The men I didn't marry by Janice Kaplan & Lynn Schnurnberger

Title	The men I didn't marry
Author	Janice Kaplan & Lynn Schnurnberger
Publisher	Ballantine Books , 2006
Genre	Chicklit
ISBN	978-0-345-49070-4
Length	285 pages

Hallie had planned how she and her husband would spend their empty nester existence, starting with a romantic weekend and those dratted Knicks tickets. Too bad her husband was so eager to start his new independence with Ashlee with 2 Es, that he dumped Hallie after leaving their youngest at Yale. 

What an asshole...

So Hallie spent a whole week gorging on Oreos, until her daughter challenged her to go hiking. Bizarre she would do that when she didn't even go hiking with the hubby and kids back in the day... Alone and out of town, she got lost on the trail only to be rescued by a handsome doctor (seriously... this book's unbelievable quotient is out there in the stratosphere).

That's not all, the doctor was oh so coincidentally good friends with her ex boyfriend, Eric. So Eric, reminded by said doctor, called Hallie up for dinner and so began a journey of "eat drink woman" for Hallie except that she did not have to travel out of the country to realize that she was right in not settling with any of her exes then.

She had sex with one ex, found out that the other was a "ohm"ing gay and forgave the last one. The forgiving part was very rushed, and I felt like the side story of her sister was thrown in at random pages so that she could quickly forgive the ex. It was as if the book had 3 planned exes and they decided to add one last minute.

As part of her journey through the exes, Hallie was rewarded with realizing that she was better off without her stingy ex who halfway through the book decided that he wanted to come home to the familiar after breaking up with Ashlee with 2 Es. She was rewarded for said epiphany with a new romance.

what the hell.  funny but convoluted book. 3 out of 5.

Follow my lead by Kate Noble

Title	Follow My Lead
Author	Kate Noble
Publisher	Berkley Publishing Group, 2011
Genre	Romance
ISBN	978-0-425-24151-6
Length	355 pages

His Grace Jason Cummings, Duke of Rayne, is seeking a wife. Tried when he was 29 years old, was almost compromised by three raving virgins. Second attempt was when he was a wiser 30 year old man, only to be bored to death at a garden party by same three raving virgins. So being a 19th century nerd, the red-haired he went to the Historical Society where he encountered a brown-haired she with a humongous cousin. Cousin George was determined to make Winnifred Crane his bride, incest and possible genetic disorder be damned. Luckily Jason was there to help her pass the hallowed doors, where she failed to prove to Lord Forrester (head of said sexist Society, her father's friend) that she was the famed historical writer, C. W. Marks. Why? Because her cousin claimed to be him already, in order to become a member.

Since the cousin was the villain and all the men in the Historical Society misogynists, the determined 30 year old Winn decided to take up the challenge issued by Lord Forrester to prove that the Adam & Eve painting given by her father to the Society was not painted by Dürer. Unlike the Duke who already saw the Continent and wanted to settle down, Winn wanted to enjoy the adventure of finding the evidence and checking out Europe.

Lord Forrester being naive or stupid, requested Jason escort Winn, George and their relative Totty to the port, even though Jason was interested in his daughter. Then Jason, being the busybody that he was, decided to follow Winn when she did not board the same ship as her family. 

Blah blah, they suffered poverty and misadventures in Europe as they tried to dodge George, but managed to find time to have sex a couple of times. If not for the sex, would have thought that it was Bert and Ernie running riot over Europe. Fairly engaging read.

Of course he ended up with Winn, even though he managed to propose to Lord Forrester's daughter when he returned to the UK, aged 31 years old.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5. The parts where they dodged George were entertaining.

Believability - 3/5; Romance factor - 2.5/5; Readability - 3.5/5 ; Yummyness of male protagonist (YMP) - 1/5.

Kiss an Angel by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

Title	Kiss an Angel
Author	Susan Elizabeth Phillips
Edition	reprint
Publisher	Piatkus, 2006
Genre	Romance
ISBN	0749937092, 9780749937096
Length	384 pages

Ratings
Unbelievable ?  EXTREMELY. 5/5. Just look at the protagonists' names, Theodosia (Daisy) Devreaux and Alexander Romanov Markov.

