J.Dashes: No One Knows

Some of you may know this feeling, but sometimes we like to have things that is exclusive to us - a secret that no one else knows. I have been feeling rather dull lately and wanted to make something that could motivate/ encourage myself without anyone knowing, so I had a morse bracelet made.

I guess if you are a reader of morse, you would figure out what the message is. But for the mass public out there, I am just another girl wearing a beaded bracelet for good luck or religious reason.

Instead of one, I got 3 of such bracelets made by J.Dashes. Apart from the message which could be customisable, you can also pick your colour combination as well as the size of the bracelet. My 2 other bracelets are the infinity couple bracelet. I thought it was meaningful to make that because the Hub and I won't be wearing our bands during our honeymoon.

Not that without the ring you won't maintain your faith in the marriage, but it is just cool to wear something that indicate we are a pair. And I like the infinity sign, it means never-ending, going on and on and on... like his nagging LOL!

I have unfortunately custom-made an overly cherry colour for him, but I truly have a penchant towards the tiffany colour. Sigh. Still, it looks good doesn't it, just that it is a bit gay for a man :_P

For those of who are keen on making one for yourself or for V-day, I can assure you that the quality of these beads and belt are pretty good. The beads are smooth and doesn't scratch your skin, while the belt has been durable despite my rough tugging. :P Plus, Lady Boss is very nice and approachable. So, please support her.

Storm Boy with Salt Media

2 weeks back, we went for red carpet premiere of an Australian firm - Storm Boy. This is a remake of the 1976 classic film of the movie, with a modern twist. Not to be a spoiler, the movie is basically about a  young boy who rescues 3 really adorable pelicans and focuses on the deep bond formed between the boy and one of the pelican.

About from seeing the adorable pelicans, viewers can expect to see the lovely view of the Australia coast. You will also get to see Geoffrey Rush (Pirates of the Caribbean)! A lot of reviewers compared it to the original and was a bit disappointed, it was not taken wholesale. I never watched the orignal before. But as a first-time viewer, I felt Storm Boy could really resonate with me, leaving me some takeaways and made me reflect a lot on my predicament.

For movie enthusiasts who are working in the CBD area, you will be excited to know that there is new entertainment option to visit after work. Supported by Capitaland, Salt Media @ Capital Tower is a first-of-its-kind alternative movie theatre in an office tower (auditorium by day, movie theatre by night). The gourmet popcorns and coconut drink is super yummy and is part of the movie tickets.

During the premiere, we managed to catch a glimpse of some big shots (i.e. Australian High Commissioner His Excellency Mr Bruce Gosper, Honorary Chairman Mr Lucas Chow and Founder Mr Sherman Ng). We also got to hear from the director and child lead author on some of the interesting happenings at the film set. 

Would recommend you guys to go try out this alternative cinema - Salt Media. They serve inspriation films instead of the usual Hollywood fare served by the mainstream theatres. Apart from Storm Boy, you can also catch An Interview with God. All movie tickets can only be purchased online. Pss, it is cheaper if you watch on weekdays.

If your eyes are sharp, the emcee of the red carpet event was Dawn Yang. And oh my god, she looked rather plastic. And I have to say, she did steal the limelight of the event...by not bothering even to practice her script before the event. Sorry for the bitch in me for rearing its ugly head, but seriously, she was so bad, she even got the Director's name wrong *roll eyes* But still a poor emcee can never really spoil a good movie in a comfy location.

Huat with Yellow Pot

Guys, you know how crazy I am with the Crazy Rich Asian lifestyle (do note that I jolly well can't afford one), but I am always in awe when the deco of a restaurant screams lux. So yesterday, I was googling my way around to find Yellow Pot. But I saw this gorgeous architecture at Duxton Road, and I just had to take a photo of it.

Mind you, I was a little running late. And me being very professional most of the time, would never, I swear never, let anything break my focus on getting to the destination. Lo and behold, Yellow Pot was nestled in this building. You can imagine, how very happy I was to know I will be dining at such a splendid place.

