Brunch at Lola's Cafe

Hey everyone! :D

I visited Lola's Cafe last month (on Valentine's Day actually!) and thought I'd share more about this cafe: I've heard about Lola's quite a lot especially from my friends who stay near me in the North East! And what's even more of a pleasant surprise is that Lola's Cafe is actually opened and run by a secondary school acquaintance of mine! It's amazing to see people my age coming out to start up businesses and working for themselves, it is so inspiring and I absolutely respect the passion and hard work of these successful entrepreneurs. Kudos to you, Choo Kiat! :)

Lola's Cafe is located along Simon Road, a very convenient location for the North-Easters cos it's only about a short 3-5 minute walk away from Kovan MRT station!

It's really tiny as most hipster cafes are, so small groups of 2-4 are probably okay, but nothing bigger than that! The nice thing about Lola's Cafe is that they have an iPad booking system at the front entrance, which allows you to take a queue number and come back later (you'll be contacted via SMS) when a table is ready for you! :)

Visited with Evonne and Wen on business meeting pretext: But also to catch up over yummy food! :D


The first thing to catch my eye inside Lola's was this comfortable looking daybed, complete with happy looking rainbow cushions!! Seeing rainbow coloured things makes me feel happy! So uber cosy and comfortable! :))) This was also where we were directed to sit while waiting for our table to be ready. Great photo op spot too! Hehehehe

A nicely arranged wall of empty frames. Little details like this gives Lola's Cafe a unique touch that's very aesthetically pleasing to the eye! :)




Brunch is available from 10am to 3pm, while dinner is available from 6pm to 10pm.

Here's what we ordered! :D I love how the plates are all bright red in colour, it makes the food very easy to photograph hahaha and looks so cheery and happy that I want to tuck in immediately!

Mandatory top down shot for Instagram!

Avocado Eggs Benedict $15
Brioche bread, avocado, poached eggs, hollandaise sauce, garden salad, balsamic dressing

Wen's order. It was two huge pieces of brioche with poached eggs and she only managed to finish half of it! For $15, extremely reasonable and affordable.

Full Monty Breakfast $15
Brioche bread, pork sausage, honey bacon, ham, scrambled eggs, garden salad, balsamic dressing

Evonne's big breakfast! Look at the runny scrambled eggs. So sedappp! I tried some of the honey bacon and it was delish too!

Sweet Balsamic Chicken Salad $9
Chicken breast, mixed greens, cherry tomato, balsamic dressing

I ordered this to try to go low-carb.. Not very helpful because I also ordered the Bangers and Mash, and we had Truffle fries too! But for what it was worth, this was a very good low-carb option for the diet-conscious, with healthy chicken breast atop mixed greens, cherry tomatoes and dressed in balsamic, my favourite dressing!

Bangers and Mash $8
Pork sausages, mash potato, sweet onion sauce

The bangers and mash were REALLY yummy! I loved the sausages, they were plump and juicy! The mash had little bits of potato chunks in it, and the sweet onion sauce was perfect together with the bangers and mash.

Truffle Fries $12
Fries, truffle oil, grated parmesan 

The truffle fries were not as much of a winner in my eyes because I think the aroma of truffle oil was not pronounced enough, and I barely tasted any parmesan cheese. Nonetheless, we still polished off most of it, cos you just can't say no to truffle fries!

In general, I thought that the food was commendable, and definitely warrants a return visit in future!

I had many recommendations from readers to order the chicken wings too so that'll be on my to-order list at Lola's when I next visit! I hear that their coffee is pretty good too! :) We were too full to order desserts, so probably next time!


With Wen and Evonne~~ Thank you darlings for the wonderful brunch session!! :D

And my very own narcissistic shot hahaha :X

I love the heartland and homely vibes of Lola's Cafe, and of course the affordability is another plus point! It's a really cozy and comfortable place for some pretty decent food and quality time with your loved ones. Service is sincere and friendly, and on the whole it was a very pleasant experience at Lola's Cafe! :D Go forth, North-Easters! Another cafe to check out if you haven't already done so :)

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Lola's Cafe

5 Simon Road

Hours

Tue: 15:00 - 23:00

Wed - Thu: 10:00 - 23:00

Fri - Sat: 10:00 - 00:00

Sun: 10:00 - 23:00

Closed: Mon

Tel: 63431808

Lola's Cafe on Facebook

Lola's Cafe website

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It's been a busy few weeks for me cos I've been flying around for both work and recreation, and I haven't been able to update as frequently on my blog! Just got back from Bangkok with a bunch of girl pals, and it was sooo much fun! Can you believe that this was my first time to Bangkok in my adult life? I'm so suaku! Hahaha. I'm gonna be blogging more about the BKK trip soon, but meanwhile, there's more backlogged posts that I'll be putting up!

