Lok Lok in Singapore: Malaysia Local Delights!

i posted these two pictures on Instagram, and was immediately beseiged by lots of questions... Lok Lok in Singapore??? yes, no more driving over across the Causeway for lok lok supper anymore! we found a new restaurant along Tanjong Katong Road, Malaysian Local Delights, and it serves an array of authentic Malaysian food, including Lok Lok!

for the unfamiliar, Lok Lok is a kind of Malaysian street food that's extremely popular.. it's like steamboat/hot pot, but with a range of foods from fresh meats to vegetables to fried food, all skewered on sticks, and then dipped into a pot of boiling hot soup for consumption! (apparently, the soup is not meant to be drank like how we do in Singapore for steamboats! but we still drank the soup anyway!)

the most popular kind of Lok Lok comes with a satay sauce dip, but there are alot of other alternative soup bases, including tom yam, penang prawn, ma la soup and etc.. i'm sure it is quite authentic as the lady boss was Malaysian (and with the accent to prove it!) so it is really worth a try!

anyway, i think this new restaurant opened not long ago, and it was relatively uncrowded.

the Lok Lok here isn't charged by per stick, but is buffet style, so you pay $18.90++ (if i remember rightly) per pax for free flow food. especially worth it if you're a big eater! or, if you have expensive taste. hahaha.

they have a pretty huge variety of skewers, from quail eggs, to fish cakes, various types of mushrooms, vegetables, meat such as pork, chicken, beef, and fried food like fried wanton!

 

there's "hum" and cuttlefish and prawns too! Felky went on a prawn rampage D:

a tableful of greedy people, and alot alot alot of food!!!

we tried four different soup bases: satay sauce, tom yam, ma la and penang prawn!

the satay sauce is definitely a must try especially if you like the taste of satay sauce! practically everything tastes good when dipped in piping hot satay sauce :) but it can be a little jelat after awhile, so maybe choose one of the other sauces like penang prawn, or tom yam so your taste buds get more variety.

my favourite food was the pork belly skewers! they taste good with any sauce and yes i love meat! also, must try the ba kua skewer, dipped in satay sauce! SHIOK TO THE MAX :D :D :D i also enjoyed the oyster mushrooms, especially when dipped in the tom yam or ma la soup cos it absorbed the flavour of the soup very well!

and guess how many skewers we managed to conquer.... (yes, we counted!)

 

the top two eaters were Felky and Collin, who finished a record 67 sticks EACH!

Serene, Matt and i did pretty well too, HAHA! with about 50 over sticks each :D :D :D mine were mostly meat! (ok lah, the amount of meat on each skewer is really little, so it isn't as scary as it sounds!)

the tiniest eaters were Widya, Vera and Min.. haha! less than 22 sticks each! (not value for money loh!)

so, go for it if you can eat at least 40-50 sticks :X 

i'd think that the soup is probably MSG-laden though, because i woke up feeling extremely thirsty the next morning. but heck, a little MSG once in awhile won't kill me :D

so... now, you know where to find Lok Lok in Singapore! :D don't have to drive across to JB already lah! i have no idea what the opening hours of the restaurant is, but i assume it's pretty late because we stayed around until almost midnight! you can give them a call to check though! :)

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Malaysian Local Delights 

224 Tanjong Katong Road 

 Tel: 6440 8378

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to end off this blog post, my outfit: knit top from Zara, and the Wonderland Shorts from TheVelvetDolls (launched a long time ago!) necklace from Sort&Pepper! :)

it's probably not a good idea to wear a knit top if you're planning on dining outdoors though (there are also indoor air-conditioned seats available too!) because it is gonna be a hot sweaty affair :X

happy weekend is approaching again! :D will update again real soon so check back regularly! :D

xoxo

iSteaks Grillhouse: Where to find good and cheap steak! + randoms

how was your weekend? ^^

super random blogpost, hahaha. life haven't been very exciting lately la, busy with work and all that, but i'm still here to update on my boring weekend! just so you know i'm a hardworking blogger :X hahaha.

this weekend, YZ and I discovered a new place for cheap and good steak... at iSteaks Grillhouse, Serangoon Gardens! i'm a carnivore and i looooove my meat!!!! i love veggies too, but juicy, well-marinated cuts of meat... nothing can match up to that foodgasm shiok-ness level! :X (sorry, vegetarians!)

