Caffeine addicts, here is another cafe for you to check out. Assembly Coffee, a hole in the wall cafe (literally)  at Evans Lodge (sandwiched between Mr Prata and Wine Company), has a coffee menu more extensive than their food menu. Oh but you really shouldn't miss out on the best scrambled eggs and waffles here too. RAVE ALERT.

The cafe is a little on the small side and accommodates a maximum of 30 people and that would be an insane crowd already. We took a seat at the communal table and i have to stress that it's not for fat people. My fat thighs barely squeezed through the gap between the table and the high stools. The awkward height also made it almost impossible for us to eat without exposing ourselves indecently. I kid you not. 

Assembly Coffee uses beans from local roasters Liberty Coffee and Geisha Specialty. We had the Liberty Coffee Speakeasy blend on our visit which was delicious (i had the latte).

The drinks menu is 90% caffeinated so if you don't drink, you don't really have many options other than some juices and chocolate drinks. The Babychino ($3.90) was the cutest little chocolate drink that looked like a soufflé but i thought it was just mostly cream. I wouldn't consider it for a drink though.

Breakfast people can get their All Day Brunch here at Assembly Coffee though options are limited. There are a couple of egg options and sandwiches that covers most diners with their Beef, Pork (Pulled), Fish (Smoked Salmon) and Vegetarian (Tomato Basil Cheese) fillings. Other light bites include some pastries and quiches which looked quite amazing.

The Scrambled eggs with Smoked Salmon ($13.90) was AMAZEBALLS. It typically comes with croissant but they ran out so we had toast but it turned out rather perfect, mainly because of the fantastic scrambled eggs. The eggs had the perfect amount of butter (more wouldn't kill me for sure) and of the ideal moisture that did not turn the toast soggy. Flawless.

You CANNOT miss the Salted Caramel Buttermilk Waffles ($11.50) with vanilla bean ice cream. What it lacked in the texture department (could be crispier), it made up for in taste! Interesting hint of orange zest, slightly salty batter and perfected salty sweet caramel sauce that's generously drizzled on top. Paired with the creamy and intense vanilla bean ice cream, the result is a unicorn-ride-among-the-rainbows kinda ecstasy. One of the best waffles ever. Nope Strangers Reunion/Waffle Slayer don't cut it. Chocolate & Strawberries Waffle ($11.50) also available here.

Go early, go really really early or extremely late (and pray they have eggs and waffle mix). Assembly Coffee is certainly where you'd find me when i need a simple but delicious brunch.

Assembly Coffee
26 Evans Lodge, Singapore 259367
Tel: +65 6735 5647
Tue-Sun: 8am - 7pm

It’s the Ben & Jerry's Free Cone Day again! For those of you who don't already know about this regular event, B&J will be providing all ye faithful moo-niacs a free scoop of ice cream on them on 8 April 2014. From 12pm to 8pm, free scoops will be dished out at four locations- VivoCity, Dempsey Hill, Great World City and Singapore Zoo (till 6pm only).

At the same time, join B&J in giving back to the community by donating what you can for the Children’s Charities Association of Singapore (CCA)!

CCA is an organisation which works to help the physically, mentally and socially-disadvantaged children of Singapore through fundraising efforts and programs, in order to educate, train and assist them to become independent adults who can contribute to society. The six member charities are: Singapore Children’s Society (SCS), Singapore Association for the Deaf (SADeaf), Cerebral Palsy Alliance Singapore (CPAS), Movement for the Intellectually Disabled of Singapore (MINDS), St Andrew’s Mission Hospital (SAMH) and Association for Persons with Special Needs (APSN).

B&J will also be bringing Free Cone Day on Wheels for the very first time in Singapore to visit the member charities under CCA to make sure that no hand is left unconed! How lovely is that!

Well so go on down to Ben & Jerry's, enjoy a free cone on them and at the same time do your part for charity! These kids really need your help. Please do not be a cheapo and just have an ice cream cone for free please. Donations are certainly welcomed even if you're not gonna join the queue for the ice cream. :))

Haven't been updating on my skincare regime for some time so here's a post. I've been religiously using my Derma-Rx products and my skin has certainly become a lot fairer and brighter. However, there are still the periodic outbreaks which i combat with the Essential Facial Plus at the DRx Medispa.
I finally found time to go back for another facial. Well if you don't know, the Essential Facial is The DRx Medispa's fundamental treatment for good complexion and it helps to clear the junk out of your skin.This award winning treatment consists of Ultrasonic Cleansing, Ultrasonic Nutrient Delivery (PG-Vit) and a therapeutic mask. I always add on Microdermabrasion to rid my face of all the dead cells and i love how smooth my skin is after this procedure.

Microdermabrasion is not scary at all. Here's a look at the diamond tipped hand piece that is used to remove the superficial layers of skin. Just think of it as a mini vacuum cleaner.

To remove deeper impurities like comedones i.e. blackheads and whiteheads, the ultrasonic cleansing works wonders.

