Singapore Top Travel, Beauty, Food, Lifestyle Blog

Friday, March 1, 2013

Reunion Lunch with the Nuffies!

One good long year has passed since last year's Nuffie Reunion Lunch.. And this year we were invited back again to the same place: Crystal Jade Palace at Takashimaya for reunion lunch again! I'm not complaining, because I remember the food there being really awesome and it was just as good this time round! Crystal Jade Palace really serves one of the best dimsum in town, methinks!

This year's lunch was with a slightly different group of lovely people: It was myself, Juli, Valerie, Vel, Bea, Evonne, together with Boss Ming, Melissa, Gabby and Jayne! Yay!


A polaroid shot we took.. Bea left early so she's not in this photo!


Two of the newer additions to Nuffnang, Evonne who just joined this year, and Juli whom I first met at a Kiehl's event last year! Glad to have made more new friends like Juli, as well as welcome existing good friends into the "family" hehehe.


Le awesome fooooooood @_@


流沙包!我的最爱!But Crystal Jade's is OK OK only. Passable but not as good as my favourite one from Victor's Kitchen!


三辰肉 @_@ Crispy crackly skin, soft tender meat. 爽!


萝卜糕 aka Carrot Cake! Very delish, melt in the mouth. Not too oily or greasy either!


叉烧包~~


烧卖! The best Siew Mai I've tasted in Singapore :D


虾饺 lost out in comparison to the 烧卖. I would order Siew Mai over this next time!


小笼包! Tasty but the skin was so fragile it broke when I was attempting to get a piece with my chopsticks! :(


Sauteed shitake mushrooms VERY SHIOK.


Fried prawn wanton! I didn't try this but it sure looks good!


MUST MUST MUST TRY. Mini egg tarts damn good especially when served fresh, flaky crust and melt-in-your-mouth texture that isn't too sweet!


虾酱鸡! Crispy crispy. Very nais!


Mango dessert!!! Damn good with mango pudding in the middle. SLURPS.


Honeydew sago which I felt was slightly less nice compared to the mango.

Group picture of all the prettyyyy ladies together with Boss Ming! I swear everyone in the restaurant especially the men at the next table were all staring. And then one of the waitresses came up to us while we were leaving and asked us 你们到底是做什么的啊, 怎么个个都那么美? HAHAHA.

Thank you for lunch, Boss Ming!!

It was a really great get-together, and I'm hoping this year will be another better year yet for myself, this little blog, and Nuffnang! I am indeed privileged to be part of this amazing bunch, and there is so much to be thankful for! :) And just as importantly, this blog is only here today, because there are lovely people reading this space like YOU.

No matter why you're here reading my blog.. Because you're a fan/customer of TVD, because you're my family/friend/acquaintance, or even if you just happened to stumble upon this page randomly, thank you so much for reading, and do know that I put my heart and soul into my space here, and I really do appreciate it so much that I can share a part of myself with all of you here! ^.^

I admit that this blog is still after all a public space, which is why I don't feel comfortable sharing so much about my own personal/private emotions and thoughts at times, and it may even at times seem superficial or commercialised. But honestly, every blog post (even if it's an advertorial or sponsored post!) has got hours of hard work behind it, when it comes to the photo editing, designing of graphics, and writing. It may seem easy and frivolous to write a blog like this, but I do put in a good amount of effort and stay up til wee hours sometimes, just blogging!

I hope that in some small way, that you've enjoyed my blog posts, thought that the photos were nicely taken? maybe admired the graphics, or felt inspired by some of my sharing. It is truly encouraging and motivating for me when I get readers who leave little positive comments, or even just to share their own experiences with me upon reading any particular blog post that struck a chord and resonated with them! These are the small and gratifying things that make me smile to myself and warm my heart.

Another thing that I'm so extremely thankful for, are the opportunities and friendships that this blog has made possible! How impossible a fairytale it may have seemed, but is now truly and really made possible. I don't mean to sound like I'm damn upz now or something, because I am not! But I have been given so many blessed opportunities, which I will always be grateful for.

Hair sponsorship by one of the most respected salons in town? Who would have thought it 3 years ago? I remember getting a "hate" comment by someone who scoffed at me and said something along the lines of "Who do you think you are, asking for sponsorship? You're no one famous!"

Thankfully, so many kind people out there have decided to give me a chance to prove my worth, and I am eternally indebted to every single brand that have had the faith in me, be it sponsoring me services, products, and engaging me as a blogger/social influencer.