Also, follow me on Dayre and Instagram for daily updates too! :D I've been pretty regular with my updates on-the-go!

Darlie Expert Fresh: 12-Hour Protection for Fresh Breath!

Hello everyone!

Do you remember the review and video I did for Darlie Expert White some time back?

Well, I've been using Darlie Expert White ever since then and I love it! I never used to have a preference for toothpaste, but somehow I really like Darlie Expert White, both the texture, the fresh minty scent and of course the fantastic benefits it has for keeping my teeth pearly white.

With the success of Darlie Expert White, Darlie has now launched another product in the Expert series, and this product is... *drumrolls* the new Darlie Expert Fresh!!!

While Darlie Expert White focuses on preventing yellowing of teeth and using high-quality ingredients to whiten teeth, Darlie Expert Fresh does exactly what its name sounds like: it keeps your breath fresh!

Everyone knows how important oral hygiene is. Let's face it, bad breath can be a MAJOR turn-off, and when you do happen to catch a whiff of a person's bad breath odour, it can be an extremely unpleasant experience. Yikes! And not to mention, extremely embarrassing too when you're the person suffering from such a condition, and am feeling helpless and self-conscious about it! (Even breath mints can't save the situation sometimes..)

However, did you know that bad breath (or mouth odor is actually caused by bacteria in the mouth? 

As the saying goes, prevention is better than cure, and the most effective way to prevent mouth odor is to.. Kill all the bacteria!

Makes a lot of sense to me actually! And that's what Darlie Expert Fresh does, with the help of key ingredient Zinc Citrate, bacteria in the mouth is reduced and also kept at bay for the next 12 hours! This means that your breath will stay fresh and nice for 12 hours! 

Darlie Expert White contains an advance, active Zinc Citrate formula, which provides all rounded care for oral health. With its highly efficient (attack-defence system) anti bacterial function, it allows fresher breath and strengthening of overall oral health.

The Active Zinc Citrate formula can minimize the formation of dental plaque and tartar for long periods of time, which effectively removes unpleasant smell forming in the oral area, in turn providing long periods of protection for good oral breath. As such, Darlie Expert Fresh toothpaste’s Active Zinc Citrate formula creates dual functions to Attack the source of bad breath, effectively reduce oral bacteria, and forming a protective shield to Defend against plaque build-up.


With such an Attack - Defend system, bad breath can be kept at bay through simple oral hygiene regime daily giving you the 12 hours of fresh breath you always wanted!

I don't know about you, but I unfortunately tend to wake up with dragon breath... Oops. You probably don't want to come near me before I brush my teeth in the morning! 

I figured that since Darlie Expert Fresh kills and reduces bacteria, after which forming a protective shield to keep my breath fresh for 12 hours, brushing my teeth with Darlie Expert Fresh before I went to bed would help with my problem! So of course I immediately swapped out my toothpaste for Darlie Expert Fresh one fine bedtime..

The verdict? 

It really really worked! D: 

Now, I don't feel that my breath is very stinky during the day so I wouldn't have had been able to give an accurate review had I tested this by brushing my teeth with Darlie Expert Fresh in the morning, but after brushing my teeth with Darlie Expert Fresh before I went to bed, I most definitely woke up with much fresher breath than usual!

I was really quite amazed and even made YZ smell my morning breath hahahaha ok just kidding!! I didn't! But I did tell him about how amazing it was, and he tried it and loved it too!

Another thing that I love about Darlie Expert Fresh is the really nice pepper minty flavour, it is extremely refreshing! The gel-like texture is just as great as the Darlie Expert White too! My teeth feel really clean, while my breath feels super minty and nice!


This might sound kind of insignificant, but it annoys me to no end to use toothpastes that come with screw on caps that go missing easily and are so troublesome to screw on and off! Darlie Expert Fresh comes with a flip cap (just like Darlie Expert White) that's really convenient and it allows the toothpaste to stand on my toiletries shelf too! Such a small detail but very much appreciated!


