There is a hidden gem in Orchard Road that i've been keeping a secret hidden since the media preview and that is KUVO restaurant. The elegant and sophisticated space in Orchard Shopping Centre (it took over Lei Garden Restaurant) takes on a multi concept approach to dining and it offers bespoke cocktails, extensive list of New World wines and exclusive labels, as well as international food offerings.

The main dining space seats up to 88 persons over 2 wings and it serves an all day a la carte menu with all day breakfasts (yay!). The KUVO Atlantic Cod Meuniere ($38) was a massive piece of sweet pea-crusted cod medallion (it can cover at least half my face) with pearl barley fricassee, layered potato/sweet potato gratin with a citrus nutty-brown butter. The lightly flavored sides complemented the freshness of the cod and allowed the sweetness to come through. My mama enjoyed it thoroughly on a separate visit.

Asian selections are also available including the Slipper Lobster Laksa Lemak ($22) and King Prawn Noodle Soup ($20) if you prefer something different. 

Another highlight is the sumptuous tea available daily from 2 - 5.30pm ($35/pax). It includes a three-tiered tea set (refillable), together with a mini buffet spread of cheeses, hams, tapas bites and a whole selection of desserts! My mummy enjoyed this one because she had so much to pick from. I do love the cheeses and cold cuts. Also, who can resist the desserts bar.

I would certainly be back to chill out at the Vine Lounge with the delicious Brut by Antica Fratta ($17/glass, $98/btl). I also enjoyed the Pinot Bianco by J. Hofstatter ($16/glass, $84/btl) tremendously. 

Small plates and bespoke cocktails are also available at Elixir Bar, which is helmed by mixologist Yutaka Nakashima. Do not miss the Duck Foie Gras Duo ($21)! I'm drooling over that creamy chunks of liver just thinking about them. 

Kuvo also does an all day breakfast and my mama thought their pancakes are a lot fluffier than the ones i make. MEH. But yea, great spot to escape the Orchard Road crowd. Don't say i never share! Btw, the entrance is between House of Robert Timms and Poh Heng Jewelry. Take the escalator to the second floor!

KUVO

321 Orchard Road #02-01, Singapore 238866

Orchard Shopping Centre (next to 313 Somerset)

Tel: +65 6733 8272

Open Daily

Restaurant: 12- 11pm

Wine and Tapas: 12pm - 1am (till 2am on Fri-Sat and Eve PH)

Cocktails: 5pm - 1am (till 2am on Fri-Sat and Eve PH)

If there's a spot in Tanjong Pagar which can satisfy practically all food cravings, it would be Orchid Hotel. Ramen lovers have Keisuke, Japanese food fanatics have Teppei and Hanare and more, burger fans can get their cravings satisfied with Two Blur Guys, and there's also Cake Spade for that after meal sweets! A cafe was missing from this mix but it has now been filled by Souper Sarnies with their freshly made sandwich-waffles offering.

The smallish cafe sit a maximum of 10 pax indoors but it would feel kinda squeezy with that many people. I was there with a gf and it felt just right for the 2 of us so i can't imagine how it would be on a weekday during lunch time. Ventilation wasn't that great, i kept smelling the food which is prepared in the contained space and we left smelling like leftover breakfast. Then again, i suppose you're not meant to hang around in the little shop. 

The menu consists of sandwiches, waffles and some salads. Everything here is made from scratch and from fresh and quality ingredients. Even the cakes are homemade. Prices are pretty reasonable as well (nett pricing).

Souper Sarnies has also started serving brunch on weekends and here's the brunch menu.

I decided to stick with the regular items since people typically wouldn't go to the CBD for brunch on weekends. I'd certainly recommend the BLAT Sandwich ($10.90) which is a toasted panini with Bacon, Lettuce, Avocado, Tomatoes and lots of mayonnaise. I loved that I can taste the creamy avocado immediately because the owners are super generous with the spread. Each bite was juicy and smoky and salty as well (from the bacon). The only downside was that it is a little small.

The Salted Caramel Buttermilk Waffles ($12.90) was pretty yummy too. This comes with a scoop f New Zealand Natural Vanilla bean ice cream. The waffle was sufficiently light, with a fluffy rispy with a fluffy core. It could do with a little more crisp and certainly more salted caramel sauce (it's homemade too). 

Highlander coffee is served here and it's sufficiently decent. I sure wouldn't mind popping by again to grab a sandwich on the go.