Alex is a descendant of the Romanov dynasty (yes, and from Tsar Nicholas II's fragile son's line) and a known circus folk. Daisy remained a 26 yo virgin while her mother was a frivolous nymphomaniac who was already bedding guys younger than her daughter before she died.

Problem with some of the famous romance authors is that they tend to stick to a certain formula that they become known for (other than the known requisite that all male protagonists are damaged in one way or another/ inscrutable, charismatic characters/ handsome weirdos).

For Susan Elizabeth Phillips, the female protagonist tends to be a pretty lady who is misunderstood by the people around her, especially the guy who she will fall in love with. But don't worry by the end of the book, everyone will love her. Always. And the guy would be very emotionally damaged but becomes cured by her love, though SEP outdid herself this time with one who is more damaged than the usual. (1) his parents died in a train accident when he was 2 years old, (2) he was raised by an uncle who camouflaged his pedophilia by whipping his nephew, (3) rescued by Daisy's father  when he was 8 yo. Daisy's dad was conveniently a diplomat to Russia who has a weird obsession with Russians and of course, this guy, to a point he makes him marry his daughter to continue the Romanov line. this despite he does not think much of her than as a brood mare. Give the man Father of the Year award!(4) Alex is now a professor of art at a college, but he is fantastically rich due to his own Russian art collection and consultancy work with biggest museums in the country, and he is helping his other benefactor by running his circus for 6 months after the latter died. WTF?

So he drags Daisy after their impromptu marriage to the circus, where of course she had to suffer a lot of trials and tribulations ala SEP style, e.g. being framed as a thief, being tortured by sundry circus animals, being burnt by stupid Alex, getting knocked up by stupid Alex who realized that he really loved her after he burnt her (S&M). And even though she doesn't like animals, and they her, somehow she developed a rapport with a tiger, a gorilla and a baby elephant who has weird olfactory fetish. Villains other than Alex, are a misguided teenage girl who has a crush on Alex, and the sexy circus owner's widow who has an obsession with Alex's circusfolk lineage and his sexual prowess, so much so that she turned from love to hatred when he denied her.

The main point is... don't think too hard when reading this book (especially TRY NOT to draw comparisons with SEP's other book "call me irresistible"), just appreciate the span of SEP's imagination when writing this book. I spent quite a lot of time rolling my eyes, but I have to admit it was an entertaining read. I also think the book should be renamed as "obsession" given the number of strange obsessive characters there are in this book.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Believability - 0/5 (see above); Romance factor - 3/5; Readability - 4/5 (fairly entertaining, too much about animals and annoying side characters); Yummyness of male protagonist (YMP) - 3/5 (handsome art professor who is a descendant of Russian royalty with amber eyes like a freaking tiger. Unbelievable!!! Dislike MCPs).

Vegan Burg

We were in Chinatown today so that I could buy wholesale seeds at Ban Lee Huat. The uncles were pretty charming and friendly, giving me loads of advice. Anyway they also sell chinese tea leaves so I am pretty sure I will visit them again.

It was lunchtime so Mr Bear said he would bring me to try vegan food because I have been feeling even more lumpy than usual. After my initial enthusiasm, I got bored and hungry walking because the walk was so far and I could see the Raffles office crowd spilling out of their office and into nearby eateries. I was worried that we'd have to wait very long for a table and food.

But thankfully Vegan Burg wasn't that crowded. After realizing that I was a total noob, the counter staff took pains to explain what are the flavors and ingredients. I chose creamy mushrooms, so did Mr Bear, so when I turned my head to face the cashier, I was excited to change my order to the new seasonal offering, wasabi mayo edamame burger with alfalfa.

