Halloweekend at USS

This Halloweekend, I spent some time with Chinese ghosts, zombified helicopter crash victims, Egyptian mummy pirates and an in-sanatorium.

My girlfriends and I clutched fingers and screamed ourselves hoarse. Hell, I think we deafened, scared even, some of these Halloween Horrors. We joined tweenies on roller coaster rides and 4D simulator adventures. It was all good fun. Really good fun. And, if I dare say, I felt young-er... until we met some young 'uns who destroyed our chances of viewing our picture by exposing their upper bodies to the camera on the Mummy Adventure.

It was well-earned fun. After years of teetering between my own anxiety and watching people have fun at rollercoasters and haunted houses, I finally stepped up to the Halloween Horrors 2 at Universal Studios. I had my heart in my mouth at first, but after a while it melted down my throat and gave way to chortles of screaming laughter.

Happy Halloween folks! Stay spooky.

Turning One With Tiffany's

I know, the world doesn't really need to know what Matt got me for our first anniversary. But for the 3 people who actually read this blog, he got me a snowflake pendant from Tiffany's.

And a bouquet centered around a 'glittering' rose. And a nice dinner at one of my favourite restaurants.

Looking back, it somehow amuses me... how things change when you get older. Until Matt, I never received anything in that blue box. I never bought myself anything from Tiffany's. I always thought it was something that was special as a gift. Somehow I had formed the impression that the feeling that goes through any girl as she opens the blue box to find out whats gifted within, is incomparable to anything else in the world and is an end in itself. That, and flowers and wine, make the perfect romantic night out. (What is romance anyway?) 

But when I removed the necklace after our night out, and photographed this picture, I realised I like looking at the pendant not because it came in a blue box, or is from Tiffany's. Rather, I like how it will always bring to mind how we expended our chance to relive our first night as a couple - a good dinner, good talks and a night out at the Night Festival. I like how it signposts that special night to us, and how it gets me looking forward to our next year to come.

Valentino's: Tried and Tested Italian Goodness

Valentino's has long held a special place in my tummy.

Matt and I don't go fancy very often. We don't go Italian very often either. But when the occasion calls for it, Valentino's is always calling out at the back of my mind. 

They have recently moved from their cosy little corner in Rifle Range to this new roomy space further up Bukit Timah Road at Turf City. And I really like how they have used this space to create private dining spaces - from cozy little enclaves tucked in its sides for couples or small groups to large dining rooms behind closed wooden doors for larger groups of eight and above. This definitely makes Valentino's an easy choice for a romantic dinner date or a quiet family function of sorts.  

Its easy to taste why this family-run establishment has chalked up its celebrity following. Everything, including the bread dip, always manages to leave me smacking my lips for more. 

We have tried guessing what goes into this unassuming yet absolutely sublime bread drip. We've come up with pesto, olive oil and, what we believe to be the secret game-changer, anchovies. We could very well try asking the waiter but we don't really want to know. We like the suspense. It keeps our tastebuds on full alert.

They had burrata that day. 

They had other daily specials. But my mind kind of shut out the rest and just went burrata, burrata, burrata...!!! Until the waiter stopped reciting the list of daily specials, and I jumped in to order. 

I am so glad this milk's cow cheese is taking its place on menus more and more in Italian restaurants here. Valentino's version is so soft it oozes through the sac once you knife through. The rich creamy melt-in-your-mouth burrata and sweet cherry tomatoes together made the perfect pairing. It was quite simply heaven in every forkful.  

I always try to order something new for my pasta dish, but also always surrender to the Fettucine al Granchio. There's nothing quite like this squid ink fettucine dish. The fettucine is tossed with juicy chunks of crab meat and in a very flavourful, perfectly creamy tomato sauce. It still stands as the champion of pasta dishes for me. 

We ended the meal with creme brulee and pistachio ice-cream. Valentino's serves up decent, very traditional Italian desserts. They are good enough to end your meal on a sweet note, but don't expect dessert to be the star of your meal here. 

Night at the Museum: A Yearly Ritual

The annual Night Festival has turned into a yearly post-dinner ritual during our anniversary date. I think its easy to see why. The usual dinner under the stars and walk in the park is taken so much further with the light installations, overhead water acrobatic performances and hands-on exhibitions. We just turn up at the Bras Brasah precinct, and ta-dah! we step into a world of art in so many forms - light and shadow, sound, paint, sculpture, film, etc, that its hard not to get excited and even a little overwhelmed. 