It is first used to remove the impurities and later on to infuse the nutrients into the skin. I went with the Vitamin C nutrient delivery to give my skin that extra glow.

Extraction was done but it didn't hurt as bad as the first time! That also means that my face is cleaner and clearer now! This is considering that i haven't done the facial in more than half a year! Good job me! Ok it's actually more the effects of the Derma-Rx products that i've been using religiously. :)

A therapeutic mask to soothe the skin after the extraction. Vennice, my beauty therapist was quick with the extracting and thus i left the spa with minimal red bumps.

This was me after the facial. My forehead was the most problematic so you can see the bumps and red spots. There has been a reduction of blackheads around my cheeks and chin though! 

The downtime to the facial was really short. The bumps subsided after a day and in 2 days, my face was glowing. Bare face here. Only concealer for my dark eye rings, non tinted sunscreen for the face and filled brows. 

Do check out DRx’s newly launched FaceBook pages for The DRx Medispa Singapore and The DRx Clinic and Medispa in KL for latest updates. I hear that there are gonna be some really exciting products and treatments coming up soon.

The DRx Medispa
302 Orchard Road, #14-02/#16-02
Tong Building (next to Paragon Shopping Centre)
Singapore 238862
Tel: +65 6223 1555
Mon to Sat: 10am to 8pm
Sun: 10am to 6pm

Do you eat out a lot? Are you always checking out the top tables in the city? Do you do the same when you travel? If so, you will need The Entertainer mobile app. The Entertainer provides over 1000 ‘buy one get one free’ vouchers from the city’s most exclusive dining, leisure, wellness and entertainment venues, saving entertainers from burning holes in their pockets while living it up.

With one-for-one deals at Au Petit Salut, Fat Cow, The Disgruntled Chef, Pelican Bar and Grill, Praelum and more, you'll be spoilt for choice when dining out. Simply download the free mobile app from iTunes, Google Play or Blackberry World. You can trial select offers for free to ensure you’re happy with the redemption process. The app is for purchase at $95 for coupon redemption till the end of the year. It allows the account holder to approve up to 3 additional usernames to access offers in the second release so you can share the joy with your friends!

Using the app is very simple. The search function helps you to easily locate merchants and restaurants in proximity to you and features individual pins for every available Entertainer offer! You'll never miss out on any offers! My virgin attempt at using the app was at Extra Virgin Pizza (hur hur the pun). 

Each outlet will have 3 of the same coupons. Simply click on the option and then redeem it.

Key in your personal pin, which you create when you first purchase the app and input your details. The waitstaff will have to key in the merchant pin in order for the redemption to go through. Once that's done, the merchant will reflect the discount on your final bill! Easy peasy. 

Extra Virgin Pizza offers handmade Italian thin crust pizzas using imported flour, tomatoes, cheeses and various toppings and baked in brick ovens. The dough has a nice chewy texture that is a cross between an Indian naan and a Japanese mochi. It also has a nicely charred crust. 

We tried several pizzas. The Spotted Pig ($26) comes highly recommended if you are a meat lover. It is topped with pepperoni, pork sausage, applewood smoked bacon and parmiggiano reggiano, mozzarella and tomato.

The Pistachio Pesto ($24) is great for vegetarians but also popular with the pizza crowd. I thought it could do with a little more pistachio as the nuttiness didn't seem to come forth. 

The Mushroom Bianco ($22), a white pizza with bechamel base smells of truffle oil which wasn't too overpowering. Thought they were a little stingy with the toppings though.

The Prosciutto and Arugula ($24) fared a bit better. Must be the prosciutto!   

Track your savings each time you use an offer with the Savings Calculator function, which will be updated after every redemption. You'll see how extremely fast you will redeem the cost of the Entertainer product and also the savings you accumulate in the year. 

Other than dining, i'll certainly be making use of the Travel coupons! Just check out the number of hotels providing one night for one night offers and 20% off best available rates. Hello Maldives! There are many 4 and 5* hotels (Banyan Tree, Angsana, Sofitel etc.) in the Middle East, Africa, Europe, Asia and the Indian Ocean for your picking. There are also Entertainer apps for the other 23 destinations. :)

Brunch spots are popping up everywhere these days. If you open a cafe and you don't at least offer weekend brunch, you're pretty much screwed. But if you only do an average one, you wouldn't survive long in this competition. #sadbuttrue Well the people at Ronin must have gotten it right i guess. These same folks behind The Plain and The Bravery have been operating at 17 Hong Kong Street for a while now and it's packed despite not having a sign.

I liked how dim and broody the industrial space is. The cemented floors, naked bulbs and cinema chairs contribute to the sulky hipster type.  Well you can brood if you're not seated at the communal tables, or you can continue brooding because that's what hipsters do.

Drinks first. Ronin uses the same Genovese blend as The Bravery and The Plain. Low acidity, super strong and aromatic. Love the crema. Latte goes for $4.20. 