Whenever I know that I have somehow managed to make a difference: for example, Jayne told me that she was at Salon Vim the other day, and one of their customers was showing her hairstylist my picture and asking for my hair color! ^.^ I feel insanely touched and happy to know that indeed, I have not let my sponsors down!

Oh gosh, I didn't mean to get so long-winded, but I just did. LOL.

So ANYWAY. What I'm wishing for this year.. I would like to get sponsored to travel!!! ^.^ HAHAHA Ok here is me sounding thick-skinned again. But I love to travel so so so much, and I love travel photography so so so much! (Yes, I am a camera/photography geek. I carry like two cameras and four different lenses when I travel overseas) And I love!!! sharing about my travels so so so much too! I have been sponsored to travel a few times previously, and every trip was like a dream come true for me.

But really. Thank you thank you thank you and thank YOU :')

***

After lunch session which was really long and intellectually-stimulating (HAHAHA. There was a huge debate going on at the table!!! But it was a good one!) Some of us girls headed over to TCC to chill and carry on chatting! Girly talks are the best.. :D The men probably won't understand why we have so much to talk about! :P


Evonne, Vel and myself! These two picture perfect ladies!

Juli and Val as well!

My tea. By the way, I always always order English Breakfast Tea almost everywhere I go. FML I am more boring than your grandmother.

Evonne's something lychee or peach tea something. Hahaha.

Fuji Instax! Yay! Evonne always carries around her Instax cameras so we all get awesome keepsakes! Thank you! ❤

Had a long chat over drinks, heh. It's always great fun! Oh, and I just realised all of us are also all sponsored by Salon Vim as well! Thus all the AWESOME hair! ❤

Juli and I look really matchy with the hair colors!

自拍 a little difficult with my camera because of the 17mm lens not being wide angle enough but we managed! :P

AAAANDDD even more instax. Whoop whoop :D

***

Orite folks. Signing off now! By the way, TheVelvetDolls gets back to work next week for real and I'm wondering if I should do a MASSIVE SAAALEEEE to kickstart the new year! What say you :D

Oh yes I have not been logging into Formspring for the longest time because the app wasn't working well on my phone, but I promise I will log in soon and start answering questions again! Enough of my awesomest long break and it's back to work work work after this weekend!

Hope everyone enjoys your weekend!!! Have a fabulous one!

xoxo
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Thursday, February 21, 2013

Lunch at House of Robert Timms!


Happy mid-week, all!

The days are settling back into normalcy post-festivities, and I'm almost ready to throw myself back into work again (almost but not quite yetttttt hahaha).

Been catching up with various friends over meals, and this week was Robert Timms' with the girls, Huiwen, Valerie and Evonne! Well, I see Evonne almost every week or even more often than that so yes there's not much catching up to do lol. Huiwen and Valerie are two busy bees I don't get to meet often though, and it was a really enjoyable lunch session with the girls and one guy (David, Wen's boyfriend. Hahaha)

I met Wen and Val both through Nuffnang, (in fact, Wen is the first person ever I got to know in Nuffnang) and I remember Val being at the very first Nuffnang bloggers' event I attended! Woa... That was way back in 2010! 

Can't believe it's been so long since I've joined Nuffnang, and even longer since the blog began in 2009. It's quite incredible how long a way this tiny little blog has come, and how it has enriched my life in so many different aspects! :') So very grateful for every opportunity that has been bestowed upon me, and the people from all walks of life that I've met, some are really those that I can call friends for life! :))) So extremely blessed, I know I am!

Enough of the talk and moving on to the food.. I've found that despite Robert Timms supposedly being a cafe that's well known for its coffee, it has got surprisingly good food, and every time I have a meal there, I always feel spoilt for choice because the menu is so extensive! Most of the food that I've tried at Robert Timms are all pretty good, and quite reasonably priced as well. 

If you're looking for a nice spot in town to chill with good food and coffee, Robert Timms is one of the places you can consider!

Val's really awesome scrambled eggs with turkey ham on multi-grain croissant
Wen ordered something similar but with a bratwurst sausage instead! I somehow preferred the scrambled eggs with ham because it was more flavorful!
I've had serious mussels obsession lately so I ordered mussels, seeing that they had it on the menu! Pretty good, the mussels were quite big and juicy! Just a tad fishy, but the tasty white wine sauce helped to make up for it! The two sticks of toasted garlic bread dipped into the white wine sauce = BAGUS!
Evonne's French toast was kind of disappointing.. I remembered it being really delish the last time I tried it at Robert Timms! This time it was too soggy and not crispy enough. Meh. Still tasted okay drenched in maple syrup, but definitely not what I remembered it tasted like previously! Hopefully it was a one-off slip in standards :S

Lovely Val and myself!

