Happenings in August - Family Gathering + Hoshino Coffee

Sunday 27/8/17

It was a last minute decision to visit KL's house as some of my relatives have not visit my cousin's house to see baby Mia. So I went down to KL's house with my cousins. It was my second visit to KL's house.

Baby Mia was awoke and started fidgeting around, looking at the number of intruders that popped in her room.

Petra was feeling uncomfortable by the sight of so many unfamiliar faces in the house, Petra just hide at one corner and only started moving around when feel comfortable.

Gotcha! Aiden was afraid of Petra, he used the pillow to act as a shield to block the dog from sight. After that, Aiden started to lower his guard and dare to touch Petra.

KL also has a table tennis table for us to play table tennis. 

Watch the duo played table tennis. The next Feng Tianwei in the making.

Aiden also had a duet with his dad. He felt so happy when the ping pong ball touched his racket.

Amber was in the living room walking around while the adults were watching television. She always like to go close to the dog but the dog will move away from her, like playing catching.

We then went over to Allen's place for their zichar dinner. My family love the fish soup there. It was a sumptuous spread. 

After the dinner, some of us parted. Some of us went to Allen's house for a visit. 

And the reason there was to play with Latte. So hyper when seeing the dog snacks and will quickly come to you.

With the cutie, Latte was so cute and irresistible. He looked like a soft toy. He was very hyper and love running around.

Wednesday 30/8/17

Today's lunch was at our regular dine out place at Aston. I love dining here because the price that we see is the price we pay. No GST and service charge. Having always try chicken chop, I decided to go for something different today. I decided to try their spaghetti that comes with mushroom soup.

Mushroom soup with garlic bread.

The mushroom soup has a rich and yummy taste, I love dipping the bread into the soup to coat the bread with the soupy taste.

Chicken Napolitana.

Taste wise, so-so only.

Thursday 31/8/17

We took a grab down to Capitol Piazza for lunch. Today, we decided to try something new for lunch.

We went Hoshino Coffee for lunch. This was my first time trying out Hoshino Coffee, a Japanese-Western fusion style of cafe-restaurant. They serve coffee, food & desserts in comfortable and relaxing ambience for all ages.

I have Hoshino spaghetti with eggplant, bacon, shimeji and sausage. 

I love this a lot, especially when the egg yolk oozed out and the spaghetti was drenched very the yolk. It tasted delicious. I finished every bits of it.

This marked the end of my August happening, September is coming. 

Looking forward to the end of September.

Food Review: Dai Lou Canto Restaurant Punggol Marina Country Club

Journey to the North to try out the newly opened Canto restaurant at Punggol Marina Country Club. It was my second visit to the country club and I love the ambience of this place because it offers a stunning view of the sea.

Dai Lou is a 90s Canto theme inspired Singapore restaurant bringing together zichar & fun drinking place. The atmosphere is perfect for guests to relax and have a good meal after spending the day in the bustling city. 

When I first heard of Dai Lou, I thought the name was very interesting. Dai Lou (大佬) means Big Brother in Cantonese. It makes me wonder what interesting dish name will Dai Lou has.

You can choose indoor or alfresco dining. 

We had the indoor dining.

Here are the food that we have tried:

Honey Milk Pork Cubes

$10/$15/$20

The pork cubes were well marinated with honey milk, giving it a sweet and savoury taste that satisfied our taste buds. Every cube tasted so delicious and perfect. We asked around which is their favourite dish they have tried tonight and this dish was many of us favourite.

XO Crab Beehoon

$47 per crab

Wow, I love this XO crab beehoon the most. The XO soup was bursting with flavours with the generous ingredients in it plus the XO crab, it was definitely a hearty affair that give us a kick but not to the extreme of being drunk. 

Dai Lou's Money Bag - Salted Egg + Black Pepper Sauce

$49.90/$79.90

Mantou 

$0.60 each

Crab is definitely one of our favourite seafood dish, something we would order every time we go seafood restaurant. Though eating crab can get really messy, it will leave us finger licking good. I especially love it when we soaked the mantou in the gravy to absorb the goodness of salted egg and black pepper. I love the dominant flavour of the salted egg, it simply taste so delicious.