For something refreshing and sweet, go with the Wicked Mocha ($5.50), a mint mocha that tastes like After Eights. Go for the hot version for a more intense flavor.

Do not miss out on the Matchatone ($5.50)! This is by far my favorite matcha drink. It is actually an intense matcha paste served with steamed milk. I love scrapping the green tea sludge and eating that instead of mixing it all in. Slurps.

Here comes the food. The non-existent menu (they really don't have a copy anywhere) only has a few items, a couple of sandwiches, eggs, french toast and some pastries on the counter. My advice is to search online for the available items instead of straining your memory trying to figure out what you wanna order when the waitstaff recites the menu. Anyway here's what we ordered.

We had the famed Dirty Ronin ($12). Hard sandwiches are so in these days. I enjoyed the crispy panini which has a nice crusty shell but it still maintained that fluffy porous texture inside. Servings are huge by the way. So this comes with a lightly spiced salty chorizo. How they get the meat so soft i have no idea but it is really more like spam (not the chinese Ma Ling sorta luncheon meat though). There's some miso mayo, fried egg and cheese in this. Taste wise it's not bad, though a different kinda lettuce would have been better.

The scrambled eggs ($9) have this amazing taste and texture. It's extremely milky but it's not the runny sort. However, it wasn't like the eggs were dry. Well.. it's like an egg pudding? Anyhoo, you gotta try it for yourself. It's perfect with the nicely buttered crunchy toast. Add on the freshly made sausage ($4.50) which comes in pork or lamb to satisfy your meat craving. Avocado and Portobello available as add ons too. 

If you, like me, enjoy a sweet and savory combination, have the French Toast ($14), a fluffy and eggy brioche topped with fried bacon and crunchy and tart Granny Smith apples. Absolutely adored the maple butter! I could do with more bacon though. Oink. 

We really enjoyed brunch at Ronin though it's really packed during brunch time. The waiting isn't too bad because the service is pretty good. The girls are really chirpy and friendly so it's great. 

Ronin
17 Hong Kong Street Singapore 059660
Tue – Sun: 8am - 8pm

Looking for a different outdoor activity to participate in other than the usual soccer, marathon and the likes? Well, check out Forest Adventure, the first tree top adventure course in Singapore. I was surprised that Forest Adventure has been opened since 2007 at Bedok Reservoir Park! This kinda shows that we hardly venture outdoors! Terrible terrible us.

The aerial course through the trees comprises ladders, bridges, swings, nets, trapezes and slides where participants move unaccompanied, from tree to tree, through 34 obstacles, 5 meters above ground. Don't worry, you'd be harnessed and hooked on to the line and will not fall off if you've performed all the safety checks. 

Before embarking on the Grand Course, we went through a 30 minutes safety briefing to operate our safety harness. We then started our 2 - 2.5 hour adventure through 4 sites. 

.

I have a little issue with heights and was pretty nervous when i started up the first course. I felt a little more reassured with S around. Well.. at least till he pushed me off the first zip line and then some.. :/ 

The obstacles focus mainly on balance and some strength (when you lack the balance). It is also a lot about conquering fears (at least for me). Once i got the hang of the safety system, the height wasn't so much an issue. 

There are some “extreme” sections made of extremely physically challenging obstacles which require some jumping from log to log and hanging around. Not to worry, there are escape routes available for those not yet ready for such challenge. D doing his Tarzan thing over here.

Jumping through hoops!

Just hanging around with friends. D doubled as our photographer and also instructor for other people in the group and here's V, S and i on the trees. :)

At the end of each section, participants descend from the trees, over the waters, to the forest floor. The longest zip for the Grand Course is 200m and it's really relaxing! Take time to enjoy the views of the waterfront and the park as you zip around. 

Of all the courses, the greatest challenge for me was the 12m Tarzan swing where participants jump from a 8m high platform and swing into a rope net 2 m below! I was all ready to chicken out but the instructor on the ground was goading me. There were many WTF moments before i climbed that platform. So here's me and my terrified face and cheeky S waiting to push me off again.

Took the plunge before S could do anything stupid. Yes i screamed like a girl all the way. AHHHHH!

And I DID IT! And the entire Bedok Reservoir heard it. Weet weet! It was exhilarating but no way in hell am i gonna do it again. Yes i'm a chicken but WEV. Interested in experiencing it for yourself? The Grand Course that we attempted is $44/pax. I would highly recommend it for couples or groups.

There is also a 16-stages Kids Course priced at $32 for 1st hour and $10 for subsequent rounds. The children are connected to a continuous safety line at the start of the course and will not be disconnected till the end. Family packages and annual passes are also available.

So yea! Time to have fun under the sun! Here's the location map.

Thank you Forest Adventure for the invitation!

Forest Adventure

Bedok Reservoir Park 

Grand Course- Daily 10am - 6pm (last departure at 4.30pm)
Kids Course- Weekends, Sch Holidays and PH 10am - 6pm (last departure at 5pm)
Closed on Mondays except PH.