Wen and Evonne :D


David kindly obliged in helping us with a group shot, hehe. (Though we look kind of weird, but I will blame it on the lighting.) Thanks David!

Had such a great time hanging out with you girls! ^_^ Good food, even better company.

***

House of Robert Timms can be found at the following:

 Wheelock Place
501 Orchard Road, #01-02/03, Singapore 238880 Tel: 6735 9201 

 Orchard Shopping Centre
321 Orchard Road, #01-01/02, Singapore 238866 Tel: 6733 0609

***

Psst.. The pictures in this entry are taken with my newly zhng-ed camera, TEEHEE. Went CNY visiting at Xuan's house last Sunday and ended up raiding her stash of washi tape and embarking upon the project of washi-ing my camera! :D
So so so fun! But I shan't get addicted to the world of washi tape because I can see how damn addictive it is to collect and buy 'em all.. Just by looking at Trish and Xuan :X

But the end result is so so so so adorable! Yay! Hope the washi tape doesn't get worn too soon! :D Now my cam cam is so cutesy-ish. But I like it :D Whoop whoop!

Off for reunion lunch with the Nuffies now.. Yay! Byes! :D

xoxo
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Sunday, January 20, 2013

Lunch at Violet Oon's Kitchen + Accessorize with Sort And Pepper!

For those in the know, Violet Oon has been a long standing authority in our local culinary scene. As one of Singapore's pioneer celebrity chefs, she has written cookbooks, appeared on TV shows, and is well-recognized as a guru on Nonya/Peranakan cuisine! (I have to admit.. I've never heard of her but that's because I'm like a mountain tortoise :( 山龟)

Violet Oon's Kitchen is a newly set up family establishment by the Oon family, and thanks to a special Sort and Pepper Shakers lunch organized by Jazlyn of Sort and Pepper, we got the good fortune to taste the wonderful food at Violet Oon's Kitchen!


***

Violet Oon's Kitchen

881 Bukit Timah Road
Tel: 64685430


***

The restaurant is tucked away in a row of shophouses along Bukit Timah Road, which could be pretty out of the way, especially if you don't drive.

The interior decor is sleek and polished, with contrasting white/black tiles and gives off a wonderfully modernistic and contemporary vibe. Kind of reminds me of PS Cafe!


The cakes that caught my eye even before we started lunch.. was eyeing them already! Hehe.


Home-made cookies and jam available in little jars for purchase!

I really like the simple typography on the logo! So stylish and minimalistic at the same time.

The menu features a variety of food, mainly segregated into two sections: Western and Peranakan. We ordered a variety to share! We were really hungry and ended up over-ordering... too much food for just four ladies. HAHAHA.

Winged Bean Kerabu Salad $11
Our starter! I thought the winged beans were really special (they look like shuriken!) , but I didn't quite know how to appreciate the raw taste of the beans with the strong belacan chilli and onions in this dish. Haha.

Chap Chye $8
I love love love chap chye in any form and this was delish! Loved the thick gravy and how the cabbage and vegetables were cooked til they were soft and absorbed all the goodness of the gravy. Yums!

Beef Rendang $22
Perfect with the nasi kuning (yellow rice), I loved the spicy and flavourful curry, though the beef was slightly on the tough side.

Pulled Beef Ragu Rigatoni $24
MY FAVOURITE DISH! This was so so so so good! The pulled beef was tender and well-marinated and with the penne pasta in the rich meaty ragu sauce, it was absolutely tantalizing! 

Buah Keluak Ayam $22
Another one that's heavy on the spices, but I thought the Beef Rendang was better, haha. 

Dry Laksa $17
A must-try dish at Violet Oon's Kitchen, a fresh take on our local favourite: Laksa! This dry version reminds me of a pasta, but with that awesome laksa kick and I could also taste coconut milk in it, which made it really fragrant. Best for sharing cos it may get a little jelat after a few mouthfuls.

ViO's Shephard's Pie $19
Strangely enough, I seem to enjoy the Western dishes more at Violet Oon's, and this Shephard's Pie got me addicted, digging into it spoonful after spoonful!! The smooth layer of mashed potato hides a tasty stewed ground beef that was really deliciousss! We were absolutely stuffed, but still managed to finish off almost the entire pie :P

Jazlyn and Jayne enjoying the yummy food!

