free. A Designer's Talk and Tour will be held on 21 July, 4.30 to 6pm. Registration is required so drop your contact details at info@ongshunmugam.com by 15 July 2013.

Wear a piece of history today.

I love the Duxton area for the copious cafes, restaurants and quaint little stores, as well as the generally laid back atmosphere any time of the week. I've been rediscovering da hood these couple of weeks so you can be expecting a few more restaurants to be added to my Duxton list. So happens that Praelum Wine Bistro is a restaurant under the Palate Card and that gave me a chance to utilize my privileges!

Nothing good happens when you put 2 hungry girls in a wine bar, especially one that easily allows you to taste the various wines with their automated wine dispenser. 

After Amanda, our young and bubbly sommelier, passed us our wine card, we proceeded to have a little wine tasting of our own. The drinks are available in 3 sizes, tasting, half and full glass. This is great because you could try many bottles before deciding on the drink (or drinks) for the night. 

If you don't know what to get, Amanda is really good at giving recommendations. My Austrian Leth- Roter Veltliner Schieben was aromatic, extremely concentrated, smooth, round and waxy on the palate with a bit of spice and racy acidity. I found this a great food wine that is refreshing and friendly.

It's so good i decided i should just bring the whole bottle back to the table. Heh. 

The Ojai Pinot Noir 2007 is another good quality easy drink that goes with any meat from chicken to pork. This is a rich, ripe fruit pinot that comes from America, California. It has the typical ripe fruit flavors but is still delicate on the palate. 

The Yllum Reserva Malbec 2007 is another delicious red that we enjoyed. Smooth, ripe fruit, rounded with a little tannins; it's almost like biting into the fruit. This entry level Yllum from Argentina is yummeh and you can expect more from their top range!

A couple more drinks later, we floated back to our table and were greeted by our dinner. :)

The Tarte Flamee- Classic Alsatian "Pizza" ($15) is actually a thin crust bread dough that is baked to cracker crispiness. We had ours with creme friache, onions, bacon and egg and i loved how the yolk coated the slice to give it that extra moisture. The onion may be a little overpowering but it was delicious nonetheless. Vegetarian option is also available.

If you love cheese then the Baked Brie with Nut Crust ($18) is made for you. Mind you this is an entire round of oozy brie baked with roasted garlic and nuts. Spread it on top of the crispy garlic bread with pillowy interior and you have a winning formula.  

The Escargot with herb and garlic-basil pesto (1/2 dozen $16) is a must order. W and I mopped the sauce with our buttered bread and left nothing in our pot. It can be so hard to find a sauce this flavorful and i liked how the snail had absorbed all that essence thoroughly. 

You got to be crazy to say no to the Bacon wrapped Scallops ($18). The rich Bernaise sauce was the icing on the cake and had me ooohing and aaahing as i chewed on the juicy morsel.

The Roasted Pork Parcels ($16) was undoubtedly our favorite dish of the night. Juicy pork fillets stuffed with herb filling, mushroom, cream cheese, wrapped with pork belly and roasted and then topped with apple sauce. Pair this with the Leth Rottinger; this wine complimented the dish and brought out the sweetness of the pork. TOO GOOD. 

The Coq-Au-Vin ($24) was one huge plate of traditional French chicken stewed in red wine.The meat was tender but we found that the dish was a little salty for our liking. If you're a big eater, you'd love this dish. The garlic butter mash was hearty and i love that it still has the potato bits in it.

No dinner is complete without dessert and wine! We paired the Moelleux Au Chocolate ($12) with the Hungarian Disznoko estate 1999 Tokaji Aszú 6 Puttonyos. It was like drinking nectar and this wine is fresh and well balanced with a delicious long finish. This 1999 was the best vintage of the 90s. 

The cake is not exactly a lava cake and certainly not as rich but i liked the lightness of the flour. Perfect sweet ending to the night.

What's sweeter was the bill. Our bill came up to $233.55 (heh heh) and with the Palate Card, we received a 50% discount. Say wert?! Happy bellies and happy pockets! For more information on the Palate Card, you can read my post here or visit www.palate.sg.

GIVEAWAY [Closed]
So here is the first Palate Card giveaway! This is what you need to do to win a Basic membership card worth $428.

1. Visit my Facebook page (click here) and find the Praelum Wine Bistro Post
2. Share the post with your friends (Remember to set the privacy setting to Public)
3. Tell me why you should win the Palate Card.

Giveaway ends midnight 19 July! Remember to like my FB page if you haven't done so. :) Good luck! 

Through Her Eyes

There's no better way to explore a city than walking around aimlessly. You never know what you may find at the next corner. 

Walking around Havana Vieja.

Hanging out.

All in the details.

Street art. In a park.

Our friendly neighborhood barber.

Peso Meals. 