Souper Sarnies
1 Tras Link, Orchid Hotel #01-07 Singapore 078867
Tel: +65 9115 9566
Weekdays: 8.30am - 9pm

Sat 9am-9pm

It's hot spring weather and there's no better place than the pretty Kurokawa Onsen to soak away the burdens and load accumulated in the year. This is one of Japan's most attractive hot spring towns, and i knew exactly why when i set my eyes on it. Despite it being a 'resort' town, there was none of those touristy and gimmicky vibe or huge resort and tour group presence. Instead, there was a peaceful calm in this traditional town where local tourists roam about in their yukata (light Japanese cotton robe) and wooden clogs.

Getting there

Buses run from Yufuin and it was a short 1 hour ride. Kurokawa Onsen is also connected to Mt Aso and Kumamoto Take the Odan Bus (Direction Beppu towards Kumamoto). Click here for the timetable.

There has been a slew of Japanese dessert cafes and bakeries opening in Singapore and one of the latest is Pantler, a little outfit in the Tanjong Pagar/ Telok Ayer area. Opened by young (and cute) baker Matthias Phua and helmed by Chef Tomoharu Morita (both previously from Grand Hyatt Tokyo and Joel Robuchon Singapore), Pantler features high quality baked goods using ingredients from Japan and France.

The sweets selection was well balanced between pastries and cakes.

Expect croissants, tarts and danishes. Coffee is from Dutch Colony ($3.50 for Espresso, $5.80 for Café latte and Cappuccino). 

The Pithivier ($7.50) filled with almond frangipane was a nice layered pastry with a generous filling. The Frangipane wasn't too sweet which was great but I thought it could have more crunch and bite to it.

Something refreshing (or bitter) would be the Ruby Tart. 

Pound cakes are $22 each but also available in slices. The Madeleines are a whopping $3.50 each (are you for real)! 

The Choux bun ($5.50) is only meant for eating in. The thick vanilla perfumed cream is only piped in when ordered to ensure the crispiness of the Choux pastry.

Everyone loved the flavor of this but only the girls are willing to pay $5.50 for this. I think the boys will be happy with the regular Beard Papa. That said, the cream was much better in terms of flavor and quality though!

The Yatsura ($8.50) was my other favorite. The intense dark chocolate will hit you squarely on your first bite but it mellows out. And i loved that cunchy hazelnut feuilletine.

The Pantler cheesecake ($6.80) was similar to the regular light Japanese cheesecake in terms of texture but you could still taste the distinct sharpness of the cheese. That said i'm not a fan of this one. 

The other cheese option is the Ricotta Cheese Tart ($8.50) which had a light moussy filling. The sharp contrast between that airy ricotta and that crisp short crust tart threw the balance of the dessert off. A thinner crust would have made the dish a perfect alternative to the cheesecake. 

Of the lot, I thought the Pantler roll cake ($4.80) fared the worst because it was too sweet. The cake however was delightful if you eat it without the cream or icing. It's typically Japanese in terms of the texture but with the french butter flavor once again. If you have eaten those Hokkaido cakes, you'd know what I mean.

In all, Pantler is not a bad spot to satisfy your post lunch sweets craving. I'd certainly pack and go if i'm in the area but make sure you eat that choux bun on the spot.

Pantler
198 Telok Ayer Street
Singapore 068637
Weekdays: 8.30am - 5.30pm
Sat: 10.30am - 5.30pm

Jing Hua, established in 1989, started from its humble beginnings at Qun Zhong Eating House, a restored shophouse at Neil Road. I did not know about this famous Xiao long bao and dumpling stall until they opened their third outlet at Palais Renaissance but I heard that the original outlet is super famous and there would be snaking queues especially at meal times. Well well town is more accessible for me and I found Jing Hua to be a good alternative to the crowded and noisy Din Tai Fung.

The Orchard outlet departs a little from the 小吃店 style of the other outlets. The ambience is certainly more posh and retro-chic (it reminded me of the mod 茶餐厅 decor of a particular Starbucks in HK). Premium beverages e.g. Pu'er tea, are offered here along with spirits. Pick from the Chinese Shao Hsing wine, Baijiu ,and Japanese whisky, and shochu. If you're thinking why Japanese drinks? Well fried dumplings are like gyoza and dumplings are great bar bites.

So let's start with my picks. Do not miss the Little Juicy Steamed Meat Dumplings (小笼汤包) ($5/4pcs, $8.80/8pcs). The first thing I noticed was the delicate skin. It was thin, smooth and slightly chewy. The texture resembled a thinly rolled out chinese kueh without the stickiness. The skin is made from a special recipe and used in most of their flour products. I cannot stop raving about that texture! The lightly marinated pork meat wasn't too minced (slightly coarser than din tai fung) and hence the sweetness of the pork does come through.  