We had to have the desserts there despite our tummies being already filled to the brim.. and also because I had asked for a special surprise cake for Apple! Hehehe. This girl just turned 21 years old the day before our lunch so I thought it wasn't too late for one more cake for her ♥

Sticky Date Toffee Pudding with Ice Cream $12
Our "cake", sticky date toffee pudding with ice cream, this is really for the sweet-toothed! The butterscotch/caramel sauce surrounded the cake and ice cream like an oasis haha. A little too sweet for my taste buds but I honestly cannot resist any sticky date toffee pudding and much of this ended up in my stomach :P

Happy belated 21st, dear Apple! 
(You can tell how backdated this entry is. LOL.)


Burbor Cha Cha Panna Cotta $9
Before we retired our overly satisfied tummies for the day, we had this highly recommended dessert, Elements of the classic Burbor Cha Cha has been incorporated into the traditional panna cotta, with Gula Melaka and Coconut Milk. I loved the texture and how all the flavours blended together so well! Jayne nearly died with the awesome Gula Melaka and couldn't stop gushing about it! Haha.

BURPS. 

The ambassadors/bloggers for Salt and Pepper, also known as Salt and Pepper Shakers (cute name or what! hehehe) together with Jazlyn! 

Thanks for lunch, Jaz!!

***

So, moving on to Sort and Pepper, I am really loving all the accessories brought in by Jaz, and you will probably find many of them familiar because I have been using them for TheVelvetDolls shoots, and also been dressing up with them!

Sort and Pepper has got a wonderful variety of accessories, ranging from quirkier ones, to the vintage, and some that are really elegant and classic! I like how all of them are really unique and stylish, each with their very own character!

I had the chance to show off and wear my new accessories from Sort and Pepper this week, so here's some photos of the week's happenings as well!

On the day of the Lancôme's Black and White press event I attended, I was going for a slightly more edgy/rock vibe in monotone shades!

With my dear Evonne at the event. (Please ignore random faces at the back. LOL)

The products we were introduced to at the press event! I am really excited to try them already!
Lancome Blanc Expert Melanolyser Integral Whiteness Spot Eraser & Masks
Lancôme Hypnose Star Waterproof Mascara feat Betty Boop
(Pictures credit to Evonne!)

The full outfit (already blogged a pic of it earlier, but here's a better quality picture anyhow!) as seen, with my long layered necklace from Sort and Pepper! It went really well with my other accessories and I thought it finished off the entire look perfectly with its edgy chic style!

Like a Rock Star Cluster Long Necklace can be purchased here :)

Had a date with girlfriends in town last Friday, so I dressed up a little, and thought this lovely necklace complemented my hair and outfit perfectly!

With the gorgeous girlfriends Val, Evonne and Jayne, because we popped by Sœurs for a visit!

We went to Antoinette at Mandarin Gallery for dinner and catch-up session! Yums.
Had the Antoinette Salad again and it was as yummy as I remembered.
A full outfit coordinate together with Evonne hehe. I really like how the necklace added a pop of color and extra detail to my outfit!
Lace Peplum Top in Black and Leather Panelled Skirt in Camel upcoming on TheVelvetDolls!

Paired it with my Burgundy 13" Cambridge Satchel which I'm bringing out for some fresh air because I've abandoned it for awhile now (I have this bad habit of not changing my bag once I start using one. Haha!) Loving the entire getup, if I do say so myself. Lol :D

Round Gems Hanging on a Tree Branch Necklace can be purchased here :)

***

New arrivals come in on Sort and Pepper every Wednesday, so check it out weekly for your dose of fabulously fashionable accessories!

http://www.sortandpepper.com

***

The rain has been dampening my spirits this Sunday and all I wanna do is to sleeeeeeep :( Having an unproductive day and looks like it's gonna be a long night for me again cos I need to get lots of work done!

Work hasn't been easy, cos the collections this month are like almost twice as big as usual, and that means twice the amount of work, so it's been really taxing on me and the staff. But we must press on!!! Trying not to get burned out by staying really positive and being as chill and stressed-free as possible! Jiayou jiayou!! *flexes muscles* I have to thank God that at the end of the day, I'm working for myself, and doing what I love to do. It's not all a bed of roses everyday, but I know I am absolutely blessed already and have everything to be thankful for!

Weekend's drawing to a close, so I hope everyone had a well-rested weekend, and that next week will be a fabulous one!

xoxo
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© Yina Goes

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