No menu.

The main Paseo de Marti.

Just scooting around.

Little yellow minion rides.

Ready. Get Set. Go.

To my next adventure...

The worst thing that can happen on a shopping trip is to forget one's credit card. Trust me because that's exactly what this silly girl did, and in Hong Kong of all places. So all i had was my phone and camera and a limited amount of cash and a whole load of pretty things that i couldn't buy. If only i can pay with my phone. Awesome idea right?

Well guess what? DBS has come up with a whole new one.tap mobile paying technology. Check this video out. 

Cool hur? Some red carpet treatment that is. This drama queen would have owned the red carpet if i were using a Near Field Communication (NFC) enabled smartphone (sorry iPhone users). Those lucky fellas won instant mobile coupons such as movie tickets at the Shaw Lido event.

Anyways, the coolest part is really about the virtual credit card, first ever in Singapore. No more wallet clutter! No more wallets even. I can finally use my mini Bottega Veneta without having to throw in random cards and cash along with keys and phone. Perfect.

You will now be able to tap and pay, using your mobile phone, for purchases at over 30000 merchant acceptance points in town and for taxi fares even. Popular merchants include Watsons, Shaw Theatres and fast food chains like Popeyes and Pasta Mania among many others. What's more, you can also redeem mobile coupons on the go by attaching the mobile coupon on your phone before payment. The offer would then be instantly and automatically redeemed.

Sounds interesting? Find out more about what you can do with DBS one.tap in the next coming months.

This new secure payment service is made possible through a collaboration between DBS, MasterCard, StarHub and EZ Link through their SmartWallet digital wallet application. 

It's time to sign up now! :)

Weekends are for brunches and i finally checked out Maison Ikkoku's brunch offerings! I don't know why i took so long to visit but anyway i'm glad i finally did because it was purrrrrfect. Nothing makes me happier than brunch with perfectly done eggs, a strong and aromatic cuppa and of course great company. 

What sets Maison Ikkoku apart from the regular coffee shop is that it sells a lifestyle and not just a product. Think of it as a one stop shop for the chill out weekend; Maison Ikkoku is branded as a lifestyle boutique combining mid-high end international menswear retail, a café centered on quality coffee and the perfect semi-alfresco cocktail bar.

I was too occupied with brunch to check out the other levels but anyway.. Great Iced Mocha that wasn't too sweet. Bittersweet and intense melted chocolate was used with the strong coffee that had my head and tummy singing. 

Girls being girls, we each ordered a different dish so that we could try as many dishes as possible. The adventurous Yanni went for the Spicy Beef Rendang Fusion sandwich. Not my typical choice for brunch (i'm boring that way) but this was a surprisingly fiery and exciting option that i would consider in the future. It's easy on the coconut so you can taste the well flavored rempah but it's pretty spicy.

Mich had the Omelette which turned out waaayy larger than we expected. The style is kinda Mediterranean with the spices and diced peppers. Love the runny inside which was more buttery than creamy and it even had a slightly layered texture.

I struggled with my brunch choice and in the end i went for the Croque Madame instead of the Eggs Benedict. Great flavors from the honey glazed ham, gruyere and home-made béchamel but it just seemed a little dry with the toasted pain de campagne.

The benedict/florentine really takes the cake here at Maison Ikkoku. Full bodied and well balanced Hollandaise sauce is so hard to come by and this was da bomb. Loved the texture, loved the flavors, loved the overall moisture of every bite. The savory spinach in the Salmon Florentine gave the dish an interesting twist and made me crave for more.

While the brunch items were great, the desserts were meh. We had the Blueberry Cheesecake which was very light. I liked the graham crust but found it too crumbly! The blueberry sauce was a tad too sweet and require some tartness to balance it out. The Salted Caramel Chocolate Cake was really dense a la brownie texture but it tasted empty. I really wouldn't wanna be wasting my calories on this one.

Another delicious gathering with the WAGs club at Maison Ikkoku! Maison Ikkoku is definitely on my favorites list. Enjoy!

Maison Ikkoku
20 Kandahar Street, Singapore 198885
Tel: +65 6294 0078
Mon - Thu: 9am - 9pm
Fri, Sat & PH Eve: 9am - 11pm
Sun & PH: 9am - 7pm

I'm an Eastie and like any Eastie, I believe that the eastern part of Singapore has the best food. It's true! Sadly, when it comes to good coffee and cafes, we are severely handicapped. Penny University is probably the most popular of the limited number of cafes available but sadly it failed to impress me TWICE.

Penny University has nailed most of the elements of an indie cafe. The decor, the machines, the variety of beans etc. However, the most essential, which is the coffee was hard to swallow.

The coffee was very acidic on my 2 visits and that sour note was even more so apparent when the drink was cool. The milk hardly mellowed the acidity. Sweet it was not, at all. 