If I were to grab a quick bite, I'd certainly go for the Boiled Mixed Seafood and Pork Dumplings (三鲜饺子) ($5/4pcs, $9/10pcs) or the Pan Fried Mixed Seafood & Pork Dumplings (三鲜锅贴) ($6.50/6pcs, $9.50/10pcs).

I can't decide which I prefer. The boiled ones were fat and juicy, and they make for a delicious and healthy snack. The fried ones maintained the juiciness of the fragrant meat filling and the bonus was the added crunch. What's great was the shell maintained that light chewiness on the interior. These little crispy poppers were quite irresistible.

The Noodles with Minced Pork & Soya Bean Sauce (炸酱面) ($6.80) didn't wow me. It wasn't the fault of the yummy noodles (made from the same dough), the downfall was the sauce. Perhaps I'm accustomed to the rich soy bean sauce that comes with the typical 炸酱面 so this was kinda bland for me. More sauce was needed to coat the noodles as well. I'll suggest you add some of that soy bean chili paste (it was good with the noodles and gyoza) to boost the flavors.

The problem with many dumpling stores is that the flavors get boring after a bit due to the usage of the same filling. Even though the seafood, minced pork, and chives paste was used in several items, including the Chinese Pizza (三鲜盒子) ($10.80), the differing textures arising from the methods of preparation made each dish different. That said, the chinese pizza didn't do so well as the puff pastry was a little thick and dry (think epok epok skin) and hence I left it mostly untouched. The meat to pastry ratio could also be worked on (too little meat, too much dough). 

The Sweet Osmanthus Flower Rice Ball Soup (桂花汤圆) ($4) was a lovely way to end our meal. I loved that fragrance of Osmanthus in the soup! The dish may look bland with the white mochi balls and clear soup but it was anything but simple. The glutinous rice balls were filled with peanuts, red bean paste, lotus and walnut paste, and black sesame. Most pastes were smooth (loved the lotus walnut) with the exception of the powdery sesame.

Crispy Red Bean Pancake (豆沙锅饼) ($10.50) was alright. Made from glutinous rice flour, the texture was slightly airy, with a keropok texture. The inner layer still maintained the mochi-like chewiness. I thought the texture of the pastry paired nicely with the slightly coarse red bean paste. 

I usually don't have steamed sweet buns for desserts but the Green Tea Red Bean Steamed Dumplings ( 绿茶豆沙小笼包) ($4.50/4pcs) sounded too enticing. Great skin again and the red bean paste was fine, smooth and a little more fluid than the regular baos. The green tea flavor could be enhanced though. 

In all, Jing Hua Restaurant is a great spot to grab a quick bite in town. It may be slightly off the Orchard Road belt but you would get away from the madness. I'll pick this over Din Tai Fung if i have a dumplings craving.

Jing Hua Restaurant

Original Chinatown Shophouse

21 Neil Road, Singapore 088814

Tel: +65 6221 3060

Rochor Road

159 Rochor Road, Singapore 188434

Tel: +65 6337 7601

Orchard Palais Renaissance

390 Orchard Road, B1-04/05 Singapore 238871 

Tel: +65

6733 8231

Way overdue post but I'm looking at the messy state of affairs which is my hair, thinking that I desperately need a visit to Geri and Wendy at Silkcut Salon and that's when I remembered the lovely hair treatment these ladies did for me some time back.

This is sort what my hair looks like currently as well. Faded colors, overgrown roots and hair that goes in knots!

Wendy suggested the 2 step Collagen Keratin treatment to tame the messy bed of hair I had. 

Followed by an overall coloring of copper color. Something warm this time! Color suited me fine even though the ladies didn't quite like it.

Love the smooth and silky hair as usual when I left the salon. They always treat my tresses well here!

I went back a couple weeks later to do another color treatment which is the Goldwelle Elumen Color Treatment to give my hair a brilliant touch. I must have mentioned how much I love the color treatments here to death already but it is just perfect since I have slightly bleached hair so the color really shines.

So we went for orange on top of my copper (which didn't show too well). This was really fantastic. Even Wendy who dislikes copper had to agree that the color looks good on me. :)))

Imma current and I love it. Hee. Still a tinge of purple from my highlights which refused to go away even after I added blue on top of it. But I sure do love how the purple highlights go with the orange. 

Silkcut Salon is located in the fringe of Tiong Bahru and just a few shops away from the newly opened The Tastemaker Store. Be sure to grab something to eat (heard the yam cake is good) before your session.

Silkcut Salon

22 Havelock Road #01-693, Singapore 160022

Tel: +65 6275 6108

Weekdays: 11am - 8pm

Weekends and PH: 11am - 7pm

Festive season is so bad for the waistline so if you have to put on weight, then you better make sure it's worth it! Here's something that's worth your calories. Pan Pacific Singapore celebrates All Things Nice with their traditional Christmas favorites at the seven live food theatres at Edge, whimsical Imaginary Friends Afternoon Tea and the yummy festive takeaways at Pacific Market Place.