We had them with seaweed fries (no taste of seaweed) and broccoli florets. Mr Bear also insisted on ordering the Granny's soup, which was a very nice tomato soup with a dash of herbs and a smoky aftertaste. I liked the flavors of both burgers alot, especially the wasabi mayo (I use that on my tomato salads at home) even though I think the soy patty didn't agree with my tummy. I felt really bloated after the meal even though it was a rather healthful meal (discounting the patty).

Mookata

Mookata is a form of Thai BBQ where you BBQ the meat at the center of the hot plate, and the fat flows into the surrounding trench, making a supposedly tasty broth (didn't like it). Bobo was explaining the concept to me one day, and it was pretty strange, the next day I saw a huge banner advertising mookata near the library.

It was quite cheap. S$20 for a decent amount of meat, and you could add on more ala carte items. I found that I LOVED LOVED LOVED the Maggi Seasoning marinated chicken. Have you tasted this magical sauce before? I try to cook from scratch but I have a massive weakness for this seasoning...probably because this bottle used to feature in my family's cooking but I hadn't had it for YEARS. The familiar umami taste *melt*

Bedrock Bar & Grill *drool*

Bär and I coined this term "lavish lunch" to commemorate the rare milestones in our miserable lives. It's been a long time but we have two this month.Yeah! *Jersey Shore style fist pump!*

Brain Freeze worthy!

We started off with Bedrock Bar & Grill, which I read about in Some like it Haute. If someone mentions it 5 times in a blog, it must be a definite 5-star. So I suggested that we try out its set lunch menu for our first celebration. I decided to make reservations just in case, which was a good idea, because even on a Monday afternoon, the restaurant was soon decently filled (at a glance, > 70-80% tables occupied, considering the price, it was a testimony to its quality).

We had the following options under the set lunch menu:

set lunch menu

Anyone who reads this blog often *fingers crossed* (hope there are some of you out there), will know that Bär has some self-admittedly lousy luck when it comes to ordering from any menu, e.g. the semi-cooked fish at Alkaff Mansion. It also didn't help that he avoids certain foods like I do (though in my case, I gorge on those I can eat -> that's why I am fat) which limits the items he can consume.

I cheekily suggested that he ought to take the Lobster Bisque because the brandy in the soup would intoxicate him enough into a benevolent mood when he met his clients later. Instead he asked the obliging waiter (James) to check if he could change the soup to Smoked Tomato soup on the ala carte menu, while still ordering his main and dessert from the set lunch menu.

The waiter came back and confirmed that the chef was agreeable to the change, which of course put us in an even better frame of mood to enjoy ourselves. Really the excellent service contributed a huge part in our enjoyment. Again, if anyone reads this blog often, they'd know I am the kind who will not pull punches when it comes to either praising/bashing a restaurant. 

ok only

We ordered drinks, I tried their signature iced tea (was a miss), and Bär, a critus mocktail (also a miss). Truly the drinks were not the stars of the show, but they served their purpose of quenching our thirst. 

We were served toasted pita bread, which came warm to the table with an entire roasted clove of garlic (in olive oil) and a round disc of butter. The garlic was ambrosia to our eclectic palates, and we soon demolished the entire clove. Nonetheless vampires needed not be afraid, because the garlic tasted sweet and mellow without a single bit of that soul-destroying sharpness.

Fluffy and warm little pita bread pockets

I think we enjoyed it too much, that was why the attentive staff offered us seconds of the bread (which came this time with a lovely golden brown toasted skin) and another sacrificial garlic. Bär commented that we must look ravenous. On hindsight, they might have realized that we had many vampires to kill back at Arbeit. Oh delicious pita bread, how I wish I could cut myself into bits and stuffed myself into your comfy shell. A further testimony to how good the bread was, Bär couldn't bring himself to finish his main, but he continued to stuff his mouth with the remaining hunk of bread.

Shit, this is becoming an ode to the pita bread, so I better move on. 

Like I mentioned earlier, Bär changed his starter to Smoked Tomato soup with a little dollop of Basil Mascarpone, as explained by James. As the food started arriving, I started regretting not bringing my camera instead of using my pathetic phone camera. If only I could immortalize Bär's rapture as he slowly appreciated the soup. He offered me a sip (ok, he knew I would continue staring at him until he let me), and I could taste the smoky essence in the strained liquid.

