Mouth Restaurant was first established in the 80s in Chinatown Point and is known for its well made Cantonese Dim Sum. The tea house, which originally served delicate pieces of steamed dumplings, has gone on to provide more cooked dishes at its current China Square Central and Plaza Singapura outlets in Singapore.

We went in search of some Salted Egg Yolk Custard buns, which Mouth Restaurant is famous for.

Managed to snag a table for dim sum on Saturday noon. We were lucky to get a table despite the last minute reservation.

Century Egg and Shredded Pork Porridge is one of my standard dimsum order. Nice gluey texture of the congee with generous amount of pork. 4 of us shared a portion in order to make space for more food.

Shanghai Xiao Long Bao, Har Gao (Steamed Prawn Dumplings), and Spare Ribs in garlic and chili. All great dishes. The Xiao Long Bao skin was sufficiently thin and encased the juicy pork meat in a robust broth. Har Gao was big, fresh and juicy (i can never resist prawns). The ribs were well marinated and flavorful as well. 

Mouth Restaurant also offers Colored Har Gao instead of the typical Colored Xiao Long Bao and they are Squid Ink, Spinach, Sweet Potato, Pumpkin, Carrot and Original.

More prawn filled dumplings but this is wrapped with wanton skin and deep fried. Love the contrasting textures.

The Pan Fried Carrot Cake (another of my favorite dim sum item) was nicely browned and lightly crisp on the outside. The springy texture is just what i look for in a good carrot cake. Oh and the delicious strips of turnip and preserved Chinese sausages (lup cheong) had me finish most of this myself.

The Steamed Rice Roll with Fresh Prawn aka Cheong Fun was alright. It's not that they weren't good, the skin was silky but perhaps thicker than what i prefer. Prawns were great as usual but the sauce was a little bland in my opinion. 
Now now, the reason why we went to Mouth Restaurant. Here's the baked Salted Egg Yolk Bun (3pcs per set) Mind you, they run out fast. Just look at that lovely Hong Kong Bo Lo crust made from sugar, butter and milk powder. It's hard to believe that this is baked because the crust is so crunchy.

Be careful how you bite into the bun. Be warned that the piping viscous, creamy, savory and sweet lava may just erupt in your mouth and potentially over your plate, and shirt, and your fellow diners' shirts. It may be a little on the greasy end but the flavor was spot on.

A pork belly craving had us ordering a portion of meat, which was terribly unsatisfying. The meat was sorely lacking in flavors. Just stick to the dim sum.

Head on to Mouth Restaurant for a classic dim sum fix this weekend! Forgot the prices but it was about S$75 for 4 pax. 

Mouth Restaurant
China Square Central #01-61, 18 Cross St.

(just under the bridge that links to Hong Lim Complex, facing DBS bank)
Tel: +65 6438 5798
Weekdays: 11.30am - 3pm, 6pm - 10pm
Weekend &PH: 10am - 4pm, 6pm - 10pm

68 Orchard Road, #02-01 Plaza Singapura
Tel: +65 63377446

Weekdays: 11.30am - 10pm
Weekend & PH: 10am - 10pm

The girls and i went on a little getaway some time back. Due to the limited time had, we could only manage a quick escapade to Batam, where we checked out the No. 1 resort, Tempat Senang Boutique Spa and Resort.

The resort is a quick 45 minutes away from Singapore in the Indah Puri Sekupang enclave. We were promptly picked up and ushered onto our private transfer and within minutes, we stepped into the lush gardens of Tempat Senang. Love the tranquility and peace of the surroundings. TS doesn't allow guests below 15 so it's rather perfect for an adult getaway. 

Even though I knew there were only 13 themed room and suites, I was kinda expecting a larger set up with bigger communal spaces. There were 3 mini pools around the resort, and by mini, i mean that 5 (maybe 6) would be a crowd in the pool. The above picture shows the largest pool of the lot, which is located next to the restaurant. 

Prior to booking the suites, we had a hard time deciding on which themed room we wanted. Our top choice was the Thai Room (2-4pax), which has a private Turkish Fish Spa in the room with a stone terrace. The Abu Dhabi Harem Suite also looked really exotic and has a private terrace that looks out to the golf course. Well sadly, these were unavailable and we settled for the Javanese Joglo Suite which came with 2 King Sized beds, one of which is in a little room of its own.