For reader who love a balanced and healthy meal, you will be happy to hear that Yellow Pot does not contain any MSG. The ingredients are also sustainably-sourced and most of the dishes contain traditional herbs that brings great benefit to your health. My lucky stars were definitely shining brightly at me that cos I got to taste the Dinner Set B (128pp)

The menu offers from left to right, top to bottom:

1. King Ora Salmon Yu Sheng - This is seriously the best Yu Sheng I ever had. The crunchy jellyfish and crispy gold crackers were particularly delicious. I am not entirely sure what the "gold" was made of, but it sure tasted super awesome.
2. Poached Spinach with Braised Bailing Mushroom and Sun-dried Oyster - This is quite a traditional Chinese dish, so there isn't much element of surprise apart from the generosity of oysters. :P
3. Wok Fried Rice with Seafood, Crabmeat and Salted Egg Yolk - I am not presenting the food in the order it was served. This was the second last dish. By the time it was served, I was already extremely full. You can't really taste the salted egg yolk in this. But I am kinda of way over the egg yolk craze so part of me was secretly please we could taste the sweetness of the seafood instead. 





Here are some of the yummy highlights (from left to right):


4. Yellow Pot Roast Duck - I love the skin of the roasted duck. The meat, however was a little too tough for my liking. But then I realised that you shouldn't eat it without the plum sauce. The plum sauce is extraordinarily good - a nice blend between sweet and sour - and somewhat soften the texture of the meat. It is heavenly when consumed together.
5. Thorny Sea Cucumber with Abalone and Fish Maw - This fish maw surprised me a lot cos this may the first time I am seeing it un-fried. Just this dish alone (look at the size abalone) is bound to make your corporate clients very happy with the treat.
6. Baked Toothfish Vegetable Reduction - There was a little bit of debate on this fish cos we initially thought it was cod fish. I love fishes with tender flesh and is soft enough to literally peel (characteristic of  the codfish family)! No complaints from me on this for sure.




From left to right, top to bottom:

7. Double Boiled Chicken Soup with Fish Maw, Cordyceps Flower, Morel and Yellow Fungus (Tremella Frondosa) - I know this sounds a little bit spoilt of me. But I sort of had a bit of grouses on too much fungus. Obviously, no one at the table agreed with me because how is the taste going to come out if you don't spam the ingredients right?!? I think I just don't like fungus. =P
8. Steamed Chinese Sweet Cake and Red Tea with Sesame Glutinous Rice Dumpling - First time in my life where desserts are served in pairs. The tang yuan is kinda of normal and a little too sweet for my liking, but the handmade sweet cake is frigging good. It is so good I would just go there to tabao this home.
9. Dian Hong Pure Gold (S$22) - Tea isn't part of the menu. But I really need to give a shoutout to the tea selection. There are 14 varieties to choose from! I drank cups after cups and still managed to fall asleep at night. If you are ever at Yellow Pot, try some of the more uncommon tea to get the ultimate bang for your bucks!
10. X.O. Tiger Prawn - I don't really eat prawns cos I have allergy reaction when the prawns aint fresh. Had only one that day and woohoo no allergies. I can be certain that the prawn is fresh.

So that's it for the CNY menu, but fret not cos of these dishes are on their ala carte menu as well. I would say the price point is considered reasonable given the premium ingredients used. Plus, this place serve alcohol, it is a very good place to have another round of chat after a sumptuous meal. With that, Huat ah!

Playtime with Giggly Feet

This post is pretty much a first of its kind. Although I don't have kids, but some of my friends are in that stage. And I am guessing some of you readers might also be in that stage. So, it does make some sense to try out some posts that are more kids-themed.

We are working with Giggly Feet on this post. You may be curious what is Giggly Feet? Is it a penguin from Happy Feet? Hehe...Guys,Giggly Feet is a supervised indoor playroom! The truth is kids and parents nowadays truly have it better.

Don't be envious, but Giggly Feet consists of facilities such as sand pits, slides, trampolines, basketball nets etc. This is almost like an upgraded babysitting facility. Your children/ nieces and nephews get to exert their energy while you recharge.

There will also be other children here, for single child kids, the would have the opportunity to have more social interaction with kids of their own age and learn to make new friends as well as values such as sharing during play time.

Rest assured that these kiddos will be in safe-hands. The crew at Giggly Feet are trained to look after the children. They will also step in as mentoring roles and challege them to explore, think and interact while having fun. If you are still worried and or want to join in the fun, you can enter the playzone for S$2 only!