If you have concerns about fresh breath, Darlie Expert Fresh is definitely the toothpaste for you! For myself, I've found the perfect rotation of toothpastes, I'll be using Darlie Expert White in the day time (for prevention of teeth yellowing and staining) while using Darlie Expert Fresh at bed time to ensure that I wake up to fresher breath in the mornings. I love the Darlie Expert series too much! :D

Darlie Expert Fresh (120g) is available at $5.90 and 40g at $2 (Promo price!) 

It is available at selected major NTUC FairPrice, Giant, Cold Storage, Sheng Siong, Prime and other leading supermarkets, Watsons, Guardian, Unity and other cosmetic stores from March 2014. 

For more information, do visit Darlie Singapore's Facebook page here! :)


PS. Join Darlie Expert Fresh at The Fresh Quest!

There's gonna be really interesting games with freebies and promos going on too at the above locations and timings, so do check them out! Apart from winning mystery gifts, the top 5 scorers (by 6 April) even stand to win an iPad Mini! :O

Looking forward to keeping my breath fresh and clean everyday with Darlie Expert Fresh!

xoxo

Sinpopo Brand at Joo Chiat

Retro is the new in, and I think if you were born in my era (the 1980s), that was about the period that Singapore started changing rapidly from a slower-paced and more laid-back era into a super-developed and high-tech nation that has hardly looked back into its olden days since...

I came upon this article called "100 Things We Love About The 80s", and this article brought back plentiful of memories from my childhood! If you're an 80s kid, you might enjoy the article too! It's such a blast from the past!

I used to work in Joo Chiat/Katong area, and YZ and I frequently visit the new Katong i12 (that wasn't there back in my days) to catch a movie and have a meal together. So we stumbled upon this relatively new eatery just around the corner of Joo Chiat, where Everything With Fries used to be.

"Sinpopo Brand (新泡泡甜品小吃)"

The wonderfully old-school styled facade of the eatery caught our eye immediately!

I love the logo, it was tastefully and thoughtfully designed to reminisce the old and yet looked so refreshingly new and different!

More out of a curiosity and a certain fondness for the old-school rather than really being interested in the food, YZ and I stepped into Sinpopo Brand and decided to sit down for some food and drinks :)

The menu was just as delightfully familiar and new at the same time. Look at the modern but retro graphics for Sinpopo Brand on the left: what a wonderful job done to emulate the 2D illustrated advertisements and graphics of the 80s!

The name card looks like what my library card from primary school might have looked like, with typewriter text and stamped motifs.

"Vintage" floor tiles that I knew were actually newly installed because the previous occupants (Everything With Fries) had a very modern cement flooring. But these floor tiles definitely looked authentically vintage all the same!

The order chit, you can still see this at dim sum restaurants! Self-service, order and pay at the counter and the food will be served to you.


I like the old-school enamel mugs too!

The menu of Sinpopo Brand intrigued me, because it served a pretty diverse variety of popular local fare: ranging from Curry Noodles, Scissor Cut Rice, Chwee Kueh, Ngoh Hiang to desserts like Pulot Hitam with Coconut Ice Cream, Red Bean Soup, Cheng Tng and Gula Melaka Soft Jelly.

Very very interesting, but how authentic would the taste be? My expectations were't very high because after all, I know exactly where to find many of my favourite local fares and it just didn't feel like such a new-fangled hipster place like Sinpopo Brand would be able to do it right.

Nonetheless, we decided to order a couple of desserts which looked interesting!

I had to order this: Ais Bor!

To be honest, Ais Bor isn't from my era because when I was growing up, Ais Bor's more up-to-date cousin, Ice Kacang was already the norm! I know that Ais Bor used to be sold on the streets and cost only 20 or 30 cents per piece.

Our "modern" version of the Ais Bor came like Ice Kacang with colourful syrup drizzled over, and filled with red bean, jelly and attap chee, which YZ gleefully gobbled up. The taste isn't anything spectacular, but just like a good ole' Ice Kacang with icy cold goodness, but I loved the accompaniment of peanut crumbs on top which gave it an extra dimension.

We also had the sweet potato soup, which I ordered because I love sweet potato! It tasted quite authentically traditional as well, though you could probably find it at regular hawker centre dessert stalls for cheaper.

Whilst tucking into our Ais Bor!

While you're there, the Sng Muay Pop is a great drink to order! One of the friendly staff recommended this calamansi drink, and it was really refreshing! Served in the familiar vintage enamel mug, it tasted like a fizzy lime soda with little frozen balls of sng muay (dried plum) and YZ loved it too.