Really cosy isn't it?

Our 4 poster king sized bed was very comfortable too and the nets kept the mosquitoes from biting us.

The room is rather large, with a small sitting area as shown above and another bigger one where we hung out over Moscato, snacks and movies. There is also a front porch with table and chairs. The room is on the dim side though the toilet is very well lit. Be prepared for some visitors e.g. lizards, bugs and the likes as we've been told they are rather eco-friendly. We were visited by a little mouse who came in through the roof and played hide and seek with us on the beams. We just let it be and it left shortly (we hoped).

Other than catering for groups, Tempat Senang also provides a solo traveler package in their Standard themed China Room and it costs from S$235 nett/pax for 2D1N stay.

Included in the price for the overnight stay is a 3 hour spa session for each guest. You can customize your own spa session from the variety of treatments available. We did a variety of facial, hair spa, massage, scrubs and wraps. The massage was truly relaxing and before we knew it, it was time for dinner.

Dinner was served on the open-air terrace restaurant which offers a range of traditional Indonesian, Western, and Thai dishes. We had the Beer Can Chicken for 2 (S$49), a 1.6kg chicken placed over a can and baked on the BBQ. Sadly it was bland and a little on the dry side. This was served with a huge side of mash potatoes.
The Nasi Campur for 2 ($49) was delicious and more traditionally Indonesian. Well marinated and tender Beef rendang, Gado gado, Lumpia, Satay, kaffir lime chicken, fish fillet, acar, emping crackers and rice. This more than enough made up for the tasteless chicken.

Make sure you bring your own entertainment and snacks. While there is a collection of pirated DVDs available, it can get quite boring. Remember that you're kinda in the outback and there aren't shopping centers or restaurants around. The snacks selection from the 'convenience' store is also miserable and the kitchen closes at 7.30pm.

Breakfast is provided and a small spread of local food is available. The nasi lemak had us going for seconds. An egg station provides guests with freshly cooked eggs.

The raisin brioche was superb with the honey and marmalade too!

If you wish to get some shopping done before heading home, get the open ferry ticket which allows you to arrive at Sekupang and depart from Batam Center. The transfer from the Resort to Batam Center will cost you S$10. Make sure you arrange for the return tickets with the Resort upon arrival. 

I wouldn't say that Tempat Senang Batam Resort is the most fantastic weekend getaway, i think i would have enjoyed Montigo Resorts much more (i prefer modern touches). But if you want to be closer to nature and just getting away from the crowd, Tempat Senang isn't a bad choice, just that it's a little pricy (but hey, spa is included). I wouldn't recommend a stay longer than 2D1N unless you are the bummer sort since there isn't a beach here.

The rates are as follows: 

Weekday (Mon - Thu) and Weekend (Fri - Sun, PH)

2D1N S$235/$259 nett per pax

3D2N $259/359 nett per pax

Prices are for 2-3pax in standard themed suite, upgrade at additional costs.

For 4pax or more, prices start from $204 in the bigger suites/apartments.

Tempat Senang
Indah Puri Sekupang,
Batam Indonesia
Tel: +62 778 325 616

Tim Ho Wan, a household dim sum name in Hong Kong and now Singapore, has had me standing in line and then surrendering and eating at some other Chinese restaurants several times due to the impossible lines. Read my review on the Hong Kong Tim Ho Wan here.

I finally sampled the Singapore version when we managed to score seats at the newly opened Bedok Mall during dinner time.

We started with some Century Egg Congee with lean pork and salted egg ($4.20). I didn't try this in Hong Kong but hello salted egg! The flavor of the silky smooth and thick congee was certainly enhanced by the salted egg. Delicious!

I've heard enough negative reviews on the baked bbq pork buns but i gotta try it for myself. First glance at the Baked Bun with BBQ Pork ($4.50) didn't leave a good impression already. It was pasty looking, nothing like that golden exterior of its hong kong sister. The bottom was oily and the bo lo crust wasn't milky nor crumbly enough. Kudos to that pillowy texture sandwiched between the meat and the upper crust, however, it wasn't good enough to cushion that shock i received from the char siew.

