Keisuke Tokyo Ramen @PARCO Marina Bay

Headed down to PARCO Marina Bay for the 2nd time and wanted to try the Japanese eateries located on the 3rd floor. As I'm having lunch and feel like eating noodles, I went to look around for ramen. Then, I spotted a black-theme interior and nice cozy ramen restaurant named "Keisuke Tokyo". Apparently, this is their first overseas restaurant and it seems that Keisuke Tokyo is quite popular in Japan too.

What attracted me is that their ramen soup is not Tonkotsu ~ pork bone based and it is fried shrimp-based broth! I have not tried it before and wondering does it taste like our local Prawn Mee Soup :p

A refreshing prawn salad ~ love the salad dressing and lots of mayo! However, the waffle bowl was cold and not crispy at all :(

A must order for this delicious juicy shrimp long gyoza!

Vinegar, Chili oil and soya sauce for dipping your dishes

Such a unique bowl to serve my ramen ~ I wish to have one for serving my instant noodle too ^0^ Look at the garnishing, eggs, and thick shrimp miso broth ^.~ I like the noodle ~ thick and QQ. I can accept the rich flavor of the broth but some may find it slightly salty.

Hopefully I can come back to PARCO soon and try the other Japanese eateries ^.~

Crave over HoT PoTs @_@

Ever since I returned from my Tokyo trip, I have not been swimming regularly at the gym which I used to do so :( I am afraid to see those kilos increasing on the weighing machine @.@ and must make an effort to shed more kilos : ) so that I can eat more without feeling much guilty haha ^o^Lately, my friend and I have craving for Hot Pot/Steamboat. For two consecutive weekends, after swim, we went to our favorite restaurants for 鸳鸯火锅 ~ Yuan Yang Hot Pot @ The Magic of ChongQing Hot Pot and Promfret Steamboat @ Ting Heng Seafood Restaurant.

So let me start off with The Magic of ChongQing Hot Pot, Suntec City Branch ("MCQHP") We decided to have ala-carte hot pot buffet and ordered a duo flavored soup - 麻辣 má là (spicy) and Herbal Chicken broth (non-spicy) for our hotpot ~ 鸳鸯火锅. There are many dishes to choose from the menu such as sliced assorted meats, vegetables, fishballs, quail eggs, mushrooms, seafood and many more ^.~ Besides these dishes, there are sweet and savory dim sum served to us too ^.~ DroOling huh! Every time after swim, I tend to get very hungry and thirsty. I was so hungry and tugged in fast to fill my empty stomach hehe :p

The 麻辣 má là soup is too spicy for me and it numbs my tastebud. But I like to dip prawns and meat/fishballs for some of its spicy flavor : ) The chicken broth may initially taste a bit blend but after all the dishes are put into it and simmer for sometime, the taste is good too.

Here's one of the sweet item which served to us ~ (1) Glutinuous Rice Cake which the outer layer is pan-fried with egg and then coated with icing sugar. Very chewy. (2) Water Chestnut Jelly. I like this. (3) 馒头 (man tou) ~ Dipped this fried bun with condensed milk ~ super yummy!

Dipping sauce is a must for enhancing the flavor of your hotpot dishes. In this sauce, there is a combination of garlic and chili in oil, sesame sauce, sesame oil and chili sauce.
Thumbs up for this sauce!

See our hot pot full of "treasures" ~ slurp!

Next, off to Ting Heng Seafood Restaurant at Tiong Poh Road for our all-time favorite ~ Promfret Steamboat. They also serve other zi cha dishes such as pepper/chili crabs, sweet and sour porks, spare ribs, claypot dishes etc. We wanted to order their famous roast chicken but there's only 2 of us and just too much for us. Again, we were hungry haha ~ just took 2 photos for my blogpost :)

The soup is tasty as it has herb ingredients and dried sole fillets. The promfret are very fresh but not many pieces served :( We love yams and golden needle mushrooms!

Yes! Tau Kee ~ I never miss this dish to go with my steamboat! Do NOT put all Crispy Tau Kee into the pot as they turn soft quickly. You should do it like the shabu shabu way. Hold a piece of the tau kee with your chopsticks or put in the ladle and soak for just a few seconds. With the soup flavor went into the Tau Kee, the taste is so yummy! Another dish that I like is their assorted prawn/fish/meat balls. All are handmade and QQ!

Well well, I think I should not go for any more hotpots/steamboats. Although it was a healthy soupy meal but the dishes that we ordered were not so ^0^ Hmm...I also mustn't forget to exercise/swim regularly too *v*

Birthday Dinner with my "师傅" ^.~

My colleague and I decided to celebrate my 师傅's birthday in advance and suggested to have dinner at とん吉Tonkichi. There are 5 outlets but I still like to patronize the one at Ngee Ann City for its friendly service and also somehow their gohan (rice) texture seems shinier, stickier and tastier. There are many choices in their menu :) Most of the sets serve with Miso soup but I usually opt to change for their signature soup ~ Tonjiru (with extra charge of S$4/-). Since it was my 师傅 first time to Tonkichi, I had ordered the Tonkichi set (served together with appetizers, gohan and soups) and a side dish ~ agedashi tofu for the 3 of us.

While waiting for our dishes to be served, a bowl of sesame was given to each of us. We would grind the sesame till it was fine. Then, mixed them with the plum sauce for dipping our oishii pork cutlets ^.^

Pork cutlets, prawns, oysters and lots of cabbage which
you can request to refill.