Fishy gummy bears

I had smoked salmon (I had to hit my Omega 3 quota), and it had a uniquely chewy texture like salty gummy bears. I only encountered this kind of toothsome quality once at a Japanese restaurant. Usually the smoked salmon I am served is flaky and soft. 

Giant chicken thighs!

When Bär's chicken arrived, we were flabbergasted. That was A LOT of chicken on the plate. After Bär took the heap apart, I was bemused that it comprised of two thighs and chunks of turnip and beetroot. The chicken's juices ran clear, and contrasted delightfully against the crispy skin. Hmmm...

I had a really hard time deciding between the various steak dishes (I quickly eliminated the burger - too much carbo),  minute wagyu, petit tender or steak with fries. In the end I chose the wagyu. My bovine eye candy was delivered on a hot plate (ok, it wasn't really that sizzling hot kind) with little julienned fingerling potatoes and caramelized onions hidden underneath. The only complaint I have is that I wished that the restaurant served a little bit of greens with the dish. I felt like a roly poly cavewoman as I heartlessly carved into my sinful steak. The unctous marbled fat in the steak melted in my mouth and warmed the cockles in my heart. *Swoon*

Make love on a plate

But the pièce de résistance for me was truly the scrumptious brandied berry and almond tart. Warm, and crumbly with that little dollop of creme fraiche melting on the tart, it was a lovely touch to end the meal. It was so yummy that Bär was envious and wished he ordered that instead. Then again his profiteroles were two beautiful frozen nuggets of solid cream. Told him to wait for the damn things to defrost, lest he get brain freeze, but he insisted on eating them. Tsk Tsk.

In a nutshell,
Bedrock Bar & Grill
96 Somerset Road, #01-05 Pan Pacific Serviced Suites Orchard, Singapore 238163

Less is More - Ah Bong's Italian

 

I forgot to take a photo of the stall, so please make do with this (taken from the stall's facebook page)

Mr Bear's sister joined us for lunch today, so I suggested that we try Ah Bong's Italian, which I read about a few days ago. It was supposed to be restaurant quality at kopitiam (coffeeshop) prices. So we decided to give it a try, even though I was nursing a headache. It was the same coffeeshop that houses Two Face at night.

Today we had a few choices, ragu, country style pasta (I think), mac&cheese, aglio olio and creme brulee. The pasta was S$6 a plate, which was ok. We also had the option of adding truffle oil for S$1 to the pasta. The three of us ordered the creme brulee. The food was served on quaint coffeeshop style dishes, unfortunately the portions were dietician-sized.

I tried a little of everything as well as my own mac & cheese, which was delish, but didn't have much other than bacon bits, mushrooms bits and cheese. 

The country style pasta

Miss Bear's country style pasta was very nice, with minute slices of zuchini and mushrooms. Mr Bear's had the same ingredients though his was doused lavishly with oil because it was aglio olio after all. I preferred the country style pasta, though my Mac&Cheese was the best. Bobo being a pasta hater would probably run screaming into the afternoon. :D

In a nutshell, I would say, the taste was very restaurant style, though the portions were also very restaurant style. Perhaps it's because Mr Bear and I were fatty poompooms, but even slender Miss Bear opined that the portions were a little tiny, and we looked longingly at the yong tau fu stall. Wished Ah Bong sold salads, or even sorbet. The pasta settled a little heavily in my still fragile system, would have been nice to have had some lemon sorbet to cleanse the palate a little bit (luckily I ordered 钓鱼 - chinese tea using a tea bag), though the creme brulee was very yummy. The scorched sugar shell was warm, contrasting with the cold inside which was gooey, cold and sinful... hmmm. But oh so tiny.

It was a teaspoon next to the creme brulee (S$3).