Upon splitting the csblb into halves, my immediate reaction was WTF? How is that char siew?! Artificial coloring could be seen from a mile away and instead of juicy meat, i bit into chunky fats. I simply had to ask the waitress if this was really the csblb. Such a disappointment.

The other standard Heavenly Kings include the Ma Lay Gao (Malay cake) a steamed cake with sugar. Honestly if you want steamed cake, you should just get it from any confectionery store. $3.80 per piece of cake is totally not worth the price. I gave the pan fried Carrot Cake and the Cheong Fun a miss this time since i wasn't overly impressed by them in Hong Kong.

Decided to taste the Beancurd Skin Roll with Pork and Shrimp ($4). It was saucy and savory but kinda lacking in the filling department.

The Har Gao or Prawn Dumplings ($5.50) were on the powdery. Instead of whole prawns, i believed they were filled with chopped up ones and it seems like fish/prawn paste were added to the mix. MEH.

The other dish that hits the mark was the Tonic Medlar and Osmanthus Cake ($3.50). It had the same intense flavors as the Hong Kong one and left us refreshed with its lingering fragrance. 

Overall, edible dimsum, not super fantastic. I've had better dimsum in Singapore really. I wouldn't mind eating it is there isn't a queue but if i were to wait 1h for this, i would surely be darn pissed. 

p/s: Heard that the Toa Payoh outlet serves the best dimsum out of the lot. Let me know what you think!

Tim Ho Wan

Jurong East #01-03/04

Bedok Mall #B1-51/52

Plaza Singapura #01-29A/52

Toa Payoh #02-02

I'm an Udon girl. Even when the ramen craze came and swept Singaporeans and foodies around the world off their feet, i remained faithful to my thick chewy white noodles. After I ate at one of those udon and tempura joints in Tokyo, I told S that udon would be the next big thing in Singapore. Of course he didn't believe me. Well now that Tamoya Udon has crossed over to our shores and gained a following, I'm making him eat his own words (or noodles).

Tamoya was established in the home of udon, Sanuki (now known as Kagawa) prefecture in 1996 by Sanuki udon champion, Tamotsu Kurokawa. The delicious Sanuki udon is hand-crafted from Tamoya's unique flour mixture (made from 3 different flour) to give it that extreme chewiness.

The ordering method is the same as the udon shops in Tokyo. First you pick the type of Hot or Cold udon you prefer. It comes in various version, Zaru style (cold, dry with dipping sauce), Kama-age (Hot Al dente, dry with dipping sauce), Kake (Special "Golden dashi broth"), Sanuki (thick soya sauce broth). Meat toppings and Curry options are available too. After which, move down the counter to pick up your choice of tempura, pay and there you have it, a cheap and delicious meal. Prices are nett. There's no service charge or GST. :)

The udon starts from $4.80 for a regular portion. There's quite a bit of noodles in this one. A large bowl of noodles (from $6.80) is more than enough for sharing between S and i. I absolutely love the Cold Zaru Udon. It is so hard to find such QQ cold udon in Singapore! 

Hot Kake Udon ($4.80/6.80) in Golden Broth is also very delicious. It's a simple but a refreshing dashi stock. The hot udon is not as chewy as the cold one though.

Help yourself to the tempura batter, seaweed and preserved plum. But please don't be a cheapo and pile your bowl with them.

The tempura selection is rather limited compared to what i've seen in Japan. Vegetable tempura are from $1 and the ebi tempura is most expensive at $2.50 each.

The tempura isn't the most fantastic actually. The first time we tried it at the Clarke Quay Liang Court outlet, the tempura items were a little cold and the batter had lost its crunch. The prawn was a little powdery and unlike the typical crystal version that is usually used in Japanese ebi tempura. The fried chicken ($2) was flavorful and well marinated though. The Chinatown Point outlet fared better imo.

Tamoya, best value for money and uber delicious udon. This is definitely where i'm heading everytime i have an udon craving. Endorsed by the many Japanese i see digging into the noodles at Liang Court. Check it out if you haven't!

