There was a time when ilLido was the top of mind recall when one mentions Italian Fine Dining. Then things went a little down south and they moved out of the Sentosa Golf Club in Aug last year. A revival came in the form of a merge with The Cliff in Sofitel Singapore Sentosa Resort & Spa early this year. Now, diners can pretend to be on the Amalfi coast, indulging in gourmet Italian classics with the gorgeous backdrop of the South China Sea at the new ilLido at the Cliff.

It's easy to forget you're still in Singapore once you step into the luxurious Sofitel Singapore Sentosa Resort & Spa. Breathtaking views and lush tropical greenery conjure the seaside holiday vibe. On a good day, the alfresco area is perfect for enjoying your meal and view without leaving unsightly sweat stains. Otherwise, head indoors to the elegant restaurant where you can feast on the extensive menu featuring seasonal antipasto, pastas, and wholesome Italian mains.

Simple fresh goodness is the Burrata with Rucola and Cherry Tomatoes ($26) with compressed tomato and pesto. The cheese is flown from Italy and has a firmer texture than my usual creamy milky preference but a decent burrata no doubt.

The Grilled Octopus with Roman Artichokes ($28) was skillfully prepared.  No tug of war or jaw-breaking chew to get a piece of this nicely charred octopus into your belly.

I'd recommend the octopus along with the Hokkaido Scallops with Nduja and Sweet Pea Cream ($29). See that golden sear? What you don't see is the light pink succulent center that is so delightfully sweet.

I know it has been kind of proven by doctors that there is no such nonsense as detox through juicing, or hot yoga, or whatever trends and fads there may be out there on the market (because our liver is what cleanses our bodies of toxins). But I love to work out and I love to sweat, and it makes me feel super awesome and lighter. So if you do kind of believe in detoxing, then you have to check out Cheryl W Weight and Wellness Management. 

Crowned the Herworld Spa - Best Detoxifying Treatment Editor’s choice, the Signature Body Flush treatment is said help you sweat and burn fats by speeding up your metabolic rate and enhance  absorption of nutrients. Physical benefits also include smoother and brighter skin.

The first step to every treatment at Cheryl W is a detailed consultation to cater to the individual needs of every customer. So for the skinnyfat me who doesn't require weight loss treatments, my sessions were focused on detox and firming. The first step to the Flush treatment is the use of a customized machine and I tried the Slim Up firming treatment to help with localised inch lose and toning of my thighs (that's the fat part of this skinny). With the help of a machine, infra-red rays combined with electric muscle stimulation produces a slimming action and inches were lost immediately. I KID YOU NOT. Of course, to maintain the inch loss and toning, you gotta continue to work out of course but the initial boost is definitely helpful! :)

Next, an Aroma Steam Bath to relax the body and open up the pores for products to be better absorbed by the body. This is followed by a customised Sea Salt Body polish with a lymphatic massage. Whenever i use this body polish, i have a tendency to lose more water! This helps with combating water retention very well. Of course, it is also exfoliating and my skin is left smoother and brighter. The lymphatic massage helps with the 'drainage' of waste better through the lymph nodes. 

Then, the Thermal Heat Therapy to helps you sweat it all out. The heat improves circulation as it increases your core body temperature which leads to an increase in heart rate. Lying in the thermal blanket is said to burn an equivalent of 2 hours of non-stop exercise. Well I still like exercising better but this helps when there aren't good classes at the gym.

The flush treatment ends with Cheryl W's in-house wellness "flush dark plum natural cleanse" drink. This drink is tasty and super filling and I believe it has some sort of cleansing powers to clear your bowels! Heh. 

Keen to check out Cheryl W? Here's a treat for you. It's only $68 for 3 Sessions of Award-Winning Signature Royal Flush Body Treatment (worth $1080).

Use this special link cherylw.com.sg/msskinnyfat and you will receive an additional 3 Sessions of Body Wraps and a complimentary door gift (worth $200). :)

Cheryl W
Ngee Ann City
391 Orchard Road #05-18/18A, Podium Blk Singapore 238872
Tel: 6694 6352/6452

Jean Yip Loft
307 New Bridge Road #04-01 Singapore 088757
Tel: 6634 2709 / 6834 3035

Jurong Point Shopping Centre
1 Jurong West Central 2 #03-02 Jurong Point Shopping Centre Singapore 648886
Tel: 6898 4890

Weekender Foodmania Awards is back for the third year running. And what's special about it this year? Ms Skinnyfat is gonna be a judge on the panel, along with my favorite foodies The Ranting Panda!! :)))) 

Obviously you can expect us to be sharing with you the best of the lot from over 80 of Singapore's restaurants across 9 dining categories. Check out the list of restaurants here! http://weekender.com.sg/foodmaniaawards/fma2016-categories/. I'm looking forward to all that amazing Japanese food and steaks! 