I commented drily that it was good in a way that they didn't give us too much to make us feel sick, like we'd have with large family sized portions, because the flavors were heavy. I think if they provided some free greens/salad would have been improved the meal so much more and made us feel more value for money (e.g. air-conditioned Saveur's very popular Saveur pasta only costs S$4.50 and the portion is larger). I suggested to Mr Bear that if we ate at this place again, we should buy 3 pasta to be shared by 2 persons.

It was all about portion control... Shrove Tuesday

Miss Bear decided to starve me into submission, by ordering only 1 tofu dish, and 1 vegetable dish (she vetoed my suggestion to contaminate the vegetables with any form of meat). Later, she commented drily, "do you think you the waitress think we are vegetarians?"

Gee. You think?

Very amazing spaces style

I thought she might be controlling the portions because we were going to have waffles, though I told her if she wanted me to eat at Creamier, she should just haul me out to ze barn and shoot me between the eyes. 1st of all, it is more overhyped than the rest of the overhyped gelato shops, next, why the fuck must I queue to buy ice-cream, then queue for seats? It's insane.

But like I said, I was starved into submission, so we tried out another gelato shop further down, near Braddell MRT station, called Shrove Tuesday (no idea why. There was a great wall of text explaining why but I couldn't be bothered to read it). 

We chose Baked apple caramel (me) and Roche (her)

I like the shop design. It is very eclectic, Amazing Spaces style. Roche was basically ground hazelnuts (flavor, but no actual nut) mixed with chocolate, while baked apple caramel tasted pretty sticky but ok. I could tell that Miss Bear preferred my choice, because she kept eating mine instead of hers. But the most amazing part is how they spin the waffles. These gelato shops claim that by using a yeast batter they can create crispy batter but the reality is that since it is yeast batter, the batter rises so they earn more while incurring lesser material cost.

Exiting the shop, we saw a little shop at the opposite block. It was selling traditional waffles and ice-cream separately. I remarked to Miss Bear how ironic that that shop had 0 customers when it was selling the exact same thing and cheaper too. Lovely juxtaposition of cheap yet less appreciated versus expensive yet hyped. We are such suckers for packaging.

[Book Review] The Perfect Retreat

The Perfect Retreat was a pretty good chick lit. I liked all the characters in that they were not all totally cookie-cutter stereotypes, other than the raging bitch ex-wife. 

There were one or two GLARING booboos though, and I personally feel that the editor needs a swift kick to the butt for them. E.g. page 125. Small, large breasts...????? I envisoned a lop sided Kitty. Hahaha.

Second case was that Ivo's dad was the Earl of Casselton on Page 360, then on page 382 when Evelyn, Ivo's mother explained that when Ivo's dad Perry "pops his clogs then Ivo inherits" as the future Marquess and Marchioness of Casselton.

I may not be well-versed in the English aristocracy and their lineage, but from what I read of historical novels I formed the impression that Earls are not the same as Marquesses. When eldest sons of Earls inherit, they become Earls. And Marquesses will inherit from Dukes. So if Ivo's dad is Duke of Casselton, it makes sense if Ivo is Marquess of Casselton. YKWIM?

Back to the characters. Like I said earlier, I liked the characters in that the author put in some effort for forming their personalities. However I found that the adults are a bit strange and unbelievable. As in why would a renowned director treat a dyslexic young woman as a daughter after hearing her practise reading? A bit too whimsical. The author expedited the last part of the story very quickly with the husband being an arschloch through almost 3/4 of the book and suddenly becoming very conciliatory and apologetic. The author did explain the reason for the transition, but I found the transition a bit too fast and somewhat miraculous. I mean the wife couldn't change him, parenthood couldn't change him but a girlfriend of some months could change his thinking overnight?

Ivo is a very delicious character of course. I think he is probably the reason to read the book. Merritt and Willow are flawed but nice and believable. Kitty falls under the unbelievable category. She is supposed to be retiring and shy but she goes ballistic on a guy who she loves and makes his life totally miserable when he rescued her? And yet she could forgive her boss so readily. I mean yes, it was her fault for losing the kid, but to forgive her so readily and then blaming it all on Ivo is like very bipolar behavior. Lucy is a good character but doesn't do much other than perform a secondary supporting role. 