Tamoya Udon

133 New bridge road B1-48/49 Chinatown Point
177 River Valley Road #01-32, Liang Court Shopping Center
Daily: 11am - 9.30pm

I love Ho Chi Minh City. I love the laid back vibe, the strong coffee, the cheap local food and really affordable and delicious French food. I like that there is nothing much to do or see (in terms of tourist attractions). Roaming the streets aimlessly and chilling out at cafes is my kinda traveling.

If all you want to do is escape for a bit, 48 hours is just about perfect for HCMC or Saigon as most affectionately know it as (provided you skip the touristy Cu Chi Tunnel). So here's my perfect Saigon weekend escapade itinerary. 

Here's the flight plan. Jetstar has the best timing to HCMC (budget is perfectly fine for a 2h flight). Depart Friday night out of SIN at 7.35pm and take the return on Sunday night 9.15pm flight home. You'll reach Singapore slightly past midnight but it's perfectly ok! Nothing like a strong coffee to keep you up on Monday right?

Our choice of luggage- Rimowa and rimowa mini!

Pack light. You may need to leave from the office. You only need a hand carry since there's not much shopping to be done (unless you're interested in knockoffs at Ben Thanh Market, which i disapprove.). Check into your choice of hotel in District 1, a 30min cab ride away from the airport. The backpackers' area near the Market has many cheap but comfortable options e.g. Beautiful Saigon (about 25usd/night) and the likes. Grand Silverland Spa is also not bad too (love their freshly prepared pho at breakfast). Or if you'd rather the Dong Khoi area, Oscar Saigon is comfortable and they have yummy croissants at breakfast. And of course there are the more expensive ones like Park Hyatt, InterContinental, Nikko etc.

Put down the bags and head out for supper. Tuck into a bowl of piping hot and savory Pho Bo at Pho Quynh 323 Pham Ngu Lao, an unpretentious hawker stall that is recommended by the locals. I find it better than the chain pho stores e.g. Pho 24, Pho 2000 etc.

When i was in New York last year (one of the many times), a friend who studied there recommended Lady M Confections, a crepe cake place which he couldn't stop raving about. Sadly my food itinerary was too packed to even squeeze in desserts and I was constantly told I missed the best cake of my life. Well then it came over to Singapore!

Mille crepe employs the best of the French and Japanese dessert making. Lady M's Mille crepe cake is made up of more than 20 layers of thin eggy crepes, layered with the fresh, light and vanilla perfumed cream. You can only imagine how much work goes into each cake!

I love how there is this slightly chewy texture with the combination of the layers. The first time I visited, the seasonal Green Tea Mille Crepe ($8.50) wasn't available. The Matcha monster in me was disappointed but the signature Vanilla Mille Crepe ($7.50) more than made up for it.
I was overjoyed when the Green Tea Mille Crepe greeted me on my second visit. The intense matcha taste came from the fine green tea powder which was generously added to the cake. I thought it was less sweet than the Vanilla one (in a good way) and certainly my favorite of the 2.

While Lady M is best known for the Mille Crepe, they do several other cakes and tarts too. If you like cheesecake but found the New York version too rich, the Gateau Nuage ($7) has taken on a Japanese light touch to its texture and taste. The filling is a delicious milky whipped cheesecake, which was sadly accompanied with a thin and soggy graham crust. I wish there was more crunch and bite to this one.

Will be back to try more but you certainly have to make space for the Mille Crepe. Have a sweet weekend my dears!

Lady M Confections Singapore
#02-103 Marina Square Shopping Mall
6 Raffles Boulevard
Daily: 11am - 9pm

People working in the CBD area rejoice! Asia Square has launched the Asia Square Dining Enclave  which hosts restaurants and outlets that spans across several cultures and cuisines. The 50,000 square feet Food Garden will feed about 1200 hungry people at any one time in its relaxing green space.

With the expansion of the Food Garden since their opening in 2011, expect some new iconic new tenants that have been specially added to the mix. 

Soup Stock Tokyo from Japan and Guzman y Gomez from Australia, have opened their first-ever overseas outlets in the Asia Square Food Garden. My Hokkaido Crab Bisque from Soup Stock was a tangy tomato cream soup with minimal crab flavor. If there were more substantial ingredients in it, it could potentially be an alternative to my other favorite- Soup Spoon's Simon and Garfunkel.