The massive spread at Edge cannot be missed. The month of December offers a mouthwatering array of Christmas delights. You don't even need to think about individual guest's preferences because there's something for everyone. Creamy pumpkin soup with cream cheese and chestnuts and a lovely sundried tomatoes foccacia, fresh seafood, amazing spread of cold cuts, Honey and Pineapple-glazed Gammon Ham, Crispy Spice Pork Knuckle (a little dry for me), and sweet treats including Aniseed Ginger Vanilla Cheese Log Cake. Yums! 

For New Year, there's Whole Roast Beef Tomahawk, Iberico Crispy Roast Pork, Omi Wagyu, Alaskan King Crab, Boston Lobster and more. Check out the Edge webpage for more details! Do not miss out on the Champagne meals with free flow  with unlimited Veuve Clicquot Champagne, alone with selected red and white wines, cocktails, beers, fresh juices and soft drinks (from $150). The regular Festive Lunch and Dinner are priced from $58. 

For something more dainty, there's the new Imaginary Friends Afternoon Tea inspired by the characters from home-grown author Melanie Lee’s book Imaginary Friends. Octopus Mirin Quiche with Bonito Flakes, and Durian Puff with Spiked Meringue? This is certainly a twist on the typical tea. Book your tea with Pacific Market Place daily from 3-5 pm. 

Home celebrations are made easy with the festive takeaways at Pacific Market Place. Do not expect yours truly to be roasting any turkeys. Instead, i'll recommend the Roasted Turkey with Cornbread and Sausage Stuffing (4.5kg, $148). The big bird was surprisingly flavorful and sufficiently tender. And that stuffing had me going back for thirds! 

Other traditional roasts includes the Honey-glazed Ham with Granny Smith Apple and Raisin Chutney (LOVE!) (2kg $128). I love the idea of carving my own ham though i've not tried doing it myself before. For 2014, there also a Limited Edition Cinnamon-glazed Gammon Ham with
Persimmon Chutney (2kg $158). Their Brandy Fruit cake is also wickedly alcoholic. hic. Check it out on pacificmarketplace.sg.

Time to get your Christmas meal shopping done!

Pan Pacific Singapore 
7 Raffles Boulevard Singapore 039595
Tel: +65 6336 8111

Festive season calls for a color update! I got a little sick of my ash hair which was looking kinda washed out. Ash is a wonderful cool color but it does turn yellow rather easily and one would look ashen and sallow and your hair may look dry as well. After a long discussion with the wonderful ladies at Silkcut Salon, Wendy and Geri finally decided on giving me some vibrant but healthy colors.

And I went back to being a red head! Just look at how vibrant the dye is.

Lots of work going on right there. Being pampered like a princess as always.

My head was on fire with that fiery engine red dye. What's life without some fun colors right? If you're wondering why the top was bunned up, well that's because it was gonna be purple on top! Of course it wouldn't take that long for the girls to come up with just plain old boring red. ;)

And as usual, hair care is a must following any dye job and Wendy recommended the Moistcare hair treatment. This treatment from Japan contains collagen and keratin to hydrate and strength the hair. The result? Shiny, glossy and super smooth and silky hair, just like in a shampoo ad. It was so satin-like and i cannot even bun my hair up because my hair tie kept slipping off! 

I love how Geri and Wendy did my hair with the darker purple top and the fire engine red under. Put it down for a slightly serious look at work and up for more fun the rest of the time. I already know that red  is a great complement to my skin tone and even Geri, who is extremely fond of cool colors, had to agree that this warm (more like hot) color is perfect for me. ;)

The purple has faded a bit and it looking a bit more strawberry on the top, but it still holds nicely at the ends. Be careful when you do reds because it will keep bleeding till it's completely gone so no white tops unless your hair is completely dry.

Thank you Silkcut Salon for the stellar hair work as usual. My friends have been raving about that insane hair color and molesting the smooth locks as well. I highly recommend the Moistcare hair treatment! It's only $115 for my hair length (super cheap!) and definitely something that i'll keep going back for.

So it's bright hair, bright skin (I use Derma-Rx products) and a brighter smile (thanks to Invisalign). On a side note, my Invisalign treatment has ended and I'm just waiting to do my refinement. Whee!

Time to get yourself ready for the hols! What's your prep strategy this holiday?

Silkcut Salon
22 Havelock Road #01-693, Singapore 160022
Tel: +65 6275 6108
Weekdays: 11am - 8pm
Weekends and PH: 11am - 7pm