Tao’s

I’ve been wanting to visit this since I read a food blog and they were talking about Tao’s 7 course meal. 7 courses! For only 29plus! While looking at the menu on their website, I wanted to go there even more! Okay for those who know me, I’m always very indecisive when it comes to food. I’ll look at a menu and want to eat 35 different items and after much sighing and hmm-ing, choose one item, and immediately wished I ordered the other. So the idea of a 7 course meal where I can customize the different courses appealed to me very much.

So I dragged CJ there.

The decor was nice, very… modern pacific. (Actually, I don’t know. I stole the ‘modern pacific’ line from their restaurant subtitle)

The waiter was very nice, but a little too… pushy? We really appreciated that he was so enthusiastic about recommending what was nice, but CJ really just wanted a steak. But later, I would come to appreciate his suggestions.

Started off with the appetizer. Bacon and mushroom gratin, with yummy toasted bread.

In this picture (and in real life actually), the gratin looks weird and hm… unappetizing. Which is ironic because it is an appetizer. Ha. But it’s really really nice. It’s not too overpowering and is light enough to tease your appetite. Does the metal plate remind anyone of army mess tins? Or is it just me?

On to the salads. It was pretty clear cut. CJ is having the wasabi-mayo dipped prawn salad. Which I will not have because I am prawns give me hives, and I don’t like wasabi. I am not having the ‘huai san’ also because I read the chinese translation and it means mountain herbs or something like that. No to the fruit salad too because I probably can make it myself. So it’s the farm boy splendor.

Wasabi prawn on the left, farmboy on the right. It was excellent – the chilled chicken slices are nicely grilled and the vinaigrette was just right. And it has pickles! CJ’s salad, though small, is very nicely presented and looks quite yummy. I won’t know because it contains prawns AND peanuts.

Soup. I had cream of mushroom (Ya boring but I like) and CJ had the shark-fin melon herbal soup. Fish soup was in the running too, for me, but I keep thinking of fish sauce. And when I think of fish sauce I think of the vile fish essence thingy they had to drink in Fear Factor. So I passed.

Mushroom on left, melon on right. Both pretty forgettable. To quote CJ, it ‘gets the job done’. Maybe we should have been more adventurous and had the fish soup or the pumpkin.

Main Course! (We had the lunch, so its only 6 course instead of 7). CJ wanted steak. He always eats steak. Once a month or so, he goes to Black Angus and have his usual prime rib. Steak is his friend. Waiter said ‘Don’t eat the steak here, it’s not nice’. CJ said ‘I always have steak’. After much cajoling and persuading, CJ had the marinated lamb cutlet (which the waiter persuaded him to have because it was my second choice heh heh). I had the slow cooked pork back ribs.

Pork on left (why do I keep spelling it ‘pock’?!?!), lamb on the right.

YUMMY. That’s all I can say. The meat on the back ribs practically fall off the bone. Great flavour. The lamb is a little dry, but fair enough. The mint sauce (and I am a big fan of mint sauce/jelly) is not your usual mint jelly, but this watery textured mint ‘gravy’, which we learnt later is made by the kitchen and not store bought. Points for that.

For the drinks, I had the rose apple tea (If you eat there, you MUST TRY THIS), and CJ had the mint glass jelly. It was a nice touch to have a little fork/spoon by the pot of iced tea for us to pick the fruit out to eat.

Desert!

It was here that I truly appreciated the waiter’s suggestions. He was telling me the yangsheng poached pear (left) is boring. I didn’t heed his advice and true enough, it was disappointing. I didn’t like it, even after I drenched it in cinnamon syrup. But still, points for presentation, it looks really cute that way. The creme brulee was good, pretty much standard Which is not to say it isn’t good, because good creme brulee is not easy to make.

In any case, it was a good lunch. At 19bucks per person, I thought it was fair enough, because the serving sizes are quite small. I would like to go back there again, this time to try the other dishes. And for the rose apple tea! :D

‘You have a pretty girlfriend… ‘

Today was a really fruitful day.

I know. No one uses that term. I use it okay? Fruitful.

The following is just a very boring play by play account of my day.

I went to work in the morning. The HR lady called me over and gave me my pay. It was a surprise on both levels – First, I was willing to work without pay. The circumstances of my getting the braces … was a reason why. So it was a nice surprise. Second, I was paid quite a lot for the work I do! So this means I will have to step it up a lot. My new mantra in work is to make myself indispensible.

So I was quite happy to hear feedback from CJ’s dad that some of the colleagues liked me and thought that I was willing to learn. Today C. was telling me she hoped I’ll be here this week after my absence last week (had exams). And when I had my appointment with Dr. H she told me that she hoped I enjoyed working there and that the colleagues liked me.

I really have to step it up. While my current job scope does lighten the load for the coordinator, I have time to do more. Like the PR aspect Dr. H initially wanted me to do. I hope I can do it well… sometimes I get awkward when I have to make conversation with relative strangers. I tried today, and I got a bit of success. Hm, this is a sweeping generalisation but I found that the Japanese are the most warm, caucasians are polite and Indians are generally okay – well there is this one who comes across as really arrogant and uppity although I think maybe she didn’t understand English.

An aside – I was also really really really grateful to F for looking out for me all the time. Out of everyone there I think she takes care of me the most.