I also like how the whole Bras Brasah precinct seems to take on a different persona each Night Festival. Its as if our museums have a whole other vivacious, party-animal persona that it only lets us in on each Night Festival. It always feels as if I am sharing in on a secret personlity of the museums, down the back of SAM to SAM at 8Q, along Armenian Street... and all these loud, colourful things are spilling out of their corners and into the streets. 

This year, my best takeaway was in Yeo Shih Yun's Conversations with Trees, which is shown in the last two pictures here. To create Conversations with Trees, Yeo tied hair brushes dipped in black ink to tree branches, and allowed these hair brushes to create marks on silkscreen. From afar, Conversations with Trees looked just like another Chinese ink painting. But after learning of the method Yeo employed in this painting, and as I looked closer, I was transported to another place where there was just a tree and the breeze, blowing at me in the direction of each stroke my eyes picked up on the silkscreen painting.  

One... and over the Mooooon at Art Speaks Studio

Matt and I turned one about a month ago. 

To celebrate, Matt took me to Art Speaks Studio and we spent the afternoon painting in acrylic. It has been years since I last picked up a paint brush. In fact, I don't really remember working with acrylic. The only thing I remember from art class was the lesson where we had to "paint" by blowing at the watercolour through a straw.

Which is probably why ten seconds into painting the background, the art teacher stopped me and gave me a lecture on how to glide the brush over the canvas; ten minutes later, she confiscated my brush and finished the background herself. This repeated when I attempted to outline the huge round "moon" in the middle, and when I was filling it in. After a while, I figured it'd be easier if she just did all the finishing touches anyway, and was calling for her every ten minutes.

As she set about evening out the paint and mixing colours, I would look over at Matt and watch his brush glide effortlessly across his canvas. I think his day peaked when the art teacher leaned over excitedly to ask, "have you taken art classes before?". Very, very cunning choice by this "O" level art student to spend our anniversary at an art studio.

Don't get me wrong though. I did enjoy the class. The art teachers knew when to chip in, just in time to salvage my painting. And more than that, I enjoyed learning to mix any colour with white to thicken its texture. I also enjoyed learning how to introduce gradients into my background. But I didn't really enjoy the fact that the six-year old sitting next to me seemed to know it all and was totally kicking my ass with her landscape painting. I am beginning to think my primary school art teacher cheated us of real technique. I haven't come across anybody who "paints" with straws.

After the class, we took a walk around the studio and chanced upon the children's room. 

Other than paint, Art Speaks Studio teaches children to work with other fun materials like pipeliners, cotton wool, etc. It was amazing looking at the children's pieces and how they had reinterpreted scenes from their memories. It felt like I was reading into the children's minds, their moods, their sentiments when they visited those scenes. It felt like I could read into how they had felt at that point.

I started to think about when I last did craft. The last time I did craft, I put together a handmade birthday card with a huge pink cupcake in the front. I had been very proud of that card. I had looked at the bright, pop art colours, and had felt that I had conveyed my blessings well beyond the usual "happy birthday" greeting.

Can you tell what I have tried to figure through my painting this time around? My art teacher couldn't but Matt and I could. And that's arty enough for us :)

Pigged Out! Sydney Edition

I'm not quite done with Sydney yet. 

We had some really good food in Sydney. And I thought to list them here so that I can come back again and again to all these wonderful food experiences. A little like my very own pocket guide to my food memories.

I imagine I would very soon start kicking myself for doing this because staring at, much less thinking about, these photos always inadvertently sets off unrealistic cravings. But I just had my favourite wanton mee for dinner and that might just hold the stomach for a while.  

*****

Pho Pasteur - 709 George Street, Haymarket, NSW 2000

We chanced upon this busy cafe right after landing in Sydney. The beef slices were melt-in-your-mouth tender, the soup was delicious and, for about $10, the serving was generous. Even Testuya's got this one's back.    

Harry's Cafe de Wheels - Corner Cowper Wharf Roadway & Brougham Road, Woolloomooloo, NSW 2011

Giant hot dogs and caramelised onions nestled in chilli con carne and sweet green pea mash along views of the Woolloomooloo waterfront. The celebrity photo line-up is enough proof this hot dog stand have got their dogs right. 

Read more about our delicious meal at Harry's Cafe de Wheels here.

Medusa Greek Taverna - 2 Market Street, NSW 2000 (Corner of Kent & Market Streets)

Medusa was a favourite of Matthew's when he last lived here. He saved it for special treats e.g. when his family visited, or at the end of the week when he had spare cash from his weekly meal allowance.