What's best is that Giggly Feet's rates are really affordable. For Off-peak (Mon-Fri), it is S$6 per 15mins/ S$14 per hour. For peak (Sat, Sun, Public holidays and school holidays), it just cost S$7 per 15mins/ S$16 per hour. Its existance is truly to bring affordable convenience and joy to both parents and child.  

If you foresee yourself using their services for a more long-term basis, you can even try out their packages! For ForFunk readers, you are in luck because Giggly Feet is giving away 2 1-month free membership which comprises unlimited playtime for a month (worth $48 each) for 2 kids!

You don't have to be a parent to join this giveaway. If you have nieces/ nephews or would like to give this to your friend with a kid, you can join this giveaway. Leave a comment down below if you want to join! Because I will be really busy next month, we will open this giveaway till mid-March :D If you really want to have more of such children-related giveaway, please let me know, cos we also really have a sense of the content you guys are interested in :D

Congrats to the winners!

Comfort Food: Rong Cheng Bak Kut Teh

I have been receiving quite a bit of feedback from readers telling me that I should really venture out more to the other sides of the island cos not everyone live at my side of town. And I have to admit that my food posts mainly came from a certain area.

Since I value my readers' opinions, I promise to take more conscious effort to eat my way out of my comfort zone. :D And speaking of comfort, I thought I will share with you a comfort food - Bak Kut Teh, for readers who live near Sin Ming.

Some of you may have already heard of this place because it is an old name - Rong Cheng Bak Kut Teh. Situated in the industry park area of Sin Ming, you may be shocked pretty packed when I was there for lunch. That's probably not a surprise because this shop first Bak Kut Teh shop to introduce the clear broth soup as well as loin ribs (龙骨) into the market.

Bak Kut Teh used to be a poor rickshaw man's staple. But now, it is a local comfort food. What makes a Bak Kut Teh is really how homely and comforting it is. Honestly, before I had my meal, I was feeling kinda glum and rather inconsolable. I am not saying that the Bak Kut Teh here is magic, but it did uplift my mood. :D

Maybe all I really needed was a satisfying meal to make me stronger like my forefathers to take on the tough days ahead. What really made me enjoy the meal even more was how affordable it is. For that much of food, it is less than S$100. :D

From left to right, top to bottom:

1. Rong Chen mixed pot ($29.80) - This is very value for money if you want to try a variety. In retrospect, we should have gotten ourselves a piping hot Signature Dragon Rib Soup ($9) each instead. 
2. Chicken Feet with Beancurd Skin ($5) - Generous portion with lots of beancurd skin. The chicken feet isn't as good as the Dimsum type but for the price-point, I give it a thumbs-up. 
3. Salted Vegetables ($3) - A star among the sided-dished. It was not too salty, and was just right. You have to order this. 
4. Fried You Tiao ($1.50) - No Bak Kut Teh meal is complete without this!
5. Braised Pig Trotters ($7) - It is my parents' favourite. It is really tender and there is no other place you can get at such premium quality at this affordable price. 
6. Braised Intestines ($6) - I would consider this mid-range intestines. Like all the other dishes, the serving here is generous. It is a good dish if you don't have a specific craving to satisfy. 
7. Fried Egg with Cai Pu ($6) - Personally, I prefer my eggs spammed with Cai Pu. But if you prefer something more balanced, I think you would love this a lot. 

And no Bak Kut Teh meal is ever complete without a nicely brewed tea. They have a good selection there. You get to have good conversation while enjoying the tea. (Although the place is packed, it is still quite conducive for conversations) Pss, by the way, their coffee is super good too. So try a cup while you are there.

For those of you who live very far, you can also try to make your very own Rong Cheng Bak Kut Teh. They sell their sachets at $28 for box of 8. One of my rare ventures out for food food, and I found a gem :D I guess this means there will be more of such journeys. :D If you feeling moody and need some perking up, do try having Rong Cheng Bak Kut Teh. By the way, they also have other food i.e. chicken rice and zichar there too if your companions want other variety!

Awesome Thai Food: Noodle Thai Thai Kitchen

You guys know how much I love Thai food. When it comes to affordable Thai food, everyone would think this particular shop which used to be at Shaw Tower. However, lately, that place is always overbooked and doesn't really allow reservations. So, I am very happy to chance upon Noodle Thai Thai Kitchen.