Because we were suitably impressed with the desserts and drink, YZ decided to try ordering one of the hot foods as well, and he settled on his favourite foods: Scissors Cut Rice, and a chicken wing.

Our scissor cut rice arrived looking as authentic as could be, with that familiar "rooster" motif on the plate.. No fancy schmancy plating, but it looked really appetising and yummy!

I can't say that I was spectacularly blown away with the Scissor Cut Rice, but it honestly surpassed both YZ and my own expectations!

The curry was tasty, the chicken was tender, and the chap chye was as all yummy chap chye should be, moist and flavourful. It tasted like homely comfort food and filled up our tummies! I suppose the only thing that was lacking was that thick dark sauce gravy you'd find in a typical scissor cut rice like the famous Beach Road (at Jalam Besar) version.

The deep fried chicken wing was pretty palatable too, seasoned with five spices powder in its batter (according to YZ) who really enjoyed it!

We spent a good hour or more at Sinpopo Brand, enjoying the familiarity of the traditional local food, but mostly just soaking up the nostalgic ambience and reminiscing about yesteryears!


Love how this "faux advertisement" looks so old school with all the different elements put together, flat 2d illustrations collaged with floral mofits and old-fashioned word banners.

There's just something very charming about Sinpopo Brand, and all the 1980 babies (or older) would probably find as much nostalgic and old-school charm at Sinpopo as we did.

I would definitely pop by again on a quiet weekday afternoon, not so much for the quality of the food, but more for the blast to the past experience and the peaceful tranquility of Sinpopo Brand. It felt like being transported back in time to a different era! A truly memorable feeling. Price-wise, it isn't extremely expensive but don't expect hawker centre prices here!

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Sinpopo Brand

458 Joo Chiat Road

Singapore 427671

Opening hours:

Opens 12pm to 10pm (Sun to Thu), 12pm to 12am (Fri, Sat, PH Eve), closed Mon

Tel: +65 63455034

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I tried to convince YZ that taking an outfit shot in front of a construction site was cool but he doubted my judgement... Hey, it's nice what!

Dress: TheVelvetDolls (website is currently under maintenance though)

Shoes: Zara

Anyhow, I just touched down in Singapore today after a short three day trip to Kota Kinabalu! It was quite the experience and I can't wait to share more very very soon! Meanwhile, there are snippets of the trip up on my Dayre and Instagram! :D

Thanks to AirAsia for the opportunity to go on this trip!

Stay tuned for many more posts coming your way soon, I promise there will be lotsa updates on this space! :D Meanwhile, happy midweek to all, another two days to the glorious weekend!

xoxo

Review: The Body Shop Shiso 2 in 1 Brightening Eye Cream

One of the questions I get asked a lot from readers is... 

"Hi Yina, what eye cream do you recommend?"

Now, just like many other bloggers and night owls out there, I spend a lot of late nights up, working.. Editing pictures, writing, or even just doing random unproductive stuff on my phone like surfing Instagram or blogging on Dayre -.- Like now.. It's past 2am as I'm writing this! *guilty*

And I've had genetic dark eye rings and puffy eyes since young!!!

Have you ever seen a baby with puffy eyes and dark eye rings before? YUP, that's me. Lol. The proportion of forehead to face remains the same: overly-tall forehead =.=

Because of the horrid dark eye rings and eye bags that I've had since young, I am very particular about taking care of the areas around my eyes! Using eye cream is always a must for me, and I've tried soooo many many different brands of eye cream!

You can't just use the same products you use on the rest on your face around your delicate eye area, because of how fragile the skin around your eyes are, and also because of the specific concerns (dark circles, puffy eye bags) that require special attention! That is why it is so important to use an effective eye cream.

 I know that I'm not the only one facing problems with dark eye rings and puffy eyes out there, and I'm really pleased to share my latest find: The Body Shop Moisture White™ Shiso 2 in 1 Brightening Eye Cream!

The Moisture White™ Shiso range is powered by Shiso Complex, a potent combination of Vitamin C, Liquorice and Shiso, some of the best skin-brightening ingredients found in nature!

It is also developed for and tested by Asian women, and the products are proven to deliver visible benefits of skin radiance, clarity and improved luminosity in just FOUR weeks!!

Lucky me got to attend the press event for this awesome new product: Moisture White™ Shiso 2 in 1 Brightening Eye Cream, and I learnt so much about the amazing properties in this power-packed eye cream!