See my big bowl of Tonjiru soup ~ Slurp!
I found the recipe online and would like to make it one day ^-^

The pork cutlets tasted so good with Mustard Sauce too
(I called it the "Western Wasabi") ^0^

Agedashi Tofu ~ Smooth texture and I love the bonito flakes ^.^

***** Great satisfaction whenever I get to dine at Tonkichi ^.~

Have a Good & Healthy Weekend ^.~

It's the weekend and I am in no good mood : ( Feeling lousy as I have throat ulcers which cause pain and discomfort. It even leads to cough now and it irritates my throat. I try to gargle with warm salt water every now and then so as to soothe the pain. This is the only treatment I know but somehow it does not help much. I may have to visit the doctor again :(

Hope you have a great weekend ^-^


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I went dinner with my colleague @Coffee Club yesterday and ordered a petite cake named "MANGO MADNESS". It would not have been a complete delighted dinner without having my dessert ^.~

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Order this cookies & shortbread gift parcel from Yoke Bakery for my boss. Overall, the presentation is beautiful and the cookies & shortbread are freshly baked and yummy ^.~ (no preservatives so need to consume within a week). I like the colorful teapot and lovely tulip cookies very much ~ kirei desu ne!

The Helix Bridge ~ 螺旋桥

My trip to Marina Bay Sands ended in the late evening. Since it was breezy outside and I decided to make my way to see the Helix Bridge situated @Marina Bay. This new innovative landmark was officially opened on 24 April 2010.

As what I read in URA's website, this bridge is 280-metre long and constructed in a double helix structure. It is designed by a consortium comprising Australian architects - COX Group and engineers - ARUP, with Singapore-based Architects 61.

There are viewing platforms or "pods" where you can enjoy a panoramic view of the Singapore city skyline and waterfront. Especially @night, when the bridge is lighted up, the view is even more gorgeous :) For those who still have not been to the Helix Bridge, I think you should. This is a new attraction and yet another unique landmark for the pro-photographers to capture their shots.

As my cam is quite new and I am trying out the night scene modes for my shoots. Phew! The photos turn out better than my previous cams ^.~

SweetSpot @ Marina Bay Sands (MBS)

I have a sweet tooth. Besides my iPhone and iPod, I think I also cannot live without cakes, pies, tarts, macaroons or any dessert! Just simply tempting and delectable!

After a whole afternoon walking and taking photos @MBS, I needed a break and went to SweetSpot for tea and their desserts. I have previously read the blog reviews on SweetSpot and it was recommended to try their macaroons which cost S$2/- per piece. Well, without further writing on, I shall show you the photos ~ Drooling ^0^

Be prepared to stand and enjoy your cuppa tea/coffee and cakes as there are limited seats :(

Macaroons, cakes, pastries and breads display neatly.

Thumbs up for the macaroons and I would love to order more.

Lovely cake deco

Rum & Rasin Cheesecake ~ looks yummy!

Choice of cakes ~ each and every piece just looks mouth-watering.

Chocolates

This is what I have ordered ~ Macaroons, Mille Peuille and Dark Black Forest Cake.

Marina Bay Sands

Last weekend, I went to one of the integrated resort, Marina Bay Sands ("MBS"). It is not fully completed yet but pretty impressive. Here are some photos which I have taken to share in my blog.

The MBS hotel consists of 3 towers connected by a sky terrace on the roof which is named Sands Sky Park. The roof top will have an excellent view overlooking the skyline of our City. Below photo was taken from The Helix Bridge overviewing the MBS Hotel.

Although my cam can take wide angle shots, the 3 towers are just too big and wide to capture :(

I was across the road and took this shot - entrance of The Shoppes @ MBS.

The Shoppes @ MBS houses luxury brand names such as Cartier, Chanel, Gucci, Fendi, Louis Vuitton, Prada and many more. There will also be a number of casual and fine dining restaurants.

You can enjoy a sampan boat ride down the canal. An adult ticket costs S$10/- and Children (12 years old & below) cost S$6/-.

Jin Shan Chinese Restaurant which is located at the MBS Hotel Lobby, L1-05. These big lanterns are actually private dining rooms.

As you walk along the MBS Hotel Atrium, you can easily find tall ceramics vessels which hold trees in it. These vessels are hand made using the coil construction method by Zheng ChongBin and his artisans. The ceramic sculpture is named as Rising Forest 升林. It is amazing to see such tall and large vessels.


FUSE lounge - After a hard day @ work, this is a great place to chill out; with live band and sipping your favourite cocktail. Wooohooo ^.~

Lift Lobby - nice deco

When I step into MBS Hotel Tower 1, I notice the colorful paintings (artwork of Sol Lewitt #917, Arcs and Circles) on the wall @ the Hotel Receiption. It is very eye-catching *_*



Another noticeable artwork is the DRIFT by Antony Gormley. You can find it @ MBS Hotel Tower 1 Atrium. The DRIFT is made of many steel rods and nodes.




I really can't wait for the full completion of MBS resort, especially looking forward to visit the Sky Park, Museum which in a lotus-shape and I am keen to watch The Lion King musical @ the Theatre too :) Last, but not least, more photo-taking @MBS ^.~

Note: Got most info from MBS website :) You can visit http://www.marinabaysands.com/ and find out more on MBS.