It serves a good variety of the usual favourites and also more the more uncommon dishes such as jade noodle, khao soi and stewed pork rib with longan. In addition, Noodle Thai Thai Kitchen, making it a very good place for gatherings.

We visited Noodle Thai Thai Kitchen on a Friday evening, and boy this place was packed around 8pm. And it every reason to be so. The food here was really yummy and the price was reasonable. It is conveniently located, 2 traffic lights down Bugis (the home of great malas and thai cuisine).

The interior of Noodle Thai Thai Kitchen was cosy. But what really impressed me most was the service staff. Okay, generally speaking, places that serve affordable and delicious Thai food always seem to have overly grouchy workers. But at Noodle Thai Thai Kitchen, the staff were very attentive to all the customers' needs and were fast to react and serve! *Thumbs up*

These are some of the food we tried and they are all good! From left to right, top to bottom:

1. Signature Jade Noodle (Claypot Flower Clam) - $12.90: This is quite uncommon in Thai Restaurants. I always love spinach noodles and have a super soft spot for lala. So I am definitely coming back for this. 
2. Northern Chang Mai Khao Soi - $7.90: Another uncommon dish. It is basically curry noodle. But unlike our local curry, there is a stronger coconut taste but has a much less spicy kick to it. Good for people who can't take spicy food. My bro loves it though it is not my thing. Everyone needs to try it at least once because it is just not served everywhere.
3. Thai Style Moo Yang - $12: This dish is frigging addictive. And it taste really good with the sticky rice. Yes, they serve sticky rice here! It is also a good drinking snack, so please order it when you are there. I was really full when this was served, but I just can't stop eating. That's how good it was!
4. Mango Salad - $8: A very decent dish and it is good to break the taste. The next time I am there, I promise I will try out other salads, ok!
5. Stewed pork rib with longan - $7.90: My Dad akin this to rou gu cha with longan. Perfect food for rainy days and the longan brings out the sweetness in the soup. (I am going to throw in longans to all the soups I brew in future). By the way, this was the dish featured on Lian He Zao Bao. *winks*
6. Thai Style Stir Fried Kangkong -$8 - Another uncommon dish and a great drinking snack. The sauce is amazing, so remember to dip them in, ok!

Although we didn't have any of the alcohol, the drinks met the mark for me. Thai drinks are usually very sweet. I have been trying to cut down a lot on my sugar intake and I am happy minus the sweetness, these drink are still awesome.

1. Thai Lime Soda - $3.80: Not my thing, but my bro calls this the best drink!
2. Thai Green Latte - $3.80: My favourite drink there, not too sweet and just nice for me. 
3. Thai Milk Tea - $3.30: It still gives you the Thai Milk Tea goodness without being overpoweringly sweet.
4. Thai Fresh Coconut - $4: Truly a young one, its meat was soft and tender while the juice was sweet.

Desserts isn't the strongest suit there. We tried the Jasmine Red Ruby ($5.90) and the Organic Sticky Rice with Thai Honey Mango ($7.90).  Before we end off the post, just wanted to do a quick share on an unbelievably good deal I heard while I was there.

If you are in the vicinity during lunch time on a weekday, you should die die make your way there. Because they have this amazing lunch promotion. For $6.90, you get a main, a drink and a dessert. Some of the favourite I have featured are also in this lunch promo list. Don't say I bojio, ok!

Funky Find: Tesalate Beach Towel

By now, I think it is a well known fact by all my readers that I love anything that is versatile. Because anything has more than one use generally is value for money! Whee~!~

I came across Tesalate beach towels and felt that this was a must-bring to our New Zealand tour. Please click the link at your own risk because once you enter the site, you might end up buying the entire collection. Hehe.

7 reasons why I love Tesalate

1. It is highly compact. This towel isn't small as you can see. But it is so easy to roll it up and put into a bag and bring to a pool/ beach. And it is very light too! 
2. You can use it as a throw! Okay, this was a surprise use for it. But it really does look on our bed. Plus, flip it around and you have a whole new look. Guess when it is not in da gym bag, it can be a pretty good house deco. 
3. It is a good yoga mat towel. Okay, I tried it one day and I realised hey this towel has a pretty good grip (o.O) I think it is really due to its sand-free properties. The sand slip off but your body stays on. 
4. Ok, now for its real use - it is an amazing beach towel. The sand truly doesn't stick on, as promised. I think it because of the fabric, it doesn't have much threads' ruff and whats not.
5. It holds water very well. I love this for swimming cos most towels doesn't seem to dry me completely. But this does. :D
6. It dries fast too! I am not sure what magic is this. But this pretty much means, there is no need to swap towels. Wash it and you can use it the next day!
7. IT IS GORGEOUS. Enough said, and the variety of designs availabel on Tesalate is astounding. It took me eons to settle on one and a lifetime of regrets to walk away with just one. 