I loved the bromance between the dudes in the later part of the story, and I enjoyed the part about the paintings hiding in plain sight. This plot was also done in the first season of Motive (Canadian drama).

[Book Review] Pretty in Plaid

This book was quite an awesome read. Jennifer Lancaster is both snarky and witty between the sheets, even though I felt that the book came to a abrupt ending in the epilogue. Probably it's because I liked what I was reading and wanted the fun to continue. I especially liked the part where she wrote about her "rush" days at Purdue, and how various fashion pieces symbolized the various episodes in her life. Then there was the part about her mother drinking a blow job cocktail, to the amusement of Jennifer's friends and colleagues at the restaurant where she spent her college days serving disgruntled customers and getting into trouble for not giving a shit about their lives. 

"Just when I think the evening can't get any more mortifying, my mother leans in and conspiratorially whispers, "But I've had the real thing." Were I to even contemplate what she may have meant by this statement, I'd curl up in the fetal position and rock back and forth for the remainder of my life. As it is, I spend the rest of my graduation night suffering from hysterical deafness." Jennifer does have a love for footnotes (amusing as they are, give me a terrible work-based flashbacks), which would have made our お母さん proud. Still, it was a funny read, though I might have underestimated the calculating, cunning mind of a young girl, despite having been one myself.

Delicious Onion

I'd better hurry up and finish the Bali posts while I can (will explain why soon). This was the last place we ate at before leaving Bali. 

Delicious Onion is located outside our hotel (without TV, such a sin, thanks to that experience, when I ever book accomodation, I will look out for the magical word TV, after air-con *lol*). 

We experienced sweltering heat as we wandered out of the hotel at noon, searching for food before our flight in the evening (it was yet another horrific 2 hour drive to the airport, thanks to the all-too-predictable traffic jams on two lane roads). 

I had been sorely tempted by the menu when walking past. So many burgers on the menu (the fact that we eventually chose local Indonesian food on the menu is an irony lost on me). They even had motorbikes for hire, but we were too stupid to handle one (me especially), so the lady told us to return them even before we left the premises. I want to get a motorbike licence!!!

Anyway it was too hot, so we walked back and ate there. It was cooling under the makeshift shelter and we sat on a bench. I like eateries with weird ass inconsistent seating because it makes them look effortlessly cozy. I accidentally insulted the lady again when I passed her a lollipop for the little boy I saw yesterday while we were renting the bike. She said... she is a girl. OOPZ.

Since it was the last day already, we ordered some satay, ayam rice, and Peranakan pork dish (we also ordered gyoza, don't ask me why). Turns out the cafe was owned by a Singaporean. There were two doggies at the cafe. One crazy ass poodle (I think, I can't remember), which kept barking, and this cute bigger doggie which begged Bobo for food. I think he knew Bobo doesn't eat much. When I tried to walk around the table to pet him, he wandered off. So dao!

We were worried that the food would take long because the lady still had to heat the charcoal for bbqing the satay. Luckily we were just outside our hotel (the driver was bloody late in the end). I did feel a little bad that she had to stand in the harsh sunlight and handle the even harsher heat from the charcoal grill.

The rest of the staff busied (ok it was a joke, because there was no hurrying) themselves making the rest of the dishes. The gyoza was the usual pan-fried processed ones so nothing special there. The pork dish came with a clear veggie soup, i.e. veggies floating on top of a instant chicken stock (a dish ubiquitous in Bali). I was reminded of the imagery from the Endless Steppe (I read way too many books on Jewish persecution during WWII when I was a teenager) where Esther Hautzig described the nasty vegetable soup they got in the cargo cars. *shiver*

The rice in our dishes smelled pretty good but was quite wet. Probably didn't have enough time to dry after cooking yet. I liked Bobo's pork more than my chicken because I don't really like chicken breast meat (otherwise known as white meat). 