In addition, there will be 3 Special “Weekender’s Choice” Awards. The top 3 most-voted-for restaurants will be reviewed by us too. So do let us know what is your favorite restaurant so that they can be recognized for their good food!

Vote for your favorite restaurants from now till 3 Jun and stand to win the prizes above. The judging period will be from 13 - 30 Jun, during which i'd be stuffing my face with food to make sure that the best gets awarded. The winning restaurants will be announced after 8 Jul. 

What are you waiting for? Start voting now at www.weekender.com.sg/fma2016.

Weekender is Singapore’s largest circulation lifestyle paper inspiring weekend happiness, with a circulation of 230,000. FB and IG @weekendersgp

Edge has won me back with their all-new theatrical Sunday Champagne Brunch! If you think it's gonna be the same as their 'regular' buffet, you can't be more wrong. This Sunday indulgence which consists  an extensive menu of unique International delicacies, is augmented with an unlimited Veuve Clicquot Champagne and live music. 

You already know there are seven interactive live food theatres, and Edge has boosted the total stations to 16, which include a new Caviar Bar, Peking Duck station, and a crazy long counter of cheeses and sweets! Unlimited Veuve Cliquot Champagne and 3 cocktail bars say wert!

Your stomach would hardly survive the 4h long affair due to the sheer variety of food! Jr and I tag teamed to conquer this monstrous spread (and still failed). 

I went with the cheeses (there are over 30 types of European cheeses. Adore the bleu); Iberico and Parma ham; pan seared hazelnut crusted foie gras; Avruga and Keta Caviar on blinis; and several glasses of Veuve Clicquot Brut of course.  

Meanwhile, Jr tackled the fresh seafood which includes the Alaskan King Crabs, freshly shucked Oysters, Maine Lobsters, and Chilean Snow Crabs. 

Rice dumpling season is in full swing now and Yan Ting at The St. Regis Singapore has brought back popular favourites like the Giant Glutinous Rice Dumpling with Abalone and Golden Dried Scallops ($33).

Definitely share this with your friends or family, or if you're greedy, have it all by yourself. My favorite type of rice dumplings are the giant ones filled with all types of roast meats. HEH.

The Glutinous Rice Dumpling with Pork belly and Salted egg ($16) is more manageable for one! I devoured this in no time. This is more the traditional type of ba zhang with darker richer flavors peppered with dried shrimps and earthy shiitake. 

This year, Yan Ting has also introduced the Vegetarian Black Glutinous Rice Dumpling with Mixed Grains ($13), which is quite the healthy alternative for vegetarian friends out there. 

You can also grab Yan Ting's Glutinous Rice Dumpling Gift Set ($49) which consists each of the above 3 dumplings for gifting to family and friends to commemorate the traditional festival.

Yan Ting

Upper Level 1, The St. Regis Singapore

29 Tanglin Road, Singapore 247911

Tel: +65 6506 6887

Daily: 12 - 3pm, 6.30 - 10.30pm

It's almost Rice Dumpling a.k.a. Ba Zhang season (it's actually Dragon Boat Festival) and tcc - the connoisseur concerto is putting a new spin on the classic sticky rice dumpling, in the shape of a Japanese Onigiri!

Ok i'm not sure what the shape does for the rice dumpling but i must say that the glutinous rice was soft and well flavored. Three flavors are available- the Teriyaki Unagi ($7.90) and the Sambal Hotate ($7.90) dumplings and the brand new Spicy Chic ($6.50), which is a Kung Bao Chicken dumpling with crunchy cashews.

I immediately heated up the Sambal Hotate one upon receiving it and it was delicious! It's surprising how the scallops go with the well-balanced rempah! These dumplings are available for sale from 13 May to 12 June 2016 at all tcc outlets. 

Pretty unicorn hair comes at a cost, that means bleached, dry, and unmanageable hair. But i'm always well taken care of at Silkcut Salon. Wendy always prescribes a hair treatment (or 2) to go with any chemical coloring. And most recently, I tried the brand new Kerasilk Keratin treatment to smooth this mess! 

That's the after of course. Now let's take a look at the before! 

Actually my hair doesn't look this bad. This is the post-hot-yoga-pre-hairwash look, hence the maximum fuzziness. 

Healthy superfoods bowls served naked, for the naked super you. Tuck into hearty, value-for-money meals at the newest concept to hit the hip dining enclave of Duxton Road - Ninja Bowl. You lucky CBD folks now get carb-free/low-carb Japanese-inspired superfood meals, as well as delicious all day brunch items. 