Brunch is served here as well but I didn't get a go at it. From their bake shelf, I had the scone (or was it rock cake) which was dry and tastely, absolutely lacking in the taste and texture department. Pies are from Windowsill Pies.

It was also at Penny University where i had my most expensive slice of pandan chiffon cake ($5.90) which tasted worse than those cheap ones from the neighborhood bakeries. MEH.

I honestly do not get why Penny draws in the crowd but it smells of desperation, desperation of us Easties for an indie cafe to hang out at. That could only explain how we would pay 6 bucks for a 7oz coffee. Oh there is also a 3oz size. Like seriously? 

Please give me something better in the East! In the meantime, I'll just stick to my other cafes.

Penny University
402 East Coast Road
Singapore 428997

Tel: 9021 3959
Tue - Thu: 8.30am to 6pm (Closed Mon)
Fri - Sat: 8.30am – 12am

Sun: 8.30am – 9pm 

I've recently hopped on to the Palate Card bandwagon thanks to the good people at Palate Singapore! I gotta say that this is certainly a card that any decent foodie should have if you wanna try out some good restaurants without breaking the bank. With their revised selection of restaurants and bars, and more merchants coming on board, you can be sure to enjoy a superior gastronomic experience. 

As i was going through the list of participating outlets, i spotted a couple of my favorites and some other establishments that i have been meaning to try! Elegant modern European The Clan does a great set meal at really affordable prices (read my Clan review here). Adjourn for drinks at the cozy bar area, or head out to the alfresco area (when better weather returns) at Skyve. You should definitely do dinner there even though it doesn't have the same benefits (read my Skyve review here). With over 50 dining establishments and 11  bars, you can surely find a place suitable to your requirements, from fine dining at il Lido or fun music at Wala Wala. 

The Palate programme offers an attractive discount structure of up to 50%, letting you discover new restaurants or revisit favorites without feeling the pinch. I'm definitely checking out Violet Oon's Kitchen (yes i'm really slow), Fandango Tapas Bar and a few more! Some exciting reviews will be shared with you soon and you'll see how much you can save with the Palate card!

Now here is the discount structure.

Discount	15%	20%	25%	35%	50%
No. of Persons Dining	1	5-20	4	3	2

Boys, you can see how the card works in your favor right? It's 50% off the bill when you order a min of 2 a la carte dishes so no complaining that date nights are expensive. Treat your lady to something nice!

Palate members are also entitled to a 15% discount on drinks at any of the bars in the Palate collection. Additional perks such as exclusive dinners, special menus or personal cooking classes with chefs, all of which would otherwise be unavailable to the public, would seal the deal for any foodies. Whee!

Annual Palate memberships can be broken down into two categories: Basic and Premier. The Basic membership costs S$428+ while Palate Premier costs S$598+. For more information on Palate, the ultimate dining privileges programme, please visit www.palate.sg.

I will be giving away 2 Basic Palate Cards soon so watch this space for my food reviews sponsored by the Palate Card. :)

XOXO,
C.

My first experience with Tsubaki Shampoo was in Hokkaido, Japan. After a grueling day of snowboarding on the slopes of Niseko, we headed back to our charming onsen hotel to soak away the lethargy and aches in the outdoor hot spring with powder snow that melts upon contact with the flushed skin. After a relaxing soak, I was even more so delighted by the excellent bath products that were provided at the communal bath and one of which was the Shiseido range of hair care products.
I The shampoo not only smelled delicious, I was even more amazed at how smooth my hair was after my bath. It definitely wasn't the hot spring and it certainly wasn't just me who felt that. S was absolutely in love with it too! Because of that, we lugged several bottles of shampoo and conditioner home because Tsubaki was not available in Singapore then. His favorite is the Tsubaki Damange Care series and these work quite well on chemically treated hair.

Since 2006, Tsubaki by Shiseido has been leading the hair care market in Japan. That's only because they know the Asian hair very well. Our dark hair has more melanin than other shades and thus is more easily damaged when exposed to UV. Tsubaki uses Argenine, a type of natural amino acid to repair the damaged hair melanin and hence improves the shine and silky texture after a wash.

Tsubaki has recently updated their range of hair products and i was invited to their launch party where i was introduced to the improved products. The new series now contain camellia oil, which repairs the cuticle, smooths and softens the hair fibre and allows the hair to be shinier and more elastic. I especially love the relaxing natural aroma with floral notes in the Head Spa series. You can smell the flowers, leaves and even the dew. What's more, it also gives you additional volume in your hair.

Who wants to hire me as a hair model? Heh.

Want hair that is hair model worthy? Try Tsubaki. I do wish that they have something made  for colored hair. My red highlights are fading already! :( Anyway, the full range will be available come 4 July. Remember to go get some. :)