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iSteaks Grill House

56 Serangoon Garden Way, Stalls 5 and 6 
Tel: +65 6285 8839 

Opening Hours 
Sun–Thu: 11am – 11pm 
 Fri–Sat: 11am – 12am 

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this place is damn cheap. no service charge too! we ordered the AU Ribeye large cut, which costs $22.90 and a Lemon & Dill Fish, $7.50.

super affordable when you wanna have steak on a budget :D

no frills attached dining. you get to choose two sides for every dish, and there are healthier alternatives like salad, baked potato, broccoli etc... we're staying away from the bad stuff like the fries and onion rings!


AU Ribeye Steak.. medium rare. it was a super thick and juicy cut! we had it with mushroom sauce, which i felt was so-so together with the steak. will probably try the black pepper sauce next time. the steak itself tasted fresh, juicy and well-grilled. could do with a little more flavour, but on the whole, really value for money!

my lemon and dill fish which is actually pan-fried dory. quite normal-ish but nothing to shout about. i think i'd go for the salmon next time! but at $7.50, ok lah. not complaining.

iSteaks Grillhouse is highly recommended if you live around the area and you're craving for some good western food that's affordable but tasty! i'd definitely go back if i have any more steak cravings soon.

 
feeling pretty that day :D (also, new upcoming colorblock cardigan on TheVelvetDolls!)

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and another outfit of the day from the week! hehe. mad loveeee! Van Gogh Abstract Peplum Top paired with Crayola Shorts! this top is super flattering and looks good with both skirts and shorts!

***

a few picks from my Instagram this week! :)))

Floral Flourish Skirt in White, size M. still mad about prints and the extravagant floral prints on this skirt are totally gorgeous ^^ comes in a very flattering cut too!

i paired it with my new necklace: from Sort & Pepper! lovely new accessory shop with exclusively imported pieces that are very unique and stylish! stay tuned for upcoming promotions especially for TVD customers!

in the lace sleeve skater dress in Black, size M :) another piece that you must get from tomorrow's launch! super easy to wear and makes me feel so dainty and svelte ;)

you may also have noticed that i got a new hair color on me... dark brown mingled with ash and magenta highlights!!! it is soooooo gorgeoussss! will blog about it soon once i get down to the pictures!

the ash and magenta streaks are hidden inside but peek out prettily... :D

ran into dear Ariel last Saturday at a Shiseido makeup demo at Raffles City!

and i spotted the gorgeous MC wearing a dress from TheVelvetDolls.... she looked totally stunning in itttt! :D :D :D so pretty!!! hehe. made my day :D

random last picture of myself wheeeee!

that ends a very random and meaningless post. oh well. i'm so full now from supper i want to die ;__; gonna go edit photos for tomorrow's launch! must give the food timeeeee... to.... digest.........

good night!!!

xoxo

HP TopShot Laser Pro: Join Us for a Tea Party!

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helloooo everyone! :D :D :D

remember my previous entry on the HP TopShot here?

in conjunction with the entry, we held a special TopShot Bloggers Sale, and the response was fantastic! there will be more sale items coming up in future collections this month, so please stay tuned for more! :D

thank YOU so much for the great turnout for the sale, and for the endless support!! :') thanks to the HP TopShot, i'm sure you were better able to appreciate our gorgeous apparels too!

i've really enjoyed using the HP TopShot so far, especially the 3D scanning technology, which has allowed me to take studio quality product shots in such a fuss-free and easy way! i'm sure that there are many of you out there, who would benefit from the HP Topshot as well, and guess what, here's your chance to get up close and personal with the three of us: Jessica, Velda and myself, as well as the HP TopShot, at the same time!

Venue

Tea Lounge @ Arteastiq Mandarin Gallery,

#04‐14/15 333 Orchard Road

Singapore 238867

Date

20th October 2012, Saturday

Time

1.00PM - 3.00PM

that's right folks! :D all thanks to HP and Nuffnang, here's your opportunity to come and join us on the 20th October for a cosy tea session, together with the HP TopShot! :D

all you need to do is to click on the link below to sign up! there are only 15 slots available!

http://blog.nuffnang.com.sg/hptopshot/tea-party/

Your opportunity to learn from and speak to the success stories!

if you're a budding blogshop owner or entrepreneur, here's your chance to speak to such successful and talented ladies like Jess and Vel, they are really inspiring and motivational personalities that offer so much for all of us to learn from! :-) of course, i would be delighted to share with you on my own experiences and ideas as well!

Get to try out the HP TopShot hands-on to experience it for yourself!

you will also get to try the HP TopShot hands on, thus, you're required to bring along a product you wish to market, be it your handmade acessories, art and craft items, or even your very own freshly baked cupcakes! :P i volunteer to eat them for you afterwards.

so, do register for the HP TopShot tea session, because i'm very sure it's gonna be a fabulous one!!! can't wait to meet some of you in person, really. i'm so looking forward to the tea session! please come and join us for a wonderful time together! :)

see you at the tea session!

xoxo

HP Topshot Laser Pro: The Journey of TheVelvetDolls!