Now to think of it I kind of regretted not ordering a burger. But the place was not bad for its ambience.

Kho Kho Nara

A whole group of bears convened upon the hapless Kho Kho Nara for its fried chicken. It was my suggestion, because fried chicken was the one thing I craved maximus from my South Korean trip. And I still hadn't been able to find the perfect place that reminded me of that wonderful fried chicken I had there (don't ask me about the fotos, they are probably in the junk somewhere that I hauled from my other home).

The restaurant is CRAMPED. After all it is located in the CBD, which means $$$$ in rentals. I can totally understand, but it was impossible to take photos nicely when another bear's elbow is digging into your ribs while the other is reaching over  you to grab at the yummy chicken wings.

"I'll make love 2 you like you want me to And I'll hold you tight, baby, all through the night" (Boyz II Men's song)

The chicken is INSANELY GOOD. Crispy, freshly fried, fragrant. Even the original fried chicken was wonderful. If the damn chicken is a man, I would bring him home and make sweet sweet love to him all night long and then eat him. It was really expensive, but really yum. I would go there just for the wings, they were that good. There were three flavors, Original, Soy Garlic and Sweet & Spicy. I personally like the garlicky one, because it carries the piquant fragrance of garlic and is yet cloyingly sweet. Vampires beware!

김치 찌개 - affordable but blah...they used cheap belly. I don't know why I had instant image of leftover samyeopsal

Beef 비빔밥

The rest of the lunch menu is ok including the banchan. Way cheaper than its dinner menu (same items by the way), but not worth writing about because they were a letdown after having those ambrosial chicken wings.

In a nutshell,

Kko Kko Nara Korean Restaurant
57 Tras Street #01-01 Singapore
Tel: +65 6224 8186

Fuck - Helmet for my pillow by Robert Leckie

"Always there was that word. Always there was that four-letter ugly sound that men in uniform have expanded into the single substance of the linguistic world. It was a handle, a hyphen, a hyperbole; verb, noun, modifier; yes, even conjunction. It described food, fatigue, metaphysics. It stood for everything and meant nothing; an insulting word, it was never used to insult; crudely descriptive of the sexual act, it was never used to describe it; base, it meant the best; ugly, it modified beauty; it was the name and the nomenclature of the voice of emptiness, but one heard it from the chaplains and captains, from Pfc.'s and Ph.D.'s until, finally, one could only surmise that if a visitor unacquainted with English were to overhear our conversations he would, in the way of the Higher Criticisms, demonstrate by measurement and numerical incidence that this little word must assuredly be the thing for which we were fighting."

This paragraph reflects the book in its entirety. A lot of bombs and fighting, a lot of bombastic words.

Insanely good food at Saveur Singapore

Taken by my lovely camera before its lens went kaputt (S$6.90)

Mr Bear said the night scenery at Gardens by the Bay was very nice and that he was going to bring Mrs Bear there Samstag night. So being the shameless thick-skinned thing I am, I immediately put up a paw and asked if we could go along.

So Mr Bear said, ok, how about dinner? I reassured that I would have no problem finding a place as long as he told me his budget.

S$20 a head? Wtf? On a Saturday night... Flexing my fingers, I dug deep into the Internet and found Saveur.

Saveur used to operated as a food stall by two Shatec (I missed their old training restaurants, Rosette and Petals) graduates in a kopitiam called Ali Baba Eating House (I kid you not) located along Joo Chiat. It later moved to its current location in Purvis Street. The place is so popular that it does not take reservations. Instead you will queue up obediently for one of its 60 seats.

B1 and I got lost, because I remembered wrongly Purvis Street as the street near Bugis MRT station. Nope, it is near City Hall station behind Raffles Hotel and perpendicular from the National Library. We left our names, after someone kindly told us to (you see, everyone was bizarrely standing in a line, even though the restaurant has opened for dinner). Then we wandered to Mani.cur.ious like I said before.