Each of the 8 bowl starts out carb-free but you have the options of healthy fillers. I'd go for the super high protein White Quinoa ($3); Ninja Rice (blend of blend of vinegared Japanese pearl rice and brown rice with furikake); Garden greens for $2. 

Fans of Japanese chashu will love the Buta ($14). I thought their slices of homemade cured aburi pork belly were better than many ramen places in Singapore. That velvety blend of meat and fats with a smoky char, sweet balsamic tomatoes, sour-sweet ume-pickled apples, roasted pumpkin seasoned with seaweed flakes and sesame seeds, were gelled nicely with  a runny onsen egg. So much love for this one!

The Kabuki ($14) will make you love chicken again for the tender pieces of deboned chicken thigh are marinated in miso, soy sauce, garlic and honey. Sous-vide and then seared, expect juicy morsels accompanied by baby corn, homemade pickled beets, an onsen egg, snow peas, and a final sprinkling of fried shallots. 

The salmon poke ($16) pales in comparison after all that bursts of flavors in the other bowls. I couldn't quite taste the soy and ponzu sauce that the salmon chunks are supposedly marinated in. Each bowl comes with greens and a sprinkling of quinoa already, but I'd certainly recommend a carb base to help fill you up. Fish lovers could also tuck into bowls with pan-seared tuna tataki, or a saucey slice of unagi.

Head on over for a taste of the crisp and refreshing flavors of South Italy over at The Waterfall, Shangri-La Singapore. Chef de Cuisine Marco De Vincentis has curated a refreshed menu with 27 new a la carte creations and six new desserts including homemade pastas, fresh seafood and Southern Italian signatures.

Fresh and seasonal produce is the highlight at The Waterfall, using authentic cooking methods and heirloom recipes. We enjoyed the Manzo Black Angus Marinato salad which features marinated Black Angus beef with pine nuts, rocket and pecorino cheese, drizzled with a delectable honey balsamic.

Canestrato Pugliese e Pomelo was a refreshing mesclun salad with black olives, canestrato cheese, white balsamic dressing with fresh pomelo wedges for a citrusy tang; 

The pastas are made fresh at the restaurant and you can pick from one of the 18 different flavors; and there are also egg-, dairy- and gluten-free pastas as well! New highlights include Spaghetti Al Nero Di Seppia, Scampi E Datterini, homemade squid ink pasta flavoured with rich scampi sauce and cherry tomatoes with a hint of chili for added spice. I enjoyed the garlic seafood sauce but the pasta was a tad overcooked imo. 

When i'm in need of a comforting bowl of Vietnamese Pho, i'd naturally head to Long Phung in Joo Chiat for that warming noodles in beef broth. I've never been disappointed by their bowl, but it's always good to have a backup in case they are closed or when i'm not near the East. So here is another trusted alternative- Mrs Pho. 

Mrs Pho has been on my food list for a bit because it has been recommended by trusted foodie friends like Miss Tam Chiak and Superfinefeline. So after several half baked attempts to visit (despite being in the area), Jr and i finally dropped by for a taste test.   

Standard side order of Goi Cuon ($3.50 for 2). Thin and chewy rice paper rolls filled with rice vermicelli, slices of prawn and pork belly, paired with that 'chee cheong fun' sauce.

Now on to the star, their Pho! Have the Pho Bo Tai ($7.90) Sliced Beef Noodle Soup or the Pho Dac Biet ($8.90)- Special Beef Combination Noodle Soup. The former is a no frills bowl that comes with thin and tender beef slices, while the latter has meatballs, brisket, beef, and a half cooked egg. I thought the beef balls were very authentic and indeed they are freshly shipped from Vietnam weekly! As compared to Long Phung, we think that Mrs Pho does a more delicate bowl of noodles with milder flavors. Of course, you can always spice it up with the accompanying fish sauce, lime, and chili. If you are not for beef, there's also Pho Ga ($7.90) Chicken Noodle Soup, and Bun Mam ($8.90) Assam Seafood Noodle Soup. and other vermicelli and rice dishes. 

Start or end your meal at Mrs Pho with the Iced Ca Phe Sua Da ($3). I thought it was rather smooth and not too sweet really! The Avocado Smoothie ($4.50) was decent too. Now i know where to head to for a perk me up in the Bugis area! A good Ca Phe Sua Da is so hard to come by in Singapore. And of course, the pho. 

Come here if you can't take Joo Chiat's grittiness, Mrs Pho is definitely more for the young hipsters.

Mrs Pho

349 Beach Rd, Singapore 199570 (opposite Concourse)

Tel: +65 6292 0018

Daily: 11am – 10pm