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TheVelvetDolls started operations out of our living room, the stocks piled up messily in cardboard boxes. back in those days, every single address on each parcel was written by hand, and we made daily trips to the nearest post office via bus to cut cost. photoshoots were DIY-ed in our own yard (good old memories of our infamous pond shoots!) i'd like to think that we've grown a lot in the last two and a half years, and we've had many memorable moments that i will never forget.





some of the team that work for TheVelvetDolls, thank God for them :) it's not an easy job, having to navigate through countless of emails, packing/mailing orders, and to keep everything running smoothly! kudos to my team for always keeping their chins up even after packing hundreds of backorders and making multiple runs to the Post Office! of course, it's not all a bed of roses to run an online shop, and there are sooo many issues and difficulties we have to face all the time.

i wish i started using a product like the HP TopShot LaserJet Pro M275 sooner, and i'm sure this nifty machine will be the answer to the biggest dilemma for many online blogshop owners who are just starting out. one of the issues that most of us face is the need to be an expert photographer, in order to take good photos of products that can be used online to sell the products!

photos are SO important to promote and sell a product online, but as with most low-cost start ups, it's so difficult to eke out the high prices to rent out a studio/light set-up or hire a photographer, let alone learn how to fiddle with the complicated settings of a DSLR in order to product a high quality product shot :(

this amazing studio in a box is a mini photo studio, printer, scanner and copier all in one! it is multi-functional and cost efficient, perfect for the small online business that needs to work with a tight budget. the most amazing part of the HP TopShot is the 3D scanning technology: a camera equipped with a high-quality optical lens and high-resolution sensor that is embedded into a hinged arm above the device can be used to capture high quality scans of 3D products, how cool is that?

here's an object i scanned with the HP TopShot.

the technology captures a total of six images of a single 3-D object or document – three with flashes from different angles, and three in ambient light conditions with different exposure levels – then combines them into a single high-resolution image with incredible depth of focus. the end result is quite amazing, you get an image file that has much more depth to it than simply using a camera to capture a flat image!

awesome!!!


and to put the HP TopShot to practical usage, i used it to take a fabric close-up of our apparel! which is really important for us to sell the apparel, especially for apparel with printed fabrics. it is so easy to just directly scan the image from HP TopShot into my computer, rather than having to use my camera to take a picture of the close-up, which can be rather tricky at times and requires good lighting. and i was blown away with the clarity of the scan!


so awesome!!! seriously, compared to the shot i took with my camera, this one is sooo much better in terms of producing a well-lit and clear image that shows off the prints so nicely!

just take a look at this blown up close-up, even the tiny details like the buttons, and the grain of the fabric can be seen!

the one i took with my DSLR during shoot itself. does not do the print any justice at all! :( i'm so gonna be using the HP TopShot for taking fabric and detail close-ups from now on! it's really a studio in one convenient box!

of course, other than the useful 3D scanning function, i am finding it SO convenient to have the HP TopShot in my office, our days of manually writing out addresses on envelopes and labels for our retail rack are over! :D i can't quite believe how easy the HP TopShot is to use, with so many helpful functions and resources!! i can see how useful and cost-efficient the HP TopShot will be for small blogshop businesses like us, even more so if you sell small objects such as accessories, arts and crafts items, or perhaps even for food photography (cupcakes!!!)

some of my favorite functions:
AirPrint! now i can print images from my iPhone or iPad straight to HP TopShot!

HP ePrint is just as convenient: any documents (including PDFs, Word documents and etc) can be emailed to your assigned email address for direct print, even if you're not physically near the printer!

there are also other functions that make life so much easier now, for instance, images that are scanned into the HP TopShot can be uploaded from the printer, directly into Google Documents or Box! there are even a multitude of apps for business, home, and entertainment!


a picture of my fellow entrepreneurs together with Huiwen, our Nuffnang  country manager who are all as amazed with the HP TopShot as i am! meet Jessica of Shiberty's Sweets, and Velda of LoveBonito! they are really amazing and talented, and i am so honored to get the opportunity to sit down with these two beautiful ladies to learn and share from their experiences as well. special mention goes to the team at HP for the helpful demonstration with the HP TopShot, and our dearest Nuffnang managers!

thank you, HP TopShot! :D :D :D

lastly, we want to thank YOU customers as well, for sticking with us through these two years! we'll be conducting a special TopShot Bloggers Sale, so keep a look out for these special sale items!!