Then rushed over the CJ’s place – CJ’s dad gave me a passcard. =) And had a quick lunch and we went to SICC to watch ‘The Last King of Scotland’. It isn’t something I will normally watch because it seemed really heavy in terms of ‘digesting’ the movie. It turned out to be quite good but I stick by my conviction – it IS heavy with a lot of gory bits. Had tea at 19th hole – I had the mee siam because I remembered how nice it was. When we were working at the Island location I always had mee siam.

CJ and I went to Borders later and he bought me this book. I can’t stop laughing at it. And then at Burger King, we saw the most handsome looking golden retriever!

The owner asked CJ to help him look after the dog for a bit while he went to buy a drink. When CJ took over, about 2-3 people came over immediately and started fawning all over the dog. So when the guy came back, CJ told him -

‘A lot of people stopped by to look at your dog just now!’

‘Haha… Yes a lot of people stop by to talk about him. But you already have a pretty girlfriend! So you don’t need one’

CJ didn’t get what he meant until later when I said his dog is a pretty good babe magnet, judging by all the people paying attention to it.

‘But you don’t need a babe magnet! Cause you already have a pretty girlfriend! :D:D’

‘Oh… so that’s what he meant’

CJ is blur.

I went home later and had dinner with the parentals. I really enjoyed eating with them, and observing my mum banter with my dad. It’s simple, but happy.

So, this concludes my fruitful day. Friends called to ask me out for drinks and I really want to go… but the two cysts on my eye are hurting! Why do I have a peanut allergyyyyyy :/

Over! Moove cows.

Last exam in NUS yesterday. My paper ends at 7 and at 645, it started raining REALLY heavily. Like thunder and lightning kind of serious.

Hm. A sign?

Anyhoo. Now that exams are over it is time to

(1) Look for a job seriously

(2) Bake!

I borrowed the Betty Crocker Cookie book a few weeks back and xeroxed all the recipes I wanted… I want to try doing the Magic Window cookies! Probably gonna try baking it with Sam next week.

Anyway, the Moove cows are back! First anniversary or something. It’s perhaps one of the better guerilla advertising in Singapore.

Bruce Lee cow. My favourite Look at his feet!

This is a little far away. Click on it to see the bigger size. It’s a Charlie Chaplin cow I believe.

Marilyn Monroe cow with Elvis cow at the back.

Took this at the grass patch when I was walking from Sheraton to Far East with YM. That’s another story all together. Haha.

미녀는 괴로워

200 Pounds Beauty is so funny! You guys must catch it!

Hedonistic › Create New Post — WordPress

A video compilation I found on Youtube with Kim Ah Jung’s cover of Blondie’s ‘Maria’. She does a very good job of it! Also this video has all the cute parts of the show. I especially liked the part where she hits a taxi, and the driver stormed out of his car really angrily, but falls in love when he sees her. Haha.

The movie was so good! I was thoroughly entertained for two whole hours, and I didn’t get enough! Some thoughts -

• The guy looks really like Ekin Cheng. He is SO HOT.
• Kim Ah Jung is so pretty! I thought it was adorable when she hopped around her hospital room in her too big jeans. (1:10 in the video)
• Funniest actor would have to be the plastic surgeon. ‘Complimentary tickets! Damn it!’, ‘We will redo your nose.’
• Like CJ said, the ending was good in the sense that she didn’t just leap into the hero’s arms. He is really cute, have I said it?

I’m gonna get the DVD when it comes out! :D

Criminalgirl

Btw, something happened when I went to Malaysia that day.

I was detained at customs!!!

Patrick Star

“It would seem we’ve reached an impasse”

We went to Malaysia yesterday and although I didn’t get much, I got this! And I’m happy.

Simple things like walking around with Jessie, then having him ’sneak up’ to check on us. Putting an arm around me to make sure I don’t get pushed around by the crowd. Making me walk on the inside of the road so that he can protect me from the traffic. Picking out fish for me to eat during dinner.

I’m satisfied.

Chocolate mousse cakes!

I bought these from EmiCakes for Mum’s birthday. They are adorable! And each mousse cake has a different flavour. CJ got Mum a Sudoku book. Smart.

toothachegirl

I might have to get a root canal treatment. I’m so scared now I feel like crying. Why didn’t I brush my teeth properly?

Take care of your teeth, boys and girls.

You’re important

You’re so important to me you know that?

***

Today is one of the worst day in my life, health wise. I think this might even be comparable to the whole hives episode. My tooth was hurting the whole day and even after eating panadol, the pain still comes back every 2 hours or so. I’ve taken 5 paracetemol tablets today. The maximum is 8. I only stopped because CJ’s dad warned that paracetemol poisoning could occur. On the way back, my hurt was hurting so much I could only lean on CJ’s shoulder all the way back. I started crying during dinner because it was hurting so bad. CJ and Dad stood around me in my room as I lay my head on the bed sobbing.

It’s a dull pain, like something pressing on your temples all the time. The bad timing was very unfortunate – I have tests, meetings and a presentation to prepare for.

Dad is concerned, but I think he doesn’t know how to show it

Seeing CJ’s dad tommorrow to take an x-ray. I hope it goes away soon. :/

Toothache #2

I’m having a pain on the left side of my head now, and my left side wisdom tooth is hurting too. :/ A few months back I have exactly the same thing but on the right side of my face. I ended up with braces. Now I don’t really know what is wrong. I just know it hurts like crazy.