We will be updating more photos, so stay tune!

New Hotpot in town: Little Sheep (Xiao Fei Yang)

This post is really for the readers who have their reunion dinners in restaurants instead of at home. In about a month's time, it will be our Chinese New Year. And it is where all the relatives gather and catch up. To avoid all the cleaning and pesky relatives from messing up your house, some of us would opt to host the dinner outside.

Because it is Chinese New Year, we would usually consume something that is more reflective of our Chinese heritage, and one of the meals the Chinese would usually like to have is steamboat. The pot is usually round, symbolising completeness and the meal supposedly bring a lot of warmth.

For those of you who need a change, rejoice, because there is a new hotpot chain in town - Little Sheep (Xiao Fei Yang). No Signboard Seafood managed to clinch a 10-years franchise agreement and now we get to enjoy this hotpot right on our very shore.

Before its launch, we have not heard of this brand before. But when we knew that No Signboard Seafood is putting its stakes in it, we knew that the food is definitely going to be nothing but good.

True enough, there was a huge variety to choose from. The broth was already yummy before you put in the dishes. And all the dishes was nicely sliced. Everything was just so simple, you cook and you eat. After that, you don't have to clean. And simply because of this fact, we expect this place to be booked and packed for CNY!

More importantly, beer is served! And there is even desserts too! Best of all, it is centrally located. So there is really no reason for any relative to claim that the place is too inconvenient and refuse to attend the gathering. Pss, with such good food, everyone is bound to turn up. The new worry would be, will there be enough space for all :P

Just to make you guys hungry, we will end off the post with a pot of steaming goodness *drool* 

** This review is written with contribution by our tasters.

Secret spots in Singapore

Yea 2019 is finally here. Honestly, 2018 hasn't been too bad of a year, but I really want 2019 to be better. Feeling pretty hopeful about it, because finally...I have made up my mind to make a change. :D More happiness, more joy, more smiles.

Basically, more to life! Since year-end is always a good time reminisce about the past and evaluate decisions for the future, I decided to share with you some "hotspots" that throw you back to the past, like wow.

1. Lorong Buangkok

Possibly the last of its kind, this is a kampong, right smack in Singapore. So, real people actually live here and there are even the overhead telephone lines. Though you can find such scenes in our neighbouring countries, this is really awesome because it is just so unexpected to find something like this in Singapore.

The area isn't big and a part of me really wished that this scene can be conserved. I guess it must be tough for the folks living there to always have curious strangers peering through and wanting to snap photos (super guilty of this). There are also mozzies flying around, but if you want a true kampong experience, you really need to give and take a little.

Take buses 70 or 103 from Serangoon MRT Station and alight 10 stops later at B67079. When you see cross the road, you will see a Shell Petrol Station. Lorong Buangkok is situated behind the canal!

2. Grassroots Book Room 

The hubby and I chanced upon this Indie bookstore coincidentally and I think we both fell in love with the place. Sorry for not taking many photos, but this bookshop is quaint, gorgeous and even comes with a cafe. The selection of books held were mainly chinese, but the titles were atypical.
Between me and you, I barely read any Chinese book. But for the first time of my life, I bought a Chinese book ("a blind date" too) and actually asked the hubby to get it for me as my Xmas present instead, which he readily did. I haven't exactly started reading the book (read it the wrong way round the first time...golly)

But I am very proud of myself for taking the first step :) Really excited about trying the cafe the next time round. This place really is a gem so please support it cos my heart will break if it close down. (The owners currently have funds to sustain it for 3 years.)

Grassroots Book Room. Katasumi Koohii 一隅珈琲 (cafe)
25 Bukit Pasoh Road, Singapore 089839
Opening Hours: 12pm – 8pm (Mon, Wed & Thu), 12pm – 9pm (Fri & Sat), 12pm – 6pm (Sun), Tue Closed