It was easy to understand why. The food was delicious, fresh and came in very generous portions. Olive oil was the star of the meal, featuring very strongly in each dish - I've finally learnt why the Spanish and Italians are so particular about olive oil, it really propels any dish towards a new dimension.

Be sure to end your meal off with the "Medusa", a very interesting and pretty dessert of ouzu strawberries, pomegranate coulis, anise ice-cream and rose water fairy floss. It was our first encounter with ouzu and we enjoyed it very, very much.

Lindt Chocolat Cafe - Darling Harbour, 1 Harbour St Cockle Bay Wharf, NSW 02000

Visit here while touring Darling Harbour for some sinfully rich DIY hot chocolate. I like to make mine very very thick.

Nando's World Square - Shop 9.91, Lower Ground Floor, 644 George Street, NSW 2000 

The paella here is wickedly spicy and warms through your stomach - perfect comfort food our bodies welcomed on the first day whilst adjusting to the chilly weather.We were planning our next visit to Nando's right after we finished with our first. 

Four Ate Five - 485 Crown Street, Surry Hills, NSW 2010

Perfect coffee, perfect eggs, delicious sourdough bread in a neighbourhood perfect for the Surry-Oxford-Bondi-Coogee walk. Read more about our breakfast at Four Ate Five here.

Papa Giovanni Gelateria - 172 Campbell Parade, Bondi Beach, NSW 2026

Generous nutella bits and swirls embedded in smooth, creamy gelato. Need we say more?

Adriano Zumbo - Shop 1, Cafe Court, The Star, 80 Pyrmont Street, Pyrmont, NSW 2009

This new dessert haunt serves up bite-sized sweet offerings on a sushi train. The idea is enough to get any dessert-lover carried away, but we were not very impressed with the desserts on offer - sugar seemed to be the star of every dessert, and nothing else. 

Visit here for the novelty of the sushi train but don't be expecting superstar desserts, even for the price.

Moo Gourmet Burgers - 232 King Street, Newtown 

The burgers at Moo are heartily-sized and are full of hearty flavour. The Moo team are big on free-range, free-to-roam produce, and I think this emphasis really comes through in their delicious offerings. We had the beef avocado and bacon burger. The ingredients tasted very fresh and made one very tasty burger. 

We also tried the tim tam milk shake... wait... did I just say tim tam milk shake? Yes!! If that didn't get to you already, you'd be pleased to know that you get to slurp it up with a straw taped in white and brown swirls. They really know how to complete an experience. 

Peter's Fish Market - Waterfront Plaza, Sydney Fish Market

Fresh seafood at very wallet-friendly prices. The box of uni packed a delicious punch full of creamy, buttery goodness at a very happy price of AUD12.

On our way out, we saw some very happy Japanese excitedly pitting the offerings of the Sydney Fish Market to those of the Tsukiji Fish Market in Tokyo; almost proof that the seafood at the Sydney Fish Market is world class.

Matsuya - 14 O'Connell Street, NSW 2000

If you're too lazy to head down to the Sydney Fish Market, you may want to try the sashimi boat at Matsuya. In our case, we had just started the day with the Sydney Fish Market and were still reeling from that experience that we thought, why not just repeat it! You can never have too much of a good thing. 

We also tried the grilled wagyu beef, which was a plate of melt-in-your-mouth goodness, and the seafood hotpot which consisted of fresh and succulent seafood bathed in sweet and tasty seafood stock. Oh~ and they have green tea creme brulee here too! Yum yum yum. 

Bourke Street Bakery - 633 Bourke Street

The folks at Bourke Street Bakery have got their tart shells and pie crusts right, and I think that's what made the beef pie and ginger creme brulee tart so sublime! 

I swear, the tart shell on the ginger creme brulee tart, what really looks like layers of tart shell layers packed into each other, has the best texture I have ever come across. Add to that, the idea of ginger with creme brulee and pistachio... and bham! It was wow in every bite. 

Chat Thai - 20 Campbell Street, Haymarket and Shop 6002, level 6, 188 Pitt Street, Westfield Center Point

If I had a choice, I would try Chat Thai for breakfast, lunch, dinner and supper. And that's because this wonderful Thai restaurant has a different menu for each meal. 

We only got to try Chat Thai for dinner and supper though, and each time we left feeling throughly satisfied.

For more on the delicious offerings at Chat Thai, see here.