Also, check out that furoshiki (Japanese wrapping cloth) that we were taught to turn into a cute little carrier! :D

We got to bring home these products from the Moisture White™ Shiso range, and yes, there is an entire range of Moisture White™ Shiso products that will work hand-in-hand to complement one another!

One of the great things I love about The Body Shop is how it offers an entire range for each specific skin concern! And of course, if you're concerned about keeping your skin fair and luminous like I am, you should most definitely take a look at the Moisture White™ Shiso range :)

The Moisture White™ Shiso 2 in 1 Brightening Eye Cream is the newest product in the Moisture White™ Shiso  range, and also the one I'm most excited about!

It contains Shiso Complex, which is made up of four potent ingredients: Shiso, Vitamin C, Liquorice and Community Fair Trade Organic Aloe Vera!

Random Trivia: Did you know that Shiso is that leaf that you always see on your sashimi plate at the Japanese restaurant (Teehee maybe that is why it looks familiar?) because it has many beneficial properties, including being anti-bacterial? 

Apart from being anti-bacterial, one of Shiso's most beneficial property is to target pigmentation! It is believed to reduce early melanin-making signals to help result in brighter and more luminous skin!

Together with the other ingredients, Vitamin C, Liquorice and Community Fair Trade Organic Aloe Vera, the Shiso Complex in the Moisture White™ Shiso 2 in 1 Brightening Eye Cream will help to reduce the appearance of dark pigmentation, deliver intensive hydration, and enhance the overall skin tone of your skin!

The texture of the Moisture White™ Shiso 2 in 1 Brightening Eye Cream is so lightweight and silky! It melts into the skin upon application, and is absorbed really fast. The formula is also super hydrating and feels soothing on the skin! The texture of some eye creams can be really heavy, and I usually stay away from such eye creams because I'm worried that they will be too oily and cause millia seeds around my eyes :O Thankfully, Moisture White™ Shiso 2 in 1 Brightening Eye Cream is not like that at all!

The Moisture White™ Shiso 2 in 1 Brightening Eye Cream is so named because it combines TWO effective treatments to help solve your eye woes: the brightening power of naturally-derived ingredients, together with a unique Premium Micro-Circulating Applicator!

This metal applicator is really cool! And it is not just for show: this Premium Micro-Circulating Applicator totally works to reduce the puffiness around my eyes by stimulating blood circulation, to freshen tired and fatigued eyes!

It also makes the Moisture White™ Shiso 2 in 1 Brightening Eye Cream a breeze to apply on the eyes, all you have to do is to squeeze a small amount of product til it appears on the Micro-Circulating Applicator, then gently massage the formula into the skin around the eye area with the applicator!

I super LOVE the cooling sensation of the Micro-Circulating Applicator, it feels so good around the eye area, and instantly gives relief to tired and fatigued eyes!

I like how the shape of the applicator fits perfectly into the contours around my eyes! Using this applicator really feels like I'm getting my eye area massaged gently! :D 

It's really amazing, because my eyes feel less puffy straight away, and my eye area feel freshened and less tired immediately! A godsend in the mornings when I'm feeling so fatigued and sleepy from my late nights!

Combined with the potent natural ingredients for skin-brightening found in the formula, Moisture White™ Shiso 2 in 1 Brightening Eye Cream will help to address the two biggest concerns of us Asian women, dark eye circles and puffy eyes! Perfect for me ;)

I'm not the only one who loves this product, 77% of women who have tried Moisture White™ Shiso 2 in 1 Brightening Eye Cream also agree that their skin tone around the eyes is lighter! I'm sold! Gonna keep on using it to see more results!

PS. For best overall brightening results, it is advised to use the Moisture White™ Shiso 2 in 1 Brightening Eye Cream with the Moisture White™ Shiso Whitening Serum and Moisture White™ Shiso BB Serum from the same range!

Love these new additions to my vanity table! ;)

Watch my video review of the Moisture White™ Shiso 2 in 1 Brightening Eye Cream below as I demonstrate how to use this! :P

The retail price of The Body Shop Moisture White™ Shiso 2 in 1 Brightening Eye Cream is $44.90, available in all The Body Shop stores across the island!

For more information on the new Moisture White™ Shiso 2 in 1 Brightening Eye Cream, you may visit www.thebodyshop.com.sg, or join www.facebook.com/thebodyshopsingapore! :)

xoxo