Knuckle Duster (Thai Style Pork Knuckles)

$25

The Thai style pork knuckles carried a hot taste of chili and mild sweetness that catered to the taste buds of Singaporeans. The spicy level was no job, it gave a hot sensation after finishing the mouthful and you would want to reach for your drinks after that. For people who loves spicy food, this is the dish for you.

Thanks Dai Lou Canto Restaurant for hosting us for the dinner. Do pop by to Dai Lou to try out their food. 

For more information, please visit https://www.facebook.com/DaiLouRestaurantAndBar/

Dai Lou Canto Restaurant

Marina Country Club, 11 Northshore Drive 

#01-0R Singapore

Operating hours: 12pm to 10.30pm

Product Review: Filtech Alkaline Water Filter Pitcher

Hello guys, do you still remember my previous post on Product Review: Filtech Tap Water Filter?

Today I am back to review the other product I received from Filtech, Mitsu PWF 227 – Alkaline Water Filter Pitcher.

As I grow older, I started to pay attention to water consumption. Though I always hear people says that Singapore's water is safe to drink from tap, I will never do that at home and will drink boiled water. Ever since I gotten Mitsu PWF 227 – Alkaline Water Filter Pitcher, I fall in love with it. Not only does it filter out all the bacteria and harmful substances in the water, it makes drink water so much convenient. I don't need to boil the water to have clean water consumption.

The Filter Pitcher uses premium grade polyethylene material which makes it lightweight and durable. It remains sturdy and firm when dropped as compared to other water pitchers which will break upon impact.

The Water Filter Pitcher is able to hold 2.5 liters capacity. Out of which, 1.3 liters of water are filtered at a rate of 0.75l / minute, making clean water conveniently available in the household.

Inserting the filter into the pitcher.

Lifespan of the filter is about 3 months.

All done and ready for use.

The lid comes with an instant refill hole that allows a convenient way of refilling water without the hassle of removing the whole cover. 

Water is being filtered and seeping through. It contains 3 step filtration.

Step 1:

Water is being purified and decontaminated through a softening process which removes heavy metal like copper and led. While removing these heavy metal, innocuous ions are replaced by potassium and sodium ions which are beneficial to our nervous system.

Step 2:

Activated carbon will remove chlorine and other sediments while at the same time clearing away bad odor and improving taste. It also removes contaminants and increases hydration.

Step 3:

Contaminants have been removed from the water and alkaline ionized water created. This water supplies active hydrogen ions and has low negative Oxidation-Reduction Potential which provides a powerful antioxidant potential.

The taste is a little different then the usual boiled water, it has a purified taste that makes me feel goods when drinking. The pitcher is very lightweight, not a problem for elderly to use it.

If you are interesting in purchasing, Mitsu PWF 227 – Alkaline Water Filter Pitcher is retailing at S$44.90 now (usual price: S$64.90). Filter can be changed every 3 months retailing at S$19.90.

For more information, please visit https://filtech.com.sg/product/mitsu-pwf-227-filter-replacement/

Happenings in August - Ramen Champion + La-Roche Posay Event + Family Gathering

Wednesday 2/8/17

I met up with GF for dinner at Bugis+ where we have more catch up over the meal. We love such meet up because it allows us to have ample time for conversation, we always chat until we don't feel like parting.

As I have cravings for ramen, GF brought me to Ramen Champion for dinner. I guessed we were still early, we reached before 7pm. Crowds started to come in after 7pm and it was nearly full house.

Both of us ordered pork ramen from Buta God that comes with generous amount of sliced pork and runny egg. One mouthful could taste the goodness of the broth. Cravings satisfied.

Thanks GF for the birthday treat and always make an effort to organize a lunch or dinner date with me for my birthday every year, making me feel the birthday atmosphere all these years. The big sister I wish I had.

Friday 4/8/17

Today's lunch we traveled to Bugis, my second time here in a week. This time round, we went Platypus Kitchen that is tucked in the corner of Bugis.