You lucky people also get to dig into Ippudo Ramen Express Shiro Tonkotsu Ramen during lunch! Just thinking about the chewy Hakata noodles in the slightly sweet milky broth that is perfumed with garlic is enough to make me drool! 

If you're on an Atkins diet or Paleo or just protein loading, 180deg Rotisserie by Chef Eric Teo would leave you very satisfied. The special hormone-free Sakura chicken comes in three unique flavors- Old Bay, Venice and Yuzu.

I didn't think much of P.L.T. Sandwiches when my sandwich was first served. Well that's until I bit into that juicy Pork sandwich that is juicy and bursting with flavors. This is the perfect takeaway if you don't have time to lunch out.

Other than retail kiosks, there are also several new restaurants on Level 1 and 2.

63Celcius's 2kg Australian Tomahawk Wagyu was lovingly grilled in the Josper Grill to seal in the juices. This was certainly one of my favorite dishes of the night. 

Tao Seafood Asia Chili Crab Claw with Man-tou was a well balanced dish. The tangy chili sauce remained gluey and paired well with the crispy sweet mantou.

Be entertained during your Teppanyaki meal at Tatsu Sushi. Both the Beef in Foie Gras Sauce and the Crayfish in Yuzukoshō Mayo were well prepared. I'm certainly heading back for a full meal.

For desserts, head on to Artisan Boulangerie Co. which has one of the best lemon tarts I've tasted. A crunchy butter cookie-ish tart base with lemon filling of a perfect combination of sweet and sour. I'd rank this slightly below Carpenter and Cook's (read my review here).

With so many dining options, I'm expecting full house at lunch time. Remember to sneak off early for lunch! ;)

Asia Square Food Garden
Level 2, between Asia Square Tower 1 and Tower 2
8 Marina View, Singapore 018960
Weekdays: 8am - 9pm

When it comes to dolling up, it's a head to toe kinda affair for me. What to do? I'm a sucker for coordination. Which means my outfit, accessories, bag and shoes gotta complement each other. Oh and my manicure and pedicure too! Attention to details ladies! As the saying goes, there aren't ugly women, just lazy ones.

I recently checked out Absolutely Nails, a sister brand of the popular Feet Haven Reflexology along East Coast Road Singapore in preparation for a friend's wedding dinner. Heh.

Absolutely Nails has recently relocated to be situated within the Feet Haven outlet, just a stone's throw away from 112 Katong Mall. Get a foot massage before your pedicure session! I mean, if you're gonna indulge, must as well go all the way right? I just love to be pampered and fussed over.

I was led to the back of the shop house to the cosy corner where Absolutely Nails was situated. The first thing I noticed was the use of aromatherapy to create a relaxing atmosphere for the ladies.

Jocelyn was the one who helped me with my nails. She's really meticulous and careful and my cuticles were removed painlessly. We settled into a comfortable silence while she worked on my nails. I don't know about you guys but I hate making irrelevant small talk.

I did the gelish manicure, which IMO is the best manicure invention. I cannot tell you how many times I've ruined my nails just moments after I've stepped out of a nail parlor, no matter how careful I am. 

Gelish is perfect for manicures since it dries immediately after sunning in the UV machine. It's pretty scratch resistant and the mani looks perfect for at least a good 2 weeks. It's great for the holidays because you won't have to squeeze with everyone else for nail appointments and will still have pretty nails come party time. :)

Jocelyn gave me a simple but elegant nail art design to match the nude chiffon dress that I was planning on wearing. If you have some design in mind, be sure to let her know. If not I'm sure she can come up with something that suits your needs.

I was surprised to know how affordable the nail services are at Absolutely Nails! Just to give you an idea of the prices, 5 sessions of Classic Manicure with Classic Pedicure only costs $195 and they throw in an additional session! The individual price is only $39!

The Gelish Manicure service with soak off is only $43 per session and $220 for the 5+1 package. Geesh. I've paid $100 for the same service (with package) at some chain nail parlor! Totally got ripped off. MEH!

Absolutely Nails
136 East Coast Road
Tel: +65 6345 3303, sms at +65 86062930
Weekdays: 10am - 8.30pm
Weekends and PH: 10am - 7pm