When Mr and Mrs Bear showed up, bizarrely dressed in bermudas and polo tees, B1 and I were sweating like mad. A middle aged lady had even fainted from the heat. Yup, the food is worth fainting for. Finally we got our seats, where we were served iced water very promptly without being asked, a totally appreciated gesture.

I insisted that it was a goose when we saw it on the signboard. Turns out it was a Duck

We had been standing outside the restaurant like little match girls, we noticed this signboard about their pasta being available for takeaways. Must be very popular, we concluded, so B1 and Mr Bear both ordered that. Me, I ordered foie gras with creamy lentils and pickled pearl onions, while Mrs Bear, bread rolls and Soup of the Day (which was Mushroom soup). 

Sorry, usually I wouldn't order bread rolls unless I know who made them. (S$2)

The pasta was most excellent. Al dente, with just the right touch of flavorsome chili oil. One thing I didn't get was why it was minced meat sauce in the menu, when it tasted like tuna to me. B1 liked the crunch of the little sakura ebi (I skipped that because I don't like prawns).

Mushroom Soup. Ok, nothing exciting. (S$4.90)

My foie gras was a wee bit crispy and then all creamy and gooey and yummy inside, all of the right kind. Not like that horrible place Two Face Pizza that burnt it. Just the right amount of sear. Swoon....I would have preferred the apple-infused port wine and vanilla bean, but I decided to save some $$ for dessert.

Just the right amount of sear (S$7.90)

Then it was onto the entrees. I chose the braised short ribs, Mrs Bear, the pan-seared bass, and the guys, the duck confit, because everyone else was ordering it.

Duck Confit (S$10.90)

 The duck confit was pretty awesome, though a bit chao tah (burnt), I thought. B1 loved the mushrooms (duh, he being a mushroom nut after all).  It was fragrant and not the least bit gamy and ducky. B1 insisted I try even though I didn't eat much duck ever since it entered my non-edible list because I like ducks.

Pan-seared sea bass (S$14.90)

Mrs Bear mmm-mmmed through her pan-seared sea bass. She kept commenting that it was juicy. I had to restrain myself from saying "moist, you say it's moist, not juicy." I am naughty and fussy that way. But she was sort of right, the fish flaked easily at the fork and was moist and flavorful.

It was during dinner that we had a pretty wild conversation about foreign brides. It was brought up because Mr Bear realized that he had dressed really down and other diners really dressed up well for dinner. Duh, it's a French restaurant, after all, on Purvis Street. Besides cheap and good eats then party in some club downtown is a good idea. I pointed out to Mrs Bear that there were a lot of local girls dressed up and eating with Caucasian men. I remembered a conversation with an online friend, who said that the Thai women who migrated to his country were ugly and married to really old men. I realized that these women were actually smarter than me. They get to stay at home and keep home without having to worry about where their next meal was coming from. Whereas I studied all the way to MSc, but have to work like mad everyday.

Mrs Bear replied "but they have to please the old man, you know?"

"We have it worse," I retorted. "We have to please our bosses at work. Come home and have to please the old man at home too." Got the evil eye from B1 for that. hehe.

Braised short rib (S$14.90)

Finally my braised short rib came. It was worth the wait. It was soft and tender, and had my favorite mesclun salad and vinaigrette dressing. Yum yum. I thought the gratin wasn't as hot as it should be though.

Strawberries with basil sorbet (I forgot what was the price, it was a special)

We decided on our desserts. I got the strawberry special with basil sorbet, which tasted great! Too bad Mr Bear kept stealing from me. :( He and his wife shared a chocolate mousse with crushed hazelnuts. B1 ordered Textures of Citrus, which was blood orange jelly served with orange granité, freeze-dried pineapple, feuilletine, citrus segments, and lime zest. I didn't like his much.

Textures of Citrus (S$6.90)

Chocolate and Hazelnut (S$7.90)

The entire bill came out to be about S$120, which was pretty excellent, considering what we ate. It was really worth fainting for. I would definitely come back here to eat.

In a nutshell,

Saveur

5 Purvis Street, 

Talib Court #01-04 

Singapore 188584