Platypus Kitchen offers an extensive Asian-influenced flavors inspired menu and specialize in premium cast-iron grilled meats, gourmet rice & risotto bowls and ur unique signature pastas.

The lunch set comes with a beverage and choice of soup or salad. All of us opt for soup. 

My main course was Bacon Crumble Carbonara that was toppled with smoked egg creme and toasted bread crumbs. The pasta used was conchiglie. This set was priced at $11.90++.

A sumptuous meal to welcome the weekend.

Saturday 5/8/17

Weekend was spent at one of our regular hangout place, Marina Square .

After settling the stuff, we went to Mei Heong Yuen Dessert to have Green Tea Snow Ice. A place to rest our feet while having some cold treat.

Not feeling satisfied with the dessert, we went to Chic-a-boo to have their cheese fries. The amount of cheese they toppled on the fries was pathetic though.

Monday 7/8/17

To clear the Monday Blues, we 'grab' our way to Millenia Walk for lunch. We went to our regular place for lunch at Kith Cafe.

My pasta comes with a glass of ice tea.

This is one of the rare occasion a drink is offered when we ordered a main course. But it only limit to this particular pasta ordered. Other main course is not applicable.

Stir fried chicken pasta.

Though the presentation may not look good, it tasted all right and I cleared it all.

Wednesday 9/8/17

This week is a short work week for everyone because it's National Day week. This National Day, I spent the entire day at home doing my assignment, blogging and watching live telecast of National Day Parade. So sad, this year didn't win the ballot. I always don't have luck for actual parade. Never in my life have I watch the actual parade live.

From my house, I could see the helicopters carrying the National Flag flew past.

After watching the parade ceremony, I went back to continue with my assignments. That's how I spent my National Day.

Friday 11/8/17

I met up with GF for a quick dinner at KFC@Takashimaya Shopping Centre. Our favourite hangout spot for dinner if we have event at Takashimaya.

We met Linda at the event too. 

It's been a long while since the last 3 of us met up with each other. We stayed to chat a little after the event ended.

We bagged home with some of the products from La-Roche Posay which includes Thermal Spring Water and Anthelios Hydration Face Mist.

I was previously a user of La-Roche Posay's Thermal Spring Water too. This time round, La-Roche Posay has introduced their suncare range of products that is suitable for even the most sensitive of skin types like me.

I used the Thermal Spring Water to hydrate and calm my sensitive skin. It is effective in cooling my skin especially during hot weather.

Anthelios Hydration Face Mist contains SPF50+, ensuring optimal protection from UVB to long UVA rays and also contains antioxidant protection to counteract infrared rays and pollution. It's like a 2-in-1 product. A light texture that is quicker absorption and leave no sticky feeling.

Sunday 13/8/17

My parents wanted to visit baby Mia, my cousin's newborn daughter, so my family made our way to my cousin's place to see baby Mia.

Hello, baby Mia.

Baby Mia is only 2 weeks old. Aww, she is still so little.

Meet Petra, the very shy dog.

Petra was a bit scared of strangers, it took awhile for Petra to be comfortable and come close with you. I wonder what sad past did Petra encountered.

Gugu went down with my aunt and mum to tabao zi char back home for dinner. We have a sumptuous spread for dinner.

Allen and Karen tabao Chir Chir Korean Fried Chicken back to add on to our spread. They bought spicy and soy flavour. The price was on a steep side in our opinion as each box of chicken cost $30.

Allen also got me a cup of milk tea.

Latte and Petra.

The 2 dogs like to chase each other, so cute.

It was a nice gathering with my family and relatives, and also with the 2 dogs. Spending my weekend like this is great too.

Monday 21/8/17

Today's lunch was back at Tampopo, we have cravings for ramen and hence we were back to Liang Court. 

I have pork ramen.

Tampopo serves one of the nicest ramen that I ever have. I love the generous amount of meat in it and the flavoursome of the broth. It tasted heavenly delicious when combined both together. The money paid is also worth it, considering the amount of meat I ate.

More happening coming up.